April Books - In Search of a Trilogy

This month I started planning ahead by researching book options so I would read books from the less familiar categories.  My first research category is a trilogy.  I'm actually waiting for the third book in what I think is a trilogy: The Paper Magician and The Glass Magician.  But I read the first two books last year, which technically doesn't count.  So back to square one, and this was a tad harder than I had first anticipated.

I would find books and upon a second look, I would find out the books were a series or just a pair. So after a few disappointments, I found a couple of options and put them on hold at the digital library. But during this process I finished my March book from Kindle Lending Library, so I looked for my selections there as well.  While none of them were available, Kindle suggested the trilogy I finally settled on The Glassblower trilogy.

This was bittersweet because it was also translated from a different language and set predominately during Christmas.  It could have counted towards two more of the categories on the list.  Oh well.  The story is of three sisters whose father just died and they have to find a way to survive in a small town in Germany where you either work for your family, marry and work in that family or work out of the house for poverty wages.  I'm guessing it's set in the early 1900's.  The sisters each break with tradition and after some misadventures find their own way.  It was slow at first, but the characters were likable and there were enough twists that the story wasn't too predictable.  I have the second book on my kindle and I'm starting it soon.

The second book of the month, a book from the bottom of my To-Read List, I discovered on Pinterest.  I was actually hoping it could be my trilogy, but there are too many.    This book was a journey back to an Oz that after time went on was tarnished by Dorothy's hunger for power.  The author was obviously a fan of the Baum series and various incarnations, with references and backstories that align and blend those universes.  I love The Wizard of Oz in its many forms so I enjoyed this book. I think it's a Young Adult book.  It doesn't always have the most intelligent dialog, and it had a predictable character arc.

I was so excited to read a book from my childhood as The Messenger continues one of my favorite books The Giver.  I only discovered that The Giver was a series last year and read Gathering Blue, the sequel to The Giver, as my book with a color in its title earlier this year.

• A trilogy:  The Glassblower
• A book from the bottom of your To-Read List: Dorothy Must Die
• A book from your childhood:  Messenger

17 of 55 Books, One book behind schedule.

2015 Reading List (Source: Popsugar.com)  My Complete Reading List

January 6 books
February: 4 books
March: 4 books
April: 3 books

March Books - A million ways to hang out without me or All the light we cannot see in the woods

I felt very sluggish reading this month, but I still finished four books.  This challenge is certainly making me expand my choices, as each book this month was very different than the one before it.   I have enjoyed all of this month's books. I've begun reserving books to fit the various categories rather than relying on chance of running across something that will fit.  I'm most concerned about finding a book from an author with my initials.

January: 6 books
February: 4 books
March: 4 books

14 of 55 books; 1 book ahead of schedule

2015 Reading List (Source: Popsugar.com)

• A Pulitzer Prize-winning book (All the Light We Cannot See - March)
• A mystery or thriller (In the Woods - March)
• A book you can finish in a day (A Million Ways to Die in the West - March)
• A book of short stories (Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? - March)
  

Full List of Books Read

2015 Reading Challenge Master List

January: 6 books
February: 4 books
March: 4 books
April: 3 books
May: 2 books
June: 4 books
July: 4 books
August: 5 books
September: 1 book
October: 3 books
November: 4 books
December: 14 books

