Sophomore Reading Challenge

Shanyn at Chick Loves Lit had an amazing idea for a challenge: to read the second book published by our favorite YA/MG authors in the year 2012. She has already started an amazing Goodreads list so I went there to write out my tentative list (I stopped at 10 so this post wouldn't be too long!)

List:
1. Insurgent by Veronica Roth
2. Dreamless by Josephine Angelini
3. Seven Clues to Winning You by Kristin Walker
4. A Million Suns by Beth Revis
5. The Nightmare Garden by Caitlin Kittredge
6. Hallowed by Cynthia Hand
7. Truth by Julia Karr
8. Embers and Echoes by Karsten Knight
9. Timepiece by Myra McEntire
10. Perception by Kim Harrington

I am looking forward to these titles so much and I'm so excited about this challenge! Come sign up and join the fun!

2012 Debut Author Challenge

CHALLENGE OBJECTIVE:

• To read & review a minimum of twelve young adult or middle grade debut novels between the dates of January 1, 2012 - January 31, 2013.*

*The 2013 extension is so that December Debuts can be read and count toward the challenge.

RULES & GUIDELINES:

• You must have a Blog to post your reviews or be a member of Goodreads. 
• Your blog must be written in English.
• Deadline to join is May 31, 2012.

BOOK GUIDELINES:

• Must be a young adult or middle grade title.
• Must be the author’s YA or MG debut, released in 2012.
• If an author has a previous novel published for adults or children, they can still qualify for the challenge.
• If an author has a previous YA or MG title, they do not qualify for the challenge.

I participated in the 2011 challenge and had a lot of fun so of course I'm excited to sign up and participate again. Visit the Story Siren for more details and to sign up yourself! There are already over 400 participants so you'll certainly want to join in the fun with us.

Tentative List (Pulled from the Goodreads list)
1. Everneath by Brodi Ashton
2. Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi (won from firstreads)
3. Cinder by Marissa Meyer (Netgalley)
4. Tempest by Julie Cross (from Amazon Vine)
5. Article 5 by Kristen Simmons
6. Love & Leftovers by Sarah Tregay
7. Slide by Jill Hathaway
8. Where It Began by Ann Redisch Stampler
9. Struck by Jennifer Bosworth
10. Queen of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
11. Never Eighteen by Megan Bostic (on Netgalley)
12. The Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenberg

Signing Up for The Back To The Classics Challenge 2012

I'm not planning to sign up for many challenges this year (famous last words!) but I really need some help with a long-term challenge so here are the requirements and what I *think* I will read. Obviously I reserve the right to change at my will. Hosted by Sarah Reads Too Much

• Any 19th Century Classic-Middlemarch by George Eliot
• Any 20th Century Classic-1984 by George Orwell
• Reread a classic of your choice-an Austen work (probably Emma or Persuasion)
• A Classic Play-Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare
  
• Classic Mystery/Horror/Crime Fiction-The Shining by Stephen King
• Classic Romance-Under the Greenwood Tree by Thomas Hardy (been dying to read this after seeing the lovely miniseries)
• Read a Classic that has been translated from its original language to your language-Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert (from French)
• Classic Award Winner-The Magnificent Ambersons by Booth Tarkington (Pulitzer Prize winner of 1919)
• Read a Classic set in a Country that you (realistically speaking) will not visit during your lifetime-Dante's Inferno (Hell) or Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (Belgian Congo)

This is a great opportunity for me to catch up on my FITG challenge, where I am woefully behind. Except for the reread, these will all be new to me and ones that I can cross of the list. I hope you will consider signing up or that you will cheer me on as I try to accomplish this!

Wrap-Up to Contemps Challenge!

I have completed the original Contemps Challenge: 18 contemporary books covering a variety of topics and I just wanted to share my opinions again. I have divided the books into 4 categories, from favorite to least.

LOVED, LOVED, LOVED:
Sean Griswold's Head by Lindsey Leavitt-hands down favorite out of all the contemps. I was totally surprised by how much I loved this book and I cannot recommend it enough to you.

