PopSugar Reading Challenge 2016 Pusle Check Up

I was not sure if I need this post at all. The only important thing to is to read as much as I can. But it turned out that I completely lost the overview of the books read in connection to this challenge. I wanted to do the pulse check every 3 months, but I did not entered the challenge so long ago, so it is a half year check and I will have to continue it in the new 2017 year before I can join PopSugar Challenge 2017.

1. A book based on a fairy tale
    I read The Lunar Chronicles in the first three months of the year. I’ve actually used this series to tick off a few categories, but this one is specifically Cinder.
My review.

3. A YA bestseller
   Let It Snow: Three Holiday Romances by Green, Maureen Johnson, Lauren Myracle. My review.

5. A book set in your home state
    I don’t actually live in my home country, so I went with a book set in the country I currently live, otherwise it will be too easy. That’s Czech Republic, and I went with The Student of Prague by Hans Heinz Ewers. Done!

6. A book translated to English
    This was really easy. I am currently cannot tear myself away from Norwegian writer Jo Nesbo, who wrote series of detective Harry Hole. So under this category I count Nemesis by Jo Nesbo.

7. A romance set in the future
     Scarlet, from The Lunar Chronicles fulfills this one. The plot is set in some type of a "future". I still think this counts. My review.

8. A book set in Europe
   Inkheart by Cornelia Funke is mostly set up in Italy. My review.

9. A book that’s under 150 pages
   The Lonesome West By Martin McDonagh. Actually it is a play, but as it is published in a separate book, I do consider this point done. My review.

10. A New York Times bestseller
     I will go here with  Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs. My review.

11. A book that’s becoming a movie this year
     Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Riggs, Ransom. Actually I never heard about the book before I saw the movie trailer, so I picked the book solely to fulfill this requirement, but it turned out to become one of my favorite series, which I really loved. My review.

14. A book you can finish in a day
     Cress, from The Lunar Chronicles fulfills this one. I was so enchanted by the series that I really read this book within a day. My review.

17. A book at least 100 years older than you
     Kidnapped and Catriona by Robert Louis Stevenson was first published 1893.

18. A book that’s more than 600 pages
     Winter, from The Lunar Chronicles fulfills this one.The biggest book I read this year; 832 pages. My review.

19. A book from Oprah’s Book Club
     Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts. I read this book only to fulfill the requirement of this challenge. I liked the idea and positive message it carries and I liked the movie, but the book itself did not work out for me.

22. A graphic novel
    The Tale of One Bad Rat by Bryan Talbot. This is genre is not my cup of tea, so I grabbed the first adult looking graphic novel in the library and, frankly, quite enjoyed it.

25. A book that takes place during Summer
       Goldfinger by Ian Fleming. I believe the whole adventure started in a hotel in Miami, where Bond crossed the way of notorious criminal figure known as Goldfinger.

27. A murder mystery
      The Devil's Star by Jo Nesbø. This is not one murder mystery, but 5 killings that seems to be the deed of a serial killer. It is a grasping novel with a lot of unexpected plot twists, with one of my favorite fictional detectives Harry Hole.

30. A book with a blue cover
     My edition of The Leopard by Jo Nesbø has a winter scenery on a cover and it all together looks very blue. Another Harry Hole mystery/thriller novel, which was very intriguing and nail-biting, but not the best in Harry Hole series.

34. A book from the library
     Hotel World by Ali Smith. I've heard so much about this author and was looking forward to read one of her books, but was really disappointed. My review.

39. A book that takes place on an island
     I was confused by this one, but found out the book I read in the spring Dr.No by Ian Fleming. The story takes place mainly on the fictional island of Crab Key close to Jamaica and Jamaica itself. My review.

40. A book that’s guaranteed to bring you joy
     Fortunately, the Milk... by Neil Gaiman. This is a funny short book for children age under 10 but I had a silly smile on my face the entire time I was reading it. It was nicely written and the illustrations by Riddell are so vivid and witty. My review

Outline is 20 books out of 40. Not the greatest result. So these are all the books I read in 2016 from the creation of this blog. Before that I did not track what I was reading, so most probably I lost about 10 books from the beginning of 2016. I would give some time in the beginning of 2017 to catch up with this challenge and close it, so I can fully concentrate on my 2017 challenges.

