2013 Personal Challenge Update

At the beginning of the year I decided to create some personal bookish challenges for myself.  Since we're now entering the half way mark for the year, I figure an update post is in order to see how I'm doing with said challenges. Some I'm rocking! Some are..well..not good.  But no sweat! I still gots 6 more months! YEAH!....yeah.


Challenge #1: Read 100 books in 2013
I'm making this challenge my bitch! According to the Goodreads meter thingie (as of today) I am 28 books (28%) ahead of schedule and 75% done!!!!!!! Holllller!! Now, one must take into account that my total includes not only books, but also short novellas and graphic novels. But still. It's whatever. WOOT. 
Challenge status:  Kicking ass! 75/100 read!



Challenge #2: Attack of the To Be Read Pile
Don't act like you don't have one.  That pile (in my case mammoth) of books that you had to buy and are still sitting on your shelf a couple months (or years) later. My piles are growing out of control and they are stressing me out! SO. I wanted 50 of the books I read this year to be books I owned BEFORE January 1st 2013. 
Challenge Status: Pretty darn good! 27/50!



Challenge #3: Re-read Rewind
Really, I don't think this challenge needs an explanation. I buy books to keep with the intention of re-reading them. However, I don't do this as much as I would like to. So for this challenge I made a list of books I wanted to re-read this year. Most of these are first books in series that I want need to read again in order to complete the series.
Challenge Status: 1/13 completed. But I still have faith!



1. Poison Study (Maria V. Snyder)
2. Magic Study (Maria V. Snyder)
3. Fire Study (Maria V. Snyder)
4. Graceling (Kristin Cashore)
5. Fire (Kristin Cashore)
6. Divergent (Veronica Roth)
7. The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins)
8. Catching Fire (Suzanne Collins)
9. Shatter Me (Tahereh Mafi)
10. Firelight (Sophie Jordan)
11. Paranormalcy (Kiersten White)
12. Beautiful Creatures (Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl)
13. City of Bones (Cassandra Clare)

Challenge #4: It's a Classic
I hated reading classics in school. But I don't know if it's because of the books themselves or because when someone tells you you HAVE to read a book it makes you immediately not like it.  I'm on a quest to discover the truth. Are classics really for me?  Odds are no, probably not.  I've bought 2 classics..I just need to read them.
I made an initial list of 5 classics I wanted to read, but I think I may have to revamp it..

The original list:
1. Wuthering Heights
2. Pride and Prejudice
3. The Great Gatsby
4. To Kill a Mockingbird
5. The Secret Garden

Challenge Status: 0/5 read. Yeah. I'm working on it OKAY! Geez. I'm 3% in for Pride & Prejudice..it might take me until December, but I'm going to finish it!




Challenge #5: Catch-Up If you Can-Series
Self-explanatory. I have all these series I started and never finished or read the second book on. These are ones I originally wanted to focus on finishing.

1. Caster Chronicles (Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl)

-Beautiful Darkness (#2) already own

-Beautiful Chaos (#3)

-Beautiful Redemption (#4)

2. The Mortal Instruments (Cassandra Clare)

-City of Fallen Angels (#4)

-City of Lost Souls (#5)

3. Firelight (Sophie Jordan)

-Vanish (#2) already own

-Hidden (#3)

4. Paranormalcy (Kiersten White)

-Supernaturally (#2) already own

-Endlessly (#3)

5. Graceling Realm (Kristin Cashore)

-Bitterblue (#3) already own

6. Divergent (Veronica Roth)

-Insurgent (#2) already own

7. If I Stay (Gayle Forman)

-Where She Went (#2) already own

 

Challenge Status: 1/7 series completed.

 Although I have some catching up to do for some of these.  I feel they're all very much accomplish-able (except maybe the Classics one..), I just have to stay the course!

My Thoughts: Firelight Trilogy (Sophie Jordan)





My Thoughts:
OMG.   So the very first time I read Firelight, which was SEVERAL years ago, I gave it 5 stars. I apparently loved it. I re-read it last week so I could complete the series, and I gave it 3.5 stars. Obviously I'm in a different place now.. haha.

I was SOO disappointed with the rest of the series.  The main character, Jacinda, got on my freaking nerves! She became super annoying! Her sister Tamra was way more interesting, as was Cassian. This was a case of a love triangle gone totally WRONG. The romance severely detracted from the story and I couldn't wait for the series to end. The only reason I finished it was because, silly me, I bought the last 2 books. 

This series had the potential to be amazing. I loved the Draki lore,. Those few parts I found to be very interesting, but unfortunately this wasn't enough to sustain the story.   I found the main character Jacinda to be a very weak character and that's something I just am not down with. I found the supporting characters to be much more interesting.

I don't know what else to say besides I was very much disappointed with this series. Every dragon book I've read so far has disappointed me in some way which sucks.

I would say if this series at all interests you, borrow it from the library. If only I had done that.

Bottom Line: Disappointing. I give the series a very nice 3/5 rating...only because I didn't HATE the first book.

Top Ten Tuesday: Series I Want to Start

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish!

This week's topic:

Top Ten Series I'd Like To Start But Haven't Yet

 

1. Bloodlines Series (Richelle Mead)

 

 

2. Unearthly Trilogy (Cynthia Hand)

 

3. Mercy Thompson Series (Patricia Briggs)

 

 

4. Lords of the Underworld Series (Gena Showalter)

 

 

5. Shade Series (Jeri Smith-Ready)

 

6. Noughts & Crosses Series (Malorie Blackman)

 

7. Glass Series (Maria V. Snyder)

 

8. Fins Series  (Tera Lynn Childs)

 

9. Jessica Darling  Series (Megan McCafferty)

 

 

10. Delirium Series (Lauren Oliver)

 

 

 

 

 

Have you read any of these series? Loved? Hated? Recommended?

 

If you made a list, leave your link in the comments and I'll check it out!