#boty2015

[erraticprojectjunkie]

2015 Book of the Year Bracket Challenge: Finals: The time has finally come. It's time to reveal my favorite read of 2015...the 2015 Book of the Year. It's a rough process every year and I hate dismissing some extremely good reads, but hopefully you'll find yourself a good book or two along the way. Trust me when I tell you that there are a handful of just amazingly good novels hiding in this bracket. You owe it to yourselves to read them.  Before we get to this year's bracket...let's have a little stroll down memory lane, shall we? This year marks my fifth year of making a bracket. It's a fun thing that I look forward to every year. I've had the pleasure of announcing some really great books as winners. When I look back, they all earned their prize rightfully. These are some sincerely fantastic reads. 2011 Book of the Year  : The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson2012 Book of the Year  : Let's Pretend this Never Happened by Jenny Lawson2013 Book of the Year  : Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher 2014 Book of the Year  : Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson These four books are near guaranteed winners if you have tastes anywhere near mine. It's a pretty good hodgepodge of book styles. One crime thriller with definitively adult themes, one kooky adult memoir written by quite possibly the funniest lady alive, a poignant YA fiction novel with a fantastic moral undertone, and a YA fiction roadtrip love story. All just wonderful. All books I could hug and all books I will likely reread down the line. The only caution I can provide you is to make sure that you read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo before The Girl Who Played with Fire, as it is a series read.  Now...back to the task at hand. This year's bracket. Here's where we sit currently: And the challengers are: Representing the left side of the bracket: The Library at Mount CharScott Hawkins This book caught me completely off guard. I requested it because of the delightful cover and what was inside blew me away. It was haunting and brilliant and just flat out amazing. I knew the moment I finished that it would be among my favorite reads of the year. I am dying for a sequel and the author hasn't yet decided whether or not to write one. It's killing me. Scott Hawkins is an author to watch. His imagination is impressive. Representing the right side of the bracket: Nothing Like LookingChris Van Hakes I did not expect this book to make it to the finals. It's a great read, don't get me wrong, but for me it was a bit of an underdog from the start. The unfortunate left side bias that resulted in the elimination of Everything, Everything as a contender, did this book a gigantic favor and helped it to propel from the expected Final Four straight into the Top Two. The writing is humorous and snide in a wonderful way. The novel reads easily and the characters don't feel stagnant or forced, they are genuinely unique. I was very pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. The Faceoff: Unlike a few of the past years, the final two were a bit of a surprise this year. I'm disappointed that Alice in Wonderland didn't make it farther than it did, but there were some amazing challengers. Both The Little Paris Bookshop and Everything, Everything would have been excellent contenders for finals. I typically try to write these posts so that I don't show my hand until the end, but anyone really paying attention during prior eliminations will already have known the winner coming into today's post. The winning book was just a completely awesome experience and wowed me from the beginning. It wasn't what I was expecting and I am very happy about that. I was shocked within a few pages and I was hooked quickly. I didn't want to put this book down and I didn't want it to end. It was just freaking amazing. So...now that you'll all likely figured it out... The 2015 Book of the Year is... The Library at Mount CharScott Hawkins Great books and a great bracket. Do yourself a favor and check some of these novels out. I was lucky, once again, to read some amazing books last year. Let's hope that 2016 bodes the same! Congratulations to The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins,  the Erratic Project Junkie 2015 Book of the Year! How did your books stack up? Did you get the winner you were expecting? Don't forget to keep track of your reads this year so you can participate in the next bracket challenge. If nothing else, help me find more stellar reads for my ever burdgeoning TBR. This post originally appeared on Erratic Project Junkie and is copyrighted by Elle. Find EPJ on Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads

[erraticprojectjunkie]

