Books in 2008

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Below are the books I've committed to read for different challenges in 2008. Considering I usually read at least 100 books/year and typically more it should be very doable and even give me time to spare! Excellent :-)

Underlined means I'm currently reading it. * means it's a reread. I delete books from the list once they're read.

3 Animorphs - K.A. Applegate
Bitten - Kelley Armstrong
Checkmate - Malorie Blackman
Xenocide - Orson Scott Card
Hollywood Husbands - Jackie Collins
The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
The Picwick Papers - Charles Dickens
People of the Fire - Kathleen Gear
The other Boleyn Girl - Phillippa Gregory
Pompeii - Robert Harris
Victorias år - Klaus Lynggaard
Long Walk to Freedom - Nelson Mandela
Dragonflight - Anne McCaffrey
Atonement - Ian McEwan
Breaking Dawn - Stephenie Meyer
Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer
Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
6 SVH books - Francine Pascal
Kiss the Girls - James Patterson*
My Sister's Keeper - Jodi Picoult*
Snow in April - Rosamunde Pilcher
Deathly Hollows - J.K. Rowling
The Pirate - Sir Walter Scott
A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
The Pilot's Wife - Anita Shrever
Quo Vadis - Henryk Sienkiwicz
Theatre Shoes - Noel Streatfeild
Mary Poppins - Pamela Travers
The Colour Purple - Alice Walker
Meet the Malones - Leonora Weber

YA Romance Challenge

* Read six YA romance novels between July 1, 2008 and February 28, 2009.
* Romance should be a strong element within the story. But it doesn't have to be the only element. Realistic fiction (contemporary). Historical. Fantasy. Science Fiction. Retold Fairy Tales. All genres are allowed.
* They can be part of a series, or stand-alones.
* They can be long or short.
* Happy books are NOT a requirement
* Audio books are allowed.
* Up to three movies can be substituted for books. So you could watch 3 movies, read 3 books if you prefer.

My books:
* Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer
* Breaking Dawn - Stephenie Meyer
* Victorias År - Klaus Lynggaard
* Checkmate - Malorie Blackman
* TBA
* TBA

Alternatives:
Any selection of Sweet Valley High books to be snarked at 1Bruce1.

The ARC challenge

The challenge will run from June 21, 2008-September 21, 2008. It will be to help those of us with ARC's to get in gear and read and review them.

Here are the rules:

1. Make a list of all of the ARC's that you currently have and/or are on their way to you.

2. If you have:
1-3 ARC's then pick at least one to read and review for this challenge.
4-6 ARC's then pick at least two to read and review for this challenge.
7-9 ARC's then pick at least three to read and review for this challenge.
10 or more Arc's then pick at least 4 to read and review for this challenge.

I'm going to just stick with the ARCs I already have, as living in Denmark I can never be 100% sure that the books allegedly on their way here actually arrive (some publishers pull the book when realising the costs of shipping here.

So I'm going to read and review the following:
"The Millionaire's Proposal" by Trish Wylie
"The Hidden Man" by Anthony Flacco

...adding more to the list as they come.

What An Animal

The rules are simple:
1. Read at least 6 books that have any of these requirements:
a. an animal in the title of the book
b. an animal on the cover of the book
c. an animal that plays a major role in the book
d. a main character that is or turns into an animal.

2. The animal can be any type of animal (real or fictitious)--dog, cat, monkey, wolf, snake, insect, hedgehog, aardvark...dragons, mermaids, centaurs, fairies, vampires...you get the idea...

3. Challenge runs from July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009.

This is almost too easy as I want to read the Animorphs series. Every book in this series has an animal on the cover of the book and main characters turning into animals. So since the Animorph books are so short (only around 150 pages each) I'm going to extend the challenge and say I have to read 12 books.
* #7 - The Stranger
* #11 - The Forgotten
* #12 - The Reaction
* #13 - The Change
* #14 - The Unknown
* #15 - The Escape
* #16 - The Warning
* #17 - The Underground
* #18 - The Decision
* #19 - The Departure
* #20 - The Discovery
* #21 - The Threat

July Book Blowout

This challenge is almost too easy. I don't even have to write a list, but just set myself a goal for how many books I want to read in July. The rules are as follows:
* Only books read between July 1 and July 31 count towards the challenge
* You can include re-reads - as long as they are read within the month of July
* Books you abandon will only count as half a book
* If you read to your children you can include all books which have more than 100 pages
* You can include up to two graphic novels
* You can include up to two audio books - (if you have a visual impairment that prevents you from reading then you can use just audio books for the challenge)
* Books you read for other challenges are eligible - use this as an opportunity to catch up!
* If you start a book before July 1 and then finish it during the month of July then you can count is as half a book

I have a lot of REALLY long books (3 book between 600-1400 pages) coming up, so I'm going to aim for 15 but of course hope I manage more than that :)

This makes me want to do a challenge where you aim for a number of pages rather than a number of books. Hmmm... watch this space :D

A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini

I'm glad to say that A Thousand Splendid Suns is MILES better than The Kite Runner and has restored my faith in Khaled Hosseini's writing abilities. I highly recommend it - even if you didn't like KR.

