2018 Reading Challenge

I tried (and failed) at this challenge last year – though I did get to ten of them, so that’s pretty good.

My only rule I am making for myself is that it cannot be a 2018 book. These have to be books that were published in 2017 or earlier.

#2-30 were chosen at random using random.org and my TBR spreadsheet. The rest are books i really want to get to this year!

1. Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
2. The Snowball Effect by Holly Nicole Hoxter
3. The Woman in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck
4. Openly Straight by Bill Koningsberg
5. Every Breath by Ellie Marney
6. Wildthorn by Jane Eagland
7. Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
8. Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers
9. Boomerang by Noelle August
10. Every Soul is a Star by Wendy Mass
11. The Countdown Conspiracy by Kate Slivensky
12. Once and For All by Sarah Dessen
13. Queen of Hearts by Colleen Oakes
14. Land of a Hundred Wonders by Lesley Kagen
15. The Passage by Justin Cronin
16. Beautiful Creatures by Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia
17. The Last Best Kiss by Claire LaZebnik
18. The Lying Game by Sara Shepard
19. Pivot Point by Kasie West
20. The Quartet by Joseph J Ellis
21. The Boleyn King by Laura Andersen
22. The Weight of Feathers by Anna-Marie McLemore
23. You Deserve a Drink by Mamrie Hart
24. Dreamfall by Amy Plum
25. Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles
26. We are Quiet, We are Loud
27. Summer Skin by Kirsty Eagar
28. The One That Got Away by Bethany Chase
29. Wicked Little Wildfire by Lana Popovic
30. Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver
31. Shiny Broken Pieces by Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton
32. Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
33. Mr Mercedes by Stephen King
34. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
35. The Map of Time by Felix J Palmas
36. Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor
37. The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson
38. Queen of Shadows by Sarah J Maas
39. Dear Martin by Nic Stone
40. Endsinger by Jay Kristoff
41. Overwhelmed by Brigid Schulte
42. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
43. The Better Angels of Our Nature by Steven Pinker
44. In the Hand of the Goddess by Tamora Pierce
45. Willful Machines by Tim Floreene
46. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
47. These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meghan Spooner
48. The Queen of Tearling by Erika Johansen
49. The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
50. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

2017 Reading Challenge

I tried (and failed) at this challenge last year. I wanted to try again to read 48 specific books, and try to balance it to four a month. This is just my own personal challenge.

My only rule I am making for myself is that it cannot be a 2017 book. These have to be books that were published in 2016 or earlier.

Most of these are books I really want to read this year. The bottom 15 were picked at random from my spreadsheet of books I want to read.

1. Endsinger by Jay Kristoff
2.These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meghan Spooner (and the rest of the series)
3. Mr Mercedes by Stephen King
4. Planetfall by Emma Newman
5. Shadowshaper by Daniel Jose Older
6. The Midnight Star by Marie Lu
7. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
8. Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
9. The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon
10. The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
11. Willful Machines by Tim Floreen
12. Night Film by Marisha Pessl
13. The Map of Time by Felix J Palma
14. The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson
15. A World Without You by Beth Revis
16. Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
17. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
18. Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman
19. The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley
20. Tiny Pretty Things by Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton
21. Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor
22. The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss
23. Before They are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie
24. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
25. Queen of Shadows by Sarah J Maas
26. In the Hand of the Goddess by Tamora Pierce
27. Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers
28. Gathering Darkness by Morgan Rhodes
29. The Magician’s Land by Lev Grossman
30. Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde
31.This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales
32. Adaptation by Malinda Lo
33. Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
34.Working in the Shadows: A Year of Doing the Jobs (Most) Americans Won’t Do by Gabriel Thompson
35. Fall for Anything by Courtney Summers
36. The Shoemaker’s Wife by Adriana Trigiani
37. The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
38. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
39. Drama High by Michael Sokolove
40. The Rebel Wife by Taylor M Polites
41. Timekeeper by Tara Sim
42. The Diviners by Libba Bray
43. The Liar Society by Lisa Roecker
44. Run by Kody Keplinger
45. Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore
46. Hard Choices by Hillary Rodham Clinton
47. Changeling by Philippa Gregory
48. The Secret Wisdom of the Earth by Christopher Scott

2016 Reading Challenge

So last year I did this challenge through an official challenge and failed at it in the fall. But I wanted to set the goal again to read 48 specific books, and try to balance it to four a month. This is just my own personal challenge.

My only rule I am making for myself is that it cannot be a 2016 book. These have to be books that were published in 2015 or earlier.

Most of these are books I really want to read this year. The bottom 15 were picked at random from my spreadsheet of books I want to read.

1. Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff (finished 4/3/16) (and the rest of the series)
2.These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meghan Spooner (and the rest of the series)
3. Mr Mercedes by Stephen King
4. Planetfall by Emma Newman
5. Shadowshaper by Daniel Jose Older
6. Nimona by Noelle Stevenson (finished 7/5/16)
7. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
8. A Darker Shade of Magic by V E Schwab finished 1/28/16
9. The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon
10. The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma finished 3/15/16
11. Willful Machines by Tim Floreen
12. Night Film by Marisha Pessl
13. The Map of Time by Felix J Palma
14. The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson
15. Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates (finished 12/14/16)
16. Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
17. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
18. Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman
19. The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley
20. Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard
21. Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor
22. The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss
23. Before They are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie
24. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
25. Queen of Shadows by Sarah J Maas
26. In the Hand of the Goddess by Tamora Pierce
27. Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers
28. Gathering Darkness by Morgan Rhodes
29. The Magician’s Land by Lev Grossman
30. Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde
31.This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales
32. Adaptation by Malinda Lo
33. Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
34. Stolen Songbird by Danielle L. Jensen
35. Nowhere But Home by Liza Palmer
36. The Returned by Jason Mott
37. Feed by Mira Grant
38. The Ward by Jordana Frankel
39. Manor of Secrets by Katherine Longshore
40. Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho
41. All These Things I’ve Done by Gabrielle Zevin
42. We Are All Made of Molecules by Susin Nielsen
43. The Forbidden Library by Django Wexler
44. Fall for Anything by Courtney Summers
45. Deadline by Chris Crutcher
46. Fan Art by Sarah Tregay
47. Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu
48. Working in the Shadows: A Year of Doing the Jobs (Most) Americans Won’t Do by Gabriel Thompson

2015 Goals

I don’t like the word resolution because it is so often associated with being broken or being extreme. I prefer the terms goals. So here are my goals for 2015.

Bookish:

Read 100 books. This will be harder this year than any other.

Read the 48 books in my reading assignment challenge. These have all been on my list for a while and I want to get to them!

Read 5 non-fiction books.

Health:

Get down to 150 pounds. Trying again.

Get a hip doctor. I really need one.

Random:

Finish two cross stitch projects.

Cross three things off my massive bucket list

Put away money every single month for our hopeful Mediterranean cruise in 2017.

Let’s hope that I can complete them!

2014 recap

So 2014 was a very good year. i got a new job. I spent a lot of time with family. I went to LeakyCon and Disney World with my husband (even though parts of that were awful_But overall, a really good year.

At the beginning of the year, I made some goals, so i want to reflect on how I did before I make new goals for next year.

If I stay in my current job, read 140 books.
OR
If I change jobs, read 100 books.

I changed jobs, so it was the second goal and I have read 104 books this year wit htwo days left!

Read 5 books from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list

I read zero. SO…fail on this one.

Read 10 non-fiction books

I read seven, so I was close! I consider this as close enough

Finish all the challenges I signed up for!

Ha! I deleted one because it just wasn’t happening. I got as close as I ever have one the TBR Challenge: 10 out of 12! I had two DNF and refuse to read more Grisham, so I knew it wouldn’t happen. I wish I had been able to find that last book at the library.

Health:

Get down to 150 pounds

Ha, not even close. Need to try this one again

Get a couple of specialist doctors

Nope. Failed again

Cancel our gym we dislike and find something new

We cancelled the gym! The something new is our UP bands.

Join a Masters swim team

Nope – found one but can’t get to it/afford it.

Other:

Spend more time with family

I saw a lot of my family this year and spent more time with our nieces! 

Get into the next step in my career

This was the biggest goal and it happened. 

Find 5 fun new activities to do with Jason

I think this is a win. We joined a bowling league. We started going to trivia. We have guitars now. We cook together more. He went to a nerdy convention. We did a lot of new things in 2014!

Overall, I am very happy with how I did on my goals! 

2015 Reading Assignment Challenge Signup

Because I want to be ambitious next year, and I want to plan out my reading a little bit more! Here are the basic rules (and click on the image above to sign up!):

• Commit to reading 1, 2, 3, or 4 books a month and MAKE A LIST of the SPECIFIC books you will read in 2015. This is the point of the challenge: You’re committing to reading a set list of books and a certain number of them each month. It’s your chance to finally hold yourself accountable for those books you keep promising yourself you’ll read!
• You may read any genre or any format (i.e., eBook, Audiobook, Paperback, Hardcover). But they must be published before January 1, 2015 and they must be at least 100 pages

And I am going for Level 5. Yep. Four books a month. 48 books in 2015 that I am planning on reading. My TBR pile/list is out of control and this should help! Since I am doing a higher level there is a pass and extra credits I can do too. The first 14 are easy, they are on my TBR Challenge.The next 34 will be more difficult to pick! My list is part random.org of my TBR list, part books I really want to get to.

My list of books still unread can be found below, here is the list of what I have read and when is right here:

Jan 15: House of Hades by Rick Riordan
Jan 23: The Cuckoo’s Calling by “Robert Galbraith”
Jan 24: Redshirts by John Scalzi 
Jan 24: Dreamcatcher by Stephen King – DNF
Feb 6: I Am Not A Serial Killer by Dan Wells
Feb 11: Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Maas
Feb 16: Heir of Fire by Sarah J Maas
Feb 21: The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Mar 1: Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
Mar 12: Fire by Kristin Cashore
Mar 26: Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor
Mar 31: Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo
Apr 6:  Blood Red Road by Moira Young
Apr 7: Love Story by Jennifer Echols
Apr 23: The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan
Apr 25: Clariel by Garth Nix
May 2: Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
May 27: Fairytale of New York by Miranda Dickinson
May 29: Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
May 31: Fall of Giants by Ken Follett
June 12: Running the Books: The Adventures of an Accidental Prison Librarian by Avi Steinberg (DNF)
June 22: Where I Belong by Gwendolyn Heasley
June 26: The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas
June 27: Bass Ackwards and Belly Up Elizabeth Craft
July 5: The Magician King by Lev Grossman
July 5: Don’t Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynowski
July 21: More Than This by Patrick Ness (DNF)
August 16: The Firebird by Susanna Kearsley
August 30: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
September 6: In the Woods by Tana French
October 20: A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
November 19: Wish by Alexandra Bullen
November 20: Dear American Airlines: A Novel by Jonathan Miles (DNF)
December 4: Dauntless by Jack Campbell
December 12: Disney After Dark by Ridley Pearson
December 19: When You Were Here by Daisy Whitney
December 20:  Unwind by Neal Shusterman
December 24: Demon Seed by Dean Koontz (DNF)
December 25: Stiff by Mary Roach
December 26: The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo

2. Coyote Blue by Christopher Moore
16. The Map of Time by Felix J Palma
22. The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson
28. NOS4A2 by Joe Hill
32. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
38. 97 Orchard: An Edible History of Five Immigrant Families in One New York Tenement by Jane Ziegelman
44. The Missing Manuscript of Jane Austen by Syrie James
48. Night Film by Marisha Pessl

Wow that is an eclectic list!So glad DNFs count because I might have a couple…

The Official 2015 TBR Pile Reading Challenge

This is my fourth time doing this challenge and I have never succeeded. I came close this year, but won’t be able to finish – def. a problem when i end up having several dnf books on the list. But I will try again because it is fun!

Here are the rules

Specifics:

1. Each of these 12 books must have been on your bookshelf or “To Be Read” list for AT LEAST one full year. This means the book cannot have a publication date of 1/1/2014 or later. Caveat: Two (2) alternates are allowed, just in case one or two of the books end up in the “can’t get through” pile.

2. To be eligible, you must sign-up with Mr. Linky – link to your list and add updated links to each book’s review. Books must be read and must be reviewed (doesn’t have to be too fancy) in order to count as completed.

3. The link you post  must be to your “master list”. This is where you will keep track of your books completed, crossing them out and/or dating them as you go along, and updating the list with the links to each review. Your complete and final list must be posted by January 15th, 2015.

4. Every person who successfully reads his/her 12 books and/or alternates (and who provides a working link to their list, which has links to the review locations)will be entered to win a $50 gift card from Amazon.com or The Book Depository!

5. Crossovers from other challenges are totally acceptable, as long as you have never read the book before and it was published before 2014!

*Note – You can read the books on your list in any order; they do not need to be read in the order you have them listed. As you complete a book – review it, and go back to your original list and turn that title into a link to the review – that will keep the comments section here from getting ridiculously cluttered. For an example of what I mean, Click Here.

Here is my list for the year!

1. When You Were Here by Daisy Whitney
2. Coyote Blue by Christopher Moore
3. Running the Books: The Adventures of an Accidental Prison Librarian by Avi Steinberg DNF
4. Stiff by Mary Roach
5. The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo
6. Dreamcatcher by Stephen King DNF
7. More Than This by Patrick Ness DNF
8. I Am Not A Serial Killer by Dan Wells
9. The Fall Giants by Ken Follett
10. Dear American Airlines: A Novel by Jonathan Miles DNF
11. Where I Belong by Gwendolyn Heasley – read June 2015
12. Unwind by Neal Shusterman

Alternates
1. Bass Ackwards and Belly Up Elizabeth Craft – read June 2015
2. Demon Seed by Dean Koontz

I am super excited about this list!

The 2014 TBR Pile Challenge!

So I have tried (and failed) at this challenge hosted by Roof Beam Reader for a couple years now. I think I might get 5 books from my list last year read. Maybe. We will see how I do in these last couple weeks of the year.

But why not try again? I love the idea of this challenge, I just need to remember to do it.

Here are the rules copied from the sign up page, which you should totally go to because it is a fun challenge!

The Goal: To finally read 12 books from your “to be read” pile (within 12 months).

Specifics:

1. Each of these 12 books must have been on your bookshelf or “To Be Read” list for AT LEAST one full year. This means the book cannot have a publication date of 1/1/2013 or later (any book published in the year 2012 or earlier qualifies, as long as it has been on your TBR pile – I WILL be checking publication dates). Caveat: Two (2) alternates are allowed, just in case one or two of the books end up in the “can’t get through” pile.

2. To be eligible, you must sign-up with Mr. Linky below – link to your list (so create it ahead of time!) and add updated links to each book’s review. Books must be read and must be reviewed (doesn’t have to be too fancy) in order to count as completed.

3. The link you post in the Mr. Linky below must be to your “master list” (see mine below). This is where you will keep track of your books completed, crossing them out and/or dating them as you go along, and updating the list with the links to each review (so there’s one easy, convenient way to find your list and all your reviews for the challenge). See THIS LINK for an idea of what I mean. Your complete and final list must be posted by January 15th, 2014.

4. Leave comments on  as you go along, to update us on your status. Come back here if/when you complete this challenge and leave a comment indicating that youCONQUERED YOUR 2014 TBR LIST! Every person who successfully reads his/her 12 books and/or alternates (and who provides a working link to their list, which has links to the review locations) will be entered to win a $50 gift card from Amazon.com or The Book Depository!

5. Crossovers from other challenges are totally acceptable, as long as you have never read the book before and it was published before 2013!

*Note – You can read the books on your list in any order; they do not need to be read in the order you have them listed. As you complete a book – review it, and go back to your original list and turn that title into a link to the review – that will keep the comments section here from getting ridiculously cluttered.

So to keep up with tradition, I have a spreadsheet of books I want to read, and I will use random.org to pick my 14 books. I haven’t updated this list since last year, so all the pub dates should be good, but I will have to double check. There are 613 books on that list and it is sure to be an eclectic mix!

1. Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett
2. The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides 
3.  Cultures of War: Pearl Harbor / Hiroshima / 9-11 / Iraq by John W Dower
4. Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips
5. 11/22/63 by Stephen King
6. Pretty Monsters by Kelly Link
7. The Litigators by John Grisham not reading anything else by him
8. Sweat, Tears, and Jazz Hands: The Official History of Show Choir from Vaudevillle to Glee by Mike Weaver and Colleen Hart
9. The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion Read first 30 pages, not a book or me
10. Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby Read a couple chapters, not crazy about it
11. The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder
12. Every You, Every Me by David Levithan

Alternates
1. Why Do Men Have Nipples? by Mark Leyner
2. The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley

What’s In a Name 6 Sign Up

This challenge is hosted by the amazing and wonderful Beth Fish Reads. I did this challenges a couple years ago, but skipped it last year. I thought it would be fun to read books on my to-read list that fit these categories! Here are the categories and my preliminary plans for what I want to read!

1. A book with up or down (or equivalent) in the title:  Tales of the Madman Underground by John Barnes or
2. A book with something you’d find in your kitchen in the title: Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie
3. A book with a party or celebration in the title: 1225 Christmas Tree Lane by Debbie Macomber
4. A book with fire (or equivalent) in the title: Circle of Fire
5. A book with an emotion in the title: The Illicit Happiness of Other People
6. A book with lost or found (or equivalent) in the title: Tuesday’s Gone by Nicci French

These all can (and probably will) change, especially as others start participating!

Are you participating?

The 2013 TBR Pile Challenge

I have tried (and failed) at this challenge for the last two years, but it is still a fun one so I am trying again in 2013!

This challenge is hosted by Adam at Roof Beam Reader.

Here are the rules – a little condensed.

1. Each of these 12 books must have been on your bookshelf or “To Be Read” list for AT LEAST one full year. This means the book cannot have a publication date of 1/1/2012 or later.  Caveat: Two (2) alternates are allowed, just in case one or two of the books end up in the “can’t get through” pile.

2.  To be eligible, you must sign-up with Mr. Linky and add updated links to each book’s review.  Every listed book must be completed and must be reviewed (doesn’t have to be too fancy) in order to count as completed.

3.  The link you post must be to your “master list”  This is where you will keep track of your books completed, crossing them out and/or dating them as you go along, and updating the list with the links to each review.

4. Leave comments on this post as you go along, to update your status. Come back if/when you complete this challenge and leave a comment indicating that you CONQUERED YOUR 2013 TBR LIST!  Every person who successfully reads his/her 12 books and/or alternates will be entered to win a $50 gift card from Amazon.com or The Book Depository!

5. Crossovers from other challenges are totally acceptable, as long as you have never read the book before and it was published pre-2012!

And here is my list! To pick it, I went to the spreadsheet i have of my to-read books and had random.org give me 12 numbers, then made sure that none were published in 2012.

1. Evermore  by Alyson Noel
2. Yearbook by Ally Condie  Could not finish this one
3. The Walls of the Universe by Paul Melko
4. Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen
5. My Lucky Life in and Out of Show Business by Dick Van Dyke
6.  How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff Could not finish this one
7. Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby
8. Youth in Revolt by C.D. Payne
9. The Longest Trip Home by John Grogan
10. Amazing Gracie by Dan Dye
11. Lord of Misrule by Jaimy Gordon
12. Why We Suck by Denis Leary

Alts
1. Hate List by Jennifer Brown
2. Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi