2019 Reading Challenge List

#1 A book becoming a movie in 2019 : Pet Semetary
#2 A book that makes you nostalgic : David Bowie
#3 A book written by a musician (fiction or nonfiction) : Burning Up
#4 A book you think should be turned into a movie : Vintage Murder (5-9-20)
#5 A book with at least one million ratings on Goodreads : Fellowship of the Ring
#6 A book with a plant in the title or on the cover : Tales of Accidental Genius
#7 A reread of a favorite book : Lost Souls
#8 A book about a hobby : Fangirl
#9 A book you meant to read in 2018 : Blood Communion
#10 A book with "pop," "sugar," or "challenge" in the title : Pop: The Genius of Andy Warhol
#11 A book with an item of clothing or accessory on the cover : Tweaked
#12 A book inspired by mythology, legend, or folklore : Fairy Tales
#13 A book published posthumously : The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest
#14 A book you see someone reading on TV or in a movie : Waiting for Godot
#15 A retelling of a classic : Sense & Sensibility (graphic novel)
#16 A book with a question in the title : Are You There God, It's Me Margaret
#17 A book set on a college or university campus : The Rules of Attraction
#18 A book about someone with a superpower : Library of Souls (10-20-20)
#19 A book told from multiple character POVs : The Informers
#20 A book set in space : Feed
#21 A book by two female authors : Marked
#22 A book with a title that contains "salty," "sweet," "bitter," or "spicy" : Sweetbitter
#23 A book set in Scandinavia : The Girl in the Spider's Web
#24 A book that takes place in a single day : The Dinner
#25 A debut novel : Wuthering Heights
#26 A book that's published in 2019 : Stay Sexy & Don't Get Murdered
#27 A book featuring an extinct or imaginary creature : Dead Boy
#28 A book recommended by a celebrity you admire : Faust
#29 A book with "love" in the title : Obsessive Love
#30 A book featuring an amateur detective : I Hunt Killers
#31 A book about a family : King Lear
#32 A book written by an author from Asia, Africa, or South America : The Joy Luck Club
#33 A book with a zodiac sign or astrology term in the title : Escape from the Island of Aquarius
#34 A book that includes a wedding : A Storm of Swords
#35 A book by an author whose first and last names start with the same letter : The History of Punishment
#36 A ghost story : Thirteen Chairs
#37 A book with a two-word title : Beautiful Boy
#38 A novel based on a true story : The Shining
#39 A book revolving around a puzzle or game : Jumanji (5-15-20)
#40 Your favorite prompt from a past POPSUGAR Reading Challenge : Bloodlust
#41 A "cli-fi" (climate fiction) book : New York 2140
#42 A "choose-your-own-adventure" book : Romeo and/or Juliet
#43 An "own voices" book : To All the Boys I've Loved Before
#44 Read a book during the season it is set in :
#45 A LitRPG book : The Eye of Minds
#46 A book with no chapters / unusual chapter headings / unconventionally numbered chapters : We Need to Talk About Kevin
#47 Two books that share the same title (1) : The Lost World
#48 Two books that share the same title (2) : The Lost World
#49 A book that has inspired a common phrase of idiom : Othello
#50 A book set in an abbey, cloister, monastery, vicarage, or convent : The Murder at the Vicarage

Date Started: January 1, 2019
Date completed: December 31, 2019
Books finished in challenge:  8 of 50
Books finished in total for year: 51

2019 Reading: The Shining

#38 A novel based on a true story

I finally finished it! I think I really want to read more Stephen King this coming year. There is just something I like about it. His stuff is coming back into popularity with a vengeance lately and I recently realized that I have not read as much of his stuff as I would have liked and I would like to change that.

I enjoyed the book version of this (because of COURSE I've seen the Stanley Kubrick movie version) and now that I know how this one ends, I am very anxious to read Doctor Sleep to see how the story continues with Danny as a grown up.

I also like to discuss this story with my friend Tara sometimes (well, the movie, anyway). We talk about all the theories that fly around, especially from the Room 237 documentary and all of the different ideas that people have about the hotel and the reasons why Jack went insane and what or how the "shining" effects Danny and his parents and it was good to get to the source material so that I could have the original perspective to then about for the future.

This is the last book for the year, I didn't do too well for the PopSugar Reading Challenge, but I hop that I'll be able to catch up and do better next year.

2019 Reading: Fellowship of the Ring

#5 A book with at least one million ratings on Goodreads

Despite my better judgement, I decided to give this one a try. I really don't enjoy his writing style and am not the biggest fan of fantasy to begin with, but I stuck with it. IT TOOK ME FOREVER BECAUSE I JUST DON'T CARE ABOUT ANY OF IT!

Dear God, just shut up!!!! You throw out all of these names of people and places that have no context and instead of creating an epic fantasy world that I want to live in, you just confuse me more and make me want to shoot everyone with one of Legolas's arrows and then throw myself into Mount Doom because this is boring as SHIT!!!

Why am I still reading this, you may ask? Because I hate myself. And I am a completion-ist. I started it. Must finish. But I really don't want to read the other ones and I don't think I will. It's just too much. There are a million other things I would rather read and I just don't have the patience to sit through two more of these abominations of "classic literature."