Loved:
Rival by Sara Bennett Wealer
The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney
The Duff by Kody Keplinger
Back When You Were Easier to Love by Emily Wing Smith
Want to Go Private by Sarah Darer Littman

Recommended:
Girl, Stolen by April Henry
Freefall by Mindi Scott
Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler
Fall For Anything by Courtney Summers
Family by Micol Ostow
Between Here and Forever by Elizabeth Scott
The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder

Not entirely to my taste but that is not to say that you wouldn't like them:
Losing Faith by Denise Jaden
Like Mandarin by Kirsten Hubbard
Small Town Sinners by Melissa Walker
Trapped by Michael Northrop
Sharks and Boys by Kristen Tracy
Pearl by Jo Knowles

What about you? Were you participating in the Contemps Challenge? Have you read any of these books? Do you have a favorite?

February Stats

Info:
I had another pretty good month (not quite as good as January but still...) reading 27 books!  I didn't do as well on some of my challenges as I would have liked but I'm progressing nicely on the Contemps and I will work harder on the others in the future because I definitely want to complete all of them.  I did have a slump between February 14-18 but I recovered.

As I worked on my review archives this weekend, I noticed that they seemed somewhat unwieldy because I have now reviewed quite a lot of books.  If you have a chance, I'd love to know what you think of them and how you prefer to search for reviews on someone's site.  Do you like author or title? Would a series page be helpful? Since I review many different genres, would a page for each genre be helpful? Any recommendations would be appreciated.

In March, I will continue reviewing books including some South Asian literature that I'm reading for a class and lots of YA.  Plus after having so much fun with Oliver Twist, I'm also participating in Allie at A Literary Odyssey's The Three Musketeers Readalong-I think there's still time to sign up if you want to join us!

Monthly Stats:

Books Read This Month: 27
Pages Read This Month: 8,435
Average Length of Book: 312
Average Rating of Book: 3.87

Favorite Book: Academy 7 by Anne Osterlund

Least Favorite Book: Look to the East by Maureen Lang

Longest Book: A tie between Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens and Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult at 466

Shortest Book: 5 Very Good Reasons to Punch a Dolphin in the Mouth by The Oatmeal, 152

Year Stats:

Total Books Read: 68

Total Pages Read: 19,044

Average Length of Book: 280

Average Rating of Book: 3.86

By Genre:
Mystery-1
YA/MG-14
Romance-2

Classics-2

Science Fiction/Fantasy-0

Non-Fiction-3
Historical Fiction-2
Short Stories-1
Other-2

Challenge Updates:

Contemps: 4 read, 7 total

Cozy: 0 read, 1 total

British Books: 3 read, 15 total

YA Debut: 3 read, 6 total

Ebook: 9 read, 22 total

Source:

Home Library-0

School Library-14

Own/Borrowed-4

Booksneeze-0

Netgalley-8

Other ebook source-1

Audiobook-0

Read for school: 2

Read for pleasure: 25

Stats for Previous Months: January

Books read (If they've been reviewed, link)
42. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
43. Deadly Vows by Brenda Joyce
44. Tempestuous by Lesley Livingston
45. Freefall by Mindi Scott
46. 5 Very Good Reasons... by The Oatmeal
47. Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler
48. Kate by Claudia Joseph
49. What Can't Wait by Ashley Hope Perez
50. Selected Short Stories by Rabindranath Tagore
51. Girl, Stolen by April Henry
52. Ransome's Honor by Kaye Dacus
53. XVI by Julia Karr
54. Prisoners in the Palace by Michaela MacColl
55. The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell
56. Why Jesus? by William H. Willimon
57. Academy 7 by Anne Osterlund
58. A Passage to India by EM Forster
59. Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves
60. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
61. Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult
62. Look to the East by Maureen Lang
63. The Atomic Weight of Secrets by Eden Unger Bowditch
64. Rugged and Relentless by Kelly Eileen Hake
65. The Heroine's Bookshelf by Erin Blakemore
66. The Queen's Daughter by Susan Coventry
67. Outside In by Maria V. Snyder
68. Trapped by Michael Northrop

January Stats

Info:
I changed how I present my statistics each month so this will be a very long post but it's something I'm very interested in tracking.  I had a fantastic month-namely I read 41 books which is crazy.  I was shooting for 31 and I can't believe I managed to exceed that.  I think this was a combination of being on break from school, reading some really good books, and reading some really short books.  As I look back, I count 9 books under 200 pages.
I'm also thankful to my nookcolor for helping me increase my reading stats for ebooks.  I was worried about it being backlit but my eyes haven't hurt at all.  I've only read one book where color mattered but I have some others queued that will help me take full advantage of its color capabilities.
In February, I will continue reviewing books including some South Asian literature that I'm reading for a class, perhaps some movies, and I'm also participating in Allie at A Literary Odyssey's Oliver Twist readalong-I think there's still time to sign up if you want to join us!

