Thursday, December 31, 2020

DNF&Y [34]

 
DNF&Y is used to explain why I gave up on certain books, and what about them just didn't work for me. What I disliked about a book might be something you love, so it helps to share your thoughts even when they're negative! If you would like additional information, please click on the DNF&Y tab at the top. If you want to join, you can link up at the bottom!

Tarnsman of Gor (Gor, #1) by John Norman

Synopsis (via Goodreads): Tarl Cabot has always believed himself to be a citizen of Earth. He has no inkling that his destiny is far greater than the small planet he has inhabited for the first twenty-odd years of his life. One frosty winter night in the New England woods, he finds himself transported to the planet of Gor, also known as Counter-Earth, where everything is dramatically different from anything he has ever experienced. It emerges that Tarl is to be trained as a Tarnsman, one of the most honored positions in the rigid, caste-bound Gorean society. He is disciplined by the best teachers and warriors that Gor has to offer…but to what end?

This is the first book of John Norman's popular and controversial Gorean Saga, a series of novels the author began in 1967 with Tarnsman of Gor and are now considered cult classics.


DNF at 56%

I was interested in reading this one since it's considered a cult classic, but the story was unbelievably boring. Like, it was could-not-keep-my-eyes-open dull. The writing style, the story, the characters - all of it was snooze-worthy. I was somewhat interested in the world building, but based on how the "less intelligent" people were treated - not to mention the women in this book - it's clear the author has unrealistic expectations and offensive opinions. 

Now, before you come at me with spears and pitchforks; yes, I know this is fiction. HOWEVER, I do think authors write a little bit of themselves - or at least their experiences - into their stories, and I also believe how a main character reacts to classism, racism, sexism (and all of the other isms), says a lot about the writer's personal views. The "hero" in this story quickly accepted aspects of Gor that he initially questioned (mentally and only on the surface), and I think he should have tried to help others instead of simply joining the ranks of the "elite". (★★☆☆☆)


To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini
Narrated by Jennifer Hale

Synopsis (via Goodreads): Kira NavΓ‘rez dreamed of life on new worlds. Now she's awakened a nightmare. During a routine survey mission on an uncolonized planet, Kira finds an alien relic. At first she's delighted, but elation turns to terror when the ancient dust around her begins to move.

As war erupts among the stars, Kira is launched into a galaxy-spanning odyssey of discovery and transformation. First contact isn't at all what she imagined, and events push her to the very limits of what it means to be human.

While Kira faces her own horrors, Earth and its colonies stand upon the brink of annihilation. Now, Kira might be humanity's greatest and final hope...


DNF at 25% 

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product. 

First of all, I listened to 8 hours and 20 minutes of this book - it's a BEAST. I believe it's like 32 hours and 29 minutes total, which is simply too much for this story. I think Paolini wanted to be descriptive and really explain the world he's created (an amazingly complex universe), but I also think certain aspects of the book could have been condensed. I also wasn't 100% sold on certain parts of the story, and wish character development had been more of a priority (especially at the start), rather than extensive descriptions of planets and alien life. 

Unfortunately, that's not what ruined this book for me. Oh, it's much worse than that... the main character, Kira, vomited into her alien spacesuit - where it had nowhere to go - so she basically ate and then choked on her puke. The author follows that by going into GREAT detail about how her barf then goes up her nose when she inhales (basically suffocating AND drowning on her own upchuck), and I just could not anymore with this book. That was too much, Paolini. Too. Much. 🀒

I also thought the author based a lot of the "alien" on Venom and the other Klyntar from Marvel. There were SO MANY similarities. How the alien attaches to her skin, how the alien can feel the pieces of itself that are no longer connected, how it functions to protect its host, how it communicates - the backstories were too alike to be coincidental. I wish Paolini's alien had been unique and something unrecognizable. I'm actually really curious if anyone else has made this connection, so let me know if you had similar thoughts while reading this one. Additionally, Kira called the alien "Soft Blade," but I always heard "Soft GLADE," which lessened the appeal for me. Neither name worked, to be honest.

