Flowers in the Attic - Virginia Andrews

By finishing Flowers in the Attic by Virginia Andrews I've finished my first challenge!! "Anyone For 2nds" is now completed :)

Taken on Trust - Terry Waite

I've just finished Taken on Trust by Terry Waite, which covers a whole lot of challenges and is absolutely fascinating. Go read it!

Speculative Fiction Challenge - DONE

In Speculative Fiction the action of the story can take place in a culture that never existed, a world we know nothing of, or an earth that might have been or might be, to name a few. ... This distinctiveness is best illustrated in the primary question asked by the writers of Speculative Fiction,
"What if?" ... this genre has a special capacity to deal with the human equation.

Read six books within the speculative fiction umbrella. That is: fantasy, sci-fi, alternative history and magic realism.

My path is A Theoretical Handbook For the Unseasoned Speculator: otherwise known as the speculative fiction buffet, meaning a mixture of all genres.

My picks:
4 fantasy: Tamora Pierce's "Wild Magic" quartet:
Wild Magic
Wolf Speaker
Emperor Mage
The Realms of the Gods
2 alternative history: "The Dark is Rising" by Susan Cooper
"Noughts and Crosses" by Malorie Blackman.

Alternatives are "Rebel Angels", "The House of the Spirits", "Ironweed", "Xenocide" or the next Thursday Next novel (I've read the two first), but if time gets short, I'll add another fantasy book instead - like "Lords and Ladies".

Inkspell - Cornelia Funke

I finally finished Inkspell, the sequel to Inkheart. Unfortunately not nearly as good as the first one, but may still be redeemed by the last book in the trilogy.

That's one more book to strike off the Bibliography Challenge, and also an alternative for the 2nds Challenge.

Numbers Challenge - DONE

This second challenge I had to sign up for because the concept is so neat:
The challenge is to read 5 books whose titles have a number in them from Jan 1, 2008 to June 1, 2008 This includes written numbers like "one" or "forty."

My picks:

• Seven For A Secret - Victoria Holt
  
• Wild Swans - Three Daughters of China - Jung Chang
  
• 20,000 leagues under the Sea - Jules Verne
  
• The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
  
• Around the World in 80 Days - Jules Verne
  

Young Adult Challenge - DONE

Yes, I know I'm getting obsessed, but I've just found two new challenges that I have to join. This one for obvious reasons as I love YA literature.

The rules are very simple, in 2008 read 12 YA books. The list may change at any time.
My list as it looks right now:

1. Wild Magic - Tamora Pierce
   
2. Wolf Speaker - Tamora Pierce
   
3. Emperor Mage - Tamora Pierce
   
4. The Realms of the Gods - Tamora Pierce
   
5. Bitten - Kelly Armstrong
   
6. A Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank
   
7. The Dark is Rising - Susan Cooper
   
8. Avalon High - Meg Cabot
   
9. Sue Barton, Student Nurse - Helen Boylston
   
10. Sue Barton, Senior Nurse - Helen Boylston
    
11. Sue Barton, Visiting Nurse - Helen Boylston
    
12. Sue Barton, Rural Nurse - Helen Boylston
    

Extra credit: Sue Barton 5-7

The Baby Steps Challenge - Completed

In memory of Natalie Rose, an avid reader who died earlier this year, The Nattie Challenge blog has been set up. This blog will constantly run one or more challenges in memory of Natalie Rose.

The first of these challenges is The Baby Step Challenge:


We cannot possibly read everything we want to. We don't have time.

So, take a baby step. Or 2. Or 3.

Oct, Nov, Dec and then we leap into a new year. Before that new year greets us, we shall knock 3 books off the pile.

This can work two ways.

Option A. Pick 3 books you own but have not read and read them before 2008.
Option B. Pick 3 books you have on a To Be Read list and read them before 2008.

My three books are owned but not yet read:
"Lords and Ladies" by Terry Pratchett
"Taken on Trust" by Terry Waite
"The Big Over Easy" by Jasper Fforde

These double for both the "Fall Into Reading" challenge and the TBR challenge. I love efficiency! :-D

The Marvelous Land of Oz - L. Frank Baum

As this is a possible alternative for the 2nds challenge, I thought it fitting to post a link to the review of The Marvelous Land of Oz by L. Frank Baum here. It was quite good, and I'm working my way through the rest of the series.

Jewish Literature Challenge - DONE

Between Hanukkah 2007 (December 4th) and Passover 2008 (April 26th) read at least 5 books by Jewish authors or about Judaism

My picks:

• The Diary Of A Young Girl - Anne Frank
  
• Reunion - Fred Uhlman
  
• The Last Jew - Noah Gordon
  
• The Hiding Place - Corrie ten Boom
  
• The Red Tent - Anita Diamant
  

Alternatives: A Voice In The Wind - Francine Rivers, The Book of Hosea, Such a Time as This - Rebecca Velez

Reading Through The Decades - DONE

Read 8 books in 8 consecutive decadres in '08.

Any book from the decade is eligible, the list may be changed at any time. Titles may be cross-posted with any other challenge. Books from this decade do not count.

I thought this could be interesting as I seldom read REALLY old books. This list is subject to change as I have a lot of alternatives, but here is the list as it looks right now. My goal is to read at least 8.

1810s The Swiss Family Robinson - Johann David Wyss (1812)
1820s The Pirate - Sir Walter Scott (1822)
1830s The Pickwick Papers - Charles Dickens (1836)
1840s The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas (1844)
1850s Villette - Charlotte Bronte (1853)
1860s Little Women - L.M. Alcott (1868)
1870s Around the World in 80 Days - Jules Verne (1878)
1880s Heidi - Johanna Spyri (1880)
1890s Quo Vadis - Henryk Sienkiewicz (1895)
1900s The Enchanted Castle - E Nesbit (1907)
1910s The Emerald City of Oz - L. Frank Baum (1910)
1920s Winnie-the-Pooh - A. A. Milne (1926)
1930s Ballet Shoes - Noel Streatfeild (1936)
1940s Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank (1947)
1950s Charlotte's Web - E.B. White (1952)
1960s A Wrinkle in Time - Madeleine L'Engle (1962)
1970s Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIHM - Robert C. O'Brien (1971)
1980s Mathilda - Roald Dahl (1988)
1990s The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver (1996)

An easy way to find books from different decades is on Wikipedia. Follow this link and then change the year to suit your purposes.

Inkheart - Cornelia Funke

I've just finished Inkheart which means I can strike one off both Fall into Reading AND the Bibliography challenge :-)

The book is absolutely amazing, and I'm really looking forward to reading the sequel.