Reading Challenge - April

Once again, I've been reading up a storm.  I went to set a goal of 100 books to read in 2015 and found that I've read 105 so I upped the goal to 150.  I'm almost done with my reading challenge!  Just a few categories more.

A book with a number in the title - 1776 by David McCullough

I enjoyed the audio version of this book.  It's a narrative about the year 1776 with the events of the revolutionary war.

A funny book - Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman

A father goes out to get milk for his children and doesn't return for a long time.  When he gets back, he has a tale involving space aliens, pirates and a time-traveling stegosaurus.

A book of short stories - Thistle and Thyme: Tales and Legends from Scotland by Sorche Nic Leodhas

This is a collection of stories from Scotland. I really liked them.

A book a friend recommended - Off to be a Wizard by Scott Meyer

A computer program leads Martin to the Middle Ages where he tries to pose as a wizard.  I also read the sequel, Spell or High Water which was also great.

A book your mom loves - Lad: A Dog by Albert Payson Terhune

I had to call my mom to find out what books she actually likes because she's not a prolific reader.  This was a favorite from her childhood and I found that it wasn't that bad.

A book with antonyms in the title - Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper

I was having problems finding a book for this category, until I found a list and realized that I'd already read one a few months ago!  Hooray for scratching off lists.

A book with bad reviews - The Glass Magician by Charlie N. Homberg

I originally didn't read this sequel to The Paper Magician because a lot of the early reviews were negative.  I actually thought it was okay.

A play - William Shakespeare's Star Wars Verily, A New Hope by Ian Doescher

I listened to the Audible version of this great Shakespearean Star Wars.   There was even a "hey nonny nonny" song in it.  I liked it so much, I also managed to squeeze in listening to The Empire Striketh Back.

Other books -
Star Trek The Next Generation #10 A Rock and a Hard Place by Peter David - Commander Riker is temporarily reassigned to a terraforming project and the Enterprise gets a new and possibly insane first officer.
The Tillerman Cycle #1-3 by Cynthia Voigt
- Homecoming - After their mother abandons them, Dicey leads her siblings on foot to Bridgeport.
- Dicey's Song - Dicey and her siblings adjust to life with Gram.
- A Solitary Blue - Jeff's mother walks out on Jeff and the Professor but causes issues when she tries to reenter his life when he is older.
King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry - A story about a well bred Arabian horse who is passed from owner to owner in France with his handler boy.
Call it Courage by Armstrong Sperry - I didn't like this book about a boy who is afraid of the sea.
Scorpions by Walter Dean Myers - The writing was really good but the plot lost me with all the gangs and such.  It's not really my thing.
What Hearts by Bruce Brooks - An interesting story of a boy told in four sections but the book lost me when it got to the baseball section.  Sports fantasy is not one of my favorites.  The ending wasn't great either.
The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron - The 2007 Newbery medal winner about a girl named Lucky who is searching for her higher power.
Al Capone Does my Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko - A pretty serious book about a family who lives on Alcatraz Island with an Autistic daughter.
The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex - The book that the movie Home is based on.
Shen of the Sea by Arthur Bowie Chrisman - The 1926 Newbery medal winner and a disappointing collection of Chinese tales.