Knife Edge - Malorie Blackman

Unfortunately Knife Edge doesn't quite live up to the first book in the series. It's a lot darker, more slow-moving and ends with a bigger cliff-hanger. I'd already ordered the last book in the trilogy before reading this one, or I'm not sure I'd have bothered.

Wild Mountain Thyme - Rosamunde Pilcher

Wild Mountain Thyme isn't Rosamunde Pilcher's best, but it definitely isn't her worst either. A good read, if you've got nothing better to do.

Whitethorn Woods - Maeve Binchy

Whitethorn Woods is unfortunately not Maeve Binchy's finest work. Not that she could ever write something decidedly boring, but since it's constructed as a bunch of short stories with a common theme, I never got as interested in the characters as I would in one of her other novels. A shame, as I usually consider her among my favourite authors.

Summer Reading Challenge

Since I just finished the Spring Reading Thing, I do of course have to join the Summer Reading Challenge. The challenge runs from June 1st (so I'm a bit late, but I'll manage) to August 31st. There's no specific number of books to be read, but the purpose is to encourage "intentional" reading - i.e. change the list as little as possible after the challenge has started!

I'm going to be quite busy the next wee while, so I won't stick to my usual 1 book per week, but give myself a bit of leeway and say 1 book per fortnight, so a total of 7 books (rounding up, of course ;) ) However, to add a bit of challenge to the ... ehh... challenge I'm going to set two other rules for myself: 1) the books cannot be used for any other existing challenge except my personal reading challenge (should I add other challenges later, I can use them). 2) the books must all come from my TBR pile (which is why I had to include the personal reading challenge, or I'd have no books at all to choose from! ;) )

• Atonement - Ian McEwan
  
• The Amateur Marriage - Anne Tyler
  
• The Yada-Yada Prayer Group - Neta Jackson
  
• Knife Edge - Malorie Blackman
  
• The Colour Purple - Alice Walker
  
• Perfect Match - Jodi Picoult
  
• Let Me Call You Sweetheart - Mary Higgins Clark
  

On the other hand the rules for the Summer Reading Thing clearly states that the list may be identical to that of another challenge, so I'm killing two birds with one stone and doing that one as well here :-)

The Hunted - Mike Dellosso

By finishing The Hunted I've completed the Pub 2008 challenge. The Hunted read a lot like The Oath by Frank Peretti, and I enjoyed it greatly.

Spring Reading Thing - Wrap-up

I finished the Spring Reading Thing today and am actually very satisfied with the books I chose for it. It's a lot more varied than what I usually read, with a nice selection of new reads and rereads, non-fiction and fiction and books based in several different countries and eras.

The books were:

• The Red Tent - Anita Diamant
  
• The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
  
• Pope Joan - Donna W. Cross
  
• Mathilda - Roald Dahl
  
• Seven For A Secret - Victoria Holt
  
• Mrs. Darcy's Dilemma - Diana Birchall
  
• 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea - Jules Verne
  
• Wild Swans - Jung Chang
  
• No Compromise - Melody Green
  
• The No 1. Ladies Detective Agency - Alexander McCall Smith
  
• The Clan of the Cave Bears - Jean M. Auel
  
• Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen
  
• The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver
  

My favourite book was Water for Elephants, the best surprise was Wild Swans, the biggest disappointment a toss between The Poisonwood Bible and The Red Tent as I'd expected a lot from both, but just didn't think they could deliver. Unfortunately.

I don't think the challenge made me read more than I would've otherwise, but it definitely helped me get through some of those books I've wanted to read for awhile, but just never got around to. I'd definitely be interested in another "Fall Into Reading" challenge this fall.

The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency - Alexander McCall Smith

After a slow start, The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency turned out to be a very enjoyable read. Not great literature, but entertaining and with sympathetic characters.

Book Binge Challenge - Done!

Here’s how it goes: For the month of May, participants keep track of each and every book you read. At the end of the month, everyone will blog their list of books. Simple, no?

