Gather Together and Read: January 2017

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

The Handmaid's Tale - A #Resistance Read-Along #13WLRP

In light of recent events in our country, I had decided that I was going to read Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale and George Orwell's 1984 in the next couple of months. I had much interaction on Facebook about these titles and, as I've been wanting to read Atwood's book for a very long time, and the TV series is coming to Hulu soon, I decided to go for it and host a read-along next month. A bonus is that this book is on List 2 (#231 in the Going Further section) for the 13 Ways of Looking at The Lifetime Reading Plan challenge. So, it will allow participants of the challenge to mark one off their list for the perpetual challenge, and the yearly challenge.

Note: You do not have to be a challenge participant to join in on the read-along. That being said, I do hope you will take a look at the challenge and think about signing up.

This is not a very long book so there will be a simple read-along schedule. My copy is the 1998 Anchor Books trade paperback edition. Total pages, 311. That page count is including a 13 page Historical Notes section at the end of the book. Excluding those pages, the page count is 295.

Discussion will take place in our Gather Together and Read group on Facebook. I will also post a discussion post here on the blog for those who are not on Facebook. When/if you mention the read-along on social media, please use the hashtag #Resistance

Schedule:

Start reading on Febrary 1st
Read through Chapter IX - Night (ending on page 147)
Midpoint discussion will be on February 15 in our discussion group on Facebook - there will be a post here for those who are not on Facebook.
Start reading section two on February 16
Chapter X - Soul Scrolls (page 151) - read to the end of the book (you can elect, or not, to read the historical notes - we will probably discuss, as I'm sure they give insight into the book)
Discussion on section two/book as a whole on February 28 in our Facebook discussion group - there will be a post here for those who are not on Facebook.

You can sign-up by posting about it on your blog (or on social media) and adding your link in the Mister Linky widget below. Please use #Resistance when sharing about this read-along on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, etc.

Friday, January 13, 2017

2017 Book to Movie Reading Challenge #Book2MovieRC

I Googled it. I checked in my Facebook group for reading challenges. I checked A Novel Challenge. I checked GirlXOXO. It appears that no one is hosting a book to movie reading challenge this year. So, I shall host one!

According to my internet searching, it seems that there are over 30 books being made into movies this year. That seemed like a fairly accurate amount, but I'm sure there could be more. For this challenge, I'm going to go with that number. However, challenge participants are welcome to present any new ones they find for consideration.

The list of this year's book to movie releases:

A Monster Calls, Patrick Ness - Jan 6
Hidden Figures, Margot Lee Shetterley - Jan 6
Live By Night, Dennis LeHayne - Jan 13
A Dog's Purpose, W. Bruce Cameron - Jan 27
Same Kind of Different As Me, Ron Hall and Denver Moore - Feb 3
Fifty Shades Darker, E.L. James - Feb 10
The Zookeeper's Wife, Diane Ackerman - March 31
Wonder, R.J. Palacio - April 7
Before I Fall, Lauren Oliver - April 7
The Lost City of Z, David Grann - April 21
The Circle, Dave Eggers - April 28
Break My Heart 1000 Times, Daniel Waters - May 4
The Dinner, Herman Koch - May 5
Captain Underpants, Dav Pilkey - June 2
My Cousin Rachel, Daphne Du Maurier - July 14
The Dark Tower, Stephen King - July 28
A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L'Engle - July 28
IT, Stephen King - Sept 8
The Mountain Between Us, Charles Martin - Oct 20
Red Sparrow, Jason Matthews - Nov 10
Murder on the Orient Express, Agatha Christie - Nov 22
A Century of November, W.D. Wetherell - Nov
All the Bright Places, Jennifer Niven - 2017
The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath - 2017
The Long Home, William Gay - 2017
Splinter Cell, Tom Clancy - 2017
An Ember in the Ashes, Sabaa Tahir - 2017
Infinity: Chronicles of Nick, Sherrilyn Kenyon - 2017
The Breadwinner, Deborah Ellis - 2017
The Giant Under the Snow, John Gordon - 2017
Annihilation, Jeff Vandermeer - 2017

The House of Tomorrow, Peter Bognanni - 2017

Thank You for Your Service, David Finkel - 2017

Jungle: A Harrowing True Story of Survival, Yossi Ghinsberg - 2017

The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls - 2017

Of course, there are also series and mini-series on television that are also being adapted from books. A couple of notable ones...Neil Gaiman's American Gods is coming to Starz some time this year. Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events premieres on Netflix tomorrow, Jan 13. I'm sure there are more.

The reason I mention television is because books made into TV series/mini-series are also eligible to be read for the challenge.

There are multiple levels for this challenge:

Level 1a: read 1-3 books
Level 1b: read 4+ books

Read only books being made into movies for release in 2017 (you are not required to only read from the list above. As I stated, if you find another movie or TV series/mini-series based on a book coming out in 2017, feel free to read it).

Level 2a: 1-3 books from 2017 movie releases, 1-3 books from books made into movies from previous years
Level 2b: 4+ books from 2017 movie releases, 4+ books from books made into movies from previous years

Here's a list of 2016 movies adapted from books. (Note: Some of the movies listed were moved to 2017)
You can also Google for previous years, or check Goodreads lists.

Level 3a: read 1-3 books from any release year, watch 1-3 movies from any release year
Level 3b: read 4+ books from any release year, watch 4+ movies from any release year

Note: Movies watched must be the movie adaptation of the book(s) you read.

The books you read can count for other challenges. Ebooks, audiobooks, and traditional formats all count.
The start date is retroactive to January 1, 2017 so any book you started between the first of January, and now, counts. End date is December 31, 2017.
Remember, TV series/mini-series count too.
Pick your level
Sign up below and grab a button (below the linky). I hope you will join me!
If you have any questions, click the contact me button in the sidebar, or leave a comment.

grab button for Gather Together and Read

Monday, January 2, 2017

Join the 2017 13 Ways of Looking at The Lifetime Reading Plan Reading Challenge! #13WLRP

I created my new perpetual reading challenge, 13 Ways of Looking at The Lifetime Reading Plan back in September (read all the details and sign-up here), and I promised to offer a yearly challenge to assist us in meeting our reading goals and staying accountable with the perpetual challenge.

Here it is!

Details...

1. Be sure to sign up for the 13WLRP perpetual challenge.

I will be hosting these year long challenges annually so you will be able to mark a lot of books off your lists.

2. Pick a reading level

Decide how many books from the lists you want to read in 2017.

13Ways Challenge Novice: 1 to 3 books
13Ways Challenge Eager Reader : 4 to 8 books
13Ways Challenge Buff: 9 to 13 books
13Ways Challenge Devotee: 14 to 18
13Ways Challenge Diehard Reader: More than 19

3. Grab the challenge button and write a post

You can write the post on your blog, website, Facebook or Google+ or any other social media.

Please show your support and help spread the word by including the challenge button in your posts. You can also add the button in your sidebar. Thanks!

4. Register for this challenge in the Linky below

Fill out the linky by doing the following:

Link title: Name and blog title (e.g. Michelle @ True Book Addict)
URL: Link to your Challenge Post, not your blog (e.g. http://www.truebookaddict.com/2017/01/2017-13-wlrp-challenge-signup.html

If you ever have any difficulties using the form, or any other questions, don’t hesitate to email me. There's a contact me button in the sidebar.

Sign up below:

5. Each time you read a book (and review, if you review) you can add your review to the 13 Ways Challenge review page.

Add your review on the 13 Ways Challenge review page and cross another book off your list for this challenge! Well done!

When sharing your reviews or discussing this challenge on Twitter, use the hashtag #13WLRP

6. Write a wrap-up post

I'll write up a wrap-up post at the end of 2017 and there will be a linky to link your wrap-up posts. If you finish before the end of the year, you can share your wrap-up link in the comments below.

GUIDELINES