30-Day Book Challenge and Tag

What is a 30-Day Book Challenge? That is a great question. I took this list from a reading challenge I found I Pinterest, but when I click it, I end up on Polyvore (which has nothing to do with books). The challenge is basically a list of book recommendations. Are you ready? Me too!

Day 1: Best Book You Read Last Year

I had 2 books last year that I rated 5-stars. So I guess they are tied for best book.

The first book was The Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules by Catharina Ingleman-Sundberg. I’m not sure why it’s rated so low on Goodreads (3.24!?!? Seriously? Did we not read the same book?). I loved the story. It focuses on Martha Andersson and her friends at the retirement home. They feel like they have been ignored by society and the retirement home they live in because they are seniors. They decide to do something about that and commit a little white-collar crime.

The other book I rated 5-stars was The Last Séance: Tales of the Supernatural by Agatha Christie. This book is a collection of short stories that were published in various forms around the world. Some were only published in the United Kingdom, and some only in the United States.

Day 2: A Book You’ve Read More Than 3 Times

Honestly, I don’t reread books. I think the last book I read more than once was Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling. Once upon a time, I used to reread the Harry Potter books before the next one came out. That ended once Order of the Phoenix arrived. I couldn’t reread it. In my opinion, it is the worse of the 7 books.

Day 3: Your Favorite Series

I don’t tend to read many series, or if I do, I don’t realize they are a serial book until after I start reading it and log it into my Goodreads. That said! There is one series I absolutely adore, and no, it’s not Harry Potter. I feel that maybe that has been overdone. I prefer books and series that others don’t know about or don’t hear much about. One series I liked a lot was the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer. I say was because I really enjoyed the first 4 books in the series; books 5-8 I didn’t like them as much.

One series that I love is the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan. Yes, I know everyone loves these books. BUT when I started reading them, there wasn’t the open-love they have now. Maybe it’s because everyone was too young to show their love at the time. Yes, I know that the PJO is technically 5 books long, but we all know that there are really 15 books when you add in The Heroes of Olympus and The Trials of Apollo. I am currently reading the last book and trying to avoid spoilers. Why? Because Uncle Rick can be a mean one!

Day 4: Favorite Book of Your Favorite Series

Please don’t ask me to name my favorite. I can’t and won’t! That’s like picking a favorite child. Not happening!

Day 5: A Book That Makes Me Happy

I think that I’ll have to go with A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman. Yes, I know the book has sad bits, but the whole thing is so good! Yes, I cried at the end, but that doesn’t mean the book didn’t make my heart happy all the same.

Day 6: A Book That Makes Me Sad

I think this is something that I have to really think about. The books I’m mentioning here don’t make me sad, as I cried my eyes out. But they make me sad that there is a huge grain of truth in them, and they are topics that people shouldn’t have to deal with.

The first book is Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. This is a YA contemporary that focuses on rape. The main character is raped at a party. Everyone at the party gets mad because she called the cops. She is ostracized at school and finally finds her voice and lets the world know what happened.

The second book is Sold by Patricia McCormick. This is a YA contemporary that focuses on the sexual assault of a young girl. The girl thought she was going to work for a rich woman as a housemaid. She later discovered she was sold into the sex trade by her step-father.

While these books are works of fiction, I know that there is a grain of truth in both of them. And that is what makes me sad.

Day 7: A Book That Makes You Laugh

This book made me laugh out loud, which isn’t bad unless you are riding public transit. What book did that? Vinyl Cafe Unplugged by Stuart McLean. It is a collection of short stories about Dave and Morley and their kids. They live in Toronto, and Dave runs a record shop. Each story is just a snapshot of life, but because it’s so realistic and relatable, it is so funny. If you get the chance, you should listen to some of Stuart McLean’s tracks. He used to be a radio presenter on CBC Radio and would tell these stories on the air.

Day 8: Most Overrated Book

The most overrated book I have read, ok, tried to read, is The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak. I am not trashing the book; I don’t understand how it has an average of 4.38 stars on Goodreads. After reading about half of the book, and couldn’t get into it. I did try; I really did—the concept I loved, just not the execution. The idea of Death as the narrator is a wonderful concept.

Day 9: A Book You Thought You Wouldn’t Like But Ended Up Loving

For this, I will have to go with The Girls at 17 Swann Street by Yara Zgheib. I was intrigued by the book when I picked it up, but I didn’t expect to love it as much as I did. The Girls are actually women who are in a rehabilitation facility for women who deal with eating disorders. I found it to be a great read, one that was easy to read even with the difficult topic.

Day 10: A Book That Reminds You of Home

I can’t think of a book that reminds me of home. I haven’t come across any set in areas I am familiar with, but there are plenty that have cozy bits.

Day 11: A Book You Hated

I wouldn’t say I like saying that I hate books because I know that someone out there probably loves them. Two books, though, that come to mind quickly are books that I had to read for high school. One is The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. My mom used to joke because she would always find me asleep while reading it. The other book is Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe. This book is over 200 years old, over 300 pages long, and has no chapters! The no chapters part is what I really didn’t like, especially when having to do various writing assignments while reading.

Day 12: A Book You Love and Hate at the Same Time

I’m not sure there are any books that I loved and hated at the same time. I just can’t think of any.

