My Reading Challenges

Challenge Index

2010-01-04T00:00:00.041-05:00

Here are the links to the individual listings for each of my current challenges (* = challenges that are completed but have no wrap-up posts as yet):

1% Well-Read Challenge
2nds Challenge 2009 *
42 Challenge 2010
Art History Reading Challenge 2010
Awesome Author Challenge 2010
Bibliophilic Books Challenge 2010
Christmas Reading Challenge
Fall Into Reading 2009 *
Guardian 1000 Novels Challenge
Herding Cats II Challenge
Lost in Translation Challenge *
MysteryReaderCafe Challenge 2009 *
New Authors Challenge 2010
Read Your Own Books (RYOB) Challenge
Reading the 90s Personal Challenge
Romance Reading Challenge 2009
Series Challenge (Season Four)
Suspense-Thriller Challenge *
Thriller-Suspense Challenge 2010
To Be Continued (Perpetual) Challenge
Typically British Challenge 2010
INDEX to Completed Challenges

The 42 (Sci-Fi) Challenge 2010

2009-12-27T18:34:00.006-05:00

Dates: 1 January to 3 December 2010
Hosted by: Becky of Becky's Book Reviews

Guidelines:

Read, watch, or listen to (and possibly review) at least 42 science fiction items.
Keep an ongoing list of your items on the challenge blog or on your on website.
You can link to your reviews or not; and reviews are not required in order to participate.

See my personal challenge blog here.
See the challenge announcement page here.
See the challenge blog here.
See my challenge blog posts here.

MY LIST:

Panic in Year Zero! (1962; film)

The Typically British Reading Challenge 2010

2009-12-27T16:16:00.008-05:00

Dates: 1 January to 31 December 2010
Hosted by: Book Chick City

Guidelines:

The challenge is to read a set number of fiction books by British authors.
Challenge begins January 1, 2010. Anyone can join. You don't need a blog to participate.
You don't have to make a list of books to read - just choose as you go. Or, if you do make a list, it can be changed at any time.
Crossovers with other challenges are allowed.
There will be a place to link your reviews, but reviews aren't mandatory.

Levels of Participation:

"Put the Kettle On" - Read 2 books
"Gordon Bennett" - Read 4 books
"Bob's Your Uncle" - Read 6 books
"Cream Crackered" - Read 8 books

See my original post about the challenge here.
See the challenge announcement page here.
See the challenge review page here.

I'm signing up for Level 4 ("Cream Crackered") - read 8 books.

MY READING LIST:

The 2010 Bibliophilic Books Challenge

2009-12-20T01:08:00.008-05:00

Dates: 1 January to 31 December 2010
Hosted by: Lesley of A Life in Books

Guidelines:

Read a set number of books that focus on books or reading.
Books can be fiction or nonfiction.
Only books read during the challenge will count.
Re-reads and crossovers with other challenges are allowed.
No need to make a list of books to read.
You can change your mind on any particular book selection throughout the challenge.

Levels of Participation:

Bookworm: Read three books
Litlover: Read six books
Bibliomaniac: Read twelve books

See my original post about the challenge here.
See the challenge announcement page here.

I'm signing up at the Bookworm level (three books), but hope to do better than that.

MY READING LIST:

OTHER POSSIBLE CHOICES:

The Art History Reading Challenge

2009-12-14T16:22:00.019-05:00

Dates: 1 January to 31 December 2010
Hosted by: Nomadreader

Guidelines:

Read at least 3 books about art in 2010
Books can be either fiction or nonfiction, and can be from any genre (historical fiction, graphic novels, etc.)
Young adult and children's books are allowed
Crossovers with other challenges are allowed
You can make your list of books in advance or choose as you go

Levels of Participation:

Curious - Read at least 3 books about art, either fiction or nonfiction
Fascinated - Read at least 6 books about art, either fiction or nonfiction
Enamored - Read at least 9 books about art, either fiction or nonfiction
Utterly enchanted - Read at least 12 books about art, either fiction or nonfiction

See my original post about the challenge here.
See the challenge announcement page here.

