All posts tagged ABC Book Challenge

It’s Sunday again, and it’s time for the ABC Book Challenge! I found it over at Me, Myself, and Books, but I think it was started by The Thrifty Bibliophile. Today’s letter is Z, plus the books that don’t start with letters. To be honest, I don’t have any books in “My Books” on Goodreads that start with Z (I didn’t have any that started with X either) but I found some.

It’s hard to believe that this will be my last ABC book challenge post. Perhaps I’ll revisit this challenge in five years, or maybe I’ll do this once in a decade… but who knows what ten years will bring? I can’t imagine things would change enough to do this next year, however, especially since this is a six-month commitment. It was fun to go through my TBR and books I read to see my favorites in every letter though.

So without further ado, here are the Z and non-letter books!

I heard about Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth years ago when it initially came out. I can’t remember whether this was a controversial book or not, but from reading the reviews, I’d probably disagree with the author on some points (I am a Christian) but I’m also of the opinion that you can learn things from people that disagree with you even if you don’t necessarily agree with everything a person says. For example, I’m sure I’d find the historical context in this book interesting.

Zia stuck out to me because it’s written by the author of Island of the Blue Dolphins. It’s the story of another native girl who, this time, is at a mission. This is supposed to be the story of the niece of the girl from the Island. Karana, the lady whom the original story was written about, couldn’t communicate with her “rescuers” and only lived for seven weeks after she rejoined civilization, so this story would have no basis in fact, but it might be an interesting read.

I have an ARC for 10 Things I Hate About Pinky, which is a story with fake-dating and is in the When Dimple Met Rishi Universe, so I hope to read this early in 2020.

My mom adores Stephen King books, although I haven’t read many in recent years. 11/22/63 sounds like an interesting blend of history with a Stephen King twist. Maybe I should use one of my Audible credits on this.

I’ve been saying I wanted to read 1434: The Year a Magnificent Chinese Fleet Sailed to Italy and Ignited the Renaissance for years now. I enjoyed 1421 and The Lost Empire of Atlantis, both by the same author. For some reason, I never got around to reading this book. Maybe in 2020.

1920: The Year of the Six Presidents is another book I’ve been meaning to read for a while. Perhaps 2020, the centennial of that important year, would be a good time to read this book.

The 5th Wave was one of my favorite books I read in 2016. I tore through this book, despite its monster length. Sadly, I didn’t like the other books in this trilogy as much as I loved the first book.

So that’s it! I hope you’ve found this tour through my My Books highlights on Goodreads to be semi-interesting. Thank you for reading!

It’s the last Sunday before Christmas, and I’m posting late this week because the holidays have been busy. How has your week been? There’s only one week left for the ABC Book Challenge, which I first found over at Me, Myself, and Books, but I think was started by The Thrifty Bibliophile. There are a few books that start with Y this week.

Benjamin Franklin was a genius. When I took a class on creativity, the professor talked about some of the exercises Franklin did. Young Benjamin Franklin: The Birth of Ingenuity, talks about Benjamin Franklin’s earlier years. It seems interesting to me.

The Young Elites is one of the books I plan on rereading in 2020. I love this trilogy which has a grey protagonist and one of my favorite ships.

I really liked the book Flame in the Mist, and Yumi is a companion short story to that. It’s also still free on Amazon.com.

I thought I had more books that started with Y, but there weren’t that many. Hard to believe, but next week is the last week of the ABC reading challenge. See you then.

Welcome to Sunday, and another edition of the ABC book challenge! I found it over at Me, Myself, and Books, but I believe it was started by The Thrifty Bibliophile. Today’s letter is X, which I think is going to be the shortest entry of the alphabet, because I only have one book:

The only book I can think of that starts with X is Xenocide by Orson Scott Card. I normally haven’t been posting the third book in a series during this ABC book challenge, but there really aren’t that many candidates for this letter. Xenocide is the third book in the Ender’s Game Saga.

I read this book a long time ago, but I absolutely loved Ender’s Game. I don’t remember much about this particular book, other than it was part of Ender’s story.

That’s about all I can remember that start’s with this letter. Do you have any favorite books that begin with this letter? There are more books for the letter Y next week.

Welcome to December, and the last month of the ABC book challenge. Today’s letter is V. I first saw this challenge over at Me, Myself, and Books, but it was started by The Thrifty Bibliophile. Here we go over the books I really liked and the books I really want to read.

I loved Astrid Scholte’s debut Four Dead Queens, and am looking forward to her next book, which comes out on March 3rd. It happens to be the same date that Chain of Gold and The Kingdom of Back comes out. I’m getting an ARC for The Kingdom of Back from Bookish First (although I’m also getting finished copies) and may get an ARC of this book; if not, I’ll be getting this on audiobook.