Day 13: Your Favorite Author

Rick Riordan is probably my favorite current author. I have read a lot of his books, including the first 14 in the PJO universe, all 3 Magnus Chase books, and the first book in the Kane Chronicles. He has made mythology accessible to many people.

Agatha Christie is probably my favorite author of all time. I started reading her books when I was in high school and haven’t stopped. Her first book was published just over 100 years ago and is the most published author in history (outside of the Bible and Shakespeare)!

Day 14: Book Turned Movie and Completely Desecrated

I have to say the Percy Jackson movies were pretty bad, as it felt as though the director and even the screenwriters never read the books. The Lightning Thief isn’t as bad as Sea of Monsters, but neither is great. Uncle Rick is working with Disney to turn the books into a television show. Here’s hoping they don’t screw up!

Day 15: Favorite Male Character

How can I narrow it down? I mean, there’s Harry and Ron; even Draco is kind of cool. There’s Percy, Jason, and who can forget Leo? Then there’s Ove. There’s Hercule Poirot; I mean, he is such a great character! So full of himself, but at the same time humble.

Day 16: Favorite Female Character

Again, how can I narrow it down? There’s Hermoine, Ginny, Annabeth, Piper, and Hazel. There’s Molly Weasley. I think she’s the mom we all wish we could have.

Day 17: Favorite Quote From Your Favorite Book

Who has a favorite book? Is that allowed? One of my favorite quotes isn’t from my favorite book; it’s actually from a book I don’t really like. But it is such a great line. “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn!” Come on, that’s a great line!

Day 18: A Book That Disappointed You

Easy! Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn’t what I got, that’s for sure! Maybe my hopes were so high because I enjoy the movie so much.

Day 19: Favorite Book Turned Into a Movie

I think I have to go with Murder On the Orient Express by Agatha Christie. The book has been turned into a movie 2 times, 2 TIMES! Just wow! I have seen both movies-the Albert Finney 1974 version and the Kenneth Branagh 2017 version. They are both pretty true to the book, which is so rare.

Day 20: Favorite Romance Book

I’m not sure I can give just one romance book; I loved reading the Charley Davidson series by Darynda Jones. There are 13 books total in the series. Charley is one of my favorite female characters of all time. She is so raw and real. She doesn’t take crap from anyone. I love that!

Day 21: The First Novel I Remember Reading

Growing up, I had a bookshelf in my bedroom that was full of books. They were not my books; they were books my parents grew up reading. Things like the Trixie Belden series and a book featuring Dr. Kildare from a tv show and The Merchant of Venice and The Odyssey. I read almost every book that was on my shelf at one point or another. I will admit that I did not read The Merchant of Venice, but I read the Trixie Belden books many times.

Day 22: A Book That Makes You Cry

The first book I remember reading that made me cry was My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult. The ending just tore my heart out.

Day 23: A Book You Wanted to Read For A Long Time But Still Haven’t

I read the book that had been on my TBR the longest back in January. That was Gone With the Wind. I didn’t love it, and in some ways wish I had never read it. But what is done is done. The next book on my TBR that has been there for a long time is Tess of the D’urbervilles by Thomas Hardy. I added it to my TBR back in 2012, and I think I added it because I had a copy of it. I’m not sure what happened to the copy I had, so it has fallen down my list.

Day 24: A Book I Wish More People Would’ve Read

I would have to go with this non-fiction book, The 101 Most Influential People Who Never Lived by Allan Lazar. The book makes you think about who and what has influenced you—especially fictional characters.

Day 25: A Character You Can Relate to the Most

I’m not sure I can think of a character I can relate to the most. Sure there are characters that I can relate to, but at the moment, I can’t think of a single one. Is that strange?

Day 26: A Book That Changed My Opinion About Something

I’m not sure this book changed my opinion, but it sure did educate me. The Girls at 17 Swann Street by Yara Zgheib totally opened my eyes to eating disorders. I knew they existed before reading the book, but I never really understood what hell it was to live with.

Day 27: The Most Surprising Plot Twist or Ending

Come on now; I can’t answer this. It would be a spoiler! But I will say that one book with the most surprising ending is And There Were None by Agatha Christie. I’ll leave it at that.

Day 28: Favorite Title of a Book

After looking through all of the books on my Goodreads, I guess my favorite title is Never Dream of Dying by Raymond Benson. It is a thriller in the James Bond world. I mean, honestly, the majority of the James Bond books have such interesting titles. Don’t believe me, look at the titles of the movies.

Day 29: A Book That Everyone Hated But You Loved

For this one, I have to go with a book I read in 2016. July and August: A Novel by Nancy Clark. When I say that other people hate it, Goodreads’ average rating is 3.2, and I gave it a 4. The book follows the Hill family as they have been gathered at the family house for the summer though no one really knows why.

Day 30: Your Favorite Book of All Time

I can’t name just 1 book. I mean, I have 23 books listed on my favorites shelf on Goodreads. There are probably more books I could add to it, but I just started the shelf this year. A couple of my favorites that I haven’t mentioned here are The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce, Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters, and The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women by Kate Moore.

Did you enjoy my 30-Day Book Challenge and getting to know more about me? I hope you find a new book to read in this long list. What are your answers to some of these questions? I would love to know!

Looking for some more books to read? Check out my other book reviews and my monthly reading wrap-ups.