MY READING LIST

The Forgery of Venus. Michael Gruber
Lydia Cassatt Reading the Morning Paper. Harriet Scott Chessman
Seek My Face. John Updike
Stealing Athena. Karen Essex

LIST OF POSSIBILITIES

Art-Related Fiction

A Curious Earth: A Novel. Gerard Woodward
A Killer Collection (Collectible Mysteries, No.1). J.B. Stanley
Afterimage. Helen Humphreys
An Artist of the Floating World. Kazuo Ishiguro
Cat's Eye. Margaret Atwood
Coast Road. Barbara Delinsky
Death and Restoration. Iain Pears
Depths of Glory. Irving Stone
Feint of Art (Annie Kincaid Mysteries No.1). Hailey Lind
Girl in Hyacinth Blue. Susan Vreeland
Girl with a Pearl Earring. Tracy Chevalier
I Am Madame X. Gioia Dilberto
Leonardo's Swans. Karen Essex
Luncheon of the Boating Party. Susan Vreeland
Lust for Life. Irving Stone
Lydia Cassatt Reading the Morning Paper. Harriet Scott Chessman
Modern Art: A Novel. Evenly Toynton
My Name Is Asher Lev. Chaim Potok
Pale as the Dead. Fiona Mountain
Seek My Face. John Updike
Stealing Athena. Karen Essex
Still Life. Louise Penny
Stone Virgin. Barry Unsworth
The Agony and the Ecstasy. Irving Stone
The Brutal Art. Jesse Kellerman
The Calder Game. Blue Balliett
The Caves of Perigord. Martin Walker
The Cezanne Chase (Inspector Jack Oxby). Thomas Swan
The Chrysalis: A Novel. Heather Terrell
The DaVinci Deception. (Inspector Jack Oxby). Thomas Swan
The Danish Girl. David Ebershoff
The Forgery of Venus. Michael Gruber
The Illuminator. Brenda Rickman Vantrease
The Lady and the Unicorn. Tracy Chevalier
The Light Possessed. Alan Cheuse
The Light That Failed. Rudyard Kipling
The Lost Diaries of Frans Hals: A Novel. Michael Kernan
The Madonnas of Leningrad. Debra Dean
The Marble Faun. Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Matisse Stories. A.S. Byatt
The Mercury Visions of Louis Daguerre. Dominic Smith
The Moon and Sixpence. W. Somerset Maugham
The Mysterious Edge of the Heroic World. E.L. Konigsberg
The Needle in the Blood. Sarah Bower
The Painted Kiss. Elizabeth Hickey
The Painter from Shanghai. Jennifer Cody Epstein
The Painter. Will Davenport
The Raphael Affair. Iain Pears
The Second Mrs. Gioconda. E.L. Konigsberg
The Seventh Unicorn. Kelly Jones
The Underpainter. Jane Urquhart
The Wayward Muse. Elizabeth Hickey
The World to Come: A Novel. Dara Horn
Van Gogh's Room at Arles: Three Novellas. Stanley Elkin

Art-Related Nonfiction

Sargent's Daughters: A Biography of a Painting. Erica S. Hirshler
Strapless. Deborah Davis
The Judgment of Paris. Ross King
The Lost Painting. Jonathan Harr
The Story of the Armory Show. Milton W. Brown

The Series Challenge Season Four

2009-12-06T12:57:00.006-05:00

Dates: 1 December 2009 to 30 November 2010
Hosted by: Kathrin of Secret Dreamworld of a Bookaholic

Guidelines:

Pick a couple series you already started and now want to finish (meaning, you'll be all up to date with the series when it ends).
Read at least 4 books, more are also okay, of course!
Crossovers with other challenges are always okay.
Post your reviews on your blog or in the comments section of the challenge page, no matter how long. If you post the review on your blog, post a link to the review in the comments section so everyone else can check out your review.
Have fun!

See my original post about the challenge here.
See the challenge announcement page here.

I'll be working on these series in 2010:

The Cliff Janeway series by John Dunning (2 books left to read)
The Mrs. Malory series by Hazel Holt (6 books left to read)
The Pendergast series by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (7 books left to read)

MY READING LIST:

New Authors Challenge 2010

2009-11-22T15:34:00.006-05:00

Dates: 1 January through 31 December, 2010
Hosted by: Jackie at Literary Escapism

Guidelines:

Choose 15, 25, or 50 new-to-you authors.
No limit on genres.
Anthologies are allowed; however, only a third of your choices can be from anthologies.
Crossovers with other challenges are allowed.
You don't need a blog to participate.
There will be a Mr. Linky for reviews.

