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2026 Bookish Books Reading Challenge (hosted by Yours Truly)

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27 / 30 books. 90% done!

2026 Cover Lovers Reading Challenge (hosted by Yours Truly)

2026 Cover Lovers Reading Challenge (hosted by Yours Truly)

My Progress:


39 / 50 books. 78% done!

2026 Literary Escapes Challenge

- Alabama
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My Progress:


34 / 51 states. 67% done!

2026 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

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24 / 25 books. 96% done!

2026 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge

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29 / 50 books. 58% done!

Booklist Queen's 2026 Reading Challenge

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38 / 52 books. 73% done!

2026 52 Club Reading Challenge

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34 / 52 books. 65% done!

2026 Build Your Library Reading Challenge

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22 / 40 books. 55% done!

2026 Craving for Cozies Reading Challenge

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24 / 51 books. 47% done!

2026 Medical Examiner Mystery Reading Challenge

2026 Mount TBR Reading Challenge

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19 / 25 books. 76% done!

2026 Around the Year in 52 Books Reading Challenge

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44 / 52 books. 85% done!

Shelf Reflection Candy Reading Challenge for Kids (and Adults)

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54 / 65 books. 83% done!

2026 Countdown Reading Challenge

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55 / 55 books. 100% done!

2026 Series Reading Challenge


23 / 36 books. 64% done!

Dragon Rambles' Law of Fives Bingo

Dragon Rambles' Law of Fives Bingo

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70 / 125 books. 56% done!

2026 Southern Literary Reading Challenge

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9 / 9 books. 100% done!

2026 Reading Challenge (by Linz the Bookworm)

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2026 Pioneer Book Reading Challenge

2026 Pioneer Book Reading Challenge

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10 / 40 books. 25% done!

European Reading Challenge 2026

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7 / 50 books. 14% done!

2017 Pick Your Poison Reading Challenge (retired challenge - doing old boards for fun)

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67 / 125 books. 54% done!

2026 Reading Challenge Addict Reading Challenge

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4 / 5 challenges. 80% done!

The 100 Most Common Last Names in the U.S. Reading Challenge

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98 / 100 names. 98% done!

The Life Skills Reading Challenge

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76 / 80 skills. 95% done!
Showing posts with label Cormac McCarthy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cormac McCarthy. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 03, 2015

My Top Ten Ways for the World to End


Y'all know how much I love Top Ten Tuesday.  It's a fabulous weekly meme hosted by the ladies over at The Broke and the Bookish.  If you're looking for great new book blogs to follow, lots of reading recommendations, and traffic for your own blog, you want to get in on this.  Plus, it's fun to respond to the weekly question.

Before we get to that, though, I want to make sure you know about the awesome giveaway I have going on right now.  Up for grabs is a signed hardcover copy of Fairest, the newest book in The Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer.  It's a prequel that tells Queen Levana's story.  The winner also gets a signed bookmark.  Cool, right?  Click here to be redirected to the giveaway post.  Don't forget to come back after you enter!

Alright, back to the TTT topic du jour:  Top Ten Books I Can't Believe I Haven't Read From X Genre.  I chose dystopian/post-apocalyptic books because even though I'm a big fan of the genre, there are lots of classic dystopian books I've yet to read.  Here are the top ten that came to mind most readily:


1.  The Road by Cormac McCarthy—I broke one of my cardinal rules by watching the movie version of The Road before reading the novel.  One of these days, I'm going to brave the book.



2.  1984 by George Orwell—My husband is aghast at the fact that I haven't read this dystopian classic.  I need to remedy that soon.


3.  On the Beach by Nevil Shute—I didn't love this bleak tale in movie format, so I don't know how I'll feel about the book.  Still, it's on my need-to-read list.


4.  Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card—I've tried to read this one a few times and can never get past about Page 50.  I'm not planning to attempt it again, but I still can't believe that I've never read it all the way through.


