RRNT Reading Challenge: Update #1

Hi! I actually meant to do this update last month so that I could do a quarterly update throughout the year, but I totally forgot so we'll just have to do it in thirds instead. If you've been reading the blog, you'll remember that back in January, I was looking at different reading challenges and decided to combine a few of the entries off of each list to create a new challenge. If this is your first time here, go check out the RRNT Reading Challenge 2016 then come back to this post. There are 36 entries in this year's challenge, and I was pretty disappointed in myself when it was time to put this post together and I realized that I hadn't made too much of a dent yet. Here are the entries that I have completed:

I've been trying to get through this book since the start of the year. It was this book, actually, that made me want to participate in some kind of challenge. An acquaintance recommended that I read this book and I have to admit, it's done a wonderful job of making me feel incredibly stupid. I'd like to think of myself as moderately smart, but when I read books like this I feel like the boob that I probably am. lol To combat that derp feeling, I take notes. If there are parts I don't understand or just random sections that I'd like to come back to later, I write them down and try to study them. I hate reading books I don't understand, and I hate reading books that are so wordy that I either can't properly process them or can't remember what I've read, so taking notes has helped me with books like this. 

My library game is back at 100 after my uncle renewed his library card and gave it to me before he left (I have fines on my card so I can't check anything out lol) and during my most recent visit, I found this handbook. I'm putting together a post on anxiety and one of the sections in that post is going to focus on different handbooks for improving your mental & emotional wellness. I haven't completed this book just yet, but I picked it up because it was a handbook rather than a self-help instructional. I like the handbooks because you get to evaluate your responses and feelings through the tests alongside the book's lessons and instructions. I personally respond better to handbooks better than traditional self-help books. What about you?

For some reason, PhotoGrid kept cutting off the title but this is No Rest for the Wicked, which I reviewed a couple of months ago. This is a supernatural horror and I don't often read books in that category at all, mainly because I don't like horror too much and really don't like gore. No Rest was an awesome venture into a genre I don't often read, and if there was a sequel to this book, I'd read it.

During another of my weekly pilgrimages to the bookworm's holy land, I saw this on one of the shelves. A Beautiful Mess is one of my favorite websites but I had no idea they'd come out with a book, so when I saw it I was all over it. I think I might review this later, but its full of various ideas on how to fully utilize your environment in order to take better photos. I loved the tips I got from the book and can't wait to start trying them out on my own photos.

And finally, Tales of Blood & Sulphur is a book that I recently reviewed and to describe it as anything but horror would be inaccurate. This book is twisted as shit and I loved it. As I mentioned with No Rest up above, horror is definitely not a genre I make a point of reading, but as I was contacted to read this book for review I had to leave my comfort zone. I enjoyed the experience, to say the least. Every time I have to leave my comfort zone to read a horror book, not only am I left feeling mindf*cked at the end, but I'm ready to read more. LOL This is another book that not only has enough material for a sequel but would convince me to leave my bubble to read it. 

Unfortunately, that's all I've got for now. RRNT's challenge has a few similar-sounding entries, but they'll challenge me to continue stepping outside of my comfort zone. Let's hope that by the time August comes around, I've checked off a few more entries. If you'd like to keep up with this challenge or you want to share your crossed-off entries with me, include your picks on social media using the #rrntreads so I can keep up with them. I hope you enjoyed this post and I'll see you soon!