Classics Challenge - DONE

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:
* A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth

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

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 - DONE
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
* Me and Mr. Darcy - Alexandra Potter
* Obernewtyn - Isobelle Carmody

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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 - DONE!
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 - DONE!
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

First In A Series - DONE

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

Initials Reading Challenge - DONE

From April 1st to November 30th, read 5-8 books by authors who publish under their initials.

I've chosen the following 6:
* Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis
* The Alpine Path by L.M. Montgomery
* Deathly Hollows by J.K. Rowling
* Nine Unlikely Tales for Children by E. Nesbit
* Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot
* Charlotte's Web by E.B. White

Alternative/Extra credit
Something by P.G. Woodhouse
"Eight Cousins" by L.M. Alcott
"The Ordinary Princess" by M.M. Kaye

Orbis Terrarum Challenge - DONE

- The Orbis Terrarum Challenge begins April 1 2008
- For the challenge each reader is to choose 9 books (for the 9 months).
- Each book must be by an author from a different nation in our world.

1) Whitethorn Woods - Maeve Binchy (Ireland)
2) Hollywood Crows - Joseph Wambaugh (USA)
3) The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas (France)
4) A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khalad Hosseini (Afghanistan)
5) Wild Mountain Thyme - Rosamunde Pilcher (Scotland)
6) Long Walk to Freedom - Nelson Mandela (South Africa)
7) The Alpine Path - Lucy Maud Montgomery (Canada)
8) The No 1. Ladies Detective Agency - Alexander McCall Smith (Botswana)
9) A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth (India)

Alternatives:
Wild Swans - Jung Chang

Non-fiction Five - DONE

1. Read 5 non-fiction books during the months of May - September, 2008

2. Read at least one non-fiction book that is different from your other choices (i.e.: 4 memoirs and 1 self-help)

My books:
* No Compromise - Melody Green (Biography)
* Long Walk to Freedom - Nelson Mandela (Autobiography)
* The Alpine Path - L.M. Montgomery (Biography)
* Wild Swans - Jung Chang (Memoir)
* The Five Love Languages - Gary Chapman (inspirational)

Another Blooming Challenge x2 - DONE?

More cool challenges are coming up, so here we go again :-)
Here's flower-themed challenge to get you in the spirit of the season.

1. The challenge will run from March 20, 2008 - June 20, 2008.
2. You can choose one of the four levels (or participate in several levels!)
3. You can cross-post with other challenges. You can even count the same book for different levels in this challenge!

You can see all the levels at the original challenge. I'm going for the bud-vase (DONE) and/or bouquet (DONE).

Books:
Biggest disappointment: The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver
Favourite read: The Primrose Way - Jackie French Koller
Whitethorn Woods - Maeve Binchy
Wild Mountain Thyme - Rosamunde Pilcher

Extra credit:
Rose in Bloom - L. M. Alcott
Flowers in the Rain - Rosamunde Pilcher

(If I get the two 'extra credit' read I qualify for the Garden challenge as well.)

D.E.A.R. challenge - DONE

The D.E.A.R. challenge starts today for level 4 participants, so I figured it was time to post about it here :)

What is National D.E.A.R. Day? (which has just become International as D.E.A.R. stands for Drop Everything and Read. National D.E.A.R. Day is a special reading celebration to remind and encourage families to make reading together on a daily basis a family priority.

Level One: Commit to reading 30 minutes on D.E.A.R. day, April 12, 2008. It's a Saturday in case you're wondering.
Level Two: Commit to reading 30 minutes per day for three days. April 11, 2008 - April 13, 2008.
Level Three: Commit to reading 30 minutes per day for an entire week. April 6, 2008 - April 12, 2008.
Level Four: Commit to reading 30 minutes per day for an entire month. March 12, 2008 - April 12, 2008.

It can come as no surprise to you, that I've signed up for level 4. For the next month I will try to remember to write down exactly how much time I've spent reading each day. I won't be posting daily updates here, but will probably make a post with the grand total.

Edit April 13th: Well, I forgot to keep track of how long I read each day after the initial half hour was passed, but I easily made 30 mins each day - most days lots more.

Spring Reading Thing - Done!

It will probably come as no surprise that I'm signing up for a Spring Reading Challenge.

Who: Anyone! Everyone! If you read, you can join :)

What: Spring Reading Thing 2008 is a casual, low-pressure challenge. There is no required number of reads to 'reach'. Just make a list of books you'd like to read (or books you'd like to finish!) this spring.

When: I bet you can guess: Spring 2008. The official dates are March 20th through June 19th.

As per usual the challenge runs for 13 weeks, so I'm picking 13 books to read for it:

• 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
  

Spiritual Reading Challenge - DONE

Yeah, I figured it was time to sign up for another challenge ;) The Spiritual Reading Challenge runs from March 1st to June 1st. The goal is to read three books with a spiritual theme in that timeframe.

My books are:
* Celebration of Discipline - Richard Foster
* No Compromise, The Life Story of Keith Green - Melody Green
* Hell and a Loving God - Claus Tondering

The Eponymous Challenge - DONE

I finish one challenge and immediately sign up for the next.

The Eponymous challenge runs from 1 March to 31 May, 2008.

During that time the mission is to read 4 books whose titles are the name of one or more of the characters (e.g. Evelina, Oscar and Lucinda); or a description of one or more of the characters (e.g. The Merchant of Venice, Sylvia's Lovers).

Non-fiction books and overlaps with other challenges are welcome, as are books named after four-legged characters.

I've chosen:

• The Diary of Anne Frank (so called in the translation I'm reading, so I'd say it counts)
  
• The Princess and the Goblin - George MacDonald
  
• Mathilda - Roald Dahl
  
• Pope Joan - Donna W. Cross

Possible books for extra credit/alternatives: Robin Hood, Meeting the Malones, The Swiss Family Robinson, Hollywood Husbands, Victorias År, The Woman in White,

Around the World in 80 Books

Goal: Read 80 books set in 80 different countries of the world. There's no time frame, so just plod along at your own speed. Since there's no time frame, I'm going to include books already read in 2007, and just keep adding to this list, whenever I read a book set in a new country. Without a doubt the majority of books I read are set in USA, England or a fantasy country, but perhaps this will make me more conscious of choosing books set in other countries as well.

Updated December 4th, 2008: 38 countries.

Europe (16 countries)
Greece: Nights of Rain and Stars
Ireland: Quentins
England: Famous Five
Scotland: Wild Mountain Thyme
Denmark: Kald mig prinsesse
Sweden: Jerusalem
Switzerland: Heidi
Turkey / Hungary / Bulgaria / Romania: The Historian
Holland: Far Above Rubies
Poland: Those Who Trespass Against Us
Germany: The Book Thief
Bosnia: A Grave Breach
Italy: Under the Tuscan Sun
France: The Girl with the Blue Bicycle
Spain: People of the Book
Serbia: Den serbiske dansker

Africa (7 countries)
Ethiopia: A Man Called Blessed
South Africa: God Has A Dream
Egypt: Prophecy
Marocco: Stolen Lives
Congo: The Poisonwood Bible
Somalia: Infidel
Botswana: The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency

Asia (8 countries)
Palestine: Burned Alive
Lebanon: Taken on Trust
Japan: Geisha of Gion
India: Rikki-Tikki-Tavi
Afghanistan: The Kite Runner
Israel: The Red Tent
China: Wild Swans
Iran: Reading Lolita in Tehran

America (3 countries)
USA: White Oleander
Canada: Anne of Green Gables
Brazil: Frit fald over Amazonas

Oceania (2 countries)
New Zealand: The Bone People
Australia: Thunderwith

Unknown (2 books)
Swiss Family Robinson
The Millionaire's Proposal

The Chunkster Challenge - DONE

A chunkster is a really nice, thick book - at least 450 pages normal type. The challenge will run from January 7th-December 20th 2008, but any book started after January 1st counts. In this time frame read at least 4 chunksters (one each quarter).