5.  The Stand by Stephen King—Right?  I need to read this one, like, ASAP.


6.  Under the Dome by Stephen King—Ditto for this one.  I've got a copy on my bookshelf, it's just so dang HUGE.  I'll get to it one of these days.


7.  Lord of the Flies by William Golding—I'm pretty sure I have read this one, it was just so long ago that I don't remember much about it.  Either that or I've never read it.  I definitely should.


8.  The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood—I started this one a few months ago, but put it down in favor of a newer, shinier title.  I need to get back to it.


9.  Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury—I read this book-burning dystopian classic back in junior high or high school (you know, a million years ago).  A re-read is long overdue.


10.  The Time Machine by H.G. Wells—I've never read anything by Wells.  This would be a good place to start.

What do you think?  Which dystopian big hitters do I need to read ASAP?  Which have you read and loved?  What books can you not believe you've never read?  

*All book images from Barnes & Noble
Monday, August 09, 2010

A Book-to-Movie Kind of Weekend

I usually don't review movies on this blog, but it just so happens that I watched three book-to-movie adaptations over the weekend. Before you think I'm just plain lazy (I did skip a woman's retreat thing-y because I needed to "get ready for school to start"), I got some school shopping done as well. Plus, my husband's aunt invited 3/4 of my kids over for a sleepover - the hubs and I had to take advantage of that by having a night "in" together. There's also the fact that two of the movies have been sitting here for several months, so it was time, you know?

Anyway, here's what we watched:

The Road (rated R) - based on the book by Cormac McCarthy
You all know how much I love me some dystopian. And I do, I really do. But this was one of the bleakest movies I've ever seen. Sure, it's ultimately hopeful and it does star the very good-looking Viggo Mortenson (whom I've loved since seeing him in Lord of the Rings) - still, it's incredibly depressing. The movie's well done, the story's frighteningly believable, and the whole thing is atmospheric and haunting. Overall, though, it's so stark that I had trouble "liking" it. I seriously watched a lot of it with my hands pressed over my eyes, shrieking, "No! No! I can't watch!" My reaction totally confused my husband, who kept asking, "Don't you read this stuff all the time? What's the difference between seeing it in your head and seeing it on the big screen?" I'm not sure what the answer to that is. What do you think?
Like I said, I haven't read The Road, so I don't know how the movie compares to the book. All I know is I probably won't be reading it.

Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief (rated PG) - based on the book by Rick Riordan
I actually took my 11-year-old son to see Percy Jackson when it first came out. He loved it and wanted to watch it again on DVD. So, we rented it for the kids, all of whom loved the movie. The hubs wasn't too impressed. I agree that it could have been a lot better, but I still enjoyed it. It's been a few years since I read the book, so I'm not sure how well the movie follows the original story. I do think it's a fun, exciting action/adventure flick that will appeal to pre-teen boys, especially.
Logan Lerman makes a convincing Percy. And we all loved the very funny Brandon T. Jackson, whose depiction of Grover provides a lot of comic relief. Speaking of funny, though, the best scene of the whole movie comes at the very end, while the credits are scrolling. Don't miss it.
Julie & Julia (rated PG-13) - based on the book by Julie Powell
I've had Julie Powell's book sitting on my bookshelf for several years, but I've yet to take a peek at it. I enjoyed the movie anyway, although it's one of those films that requires some patience. The storyline moves very slowly, switching back and forth between the lives of New York blogger Julie Powell and chef extraordinaire Julia Child. Still, it's a heartwarming story. Meryl Streep makes a delightful Child. Amy Adams' character, on the other hand, comes off as whiny and self-centered. You have to admire the girl's pluck, though. Overall, I enjoyed the film, especially all the commentary on blogging. Again, I don't know how well the movie follows the book and again, I don't know if I'm going to read the book or not, but the movie is definitely worth seeing.
Have you seen any of these films? What did you think?
(All images are from Google)
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