Reading Challenges Update - January

Here is where I stand with the challenges I have joined after the month of January (only challenges that I read books for this month are featured here):


E-Book (1/6)
1. The Nameless One by Kathryn Meyer Griffith

Mystery & Suspense (1/24)
1.  Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey

Audio Book (1/6)
1. Lunatics by Dave Barry & Alan Zweibel

Graphic Novels (2/12)
1. Alice the 101st 2 by Chigusa Kawai
2. The Influencing Machine by Brooke Gladstone 


1st in a Series (4/6)
1. Impulse by Ellen Hopkins
2. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
3. Delirium by Lauren Oliver
4. Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernan


100 Books in a Year (13/100)
1. Impulse by Ellen Hopkins
2. The Things a Brother Knows by Dana Reinhardt
3. Alice the 101st 2 by Chigusa Kawai
4. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
5. Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift
6. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
7. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
8. Lunatics by Dave Barry & Alan Zweibel
9. Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey
10. The Influencing Machine by Brooke Gladstone
11.  Delirium by Lauren Oliver
12. The Nameless One by Kathryn Meyer Griffith
13. Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernan


Book Blogger Recommendation (2/10)
1. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
2. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins


Historical Fiction (1/5)
1. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen


Horror & Urban Fantasy (3/48)
1. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
2. The Nameless One by Kathryn Meyer Griffith
3. Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernan


Aussie Authors (1/3)
1. Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey


Why Buy the Cow? (1/12)
1. Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift


Dystopia (2/5)
1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
2. Delirium by Lauren Oliver


YA Saves (2/10)
1. Impulse by Ellen Hopkins
2. Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey


YA/MG Fantasy (1/10)
1. Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernan


A to Z (9/26)
1. Impulse by Ellen Hopkins
2. The Things a Brother Knows by Dana Reinhardt
3. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
4. Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift
5. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
6. Lunatics by Dave Barry & Alan Zweibel
7. Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey
8. Delirium by Lauren Oliver
9. The Nameless One by Kathryn Meyer Griffith


Multi-Cultural (1/12)
1. Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey


Ghostly Challenge (1/6)
1. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson


Paranormal Fantasy (1/10)
1. Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernan

Elseswhere Online: January 2012

As you know from my In My Mailbox posts, I review for two other websites (bookloons.com and bittenbybooks.com). As I cannot post my reviews there and here, but I would still like to count the books I read for the challenges, I am going to have a post like this at the end of the every month listing the books I reviewed and what challenges the went towards.


Title: Jasper Jones

Author: Craig Silvey

Challenges: Mystery & Suspense, Aussie Author, YA Saves, A to Z, Multi-Cultural, 100 Books in a Year

Title: The Influencing Machine

Author: Brooke Gladstone

Challenges: Graphic Novel, 100 Books in a Year

Title: Delirium

Author: Lauren Oliver

Challenges: 1st in a Series, Dystopian, A to Z, 100 Books in a Year

Title: The Nameless One

Author: Kathryn Meyer Griffith

Challenges: eBook, Horror & Urban Fantasy, A to Z, Self-Published, 100 Books in a Year

Title: Immortal Beloved

Author: Cate Tiernan

Challenges: 1st in a Series, Horror & Urban Fantasy, YA/MG Fantasy, Paranormal Fantasy, 100 Books in a Year

Lunatics

Title: Lunatics

Author: Dave Barry & Alan Zweibel
Publisher: Penguin Audio
ISBN: 9781611760576
Why Read?: For Fun
Challenges:  Audio Book, A to Z, 100 Books in a Year

Thoughts: If you are looking for a hilarious good time (and don't mind vulgarity), then Lunatics is the book for you.  The audio book was read by the authors, which I think added an extra dimension of funny to it.  There were times that I was laughing out loud.  The end was a little of a let down, but the very end, where they did a "where are they now" recap of the characters ended on a very high note.

Rating: 4 stars

In My Mailbox 1/22-1/28

For Review (here and on Bookloons):

The Hunger Pains by The Harvard Lampoon

Until Next Time by Amy Lignor

Won:

Truly, Madly by Heather Webber

The Choice by Nicholas Sparks

Sundays at Tiffany's by James Patterson

Claire de Lune by Christine Johnson

Bought on Kobo:

Bumped by  Megan McCafferty

Hereafter by Tara Hudson

Lucky by Rachel Vail

Ten Things We Did (and Probably Shouldn't Have) by Sarah Mlynowski

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

The Unidentified by Rae Mariz

Vesper by Jeff Sampson

This fun weekly meme comes from The Story Siren.

All images come from Goodreads.

The Hunger Games

Title: The Hunger Games

Author: Suzanne Collins
Publisher: Scholastic
ISBN: 978-0-545-40577-5
Why Read?: For Fun
Challenges:  1st in a Series, Book Blogger Recommendation, Dystopia, 100 Books in a Year

Thoughts: With the movie coming out, I figured it was type to finally read The Hunger Games, which people have been suggesting to me for years.  I am glad I finally did.  This is a wonderful dystopian with plenty of twists in a world I want to learn more about.  I didn't think it would be my type of book, but I was more than pleasantly surprised.

Rating: 5 stars

Water for Elephants

Title: Water for Elephants

Author: Sara Gruen
Publisher: Algonquin
ISBN: 978-1-56512-560-5
Why Read?: Book Club
Challenges:  Book Blogger Recommendation, Historical Fiction, A to Z, 100 Books in a Year

Thoughts: I am not a fan of animal books, so I was prepared to not like this and cry. However, I am a fan of circus novels, so I was curious about this one. Luckily my curiosity won out. Although I did cry at parts, I loved this story. I was immediately transported to that long ago circus train, but what I liked most, actually, was Jacob in present day—he was a hoot! 

Rating: 5 stars

In My Mailbox 1/15-1/21

Won:

Raven by Suzy Turner

Lunatics by Dave Berry & Alan Zwiebel

Moments of Mystery, Hints of Horror by M. T. O'Neil

Swaps on Swap-Bot:

Hunter of My Heart by Janet Kendall

Brass by Robert J. Coney

This fun weekly meme comes from The Story Siren.

All images come from Goodreads.