Book Blogger Recommendation Challenge 2015

This is a fairly simple challenge: read books that have been recommended by fellow bloggers.  If you are interested, you can sign-up here; the list of books that have been recommended can be found here (there is a longer list at the end of the webpage, if none of the books catch your fancy).  The rules are simple:

1. The challenge runs from January 1st 2014 to December 31st 2015
2. There are five levels to choose from. You can increase your goal as many times as you want, or (because we all know real life happens!) you can decrease your goal once at any point throughout the year.
3. You don’t have to commit in advance to your choices, though of course you can plan them if you want to.

The levels are as such:

The Levels

Bronze – 3 books
Silver – 5 books
Gold – 10 books
Platinum – 25 books
Diamond – 50 books +

I am going to be doing the Silver level and these are the books I am going to attempt to read for the challenge and link up to them as I complete them:
1) The Count of Monte Cristo
2) Outlander
3) Anna and the French Kiss
4) The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
5) The Handmaid's Tale

The Book Thief - Markus Zusak

Title: The Book Thief
Author: Markus Zusak
Pages: 550
Published: 2007 (first published 2005)
Challenges: OfftheShelf, TBR Pile, Historical Fiction, Book Blogger Recommendation
Genre: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Young Adult
Edition: Paperback
Source: Personal Library

Description: It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still.

Liesel Meminger is a foster girl living outside of Munich, who scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement. (via Goodreads)

Thoughts: There are a few times in which I have taken a few days to read a book and this is one of those times when no other book really mattered.  While I did listen to the audio while I read the book, it was no less amazing, in fact I think it added to the enjoyment of the book.  Reading the book while listening to the audio of the book made me feel like I was listening to a piece of poetry that was in prose format.  

I don't really know how to describe how much I enjoyed this book; it was almost like was too good at times and allowed me to feel as though I was really there seeing and experiencing what Liesel was seeing and experiencing.  And as I was getting closer to the end of the book, I could see why other readers have really enjoyed reading this book.  And yes, I understand the point of the dominoes, at least after reading it (and no I am not giving it away) and wonder why the publisher put the dice on the front cover (curious thought don't you think?) instead of maybe some books or maybe an accordion (read the book to understand why)...

Anyways I loved the book and am curious to see how the screenwriter for the film adapted the book and how much of the book is in the film and how they do Death, who is basically heard throughout the book.  Probably will become one of those books that I remember for a long time, even if I don't read it a lot, much like Jacob Have I Loved and Jane Eyre have become to me over the years.

Bottom line: I really liked this book and probably would recommend to those readers that enjoy historical fiction YA books, but I think its also a book that general readers of fiction would also enjoy.  I think that this is a book that probably would appeal to a number of readers and not just one specific type of reader.  Highly Recommended.

Rating: 5/5 (would probably rate it higher, if I was rating books higher)

Pages for 2013: 16,176

2013 Book Blogger Recommendation Challenge

I did this one last year and had some minor success with it.

Here are the basic rules:

The Rules:

• Challenge will run January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2013. Participants can join anytime throughout the challenge.
• Create an intro post, linking back to this post. 
• Sign up with the Linky below. Please link to your challenge intro post, not your blog home page. 
• Chose your own books from the list. You can decide to read books only on the Top 25 list or from the entire recommendation list. You do not have to make a list of books before the challenge begins.
• All forms of books acceptable (audiobooks, eBooks, etc.)
• Rereads do not count towards the completion of the challenge. The challenge is about discovering books that are new to you.
• You don't need a blog to participate.
• Reviews, while always appreciated, are not mandatory.

Here are the ones that I am going to attempt to read:

• The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

• Divergent by Veronica Roth

• Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

• The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

• Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

• A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harknes
• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
• The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Schaffer
• The Snow Child be by Eowyn Ivey
• North & South by Elizabeth Gaskell

I am aiming for Level II