I got the Target edition of A Very Large Expanse of Sea because it had a bonus chapter in it. It was a good book that takes place after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

I finally read a book by V.E. Schwab last month, after talking about reading her books for about a year. I read This Savage Song, but I haven’t read Vicious yet. It’s in the Winter 2019 TBR lottery, but so are 59 other books, and I think I’m randomly picking 5.

Well, those are books that start with the letter V that I’m either interested in reading or really liked. What books did you like that start with the letter V? See you next week for the letter W!

Hello! It’s hard to believe we’re almost at the end of November, and we’re already on the letter U in the ABC Book Challenge. Since July, I’ve been going through My Books on Goodreads and have been going over books I really like or really want to read. I first found it at Me, Myself, and Books, but I think it was started by The Thrifty Bibliophile.

Unbroken is the true story of Louis Zamporini, who was shipwrecked for a long time in the middle of the Pacific Ocean during World War II, then he was taken prisoner by the Japanese. He was an Olympic hopeful until the World War crushed those dreams. It is a beautiful story about forgiveness. I highly recommend this one.

The Unhoneymooners is on my Winter TBR lottery this year. It’s an enemies to lovers story, and it sounds like such a fun book! I’m tracking the price of this one on EreaderIQ, and am hoping this might go on sale over Black Friday? If not, there’s the library.

Untitled is one of the most common titles in My Books on Goodreads. I have so many on the list! There’s Untitled by Sabaa Tahir, Untitled by Gita Trelease, the three Untitled books in The Wicked Powers series by Cassandra Clare, Untitled Skyhunter 2 by Marie Lu, Untitled by Kat Cho, Untitled by Swati Teerdhala. So many books to look forward to!

Up From Slavery is one of those books that I always say I want to read someday, but I haven’t yet. I finally got around to reading Les Misérables, so maybe I’ll get around to this one too.

The final book that I really would like to read is Uprooted. It looks so pretty! Plus I’ve heard good things about it.

So those are the letter U books! Are there any letter U books you really want to read (or really liked)?

It’s Sunday again, and time for another letter in the ABC Book Challenge. Every week from July to the end of the year, I go through My Books on Goodreads and bring up the books I either loved or really want to read. I can’t believe it’s already mid-November, and we’re already on the letter T. I first found this challenge over at Me, Myself, and Books, but I think it was started by The Thrifty Bibliophile.

Don’t tell me that Twitter and blogger recommendations don’t get people interested in books. I hear about most books that way. Tell Me Everything was a book I first heard about on Twitter. It’s supposed to be really good, the plot sounds interesting, so it’s in my Winter 2019/20 TBR Lottery. I know there’s still a month between now and the time I start reading my Winter TBR, but I don’t want to leave out a book that I’m interested in.

There’s Something About Sweetie is a great book. While technically it’s When Dimple Met Rishi 2, this is not really a sequel, but more like a book that occurs in the same universe, like 10 Things I Hate About Pinkie. These are great books.

One of the authors I had been saying I wanted to read for months (since sometime around last year, in fact) was V.E. Schwab. This Savage Song was one of the Fall 2019 TBR Lottery winners and so I finally got around to reading one of her books! I really liked it, as I expected to.

Of course, I have to put in Paperfury’s book, A Thousand Perfect Notes. This is a lovely story about a boy with a talent for music that has an abusive mother. It’s a beautiful book!

I read Timeline a long time ago. So long ago, that I forgot who wrote it, and forgot the title. It made such an impression on me that I knew to search for it. At some point, I’ll want to reread this one. I flew through this book the first time.

I read The Twelfth Imam series shortly after each book came out. It was a book I had a hard time putting down. Although it’s a thriller, I particularly remember David’s relationship with Marseilles as a highlight of these books. The world might be coming to an end, but it’s never a bad time to be with the love of your life.

So those are some books starting with the letter T! Do you like any of these books? What is your favorite book that starts with the letter T?

Hello, and welcome to this week’s ABC Book Challenge! In July, I started going over My Books in Goodreads, and I’ve been highlighting the books I really liked or found interesting. This week is the letter S, and there are a ton of them! I first found this challenge over at Me, Myself, and Books, but I believe it was started by The Thrifty Bibliophile.

For almost a year, I’d go visit people’s blogs on Top Ten Tuesday and say “I really need to read a book by Maggie Stiefvater.” I finally read The Raven Boys a couple months ago. Now I should read The Scorpio Races. Maybe I’ll wait until next November though, because the first line is “𝙄𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙉𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙤, 𝙩𝙤𝙙𝙖𝙮, 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙙𝙞𝙚.”

