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ABC Reads // Final Update

December 31, 2016 Crystal // Dreams, etc. 4 comments
ABC Reads // Final Update

Note – The book title links are affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase after clicking on one of these links I will make a small percentage off of your purchase at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting Dreams, etc.!

It’s done! The ABC Reads Challenge has finished. If I had a bucket list, this would have been on it, so I guess I can check this off of my non-existent bucket list! This was a fun challenge and a pretty easy one to complete. I’d say the hardest letters to check off the list were “Q,” “X,” and “Z.” Also, I deliberated on “J” quite a bit, before realizing I had actually read a book that started with that letter.

This challenge was hosted by my friend Mia, and while I didn’t officially participate in the challenge and join the linkups, it was fun to do this challenge while a friend was and to see what she was reading. (I was really hoping she’d get to “X” earlier in the year so that I could steal her pick! 😂)

The final update for the ABC Reads Challenge. // dreams-etc.com

V // Vicarious by Paula Stokes

Winter and her sister Rose were rescued from the man who trafficked them by Rose’s ex-boyfriend, Gideon. Now, they work for Gideon’s company and perform stunts, recording what they see and feel so that others can have the same experiences vicariously through their recordings. When Rose’s sister goes missing and is believed to be murdered, Winter doesn’t goes through her sister’s old recordings and starts to investigate what happened to her sister.

That is a terrible recap, so you might want to read the official synopsis. I absolutely loved this book! I was intrigued by Gideon’s business and the idea of being able to watch these experiences and actually feel like you were there, but I also felt like there was a really dark side to the recordings–in particular what was being recorded. It provided a nice tension for the book. In the midst of the action there were some beautiful, quiet scenes that I really appreciated and enjoyed. And this book ended in a way that sets up the second (and I believe final book) in such a great way that I anticipate the second being even better. I’m excited to see where the story goes!

I will say that I never quite connected with the characters and you know how much I like to connect with the characters. However, I enjoyed the story enough that it wasn’t a problem for me.

Read this book if:
>> You like action stories.
>> You’re looking for a story that isn’t afraid to take on tough issues (but isn’t overwhelmed by them).
>> You’re looking for a book with diverse characters.
>> You like heroines that aren’t afraid to go after what they want.

X // XVI by Julia Carr

XVI takes place in a world where at the age of sixteen, girls get a tattoo on their wrist reading: XVI. They’re sixteen and legal. Some girls look forward to turning sixteen but others, like Nina, do not.

This is another terrible synopsis, so again I’d say go look at the official synopsis. I… didn’t like this book. I usually don’t like to review books if I have trouble finding good parts in a book, but since I read this for a reading challenge I guess I have to move forward with the review.

This novel made me uncomfortable. Granted, a novel with this premise should be uncomfortable to read. A world in which a sixteen-year-old girl is branded with a sign to let the world know it’s legal to have sex with her should be uncomfortable to read, because this raises all sorts of issues, which do appear in the book. However I had expectations that the book would make me uncomfortable in a way that felt like this was an important book to read and it should be read. It didn’t. I also felt like the world building left a lot to be desired. I didn’t like how the reader was brought into the world. Not only that, but it felt forced. There were names for EVERYTHING and some of the names were questionable, like trans/trannies for a car. 😳 I basically did a double-take every time they mentioned them.

There are more eloquent reviews on Goodreads, so maybe go check those out if you’re interested in reading more.

Read this book if:
>> You’re doing the ABC Reads Challenge and don’t want to read X by Sue Grafton, since that seems like the obvious choice.
>> You just want to see what all the fuss is about for yourself.

The final update for the ABC Reads Challenge. // dreams-etc.com

Z // Z by Theresa Anne Fowler

A fictionalized account of Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald, wife of F. Scott Fitzgerald.

I enjoyed this book much more than I expected to. Don’t get me wrong, as soon as I heard the book was released (years ago, there are just so many books that I want to read) and I grabbed a copy the first time I saw it on sale for Kindle. But as excited as I usually get for biographical fiction it usually feels like a little bit of a chore to get through. (Again, for me, I know it isn’t this way for everyone.) What I loved about Z was that I felt like the narrative had a lot of energy and character. It wasn’t slow reading for me and I actually breezed through it at a decent pace. I’ve seen some reviews that the Zelda represented in this book isn’t the Zelda that readers know and love, but I always assume that a storyteller will always bring their own spin to a character and I think that’s what Fowler did. I actually don’t know a lot about Zelda, other than some of the basic information, but I’d definitely like to learn more!