December 2016 Wrap up

Read books:
read: 4 / listen: 1 / pages: 1538/ hours listened: 14h53m
1. John Green, Maureen Johnson, Lauren Myracle - Let It Snow: Three Holiday Romances p.352 - My review
2. Jo Nesbø - The Phantom 14h53m - My review
3. Cornelia Funke, Inkheart p. 543 - My review
4. Neil Gaiman - Fortunately, the Milk... p.160 - My review
5. John Grisham, The Client p. 483 

Movie watched:
1. Carrie (2013)
2. Westworld  (2016 - )
3. Waking tall  (2004)
4. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
5. Minions (2015)
6. Coach Carter (2005)
7. Underworld: Blood Wars (2016)

Movie re-watched:
1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)
2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) 

Theater visited:
1. Urna na prazdnem jevisti, Ciniherniclub - My review
2. No Man’s Land, NT LIVE 

Sport watched:
1. Biathlon World Cup 1. Oestersund, SE
    Dec. 3, Women’s 7,5 km Sprint, Men’s 10 km Sprint
    Dec. 4, Women’s 10 km Pursuit, Men’s 12,5 km Pursuit
2. Dec. 4 Liverpool FC-AFC Bournemath 3:4
3. PDC World Darts Championship 15 December 2016–2 January 2017

The Phantom by Jo Nesbø

Author:  Jo Nesbø
Original title: Gjenferd 
Edition Language: English
Series: Harry Hole #9
Genres: Crime, Mystery, Fiction, Thriller
Format: Audio book
Read by: Sean Barrett
Duration: 14h53m
Goodreads 

Blurb:
     At the conclusion of the last book in this series, The Leopard, Harry Hole, no longer on the Oslo police force, retreated to Hong Kong where he built a new life. But three years later, his past calls him home. Oleg, the son of his former lover, Rakel, has been arrested for allegedly killing a drug dealer who was also his friend and the foster brother of the young woman that Oleg loved. The evidence seems incontrovertible, but Harry comes back to Norway in an effort to prove that Oleg is not guilty and to find the real killer.

My thoughts: 
     Really, really good. Really, really sad. For me personally, it was heartbreaking.
      Harry is back to Oslo, but he is not a policeman anymore, and that feels quite new. He is on the edge of losing his law-abiding qualities and joining the Jack Reacher-Rambo team. He acquires a macho, hard-boiled, brutal style and I am not sure I like it on him, but I guess he grew up from detective uniform. Without the power of the police force behind him, Harry faces a serious uphill struggle to solve the mystery.
      I don't think I can write a review without spoiling the whole thing. Not much can be said about the plot development without spoilers, but as usual it is fantastic. The story kept me on the edge of the seat. I was truly searching more time to finish one more chapter. I do not know where Nesbø takes his ideas, but it is always rocking. I would not say that the ideas so much unique, but the way he tells his stories! Splendid!
     In this book a new for this series topic is covered: drug trafficking, shadowy world of drugs, criminal gangs and corrupted police and politicians. I am not fan of this topic, but it was a nice change from all the serial killing we face in previous books. Of course the corrupted police topic is not new, but it is clearly visible in this book the rise of a new villain, whom Harry will face in the next books of the series. But though it is exceptionally good book, it is not one of the best in this series.
      It was also very interesting to discover how Oleg character developed during Hole's absence. How his relationship with Harry suffered and what in the end brought towards a shocking finale. After finishing this book, I felt so broken hearted, sad and devastated.  

Rating:

    4/5 

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

Author:  Cornelia Funke 
Original title: Tintenherz
Pages: 543
Edition Language: English
Series: Inkworld #1
Genres: YA, Fantasy, Fiction
Goodreads 

Blurb:

     12 year-old Meggie lives with her father, Mortimer, a bookbinder. Mo never reads stories aloud to Meggi. He also never talks about her mother or tells her different stories that Meggi does not believe in her existence anymore.

When Meggi is 12, Capricorn, an unknown villain is on a hunt to find Mortimer and get hold of a secret book her father possesses. They have to leave their home behind and while they are on the run, Meggi discovers her father's secret and, along with the help of Dustfinger (a very strange and unusual person) and Meggi's eccentric aunt Elinor, fights to free her father and destroy Capricorn.

My thoughts: 

 I took the synopsis from Goodreads, but have to cut it greatly. Really? You want to tell everything in the blurb?  The biggest suspense of this book was actually to find out what was the secret Maggi's father had.

     I have big expectations for a book, it was also easy read, but I believe, this book should be read by me at least 20 years earlier and I would not classify this book "for every age".

     I cannot say I did not like it or place my finger exactly on what irritated me, but it just left me untouched. The plot of Inkheart does not slow down; I love that, through the characters are a little irritating and lack development. Sometimes their decisions are on the edge of stupidity and I do not mean a child, but grown-ups. I didn't feel like I really knew the characters and connected to them.