See my original post about the challenge here.
See the challenge announcement page here.

I'm committing to 15 new authors, and hope to do a little better than that.

MY READING LIST:

Something will emerge.

The Thriller-Suspense Challenge 2010

2009-11-21T17:00:00.001-05:00

Dates: 1 January to 31 December 2010
Hosted by: Book Chick City

Guidelines:

Read twelve (12) thriller-suspense novels in 2010. You can make your choices from any of the many sub-genres.
No list necessary; if you want to list your books ahead of time, that's OK, but not required.
Lists can change during the course of the challenge.
Crossovers with other challenges are allowed.
There will be a page to list your reviews, although reviews are optional.

See my original post about the challenge here.
See the challenge announcement page here.
See the list of sub-genres here.

MY READING LIST (subject to change):

The Atlantis Revelation. Thomas Greanias
The Book of the Dead. Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
The Forgery of Venus. Michael Gruber
Lethal Legacy. Linda Fairstein
The Lost Symbol. Dan Brown
Mr. Murder. Dean Koontz

The Christmas Reading Challenge

2009-11-20T15:41:00.008-05:00

Dates: November 26 through December 31, 2009
Hosted by: Michelle of The True Book Addict

Guidelines:

Read one or more books with Christmas themes, during the time period of the challenge.
The books have to be Christmas books – either novels with a Christmas theme, or books of Christmas short stories, or nonfiction books about the holiday.
No children's books, but YA books are allowed.

See my original post about the challenge here.
See the challenge announcement page here.
See the challenge review page here.

MY BOOK LIST (list may change and, I hope, expand):

Crewel Yule. Monica Ferris (reading now)
Santa Clawed. Rita Mae Brown (review to come)
Christmas Card Magic. Margaret Perry (review to come)

The Awesome Author Challenge 2010

2009-11-11T17:32:00.009-05:00

Dates: Throughout 2010
Hosted by: Alyce of At Home With Books

Guidelines:

"The idea behind this challenge is to read works by authors who have been recommended to you time and again, yet somehow you haven't managed to read any books by those authors. These are the authors that everyone else tells you are awesome, thus the 'Awesome Author Challenge' title."

The challenge starts January 1, 2010 and ends December 31, 2010.
Crossovers with other challenges are allowed.
Choose the level at which you would like to participate, post about it and then visit Alyce's blog to sign up and leave your link.
Titles and authors do not have to be predetermined, and your list of choices can be changed at any time.
Books can come from any genre or reading level. The only requirement is that you have heard great things about the authors, but haven't yet read any of their works.

Levels of Participation:

Easy: Choose three authors and read at least one title from each author.
Moderate: Choose six authors and read at least one title from each author.
Challenging: Choose ten authors and read at least one title from each author.
Over-achieving: Anything over ten authors.

See my original post about the Challenge here.
See the Challenge announcement page here.

I'm going to try the Challenging Level, and choose ten authors who are new to me.

LIST OF POSSIBLE CHOICES (list may change):

Kate Atkinson: Case Histories, or When Will There Be Good News?
Paul Auster: The Book of Illusions
Julian Barnes: Flaubert's Parrot
Heinrich Boll: The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum
T.C. Boyle: The Women
Geraldine Brooks: People of the Book
Italo Calvino: If on a winter's night a traveler
Angela Carter: Wise Children
Philip K. Dick: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
Dean Koontz: Mr. Murder
Haruki Murakami: Norwegian Wood, or The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
Audrey Niffenegger: Her Fearful Symmetry
William Trevor: Love and Summer
Sarah Waters: Affinity, or The Little Stranger
Rebecca West: The Fountain Overflows

The November Novella Challenge

2009-11-02T22:17:00.012-05:00

**Challenge completed. See my wrap-up post here.**

Dates: Through November 30, 2009
Hosted by: Bibliofreak

Guidelines:

". . . there aren’t any rules. . .just some suggestions for cheating: Cross-overs with other challenges are fine, audiobooks are fine. . . . I do ask you to make a list in advance, but swapping out books on your list as you go is no problem. If you don’t have a blog, that’s O.K.! You can still participate by writing a short review in the comments section of the review page. . . ."