Audiobook review: The narrator was PHENOMENAL. There are a ton of characters in this book, and she had a different voice for everyone. It was easy to keep the characters separate in my head, and I'm looking forward to listening to more books read by her in the future. (★★☆☆☆)


Instant Karma by Marissa Meyer
Narrated by Rebecca Soler

Synopsis (via Goodreads): Chronic overachiever Prudence Daniels is always quick to cast judgment on the lazy, rude, and arrogant residents of her coastal town. Her dreams of karmic justice are fulfilled when, during a night out with her friends, she slips on a spilled drink and hits her head, only to wake up with the sudden ability to cast instant karma on those around her. Pru giddily makes use of the power, punishing everyone from public vandals to karaoke hecklers, but there is one person on whom her powers consistently backfire — Quint Erickson, her slacker of a lab partner and all-around mortal enemy.

Over the course of a summer, Pru begins to uncover truths about Quint, her peers, and even herself that reveal how thin the line is between virtue and vanity, generosity and greed... love and hate.

In this young adult contemporary romance, a girl is suddenly gifted with the ability to cast instant karma on those around her—both good and bad.


DNF at 46%

I really wanted to like this one - especially since it's narrated by Rebecca Soler - but Prudence was the worst. I have a hard time enjoying books with unlikable main characters, which is why I think I struggled so much with Instant Karma. Pru is unbelievably selfish and self-absorbed, and she really only cares about herself and her twin (Jude). She's super judgmental, thinks she can do no wrong, and even when she's doing something nice there's an ulterior motive.

I stopped reading this one when she refused to play with her younger sister, and actually considered "using her powers" against her family because they were annoying her. We've all been driven insane by family members, but Pru knew her powers could've had serious consequences. I can't believe she entertained the idea even for a second. I understand that she's a focused and determined person, but I read nearly half of this book without seeing much character growth.

The Lunar Chronicles is one of my all-time favorite series, so I hate that this one didn't work for me. I honestly think Prudence was just too angsty, too self-righteous, and too UGH. She wasn't someone I wanted to root for, and I never felt compelled to continue reading her story. I wish she'd had some major epiphanies early on, or at least had something happen to make her question how she treated others. (★★☆☆☆)


They Threw Us Away (The Teddies Saga, #1) by Daniel Kraus, Rovina Cai (Illustrator)

Synopsis (via Goodreads): Welcome to The Teddies Saga, a gripping new middle grade trilogy from New York Times-bestselling author Daniel Kraus.

When Buddy wakes up in the middle of a garbage dump, filled with a certain awareness: he’s a teddy bear; he spent time at a Store waiting for his future to begin; and he is meant for the loving arms of a child. Now he knows one more thing: Something has gone terribly wrong.

Soon he finds other discarded teddies―Horace, Sugar, Sunny, and Reginald. Though they aren’t sure how their luck soured, they all agree that they need to get back to the Store if they’re ever to fulfill their destinies. So, they embark on a perilous trek across the dump and into the outer world. With ravenous rats, screeching gulls, and a menacing world in front of them, the teddies will need to overcome insurmountable challenges to find their way home.

Equal parts Toy Story and Lord of the Flies, They Threw Us Away is the unforgettable start of a captivating series.


DNF at 49%

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product. 

I was really intrigued by the concept for They Threw Us Away, and thought it would be an interesting book to read with my son, but I was WRONG. This book is morbid. It's not just creepy and disturbing, but seriously screwed up. I honestly don't think anyone should read this to their child, or let their child read it on their own. Maybe once they're older... MAYBE. If an author wants to address mental health in a book, I support that 100%. Unfortunately, it felt like the author was going for shock value instead of representing a character's mental illness in a way that children would understand. 

If you've read this book, you know I'm talking about Sugar. Her box was damaged somehow which resulted in her head being dented on one side. The damage wasn't just physical, but also mental. She very clearly struggled during conversations, and the other bears had to prevent her from getting hurt, and occasionally stop her from hurting herself (which she does in a VERY disturbing way). My husband and I try to be honest with our kids about everything (even when we have to simplify it for their ages), but there was no good way for me to explain to my son why she *highlight to view spoiler* ripped her fucking eyes out. Sugar's self-harm may have been the worst part of this book, but there were a lot of other scenarios that required lengthy explanations on my part. It simply wasn't worth the effort, so we moved on to something else. 

The story also wasn't believable. The bears could smell and see, but they couldn't feel when they were being devoured by ants? Why were they sentient? What were the rules? Where were the explanations? There were too many questions and not enough answers. You would really have to suspend your disbelief to get through most of this book, and just ignore all of the inconsistencies and contradictions. I wish the author had developed the story more, so the bears being alive made sense. Side note: the concept of "forever sleep" was disturbing, and I have no idea why the bears wanted it to happen. (★★☆☆☆)


Chasing Lucky by Jenn Bennett

Synopsis (via Goodreads): Budding photographer Josie Saint-Martin has spent half her life with her single mother, moving from city to city. When they return to her historical New England hometown years later to run the family bookstore, Josie knows it’s not forever. Her dreams are on the opposite coast, and she has a plan to get there.

