I haven’t finished my reading for the first round of the book challenge yet, but I decided to work on figuring out my second set of books. The rules for the bonus round are: same categories, different books. Bonus points if the book was read by someone during the first round.
Add me on Goodreads! I love seeing suggestions for new books.
Read a book, any book that is 200 pages long (Freebie)
The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman (354 pages): I must admit, I picked this book based on the cover alone. Tom takes a job as a lighthouse keeper on a remote island. He brings with him his wife who has unfortunate luck trying to have a child, but one night she hears a baby crying and finds a baby in a washed up boat along with a dead man. Tom’s wife talks him into keeping the baby instead of reporting the dead man and the baby. But when they visit the normal (populated) mainland, one of them realizes they made a mistake and “their choice has devastated one of them”. The reviews say the story is beautifully written and a wonderful read, I’m really looking forward to it!
Read a book that begins with the letter “D”
Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson (430 pages): As the title suggests, this novel is about the sinking of the Lusitania during WWI. The Lusitania was a luxury liner cruising the Atlantic on the way to Liverpool when it was sunk by German forces. This devastating event took place in a period of history that really interests me, so I think this book is a perfect choice to read!
Read a book with a four word title
I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh (384 pages): I’m reading this because of Erin’s review on Goodreads which you can see here. A tragic accident destroys Jenna’s world forcing her to move to a remote cottage in order to forget and move on. Yet she is still haunted by the past. As Jenna sees hope for a brighter future, her past catches up with her with devastating consequences.
Backup: Go Set A Watchmen by Harper Lee: the sequel of To Kill a Mockingbird
Read a book with one of the following words in the title: mother, daughter, son, children
Daughter by Jane Shemilt (355 pages): I had a hard time finding another book for this category but I probably could have looked harder. So I found this through the book challenge Facebook page. One review on Goodreads said this book was a great read for anyone who loves mysteries and a good twist. Um yes please! Jenny’s youngest daughter (15) goes missing and there is no trace of her anywhere. As time passes and people stop looking for her, Jenny digs further and finds unsettling information and realizes she had no idea who her daughter really was.
Amazon most popular author – author new to me
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (545 pages): I bought this book before the book challenge started and never got a chance to read it and then forgot to include it into the first round! This book looks so intriguing, taking place in WWII Europe. Marie-Laure, a young blind girl living in Paris with her father, flee their home in possession of valuable (and dangerous) items from the Museum of Natural History where he worked. Werner, a young German boy who is a student in the Hitler Youth academy and gets put on a special assignment to help the war efforts. His mission ultimately leads him to Saint-Malo, the town that Marie-Laure and her father have fled to and their paths cross. It’s supposed to be a beautifully written novel and I’m so excited to read it.
Read a book set in any country in Asia
Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer (368 pages): I keep meaning to read this book (it was part of my November goals and my December goals) and I just haven’t gotten around to it yet! This novel is about the true events on Mt. Everest in 1996 that took the lives of eight climbers when an unexpected storm hit. The movie Everest was incredible, although the story was not based off of Krakauer’s story (but I’m sure they referenced it for information).
Read a book with a season in title
One Summer by David Baldacci (335 pages): I had originally planned to read Winter by Marisa Meyer but I realized it’s the last book in a series, so I probably shouldn’t start with that! So I scoured the Facebook book challenge page again and found One Summer. Jack is terminally ill and forced to say goodbye to his family, when his wife is killed in a tragic car accident. With no one capable of caring for their children, the kids are sent in separate directions to live with different family members. Miraculously Jack recovers from his illness and brings his children home to try and rebuild his family.
Read a book that will make you laugh from the list attached
Bossy Pants by Tina Fey (283 pages): Supposedly a hilarious autobiography starring Tina Fey. I can’t really describe it more than that without reading it! I have heard the audio book is fantastic.
Backup: This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper
Read a book that is a friend or family member’s favorite
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (385 pages): This had been my backup in the first half of the challenge. So of course I had to make it a first choice for the bonus round! And I know I have read it before in high school, but I don’t remember it (I probably spark noted it) and wanted to reread it. A classic novel about a white lawyer putting his life on the line to defend a wrongly accused black man. It takes place in the 1930’s in the South, where racism is very much present. The description actually sounds somewhat similar to A Time to Kill by John Grisham, but I loved that book so I’m excited to read this. The book is also told through the point of view of the lawyers daughter, Scout.
Read a book published in the year you were born – 1989
Clear and Present Danger by Tom Clancy (704 pages): The different “versions” of the book listed on Amazon each give a different number of pages ranging from 704-814. Anyways, this book is about America’s war on drug cartels after three American officials were assassinated in Colombia. To be perfectly honest, I chose this book because it was the most interesting looking book published in 1989 I could find and it’s a popular movie (which I’ve also never seen).
Backup: The Abyss by Orson Scott Card
Let me know if you’ve read any of these books and what you thought! Don’t forget to join us for our reading lately link ups on the last Friday of every month. January’s Reading Lately link up was our first one and this months will be on February 26th!
Awesome! Thanks for the continued enthusiasm and support. A note: I *think* Jane Shemilt’s book is released as “Daughter” in the UK & Australia and “The Daughter” in the USA & Canada. Sometimes books confuse us like that 😉
Ugh books… The Lie actually wasn’t released yet in the U.S. so I had to order it from the UK! Thankfully it wasn’t expensive. And thank you, I’m loving the challenge 🙂
I read The Light Between Oceans! It was really interesting. I’m waiting for Abel to finish All the Light We Cannot See so I can read it, and he’s reading Into Thin Air as well. I bought him that one forever ago and now he’s finally starting it. To Kill a Mockingbird was my dad’s favorite. Every year he had his class read it, he would read it again too so he read it like 30 times! I guess I should probably read it lol After reading this, I want to read The Daughter, it sounds really interesting!
Oh I can’t wait to read it! I totally chose it based on it’s cover lol. And that’s crazy your dad kept rereading it, I can’t imagine reading a book that many times! Jeff just finished HP4 and started 5 🙂