Levels of Participation:

Level I: Read one (just one!) novella by November 30, 2009
Level II: Read four novellas (one each week, mayhaps?) by November 30, 2009
Level III: Read eight novellas (two a week?) by November 30, 2009
Level IV: AKA, the As Many As You Freakin’ Can level: Read as many novellas as you freakin’ can by November 30, 2009

See my original post about the challenge here.
See my wrap-up post here.
See the challenge announcement page here.
See the challenge review page here.

I'm playing it safe and signing up for Level I.

MY READING LIST (completed works):

The Lair of the White Worm. Bram Stoker [see review]
The Uncommon Reader. Alan Bennett [review to come]
The Lesson of the Master. Henry James [review to come]
The Lover. Marguerite Duras [review to come]

Fall Into Reading 2009

2009-09-24T10:48:00.017-04:00

Dates: September 22 to December 20, 2009
Hosted by: Callapidder Days

Guidelines:

Make a list of the books you think you'd like to read during the period of the challenge, and post the list on your blog.
Go to the sign-up page and add the link to your post using Mister Linky.
Participants can read any number of books.
Lists can be changed or added to over the course of the challenge.
Reviews are optional.

See my original post about the challenge here.
See the challenge sign-up page here.
See the challenge review page here.

MY BOOK LIST (books read):

New Year's Eve. Lisa Grunwald [see review]
The Man in the Picture. Susan Hill [see review]
The Woman in Black. Susan Hill [see review]
From Doon with Death. Ruth Rendell [see review]
The Friend of Madame Maigret. Georges Simenon [see review]
The Lair of the White Worm. Bram Stoker [see review]
Homer & Langley. E.L. Doctorow [review to come]
The Uncommon Reader. Alan Bennett [review to come]
Stardust. Joseph Kanon [review to come]
The Lover. Marguerite Duras [review to come]
Santa Clawed. Rita Mae Brown [review to come]
Christmas Card Magic. Margaret Perry [review to come]

To Read (list may change):

If on a winter's night a traveler. Italo Calvino
Lethal Legacy. Linda Fairstein
Liberty. Garrison Keillor
People of the Book. Geraldine Brooks
Play It As It Lays. Joan Didion
Seek My Face. John Updike
The Inn at Lake Devine. Elinor Lipman
The Lost Symbol. Dan Brown
The Rapture. Liz Jensen
Something by Henning Mankell
Another Douglas Preston-Lincoln Child thriller
One or two books with Christmas themes in December

R.I.P. IV Challenge

2009-09-02T12:53:00.016-04:00

**Challenge completed. See my wrap-up post here.**

Dates: September 1 through October 31, 2009
Hosted by: Carl V. of Stainless Steel Droppings

Guidelines:

There are several different levels of participation:

Peril the First: Read four books of any length, from any subgenre you choose.
Peril the Second: Read two books of any length, from any subgenre you choose.
Peril the Third: Read one book of any length, from any subgenre you choose.
Short Story Peril: An extra option, for those who want to participate in Short Story Sundays.

Choose your books from the following subgenres:

Mystery
Suspense
Thriller
Dark Fantasy
Gothic
Horror
Supernatural

See my original post about the Challenge here.
See my wrap-up post here.
See the Challenge announcement page here.
See the Challenge review page here.

I'm going to try Peril the First (four books), although if all goes well I might be able to do a little better than that.

MY BOOK LIST (books read):

The Man in the Picture. Susan Hill [see review]
The Woman in Black. Susan Hill [see review]
New Year's Eve. Lisa Grunwald [see review]
From Doon with Death. Ruth Rendell [see review]
The Friend of Madame Maigret. Georges Simenon [see review]
The Lair of the White Worm. Bram Stoker [see review]

Summer Reading Challenge 2009

2009-06-24T18:34:00.026-04:00

**Challenge completed. See my wrap-up post here. **

Dates: June 21 to September 21, 2009
Hosted by: A Southern Daydreamer Reads

Guidelines:

Make a list of books you want to read this summer.
Write a post with your list on your blog. (You can add to or change this list at any time during the challenge.)
Post the direct link to your Summer Reading Challenge 2009 post (so that other participants can visit and see what you are reading).
You can write another post in September to let everyone know how you did.