     Taking into consideration that this is a children’s book (I do not think it is YA) it is quite good. The plot development is consistent, the villains are scary, but not bloody, there is no open violence in the book just references, which makes it accessible for younger children. But overall, it was a little too long and sometimes you'd think you're just going in circles. I expected more magic as well; but it is more realistic than magical book.

      What I really loved about the story that it heavily promotes the value of reading. Reading about books and how people value and worship them is very inspiring and captivating. Reading opens horizons and this is the right message for young reader.

Rating: 

    3/5 

Goodreads summary 2016

Happy New Year to everyone!!

Holidays have passed and it is time to sum up 2016.

        I would not count my failure in goals and challenges as failure since this is my first year blogging and I might missed a lot of deadlines but I am learning))

       Anyway, Goodreads already prepared a standard yearly summary and I think now’s the time to share it with you since I think that’s pretty much my reading year in the nutshell. This is quite a good overview for me since I was going to set new 2017 goals and, frankly speaking, I overestimated myself. That graphs down below puts me back on earth.

       As for 2016 Reading challenge, I must confess that I did not know that I can set the number of book myself and went with the default one of 30. So my reading was rather relaxed. Only late in November I realized that I can adjust it and increased it a little, which was wrong, as this way I did not complete the challenge. 

T5W December 7, Books You Want to Finally Read in 2017

This weekly book meme officiated in November 2013. Every week there is a new topic and your list of 5 nominates will be based off this topic. For further information check out the Goodreads Page.

The theme this week is: Books You Want to Finally Read in 2017

I have recently wrote a post on books added to my "to-read" list in Goodreads for Top Ten Tuesday, but these mostly short TBR. There are stories I want to read for ages and still do not when I will get my hand on them.

1. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens 

David Copperfield is the story of a young man’s adventures on his journey from an unhappy & impoverished childhood to the discovery of his vocation as a successful novelist.  

2. Ulysses by James Joyce

 It seems everybody is talking about this book and every respected book lover should read it, but judging by the description I might never cope with it. Joyce divided Ulysses into 18 episodes.Every episode of Ulysses has a theme, technique and correspondence between its characters and those of the Odyssey. The original text did not include these episode titles and the correspondences.

 3. Shōgun by James Clavell.  

 This is a known book about a bold English adventurer, an invincible Japanese warlord and a beautiful woman torn between two ways of life, two ways of love. All brought together in an extraordinary saga of a time and a place aflame with conflict, passion, ambition, lust, and the struggle for power. There is a very good mini-series adaptation (1980) Richard Chamberlain and John Rhys-Davies but I've always wanted to read a book.

4. 1984 by George Orwell

The dystopian novel is set in Airstrip One (formerly known as Great Britain), a province of the superstate Oceania in a world of perpetual war, omnipresent government surveillance, and public manipulation, dictated by a political system euphemistically named English Socialism (or Ingsoc in the government's invented language, Newspeak) under the control of a privileged elite of the Inner Party, that persecutes individualism and independent thinking as "thoughtcrime."

5. Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys   

Wide Sargasso Sea is a 1966 postcolonial novel by Jean Rhys.The novel is written as a prequel and response to Charlotte Brontë's noted novel Jane Eyre (1847), describing the background to the marriage that Jane learns about after going to work for Mr. Rochester. It is the story of Antoinette Cosway, a Creole heiress, from the time of her youth in Jamaica, and of her unhappy marriage to a certain English gentleman—he is never named by the author.  

Ali Smith, Hotel World

Author: Ali Smith
Original title: Hotel World
Pages: 236
Edition Language: English
Publisher: Penguin Books
Series: none
Genres: Fiction, Contemporary
Year: 2001
Goodreads

Plot:
There are five characters, two relatives, three strangers: a homeless woman, a hotel receptionist, a hotel critic, the ghost of a hotel chambermaid, and the ghost’s sister. These women tell a story and it is through this story. The common link between all those characters is the Global Hotel. The dead girl Sara worked there as chambermaid and died in an accident falling in a shaft of a dumbwaiter. It is not clear till the chapter “Future in the past” was this an accident or the suicide. The homeless woman Else is begging in front of the hotel every day. One cold night she is allowed to take a room free of charge by a hotel receptionist Lise. The fourth person is Penny, the hotel critic is disturbed in her room by a chambermaid who is trying to open the shaft. Penny tried to help the girl and looking around for help. Then she meets Else on the flour and all 3 opened the shaft. The chambermaid is actually the dead girl’s younger sister who wanted to see the place of death and find some peace at last.

