2011 Challenges Wrap-Up and 2012 Challenges

I'm proud to say that I managed to complete or surpass every reading challenge that I signed up for in 2011 (with the exception of the 2011 A-Z Reading Challenge... somehow, forcing myself to complete this challenge became much less important to me than reading books that I actually wanted to read). Then again, I only signed up for four (including the Goodreads Challenge). So for 2012, I'm going to be challenging myself harder by signing up for 13 reading challenges! Yeah, this probably means I'm going to have the potential to fail, and fail hard, but isn't the point of a reading challenge to actually challenge yourself? Here they are, in alphabetical order:

2012 Audio Book Challenge (hosted by Teresa's Reading Corner)

I want to add some variety in my reading, so I hope to listen to 12 Audiobooks (Level: Going Steady) in 2012. I have a hard time reviewing audiobooks however, so I'm not sure I will be doing so for each audiobook that I listen to.

2012 Debut Author Challenge (hosted by The Story Siren)

I was surprised at how easily I completed the 2011 Debut Author Challenge, so I feel like I will have no problem completing 12 2012 YA/MG Debuts.

Dusty Bookshelf Challenge 2012 (hosted by Books: A True Story)

I get so caught up in reading the latest new releases that I often forget about the books that are literally or figuratively in my TBR pile. I hope to read 10-15 Books from my TBR (Level: Cobwebs) in 2012.

2012 Dystopian Reading Challenge (hosted by The Non Reluctant Reader)

Dystopian (post-apocalyptic and non) was the most common genre I read in 2011, so I feel it shouldn't be too hard to read 8-14 Books (Level: Medium) in 2012.

2012 E-Book Reading Challenge (hosted by The Eclectic Bookshelf)

Again, I want to add some variety to my reading style, so I hope to read at least 10 E-Books (Level: Fun Size) in 2012.

Finishing the Series Reading Challenge (hosted by Socrates' Book Reviews)

I hope to finish up at least 3 Series (Level 3) in 2012: Chaos Walking, The River of Time Series, The Infernal Devices, and The Monstrumologist Series are possibilities.

First in a Series Challenge 2012 (hosted by A Few More Challenges)

I read tons of firsts in a series in 2011, so I figure it should be easy to read 12 Firsts (Level: Series Expert) in 2012.

2012 Just Contemporary Reading Challenge (hosted by Books from Bleh to Basically Amazing)

It's embarrassing how little contemporary I read, even though I am constantly getting recommendations. In 2012, I hope to read at least 5 Contemporary Books (not very many, I know, but for me, this will be a challenge).

2012 Mammoth Book Challenge (hosted by Darlene's Book Nook)

I hope that by signing up for this challenge, it will encourage me to not shy away from mammoth-sized reads. I hope to read at least 6 +450 Page Books (Level 3) in 2012.

2012 Sophomore Reading Challenge (hosted by Chic Loves Lit)

I read lots of debuts in 2011, so I'm hoping it won't be too difficult to read 10 Sophomore YA/MG Books in 2012.

2012 Time Travel Reading Challenge (hosted by Library of Clean Reads)

I adore time travel so I know I'm going to love participating in this challenge. I hope to read 4-6 Time Travel Books (Level: Great Adventure) in 2012.

Why Buy the Cow? Reading Challenge 2012 (hosted by The Unread Reader and Reading the Paranormal)

I've downloaded quite a few free ebooks from Amazon since I've started blogging, but have read very little of them. I am going to attempt to read 12 Free Ebooks (Level: Coupon Clipper) in 2012.

And of course, the Goodreads Challenge. These are all that I've signed up for currently, but it may be that I just forgot about or didn't know about other reading challenges, which I might sign up for later.

Review: Across the Universe (Across the Universe #1) by Beth Revis

Publisher: Penguin

Published: January 11, 2011

Pages: 398

Source: Won from Looksie Lovitz (Thanks!)

Rating: 5 STARS

Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.
Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone - one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship - tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.
Now, Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

In short: Across the Universe by Beth Revis was a completely enthralling novel, with stellar world building and a fascinating story.

This is going to be an odd review because though I did in fact find a few faults with Across the Universe, the positives managed to outweigh the negatives resulting in a five star rating, surprisingly. Ultimately, I was just so enraptured by the world building, the dual narrative, and the story written so wonderfully by Beth Revis that despite some problems, Across the Universe still managed to rank as one of my favourite reads this year.