2015 Book of the Year: SemiFinals (Top Two): It's coming down to the end. Today I bring the playing field down to two. I have no wise words here. I just have anticipation. So...let's just get right to it. As a reminder, here are the final four along with the roads that brought them to this stage in the game. 1. Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon vs. The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins I'll be honest...when this bracket challenge first started, these two were the ones I envisioned in the finals. But...surprise! they wound up on the same side of the bracket. Such is the luck of the randomized bracket. Both of these books were ARCs that I received from publishers and both were complete surprises in how much I enjoyed them. Everything, Everything is a cute love story that made me reminiscent of a few things in my past to a small degree of heartache. There were sections of the book that were just email messages between Maddy and Olly. I loved them. They, in part, reminded me of the ephemera that I loved so much in Amy & Roger's Epic Detour. Beyond that, I just loved Maddy and Olly. The Library at Mount Char was not at all what I expected. It is a paranormal fantasy -- generally outside of my wheelhouse, but I LOVED it. The premise was creepy, but brilliant. I loved the slow and deliberate development of the plot and the characters. I appreciated how smart the subtle pieces of detail were. It was a powerhouse of creativity. Just impressive. I cannot express how much I need there to be a sequel. Obviously, this one was a tough choice. How about this...just do yourself a favor and read them both. In the meantime though, I'm sorry...I have to let one of them go. Moving into the finals... 2. Nothing Like Looking by Chris Van Hakes vs. Looking for Alaska by John Green Nothing Like Looking is a cute and quirky novel by a very smart and quirky woman. She's a great person and a wonderful writer. I love the amount of snark and sassiness that comes through on the page. Her characters are unique in a way that I could never have imagined and they are real, three-dimensional, and highly developed. The plot deals with teenage angst and social stigmas in a new and fascinating way. When I initially reviewed this book, I called it "something of a cross between E. Lockhart's Ruby Oliver series and Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl." That analogy still holds true. I loved both of those and I loved this book. Looking for Alaska didn't wow me as much as I had hoped, but it did drag me out of a reading slump and set me back on the right path. It did make me fall in love with reading again. It's a great novel. It's a wonderful read. Yes...it's not John Green's finest, but it is a pretty darned good book regardless. It's very much worth picking up. And the fact that it made it this far in the bracket is pretty impressive considering the competition. But let's be honest...this one wasn't really a challenge to pick. Nothing Like Looking was rated at 5 stars while Looking for Alaska only garnered 4 stars. Thus...the obvious win goes to... And there you have it. One step closer. Only two remain. Like many years prior, this bracket has continued to be a surprise even for me...the one who actually makes these crazy decisions.   Hold on to your seats. Tomorrow the big win is revealed and I'll share with you my 2015 Book of the Year.This post originally appeared on Erratic Project Junkie and is copyrighted by Elle. Find EPJ on Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads

[erraticprojectjunkie]