2015 Reading List (Source: Popsugar.com)

• A book with more than 500 pages (Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child - January)
• A classic romance (Breakfast at Tiffanys - May)
• A book that became a movie (Gone Girl - January)
• A book published this year (The Master Magician - July)
• A book with a number in the title (Five Quarters of an Orange - June)
• A book written by someone under 30 (Cinder - July)
• A book with nonhuman characters (Undead and Uneasy - January)
• A funny book (Jesus Cow - December)
• A book by a female author (The Sleuth Sisters - February)
• A mystery or thriller (In the Woods - March)
• A book with a one-word title (Doomed- February)
• A book of short stories (Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? - March)
• A book set in a different country (The Serpent of Venice - January)
• A nonfiction book (Eat Move Sleep - January)
• A popular author's first book (Finding Alaska - June)
• A book form an author you love that you haven't read yet (Sycamore Row - January)
• A book a friend recommended (Murders and Nerdy Girls Work Late - August)
• A Pulitzer Prize-winning book (All the Light We Cannot See - March ) 
• A book based on a true story (Eat Pray Love - August)
• A book at the bottom of your to-read list (Dorothy Must Die - April)
• A book your mom loves (The Choice - December) 
• A book that scares you (Dark Places - November)
• A book more than 100 years old (The Yellow Wallpaper - December)
• A book you picked based on its cover (Sprinkled - February)
• A book you were supposed to read in school but didn't (Black Like Me - October)
• A memoir (Running with Scissors - July)
• A book you can finish in a day (A Million Ways to Die in the West - March)
• A book with antonyms in the title (Hell Made Easy - October)
• A book set somewhere you've always wanted to visit (The Disenchanted Widow - November)
• A book that came out the year you were born (Heartburn - August)
• A book with bad reviews (Zoo - August)
• A trilogy (The Glassblower - April, June, December)
• A book from your childhood (Messenger - April)
• A book with a love triangle (The Scarlet Letter Society - September) 
• A book set in the future (20/30 - December)
• A book set in high school (Fallen - December) 
• A book with a color in the title (Gathering Blue - February)
• A book that made you cry (The Fault in Our Stars - November)
• A book with magic (The Wicked Will Rise - December)
• A graphic novel (The Watchmen - December)
• A book by an author you've never read before (Shutter Island - August)
• A book you own but have never read (Still Alice - December)
• A book that takes place in your hometown (Colby Stories - October) 
• A book that was originally written in a different language (Werewolf in Bamburg - December)
• A book set during Christmas (The Christmas Cookie Club - December)
• A book written by an author with your same initials (Last Night at the Lobster - November)
• A play (Importance of Being Ernest - December) 
• A banned book (Their Eyes Were Watching God - July)
• A book based on or turned into a TV show (Wayward Pines - June)
• A book you started but never finished (A Wind in the Door - May)
• A start of a new series (Sleeping with Fishes - December) 
• Fairy Tales (Through the Woods - December)
• Science Fiction (The Wizard of Earthsea - December)

February books - Still ahead of schedule!

Continuing my year long journey of reading.  February has been a slow reading month for some reason, but oddly enough, I still finished four books.  I'm going to have start reviewing this list as I select books, I'm a little worried about finding books in all of the categories.

10 of 55 books, 18% complete (2 books ahead of schedule)

January: 6 books
February: 4 books

2015 Reading List (Source: Popsugar.com)

• A book by a female author (The Sleuth Sisters)
• A book with a one-word title (Doomed)
• A book you picked based on its cover (Sprinkled)
• A book with a color in the title (Gathering Blue)

The Slueth Sisters, Doomed and Sprinkled were all three star books.  All falling in the mystery category, and Doomed was science fiction.  Gathering Blue was part two of The Giver series and a wonderful story.  I was so happy to discover this beloved book from my childhood had additional books.

What to read next?

I met my goal of 50 books last year so this year, to help me choose books and broaden my horizons, I'll try to meet each of the categories below.  My goal for this year is 55 books, and this list just happens to be 55 books in this list (counting three for the trilogy).

For the most part, I'll go through the list from the top to choose which the category rather than subjectively trying to figure out which fits best.  I'll also list the month in which I finished the book.

6 of 55 books, 11% complete (3 books ahead of schedule)
January: 6 books

2015 Reading List (Source: Popsugar.com)

• A book with more than 500 pages (Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child - January)
• A book that became a movie (Gone Girl - January)
• A book with nonhuman characters (Undead and Uneasy - January)
• A book set in a different country (The Serpent of Venice - January)
• A nonfiction book (Eat Move Sleep - January)
• A book form an author you love that you haven't read yet (Sycamore Row - January)

Undead and Uneasy was a part of a MaryJanice Davidson, vampire-queen series.  I finished it on January 1.  These are okay books, and easy reads.  But they don't really bring me a lot of fulfillment.  I've always enjoyed Julia Child and was interested in her life.  She was pretty amazing and so much more than the cooking woman with the high-pitched voice.  Gone Girl was the first book like it that I read, with a very dramatic plot twist and ending.  The movie was a good adaptation.  Serpent of Venice I was slightly disappointed with.  I love Christopher Moore books and didn't hit the spot like it usually does.  It was the second book in the Fool series, a parody of Shakespearan works.  Eat Move Sleep was the worst stereotype of self-help dribble.  Sycamore Row was the second book in The Time to Kill series from John Grisham. I haven't read Grisham in a long time, and he was just as good as prior novels I read from him.