What she doesn’t plan for is a run-in with the town bad boy, Lucky Karras. Outsider, rebel…and her former childhood best friend. Lucky makes it clear he wants nothing to do with the newly returned Josie. But everything changes after a disastrous pool party, and a poorly executed act of revenge lands Josie in some big-time trouble—with Lucky unexpectedly taking the blame.

Determined to understand why Lucky was so quick to cover for her, Josie discovers that both of them have changed, and that the good boy she once knew now has a dark sense of humor and a smile that makes her heart race. And maybe, just maybe, he’s not quite the brooding bad boy everyone thinks he is…


DNF at 57%

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.


I tried so hard and got so far
But in the end it doesn't even matter

Linkin Park sums up my experience with this book perfectly. Jenn Bennett is normally my jam, but I just could not get into Chasing Lucky. I disliked Josie from the start, which made it hard for me to really enjoy this book. I have to like the main character or a book just won't work for me. Her general attitude was sour and uncaring, but her cowardice was the worst. I don't know why Lucky did what he did for Josie, but regardless of his reasons, she shouldn't have let him take the fall for something stupid she did. I'm sure it worked itself out later on, but the longer she stayed quiet, the more I started to resent her. It made me not want to pick up the book, because I couldn't stand to see Lucky care about Josie when she only cared about herself. 

I've kept this book on my bedside table for months, and I've probably picked it up a handful of times without making much progress. I think I was trying to force myself to like a book because I like the author, but liking someone isn't a reason to make myself continue reading a story I'm not enjoying. (★★☆☆☆)

A lot of these books are ones I told myself I'd "get back to" eventually, but I don't want to start the New Year with book baggage. 

*Share your DNF&Y post! Please leave the direct link to your DNF&Y post and not just your blog's URL. Thank you for participating and happy reading!

Wednesday, December 30, 2020

My Weekly Pull [148] & Can't-Wait Wednesday [123]

 

My Weekly Pull is something I do every Wednesday to show which comics I had pulled for me that week! If you're into comics, or you're looking to start, please join me! If you decide to do your own post, there's a link-up at the bottom. I would love to stop by and check it out!

Werewolf by Night #3 by Taboo, Benjamin Jackendoff, Jeffrey Veregge, Mike McKone

What Jacob and the kids are getting this week!

Transformers Galaxies #12 by Brandon M. Easton, Andrew Griffith 
My Little Pony Friendship is Magic #92 by Jeremy Whitley, Andy Price, Brenda Hickey
Lost Soldiers #5 by Ales Kot, Luca Casalanguida, Heather Moore
King in Black: Iron Man Doctor Doom One Shot by Christopher Cantwell, Salvador Larroca
Transformers Escape #1 by Brian Ruckley, Bethany McGuire-Smith

Amazing Spider-Man #55 by Nick Spencer, Patrick Gleason, Ron Lim (LEGO cover)
Amazing Spider-Man #55 by Nick Spencer, Patrick Gleason (Cover A)
  • Yes, I did buy two of the same comic (Amazing Spider-Man #55), because LOOK AT THEM. The main cover by Patrick Gleason is a work of art, and I couldn't turn down a LEGO variant. πŸ˜‰ It's not even a comic I'm currently reading, haha. 
  • The only one I'm getting this week is Werewolf by Night. It's written by Taboo from the Black Eyed Peas. 🎢 I love that so many Indigenous voices are being represented right now.

Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly feature that's hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings. It highlights the upcoming releases we're really excited about reading! CWW is a spinoff of the feature Waiting on Wednesday (WoW), that was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Ghost Girl by Ally Malinenko 
Expected publication: August 10th 2021

Synopsis (via Goodreads): Perfect for fans of Small Spaces and Nightbooks, Ally Malinenko’s middle-grade debut is an empowering and triumphant ghost story—with spooky twists sure to give readers a few good goosebumps!

Zee Puckett loves ghost stories. She just never expected to be living one.