2015 Book of the Year Bracket Challenge: Final Four

Well...it's been a super fun day for me. I had a lumbar puncture earlier today that I figured would go smoothly and leave me just reclining in bed all day, but still getting things accomplished. Ha. So much for that. I got ragingly nauseated and have a headache that is still holding on tight. Instead of the lovely hours of reading and relaxation I had planned, I instead crashed for a 4-hour nap and am struggling to keep down Wheat Thins. But...the show must go on. Luckily for me, I planned ahead slightly and finished the graphics for all of my bracket eliminations earlier this week. Yes...that means that I currently know the winner. No...I won't tell you yet. It does make writing these posts a lot less time consuming though, so that's a good thing. Otherwise, who knows if this one would make it up on time. Not going to lie...sleep is sounding good again and as of right now, it's not even 10pm. Yesterday, I thrashed out another great handful of books and whittled things down to eight contenders. Most of them are pretty strong ones, so today is an interesting (and mildly painful) round. This is where we start... When it gets down to this tight of a race, it's only fair to give everyone a little attention. So I'm going to go through each bracket elimination one by one. Everyone gets a little love today. 1. The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George vs. Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon I start today's eliminations with what may be the toughest matchup so far. By the time I get to the Final Four, it's more or less a given that the majority of the competitors will be 5-star books. It's never an easy task. This year is no different.  The Little Paris Bookshop has already been given quite a bit of praise from me through these eliminations. Today will be no different. It's sweet, smart, and beautifully written. The characters are realistic and full. I didn't want the book to end. It's just a gorgeous love story that made me ache. Everything, Everything swung into this round without having yet faced a difficult competitor. That doesn't make it any less worthy of being in the Final Four, however. It stands very strongly on its own merits. It's a modern day Boy in the Plastic Bubble with far less John Travolta and far more heart. Cute, tragic, beautiful, and highly needing a sequel, Everything, Everything was an amazing read.  There was a lot of back and forth negotiation with myself on this one. In fact, I had to double check my bracket before typing in the winner today. It was a close race that still could have easily gone either way. Both of these books hooked me hard. Ultimately though, we all know that only one will remain. So...I say a tear-felt goodbye to one and welcome Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon into the Final Four. 2. City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare vs. The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins Now this is a good pairing. Two supernaturals up against one another. Fantastic luck in that one. The seasoned Ms. Clare against the freshman Hawkins. Oh, it is a good fight. City of Heavenly Fire is the finale in The Mortal Instruments series and, though it was still great writing, it didn't wow me as much as some of the other books that came prior. Perhaps I just expected too much. There was a lot of set up happening in this novel for what became an obvious preparation for a new series. While I appreciate that she will continue writing something to keep me waiting anxiously, that endeavor seemed to detract from the plot of the series at hand. And so, it only garnered 4 out of 5 stars. The Library at Mount Char was a complete wow. It seriously knocked my socks off. I was not expecting a book this good when I picked it up and I sincerely struggled to put it down. It handily took a 5-star rating, which makes the competition between these two books a little lackluster. Still...both great novels. Both worth the read. Mr Hawkins takes the prize in this round though. The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins takes the second seed in the Final Four. 3. Nothing Like Looking by Chris Van Hakes vs. Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll The second 5-star battle in this round should have been a lot more difficult to decide than it was. Nothing Like Looking has been a strong contender from the start and those who know me well realize the unbounded nature of my love for Alice. But...I have somehow become a less than faithful Alice supporter in this bracket challenge. It's devastating really. Nothing should come between me and my love for Alice. And yet, things have...other books have. Resulting in a much shorter debate than it should have been, Nothing Like Looking by Chris Van Hakes propels forward yet again to enter the Final Four. 4. Looking for Alaska by John Green vs. The Duff by Kody Keplinger Three 4-star books made it to the Elite Eight this year. I'm not sure that percentage has ever been so high. With Looking for Alaska and The DUFF, two of these underdogs face off against one another for a shot at the Final Four. They also happen to be the only pairing of two modern YA fiction novels in this round. Considering the volume of YA fiction that I have been reading in recent years, this is a bit of a feat. Last year's bracket was teeming with YA fiction. This year, it seems to be a bit of a lighter flow. My reading tastes may be shifting yet again. But I digress. Looking for Alaska was not what I was expecting, but it was still a good read. John Green is a talented man and a great writer. If I hadn't read The Fault in Our Stars, I may have rated this book even higher than I did. I found it terribly hard (even though I know better) not to compare the two.  The DUFF was a quick and easy YA read. I found it a little bit less intelligently written than some of my other YA fiction picks, but it is written appropriately for the age group it targets. Both of these books focus on issues of teen social structure and the challenges that come with that. They both handle the topic quite well. But I can't have both. And, as in the last matchup, there was a fairly easy decision to be made. Looking for Alaska by John Green is moving on to the next round. And then there were four! It's getting brutal now. You can't go wrong with any of these reads, but only one will eventually take the crown. Have you placed your bets for a winner of the 2015 Book of the Year Bracket Challenge? Tomorrow we cut it down to two. This post originally appeared on Erratic Project Junkie and is copyrighted by Elle. Find EPJ on Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads

[erraticprojectjunkie]

