Showing posts with label 26 books challenge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 26 books challenge. Show all posts

26 books challenge: (#2) a book that was made into a movie & (#3) a book you pick solely because of the cover.


Book #2: A book that was made into a movie.
The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom
I gave it 4 out of 5 stars. 

World War II books are a favorite of mine so when I'm able to find a book with a perspective I haven't read before, I'm hooked. Corrie ten Boom, a Dutch woman then in her 50's, is thrown into prison and later concentration camps for hiding Jews in her house as well as working with the underground organization to place more than 100 Jews in other homes/on farms. Since I haven't read many stories of older women who were placed in concentration camps, much less stories of those who were devout Christians and spread their beliefs to others suffering in the camps, I was rather interested in her experiences.

My favorite person in the book was Betsie- Corrie's older sister who was also arrested and later died in one of the concentration camps. Betsie was so full of faith that everything would work out, showed love toward all- even the guards who made their lives miserable, and stood firm in her convictions. I couldn't help but constantly wonder "Would I have been strong enough to react the same way?"

I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a thought-provoking book to read. 


Book #3: A book you pick solely because of the cover.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
I gave it 2 out of 5 stars.

I. . .I'm at a loss for words here. I truly don't understand the hype about the book. Sadly, I just couldn't get into the story, I thought it was poorly written overall, and certain situations in the book just didn't make sense. I did, however, like how the author takes the reader through Charlie's struggles, and how the reader is able to pick up on small details that allude to the surprise ending.


currently reading. . . 

Book #4: A book your friend loves.
Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood 
(Thanks to Miranda for the recommendation!)

26 books challenge: (#1) a book you own but haven't read.


After posting about the reading challenge last week, I had lofty goals to start knocking out books, but got sidetracked by Working Stiff - the memoir of a forensic pathologist who lived in NYC during 9/11. It was incredibly interesting, made me sick to my stomach at times, and increased my knowledge of the autopsy process by 1000%. However, I don't think I'll be picking up any more pathology memoirs anytime soon!

Moving on to the reading challenge. . .

Book #1: A book you own but haven't read.
Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
4 out of 5 stars - I really liked it. 

I liked the advice given by cute, old Morrie and think it would benefit everyone to reflect on his aphorisms regularly, but I didn't walk away from the book feeling like my life was drastically changed. While it was short and sweet and I truly did enjoy it, it didn't make me reflect much on my own life. It's the kind of book I can see English teachers loving and asking their classes to write up journal entries about. And I really hated useless writing exercises. ;) 

currently reading. . .

Book #2: A book that was made into a movie.
The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom

26 books challenge.

One of my favorite things is to browse Pinterest when I have a few minutes to kill (e.g., waiting on someone, riding the metro, a lunch break, etc). It's where I get most of my meal ideas for dinners (tried recipes here!), it encourages me to break out the craft supplies every once in a while, and I've found that I'm able to get book recommendations by the handful.

I came across this little book challenge while I was browsing the other day and thought it would be fun to see how many of the books I could get through before baby comes (3.5 months!). I'm aiming for 10, but we'll see how many new shows get added to Netflix if that happens. Eventually I'd love to cross off every single one, but all in good time!

Book #1: A book you own but haven't read...

I've had Tuesdays with Morrie on my bookshelf for almost 6 months now and I'm going into it with high hopes.