Read this book if:
>> You like historical fiction and biographical fiction.
>> You’re interested in the time period.
>> You’re interested in the Fitzgeralds.

[Tweet “The final three reviews for the ABC Reads challenge: “V” “X” and “Z”! #bookworm #amreading”]

The Full List

A // All Stories Are Love Stories, by Elizabeth Percer  [Completed March 2016]

B // Breaking Pointe, by Lani Woodland [Completed June 2016]

C // Chronicles of a Death Foretold, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez [Completed September 2016]

D // (A) Drop of Night, by Stefan Bachman [Completed June 2016]

E // (The) Ex, by Alafair Burke  [Completed February 2016]

F // Fracture, by Megan Miranda [Completed October 2016]

G // Girl Through Glass, by Sari Wilson  [Completed February 2016]

H // Half-Resurrection Blues, by Daniel José Older  [Completed April 2016]

I // Illuminae, by Amy Kaufman and Jay Kristoff  [Completed January 2016]

J // Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë [Completed July 2016]

K // Keep You Close, by Lucie Whitehouse  [Completed June 2016]

L // Lagoon, by Nnedi Okorafor [Completed June 2016]

M // Memories of My Melancholy Whores, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez [Completed May 2016]

N // Natchez Burning, by Greg Iles [Completed September 2016]

O // (The) Opposite of Everyone, by Joshilyn Jackson  [Completed February 2016]

P // (The) Past, by Tessa Hadley  [Completed January 2016]

Q // (The) Quotidian Mysteries, by Kathleen Norris [Completed October 2016]

R // Rise of the DEO, by Maria Giudice and Christopher Ireland [Completed March 2016]

S // (The) Sister’s of Versailles, by Sally Christie  [Completed March 2016]

T // Thief of Lies, by Brenda Drake [Completed June 2016]

U // (The) Uninvited, by Cat Winter [Completed October 2016]

V // Vicarious, by Paula Stokes [Completed December 2016]

W // Where We Fall, by Rochelle b. Weinstein  [Completed April 2016]

X // XIV, by Julia Carr [Completed December 2016]

Y // You Deserve Nothing, by Alexander Maksik [Completed November 2016]

Z // Z, by Theresa Anne Fowler [Completed December 2016]

About Crystal

About Crystal

Hi! I'm Crystal, a millennial learning how to live slowly and sustainably, while still seeking adventure and following my dreams, etc.

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4 comments

  1. Mia says:
    January 1, 2017 at 10:43 am

    Haha! I left X for the end of the year because I got so exasperated trying to find a book that starts with it. šŸ™‚ But duh, I didn’t even think of X by Sue Grafton. Oh well. šŸ™‚

    So awesome that you completed the challenge! I hope you had fun. It definitely expanded my horizons and made me read things I probably wouldn’t have. Happy New Year!

    Reply
    1. Crystal // Dreams, etc. says:
      January 2, 2017 at 10:31 am

      I kept waiting and waiting to see what you’d choose. šŸ˜‚ It was definitely the hardest one to find a book for.

      I think it did the same for me! There were some books I might not have gotten around to actually reading if it had not been for this challenge. Thanks for hosting it!

      Happy New Year Mia!

      Reply
  2. Allison Arnone says:
    January 4, 2017 at 4:52 pm

    What a cool challenge! I definitely do NOT read enough and need to get back on track with that, but for avid readers this is a really cool exercise! It does suck, however, reading a book you do NOT like. I’m forced to then give up on it.

    Reply
    1. Crystal @ Dreams, etc. says:
      January 6, 2017 at 10:13 am

      It was a lot of fun and a great way to switch up my reading last year. šŸ™‚ That’s the only thing I didn’t like. I probably would have put XVI down if it wasn’t part of the challenge. If it had been another letter I would have been able to find a replacement, but X was a hard one!

      Reply

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hi!

I'm Crystal, the storyteller behind Dreams, etc. I'm all about learning how to live slowly & sustainably, while also seeking adventure as we follow our dreams, etc.

