Thanks for pinging me! I'll update these lists on the front page right now.

So what was everyone's first book of 2014?

The first book I finished was Goldfinger but the first book I've started is Jam by Yahtzee Croshaw. Trying to get back on track with the challenge this year!

Lynsay Sands the Argeneau series. I've been reading them left and right, lol.

My first book this year was Joining, by Johanna Lindsey. It was a deeply silly and very poorly written romance novel. It now holds my "Worst Novel I've Ever Read" award. The badness made it fun to read. :D

I followed it immediately with another romance, Heart of the Storm, by Rexanne Becnal, which I just finished today. This one was average quality for the genre, but it seemed good in comparison with Joining. It at least had me laughing out loud at the tropes and absurdities of the genre, which was fun.

My first book of 2014 was The Cage by Ruth Minsky Sender.

My lit class is gonna kill me, as far as any challenges go. We're rarely tasked with actually finishing a book before moving onto the next, so I never get time to finish them. Or they're one volume that contain many short novels or documents, and we're not tasked with reading all of them.

The first book I read (not to completion) was Sources of the Holocaust. The first book I read that wasn't a series of documents to completion was Night by Elie Wiesel, though it was in a book that contained the other two novels from the trilogy and I haven't finished that book yet. The first book I've read cover to cover this year is, I'm sad to say, the incredibly disappointing Sarah's Key.

Can you tell what kind of lit course I'm taking

go on

just guess

The only thing I've read for leisure so far this year is issue 1 of Marvel Now!'s She-Hulk. And, you know, that's just a teensy issue that's a <30 min. read.

Hmm, let me guess, is your list class about...the Holocaust?

I totally sympathize with your reading plight. I had the same kinds of problems with my lit classes. I wasn't really able to read for fun for two years, once I declared my major. Then I spent the next six months in a non-literate coma, practically. I only started reading for fun again around New Years, and oh god, it's been so good. It reminded me why I love reading and wanted to be a lit major in the first place.

I'm currently reading First Rider's Call by Kriston Britan, which is the second in a fantasy series. I've been really enjoying it. I've got 5 other books in progress waiting patiently on my night stand. I always have too many books open at once.

HOW DID YOU GUESS?!

I'm considering minoring in literature once I transfer to a University (my CC doesn't do minors). My feelings about literature classes waver very strongly from moment to moment. When I'm writing a paper or am behind on my assigned readings, I'm like "I HATE THIS CLASS THIS IS TERRIBLE WHY WOULD I EVER MINOR IN THIS I SHOULD DROP THIS CLASS RIGHT NOW I HATE THIS," but during in-class discussions, once I've finished my paper, when I'm brainstorming topics for my next paper... then I'm like "i love literature so much I want to write essays for a living~" So, yeah, I feel you when you say you couldn't remember why you majored in it for a while.

My professor seems to think I'm very good at literature analysis papers (this is the second course I've taken with him), but man, writing them is like pulling teeth sometimes. I know I could do ten times better if I could actually put forth all the effort I wish I could, too. My brain just tends to shut off and I get to that point where I know I'm not writing well, but I just can't do any better.

I HAVE BRILLIANT POWERS OF DEDUCTION!

Oh yes, I would go through the same fluctuations of love and hate. Although, overall, when I thought about majoring in anything else, my love won out. I found that I would rather be struggling with essays and falling behind on my reading with Literature than any other subject. I think stories are in my blood; can't live without 'em.

I've been on a manga binge lately. I discovered that my library carries a few series that I'm interested in and I got turned on to a new one that I'm loving, called Library Wars. (It's about militant librarians fighting against censorship, but it's also shojo romance!)

I feel reluctant to count all this manga towards my book count, since graphic novels read so quickly compared to a novel...but I'm counting them anyway. (It isn't the size of the book that matters. ) Besides, it feels so good to be "ahead of schedule" on my Goodreads challenge.

Manga are books too!

And, since I'm not doing a 50 Book Challenge this year, I'm going to be listing on here what I read for the library's reading program, which I signed up for, of course!

# Read: 17

Reading:
Finished!

