Yay for Friday!! I’m finally feeling a little better and so excited because I came across a book challenge I want to enter in my downtime! I came across the challenge on a blog I follow. The challenge is hosted by Erin at TexErin-in-Sydneyland. I love reading, you can usually find me curled up with a book somewhere. Check out the book challenge Facebook group for the most current challenge and up to date information!
My only problem with looking up books for these categories is I add so many books to my to-read list. So I’m including a couple of back ups in case I don’t end up liking my first choice! Here are my picks for the book challenge.
Book Challenge Reading List
5 Points: Read a book, any book that is at least 200 pages long
Gone Girl – Gillian Flynn (422 pages): I wanted to read this book when I saw the preview for the movie, so now is the perfect opportunity! It has 4/5 stars out of over 1 million ratings and was a GoodReads choice winner of 2012 (and many other awards). It is a mystery novel about a wife that goes missing and a husband who makes himself look guilty. Sounds good, doesn’t it?
Back up: Their Eyes Were Watching God – Zora Neale Hurston (256 pages)
10 points: Read a book that begins with the letter “D”
Dear John – Nicholas Sparks (276 pages): Another book I’ve wanted to read based on movie previews. I’ve never read any of Nicholas Sparks’ novels before, but I’ve heard they’re fantastic reads. A love story about a man falling in love after enlisting in the army. Long periods of separation result in him losing her love.
10 points: Read a book with a four word title
Where the Memories Lie – Sibel Hodge (306 pages): A mystery novel where a young girls best friend goes missing and the truth about her disappearance surfaces twenty five years later. Her father in law confesses his guilt about killing her friend many years ago but suffers from Alzheimer’s and his story doesn’t add up… except he knew the location of the body.
Back up: To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee (384 pages): I know I read this in middle school, but I don’t really remember it so I want to read this again!
15 points: Read a book with one of the following words in the title: mother, father, son, daughter, or children
The Murderer’s Daughter – Jonathan Kellerman (364 pages): Another mystery novel that looks fantastic. It was only published in August of 2015! A woman who witnessed her parents murder suicide as a child is living a double life as an adult, hiding her past. Until someone recognizes her and threatens her exposure.
20 points: Amazon most popular author – author new to me
Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever – Bill O’Reilly & Martin Dugard (324 pages): I actually saw this book in Safeway one night and thought it looked very interesting but Jeff was paying and I didn’t want to make him buy me another book. I actually think it’s a book he would really enjoy since we both love history novels!
20 points: Read a book set in any country in Asia
The Lie – C.L. Taylor (461 pages): And yet, another mystery novel. I had a really hard time picking out a novel for this category and I hope this one fits. The whole novel is centered around a fatal event that occurred while on vacation in Nepal and the past comes back to haunt the main character.
Back Ups: The Climb: Tragic Ambitions on Everest – Anatoli Boukreev & G. Weston Dewalt
25 points: Read a book with a season in the title
Winter Garden – Kristin Hannah (394 pages): Just happened to stumble across this book while researching what to read for this book challenge. Disconnected sisters come together when their father gets sick and learn some haunting truth about their mother’s past.
30 points: Read a book that will make you laugh from the list attached
The Princess Bride – William Goldman (398 pages): To be perfectly honest, I had no idea this was even a book. I absolutely love the movie and while there were so many books on the list that I wanted to read (which I’ve saved to read in the future), I knew I had to read The Princess Bride just because how much I love the movie. It has great reviews so I hope it’s amazing!
30 points: Read a book that is a friend or family member’s favorite book
The Alchemist – Paulo Coelho (197 pages): This one is a few pages short of the 200 page count for the book challenge requirement, but I’ve heard wonderful things about this novel (and I feel I make up for it with several of my other novels being 400+ pages). I’m actually pretty sure I read it one year for school but I don’t remember it.
Update: Book Challenge Update and Change to Reading List
35 points: Read a book published the year you were born – 1989
A Time to Kill – John Grisham (515 pages): Another author on Amazon’s best author list that I’ve been interested in reading. I’m pretty sure this mystery novel was already on my To Read list on GoodReads. A father seeks vengeance after his daughter was viciously attacked and the whole town is in a war like state.
And there’s my list for the book challenge! Now I’m super excited and just want to start reading them right now! But I have other books to finish first anyways. If you love reading like me, I suggest joining in the book challenge fun!!
Have you read any of these books? What are your thoughts? Any other suggestions for books to read??
Welcome! You’ve got some great selections. I haven’t heard of The Lie…and it sounds like a book that I’d really enjoy. Going to add that to my “to read” list. A Time to Kill is such a fantastic story.
Oh thank you! I can’t wait to read them all and thanks for letting me know A Time to Kill is great 🙂 And I’m so excited to read The Lie too!! It sounds super intriguing!
One thing…your four word title selection actually has six words – ha! Can you pick a different one? Thanks!
Haha oops, I misread and thought it had to be at least four words!! I’ll pick a new one.. that means I just get to read All The Light We Cannot See now :p
This looks great! I think I might join you in these!
Yes do it! You totally need to! I’m so excited and just want to start reading now haha
I love any and all reading challenges! Bring it on 🙂 Can’t wait to curl up for hours this Christmas by the tree with a book in my hands!
Amanda
http://anchoredtosunshine.com/
That’s one of my absolute favorites of the holidays, cuddling up with a blanket and reading with the tree lit up 🙂 I can’t wait for the book challenge because all the books I picked looked really good and I just want to start! Glad you’re going to join! I can’t wait to see what you pick to read.
I’m so glad that you decided to join in on the challenge! You’ve got some great reads on your list, and it’s always a great feeling to get books checked off your TBR list. And I love reading books that were movies! It’s always interesting to see how well they line up.
I can’t wait to start reading them all! So happy I saw this challenge on your blog 🙂 And I sometimes like not seeing the movie because if it’s not good it ruins the ‘movie’ I created in my head! Lol
A Time to kill is a great book! Haven’t read most of your other ones (apart from To Kill a Mockingbird, of course). Good luck with the challenge! 🙂
Oh I’m glad it’s a good read!! It looks really good 🙂 And thank you! I’m more excited for the motivation to read a bunch.