I started it in May...

It is now December...

BUTTONS!

I have literally spent the last few days lounging around and doing exactly NOTHING because some part of me felt like I deserved it for finishing a bunch of major school stuff without killing anyone outright. That's an accomplishment, right? Well, it's time to get back to it.

I got my first draft back with the notes and apparently, it was a good draft and I won't have much to alter for the final draft! WOOOO!!!!!!! I was so nervous about that. I think that was what was causing a lot of the stress. That and the two very similar group projects that are happening at the exact same time that I keep mixing up. I need to work on those next. Those are the things that I am going to be doing this coming week for 605 and 645.

So close. SO CLOOOOOSSSSEEEEE.....

The 2020 PopSugar Reading Challenge was posted the other day. I am so bummed that I have been too busy with grad school work to read much of anything this year. I have literally only finished 6 of the 50 from this year's list and probably won't finish much more my the end of the year. I think what I'm going to do it try to finish is along with the 2020 and add along the 2015 as well because I never did that one... Because apparently I hate myself... and I love reading.

BTW, if anyone ever asks why I never want to wear my name tag... this is why.

The Weight Is Lifted But Not Gone...

The weekend was spent in the midst of journal articles and research papers and my head is full of information about the extent of visually impaired materials offered at public libraries in other countries... But my first draft of the Capstone proposal for Research Methods (668) has been submitted and I aim to do nothing for the next two days but reflect...

...most likely on everything I know I did wrong. But, that's just how I roll.

Thinking about the statistics of materials and services for the visually impaired available at public libraries in Mississippi was never something that interested me before, but I find that I look for it now at every different library website I visit. It may not be something that affects me personally, but it certainly fascinates me. Which is a good thing, considering that is what I will be spending the majority of my final semester working on researching.

I've found a wonderful resource in the Mississippi Library Association website, who has graciously, whether they know it or not, done the hard part of my research for me by compiling all of the MS counties and their libraries into a comprehensive list along with main branch websites. It's like a one stop shop for my webometric research needs! They even went so far as to put them all into this handy-dandy regional chart for me! Isn't that nice of them?

Getting Close to Finals...

Things are starting to ramp up as it gets closer and closer to finals time. Perhaps taking on a full 12 hours in my first to last semester of grad school was a little ambitious of me. But, I shall persevere.

Began discussing ePortfolios in Information Technology and Libraries (557). As of now, I only have a paper resume with no online presence like on Linked In or anything like that. I seem to get emails from Linked In despite never actually using that site... Interesting.  I did, however, find an interesting article on the site that hosts my online classes about creating an ePortfolio here. It might come in handy when completing my final assignment for this class.

For my class in Research Methods in LIS (668), I'm working on my potential Capstone for the final semester. I'm quite proud of the subject I've chosen, especially considering my absolute hatred of making decisions on my own. I've chosen to evaluate the extent to which public libraries in MS cater to the visually impaired by providing appropriate materials. Exciting, no? I know that the final product is supposed to be conducted and written during the final semester of the program, but I can't help but feel that the more I do now, the less I will have to do in the Spring. I just know that the literature review is going to be my eventual downfall, yet I just can't make myself open EBSCOHost and find articles! My brain will not let me!

Yet I must.

2019 Reading: Snow, Glass, Apples

I absolutely love this take on the story!

2019 Reading: King Lear

#31 A book about a family

This is another one of those that I think I was supposed to read for one of my previous Shakespeare classes in the early days of college, but never actually absorbed anything of the story or the plot so I might as well have not read it in the first place.

After reading this, I am very eager to see the new version of this that just came out with Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson.

2019 Reading: Waiting for Godot

#14 A book you see someone reading on TV or in a movie

I have seen many people from many shows and movies reading this. Probably got this one from Gilmore Girls... Wouldn't surprise me.

This reminded me a bit of Rosencrantz and Gildenstern Are Dead in that it was just ridiculous and a little bit nonsensical, but ultimately sad and depressing when you get right down to it. I think I would like to see this play performed live. I've seen that Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen have done it and I wonder if I can find that to watch anywhere. I think that would be amazing.

2019 Reading: Guru

Ugh, I still maintain to this day that I want to BE RuPaul when I grow up. I love her so much. This book is just little tidbits and life advice from Mama Ru and some of her fabulous outfits. Love love love.

2019 Reading: The Rules of Attraction

#17 A book set on a college or university campus

I have seen the movie for this book many times (hello Ian Somerhalder in his underwear) but I can honestly say that I understood absolutely none of it. It was actually brought to my attention that these books are in somewhat of an order and I read them completely backwards. But I think that's okay since there is no real link between the stories other than characters that show up in the books from time to time. I might read the other books when I finish with this one. But I'm not entirely sure.

This book was definitely one that leaves you feeling very... "Huh....?" and I kind of like that.

2019 Reading: Jacob's New Dress

This book was so cute and I hope that people read this and realize that everything is awesome when it comes to kids.