Monthly Stats:

Books Read This Month: 41
Pages Read This Month: 10,609
Average Length of Book: 265
Average Rating of Book: 3.72

Favorite Book: The Ramayana translated by R.K. Narayan

Least Favorite Book: Promise by Kristie Cook (too Twilight)

Longest Book: Insatiable by Meg Cabot at 451 pages.

Shortest Book: The Mysterious Lady Law by Robert Appleton at 104 pages

Year Stats:

Total Books Read: 41

Total Pages Read: 10,609

Average Length of Book: 265

Average Rating of Book: 3.72

By Genre:
Mystery-7
YA-13
Romance-6

Classics-2

Science Fiction/Fantasy-1

Non-Fiction-10
Historical Fiction-1
Short Stories-0
Other-1

Challenge Updates

Contemps: 1 read, 3 total

Cozy: 1 read, 1 total

British Books: 12 read, 12 total

YA Debut: 3 read, 3 total

Ebook: 13 read, 13 total

Source:
Home Library-11
School Library-6
Own/Borrowed-9
Booksneeze-2
Netgalley-10
Free ebook-2
Audiobook-1

Read for school: 4
Read for pleasure: 37

Books read (If they've been reviewed, link)
1. After the Funeral by Agatha Christie
2. The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney
3. Unearthly by Cynthia Hand
4. Fasting by Scot McKnight
5. The Sittaford Mystery by Agatha Christie
6. Firelight by Sophie Jordan
7. Paranormalcy by Kiersten White
8. Bed of Roses by Nora Roberts
9. Savor the Moment by Nora Roberts
10. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
11. Insatiable by Meg Cabot
12. The Mysterious Mr. Quin by Agatha Christie
13. Once Upon a Scandal by Delilah Marvelle
14. The Mysterious Lady Law by Robert Appleton
15. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
16. The Healer's Apprentice by Melanie Dickerson
17. Jane by April Lindner
18. Boys, Bears, and a Serious Pair of Hiking Boots by Abby McDonald
19. The Deeds of the Disturber by Elizabeth Peters
20. The Jesus Inquest by Charles Foster
21. Promise by Kristie Cook
22. Love Remains by Kaye Dacus
23. Across the Universe by Beth Revis
24. Dangerous Neighbors by Beth Kephart
25. Delirium by Lauren Oliver (check back later today for my review)
26. William and Harry by Katie Nicholl
27. The Bible by John Riches
28. Feminism by Margaret Walters
29. Women of the Bible by Carol Smith, Rachael Phillips, and Ellyn Sanna
30. Click edited by Courtney E. Martin and J. Courtney Sullivan
31. Dangerous Secrets by Katie Reus
32. Not That Kind of Girl by Siobhan Vivian
33. Enchantress of Florence by Salman Rushdie
34. The Ruby in the Smoke by Philip Pullman
35. Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton
36. The Rise and Fall of the Bible by Timothy K. Beal
37. The Ramayana translated by N.K. Narayan
38. Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey
39. A Fatal Waltz by Tasha Alexander
40. Miracles of the American Revolution by Larkin Spivey
41. William's Princess by Robert Jobson

2011 Cozy Mystery Challenge

2011 Cozy Mystery Challenge!

Welcome to the 2011 Cozy Mystery Challenge! This will be my first attempt at hosting a challenge, so bear with me! In the past few months I have become increasingly interested in cozy mysteries. What is a cozy mystery, you ask? Click HERE for a great definition from www.cozy-mystery.com, which will provide you with lots of great options for this challenge, including an alphabetical listing of cozy mystery authors.