It all starts with a dark and stormy night. When the skies clear, everything is different. People are missing. There’s a creepy new principal who seems to know everyone’s darkest dreams. And Zee is seeing frightening things: large, scary dogs that talk and maybe even . . . a ghost.

When she tells her classmates, only her best friend, Elijah, believes her. Worse, mean girl Nellie gives Zee a cruel nickname: Ghost Girl.

But whatever the storm washed up isn’t going away. Everyone’s most selfish wishes start coming true in creepy ways.

To fight for what’s right, Zee will have to embrace what makes her different and what makes her Ghost Girl. And all three of them—Zee, Elijah, and Nellie—will have to work together if they want to give their ghost story a happy ending.


*Share your My Weekly Pull post! Please leave the direct link to your My Weekly Pull post and not just your blog's URL. Thank you for participating and happy reading!

Monday, December 28, 2020

Unspeakable Things by Jess Lourey

Synopsis (via Goodreads): Inspired by a terrifying true story from the author’s hometown, a heart-pounding novel of suspense about a small Minnesota community where nothing is as quiet—or as safe—as it seems.

Cassie McDowell’s life in 1980s Minnesota seems perfectly wholesome. She lives on a farm, loves school, and has a crush on the nicest boy in class. Yes, there are her parents’ strange parties and their parade of deviant guests, but she’s grown accustomed to them.

All that changes when someone comes hunting in Lilydale.

One by one, local boys go missing. One by one, they return changed—violent, moody, and withdrawn. What happened to them becomes the stuff of shocking rumors. The accusations of who’s responsible grow just as wild, and dangerous town secrets start to surface. Then Cassie’s own sister undergoes the dark change. If she is to survive, Cassie must find her way in an adult world where every sin is justified, and only the truth is unforgivable.


When we bought a house I decided to join the Nextdoor app (side note: there are some really weird people in my neighborhood), and then randomly created a Book Club for the area we live in. It has been surprisingly successful! Who knew so many people were craving books and bookish conversations? It's been a lot of fun so far, but also a lot of work, which is why I recently added a second moderator for the group. Anyways, short story long, Unspeakable Things was the first book we read for book club. πŸ˜‚ If you want to join, I can send you a link! You don't actually have to live nearby. 

I had no idea this story was based on real events that occurred in the author's hometown, but that made this book even more disturbing to read. It's not just scary dark, but psychologically creepy. The trauma the main character and her sister endure (both physical and mental) were hard to read about. I don't think I'll ever get the image of their father cutting his nails out of my head. It was just so well-written, and I could feel the fear the girls lived with every day. And that was just at home! 

Boys were being raped in the "bad" part of town (which meant fewer people cared that it was happening), a Peeping Tom was on the loose (in the nicer neighborhoods, so it got more attention), and then Cassie's parents hosted house parties (these were mostly so people could have sex with different partners, or pick up random people while they were there). There was A LOT going on in this book, and most of it overlapped in one way or another. The complicated relationships people have with each other, what someone is willing to overlook or simply refuse to acknowledge, and how children are shaped by their surroundings. I hated so many of the characters in this book: the father for not protecting his children in the ways that mattered, the mother for pretending everything was okay, the family friends for choosing to remain willfully ignorant, the teachers for not noticing the signs, and the kids themselves for thinking they could handle everything on their own. 

Unspeakable Things was eerie - and I hate that it's based on something true - but the characters themselves weren't captivating. Obviously, I didn't want anything bad to happen to them, but they felt underdeveloped and like shadows of the people they were meant to be. I think the author did an amazing job with the suspense and mystery, but I wish the characters themselves had been more compelling. I also didn't understand a lot of their reactions to certain situations, so understanding their thought processes would have been beneficial in those scenarios. 

I'm also not happy with how the story ended. The author left a lot of things unsaid, and there were more than a few loose ends at its conclusion. I wanted to know what happened to certain people and what their lives were going to be like after experiencing something so traumatic. I felt robbed of a satisfying ending, especially after the emotional turmoil the author put me through. The book wasn't terrible -  it definitely makes you think and question everything that's happening - but I didn't feel very invested in the characters themselves. Was it worth reading once? Sure. I know there are aspects of this book that will stay with me for a while, but it's not one I'm going to keep on my shelves. (★★★☆☆)


*this post has been backdated

Friday, December 25, 2020

The Bromance Book Club (Bromance Book Club, #1)
by Lyssa Kay Adams
Narrated by Andrew Eiden & Maxwell Caulfield

Synopsis (via Goodreads): The first rule of book club: You don't talk about book club.

Nashville Legends second baseman Gavin Scott's marriage is in major league trouble. He’s recently discovered a humiliating secret: his wife Thea has always faked the Big O. When he loses his cool at the revelation, it’s the final straw on their already strained relationship. Thea asks for a divorce, and Gavin realizes he’s let his pride and fear get the better of him.

Welcome to the Bromance Book Club.

Distraught and desperate, Gavin finds help from an unlikely source: a secret romance book club made up of Nashville's top alpha men. With the help of their current read, a steamy Regency titled Courting the Countess, the guys coach Gavin on saving his marriage. But it'll take a lot more than flowery words and grand gestures for this hapless Romeo to find his inner hero and win back the trust of his wife.


The Bromance Book Club has received sooo much praise - and several friends recommended it to me - which is why I finally decided to give it a shot. Unfortunately, I didn't like it as much as I thought I would. To be perfectly honest, I thought Gavin and Thea were a little boring. Their problems felt authentic and they were characters I could relate to, but I didn't like that the story seemed to be based on whether or not Gavin could make her orgasm. I know there was more to it than that, but her lack of O's played a REALLY big role in their relationship. 

Thea faked her orgasms for three years and Gavin never noticed. His explanation later on was plausible, but still unlikely. It simply wasn't believable for him to have been oblivious for that long. Their "big night" was all about whether or not she would orgasm, and if Gavin would finally be able to get her there. They should've been able to work on their marriage without Thea's vagina playing such a prominent role in the equation. Do I think it was handled well? Sure. I thought the author explored that aspect of their relationship in a very unique way; I just didn't understand why that one thing seemed to outweigh everything else. Sex was the least of their problems, yet it was the one they focused on the most.

I did, however, really like the baseball team and Gavin's friends. The Bromance Book Club itself was interesting, and I wish there had been more page time for all of the guys involved. It was fun listening to them dissect romance novels and apply them to their daily lives. I think more men should read romance novels just to give them a better idea of how women think (and potentially give them some ideas for the bedroom.)

All in all, it was a fun book to listen to, just not one I was eager to dive into every day. I had to keep reminding myself to listen to a few chapters before my library loan expired (again (and again)). Thea and Gavin just didn't hold my attention, but I'm definitely interested in the tension brewing between Liv and Mack. I have a feeling their story will have a lot more steam and *fingers crossed* be more interesting overall. 

Random thought: I wasn't really a fan of Gavin's "grand gesture" at the end. It just didn't sit well with me. What he did was EXTREMELY rude and selfish. There were so many other ways for him to declare his unending love for his wife, but he chose to overshadow someone else's big moment. #NotCoolBro

Lastly, I enjoyed the random chapters from the book Gavin was reading, and seeing how the parallels played out in his life. I would definitely be interested in reading that book, if only it were real and something I could actually do. πŸ˜‰ Kudos to Adams for creating two very distinct-yet-similar stories in one book! I thought it was a brilliant concept that worked really well for this story, so hopefully all of the other books in this series follow the same format. (★★★☆☆)

Wednesday, December 23, 2020

My Weekly Pull [147] & Can't-Wait Wednesday [122]

 
My Weekly Pull is something I do every Wednesday to show which comics I had pulled for me that week! If you're into comics, or you're looking to start, please join me! If you decide to do your own post, there's a link-up at the bottom. I would love to stop by and check it out!

Sleeping Beauties #4 by Rio Youers, Alison Sampson, Annie Wu
Family Tree #10 by Jeff Lemire, Phil Hester
Undiscovered Country #11 by Charles Soule, Scott Snyder, Giuseppe, Mirka Andolfo

Spider-Woman #7 by Karla Pacheco, Pere Perez, Junggeun Yoon
You Look Like Death: Tales from the Umbrella Academy #4 by Gerard Way, Shaun Simon, INJ Culbard, James Harren
An Unkindness of Ravens #4 by Dan Panosian, Marianna Ignazzi

Firefly: Blue Sun Rising #1 by Greg Pak, Dan McDaid, Christian Ward
Goosebumps: Secrets of the Swamp #4 by Marieke Nijkamp, Yasmin Flores Montanez, Bill Underwood
Scarenthood #3 by Nick Roche

Jacob's comics for the week!

Transformers Back to the Future #2 by Cavan Scott, Juan Samu, Phil Murphy
Department of Truth #4 by James Tynion IV, Martin Simmonds
Spawn #313 by Todd McFarlane, Carlo Barberi
Amazing Spider-Man #54LR by Matthew Rosenberg, Nick Spencer, Federico Vicentini, Takeshi Miyazawa, Mark Bagley
Doctor Doom #10 by Christopher Cantwell, Salvador Larroca

King In Black #2 by Donny Cates, Ryan Stegman
U.S. Agent #2 by Christopher Priest, Stefano Landini, Marco Checchetto
  • I will probably end up reading Transformers Back to the Future, but it's not high on my list right now! I have sooo many others I need to catch up on first. πŸ˜…
  • Scarenthood is one I have and haven't started yet, but I've heard REALLY good things about it. 
  • Family Tree, Undiscovered Country, Goosebumps - all amazing.

Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly feature that's hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings. It highlights the upcoming releases we're really excited about reading! CWW is a spinoff of the feature Waiting on Wednesday (WoW), that was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

In the Wild Light by Jeff Zentner
Expected publication: August 10th 2021

Synopsis (via Goodreads): From the award-winning author of The Serpent King comes a beautiful examination of grief, found family, and young love.

Life in a small Appalachian town is not easy. Cash lost his mother to an opioid addiction and his Papaw is dying slowly from emphysema. Dodging drug dealers and watching out for his best friend, Delaney, is second nature. He’s been spending his summer mowing lawns while she works at Dairy Queen.

But when Delaney manages to secure both of them full rides to an elite prep school in Connecticut, Cash will have to grapple with his need to protect and love Delaney, and his love for the grandparents who saved him and the town he would have to leave behind.

*Share your My Weekly Pull post! Please leave the direct link to your My Weekly Pull post and not just your blog's URL. Thank you for participating and happy reading!

Monday, December 21, 2020

Read the Alphabet Challenge 2021

This year I am partnering with the lovely Lauren from Shooting Stars Mag, and we're doing a little something called: Read the Alphabet Challenge. What? Another challenge? Yes! Why not? We all love challenging ourselves, and this one has very unique limitations. Starting in January, you will be challenged to read books that start with specific letters, and obviously some months will be harder than others (what books start with Q, X & Z??).

The months will be organized like so:

JANUARY: AB
FEBRUARY: CD
MARCH: EF
APRIL: GH
MAY: IJ
JUNE: KL
JULY: MN
AUGUST: OP
SEPTEMBER: QR
OCTOBER: ST
NOVEMBER: UVW
DECEMBER: XYZ

Guidelines: 
  1. This challenge will run from January 1, 2021 through December 31, 2021 (your local time). You can sign up now or in June -- it doesn't matter! The form will remain open all year (on this post and the corresponding post at Shooting Stars Mag).
  2. The goal is to read books that start with a certain letter, and each month will present a new challenge.
  3. The books can be in any format (audio, ebook, physical -- whatever floats your boat).
  4. Any and all genres count -- whoop.
  5. Re-reads are also allowed! If you read the book this year -- and it starts with the right letter -- it counts.
  6. You do not have to be a book blogger to participate! You just need a way to track your progress (Goodreads, Instagram, LibraryThing, YouTube, etc.).
  7. Create a post somewhere that states your intention to participate. If you're a book blogger, you can just grab the button from the top of the page (please give credit and list the blogs hosting this challenge), and do a quick post letting everyone know that you've accepted the RTA challenge. Sharing is caring! Competition is fun!
  8. We will do an update and a giveaway every quarter (that's once every three months: March, June, September, December), and there will be a Google form that you can fill out all year! Read a book. Add a book. There is no limit to the number of books you can read for this challenge!
  9. You have to review the book in some capacity (on any platform). It can be a tweet, an IG post, a vlog -- whatever makes you happy. You'll need to leave a link for each review that you want an entry for.
  10. Have fun! Re-read some old favorites, challenge yourself to read a title you've never heard of, or dig deep and only read books with specific letters every month. It's entirely up to you!
  11. Books that start with the can be used during October, or you can choose to go with the next word in the book's title. We're not going to be picky about this, just play honestly!
Don't forget to SHARE your updates on social media! Official Challenge Tags: #ReadTheAlphabet2021 #ReadTheAlphabetChallenge2021 #RTA2021 #RTAC2021

SIGN UP HERE:
Start filling out this form in January! You should be able to use it as frequently as you like. Anything submitted before January 1, 2021 will be deleted.