The Grishaverse books were another series I said I needed to read for forever. I had read a short story by Leigh Bardugo though, so I couldn’t say I had never written any of her stories before. This series was amazing.

I loved Sky Without Stars and have already pre-ordered the sequel, Between Burning Worlds. It’s a story set on another planet in a culture that seems to resemble Paris. J’adored this book!

Skyhunter doesn’t come out until October 6, 2020, but I’ve already pre-ordered my Kindle copy. It isn’t the book I ordered the farthest in advance, Chain of Gold gets that honor (I pre-ordered that book with last year’s Christmas money).

Spectacle was a book that kept me turning the (virtual) pages. It didn’t get a lot of marketing, which was a shame, because it was really good.

I love history, and I’ve heard that SPQR is a good history book. I’ll have to read it someday. Maybe it will win the TBR lottery for this winter.

Strange the Dreamer is a beautiful book with a… strange name. I didn’t know what “beautiful prose” was until I read this book. If you haven’t read it yet, you should.

I almost bought Summer Days and Summer Nights over the summer, until I realized I wouldn’t have time to read it. I originally borrowed it from the library. While it’s not really the time of year to read it now, I would like to read it again.

Switchback sounds like an interesting story about two teens that get lost in the Canadian wilderness. I’m starting to put together my Winter 2019/20 TBR lottery. All the books on today’s list I haven’t read are on that list. Maybe I’ll get to read one of them this winter.

Those are just some of the books that are on My Books on Goodreads that start with the letter S. See you next week!

It’s already November, and NaNoWriMo has begun! Today’s letter for the ABC Book Challenge is R. I’ve always associated the letter R with the tail end of the alphabet and November with the end of the year… it’s hard to believe we’re almost in the 3rd decade of the 21st century! Anyway, in this challenge, I go through My Books on Goodreads and come up with some of the best or most interesting books starting with that letter. I first found this challenge over at Me, Myself, and Books, but I think it was started by The Thrifty Bibliophile. Here we go!

It’s kind of fitting that The Raven Boys showed up on this week’s list, because Call Down The Hawk, which takes place in the Raven Boys universe, is coming out on Tuesday! I pre-ordered the book, and I’d like to read it shortly after it comes out, but with NaNoWriMo in full swing, I don’t know how much reading I’ll get done (ARCs take priority).

You might think that I would have highlighted the Rebel book by Marie Lu this week, but since it’s the fourth book in the series, it was covered by the Legend umbrella. At any rate, there were two really good books called Rebel that came out this year, and if you’re interested in a post-Civil War romance, you should check this one out.

I’ve wanted to read Red Famine: Stalin’s War on Ukraine for a couple years now. When I first heard about it, there was a waiting list at the library, and now there’s not, so maybe I should just go ahead and borrow it. But since it’s NaNoWriMo, it’ll have to wait a bit longer. This year, I’ve pretty much read books by all of the authors that I’ve often said “I need to read a book by ____”, so maybe it’s time to start reading those books that have been on my TBR for a while too.

The Red Queen series was huge over the past few years, and there was a long wait at the library for each of the books. I haven’t read Broken Throne yet, but perhaps I will at some point in the future.

I’m surprised that I only listed four books this week. I’ll probably make up for it next week with the letter S. There are pages of S books on My Books on Goodreads. It’s going to be hard to narrow them down to a manageable number. But that’s for another week. See you then!

Hello, and happy Sunday! Today is another edition of the ABC Book Challenge, and the letter of the day is Q! I found this book meme over at Me, Myself, and Books, but I think it was started by The Thrifty Bibliophile. For this challenge, I go through My Books on Goodreads and come up with books that begin with that letter.

Throughout this challenge, I’ve tried to avoid books that weren’t the first book in a series. There’s only one book that starts with the letter Q that is the first book in a series on My Books. I’m not all that excited about it. So… the three books I’m highlighting today are the third books in the series.

Queen of Air and Darkness is the third book in The Dark Artifices series by Cassandra Clare. It’s a very long book (which I think could have been split up into two parts) but it’s very good. To be fair, I did read Clockwork Princess and this entire series in less than two weeks. I was really exhausted from reading when I got to the end. I’ll be reading this book again before Chain of Gold comes out, but I’m taking much longer to read it this time.

There’s a theme for this week, because literally the only Q word on My Books on Goodreads is Queen. The Queen of Nothing comes out November 19th. Less than a month away! If you’ve read The Wicked King, then you probably know why that ending made me want this book as soon as possible.

The last book in The Shadow Game series is Queen of Volts. It’s not supposed to come out until next September. I enjoyed the first two books in the series, Ace of Shades and King of Fools. I’m looking forward to reading the next book.

So those are books that start with the letter Q! There are a lot more books that start with the letter R, so expect the list to be longer next week.