About the author:  
    Ali Smith is a writer, born in 1962 in Inverness, Scotland, to working-class parents. She was raised in a council house in Inverness and now lives in Cambridge. She studied at Aberdeen, and then at Cambridge, for a Ph.D. that was never finished. In a 2004 interview with writing magazine Mslexia, she talked briefly about the difficulty of becoming ill with chronic fatigue syndrome for a year and how it forced her to give up her job as a lecturer at University of Strathclyde to focus on what she really wanted to do: writing. Openly gay, she has been with her partner Sarah Wood for 17 years and dedicates all her books to her. Taken from Goodreads

Themes: 
Coping with grief and tragedy: After the sudden death of Sara Wilby we can see how the grief affects the people around and how each of then trying to cope with it. The only male character in this book apart from the father is Duncan, the witness to Sarah's death and his character shows that mourning is not exclusive to family or close personal friends of those who have died.

Sexuality/Sexual awakening: This topic is slightly covered. Sara Wilby's sexual awakening starts a week or two before her death when she meets the girl in the watch shop. Sarah is amazed and confused about this side of her attraction and suffering with the first love fears. The shop girl shared interest in Sara, which is only conveyed briefly near the end of the novel—reveal.

The flow of time: We can see a lot of indication through the story about time importance. How fragile the moment might be and how much a small fragment of time can contain.

My thoughts:
I cannot remember a book recently which I was enjoying less than Hotel World. A book without story development, but only emotions and stream of conscience. I hope that all Ali Smith’s fans will ever forgive me, but I found this book utterly boring and unexciting. The anticipation of the story ranged from boring to frustrating. Some days I was forcing myself to get the book and continue reading. The Sara’s sister’s chapter was a total nightmare with 31 pages of unpunctuated stream of conscience writing. This was like I'd read poetry. The story stayed in the fog even though there are 5 main narrators. The only chapter that made any sense was chapter "Perfect". Here was at least some story and character development, some inner wishes and thought shared and some interaction between the characters.

Rating:  

    2/5 

October 2016 Wrap Up

Read books:
read: 1 / listen: 1 / pages: 376 /hours listened: 14h51m
1. Billie Letts Where the Heart Is p.376
2. Jo Nesbø The Redeemer

Movie watched:  
1. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016)
2. Inferno (2016)
3. Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016)
4. Doctor Srtange (2016)
5. Sweet Bean (2015)

Theater visited: 
1.The Deep Blue Sea by NT Live (2.10.2016, Prague) review

The Lunar Chronicles

 

     These books are absolutely enchanting. I would call it the biggest shocker this year. I have picked Cinder as a recommendation of participants of Popsugarreadingchalenge and was not waiting for anything special. But I actually loved the series. The main characters are strong and alive. Each new book brings additional members to the squad and every of them have a unique personality, strengths and weaknesses.
      Though it is a YA series it is not overloaded with love stories. We get the first introduction and get the idea who will date whom, but there is no lingering description of kisses, hugs and feelings altogether. Actually, there are even more friendship relationships in the books than love. Throughout the series the friends are split so many times that they need to learn how to work in different teams, overcome their fears and gain trust.
The story is quite original: re-telling of old fairy tales in new unexpected way.


Author: Marissa Meyer

Original title: Cinder
Pages: 448
Edition Language:
Series: Lunar Chronicles 1 

       Cinder is a young cyborg-mechanic in New Beijing. She has no civil rights as a second class citizen and is totally under control of her heartless stepmother. Her story is based on the Cinderella story and of course she meets a charming prince Kai, who takes vivid interest in her without knowing she is a cyborg. After her submission by her adopt mother to cure testing, Cinder discovers that she is also of Luna origin and has a special device to control her Luna charms.
       During the royal ball Cinder is trying to save the prince from marriage with the queen of Luna Levana. At this point she reveals that, first of all she is cyborg, second of all that she is Luna, and finally she reveals to Levana that she is the lost Princess Selene of Luna whom she tried to kill 11 years ago.


Original title: Scarlet
Pages: 512
Edition Language:
Series: Lunar Chronicles 2

       Scarlet is another rewritten fairy tale "Little Red Riding Hood". I would say this is my favorite love line in the series. I saw quite many reviews on this book and most of the people find it boring. I just LOVE it)) A young farmer girl is looking after her grandma's farm and tries to solve her grandma disappearance. In a local pub where she delivers vegetables she meets handsome, but rather strange young man by the nickname "Wolf".
        From this point it is quite clear that those two are destined to be together. Maybe this is the boring part, but I like how they learn to like each other, how she trust him and how he fights the animal instincts and learn to live normal human life. Wolf promises Scarlet to find her grandma and they start their journey to Paris. Of course, nothing is so simple and he turns out to be an obedient dog of Luna people and leads Scarlet directly to the trap.
       In parallel the story of Cinder is continued. She escapes the prison together with a new character Thorne, a thief and spaceship hijacker. Cinder still does not believe that she is a princess and is searching for evidence and answers. She remembers part of the report where was discovered that her past is somehow connected to a French pilot Michelle Benoit who is naturally turning to be Scarlet's grandma. Cinder saves Scarlet in Paris and the four of escapes the Earth on the space ship Rampion.

Original title: Cress

Pages: 592
Edition Language:
Series: Lunar Chronicles 3

        The 3rd book has new character Crescent (Cress) Moon Darnel, a talented hacker imprisoned in a satellite in space. She spends last 7 years on a ship spying on Earth leaders and covering military movements of the Luna army to earth. She is in love with Earth and one particular Earthman - Thorne. She waits as Rapunzel for a brave Thorne to save her.
       When Cinder contacts her, Cress asks for help to escape satellite. But the rescue expedition goes totally wrong. Thaumaturge Sybil Mira sends the satellite to crash on Earth together with Cress and Thorne on board. Scarlet is imprisoned by Sybil Mira, Wolf is wondered and Cinder gets new passenger Jacin Clay.
           After the miraculous landing of satellite in Sahara, Thorn is not able to see anything and Cress is actually seeing the Earth from Earth for the first time. It is quite sweet and touching to follow how those two are trying to deal with problems and cooperate together. They need to reach any city to let Cinder know they alive.
In the meanwhile Cinder brings Wolf to North Africa to Dr. Erland to heal. Kai asks queen Levana to marry him in exchange for an antidote for the plague and the safety of his people against "animal" attacks.
          By coincidence all crew members except Scarlet, who is imprisoned on the Moon, meet in Africa and plot to stop Kai's wedding. They need to get into the palace and kidnap the prince before the wedding. All that goes well expect they lose Jacin Clay, who betrays them to Sybil Mira.

Original title: Winter

Pages: 832
Edition Language: English
Series: Lunar Chronicles 4 

       "Winter" is the last book of the series is based on "Snow White" fairy tale. This book describes the relations between mentally ill queen Levana's stepdaughter Winter and royal guard Jacin Clay. Winter also saves Scarlet from the royal court and keeps her as her pet in a zoo.
        The rest of the events are following: Kai is returned to the palace, and again agrees to marry Levana but the ceremony should be on the Moon. Cinder and the crew get on Kai's spaceship to reach the Moon and start a revolution. After Clay helps Scarlet and Winter escape, they try to recruit mutated wolf-like human soldiers in bunkers. Knowing that queen Levana poisons Winter's favorite apple candy with plague and give it to her in a forest. Winter is dying and infect everyone around her.
          Cinder, who was captured and presented on a wedding day as present to Kai fight queen Levana's charms and jump in a lake to save her live. Saved by Clay and Thorn they learn that Winter is in mortal danger. Covered by Cress hacking they steal a lot of antidote and rush to save their friends. In the day of Levana's coronation an enormous battle takes place leading to Levana's death and Cinder recognition as queen of Luna.

Altogether I am not a big fan of YA books, but these series I liked for a number of reasons:
1. The plot is strong and consistent. There are minor mistakes, but the whole impression is quite positive and it does not leave you with the questions like: "What was that? Why this passage here at all? What's the purpose of this description?"

2. Characters are absolutely terrific. Well written, everyone has its individuality. And I mean not only main characters: Sybil Mira, Aimer, Alpha Strong and others. Very convincing and realistic!

3. The story is not overloaded with love lines. "Make love, not war" does not apply here and I liked it. We can see first time affection, but real feeling comes during the endurance of time, distance and rough going.

4. Many other topics are raised in the books as well: racism, prejudice, home violence, poverty, political “behind the curtain” games. And these topics are nicely introduced to the story through the characters and their lives, thus that we see the imperfection even in a perfect world.

5. The setting and idea of the stories is also very fascinating: post WW4 Earth, Luna and its people, inter planet flights, biological weapon, biological mutation, cyborgs, androids with humor and satellite imprisoning.

Rating of the series 

    5/5