Friday, November 27, 2009

Reading Challenges

I've decided that 2010 is the year I join and successfully complete reading challenges. Here are a few that I'm interested in. Any others that I've missed that I should consider? (I'm still away on my blogging break, but I meant to post this during the week and forgot!) I will keep this page up to date with my progress!


J. Kaye is hosting the 2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge - I'm signing up for the mini-YA option, in which I'll be reading 12 YA books between January 1st and December 2010. I've read a lot of YA books this year, but is it just a phase I'm going through? We'll see.

1. Nation by Terry Pratchett
2. Once Upon a Time in the North by Philip Pullman
3. Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett
4. Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
5. Wake by Lisa McMann
6. The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett
7. Skellig by David Almond
8. Nobody's Girl by Sarra Manning
9. Along For the Ride by Sarah Dessen
10. Monsoon Summer by Mitali Perkins
11. Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols
12. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
13. Della Says OMG! by Keris Stainton
14. Ransom My Heart by Mia Thermopolis with Meg Cabot
15. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
16. The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
17. Guitar Girl by Sarra Manning
18. Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles
19. The Firework-Maker's Daughter by Philip Pullman
20. The Butterfly Tattoo by Philip Pullman
21. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
22. What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones
23. Heartbeat by Sharon Creech
24. Ash by Malinda Lo
25. Beautiful Dead: Jonas by Eden Maguire
26. Beastly by Alex Flinn
27. Beautiful Dead: Arizona by Eden Maguire
28. Fighting Ruben Wolfe by Markus Zusak
29. Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan
30. Bloom by Elizabeth Scott
31. The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson
32. An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
33. Scarred by Julia Hoban
34. Sticky Fingers by Niki Burnham
35. When It Happens by Susane Colasanti
36. The Book of Luke by Jenny O'Connell
37. North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley
38. I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
39. Marked by PC and Kristin Cast
40. Generation Dead by Daniel Waters
41. Paper Towns by John Green
42. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
43. Cut by Patricia McCormick
44. Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness
45. Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson
46. Forget You by Jennifer Echols
47. Strange Angels by Lili St Crow
48. Betrayed by PC and Kristin Cast
49. Fallen by Lauren Kate
50. When I Was Joe by Keren David
51. Chosen by PC and Kristin Cast
52. Untamed by PC and Kristin Cast
53. Split By A Kiss by Luisa Plaja
54. Hunted by PC and Kristin Cast
55. Betrayals by Lili St Crow
56. Notes From The Teenage Underground by Simmone Howell
57. Tempted by PC and Kristin Cast
58. My So-Called Afterlife by Tamsyn Murray
60. Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready
61. The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart


Also, J. Kaye's Support Your Local Library Challenge, in which I pledge to read 75 books.

1. The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimanda Ngozi Adichie
2. Nation by Terry Pratchett
3. Once Upon a Time in the North by Philip Pullman
4. Close Range: Wyoming Stories by Annie Proulx
5. I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts About Being A Woman by Nora Ephron
6. Persepolis by Marjane Sartapi
7. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
8. Maus by Art Spiegleman
9. Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett
10. Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day by Winifred Watson
11. Invisible by Paul Auster
12. Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
13. The Comical Tragedy or Tragical Comedy of Mr Punch by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean
14. The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett
15. Skellig by David Almond
16. Flowers For Algernon by Daniel Keyes
17. Boy by Roald Dahl
18. Ransom My Heart by Mia Thermopolis with Meg Cabot
19. Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby
20. The Unnamed by Joshua Ferris
21. Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card
22. The Firework-Maker's Daughter by Philip Pullman
23. The Butterfly Tattoo by Philip Pullman
24. Graceling by Kristin Cashore
25. Heartbeat by Sharon Creech
26. Dog Boy by Eva Hornung
27. Beautiful Dead: Arizona by Eden Maguire
28. Strange Angels by Lili St Crow
29. Fallen by Lauren Kate
30. When I Was Joe by Keren David

J. Kaye hosts some wonderful reading challenges - I will also be joining her 100+ reading challenge. So far this year I have read 135 books, so this should be easy! (er, I hope)