2015 Book of the Year Bracket Challenge: Elite Eight

How is your bracket going? I'm in a bit of turmoil over here...I know what pain is coming. As if yesterday's loss of some incredibly good 5-star rated books wasn't hard enough, today we remove another fine handful of books to get down to the Elite Eight. As a reminder of the pain that is real, here is where we start today... My Sweet Sixteen. I'll be honest, this round was actually a lot more simple for me. Thank goodness. The majority of the books paired up nicely and made for some easy decision making, unlike last year. As we get to the smaller rounds, I'll go through the analysis for each pair. Once they make it past the Elite Eight, it's only fair that they each get a little attention. Today though, I'm just going to focus on a couple of the pairings that made me a little heartbroken. I hate eliminating good books. It wears on me. 1. The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood (4 stars) vs. The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George (5 stars) Now...I recognize that picking the winner for this pair was a given based on star ratings alone, but that doesn't mean that I didn't hurt a little at saying goodbye. The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood was an ARC that I received last fall. If you've ever read anything by Margaret Atwood, then you know how talented that woman is. She's pretty freaking amazing. This book was really a good one, a bit of a creepy, futuristic thriller that was mildly reminiscent of YA dystopian fiction (think grown up version of something like Divergent, Matched, Delirium). It's one that I want on my bookshelf and will likely read again. But if you were here for yesterday's eliminations, then you also know of my intense love for Nina George's The Little Paris Bookshop. There really wasn't a question that this one would pull through in this match up. It's just so freaking good. My heart is full just thinking about it.  So obviously...moving on to the Elite Eight... The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George. 2. Nothing Like Looking by Chris Van Hakes (5 stars) vs. Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson (4 stars) What are the odds that two bloggers would get paired against each other? Apparently they were stellar, because here we are with my blogging friend Chris Van Hakes paired up against the illustrious Jenny Lawson (AKA The Bloggess). Jenny's first book, Let's Pretend This Never Happened, was the BOTY winner back in 2012, so obviously she's got the chops for this. She is a magnificently funny writer and I adore her. In fact, Rory (the raccoon from her cover) just happens to be the background on my computer screen at work. You thought I was kidding, didn't you? Jenny is funny and real and awesome. I'm pretty sure she's my spirit animal in human form. We should totally be BFFs. Once again though, ratings would have to prevail. And thus...regardless of how much I love Jenny, the winner for this round is the very wonderful Nothing Like Looking by Chris Van Hakes. 3. Looking for Alaska by John Green (4 stars) vs. The Lost Wife by Alyson Richman (4 stars) The last painful pairing in this round was the pitting of John Green's Looking for Alaska against Alyson Richman's The Lost Wife. Both of these were fantastic dramas and (unlike the earlier mentioned pairs) both were rated the same, making this choice a bit tougher. Looking for Alaska is sad and haunting and the amazing freshman novel of John Green's that I had been considering reading for quite a long time. It didn't quite do 5 stars for me, but it was certainly worth the read and will probably warrant a reread in the future. (Side note...I'm a fan of the name Alaska and actually had a conversation regarding that toward the end of last year.) Looking for Alaska got me out of a reading slump and helped me actually accomplish some reading in 2015. It definitely holds up as a good book. The Lost Wife was another novel I had totally stalled on reading. This one was recommended to me (and lent to me) by Patti. It sat in my nightstand for several months, got put on the TBR list for several read-a-thons, and somehow just failed to see the light of day. I don't know what in the world I was thinking. It's a beautifully haunting story that totally broke my heart. I enjoyed it quite a lot, but the ending led me to drop it to 4 stars based on a lack of closure. The writing is solid, I just have issues about endings that remain mildly open. It's a pet peeve. Based on my pet peeve revelation, it should be no surprise then that the ultimate winner in this round (and the book moving on to the Elite Eight) is Looking for Alaska by John Green. And...with those difficult choices and sacrifices out of the way...here are this year's Elite Eight.  Tomorrow it gets ugly. Four competitions and three of them are painful. As if enough book blood hasn't already been spilled, tomorrow gets cutthroat. Brace yourselves...the Final Four is coming.This post originally appeared on Erratic Project Junkie and is copyrighted by Elle. Find EPJ on Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads

[erraticprojectjunkie]

