Summer Reading Challenge – Final Check-In

Good morning! Here’s my final check-in of the 2014 Summer Book Challenge hosted by Semi-Charmed Life.


I did not complete the challenge, but this was a lot of fun and gave me new ideas of what to read.

5 points: Freebie! Read any book that is at least 200 pages long. My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier. This was a great read – suspenseful and surprising with themes of true love and loyalty.

10 points: Read a book that was written before you were born. The House on the Strand by Daphne du Maurier. WOW. I listened to this as an audiobook which really added to the drama and suspense.

10 points: Finish reading a book you couldn’t finish the first time around. (You must have at least 150 pages left in the book to use it for this category.) Overbite by Meg Cabot (I borrowed this from the library a while ago but it was due before I had a chance to read it). I really like Meg Cabot books – they’re always fun and light reads.

10 points: Read a book from the children’s section of the library or bookstore. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. This was my childhood favorite and I really enjoyed listening to the audio book.

15 points: Read a book that is on The New York Times‘ Best Sellers List when you begin reading it. Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple (#25 on the NYT Paperback Trade Fiction List when I read it). I didn’t like this book too much. It was a bit disjointed and snarky.

15 points: Read a historical fiction book that does not take place in Europe. What She Left Behind by Ellen Marie Wiseman – historical fiction about involuntary commitment to an insane asylum in New York during the time of the Depression. I saw this on Jen‘s list and I’m glad to have read it! I think it’s YA.

15 points: Read a book another blogger has already read for the challenge. (Yes, you will have to wait until the first check-in to choose this book! So no one will be able to finish this challenge in only one month; sorry!) .
Fail- I had a couple of books on my list for this category but never got around to reading them.

20 points: Read a book with “son(s),” “daughter(s)” or “child(ren)” in the title. No other words will count—including kids, offspring, etc.—so please don’t ask. 🙂 The Bonesetter’s Daughter by Amy Tan. I love this genre of fiction – first generation, hyphenated Americans, IDK what it’s called – the friction between immigrant parents and their US-born kids always interests me, and the story itself was completely engrossing.

20 points: Read a book that was/will be adapted to film in 2014. (Here are 16 ideas to get you started, but I know there are plenty more options.) Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. There were a lot of twists and turns in this story – I am definitely going to read more from this author because I could not put this down!

25 points: Read a book written by a blogger. Fail – I really couldn’t find any that interested me.

25 points: Read a biography, autobiography or memoir. Escape from Camp 14 by Blaire Harden. I remember hearing about this North Korean’s escape from a labor camp a few years ago, amd his story really blew me away.

30 points: Read a pair of books with antonyms in the titles. The Last Anniversary by Liane Moriarty– I really enjoyed this book about secrets spanning generations, and Liane Moriarty is one of my favorite new authors. This month, I read Elizabeth the First Wife by Lian Dolan. It was an okay book. I liked the snarky descriptions of Pasadena’s upper class. I just can’t get into Shakespeare, but I liked the way the author analyzed the characters.

What are you reading? Happy Hump Day!