See my original post about the challenge here.
See my challenge wrap-up post here.
See the challenge announcement page here.

READING LIST (books read):

The Valley of Fear. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle [see review]
The Angel's Game. Carlos Ruiz Zafon [review to come]
Sacred Hearts. Sarah Dunant [review to come]
The Fire. Katherine Neville [see review]
Grave Goods. Ariana Franklin [see review]
Fear the Worst. Linwood Barclay [see review]
Rabbit Is Rich. John Updike [see review]
Victory Over Japan. Ellen Gilchrist [see review]
Dance of Death. Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child [review to come]
The Man in the Picture. Susan Hill [review to come]
The Woman in Black. Susan Hill [ review to come]
New Year's Eve. Lisa Grunwald [see review]

Southern Reading Challenge 2009

2009-05-11T17:38:00.013-04:00

**Challenge Completed**

Dates: 15 May to 15 August, 2009
Hosted by: Maggie of Maggie Reads

Guidelines:
You may choose to read any style of Southern book such as Appalachian tales, Civil War sagas, Gothic myths, Grit lit, and heart-wrenching biographies. . . . Just as long as you read three (fiction or nonfiction) between May 15th and August 15th.

See my original post about the challenge here.
See the challenge announcement page here.

READING LIST (books read):

The Optimist's Daughter. Eudora Welty [see review]
Ellen Foster. Kaye Gibbons [review to come]
To Dance with the White Dog. Terry Kay [see review]

Sunshine Smackdown! Battle of the Prizes Challenge

2009-04-30T17:10:00.017-04:00

**Challenge completed. See my wrap-up post here.**

Dates: 1 May to 7 September 2009
Hosted by: Rose City Reader

Guidelines:

Chose three books that you have not read before:
1) One that won both the Pulitzer and the National;
2) One that won the Pulitzer but not the National; and
3) One that won the National but not the Pulitzer.
OPTION: For those who have already read all six of the double-dippers, or otherwise do not want to read one of those six, pick two Pulitzer winners and two National winners for a total of four books.
Read all books between May Day and Labor Day. Overlap with other challenges is allowed -- and encouraged!

See my original post about the challenge here.
See my challenge wrap-up post here.
See the challenge announcement page here.
See the challenge wrap-ups page here.

MY READING LIST

Double Winner: Rabbit is Rich. John Updike [see review]
Pulitzer Winner: The Optimist's Daughter. Eudora Welty [see review]
National Book Award Winner: Victory Over Japan. Ellen Gilchrist [see review]

The Herding Cats II Challenge (Attack of the Hairballs)

2009-04-30T16:46:00.009-04:00

Dates: 1 April to 31 December 2009
Hosted by: Renay, at Let's Get Literate

Guidelines:

Make a list of five books you want to recommend. All titles must be books you've read in 2007, 2008 or 2009. Do not list entire series of books - just one of the titles in the series.
Post your list in your own blog or in comments on the challenge announcement page. Your list must be public (no locked entries, no logging in to view).
Browse the Master Book List for books you'd like to read.
Read or not, as you like. Review or not, as you like. Share your reviews or not, as you like.

See my original post about the challenge here.
See the challenge announcement page here.
See the Book List here.
See the Review List here.

MY READING LIST (to choose from):

The Library at Night. Alberto Manguel
The Manual of Detection. Jedediah Berry
Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind. Ann B. Ross
Norwegian Wood. Haruki Murakami
The Secret History. Donna Tartt
Smilla's Sense of Snow. Peter Hoeg
We Have Always Lived in the Castle. Shirley Jackson

Spring Reading Thing 2009

2009-03-21T16:39:00.032-04:00

**Challenge completed. See my wrap-up post here.**

Dates: 20 March through 20 June, 2009
Hosted by: Katrina of Callapidder Days

Guidelines:

Make a list of the books you think you'll read
Write a blog post and then sign-up using Mr. Linky on the challenge announcement page
List can change over the duration of the challenge

See my original post about the challenge here.
See my challenge wrap-up post here.
See the challenge announcement page here.
See the challenge review page here.

MY READING LIST (books read):

Angels & Demons. Dan Brown [see review]
The Private Patient. P.D. James [review to come]
The Way Through the Woods. Colin Dexter [see review]
The Book of God and Physics. Enrique Joven [see review]
Brimstone. Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child [review to come]
The Old Man and Me. Elaine Dundy [see review]
The Optimist's Daughter. Eudora Welty [see review]
Ellen Foster. Kaye Gibbons [review to come]
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. Robert C. O'Brien [see review]
To Dance with the White Dog. Terry Kay [see review]
The Unit. Ninni Holmqvist [see review]
Moon Tiger. Penelope Lively [review to come]
The Longshot. Katie Kitamura [see review]
The Valley of Fear. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle [see review]

Once Upon a Time III Challenge

2009-03-21T13:51:00.007-04:00

Dates: 21 March to 20 June, 2009
Hosted by: Carl V of Stainless Steel Droppings

Guidelines:

Readings should come from these four genres: fantasy, fairy tale, folklore and mythology.
Participants can choose one or more of the following levels (or Quests).

The Journey - Read at least one book from any of the four genres. No need to commit to any set number of books.
Quest the First - Read at least 5 books that fit somewhere within the Once Upon a Time III criteria. They might all be fantasy, or folklore, or fairy tales, or mythology…or your five books might be a combination from the four genres.
Quest the Second - Read at least one book from each of the four categories. In this quest you will be reading 4 books total: one fantasy, one folklore, one fairy tale, and one mythology.
Quest the Third - Fulfill the requirements for Quest the First or Quest the Second AND top it off with a June reading of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream OR a viewing of one of the many theatrical versions of the play.
Quest the Fourth - Read two non-fiction books, essay collections, etc. that treat any one or more of the four genres covered in this challenge.
Short Story Weekends - This quest involves the reading of one or more short stories that fit within at least one of the four genres during the course of the weekend. Ideally you would post about your short story readings on Sundays or Mondays, but this is not strictly necessary.

See my original post about the Challenge here.
See the Challenge Announcement page here.
See the Challenge Review page here.

I've chosen to join the Challenge at the Journey level, although I'm hoping to manage more than one book; and my reading will most likely be from the fantasy genre.

MY BOOK LIST

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. Robert C. O'Brien [see review]

The 1% Well-Read Challenge

2009-03-06T18:59:00.014-05:00

Dates: 1 March 2009-31 March 2010

Hosted by: Michelle of 1 More Chapter

All selections are to come from the lists in the book, 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (Peter Boxall, ed.). Participants can use either the original edition of the book, or the new revised edition.

Guidelines:

Read 10 titles from the original list from March 1, 2009 through December 31, 2009.
Read 10 titles from the new list from March 1, 2009 through December 31, 2009.
Read 13 titles from the combined list (of almost 1300 titles) from March 1, 2009 through March 31, 2010. In other words, “What were they thinking dropping titles from Dostoevsky and Jane Austen?”
For all options, overlaps with other challenges are allowed, and you may change your list at any time.

See my original post about the challenge here.

See the challenge announcement page here.

READING LIST (books read):

Rabbit Is Rich. John Updike [see review]
The Lover. Marguerite Duras [review to come]

Other Possible Choices:

Ada. Vladimir Nabokov
Alias Grace. Margaret Atwood
The Ambassadors. Henry James
American Pastoral. Philip Roth
Animal Farm. George Orwell
An Artist of the Floating World. Kazuo Ishiguro
Atonement. Ian McEwan
At the Mountains of Madness. H.P. Lovecraft
The Bell Jar. Sylvia Plath
The Big Sleep. Raymond Chandler
The Black Dahlia. James Ellroy
The Black Prince. Iris Murdoch
Black Water. Joyce Carol Oates
The Book of Illusions. Paul Auster
Brighton Rock. Graham Greene
Cause for Alarm. Eric Ambler
Contact. Carl Sagan
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Philip K. Dick
The Double. Jose Saramago
The Driver's Seat. Muriel Spark
Eyeless in Gaza. Aldous Huxley
Faceless Killers. Henning Mankell
Farewell, My Lovely. Raymond Chandler
Flaubert's Parrot. Julian Barnes
Foundation. Isaac Asimov
The Go-Between. L.P. Hartley
Good Morning, Midnight. Jean Rhys
The Heat of the Day. Elizabeth Bowen
The Hours. Michael Cunningham
If on a winter's night a traveler. Italo Calvino
Ignorance. Milan Kundera
Invisible Cities. Italo Calvino
The Long Goodbye. Raymond Chandler
Loving. Henry Green
The Moonstone. Wilkie Collins
Neuromancer. William Gibson
Northanger Abbey. Jane Austen
The Old Devils. Kingsley Amis
Party Going. Henry Green
Play It As It Lays. Joan Didion
Portnoy's Complaint. Philip Roth
Rabbit, Run. John Updike
Rabbit Redux. John Updike
The Reader. Bernhard Schlink
The Sea, the Sea. Iris Murdoch
The Secret History. Donna Tartt
Them. Joyce Carol Oates
The Third Man. Graham Greene
The 13 Clocks. James Thurber
The Virgin in the Garden. A.S. Byatt
The Virgin Suicides. Jeffrey Eugenides
Wide Sargasso Sea. Jean Rhys
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. Haruki Murakami
Wise Children. Angela Carter

The Guardian 1000 Novels Challenge

2009-02-11T21:52:00.017-05:00

Dates: 1 February 2009 - 1 February 2010
Hosted by: Jennie of Biblio File
Guidelines:

The British paper, The Guardian, has come up with a list of 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read Before They Die. The challenge is to read and review 10 books off the list (that's 1%) between February 1st of 2009 and February 1st of 2010.
Of these 10, you must read 1 from each category and, if possible, 1 should be a book you have never heard of until you saw it on this list.

See my original post about the challenge here.
See the challenge announcement page here.
See reviews for February 2009 here.
See reviews for March 2009 here.
See reviews for April 2009 here.

READING LIST

Cover Her Face, by P.D. James (Category: Crime) [see review]
The Age of Innocence, by Edith Wharton (Category: Love) [see review]
Solaris, by Stanislaw Lem (Category: Science Fiction and Fantasy) [see review]
The Uncommon Reader. Alan Bennett (Category: Comedy) [review to come]
The Murder at the Vicarage. Agatha Christie (Category: Crime) [reading now]
The Lover. Marguerite Duras Category: Love) [reading now]

OTHER POSSIBLE CHOICES:

Afternoon Men. Anthony Powell (State of the Nation)
The Ambassadors. Henry James (Family/Self)
Animal Farm. George Orwell (State of the Nation)
Invitation to the Waltz. Rosamond Lehmann (Family/Self)
The Island of Dr. Moreau. H.G. Wells (War/Travel)
Lake Wobegon Days. Garrison Keillor (Comedy)
Men At Arms. Evelyn Waugh (War/Travel)
Play It As It Lays. Joan Didion (State of the Nation)
Put Out More Flags. Evelyn Waugh (War/Travel)
The Wapshot Chronicle. John Cheever (Family/Self)

Books Into Movies Challenge

2009-01-22T18:59:00.028-05:00

**Challenge completed. See my wrap-up post here.**

Dates: 1 January to 31 December 2009
Host: Kathrin (CozyMurders.com)
Guidelines:

Read two or more books that were made into movies or relate to TV shows (or that originated as movies or TV shows).

See my original post about the challenge here.
See my challenge wrap-up post here.
See the challenge announcement page here.

READING LIST:

The Age of Innocence. Edith Wharton [See Review]
Angels & Demons. Dan Brown [See Review]
Angels & Insects. A.S. Byatt [See Review]
Cover Her Face. P.D. James (this was made into a mini-series for British TV and shown on Masterpiece Theater in the U.S.) [See Review]
Hotel Du Lac. Anita Brookner (this was made into a film for British TV and shown in the U.S. on the A& E Network) [See Review]
Solaris. Stanislaw Lem [See Review]
The Way Through the Woods. Colin Dexter (this became an episode of the "Inspector Morse Mysteries," shown in this country on PBS) [See Review]

Chunkster Challenge 2009

2009-01-06T15:22:00.023-05:00

**Challenge completed. See my wrap-up post here.**

Dates: Ends November 15, 2009
Host: Dana, of So Many Books, So Little Time
Guidelines:

