August Books - 2015 Real Book Challenge

I feel like I say this every September, but where did summer go? Hard to believe it's behind us already. I had a decent reading month in August. The summer seems to be when the budget comes in for my local library because that's when they order like nuts. There have been no shortage of new and interesting books to read, such that my book total for the month is 10, and 9 of those were real books.

With just 4 months left in the year, I'm in great shape to meet or surpass my reading goals. I'm at 93 of 100 books for my GR challenge and 45 of 50 for the RBC. I should be able to meet both goals by the end of this month, but we'll see. You just never know what's around the bend.

Details about the challenge can be found here: Real Book Challenge.

2015 Real Book Challenge Goal: 50
August 2015 Real Books: 9
Number Of Books Still To Read To Hit Goal: 5

Best book of the month? That's an easy question this time around. Hands down the best 2 books I read this past month were A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas, and The Heart of Betrayal, by Mary E. Pearson. Both will probably end up on my best of 2015 list.

Maas has become one of my favourite writers, and when I found out she was retelling Beauty and the Beast I rushed out to get a copy. I'm not sure how it escaped me until that point. I was reading something Stacee at Adventures of a Book Junkie posted, a top 10 Tuesday post where she talked about favourite retellings. I about swallowed my tongue when she mentioned ACOTAR. She is the one who introduced me to Maas. It's kind of fitting she whipped my uninformed ass into shape about this book. Go read it. It's, as Stacee would say, amazeballs!

And I loved The Kiss of Deception so reading the next book in the Remnant Chronicles series was a no-brainer. I admit I was a little afraid of being let down since book 1 was SO good, but guess what? The Heart of Betrayal was equally brilliant. Even more intricate and intimate than the first. I didn't think I could love the characters more, but I fell harder with every word.

Least favourite book this month? I didn't read anything horrible this month. (YAY!) Who Do You Love, by Jennifer Weiner was a let down for me. I was expecting a great love story, and while the pages had emotion and character growth, the mains didn't fight for one another like I wanted them too and ultimately I was left feeling disappointed. All of Me, by Jennifer Bernard, was a swing and a miss. Tee hee, baseball humour, because the story is about a pitcher sent down to the minor leagues. I just never fell in love with the characters, and the story was kind of slow moving. It wasn't horrible, simply okay.

The real books I read in August are:

 

July Books - 2015 Real Book Challenge

Goodness July was a dreadful reading month. And here I thought my schedule would slow down in the summer and allow me to read lots and lots. Even vacation failed me, which is sad becuase it was officially the worst vacation in the history of vactions. Try biting flies that kept us cottage bound (No walking at all. And since I normally walk 8-10 miles a day, I was cagey to put it mildly), 2 bouts of poison ivy—my husband and oldest—2 bouts of sunburn—my oldest and youngest—fire bans, water snakes, fighting racoons, sweltering heat with no air conditioning (yeah, yeah, first world problems but no one expects to travel to northern Ontario and experince 90s, least of all this chick!), mosquito bites that left bruised welts (apparently my butt tastes really good to those infernal bugs), one separation-anxiety-ridden doggie, and 3 teens who only begrudgingly get along on good days. Now THAT'S a recipe for vacation. I spent the whole thing managing and drinking. Thank you Black Fly coolers. You're my new best friend! And s'mores. I jest :) We made the best of it. The paddle boards and kayaks were awesomely fun! I saw a loon. The 4 bonfires we managed were great. I laughed with my kids. And I learned that I never want to go back to that area of Ontario every again haha.

In July I finished a measly 6 books, 3 of which were real.

Details about the challenge can be found here: Real Book Challenge.

2015 Real Book Challenge Goal: 50
July 2015 Real Books: 3
Number Of Books Still To Read To Hit Goal: 14

Best book of the month? There wasn't one that I loved, that is to say that I gave 5 stars to, but many of the books I read were enjoyable 4s, namely The Hooker And The Hermit, Just A LIttle Crush and It's Not Me, It's You.

Least favourite book this month? Until July, another book that was highly rated that was nothing but a big miss for me. So much of it didn't work in my opinion.

The real books I read in July are:

   

June Books - 2015 Real Book Challenge

I need real life to slow down so I can read more. In June I only finished 7 books, and only 2 were real.

Details about the challenge can be found here: Real Book Challenge.