1. The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimanda Ngozi Adichie
2. Nation by Terry Pratchett
3. Once Upon a Time in the North by Philip Pullman
4. Close Range: Wyoming Stories by Annie Proulx
5. Dear Me: Letters to My 16 Year-Old Self
6. Sexing the Cherry by Jeanette Winterson
7. A Pale View of Hills by Kazuo Ishiguro
8. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
9. I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron
10. Persepolis by Marjane Sartapi
11. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
12. Maus by Art Spiegleman
13. Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett
14. Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day by Winifred Watson
15. Invisible by Paul Auster
16. Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
17. The Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby
18. Wake by Lisa McMann
19. Under the Duvet by Marian Keyes
20. Heartburn by Nora Ephron
21. Letter To My Daughter by Maya Angelou
22. The Comical Tragedy or Tragical Comedy of Mr Punch by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean
23. The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett
24. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
25. Property by Valerie Martin
26. Skellig by David Almond
27. Plain Jayne by Hillary Manton Lodge
28. Nobody's Girl by Sarra Manning
29. Along For the Ride by Sarah Dessen
30. Monsoon Summer by Mitali Perkins
31. Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon
32. Flowers For Algernon by Daniel Keyes
33. Boy by Roald Dahl
34. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
35. Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols
36. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
37. Della Says OMG! by Keris Stainton
38. Ransom My Heart by Mia Thermopolis with Meg Cabot
39. Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby
40. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
41. The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
42. Guitar Girl by Sarra Manning
43. A Short History of Myth by Karen Armstrong
44. The Unnamed by Joshua Ferris
45. Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles
46. Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card
47. The Firework-Maker's Daughter by Philip Pullman
48. The Butterfly Tattoo by Philip Pullman
49. Unsticky by Sarra Manning (reread)
50. Graceling by Kristin Cashore
51. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
52. What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones
53. Girl Meets Boy by Ali Smith
54. Girl With Glasses: My Optic History by Marissa Walsh
55. Shopgirl by Steve Martin
56. The Graduate by Charles Webb
57. Heartbeat by Sharon Creech
58. Dog Boy by Eva Hornung
59. Ash by Malinda Lo
60. Beautiful Dead: Jonas by Eden Maguire
61. The Body Artist by Don DeLillo
62. Men Without Women by Ernest Hemingway
63. The Unfinished Novel and other stories by Valerie Martin
64. Beastly by Alex Flinn
65. Fighting Ruben Wolfe by Markus Zusak
66. Beautiful Dead: Arizona by Eden Maguire
67. Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan
68. Bloom by Elizabeth Scott
69. The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson
70. An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
71. Scarred by Julia Hoban
72. Sticky Fingers by Niki Burnham
73. When It Happens by Susane Colasanti
74. The Book of Luke by Jenny O'Connell
75. North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley
76. The Woman Who Walked into Doors by Roddy Doyle
77. I Am The Messenger by Markus Zusak
78. American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
79. Marked by PC and Kristin Cast
80. Generation Dead by Daniel Waters
81. Paper Towns by John Green
82. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
83. Embroideries by Marjane Satrapi
84. Cut by Patricia McCormick
85. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
86. Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness
87. Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson
88. Forget You by Jennifer Echols
89. Betrayed by PC and Kristin Cast
90. Strange Angels by Lili St Crow
91. Fallen by Lauren Kate
92. When I Was Joe by Keren David
93. Chosen by PC and Kristin Cast
94. Untamed by PC and Kristin Cast
95. Split By A Kiss by Luisa Plaja
96. Hunted by PC and Kristin Cast
97. Betrayals by Lili St Crow
98. Notes From the Teenage Underground by Simmone Howell
99. Tempted by PC and Kristin Cast
100. My So-Called Afterlife by Tamsyn Murray
101. I Was Told There Would Be Cake by Sloane Crosley
102. Lighthousekeeping by Jeannette Winterson
103. Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready
104. The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart
105. Skim by Jillian and Mariko Tamaki
106. Maus II by Art Spiegelman
107. Fat Kid Rules the World by KL Going
108. Everything Beautiful by Simmone Howell

For this next one, I'm really pushing myself. It's the Terry Pratchett 2010 reading challenge hosted by Reading Adventures. I've tried a Terry Pratchett book before and it wasn't my cup of tea, but I think I need to try again. I've signed up for the lowest level - Cashier at Ankh-Morpork Mint - which means I may only read one book, but at least I'll have tried!

1. Mort by Terry Pratchett
2. Nation by Terry Pratchett
3. Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett
4. The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett

I don't want to over extend myself, but the GLBT Reading Challenge appeals to me. I've chosen the Lambda level and will read four books with GLBT themes and/or authors. Here is a tentative list of books I'd be considering:

1. Sexing the Cherry by Jeannette Winterson
2. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
3. The Night Watch by Sarah Waters
4. The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters
5. Possessing the Secret of Joy by Alice Walker
6. The Temple of the Golden Pavilion by Yukio Mishima
7. If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson

Books I've read for the challenge:

1. Sexing the Cherry by Jeanette Winterson
2. Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon
3. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
4. Girl Meets Boy by Ali Smith
5. Ash by Malinda Lo
6. The Unfinished Novel and other stories by Valerie Martin
7. Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan
8. Girl Meets Boy by Ali Smith
9. Skim by Mariko and Jillian Tamaki


Next up, we have the Flashback challenge, hosted over at Booklust. I've chosen the Scholar level to read 4-6 that I've loved as a child, in high school or as an adult. I love re-reading, I never feel like I have 'time' for it though.

1. Unsticky by Sarra Manning (book I've loved as an adult)

The next challenge puts a smile on my face - the Rory Gilmore Books Project, which lists all the books that she read during the course of the Gilmore Girls! It's an ongoing project and all the books are listed. Fabulous. Here is a list of books that I'm considering reading for this challenge:

Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Anderson
Rapunzel by the Brothers Grimm
Snow White and Rose Red by the Brothers Grimm
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
Tender is the Night by F Scott Fitzgerald
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway - read January 2010
The Portable Dorothy Parker by Dorothy Parker
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
Living History by Hillary Clinton
Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King


A little scarier, is the TBR challenge, hosted by MizB in which we read 12 books (with 12 alternates) that have been on our TBR piles for more than six months and then read the books on the list, with no changing! Scariness. Here are my lists:

1. Sometimes A Great Notion by Ken Kesey
2. Schindler's Ark by Thomas Kenneally
3. One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson
4. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
5. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman - finished 8th March 2010
6. Leviathan by Paul Auster
7. Moon Palace by Paul Auster
8. The Hotel New Hampshire by John Irving
9. Matrimony by Joshua Henkin
10. Geek Love by Katherine Dunn
11. Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
12. Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon - finished 1st March

Alternates:

1. Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman
2. For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
3. Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow by Peter Hoeg
4. Unless by Carol Shields
5. The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
6. The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
7. Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
8. Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
9. Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
10. The Grass Is Singing by Doris Lessing
11. The Ghost Road by Pat Barker
12. Tomato Girl by Jayne Pupek


And finally, I couldn't pass up the Women Unbound challenge which focuses on books relating to 'women's studies.' Even though the non-fiction aspect of the challenge is pretty steep for me, I must join. I've chosen the Bluestocking option, which is to read five books, two of which are non-fiction (eep!).

Here are the books I'm considering and I will update the list below for books that I've read and reviewed for the challenge.

Fiction:
Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood
The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
Possessing the Secret of Joy by Alice Walker
A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley
Out by Natsuo Kirino

Non-fiction:
Perseoplis 1 and 2 by Marjane Sartapi
My Invented Country by Isabel Allende
I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron
Wild Swans by Jung Chang
Through the Narrow Gate by Karen Armstrong

Fiction:

1. The Bride's Farewell by Meg Rosoff
2. The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood
3. Goodbye Tsugumi by Banana Yoshimoto
4. The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera
5. Miss Pettigrew Lives for A Day by Winifred Watson
6. Heartburn by Nora Ephron
7. The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett
8. Property by Valerie Martin
9. Graceling by Kristin Cashore
10. Girl Meets Boy by Ali Smith


Non-Fiction:

1. I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts About Being A Woman by Nora Ephron
2. Persepolis by Marjane Sartapi
3. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
4. Under the Duvet by Marian Keyes
5. Letter to My Daughter by Maya Angelou
6. Girl With Glasses: My Optic History by Marissa Walsh

Which challenges are you joining in 2010?

8 comments:

  1. Thanks for joining us with the GLBT challenge!

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  2. Wow - loads of challenges. I am considering entering less next year, so I can read more of my own books.

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  3. If you are interested in joining Rory Gilmore Books Project , you can sign up on Project's blog and even share your reviews.

    http://rorygilmorebooksproject.blogspot.com

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  4. Ah, so many fun challenges! :)

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  5. Wow, that is a lot of challenges! Good luck on all of them- even if you fail, at least you'll have tried :-)

    Thanks for joining the Flashback and Women Unbound challenges!

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  6. Wow! I'm feeling the pressure! I hope you manage to pick a Pratchett book that you love! I have been told that it is best to probably not start with the first two books of the series. I would probably look for one of the Death books, or with Guards, Guards. I've never read that one myself but lots of people seem to like it.

    Thanks for signing up for my challenge!

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  7. Welcome to the Young Adult, Support Your Local Library, & 100+ Reading Challenges. I am so glad you decided to take the plunge. It’s going to be a fun year. I can just feel it.

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  8. That's a ridiculous amount of challenges. But I think it's hysterical that there's one devoted to Rory Gilmore. I miss that show!
    Alayne
    The Crowded Leaf

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