2015 Book of the Year Bracket Challenge: Sweet Sixteen

The next few days are going to be a bit of a whirlwind...I can already tell.  The BOTY Bracket Challenge is well underway! Yesterday, brackets were set up and initial eliminations were completed to decrease the number of overall challengers to 32 or less. In my case, I've filled my bracket with 28 novels and 4 bye slots. It's an interesting year for my bracket. I definitely need to do more reading in 2016. I feel like I was a total slacker last year. Regardless, the bracket challenge is one of my favorite things to do every year. I love looking back on everything I read in the year prior, reflecting on some really good books, and trying to find out which ones I really loved the most. Further, since last year's event, it's fun to go look at brackets from other readers and add extra books to my TBR based on the awesome books they read. Today's task is to find the Sweet Sixteen. This is where I'm starting... The thing that I notice about the randomization of these brackets is that there are usually some serious heartbreakers in the first round of eliminations. This year's bracket is no different. It was obvious right away that the left side bracket was the stronger one, holding a higher majority of my 5 star books for the year. Unfortunately, that also meant that it pitted some incredibly awesome books against one another. The right side was a little easier in this round, but I still lost a couple of decent scorers. There were three difficult decisions to be made and three fantastic 5-star rated books to be sacrificed in this round. Here were this year's first round devastation match ups... 1. Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (5 stars) vs. The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George (5 stars) Alice has long been one of my favorite literary characters. There are a lot of things I understand about Alice that I see in myself. Alice in Wonderland is one of the most imaginative novels out there and I am consistently entertained by the world that Lewis Carroll created so many years ago. The Little Paris Bookshop was a novel I received direct from the publisher in 2015. It was an amazing read with a lovable protagonist that I just wanted to hug. The writing is beautiful and Nina George does a wonderful job at creating scenery through words. This one is bound to remain a favorite for a very long time. Just a gorgeous love story. This one tore at me for a while. I was incredibly reluctant to let Alice go in any way. I just love it so very much. But...I had to admit that the draw for Nina George's amazing book just won me over. Winner of this match up... The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George. I'm sorry Alice... 2. The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins (5 stars) vs. Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard (5 stars) Sometimes I am blessed to receive some really good ARCs. That was the case for both of these books. Unfortunately, sometimes those really good ARCs get pitted against each other in first round eliminations. What the crap, random sequence generator? Do you just like to hurt me? The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins was a book that I requested based on cover alone. Usually that turns out to bite me square in the butt. Those of you who have been around for a while will remember my horrible penchant for books with butterflies on the cover that nearly unanimously land me wanting to throw books across the room. Luckily, the curse of the cover was not a problem for Mount Char. Holy freaking amazing. The world created by Scott Hawkins (who, by the way...is actually a technical writer...I know, right?) is seriously just jaw-dropping. Creative does not even begin to describe it. This book was magnificent! Victoria Aveyard's Red Queen was a hot topic among book bloggers this year. Most either loved it or hated it. There wasn't a lot of middle ground. I was in the former camp. I was highly entertained. The plot line was a little bit predictable, but her writing is really quite good. She created a superbly writeen world and presented elements that reminded me of other novels and imaginary worlds that I loved. There were hints of The Hunger Games, Divergent, and a little historical Tudor fiction all rolled into one. Totally up my alley. I thought it was great and I can't wait to read Glass Sword this year. And then...well...then I had to say goodbye to one of my beauties. I'm pretty sure I swore when I realized that they were pitted together this early on. Such a crime, really. But I had to make a choice. Thus...moving on... The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins.  3. Nothing Like Looking by Chris Van Hakes vs. The Lemoncholy Life of Annie Aster by Scott Wilbanks The last match up in this trifecta of pain paired together the super cute YA fiction novel of Nothing Like Looking against the creepily awesome sci-fi fiction of The Lemoncholy Life of Annie Aster. Nothing Like Looking was one of the few books I actually managed to complete a full review on last year here on the blog. Granted, it was given to me direct by the author (who I know from blogging), but I promise you that my review was not swayed by my friendship with her. This girl has some writing chops and I loved this book. It's cute, quirky, and entertaining.  The Lemoncholy Life of Annie Aster was yet another awesome ARC. This one had a cool mix of science fiction (time travelling element) and historical fiction. It was a super quick read that I couldn't put down and the plot was relatively surprising. I don't know exactly what I was expecting, but this novel surely surpassed it. Any book that keeps my attention until 2 am when I have to work the next day is a total winner. I mulled this pairing over for a while. In fact, I wound up filling out a good chunk of the right hand side of the bracket before I came back to it. These two were fairly neck and neck for me. Ultimately though, the one that stuck with me the longest was the winner. The adorably awkward Nothing Like Looking ambled right along into the Sweet Sixteen. And thus, with some pretty painful goodbyes, the Sweet Sixteen were chosen. Here's where this year's bracket now stands. Just a reminder...you're still very much welcome to take part! Just make sure to add yourself to the linky below or leave a comment with a link to your own challenge. Let everyone see your progress to pick your 2015 Book of the Year! I'll be back again tomorrow for more challenging book exclusions as we progress into the Elite Eight! Official Sign-Up Linky * Remember to include your a direct link to your sign up post, not your blog's main page. A direct link should look like this : http://yoururl.com/your-sign-up-post * Sign up for the Challenge by entering your Name & Blog Name in the Linky at the end of this post (ie. Elle @ Erratic Project Junkie). * If you have any questions regarding the Book of the Year Bracket Challenge, feel free to contact me at [email protected]. This post originally appeared on Erratic Project Junkie and is copyrighted by Elle. Find EPJ on Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads

[erraticprojectjunkie]

2015 Book of the Year Bracket Challenge: Bracket Reveal

The time has come! The 2015 Book of the Year (BOTY) Bracket Challenge is finally underway! Did you keep track of the books you read last year? Are you ready to pit them against each other and see which one comes out on top? I sure am! The Book of the Year Bracket Challenge is a blogging challenge open to all reading bloggers.  Participants set a goal for the number of books they wish to read in a year and then enter those books into an NCAA style bracket of any size and in any order they choose. During January 2016, all participating bloggers will begin working through their brackets, eliminating books and picking champions with the ultimate goal of naming their favorite book (book of the year) for 2015. Today's job? Bracket reveals and eliminations to reduce the books down to 32 competitors. Here's the schedule for the challenge from here out: January 20th : Initial eliminations. All rounds of eliminations needed to get the number of contestants reduced to 32. January 21st : Elimination to find the Sweet Sixteen.January 22nd : Reducing challengers to eight books - the Elite Eight.January 23rd : Quarterfinals. Determine your Final Four.January 24th : Semi-Finals. Only two may enter the final arena.         January 25th : Finals...the Champion will be determined. Announce your Book of the Year!As usual, I'm using a randomized bracket. I read a total of 35 books last year, so I'll be using a 32-seed bracket. A few of the books in my completed list were textbooks, which makes things a bit of a snoozefest, so there were a couple of automatic eliminations. That leaves an actual competing field of 28 novels. That means 4 empty slots and some automatic byes. Books were numbered based on order read and moved up in number for any eliminated books. Thus, if book #5 was an eliminated textbook, then book #6 became the #5 seed. The empty slots are books #29-32. Here's my list of competitors (and their star ratings) for this year: 1. Looking for Alaska by John Green - 4 stars 2. The Duff by Kody Keplinger - 4 stars 3. Yes Please by Amy Poehler - 4 stars 4. The Lord of the Flies by William Golding - 3 stars 5. City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare - 4 stars 6. Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham - 2 stars 7. Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard - 5 stars 8. The Lost Wife by Alyson Richman - 4 stars 9. Summer Sisters by Judy Blume - 4 stars 10. Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton - 3 stars 11. Nothing Like Looking by Chris Van Hakes - 5 stars 12. The Hand That Feeds You by A.J. Rich - 4 stars 13. The Opposite of Maybe by Maddie Dawson - 3 stars 14. Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon - 5 stars 15. The Color of the Sky by Amita Trasi - 3 stars 16. Things Unsaid by Diana Y. Paul - 2 stars 17. The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins - 5 stars 18. Beowulf by Anonymous - 3 stars 19. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by Anonymous - 3 stars 20. Othello by William Shakespeare - 3 stars 21. The Shore by Sara Taylor - 3 years 22. The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George - 5 stars 23. Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll - 5 stars 24. Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll - 5 stars 25. Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson - 4 stars 26. The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood - 4 stars 27. The Lemoncholy Life of Annie Aster by Scott Wilbanks - 4 stars 28. The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole - 3 stars And this is where we'll begin for this year's bracket. (Yes...the font came out a bit light. Don't worry...it will be fixed for the next round of eliminations.) Tada! 28 books ready to duel to the death. From here forward, each subsequent post will reduce the number of challengers by half until I announce my 2014 Book of the Year on January 17th. I have an idea which book will be the winner, but I've been surprised before. Be sure to check out the other bloggers on the linky to see their progress on eliminations. I promise you there will be some really good reads pitted against one another. Visit the sign up page to get all the specifics on the challenge and then go to the brackets page to get a blank template to use for your own challenge. Official Sign-Up Linky * Remember to include your a direct link to your sign up post, not your blog's main page. A direct link should look like this : http://yoururl.com/your-sign-up-post * Sign up for the Challenge by entering your Name & Blog Name in the Linky at the end of this post (ie. Elle @ Erratic Project Junkie). * If you have any questions regarding the Book of the Year Bracket Challenge, feel free to contact me at [email protected]. This post originally appeared on Erratic Project Junkie and is copyrighted by Elle. Find EPJ on Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads

[erraticprojectjunkie]

2015 Book of the Year Bracket Challenge Sign Ups (FINALLY)

Hey...surprise, surprise...guess who was a total slacker and didn't pay attention to the dates she laid out for the bracket challenge? (Sheepishly raises hand...) Ya...I kind of forgot to put up the sign ups this weekend. So...we're changing the dates a little. THIS, my friends, is the official sign up post. Haven't participated before, but are mildly interested? No problem... Here's how you can be a part of it! 1. Write a post on your blog declaring your intent to join this year's challenge. Not a blogger? Post to your Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Your bracket updates can be posted as photos on those platforms. Help me to get the word out and get more bloggers involved. The official hashtag for this year's challenge is #BOTY2015. The more the merrier! Be sure to take the blurb below and add it to your post in order to link back to this sign-up page and help others find the right place to start. The Book of the Year Bracket Challenge is a blogging challenge open to all reading bloggers and operated by Elle at Erratic Project Junkie.  Participants track the books they read in a year and then enter those books into an NCAA style bracket of any size and in any order they choose. At the end of January 2016, all participating bloggers will begin working through their brackets, eliminating books and picking champions with the ultimate goal of naming their favorite book (book of the year) for 2015. For all BOTY Bracket Challenge information, scheduling, and updates, visit Erratic Project Junkie. 2. Add your link to the linky at the bottom of this post.  3. Grab your list of books read between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2015. 3. Find a bracket that fits the number of books you read during the year. Brackets may exist in any of the following book counts: 8, 16, 32, 64, etc. You decide the parameters for how a book gains entry into your bracket and which position in the bracket they start in. For some examples, check out how I designed my brackets over the years. Want to participate, but not sure how to make a bracket? Don't worry! I have some for you. Don't let the fear of the bracket be the reason you don't participate! 4. Fill up your bracket! Any books are eligible for this challenge as long as you read them between January 1,2015 and December 31, 2015. Graphic novels and audio books are also welcome. It's kind of like the Choose Your Own Adventure of book challenges. 5. Participate in bracket elimination posts. Eliminations begin on January 20th, 2016. Final winners will be announced on January 25th, 2016. The following schedule will be used for BOTY posts:Altered dates for bracket postings are as follows... January 20th : Initial eliminations. All rounds of eliminations needed to get the number of contestants reduced to 32. January 21st : Elimination to find the Sweet Sixteen.January 22nd : Reducing challengers to eight books - the Elite Eight.January 23rd : Quarterfinals. Determine your Final Four.January 24th : Semi-Finals. Only two may enter the final arena.         January 25th : Finals...the Champion will be determined. Announce your Book of the Year!Yes...we might actually finish this thing before the end of the month. Amazing, right?6. Start preparing for next year!  In order to help you keep track of the books you've read, consider getting an account over at Goodreads and adding yourself to their 2016 Reading Challenge. Once again, any books are eligible for this challenge as long as you read them between January 1,2016 and December 31, 2016.  Be sure to check out bloggers on the linky throughout the year to see their progress on their individual reading challenges, book reviews, and watch their brackets fill. Get to know one another before the big showdown. And now it gets fun... It's time for the... Official Sign-Up Linky * Remember to include your a direct link to your sign up post, not your blog's main page. A direct link should look like this : http://yoururl.com/your-sign-up-post * Sign up for the Challenge by entering your Name & Blog Name in the Linky at the end of this post (ie. Elle @ Erratic Project Junkie). * If you have any questions regarding the Book of the Year Bracket Challenge, feel free to contact me at [email protected]. Happy Reading!! This post originally appeared on Erratic Project Junkie and is copyrighted by Elle. Find EPJ on Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads

[erraticprojectjunkie]

Time to Saddle Back Up...Upcoming Plans

I took a little more time than I had originally planned, but I've now begun to dig back out of my cave of isolation and it's time to get back to blogging. And reading. I've missed it. And now for something big... It's time for the blog to take a new direction. That means a bit of a change in terms of logo...again, but it's what will need to be done. Over the years I've waffled on exactly what my focus would be. There has been a hodgepodge over time...a little bit of this, a little bit of that. However, the last few months have been interesting for me and I seem to be finding new focus in my life. I'm finding me. There may be more about that here and there over the next few months, but for now...suffice it to say that I am feeling stronger and more comfortable in myself as a person. I know more what I want and what I want to do. While I do love doing projects that include crafts and sewing, they haven't been a primary focus for me over the past year or so. My love has refocused on reading...on learning. I still do things with my hands now and then, but it's so much easier to pick up a good book and get lost in it. So I'm refashioning the blog in a way. I'm going to focus primarily on those books that I love so much. There's going to be a lot more literary discussion, a lot more book reviewing, and (hopefully) a lot more reading. Don't be surprised if you see a project here and there (I'm still the same erratic Elle, after all), but they're taking a bit of a back seat to my love for the written word. I hope you'll be willing to join me for that. I'll be putting together a 2016 blog plan here in the next few days and you'll probably be seeing a lot of posts from me in a short period of time...I have a lot to say. As for the current moment...let's talk about what's coming up soon. The 24 in 48 Readathon is this weekend! School just started, so my homework load is relatively light at the moment. Timing is swell. I'll likely be spending some of my weekend reading school related materials, but reading is still reading. And I have a few good books on the nightstand that I'll be devouring if I'm able to get all of that finished. I'm excited to have some good reading time. I plan on just hanging out on a soft bed wrapped up in a blanket and reading until my eyes can't stay open any longer. It's going to be great. A few of you have asked about the Book of the Year Bracket Challenge. Yes! Game is on! Click here if you need a bracket. I'll be posting the sign up later this weekend. As for the schedule...here's what we're preparing for: January 18th : Initial eliminations. All rounds of eliminations needed to get the number of contestants reduced to 32. January 19th : Elimination to find the Sweet Sixteen.January 20th : Reducing challengers to eight books - the Elite Eight.January 21st : Quarterfinals. Determine your Final Four.January 22nd : Semi-Finals. Only two may enter the final arena.          January 23rd : Finals...the Champion will be determined. Announce your Book of the Year! There will be more about the specifics on the challenge over the next day or so, but please join in on the fun and post your brackets! It's always fun to see what books other readers loved over their year. We all know how I like to add to my TBR pile. I'm headed off to do a bit of homework to hopefully free up the remainder of the weekend for reading. I'll be back tomorrow for the 24 in 48!This post originally appeared on Erratic Project Junkie and is copyrighted by Elle. Find EPJ on Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads