Number Nineteen (Audiobook)

Title: Matched

Author: Ally Condie
Publication Year: 2010
Publishing Company: Dutton Juvenile
Number of Pages: 369
Part of a Series: Yes (Book One)
Read for Pleasure or School: Pleasure
Would Recommend: Maybe
Rating: 3 out of 5

Number Eighteen (Audiobook)

Title: Academ's Fury

Author: Jim Butcher
Publication Year: 2006
Publishing Company: Ace
Number of Pages: 704
Part of a Series: Yes (Book Two)
Read for Pleasure or School: Pleasure
Would Recommend: Yes
Rating: 4 out of 5

Number Seventeen (Audiobook)

Title: Thirteen Reasons Why

Author: Jay Asher
Publication Year: 2007
Publishing Company: Razorbill
Number of Pages: 304
Part of a Series: No
Read for Pleasure or School: Pleasure
Would Recommend: Yes
Rating: 5 out of 5

Success and Failure

So currently I am sitting 4 books ahead of schedule to complete my 50 Book Challenge this year. Go me! Clearly this is my success, but I didn't just challenge myself to read 50 books. The second layer to my challenge was to read a certain number of books in the following categories.

Read 3 Classics

•  Lolita
•  
•  

Read 3 2013 Releases

•  Etiquette and Espionage
•  
•  

 Read 2 Non-fiction

•  
•  

Complete 3 Series

• Hush, Hush Saga
•  
•  

As you can see, in this regard, I am failing. Yes, yes, it is only the 4th month of the year, but that is almost halfway through. My fear is that the last few months of the year I will be suck trying to finish out these challenges and not getting the chance to read what I want at that moment.

Now is the time to kick it into gear. I am not worried about the 2013 releases, but the others I am going to try harder on. That will start today with the beginning of April.

Number Sixteen (Audiobook)

Title: Entwined

Author: Heather Dixon
Publication Year: 2011
Publishing Company: Greenwillow Books
Number of Pages: 472
Part of a Series: No
Read for Pleasure or School: Pleasure
Would Recommend: Maybe (To the right reader)
Rating: 3 out of 5

Number Fifteen (Audiobook)

Title: The Book Thief

Author: Markus Zusak
Publication Year: 2006
Publishing Company: Knopf Books
Number of Pages: 550
Part of a Series: No
Read for Pleasure or School: Pleasure
Would Recommend: Yes
Rating: 5 out of 5

Number Fourteen (Audiobook)

Title: The Help

Author: Kathryn Stockett

Publication Year: 2009
Publishing Company: Putnam
Number of Pages: 451
Part of a Series: No
Read for Pleasure or School: Pleasure
Would Recommend: Yes
Rating: 4 out of 5

Number Thirteen (Audiobook)

Title: The Night Circus
Author: Erin Morgenstern
Publication Year: 2011
Publishing Company: Doubleday
Number of Pages: 387
Part of a Series: No
Read for Pleasure or School: Pleasure
Would Recommend: Yes
Rating: 4 out of 5

Including Audiobooks

I have decided that I will include all the audiobooks I am listening to in my 50 Book Challenge.


Today I will add all of the audiobooks I have completed so far (there are three) to by book posts.

Sorry for the overload, I just made the decision.

Number Tweleve

Title: Etiquette and Espionage
Author: Gail Carriger
Publication Year: 2013
Publishing Company: Little, Brown Books
Number of Pages: 307
Part of a Series: Yes - book one
Read for Pleasure or School: Pleasure
Would Recommend: Yes
Rating: 3 out of 5

Number Eleven

Title: Cellar Doors
Author: Lance LaCoax
Publication Year: 2012
Publishing Company: Morehouse Media Group
Number of Pages: 246
Part of a Series: Yes - book one
Read for Pleasure or School: Pleasure
Would Recommend: Yes
Rating: 4 out of 5

Number Ten

Title: Lolita
Author: Vladimir Nabokov
Publication Year: 1955
Publishing Company: Random House Inc.
Number of Pages: 317
Part of a Series: No
Read for Pleasure or School: School
Would Recommend: Yes
Rating: 4 out of 5

Number Nine

Title: Fledgling
Author: Octavia E. Butler
Publication Year: 2005
Publishing Company: Grand Central Publishing
Number of Pages: 310
Part of a Series: No
Read for Pleasure or School: School
Would Recommend: Yes
Rating: 5 out of 5

Number Eight

Title: Monster
Author: A. Lee Martinez
Publication Year: 2009
Publishing Company: Orbit
Number of Pages: 295
Part of a Series: No
Read for Pleasure or School: Pleasure
Would Recommend: Maybe
Rating: 3 out of 5

Putting a Book Down

Personally one of my biggest weaknesses in life is motivation. Finding it, keeping it, etc. Sadly, I have to admit that reading is no different than any other aspect of my life... Motivation isn't always there. In fact, until I get into a book I have a really hard time making myself pick it up at all.