If only we always remembered to be in touch with o If only we always remembered to be in touch with our loved ones regularly; to tell them that we love them.

This thought has been on my mind the last few weeks as I’ve been in touch with one of my best friends almost daily. They’ve been navigating a scary situation.

But that’s what everyone says, isn’t it? Reach out to those you love. Tell them you love them. Don’t let a lot of time pass.

We all know that. We think about it sometimes. We hear about it when others are in crisis. We’re thankful that we aren’t the ones in crisis and we can remember this lesson through someone else.

But eventually we get caught up in life. Our daily ā€œI love you’sā€ are reserved for those we live with and sometimes we forget to text someone back… or it takes a few days to do so.

This week as I wondered why we don’t remember this more often I realized it’s probably a good thing. It’s a good thing that we can live life without worrying that tragedy is right around the corner. That would be an exhausting way to live.

It’s also good that we can get little reminders, sometimes not from our own life. So from someone who spent one week numb, another week weepy, and this week sad, remember to send your friends a text. Tell them you love them.
I took these in early January when the snow still I took these in early January when the snow still felt a bit magical, but right now I’m just ready to walk barefoot in grass.

When I was younger I used to imagine what it would be like if we got so much snow that it would be piled high above our doors. I wondered if we’d be able to create tunnels in the snow to move around in.

And this year might just be the year we find out. I’m kidding, of course, but at this point I feel like we’ve been buried in snow. We’re even on track to beat some snow records I think (the amount of snow and the number of consecutive days with snow on the ground.

So. What’s the weather like where you are?
February was here and gone in the blink of an eye February was here and gone in the blink of an eye but contained moments I’ll carry with me forever.
When it’s almost halfway through February and yo When it’s almost halfway through February and you still haven’t posted January’s recap. January was filled with lots of family time. šŸ’™
Hello, friends! šŸ‘‹šŸ¼ Swipe through for a few g Hello, friends! šŸ‘‹šŸ¼ Swipe through for a few glimpses from January. As 2022 came to an end I had this feeling that I was preparing to hibernate and I guess, in a way, I have. I’ve been slowly easing into the new year, focused on getting back into a few routines after Iceland and the holidays. And it’s been a great month. I can’t believe it’s almost over. What have your favorite moments of January been?
2022. Looking back on this year it was the year of 2022. Looking back on this year it was the year of so many dreams experiences. Whales. Cape Cod/Nantucket. Iceland. I saw musicals that have I’ve been dreaming of with Moulin Rouge, Wicked, and Six. 

It wasn’t without its stresses and rough moments but I’m grateful for the good that can be found, even when it’s hard.
Let’s journey back to November for the second we Let’s journey back to November for the second weekly dam walk of the month. My dad joined me for this one and we made it somewhat fast because it was a chilly day. ā€œThe water looks cold,ā€ I said when we back to the car.

Between Iceland and the below zero, windy, and snowy weather we had last week (which came with requests from my parents not to go) it’s been a few weeks since I’ve been to the dam and I miss it!
Years ago I celebrated Christmas and New Years in Years ago I celebrated Christmas and New Years in Vienna and it still lives in my memory today as such a special time. I know December in Reykjavik will be the same—and not just because I came home with a little over $100 worth of ornaments of all 13 Yule Lads AND their mom AND the Christmas cat. (There was a little bit of miscommunication between my mom and me on that shopping trip. šŸ˜‚)

It might have been cold (and when that wind hits you don’t want to be outside or by the harbour…I speak from windswept, breath-stolen experience and will forever be grateful for the library we eventually found respite in) and we only saw the sun a few hours each day, but seeing this already charming city decked out in Christmas lights with a skating rink and the prettiest tree secured it’s place in my heart.

Reykjavik, I hope to see you again one day. Soon. Probably not in December, but I’m glad I got to see you in December once.
Last year my niece and I visited New York at Chris Last year my niece and I visited New York at Christmastime and it was fun to see the city decked out in lights. I can also now say that I’ve seen the Rockefeller Christmas Tree and skating rink and the Saks Christmas lights, but I’ve also seen the crowds they draw.

It was completely different in Reykjavik this year. You actually had a chance to skate on the ice rink if you wanted (and I never did the conversation, but I think it’s cheaper) and you could actually walk up to the Christmas tree. Two very different Christmas in the city experiences.
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