There are a number of chunksters on my to-read list already, so for this challenge I've picked for of those:
* Wild Swans - Jung Chang (617p)
* A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth (1379p)
* The Clan of the Cave Bears - Jean M. Auel (542p)
* Cross-Stitch - Diana Gabaldon (863p)

Celebrate The Authors Challenge - DONE

This challenge is designed to "celebrate" author birthdays. For each month of the year, choose one author whose birthday is in that month and read a book by him/her. The book does not have to be read in the birthday month. Alternatives are in brackets.

* January: A.A. Milne: Winnie-the-Pooh
* February: Jules Verne: Around the World in 80 Days (LIW)
* March: Howard Pyle: Robin Hood (Libba Bray)
* April: Anne McCaffrey: Dragonflight
* May: Francine Pascal: Sweet Valley High #2 - Secrets (L. Frank Baum: The Emerald City of Oz, Susan Cooper: The Dark Is Rising)
* June: Johanna Spyri: Heidi
* July: E.B. White: Charlotte's Web (J.K. Rowling)
* August: Edith Nesbit: The Enchanted Castle (Orson Scott Card, Enid Blyton)
* September: Roald Dahl: Mathilda
October: Jackie Collins (Ursula LeGuin) Trudi Canavan: The Magician's Guild
* November: Madeleine L'Engle: A Wrinkle in Time (C.S. Lewis: Prince Caspian, LMM: The Alpine Path, Frances H. Burnett, Astrid Lindgren)
* December: George MacDonald: The Princess and the Goblin (Stephenie Meyer)

In Their Shoes - DONE

In 2008 read memoirs, autobiographies and/or biographies. You pick the number of books and which books to read - simple, eh?

My books:
The Hiding Place - Corrie ten Boom
Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank
Those Who Trespass Against us - Katherine Lanckorosta
The Alpine Path - L.M. Mongtomery
Long Walk to Freedom - Nelson Mandela
Stolen Lives - Malika Oufkir

Medical Madness - DONE!

The challenge runs from Jan 1st-Dec 31st, 2008 but start whenever's good for you. Read books that have to do with hospitals, doctors, illnesses... anything medical. It can be non-fiction or fiction but no mysteries or thrillers.

I already have 8 medical books on my to-read list, so these choices are easy:
Sue Barton, Student Nurse - Helen Boylston
Sue Barton, Senior Nurse - Helen Boylston
Sue Barton, Visiting Nurse - Helen Boylston
Sue Barton, Rural Nurse - Helen Boylston
Sue Barton, Superintendent of Nurses - Helen Boylston
Sue Barton, Neighbourhood Nurse - Helen Boylston
Sue Barton, Staff Nurse - Helen Boylston
Nothing Lasts forever - Sidney Sheldon

2 New 2 U Challenge - DONE

Between Feb 1st and May 1st read 2 books by authors you've never read before, OR read 2 books outside your reading "comfort zone".

I'm not sure I have a reading "comfort zone" (no, that's not true, of course I do, but I stray outside it often), so I chose two books by authors I've read nothing of before, and that I wouldn't read ordinarily.
* Stolen Lives - Malika Oufkir
* The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas

Unread Author Challenge - DONE!

The Unread Authors Challenge runs from September 2007 to February 2008 (both months inclusive). In this time, read 6 books by authors you've never read before.

September: The Book of Lost Things - John Connelly
October: Inkheart - Cornelia Funke
November: Noughts & Crosses - Malorie Blackman
December: Under the Tuscan Sun - Frances Mayes
January: Those Who Trespass Against us - Katherine Lanckorosta
Feburary: Stolen Lives - Malika Oufkir

Romantic Reading Challenge - DONE

Choose 5 romance novels and read them in 2008. Note that "Romance" isn't limited to steamy Harlequin novels, but can also be contemporary romance, historical romance, romantic suspence etc. At long as the story has romantic love between two main characters, it will fit this challenge. You can change your choices at any time.

My picks:
Cross-Stitch - Diana Gabaldon
Sue Barton, Visiting Nurse - Helen Dore Boylston
Avalon High - Meg Cabot
The Host - Stephenie Meyer
Around the World in 80 Days - Jules Verne