Read:
1) Highfell Grimoires by Langley Hyde
2) Rhapsody by Elizabeth Haydon
3) D. Gray-Man vols 15-17 by Katsura Hoshino
4) D. Gray-Man vols 18-20 by Katsura Hoshino
5) D. Gray-Man vols 21-23 by Katsura Hoshino
6) The Dream of Perpetual Motion by Dexter Palmer
7) Bowl of Heaven by Gregory Benford & Larry Niven
8) The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemsin
9) Have Robot Will Travel by Alexander C. Irvine
10) Attack on Titan vol 1-3 by Hajime Isayama
11) Crosscurrent by Paul S. Kemp
12) Attack on Titan vol 4-6 by Hajime Isayama
13) Attack on Titan vol 7-9 by Hajime Isayama
14) Attack on Titan vols 10-12 by Hajime Isayama
15) Soul Eater vol 5-6 by Atsushi Ohkubo
16) Soul Eater vol 7-9 by Atsushi Ohkubo
17) Shaman King vol 25-29 by Hiroyuki Takei

*pokes Taiyo*

I really need to fix my list up and make a new one for this year!! I didn't really do one last year or the year before

Emma's 2014-2019 Reading Quest!
*Anything in BOLD has already been read!

1. Vampire Academy (Richelle Mead)
2. Frostbite (Richelle Mead)
3. Shadow Kiss (Richelle Mead)
4. Blood Promise (Richelle Mead)
5. Spirit Bound (Richelle Mead)
6. Last Sacrifice (Richelle Mead)
7. Marked (PC & Kristen Cast)
8. Betrayed (PC & Kristen Cast)
9. Chosen (PC & Kristen Cast)
10. Untamed (PC & Kristen Cast)
11. Hunted (PC & Kristen Cast)
12. Tempted (PC & Kristen Cast)
13. Burned (PC & Kristen Cast)
14. Awakened (PC & Kristen Cast)
15. Destined (PC & Kristen Cast)
16. Hidden (PC & Kristen Cast)
17. Revealed (PC & Kristen Cast)
18. The Fledgling Handbook 101 (PC & Kristen Cast)
19. Dragon's Oath (PC & Kristen Cast)
20. Lenobia's Vow (PC & Kristen Cast)
21. Neferet's Curse (PC & Kristen Cast)
22. Kalona's Fall (PC & Kristen Cast)
23. Blue Bloods (Melissa De La Cruz)
24. Masquerade (Melissa De La Cruz)
25. Revelations (Melissa De La Cruz)
26. The Van Alen Legacy (Melissa De La Cruz)
27. Misquided Angel (Melissa De La Cruz)
28. Lost in Time (Melissa De La Cruz)
29. The Gates of Paradise (Melissa De La Cruz)
30. Divergent (Veronica Roth)
31. Insurgent (Veronica Roth)
32. Allegiant (Veronica Roth)
33. Four (Veronica Roth)
34. The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins)
35. Catching Fire (Suzanne Collins)
36. Mockingjay (Suzanne Collins)
37. Vampire Kisses (Ellen Schreiber)
38. Kissing Coffins (Ellen Schreiber)
39. Vampireville (Ellen Schreiber)
40. Dance with a Vampire (Ellen Schreiber)
41. The Coffin Club (Ellen Schreiber)
42. Royal Blood (Ellen Schreiber)
43. Love Bites (Ellen Schreiber)
44. Cryptic Cravings (Ellen Schreiber)
45. Immortal Hearts (Ellen Schreiber)
46. The Alchemyst (Michael Scott)
47. The Magician (Michael Scott)
48. The Sorceress (Michael Scott)
49. The Necromancer (Michael Scott)
50. The Warlock (Michael Scott)
51. The Enchantress (Michael Scott)
52. Demons of the Ocean (Justin Somper)
53. Dead Deep (Justin Somper)
54. Tide of Terror (Justin Somper)
55. Blood Captain (Justin Somper)
56. Black Heart (Justin Somper)
57. Empire of Night (Justin Somper)
58. Immortal War (Justin Somper)
59. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (J.K. Rowling)
60. Once Upon a Time: A Collection of Classic Fairy Tales (Ilustrated by Kevin Tong)

Added you to the front page!

This thread has slowed down a little lately. What's everyone reading right now?

I'm currently finishing up Marked by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast, then moving on to Betrayed in the series. I'm honestly avoiding Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead right now because I know I'm probably going to blubber like a baby like I have at other parts of the series, so I'm just avoiding that and Last Sacrifice for right now and reading the House of Night series - will probably go back to Richelle Mead when I read a few of these books! I'm a little comforted after having talked with someone about the series and what to "expect" (aka, basically I just shouldn't be freaking out over what the back covers say because it all makes sense in the end) as well as the fact that apparently Richelle Mead's new series Bloodlines is actually a sequel spin-off series of the Vampire Academy series, so I'm wicked intrigued over what's happening over with that lol!

What are you currently reading? :)

I've never heard of those, but it sounds exciting!