A chunkster is 450 pages or more of ADULT literature (fiction or nonfiction).
If you read large type books your book will need to be 525 pages or more. I asked around and the average LT book is 10-15% longer or more so I think that was a fair estimate.
No Audio books in the chunkster. It just doesn't seem right. Words on paper for this one folks.
You may start any time after signing up. You must complete your reads before or on Nov 15th.
Short Stories and Essay collections will not be counted.
Books may crossover with other challenges (see option 4 for a collaborative effort with TBR challenge).
Only option 4 requires that you make a set list of books to complete the challenge.

There are several reading level options to choose from:

The Chubby Chunkster - this option is for the reader who has a large tome or two to read, but really doesn't want to commit to more than that. 2 books is all you need to finish this challenge.
Do These Books Make My Butt Look Big? - this option is for the slightly heavier reader who wants to commit to 3-5 Chunksters over the next ten months.
Mor-book-ly Obese - This is for the truly out of control chunkster. For this level of challenge you must commit to 6 or more chunksters OR three tomes of 750 pages or more. You know you want to.....go on and give in to your cravings.
And lastly, in an intriguing collaboration with the wildly popular Miz B of the TBR Challenge we have:
Too Big To Ignore Anymore - this option is for those chunksters on your TBR list. You may select any number of books over 450 pages but you must LIST THEM to complete the challenge and they must be on your TBR list as well

I'm going to be doing the first level (the "Chubby Chunkster").

See my original post about the challenge here.
See my wrap-up post here.

See the official challenge blog here.

READING LIST (completed books)

Angels & Demons. Dan Brown (572 pages) [see review]
Brimstone. Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child (500 pages)
Dance of Death. Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child (451 pages)
Rabbit Is Rich. John Updike (467 pages) [see review]
The Angel's Game. Carlos Ruiz Zafon (470 pages)
The Fire. Katherine Neville (451 pages) [see review]

The Victorian Challenge

2009-01-01T02:14:00.025-05:00

**Challenge completed. See my wrap-up post here.**

Dates: January 1 to June 30, 2009
Host: Alex

Guidelines:

This challenge is open to everyone who wishes to participate.
You can choose the number of books you want to read by selecting one of the reading levels proposed (see below).
There is a dedicated blog for the challenge. You can share your reviews or make a small update of your readings in this blog. It's entirely up to you.
Books allowed can be written during the Victorian Era, set during that period, or about that period, including biographies.

Reading Levels:

A drink at Whitechapel: 3 books
A walk in Hyde Park: 4 books
A tour of the British Museum: 5 books
A visit to Buckingham Palace: 6 books

I'm going with Level 2: A Walk in Hyde Park
See my original post about the challenge here.
See my wrap-up post here.
See the challenge announcement page here.
See the challenge blog here.

READING LIST (books read):

The Age of Innocence, by Edith Wharton [See Review]
The Master, by Colm Toibin [See Review]
Angels & Insects, by A.S. Byatt [See Review]
The Valley of Fear, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle [See Review]

Romance Reading Challenge 2009

2009-01-01T01:49:00.011-05:00

Dates: January 1 to December 31, 2009
Host: Naida (The Bookworm)
Guidelines:

Read and review five books in the romance genre. (from the challenge announcement page: "There is a huge selection of books in this category such as contemporary romance, historical romance, romantic suspense and paranormal romance to name a few. As long as the story has romantic love between the two main characters your selection will fit this challenge.")
Post links to reviews on the challenge page.
You can change your choices at any time.
Crossovers between other challenges are allowed.

See my original post about the challenge here.
See the challenge announcement page here.

READING LIST:

Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen
Daughter of the Stars, by Phyllis A. Whitney
Mistress of Mellyn, by Victoria Holt
The Age of Innocence, by Edith Wharton [See Review]
The Stormy Petrel, by Mary Stewart

SUPPLEMENTAL LIST:

The Woman In White, by Wilkie Collins
The Moonstone, by Wilkie Collins
The Monk, by Matthew Gregory Lewis
Castle of Otranto, by Horace Walpole
The Mysteries of Udolpho, by Ann Radcliffe