My main fault with Across the Universe was the mystery surrounding the identity of the murderer on the ship: it was so incredibly obvious, which is so incredibly unfortunate. However, I was happy at least that the motivations of the murderer were a mystery to me right up until the end. Furthermore, even with the main mystery being spoiled, there were plenty of surprise reveals and plot twists that made Across the Universe a very fun and exciting read.

My other problem with Across the Universe was that there were a few plot points that weren't entirely scientifically believable... I won't go into them here though. People who know me know that when aspects of the plot are not scientifically accurate, it can severely affect my enjoyment of a book or movie. Surprisingly however, this was not the case with Across the Universe. I was so caught up in the story and stellar world building that I found I didn't even care if there were some inaccuracies, which is quite impressive indeed.

Overall, despite finding fault with the obvious mystery and scientific inaccuracies, the captivating world building and intriguing story in Across the Universe won me over. I can't wait for A Million Suns, coming out January 10, 2012.

Other Reviews:
Bookmarked
The Bookworm is Here!
Unputdownable Books

Author Links:
Website
Blog
Twitter
Goodreads

*Read as part of the 2011 Debut Author Challenge

Review: XVI by Julia Karr

Publisher: Penguin

Published: January 6, 2011

Pages: 325

Source: Won from Logan E. Turner (Thank you!)

Rating: 2 Stars

Every girl gets one. 
An XVI tattoo on the wrist--sixteen. 
Some girls can't wait to be sixteen, to be legal. Nina is not one of them. Even though she has no choice in the matter, she knows that so long as her life continues as normal, everything will be okay. 
Then, with one brutal strike, Nina's normal is shattered; and she discovers that nothing that she believed about her life is true. But there's one boy who can help--and he just may hold the key to her past. 
But with the line between attraction and danger as thin as a whisper, one thing is for sure... 
For Nina, turning sixteen promises to be anything but sweet.

In short: XVI by Julia Karr was an unfortunately obvious satire that suffered from awkward writing and a lack of urgency.

XVI by Julia Karr is set in a world where the government is controlled by the Media and girls are encouraged to seek out sex when they turn sixteen. This makes for a rather ham-fisted and obvious satire, unfortunately, and this was my main problem with XVI. It's not that I don't agree with the overall message presented, it's just that I don't need to be hit over the head with it. A more subtle approach would have been much more appreciated.

I did like Nina as the main character, however. She was a strong and moral girl, determined not to be just like every other teenaged drone. She had an admirable ability to stay strong and not break down in the face of terrible events and her love and protectiveness she had for her little sister was sweet. Still, she had a few TSTL moments.

Julia Karr's writing was a miss for me. It was awkward and repetitive. There was also a distinct lack of urgency throughout the novel that made for a bit of a boring reading experience. Despite the seemingly serious events that would routinely take place in XVI, Nina would be back to normal and hanging out with her friends the next day. And I lost count how many times Nina and friends would get together and rehash the situation again and again, barely progressing.

Overall, XVI didn't work for me. Though I appreciated Nina as a strong, female character, I was put out by the obvious satire, the awkward writing, and the lack of urgency. I will not be continuing with this series.

Other Reviews:
A Blog About Nothing
Avery's Book Nook
That's Swell!

Author Links:
Website
Blog
Twitter
Goodreads

*Read as part of the 2011 Debut Author Challenge
*The Letter X in the A-Z Reading Challenge

Winner!

It's time to announce the winner of the Book Lover's Giveaway Hop! There were a total of 163 people who entered and 455 entries. And the winner, according to random.org, is:

Small Review!

I mean, what are the chances? I swear on my life that I did not rig this. I hope people believe me. Anyways, congrats Small! I hope you find the Hush, Hush series at least as entertaining as I did. Please email me with your address within the next 48 hours at ayleejaine(at)gmail(dot)com.

Book Lover's Holiday Giveaway Hop!

Hop! Welcome to my blog! The Book Lover's Holiday Giveaway Hop is hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and Kid Lit Frenzy and runs from December 2nd to 6th.

For this hop, I am giving away Hush, Hush and Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick!

Full disclosure: I won these in a giveaway, read the first one and found it to be a very addictive read, but I feel no compulsion to finish the series. It just wasn't for me, but I can definitely see why other people love the Hush, Hush Series.

Rules
1. To enter, fill out the form below
2. Open Worldwide
3. Ends December 6, 2011 at 12:00 AM EST
4. Entrants must be at least 13 years old
5. The winner will be announced on the blog and have 48 hours to send me an email with their address or else I will choose someone else.
Note: Hush, Hush is a paperback and Crescendo is a hardback.

Good luck!