Cozy mysteries usually involve an female amateur sleuth that gets herself into a trouble trying to solve a mystery. These are light, fun reads that appeal to women who liked reading Trixie Beldon and Nancy Drew books when they were growing up. They are not as heavy and deep as most mystery/thrillers. They usually come as part of a series with specific themes. You can find just about any kind of cozy mystery from knitters, to bakers, to bookshop owners and tattoo artists.

Sign Up:
~To Sign up for the challenge you must make a post on your blog announcing your participation in the challenge, your level of participation and link back to this sign up page.
~You then must use the URL of that post to sign up through the Mr. Linky provided below.
~Please post the 2011 Cozy Mystery Challenge Button on your side bar so that others can link back to Debbie's Book Bag, if they want to sign up.

Other Details:
~The challenge will run from January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2011.
~There will be three levels of participation to choose from:
Amateur Detective: Read 1-5 Cozy Mystery's
Private-Eye: Read 6-10 Cozy Mystery's
GumShoe: Read 11 or more Cozy Mystery's
~ You do NOT need to list your cozy mysteries ahead of time, you can add them as you go. If you do choose to list them up front, feel free to change them as you need to.
~ You can sign up any time during the year!
~ Books that have been read before January 1st 2011 will not count for this challenge.
~ Cross-overs from other challenges are accepted.
~ At the beginning of each month I will make a post for you link your reviews to.

Prizes:
~Every person who signs up for the challenge and links at least 5 cozy mystery reviews within the challenge period will be entered to win a prize at the end of the challenge.
~The prize will be a complete cozy mystery series from your favorite cozy author!

I will be shooting for the Amateur Detective level with the possibility of increasing. I am glad that we don't have to list our books yet because I don't know what I'll read yet.

2011 Debut YA Authors Challenge

Hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren

2011 Debut Author Challenge participant information:

• The objective of the DAC is to read at least twelve novels from Young Adult or Middle Grade Authors. While twelve is the minimum there is no maximum limit! I encourage readers who can read more than twelve to do so!
• Anyone can join. You don't have to be a blogger, and you don't have to live in the United States. 
• You do not have to have an blog written in English to participate. 
• Deadline to join is November 20, 2011. The challenge runs from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2011. 

Qualifying books:

• Books must be a Young Adult or Middle Grade novel.
• DO NOTE: Just because a book has a teen character or is about a teen, does not mean that it is necessarily a Young Adult novel. 
• This must be the authors debut with a release date in 2011. 
• If an author has a previous novel published under adult fiction/nonfiction or children's fiction/nonfiction, they can still qualify for the challenge if they are releasing their YA or MG debut.

Tentative List with notes about if I already have it:
1. Unearthly by Cynthia Hand
2. XVI by Julia Karr
3. Across the Universe by Beth Revis
4. Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton (Netgalley)
5. Here Lies Bridget by Paige Harbison (Netgalley)
6. Where I Belong by Gwendolyn Heasley
7. Wither by Lauren DeStefano (ARC)
8. Entwined by Heather Dixon
9. What Can't Wait by Ashley Hope Perez (Netgalley)
10. The Lipstick Laws by Amy Holder (Netgalley)
11. Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky (Netgalley)
12. Populazzi by Elise Allen (Netgalley)

I have quite a few on Netgalley so as soon as it's 2011, I'm going to start reading them! Super excited to get started!

British Books Challenge 2011

Hosted by Becky at The Bookette.

I originally said I wasn't going to sign up for any challenges (excepting the E-Book Challenge because I have so many netgalley books and an e-reader is my number one wish for Christmas) but it's so hard so I'm signing up for another one!

So what is the British Books Challenge?
The BBC is a reading challenge where bloggers sign up to read books by British writers throughout 2011.

The books can be in print or out. Old or new titles. They can be from any genre and for any age. My blog is obviously focused on YA and children's literature but you are welcome to read adult novels if you wish.

There are two entry categories for the challenge:

Home Grown

This is for British bloggers who have access to many British books via their public libraries, fit-to-bursting bookshelves at home etc. The target is to read 12 novels. Thanks to The Story Siren for creating a formula with the Debut Author Challenge that really works - one British book a month should be easy peasy!

International Friend
For any wonderful bloggers living overseas who wish to support British writers.
You can choose to between:

Winston Churchill - Read 6 books by British authors in 2011

The Royal Family - Read 12 books by British authors in 2011

There will also be the chance to earn yourselves a Crown if you manage to read 50 books by British writers in the year.

As an American, I will be an "International Friend" and I'm going for the Royal Family although I would love to win a crown so I will try for 50 if I can.  Sidenote: who's excited for the wedding? I have already blocked out my calendar for that day and will be in front of the TV the whole time (no matter how early it starts since I'm on the West Coast and thus 8 hours behind.) 

 

Anyway I'm really excited for the challenge!

 

Preliminary List:

1. At least one book by Charles Dickens

2. At least 12 Agatha Christies (This overlaps with my personal challenge to read all of them)

3. Possession by AS Byatt

4. Passion by Jude Morgan

5. Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey

6. Nine Coaches Waiting by Mary Stewart

7. Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons

8. The Spy Who Came In From the Cold by John le Carre

9. The Quiet American by Graham Greene

10. Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare

 

2011 E-Book Challenge

Challenge Guidelines:
1. Anyone can join. You don't need a blog to participate.

--Non-bloggers: Include your information in the comment section.

2. There are four levels:

-- Curious – Read 3 e-books.

-- Fascinated – Read 6 e-books.

-- Addicted – Read 12 e-books.

-- Obsessed – Read 20 e-books.

3. Any genre counts.

4. You can list your books in advance or just put them in a wrap-up post. If you list them, feel free to change them as the mood takes you.

5. Challenge begins January 1, 2011 and lasts until December 31, 2011.

 I wasn't planning on participating in any challenges this year but this one fits with my plans for the year so I figured I'd sign up.  I'm hoping for an ereader for Christmas which will make this a lot easier but I also have about 40 books on netgalley (I've been really fortunate) so I will be reading them anyway.  Thus I am going for the Obsessed category.

Terry Pratchett Challenge Completed

Completed:

Unseen Academicals
Thud
Small Gods
Mort
Hogfather
Guards! Guards!

Four of these were on my original list while the other two I added in based on convenience. I originally thought I wasn't going to be able to do this but I buckled down and get it done. I pronounce this challenge successful!

Read My Own Books Personal Challenge

In order to try and keep myself on track, I wanted to share my list of books I'm hoping to read for this challenge (in no particular order):

-Cat Among the Pigeons

-At Bertram's Hotel

-A Caribbean Mystery

-Half of the Sky

-Shade

-Drood

-The Hunger Games

-Inside Out

-Endless Summer

-Ten Things I Love About You

-Wherever Nina Lies

-Love on a Dime

-Invisible Girl

-No Will But His

-The Scarlet Letter

-Shanghai Girls

This is the preliminary list from one shelf but no worries, I have a lot more once I've finished these!

I have one more library book (hopefully done and posted on Sunday) and then I will jump right on in!

June Stats/Half Year Wrap-Up

A. It's one of my best friend's birthday today and it's an important one so I'm going to wish her a happy birthday although I don't know if she'll see this.

B. I was really disappointed with my total at first but I am still struggling with balancing work/reading so hopefully it will be better next month.

Books Read This Month: 19-all from the library

Favorite Book: And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Worst Book: Just Jane by Nancy Moser

Longest Book: When Everything Changed by Gail Collins, 405 pages

Shortest Book: And Then There Were None, 194 pages

Most Read Genre: Mystery with 6, YA with 5

Sum up of first six months of 2010

Favorite book of so far: Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery

Total Pages Read: 42,706

Total Books Read: 134 (not bad, right?)

Challenges Update: I finished the Bronte challenge with the good book Charlotte and Emily by Jude Morgan. I am hoping to add another book to my Terry Pratchett challenge this month.

Plans for July: Well, I was going to read my own books but then I went to the library so I have a few more from there to go through. I am also in the process of listening to Dead Until Dark, my first audiobook, which I will finish by Friday because it's due then. I have some thoughts about what else I will read but nothing set in stone.

How was your reading for June?

Challenge Completed!

I finished the Bronte Challenge hosted by Laura's Reviews. Here is my original post.