I'm just finishing up "Betsey Brown" by Ntozake Shange. It's an interesting little coming of age story that revolves around St Louis during school integration. I really like the overall style - It's rare for authors to write about young girls while still giving them a realistic voice. It gives a nice balance of fun and laughter while still covering some of the more serious topics of that time period. So far, two thumbs up.

Just made a new list...I wonder if i'll get round to reading more than 10 books this year.

Knerd: If you're into vampires, definitely take a read! House of Night is a VERY different take that's more elegant and spiritual with Native American traditions and beliefs, primarily Cherokee. It's really an amazing story told from the point of view of a 16 year old girl Zoey, who's very connected with her Cherokee roots, who suddenly becomes marked as a fledgling to possibly become an adult vampire. The Change takes 4 years and some die early on, some die later in the 4 years, because their body will start to reject the change. But at the end of the 4 years, if you've completed the change, you'll become a full vampire. The point of the series is that Nyx, the Goddess of Night, has chosen Zoey to lead a revolution of change in the House of Night and rid their world of corruption and malice. It's really a great read :3

Vampire Academy is another very different take on vampires. In this book, there are 3 forms of vampire: Moroi, Strigoi, and Dhampir. Dhampirs are a combination of Moroi and Human blood. They don't drink blood, but they have crazy strength and speed and they become guardians of the Moroi. Moroi are vampires who drink blood (but only from volunteer humans called Feeders, and they NEVER kill them - just feed once a day), they're tall and thin and very weak, and they also live and die like normal humans, eating normal food like they do too. The Strigoi, however, are the evil vampires we know from other fiction. They're ruthless, super strong, and they kill for pleasure and only drink blood. This series's plot basically centers around Rosemarie Hathaway and Vasilisa Dragomir, the last of her bloodline. Rose is a dhampir and the best friend of Lissa, and is training at the Academy to become Lissa's Guardian. I can't remember what the academy is actually called because it's written from Rose's point of view and she just called it Vampire Academy lol! But the Academy is for Moroi and Dhampirs to go to school from Kindergarten through High School - the Moroi learn to specialize in magic, and the Dhampirs train to become Guardians when they graduate. Since Lissa is the last of her bloodline, she's a very hot commodity in the Moroi world, but there are evil plots circulating that are out to destroy the 12 Royal Families of the Moroi, and ultimately wipe out the Moroi in general. The plot is coming from the Strigoi, who are now mobilizing and attacking Moroi boldly. It's full of action, romance, and it's suuuuch a different take on vampires. I highly recommend it! The movie that just came out doesn't really do the book justice because they tried to make it a bit more comical than the book really is, but it's still a good movie over all. :3

Ooh - I haven't heard of that one or the author! I'll have to check it out!

Eastriel: Never give up! :D My goal was to read 1 book a month this summer while I'm off from college, and so far I've read 9 and I'm on my 10th :3 Once you sit down and have some time to spare the books will just fly by!!

I can't read too much at a time, I tend to get headaches.
But, I have a lot of icky dissertation reading to do so I kinda have to >.<

I'm currently reading The High King's Tomb, by Kristen Britain, which is the third in a quartet. It's a fantasy series set in a world where magic has been mostly dormant for centuries but is now returning; the main character is in the King's messenger service and has a knack for always being around when weird or important things happen. XD

I picked up the first book randomly without knowing anything about it, and I've loved the series so far.

Originally Posted by Eastriel

I can't read too much at a time, I tend to get headaches.
But, I have a lot of icky dissertation reading to do so I kinda have to >.<

I know how you feel! I'm the same way :3 I mainly read before bed - it's a great way to relax!

Oh no - good luck!! :( I'm not looking forward to mine -- luckily I'm getting a second degree before I go on to Grad school and deal with it! XD;

Originally Posted by Chexala

I'm currently reading The High King's Tomb, by Kristen Britain, which is the third in a quartet. It's a fantasy series set in a world where magic has been mostly dormant for centuries but is now returning; the main character is in the King's messenger service and has a knack for always being around when weird or important things happen. XD

I picked up the first book randomly without knowing anything about it, and I've loved the series so far.

That series sounds really interesting! What's the first book called/the series called? I'm intrigued to check it out!

Originally Posted by Emma Corrin

That series sounds really interesting! What's the first book called/the series called? I'm intrigued to check it out!

The first book is called Green Rider. Definitely check it out!

Perfect - thank you! :D I didn't want to search the 3rd book because the descriptions always give spoilers and I'd hate to ruin the first two books!!

EDIT: Just added it to my cart! Next book order I'll have it in! :D

Awesome! I hope you enjoy it. :3