Usually when I finish a novel, I feel so accomplished, but that does not translate into wanting to repeat the action. Unless it is a novel I have been looking forward to reading, I don't desire to grab the next novel. It just seems so weird to be because I really do love to read. Plus I know what I like and what I don't like... It's not like I am buying books I should have any issues with reading, in fact I only buy books if I really know I am going to enjoy them. Even still I have to force myself to start reading that next book and get myself into the story.

Let's be honest though, no matter how great the book sounds or how many amazing reviews it's gotten, sometime there is just a novel I don't like. When it comes to those the motivation is no where to be found. I don't want to finish it, usually I don't even want to get to the next chapter. The problem with that is that some books just have a slow start. There have been numerous books that I have forced myself to read which started out slow, but I ended up really enjoying.

So here's the question, when reading four or five chapters takes an excruciating about of time and energy do you put the book down or force yourself to keep going. I used to be that I would force myself to continue on, but when I am trying to read 50 books in a year that's just not realistic. I can't spend 3 weeks putting a book down and trying to force myself to get into something I just don't enjoy. So for this year, I am going to just put books like that on hold. If I have time later in the year to pick them back up maybe I will try, or maybe next year I will give them another go. For now though, I just don't have the extra time to spare.

Number Seven

Title: Mothership
Author: Martin Leicht & Isla Neal
Publication Year: 2012
Publishing Company: Simon & Schuster
Number of Pages: 308
Part of a Series: Yes, book one
Read for Pleasure or School: Pleasure
Would Recommend: Yes
Rating: 4 out of 5

Number Six

Title: Finale
Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Publication Year: 2012
Publishing Company: Simon & Schuster
Number of Pages: 454
Part of a Series: Yes, book 4
Read for Pleasure or School: Pleasure
Would Recommend: Yes
Rating: 4 out of 5

Number Five

Title: Silence
Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Publication Year: 2011
Publishing Company: Simon & Schuster
Number of Pages: 438
Part of a Series: Yes, book 3
Read for Pleasure or School: Pleasure
Would Recommend: Yes
Rating: 3 out of 5

Finding a Balance

My biggest challenge right now is trying to find a balance in my life. Honestly, I am trying to balance all aspects of my life, but specifically reading.

If I could, I swear I would read every day for most of the day. Unfortunately I just don't have the time for that. Which is why I have always been curious about the people who read 100 books in a year. Where do they find the time? Maybe it's the fact that I am a slow reader as well. It just takes me longer to finish a book... Even if I was a faster reader, I doubt that I would be able to read much more than 50 books in a year just because of time restraints.

School and work eat up most of my day, plus there is still eating and sleeping. Then there are my 4 pets I have to take care of and give attention to. (If you want to know more about my animals check out chrissyandashleygotovegas.com tomorrow.) Add blogging (I have 3 blogs) and vlogging (just one channel) to my free time and I am left with very little. Oh yeah and my boyfriend wants me to pay attention to him every once and a while too. Needless to say I read when I can. Not to say that I can't get much reading done, I do stick to a schedule of about a book a week, which is more than some people can say.

I just feel like so many people get much more reading done than I am able to do. Jealousy is the root of the issue though. Being able to get through that many books in a month or a year is something I would love to be able to do. There are just so many great books out there (with more coming out all the time) that I just want a chance to get at more of them. At the end of the day though, my life is what it is and I can read only what I can.

Maybe after graduation I will have more time to read... or maybe I will have less. Let's hope for the first.

Number Four

Title: Ready Player One
Author: Ernest Cline
Publication Year: 2011
Publishing Company: Crown Publishing
Number of Pages: 374
Part of a Series: No
Read for Pleasure or School: Pleasure
Would Recommend: Yes
Rating: 4 out of 5