Book Blogger Recommendation Challenge

I found this challenge through my friend Heather at Proud Book Nerd.  Thanks, Heather!  This will be my first reading challenge in the blogosphere, and I'm really looking forward to it!

This is a challenge to read books recommended by other book bloggers and is hosted by Reading With Tequila.  There is a list (and complete rules HERE) of recommended books.  Rereads do not count, which will challenge me to pick something different than what I usually read (this list is over 400 books long, I think I'm going to find plenty of books I haven't read on it).  The challenge started on January 1st, so I'm starting out about 6 months behind.  No matter, I will still do the best I can.  That being said, I'm going to aim for Level III - 15 books.  Reviews are not required, but I am trying to get into the habit of reviewing what I read so I am going to attempt to review the books I read for this challenge.

Review: The Final Summit: A Quest to Find the One Principle That Will Save Humanity

The Final Summit: A Quest to Find the One Principle That Will Save Humanity by Andy Andrews

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


In The Final Summit, we become re-acquainted with David Ponder, who is still an inspiration to many but yet struggles to inspire himself. This time, instead of a purely personal journey, David (along with other Travelers) is charged with finding a solution to the downward spiral humanity is on. What two word answer will save humanity from itself?


This is a sequel, and having read the first book (The Traveler's Gift) helps tremendously. I started this book without having read The Traveler's Gift and was confused enough by chapter two that I stopped, got the first book from the library, read it, and then started over with The Final Summit. It was most definitely worth it.


Reading the struggles that David and his fellow Travelers go through to come up with the answer to humanity's downfall caused me to think more about what is going on globally in the here and now. This book, like its predecessor, gave me a lot of reasons to stop and think. In my opinion, a lot more people in this world need to do just that - stop and think about where they personally are going, as well as how they are contributing towards the future.



Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Review: The Serpent Bride

The Serpent Bride by Sara Douglass

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I enjoyed the book - I think I would have enjoyed it more had I known in advance that rather than being book one of a trilogy (which the cover states it is) it is actually the 9th book in a series, following a six book arc and two stand-alone novels. Now I am trying to decide whether to continue with this trilogy or go back and start at the beginning and read the entire series.



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Review: The Grapes of Wrath

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Some may question my choice of three stars for this book. After all, it is a classic, and a good book in its own right. However, that doesn't mean that I personally think "it was amazing" (5 stars) or that I "really liked it" (4 stars). I just "liked it" - hence the three stars - based on Goodreads star descriptions.

This book is definitely worth reading. Somehow I never had to read it for school, which is probably just as well since many of the books I read as school assignments during my 6th-12th grade years were not books I paid much attention to - only enough to pass the test and/or write a paper about it. Some of those books are books that I have subsequently gone back to read again, others I have happily left behind. This book, while often taught in schools, is one that for me does not hold the taint of "required reading" and I was therefore able to enjoy it.

I have never known the kind of poverty described in this book. I have often been poor, at times have gone without enough to eat and frequently wore hand-me-downs that had been through four previous owners, and I have even been homeless for a short time. But those hardships pale in comparison to the abject poverty of the Joad family. This book definitely gave me a new appreciation for how much we did have - even when we thought we had nothing.



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Review: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


It took me a bit to get into this book, and there were times that I thought of putting it down for a while and finishing it later. Admittedly, part of the reason I kept on with it was that, as a paperback, it was easy to transport (I carried it in my purse). I'm glad I stuck with it - it was a good book. I am looking forward to reading the next one once I can get it.



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Review: Shakespeare's Counselor

Shakespeare's Counselor by Charlaine Harris

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I liked this book, and the series. I am very disappointed that this is the end of the series, though. Just when it seemed like Lily was really & truly starting to heal emotionally as well as physically - the series is over. Oh well. Not my decision to make, nor my story to write.



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Review: Sizzling Sixteen

Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Maybe I'm expecting too much, but these later books in the series are not as good as they used to be. Too much is explained that we should already know (just how often do we need to be told that Lula is a plus-size woman who wears size-small clothes? or that Ranger is mysterious and super-sexy? or that Stephanie can't decide between two men? or that Vinnie is a sleazeball?). It takes up space in the book, yes. But being given everyone's specifics in the first few chapters of each book is getting old - and it's the same reason I stopped reading the Baby-Sitters Club series as a young teen. Too much repetition insults the intelligence of your readership.

There were some moments of humor - which redeemed the book somewhat (hence the fourth star - I came very close to giving it three). Someone who hasn't read the rest of the series would probably find this book very entertaining.



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