2019 Reading: The Dinner

#24 A book that takes place in a single day

This book really reminded me of a Bret Easton Ellis book. I don't really know how to describe it in a way that would make sense. It was just the way the narrative went. The main character and his thoughts, how they would bounce back and forth and sometimes go from one thing to another and often get angry or violent for no reason and how nothing seemed to really mean anything to him... It all just seemed like it was coming from another Patrick Bateman. Only this one was sane. And way more interesting.

I liked the ending. It was very dark and the whole book was just something that pulled me in and kept me on edge because you were never quite sure what was happening. Then, when you were told what WAS happening, you had to stay to find out what the result would be. I'm glad that I took a fellow Goodreads person's suggestion for this book because I don't think I would have ever found it otherwise.

2019 Reading: Feed

#20 A book set in space

From the very first page, I think I knew I was going to have a little bit of trouble getting through this one. It's not like it was very hard or long or anything, but there was a special type of "futuristic" teenage lingo happening that I had to mentally translate as I read. It can get pretty boring after a while until you can see one word and say another in your head as you read. I know that colloquialisms change all the time and that if you don't know the origins and they are just thrust upon you then you can have difficulty adapting to them, but given context clues and the way they are used, it's pretty easy to figure them out. Like reading A Clockwork Orange for the first time.

Having said that, I ended up REALLY enjoying the book. It gave really good insight as to the way the world is progressing and how humans interact with one another and I think that some of these things will definitely come to pass if we are not careful. The hopelessness of the characters near the end reflected the emptiness that the main character was feeling at the beginning, despite being sent a steady and overwhelming stream of data at all times of the day, every day.

I really enjoyed this book.

2019 Reading: Thirteen Chairs

#36 A ghost story

Hey, look! My first book of the year!

Finally...

A colleague of mine was reading this and thought I would like it and it just so happened to fit into the reading challenge, so of course I was going to read it. I found the stories within the book a little dated and familiar, but maybe that was the point? The ending was kind of predictable, though most ghost stories are nowadays. Still, it was a good start to the year and now that I have finally finished the first one, I can hopefully get my ass into gear and pick up the pace with the rest of the books that I need to read this year.

2018 Reading Challenge: List

#1 A book made into a movie you've already seen : Maurice
#2 True Crime : Inside the Mind of BTK
#3 The next book in a series you started : The Kill Order
#4 A book involving a heist : Bringing Down the House
#5 Nordic noir : The Girl Who Played With Fire
#6 A novel based on a real person : Room
#7 A book set in a country that fascinates you : A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
#8 A book with a time of day in the title : The Voices at 3:00AM
#9 A book about a villain or antihero : Deviant
#10 A book about death or grief : The Pocket Book of Death
#11 A book with your favorite color in the title : Severed: The True Story of the Black Dahlia
#12 A book with alliteration in the title : Women in the Walls
#13 A book about time travel : Hollow City
#14 A book with a weather element in the title : Let It Snow
#15 A book set at sea : Death on the Nile
#16 A book with an animal in the title : The Crow: Lazarus Heart
#17 A book set on a different planet : The Colour of Magic (Discworld)
#18 A book with song lyrics in the title : Turtles All the Way Down
#19 A book about or set on Halloween : Scary Stories Treasury
#20 A book with characters who are twins : Twelfth Night
#21 A book with a female author who uses a male pseudonym : Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
#22 A book with an LGBTQ+ protagonist : Every Nine Seconds
#23 A book that is also a stage play or musical : Sweeney Todd
#24 A book by an author of a different ethnicity than you : The Art of Fushigi Yugi
#25 A book about feminism : Mrs. Dalloway
#26 A book about mental health : The Sociopath Next Door
#27 A book you borrowed or that was given to you as a gift : The Merchant of Venice
#28 A book by two authors : Triads
#29 A book about or involving a sport : Quidditch Through the Ages
#30 A book by a local author : Dead Ever After
#31 A book mentioned in another book : The Invisible Man
#32 A book from a celebrity book club : The Road
#33 A childhood classic you've never read : The Tale of Despereaux
#34 A book that's published in 2018 : Leah on the Offbeat
#35 A past Goodreads Choice Award winner : The Pigeon Needs A Bath
#36 A book set in the decade you were born : Less Than Zero
#37 A book you meant to read in 2017 but didn't get to : Talking As Fast As I Can
#38 A book with an ugly cover : The Prize
#39 A book that involves a bookstore of library : Of Books and Bagpipes
#40 Your favorite prompt from the 2015, 2016, or 2017 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge : Audition
#41 A bestseller from the year you graduated high school : The Polar Express
#42 A cyberpunk book : Ready Player One
#43 A book that was being read by a stranger in a public place : Lady Killers
#44 A book tied to your ancestry : The Book Thief
#45 A book with a fruit or vegetable in the title : It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
#46 An allegory : The Screwtape Letters
#47 A book by an author with the same first or last name as you : Rosebush
#48 A microhistory : New Kids on the Block
#49 A book about a problem facing society today : Breathing Underwater
#50 A book recommended by someone else taking the POPSUGAR Reading Challenge : Eat, Pray, Love

Date Started: January 1, 2018
Date completed: December 31, 2018
Books finished in challenge: 50 of 50
Books finished in total for year: 75