The challenge was to read/watch/listen to 3-6 works by or about the Brontes. I read and reviewed:

1. Becoming Jane Eyre by Sheila Kohler

2. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

3. Charlotte and Emily by Jude Morgan

I still want to read Anne Bronte's works and see more film adaptations but I am pleased with these three readings. Jude Morgan's book has been on my list for a while as he is an automatic read author for me and I really enjoyed its perspective, thus making it my favorite.

100 in 2010

Beginning January 1, 2010 and continuing through the year, the goal is to read 100 books. While I'm pretty sure that I've read over 100 books this year, I didn't keep track so this will be a personal challenge for me to keep track of everything I read, including new reads, rereads, challenge books, and any audio books.

To sign up, head on over to J. Kaye's Blog!

Also at J. Kaye is the 2010 support your library; I read books that are almost exclusively from the library so I'm going for the Super Size Me which is 100 books. If I can complete the first one, I should be able to finish this one too.

So because I'm kind of lazy, this is a dual post for reading 100 books from the library. Most of the books I would review for this blog are from the library; the other books I read, I bought for class and tend to be less interesting.

1. Nixonland by Rick Perlstein

2. Ex-Mas by Kate Brian (I love that I read this in January rather than December)

3. Food, Girls, and Other Things I Can't Have by Allen Zadoff

4. Signing Their Lives Away by Denise Kiernan and Joseph D'Agnese

5. Lord Peter Wimsey Stories by Dorothy L Sayers

6. Nobody's Princess by Esther Friesner

7. Royal Flush by Rhys Bowen

8. Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie (I fingered the murderer!)

9. Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

10. Polk by Walter Borneman

11. Liar by Justine Larbalestier

12. The Tuesday Club Murders by Agatha Christie

13. Nobody's Prize by Esther Friesner

14. Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett

15. Love You, Hate You, Miss You by Elizabeth Scott

16. The Intimate Lives of the Founding Fathers by Thomas Fleming

17. The Man in the Brown Suit by Agatha Christie

18. Harry Potter's Bookshelf by John Granger

19. Psych Major Syndrome by Alicia Thompson

20. How Harry Cast His Spell by John Granger

21. Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier

22. Poirot Investigates by Agatha Christie

23. Harry Potter and Imagination by Travis Prinzi

24. The Secret of Chimneys by Agatha Christie

25. The Founding by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles (Would love to continue this series but the library does not have the second book :-( Will keep looking)

26. Sea Glass by Maria V Snyder

27. Murder on Board by Agatha Christie (3 books in one)

28. Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin

29. Cybele's Secret by Juliet Marillier

30. What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell

31. Becoming Jane Eyre by Shelia Kohler.

32. Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde

33. A Truth Universally Acknowledged ed. Susannah Carson

34. Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev

35. Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers

36. And Only to Deceive by Tasha Alexander

37. Fire by Kristin Cashore

38. Token of Darkness by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

39. A Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters

40. Shakespeare's Landlord by Charlaine Harris

41. Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn

42. Climbing the Stairs by Padma Venkatraman

43. Final Exam by Maggie Barbieri

44. George Lucas' Blockbusting ed. Alex Ben Block

45. Boys, Girls, and Other Hazardous Materials by Rosalind Wiseman

46. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

47. The Last Illusion by Rhys Bowen

48. Stupid Cupid by Rhonda Stapleton

49. The Ex Games by Jennifer Echols

50. Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols

51. House Rules by Jodi Picoult

52. A Match Made in High School by Kristin Walker

53. Frankly My Dear, I'm Dead by Livia J. Washburn

54. The Nine Tailors by Dorothy L Sayers

55. Perfect Shot by Debbie Rigaud

56. The Secret Life of a Teenage Siren by Wendy Toliver

57. Love Off-Limits by Whitney Lyles

58. The Betrayal of the Blood Lily by Lauren Willig

59. If I Stay by Gayle Forman

60. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

61. Huckleberry Finished by Livia J Washburn

62. A Poisoned Season by Tasha Alexander

63. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

64. Jane Austen and the War of Ideas by Marilyn Butler

65. This Book is Overdue by Marilyn Johnson

66. Flirting with Disaster by Rhonda Stapleton

67. Redeeming the Hero by Moira J. Moore

68. Taken by Storm by Angela Morrison

69. Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers

70. The Espressologist by Kristina Springer

71. Laughing Feminism by Audrey Bilger

72. The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott

73. Heaven by Lisa Miller

74. Fat Cat by Robin Brande

75. The Ninth Daughter by Barbara Hamilton

76. Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

77. Bible Babel by Kristin Swenson

78. Forget-Her-Nots by Amy Brecount-White

79. Albatross by Josie Bloss

80. Wish by Alexandra Bullen

81. The Big Burn by Timothy Egan

82. Darklight by Lesley Livingston

83. A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce

84. Charlotte and Emily by Jude Morgan

85. The Real Real by

86. Impossible by Nancy Werlin

87. Extracurricular Activities by Maggie Barbieri

88. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

89. Quick Study by Maggie Barbieri

90. Just Jane by Nancy Moser

91. Daughter of Silk by Linda Lee Chaikin

92. Written on Silk by Linda Lee Chaikin

93. Thread of Silk by Linda Lee Chaikin

94. Jane's Fame by Claire Harman

95. Evil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie

96. The Moving Finger by Agatha Christie

97. The Mummy Case by Elizabeth Peters

98. When Everything Changed by Gail Collins

99. Appointment with Death by Agatha Christie
100. Aurelia by Anne Osterlund
101. Belief by Francis Collins
102. In the Land of Believers by Gina Welch
103. Heist Society by Ally Carter
104. Fifth Avenue, 5 AM by Sam Wasson
Updated September 5th

All About the Brontes Challenge

Wow-another challenge already but this one coincides with personal goals/FITG. My first experience with the Brontes was reading Jane Eyre in 9th grade. Needless to say I hated it-it was so boring. Around that time I discovered Pride and Prejudice, confirming me as a Janeite and leaving me somewhat anti-Bronte. I've felt bad about that though and have been meaning to rectify my closed-mindness. I've seen the 1939 Wuthering Heights (I love Olivier) and the 1996 Tenant of Wildfell Hall and I enjoyed both of them although the former because of the actor-I just don't get how Heathcliff is romantic.

The challenge is to read/watch/listen to 3 to 6 items about anything Bronte between January 1, 2010 and June 30, 2010. I wrote up a tentative list and it had 10 items on it so I will hopefully be able to complete it.

Tentative List:

• Wuthering Heights
• The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
• Agnes Grey
• The Life of Charlotte Bronte
• The Eyre Affair (would be a reread)
• The Taste of Sorrow (I really enjoyed two other books by Jude Morgan so this is a must-read for me)
• Wide Sargasso Sea
• The Thirteenth Tale (which has been on my list for a while)
• Jane Eyre 2007
• Wuthering Heights 2009

Thanks to Laura at Laura's Reviews for hosting this-I'm excited to get started!

Terry Pratchett Challenge

I've liked Terry Pratchett since my friend introduced his books to me in 10th grade (she also introduced me to Tamora Pierce-isn't she a great friend?) However I still haven't read that many of his books. So when I saw that Marg at ReadingAdventures is hosting a challenge for the upcoming year to read the Discworld novels, I was very excited.

It starts December 1, 2009 and will run to November 30, 2010 so plenty of time to read! I'm signing up as Academic at the Unseen University which means I'll read 6-8 books. I own The Colour of Magic, The Light Fantastic, and Thud although somehow I've never read them so those will be my first three. Then I will probably reread Going Postal and/or Making Money because I've enjoyed them a lot and I love Moist von Lipwig. I'd also like to read the newest book Unseen Academicals. To finish I will definitely want to read some books starring Death who is my favorite character. If I am very successful at acquiring the books, I may move up a level. But for now I want to aim for 6 to 8 since I know I will have a lot of other reading to do.

Tentative List:
1. The Colour of Magic
2. The Light Fantastic
3. Thud
4. Going Postal
5. Making Money
6. Unseen Academicals
7. Mort
8. Hogfather

Thank you for hosting Marg; I'm very excited to get started!