2015 Real Book Challenge Goal: 50
June 2015 Real Books: 2
Number Of Books Still To Read To Hit Goal: 17

Best book of the month? That would be Wild Reckless, by Ginger Scott, and Illuminae, by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. I love love love Scott's writing, and let me say that Illuminae will be on my best books of 2015. I don't even have the word to describe how much I loved it, from it's innovative format to deep, relatable characters that I fell in love with.

Least favourite book this month? This one's also a tie between Falling For My Boss by J.S. Cooper and Helen Cooper, and Wish Girl, by Nikki Loftin. The former had unlikeable characters that I eventually felt indifferent towards, poor chemistry and a crap ending—the book ended before the story did—and the latter was a middle school book, not a young adult. The writing lacked depth, I had difficulty suspending disbelief, and I didn't really connect with the characters.

The real books I read in June are:

 

May Books - 2015 Real Book Challenge

Short and sweeet this month. I read 15 books in May, 5 of which were real.

Details about the challenge can be found here: Real Book Challenge.

2015 Real Book Challenge Goal: 50
May 2015 Real Books: 5
Number Of Books Still To Read To Hit Goal: 19

Best book of the month? I loved both of Emery Lord's books Open Road Summer and The Start Of Me And You, as well as V.E. Schwab's A Darker Shade of Magic. Wonderful writing and characters all around.

Least favourite book this month? Breakaway by Catherine Gayle. It's hard to put into words but there was too much hockety talk, an level of intimacy that didn't seem possible the way the characters were written and a not altogether likeable main character.

The real books I read in May are:

April Books - 2015 Real Book Challenge

Lots of reading in the month of April. 20 books, in fact, and 7 of them were real. At 1/3 of the way through the Real Book Challenge, I'm in decent shape to reach my goal.

2015 Real Book Challenge Goal: 50
April 2015 Real Books: 7
Number Of Books Still To Read To Hit Goal: 24

Best book of the month? Only With You, by Lauren Layne, and Love And Other Unknown Variables, by Shannon Lee Alexander. The first is a NA contemporary with wicked chemistry and amazing emotional depth. The second was sad but had awe inspiring emotional balance and tremendous impact.

Least favourite book this month? Whatever It Takes, by J. M. Stewart, although it was not on my real books list. The opening was annoyingly repetitive, the main character was selfish, and the sex bordered on ridiculous with all the aching and trembling. The story needed more editing.

The real books I read in April are:

   

   

March Books - 2015 Real Book Challenge

I got back on the horse this month and returned to reading with my regular vigor. I read 14 books in March, 10 of which were real boooks. Not bad, especially compared with last month. I've even caught up on my reviews so woo hoo!

The Real Book Challenge is simple: set a goal to read a certain number of real paper books over the course of 2015. Come join!

2015 Real Book Challenge Goal: 50
March 2015 Real Books: 10
Number Of Books Still To Read To Hit Goal: 31

Best book of the month? Golden Son and The Winner's Crime were my 2 favourites, both second books in a trilogy. We Can Work It Out was also really good, as was my reread of Insurgent. Oddly enough, those are both second books too.

Least favourite book this month? That would have to be the one I just finished, Second Kiss. Even worse than not connecting, I found the main character overly dramatic and the entire book pretty juvenile.

The real books I read in March are:

 

 

 

February Books - 2015 Real Book Challenge

February was a slooooow reading month for me. There were lots of celebrations to partake in along with endless tasks to complete. I admit, a little red in the face if I'm being honest, that I only read 4 books in February, but all of them were real. Here's hoping my totals aren't so dismal for March!

If you like to read, you're more than welcome to join the Real Book Challenge this year. And don't let a late start get you down. Just make your goal a little lower.

2015 Real Book Challenge Goal: 50
February 2014 Real Books: 4
Number Of Books Still To Read To Hit Goal: 41

Best book of the month? You know something? Last month is the closest I've ever gotten to a perfect book month. Of the 4 titles I read, 3 of them were 5-star books, and the fourth was a 4-star. I loved them all for different reasons. All the Bright Places was incredibly mooving, as was Something Real. A Thousand Pieces of You was thrilling and super interesting in concept.

Least favourite book this month? My least favourite books this month were the ones I didn't get to read thanks to my limited free time. But yay for not having any stinkers this month!

The real books I read in February are: