It’s the end of the year and it’s time to tally up my progress in my various reading challenges for the year. It was a tough year and I didn’t get as much reading done as I would like but I did manage to meet most of my goals and complete the majority of the challenges that I did sign up for in 2011. All in all I read 143 books this year and completed 8 official challenges including my very own Classics Challenge of 2011. You can check out each challenge I participated in this year below and see what books I chose to read for each challenge. Also click on any challenge to get more information and possibly see if that particular reading challenge will be sponsored again in 2012. Now I am off to pick my challenges for 2012…I would love any suggestions you might have!
Wishing you the Happiest New Year in 2012 & as always Happy Reading!
Student Level: Read 5 Classic Books
1.) The Histories by Herodotus (Re-Read)
2.) Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen (Re-Read)
3.) An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser (Re-Read)
4.) Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens (Re-Read)
5.) Mansfield Park by Jane Austen (Re-Read)
6.) Christy by Catherine Marshall (Re-Read)
7.) The Pearl by John Steinbeck
8.) Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
The Challenge is to read a minimum of 12 Debut Author’s Books in Young Adult and Middle Grade Literature.
1.) Haven by Kristi Cook
2.) Across the Universe by Beth Revis
3.) Clarity by Kim Harrington
4.) XVI by Julia Karr
5.) Falling Under by Gwen Hayes
6.) Like Mandarin by Kirsten Hubbard
7.) Future Imperfect by K. Ryer Breese
8.) The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab
9.) Forgotten by Cat Patrick
10.) Cinder and Ella by Melissa Lemon
11.) Envy by Gregg Olsen
12.) How I Stole Johnny Depp’s Alien Girlfriend by Gary Ghislain
13.) Virals by Kathy Reichs
14.) Incarnate by Jodi Meadows
I will be doing “Undoubtedly Obsessed”: 15 books.
1.) The Life and Opinions of Maf the Dog and of His Friend Marilyn Monroe by Andrew O’Hagan
2.) The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab
3.) Christy by Catherine Marshall (Re-Read)
4.) Bride Flight by Marieke van der Pol
5.) Before Versailles: A Novel of Louis XIV by Kathleen Koen
6.) Becoming Marie Antoniette by Juliet Grey
7.) Cotillion by Georgette Heyer
8.) The Twelfth Enchantment by David Liss
9.) Bath Tangle by Georgette Heyer
10.) Jane Austen Made Me Do It edited by Laurel Ann Nattress
11.) Salt Bride by Lucinda Brant
12.) The Merchant’s Daughter by Melanie Dickerson
13.) Noble Satyr by Lucinda Brant
14.) A Winter Scandal by Candace Camp
15.) The Pearl by John Steinbeck
Levels: Neophyte: 1 – 4 selections, Disciple: 5 – 8 selections, Aficionada: 9 – 12 selections.
1.) Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
2.) Sense and Sensibility 1995 (Film)
3.) Sense and Sensibility 2008 (Masterpiece Theatre Adaptation)
4.) Jane Austen Made Me Do It edited by Laurel Ann Nattress
Read 20 Books with a Vampire as a Central Character
1.) Throat by R.A. Nelson
2.) Haven by Kristi Cook
3.) The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare
4.) Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris
5.) A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
6.) Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris (Re-read)
7.) Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris (Re-read)
8.) Insatiable by Meg Cabot (Re-read)
9.) Overbite by Meg Cabot
10.) Supernaturally by Kiersten White
11.) Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
12.) I Am Legend by Richard Matheson
13.) Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (Re-Read)
14.) Fangland by John Marks
15.) Club Dead by Charlaine Harris (Re-Read)
16.) Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris (Re-Read)
17.) Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris (Re-Read)
18.) Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris (Re-Read)
19.) All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris (Re-Read)
20.) From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris (Re-Read)
Challenge: To read books about South Asia or by South Asian authors.
Level: South Asian Adventurer - 7 books
1.) The Storyteller of Marrakesh by Joydeep Roy-Bhattacharya
2.) The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar
3.) The Weight of Heaven by Thrity Umrigar
4.) The Girl in the Garden by Kamala Nair
5.) If Today Be Sweet by Thrity Umrigar
6.) The Mango Season by Amulya Malladi
7.) Tiger Moon by Antonia Michaelis
Read 12, 25, 50 or 100 books from your local library in 2011.
1.) The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare
2.) Numbers by Rachel Ward
3.) The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
4.) Beastly by Alex Flinn
5.) Welcome to the World, Baby Girl by Fannie Flagg
6.) Thirteen Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson
7.) Under the Dome by Stephen King
8.) The Scorch Trials by James Dashner
9.) A Friend Like Henry by Nuala
10.) The Truth-Teller’s Lie by Sophie Hannah
11.) The Life and Opinions of Maf the Dog and of His Friend Marilyn Monroe by Andrew O’Hagan
12.) Promises to Keep by Jane Green
13.) Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
14.) Room by Emma Donoghue
15.) The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff
16.) The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
17.) The Shining by Stephen King
18.) Georgia Bottoms by Mark Childress
19.) Generation Dead by Daniel Waters
20.) The Weight of Heaven by Thrity Umrigar
21.) The Storm Thief by Chris Wooding
22.) Christy by Catherine Marshall (Re-Read)
23.) The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown
24.) A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
25.) If Today Be Sweet by Thrity Umrigar
26.) Overbite by Meg Cabot
27.) Tigerlily’s Orchids by Ruth Rendell
28.) Dreams of Joy by Lisa See
29.) Save Me by Lisa Scottoline
30.) Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
31.) Virals by Kathy Reichs
32.) Still Missing by Chevy Stevens
33.) Louder Than Words: A Mother’s Journey in Healing Autism by Jenny McCarthy
34.) Mother Warriors: A Nation of Parents Healing Autism Against All Odds by Jenny McCarthy
35.) Healing the New Childhood Epidemics: Autism, ADHD, Asthma and Allergies by Kenneth Bock and Cameron Stauth
36.) Healing and Preventing Autism: A Complete Guide by Jenny McCarthy and Jerry Kartzinel M.D.
37.) A Child’s Journey Out of Autism by Leeann Whiffen
38.) Then Came You by Jennifer Weiner
39.) I Am Legend by Richard Matheson
40.) Never Knowing by Chevy Stevens
41.) The Children of Men by P.D. James
42.) Fangland by John Marks
Level: Reading with a Child: “Watering” – Read 36 picture books with a child during the year.
1.) Each Peach Pear Plum by Allan Ahlberg. Illustrated by Janet Ahlberg.
2.) Hide and Squeak by Heather Vogel Frederick. Illustrated by C.J. Payne
3.) Press Here by Herve Tullet
4.) Baby at the Farm by Karen Katz
5.) Goodnight Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann
6.) Compost Stew by Mary McKenna Siddals. Illustrated by Ashley Wolff
7.) Bye-Bye Time by Elizabeth Verdick. Illustrated by Marieka Heinlen
8.) Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein
9.)Rapunzel and the Seven Dwarfs by Willy Claflin. Illustrated by James Stimson.
10.) Hide by Jeff Foxworthy. Illustrated by Steve Bjorkman.
11.) Read to Your Bunny by Rosemary Wells
12.) Compost Stew by Mary Mckenna Siddals. Illustrated by Ashley Wolff.
13.) From Head to Toe by Eric Carle
14.) Snappy Little Monsters by Dugald Steer
15.) My First 100 Words by Roger Priddy
16.) Grover’s Mommy by Liza Alexander. Illustrated by David Prebenna (Little Golden Book)
17.) From Head to Toe by Eric Carle
18.) My First Superman Book by DownTown Book Works
19.) Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss
20.) What’s to Eat? by Charles E. Reasoner
21.) Trains by Byron Barton
22.) Airplanes by Byron Barton
23.) Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
24.) Whose Baby Am I? by John Butler
25.) Clap Your Hands by Lorinda Bryan Cauley
26.) My First Superman Book by Downtown Bookworks
27.) My Very First Book of Shapes by Eric Carle
28.) My Very First Book of Numbers by Eric Carle
29.) My Big Boy Potty by Joanna Cole
30.) Once Upon a Potty by Alona Frankel
31.) My First 100 Words (Board Book)
32.) Donald’s Christmas Gift by Sheila Sweeney Higginson
33.) We Belong Together by Joyce Wan (Board Book)
34.) The Big Book of Beautiful Babies by David Ellwand
35.) The Santa Claus Book by Eileen Daly. Illustrated by Florence Sarah Winship
36.) Donald’s Christmas Gift by Sheila Sweeny Higginson
Gemma Hardy is no doubt the modern day Jane Eyre of our time. Orphaned at a young age and brought from her native land of Iceland to be taken in by her Uncle and his own small but prosperous family, Gemma grew up in a relatively loving environment until the untimely death of said Uncle. Upon his demise Gemma’s life became one of unhappiness and abuse at the hands of a jealous Aunt and cruel cousins.
