February – Goodreads Challenge

I cannot believe February is already coming to an end! This month, I had to read (1) a book I owned but never read, (2) a book that someone I love loves.

Like last month, I’m going to post 1-2 of my favorite quotes from each book instead of writing a review.

1. A book you own but you never read: Unclaimed by Laurie Wetz. I can’t recall actually purchasing this title and I have absolutely no idea how I even heard about it. Maybe it was from a Cyber Monday sale on Amazon? Here are my two favorite lines:

I’d forgotten how complicated it is to be human.

One day is not enough, but if it’s all I’ve got, I’m going to grab it with both hands and never look back.

2. A book that someone you love loves: All the Light You Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. Everyone seems to love this book! I chose it because my mom recently read it and said it was great. The writing is really beautiful and I recommend reading it! My favorite quotes:

Walk the paths of logic. Every outcome has its cause, and every predicament has its solution. Every lock its key.

Open your eyes and see what you can before they close forever.

Next month’s topics: A book that’s a collection of novels, and a book type you don’t usually buy (e-book, paper or audiobook)!

How are you all doing on your Goodreads Reading Challenge? Any favorite books so far?

January – Goodreads Challenge

As I previously posted, I am participating in a Goodreads Reading Challenge. It involves reading 30 books throughout the year. I thought it would be fun to post my results at the end of each month; it might just keep me on track, too!

For January, I had to read (1) A book I really liked when I was little, (2) A book I couldn’t fit into a previous challenge, and (3) A book that’s becoming – or is – a movie.

The results? Success! I managed to read a book for each category so I’m off to a good start (phew!) Instead of a full review, I think I’ll talk about why I picked each book and offer a few of my favorite quotes from each.

1. A book I really liked when I was little. I read the BFG by Roald Dahl. I chose this because I remember my mom reading it to me before bed when I was little. We both laughed so hard at the funny words the BFG used (it stands for Big Friendly Giant, if you haven’t read it.) It’s a super fun book for kids, if you are looking for something sweet but also funny. Here are a few of my favorite quotes:

 ‘You is trying to change the subject,’ the Giant said sternly. ‘We is having an interesting babblement about the taste of human bean. The human bean is not a vegetable.’

‘Of course not,” Sophie said. ‘I just love the way you talk.’ ‘How wondercrump!’ cried the BFG, still beaming. ‘How whoopsey-splunkers! How absolutely squiffling! I is all of a stutter.’

2. A book I couldn’t fit into a previous challenge. I haven’t actually done a previous challenge before so I just read whatever I wanted. I chose Gone Baby Gone by Dennis Lehane. (This also could have fit into category 3 and if you haven’t seen the film, I highly recommend it.) This is book 4 in the Kenzie and Gennaro series, which is a series I”m really enjoying. Hopefully I can fit a few more of his books into the challenge this year. Honestly, this was a tough read about a child abduction. After I finished the last line, my thought was people are the worst. But I’ll give you a few quotes anyway:

Each day in this country, twenty-three hundred children are reported missing.

But amid all that noise, nothing is louder than the silence of a missing child.

3. A book that’s becoming – or is – a movie. For this I picked Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews. This book was actually pretty hilarious, which is hard to pull off when one of the main characters is dying of cancer. The way it’s written is really different style-wise. I’m looking forward to seeing the movie! A few quotes:

One thing I’ve learned about people is that the easiest way to get them to like you is to shut up and let them do the talking. (Note: I find this so very true.)

Maybe ‘awesome’ is too strong a word. The sentence should be: ‘I was pleasantly surprised when the first day of senior year did not make me want to freak out and hide in my own locker pretending to be dead.

Are you doing a reading challenge? What did you read in January?