Fill-In-the-Gaps Challenge

I saw this challenge on some blog somewhere a while ago and once I find it I will be sure to link back to it. Basically it challenges you to come up with 100 books that you want/think you should read because they're considered classics or you have heard great things about them but would otherwise probably not make time for them. When compiling my list, I tried to diversify based on nationality and gender. I was not entirely successful (73 US/UK to 27 other countries and 31 F to 69 M) but as I tried to include a lot of "classics" and I don't always like translations, I think that is not too bad. Criteria for inclusion: Whether I already owned it; if it had been recommended to me; Length-if there was an author I wanted to represent, I looked for shortness or a book considered to be more accessible; diversity in author's nationality/gender. The challenge lasts for 5 years which means I only have to read 20 a year and that's not too bad. I started October 13, 2009 so I must finish October 13, 2014. I hope I will still remember this blog then! At the time of this writing I have already read Animal Farm and Age of Iron so reviews will be forthcoming.

Update: I will bold those I've read and link to those I've reviewed.

1. Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
2. The Black Cauldron
3. Bless Me Ultima
4. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
5. Go Ask Alice-not very good; I can't believe people thought this was real
6. The Handmaid's Tale
7. The Somnambulist
8. Polk-so interesting
9. Agnes Grey
10. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
11. Wuthering Heights
12. The Good Earth
13. Possession
14. My Antonia
15. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
16. The Awakening
17. Shogun
18. Age of Iron
19. Woman in White
20. Heart of Darkness
21. Red Badge of Courage
22. The Divine Comedy
23. The Second Sex
24. The Book of the City of Ladies
25. Guns, Germs, and Steel
26. Oliver Twist
27. David Copperfield
28. Little Dorrit
29. Bleak House
30. The Brothers Karamazov
31. Sister Carrie
32. Middlemarch
33. Madame Bovary
34. Outlander
35. Stardust
36. Cranford
37. Cold Comfort Farm
38. The Bible
39. The Wind in the Willows
40. The Female Eunuch
41. Under the Greenwood Tree
42. The Scarlet Letter
43. Catch-22
44. For Whom the Bell Tolls
45. The Kite Runner
46. Their Eyes Were Watching God
47. Never Let Me Go
48. The Far Pavilions
49. The Shining
50. A Separate Peace
51. A Wrinkle in Time
52. Sons and Lovers
53. The Golden Notebook
54. The Screwtape Letters
55. Romance of the Three Kingdoms Vol 1 & 2
56. Arabian Nights and Days
57. Daughter of the Forest
58. Chronicle of a Death Foretold
59. Love in the Time of Cholera
60. A Game of Thrones
61. The Thorn Birds
62. Mornings on Horseback
63. The Watchmen
64. Beloved
65. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
66. Animal Farm
67. 1984
68. Doctor Zhivago
69. Nixonland
70. All Quiet on the Western Front
71. Midnight's Children
72. Catcher in the Rye
73. Persepolis
74. Ivanhoe
75. A Suitable Boy
76. Twelfth Night
77. Ceremony
78. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
79. I Capture the Castle
80. The Red Pony
81. Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde
82. Treasure Island
83. Dracula
84. The Magnificent Ambersons
85. The Secret History
86. Vanity Fair
87. Anna Karenina
88. War and Peace
89. A Confederacy of Dunces
90. Huckleberry Finn
91. Around the World in 80 Days
92. Slaughterhouse-Five
93. Infinite Jest
94. All the King's Men
95. Brideshead Revisited
96. The Time Machine
97. The Age of Innocence
98. The Once and Future King
99. Howl's Moving Castle
100. The Book Thief

South Asian Author Challenge

I'm joining my first challenge-yay! In the past couple of weeks I read two books by Amitav Ghosh (reviews are coming) and I would like to continue to explore other Indian and South Asian authors. So head on over to S. Krishna to check out the challenge and sign up!

I'm signing up for the 3 book level just because I'm not sure where I'll be getting the books-I don't own any of them at the moment. I hope I'll read more especially because it lasts from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2010.

Books I'm considering:
Climbing the Stairs by Padma Venkatraman
A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth
The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh
The Enchantress of Florence-Salman Rushdie
In the Convent of Little Flowers-Indu Sundaresan