I read a lot of really good books this month :)

Alcott, Louisa May: Eight Cousins, 10/10
Alcott, Louisa May: Rose In Bloom, 9/10
Ali, Ayaan Hirsi: Infidel, 9/10

Chang, Jung: Wild Swans, 9/10
Chapman, Gary: The Five Love Languages, 10/10

Green, Melody: No Compromise, 8/10
Gruen, Sara: Water for Elephants, 9/10

Henderson, Dee: The Truth Seeker, 7/10

Kaye, M.M.: The Ordinary Princess, 9/10
Kingsolver, Barbara: The Poisonwood Bible, 7/10

Martel, Yann: Life of Pi, 10/10
Meyer, Stephenie: The Host, 10/10
Montgomery, Lucy Maud: Across the Miles, 9/10

Nesbit, Edith: Nine Unlikely Tales for Children, 9/10

Pierce, Tamora: Shatterglass (Circle Opens #4), 8/10

Stewart, Mariah: Mercy Street, 8/10

Winfield, Jess: My Name is Will, 8/10

My favourites were Life of Pi and The Host.

Across the Miles - L.M. Montgomery

Lucy Maud Montgomery is one of my favourite authors, and one of the only ones where I actually enjoy her short stories. Across the Miles is my very favourite short story collection, and I'm always glad for a chance to reread it.

Classics Challenge

Classics: We love them, we hate them, now we are going to challenge ourselves to reading more of them. Because there are so many different types of classics, different genres are acceptable and encouraged--for example, novels, short story collections, non-fiction, poetry, essays--I'm open for other suggestions!

Read 5 classics between July 1st and January 1st
Read 1 book that may not considered classics but that people think should be or will be a classic one day - list of suggestions can be found at http://classics2008.blogspot.com/.

My list
5 old:
* The Rosary - Florence L. Barclay
* Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats - T.S. Eliot
* The Alpine Path - L.M. Montgomery
* Just So Stories - Rudyard Kipling
* Little Women - L.M. Alcott
1 new:
* TBA

Herding Cats - DONE

Recommendation lists are always great, but how often do we actually get to read any of the books on those lists? Renay wants to change that, so for this challenge, you post a list of 10 books you love (my list can be found here), and pick 3 books to read from the master list.

I've chosen the following three books (but may come back to add more):
A Wrinkle In Time - Madeleine L'Engle
Wild Swans - Jung Chang
Life of Pi - Yann Martel

No Compromise - Keith Green

Keith Green was (I think) my introduction to Christian contemporary music, and still one of my favourite artist. His life as described in No Compromise is absolutely amazing - how incredible it must be to meet somebody THAT on fire for God. It makes me wonder what I'm missing out on.

Wild Swans - Jung Chang

Wild Swans is a book that's far too often overlooked. While people study WW2 in order to prevent the atrocities to repeat themselves, few people are aware that Mao caused more deaths than Hitler and Stalin put together. Reading this book really opened my eyes.

Catch-up post - Challenges

Unfortunately I haven't been too good at listing new challenges here, and one part of that is my perfectionism as all posts have to be just so with links, pictures, lists etc. That's no good, as it keeps me from posting at all when I don't have the time to do it right and update my template as well, so this is a catch-up post with some of the challenges I haven't listed here yet. I'll list the finished ones in a different post to try not to make this FAR too long.

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100+ Reading Challenge - DONE!
Read 100 books in 2008. I've currently read 78 so I'm well on my way here :-)
Read book #100 in June :)

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I Heard it Through the Grapevine
Read 3 books recommended by others from May-Nov. So far I'm not doing too well with this one, because people aren't recommending me enough books! Get to it, people! ;) The list:
* Wild Swans - Jung Chang
* TBA
* TBA

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Jane Austen Mini-Challenge - DONE
Read or watch two books/movies related to Jane Austen in 2008.
Read: Mrs. Darcy's Dilemma - Diana Birchall
Read: Me and Mr. Darcy - Alexandra Potter

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Short Story Challenge - DONE
Read 5 short story collections by 5 different authors.
* Down to a Sunless Sea - Mathias Freese
* Just So Stories - Rudyard Kipling
* Across the Miles - L.M. Mongtomery
* Nine Unlikely Tales for Children - E. Nesbit.
* Sorry, The Stork Takes No Returns - Claire Bowen

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Nineteenth Century Women Writers
Read 6 books in 2008 written by Nineteenth Century Woman Writers.
* Eight Cousins - L.M. Alcott
* Rose In Bloom - L.M. Alcott
* The Rosary - Florence L. Barclay
* Vilette - Charlotte Bronte
* Nine Unlikely Tales - E. Nesbit
* Heidi Johanna Spyri

