Reading challenge updates

December 8, 2009December 9, 2009 / Meg / 10 Comments

It’s almost that time once more! We’re quickly wrapping up 2009 and heading into the next decade (!) — and that means a bevy of exciting new reading challenges, too. Though I can’t say I had a tremendous amount of success this year with the challenges in which I participated, I did manage to complete three so far — including the Everything Austen Challenge, one of my favorites, as hosted by Stephanie’s Written Word.

1. Rude Awakenings Of A Jane Austen Addict
by Laurie Viera Rigler
2. Mr. Darcy, Vampyre by Amanda Grange
3. Enthusiasm by Polly Shulman
4. “Lost In Austen” (film review)
5. Darcy And Anne by Judith Brocklehurst
6. According To Jane by Marilyn Brant

I don’t plan on overextending myself next year, but I’m definitely eager to sign up for a few challenges and generally keep track of my reading — as I did for the first time this year. As of today, I’ve read 81 books this year — many shy of my goal of 105. But I still have three weeks . . . let’s see how much closer I can get!

Interesting challenges that I plan on signing up for but am not quite ready to make a commitment to are, delightfully, as follows:

The Debutante Ball Challenge

2010 100+ Reading Challenge

2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge

You’ve Got Mail Reading Challenge

Gilmore Girls Reading Challenge

The Read The Book, See The Movie Challenge

THIB! Twenty Minute Book Club Challenge

For the moment, I’ll have to cut myself off here; there are so many fantastic challenges, and my eager little heart wants to sign up for them all! But I need to be way more organized than that.

An excellent list of the reading challenges happening next year can be found over at A Novel Challenge, a blog dedicated to helping us keep track of these literary pursuits. Hooray!

Two challenges complete!

July 6, 2009July 6, 2009 / Meg / 5 Comments

Since I first signed my little self up for reading challenges at the end of last year, I’ve been plugging away at checking more and more novels off my to-be-read lists and keeping track of my progress here! Since January, I’ve finished two of the challenges — the 2009 YA Challenge, hosted by J. Kaye, and the Chick Lit Challenge, hosted by The Twiga Blog.

I’m very excited because these are, in fact, the first two reading challenges I joined — and they’re the first ones I’ve completed. It’s only July and I have plenty of other goals to accomplish before the end of the year, so I’ll get right back to it! My biggest challenge is J. Kaye’s 100+ Reading Challenge, and I’m currently on book No. 43 for the year. Though I’m a little behind schedule, I still think I can do it.

So what did I read? Check out my completed lists! (Hooray!)

1. An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
2. The Princess Diaries X: Forever Princess by Meg Cabot
3. Forever In Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann Brashares
4. Catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson
5. Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson
6. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
7. Looking For Alaska by John Green
8. A Certain Strain of Peculiar by Gigi Amateau
9. Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway
10. 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson
11. Along For The Ride by Sarah Dessen
12. Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson

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1. Scot On The Rocks by Brenda Janowitz
2. Milkrun by Sarah Mlynowski
3. The Reading Group by Elizabeth Noble
4. The Anglophile by Laurie Gwen Shapiro
5. Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin
6. Everyone Is Beautiful by Katherine Center
7. Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty
8. Second Helpings by Megan McCafferty
9. Frenemies by Megan Crane
10. Charmed Thirds by Megan McCafferty

completed challenges

July 1, 2009December 8, 2010 / Meg / 2 Comments

As I’ve completed reading challenges in 2009 and 2010, I’ve shared them here. Happy reading!

Completed!

1. Rude Awakenings Of A Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler
2. Mr. Darcy, Vampyre by Amanda Grange
3. Enthusiasm by Polly Shulman
4. “Lost In Austen” (film review)
5. Darcy And Anne by Judith Brocklehurst
6. According To Jane by Marilyn Brant

Completed!

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Completed!

Goal: “Cream Crackered” — Read 8 Typically British Novels (DONE!)

1. Rumor Has It by Jill Mansell
2. Rowan The Strange by Julie Hearn
3. One Day by David Nicholls
4. The Other Mothers’ Club by Samantha Baker
5. Holly’s Inbox: Scandal In The City by Holly Denham
6. I Remember You by Harriet Evans
7. I Heart New York by Lindsey Kelk
8. A Desirable Residence by Madeleine Wickham

Everything Austen Challenge

June 25, 2009 / Meg / 10 Comments

I am quite ecstatic to say that I’ve just signed up for another reading adventure — the Everything Austen Challenge, hosted by Stephanie’s Written Word! Running from July 1 through Jan. 1, 2010, this challenge asks participants to pick out six Austen-themed items — books, films, audio books, whatever — and complete them before New Year’s Day.

I’m a mega Austen-o-holic, so I’m thinking this isn’t going to be too challenging for me — especially since I already have two ARCs of Austen fiction to review by August! (Those could be very famous — and public — last words, I know.)

Here’s my tentative list of the Jane-related books I hope to complete:

• Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen (need to buy)

• Mr. Darcy, Vampyre by Amanda Grange (ARC, review to come in August)

• Cassandra and Jane by Jill Pitkeathley (own, TBR)

• Rude Awakenings Of A Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler (need to buy — out June 25!)

• Darcy and Anne by Judith Brocklehurt (ARC, review to come in September)

• Letters From Pemberly by Jane Dawkins (own, TBR)

And I’m sure I’ll be watching more than a few adaptations of Jane’s beloved novels, not to mention a marathon session of “Becoming Jane” — one of my favorite films of all time! Though I’ve enjoyed Austen since first stumbling across Pride & Prejudice in high school (and seeing the BBC adaptation — le sigh), “Becoming Jane” was what really ignited a major obsession with her work and learning more about her life.

Want to join in the fun? Sign up now!

Booking Through… Friday: Reading resolutions

January 2, 2009 / Meg / 2 Comments

booking_through_thurs Let’s go Booking Through Thursday — on Friday! I was running around yesterday and didn’t get to answer one of my favorite prompts . . .

Any Reading Resolutions? Say, specific books you plan to read? A plan to read more ____? Anything at all? Name at least ONE thing you’re looking forward to reading this year!

I have so many books waiting in my TBR stack and keep adding more and more titles to it . . . but there are many books getting ready to come out this year that I’m really looking forward to reading! I got incredibly excited when I saw Sarah Dessen has a new book coming out in June, Along For the Ride. She’s one of my favorite young adult authors — or just authors in general — and I can’t wait to get something new from her. Closer to the home front, the last installment of Meg Cabot’s incredibly popular Princess Diaries series comes out this Tuesday, Jan. 6 — Princess Diaries X: Forever Princess. I’m saving up my Borders Bucks to put toward that! I also recently acquired several books from my wish list on BookMooch, including Laurie Notaro’s The Idiot Girl and the Flaming Tantrum of Death. Can’t wait to start there!

I’m participating in a few book challenges this year, so I’ll probably be reading more young adult than normal. I’m really into contemporary fiction, a little romance and a smidge of non-fiction, but I really want to start writing young adult fiction . . . that’s a writing goal for 2009! So to be a great young adult writer, I’m going to have to really know the genre. I’ve been reading YA since I was . . . well, a YA myself! But I didn’t look at it from the perspective I will be now. Plus, YA books are just fun!