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Soups On!
I love cooking and though I seldom have time to experiment much, I always enjoy reading cookbooks and trying new recipes. I now have more than 11 months (until March 31st, 2009) to read through 6 cookbooks and make at least one recipe from each. The cookbooks can be old or new, official or homemade - the important thing is to try out some new recipes.
* Saving Dinner - Leanne Ely
* ??? - Jamie Oliver
* Smoothies - ???
* Asian Cookbook - ???
* Mum's Cookbook - my mum :)
* Frk. Jensens kogebog - Frk. Jensen

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Wind-up challenge - DONE!
Read 1-3 books you've read more than 50 pages of before May 1st and then abandoned. Timeframe: May 1st-Nov 15th.
I'll pick between the following: Possession, Dune, Gone With the Wind, House of the Spirits, We Need To Talk About Kevin, Life of Pi, Couple's Comfort Book.

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Pub 2008 - DONE!
This year, read 8 books published in 2008. The books cannot be childrens/YA as we're 'at the pub'.
* My Name Is Will - Jess Winfield
* Between the Sheets - Rebekka Wells
* Hollywood Crows - Joseph Wambaugh
* Seduced by a Spy - Andrea Pickens
* Mrs. Darcy's Dilemma - Diana Birchall
* Mercy Street - Mariah Stewart
* The Host - Stephenie Meyer
* The Hunted - Mike Delloroso

All enjoyable books, but my favourite was without a doubt The Host. It stood head and shoulders above the rest.

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Chick-lit
Read 3 chick-lit books between June 1st and September 1st.
* Where Rainbows End - Cecelia Ahern
* When She Was Bad - Louise Bagshawe
* The Rosary - Florence L. Barclay

10 books that I love

Time for a new challenge! But first of all, a preparation for a challenge, as the challenge requires me to make a list of 10 books that I love to share with other participants of the challenge.

In no particular order, the books are:

• Outlander - Diana Gabaldon
  
• The Rosary - Florence L. Barclay
  
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson
  
• Wizard's First Rule - Terry Goodkind
  
• Scarlet Feather - Maeve Binchy
  
• Alanna - Tamora Pierce
  
• Crystal Singer - Anne McCaffrey
  
• Pope Joan - Donna W. Cross
  
• The Blue Castle - L.M. Montgomery
  
• Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card
  

The Ordinary Princess - M.M. Kaye

In honour of the gorgeous weather we're having this weekend, I wasted away half an hour on the lawn enjoying the sun reading The Ordinary Princess by M.M. Kaye. Very enjoyable reading :)

The Five Love Languages - Gary Chapman

I read The Five Love Languages before I got married, and really liked it. Now that I've been married 5 years I decided to read it again, and appreciated it a LOT more. Being in love, you never think you'll feel in need of getting your 'love bucket' filled more than it already is, but once marriage becomes more 'routine', it's more obvious how important it is to speak each other's love language.

Nine Unlikely Tales for Children - Edith Nesbit

I'm not usually one for short stories, but Nine Unlikely Tales for Children is a collection of extremely sweet fairy tales, that I couldn't help but be charmed by.

Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen

Water for Elephants is a gorgeous book which I'd recommend to anybody, but especially those who (like me) are fascinated by the circus life.

The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver

The Poisonwood Bible is a very intriguing but slow read. I'm glad to have it crossed off my list finally :)

First In A Series

This challenge started by January 1st, so I'll count books read since then, even if they weren't deliberately chosen for this challenge.
First in a Series challenge. Read 12 books in 2008 that are the first in a series. New authors are not required.

My list:

• Sue Barton, Student Nurse - Helen Boylston
  
• Wild Magic - Tamora Pierce
  
• Outlander - Diana Gabaldon
  
• The Clan of the Cave Bear - Jean M. Auel
  
• Sandry's Book - Tamora Pierce
  
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson
  
• Looking Forward - Marcia Willett
  
• The Princess and the Goblin - George MacDonald
  
• Heidi - Johanna Spyri
  
• The No 1. Ladies Detective Agency - Alexander McCall Smith
  
• Bitten - Kelley Armstrong
  
• Dragonflight - Ann McCaffrey

Alternatives or extra credit:
The Wheel of Time 1
Liveship Traders 1

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is definitely one of Jules Verne's better books. I really enjoyed it.

Seven for a Secret - Victoria Holt

Victoria Holt writes fluff and Seven for a Secret is no exception. However, for a lazy Saturday it was just the right read, and I was greatly entertained.

The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas

The Three Musketeers is a great book and a deserving classic.