Pub Challenge 2

Completed: 5 of 8
Due Date: December 31, 2008




I decided to join the Pub Challenge hosted by 1MoreChapter. When I originally saw this I thought it had to do with books that had Pubs in it...I was not correct!! Here are the details:
1. Read a minimum of 8 books published in 2008.
2. No children's/YA titles allowed, since we're at the 'pub'
3. At least 4 titles must be fiction
4. Crossovers with other challenges are allowed.
5. Titles may be changed at any time.



This is my type of challenge!! I already have 2 2008 books read:


1. Monsters of Templeton - Lauren Groff - COMPLETE


2. Change of Heart - Jodi Picoult - COMPLETE


3. The Sister - Poppy Adams - COMPLETE

4. The Opposite of Love – Julie Buxbaum - COMPLETE

5. The Senetor's Wife - Sue Miller - COMPLETE

6. There’s No Place Like Here -Cecelia Ahern - COMPLETE

7. Firefly Lane - Kristin Hannah - COMPLETE

Here are some others that I am interested in reading:


8. So Brave, Young, and Handsome -Lief Enger
9. Last Lecture -Randy Pausch
10. Skeletons at the Feast – Chris Bohjalian
11. What I want my Daughters to Know - Elizabeth Nobel

A-Z Reading Challenge

Completed: 29/ 52 (23) books to go
Due Date: December 31, 2008

Thoughts of Joy is hosting an A-Z Reading Challenge.
Requirements:
~ align the author's last name or the title of a book (excluding "the", "a", etc.) with its corresponding letter in the alphabet
~ enter a different book for each author and title (total of 52 books)
~ complete the alphabet lists anyway that suits your fancy (i.e.: complete each list separately in alphabetical order, read both "A" entries, then "B" entries, fit whatever you're reading into either list, etc.)
~ complete the challenge in the year 2008

2008 A to Z Challenge List (completed letters) –

Title List
A
B – Blue Bistro by Elin Hilderbrand
Blue Water by A. Manette Ansay
C – Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult
D - Drums of Change – Janette Oke
E
F – Five Fortunes by Beth Gutcheon
G – Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
H - Hidden – Shelly Shepard Gray
I
J
K
L – Love Comes Softly by Janette Oke
M – Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff
N – The Negotiator by Dee Henderson
O – Opposite of Love – Julie Buxbaum
P
Q – Quilters Apprentice by Jennifer Chiaverini
R – Raising Hope by Katie Willard
S – Summer I Dared (The) - Delinsky, Barbara

T – Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas
U - Uncommon Reader - Allen Bennett
V
W – The Wilde Women by Paula Wall
X
Y
Z


Author List
A – Adams, Poppy; The Sister
B
C – Chopin, Kate; The Awakening
D – Delinsky, Barbara; Family Tree
E
F – Ferris, Jean; Once Upon a Marigold
G - Gregory, Philippa – The Other Boleyn Girl
H – Harter, Karin (Autumn Blue)
I
J -Jackson, Joshilyn - The Girl Who Stopped Swimming
K
L
M – McCullough, Colleen – The Touch
N - Noonan, Robert - Wildflowers
O
P – Pfeffer, Susan Beth – Life As We Knew It
Q
R
S - See, Lisa – Snow Flower & Secret Fan
T
U
V
W - Wilder, Laura Ingalls – Little House in the Big Woods
X
Y
Z

Chunkster Challenge

So Many Books, So Little Time is hosting a Chukster Challenge. Since I already have several books that qualify for Chunksters I thought I would join this. It will help inspire me to read the big books and not blow them off for the quicker reads. Here are the details:
*To qualify the book must be 450 pps regular type OR 750 pps large text.
*You must read FOUR chunksters (one each quarter), you OBVIOUSLY may read more
*The Challenge will run Jan 7th, 2008 - Dec 20th, 2008

So what are my books?
1. Voyager – Diana Gabaldon (Also TBR challenge)
2. Drums of Autumn – Diana Gabaldon (Also Themed Reading Challenge)
3. For the Roses - Julie Garwood (Also 1st Series Challenge)
4. Change of Heart – Jodi Picoult (Reading Full Circle Challenge) -COMPLETE

Others
5. The Touch - Colleen McCullough – COMPLETE
6. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak – COMPLETE

7. Harvesting the Heart - Jodi Picoult - COMPLETE

8. Twilight - Stephenie Meyers - COMPLETE

9. Firefly Lane - Kristin Hannah - COMPLETE

1st In a Series

COMPLETED: 5 of 12

Due Date: December 31, 2008

I decided to join Thoughts of Joy's First in a Series Challenge. Here are the rules:
Read 12 books that are the first in any series (new authors not required)
You may read your chosen books any time during the year; however, most plan to read one a month. A lot of people selected mysteries...these aren't my favorite books so I have searched Amazon for 1sts and here is what I came up with.

1. Love Comes Softly by Janette Oke (Love Comes Softly Series) - COMPLETE
2. The Quilter's Apprentice by Jennifer Chiaverini (Elm Creek Series) -COMPLETE
3. The Negotiator by Dee Henderson (O’Malley Series) - COMPLETE
4. Dakota Born by Debbie Macomber (Dakota Series)
5. High Country Bride - Linda Lael Miller (The McKettrick Series)
6. Land of my Heart by Tracie Peterson (Heirs of Montana)
7. Cape Refuge by Terri Blackstock (Cape Refuge Series)
8. The Texan's Touch by Jodi Thomas (Texas Brothers Trilogy)

9. To Love and to Cherish by Patricia Gaffney (Wyckerley Trilogy)
10. For the Roses by Julie Garwood (Clayborne Series)
11. Shameless by Karen Robards (Banning Sisters Trilogy)
12. A Great and Terrible Beauty – Libba Bray (book 1) (YA) - COMPLETE

I am having a hard time finding The Texan's Touch by Jodi Thomas (Texas Brothers Trilogy)
and Shameless by Karen Robards (Banning Sisters Trilogy) and refuse to pay $25 for an out of print copy, so I have added some alternates

Alternates -

13. Little House in the Big Woods - Laura Ingles Wilder
14. Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery
15. Reclaiming Nick: Noble Legacy (Book 1) by Susan Warren

16. The Golden Compass - Philip Pullman (His DarkMaterials #1) - (YA) COMPLETE

Reading Full Circle Challenge

Here's how to do it... Use the common words from your book titles to connect the last title and the following title. The last title in your list needs to share a word with the first title making it a full circle.

Here is my list:
Drums of Autumn – Diana Gabaldon
Drums of Change: A story of Running Fawn – Janette Oke
Change of Heart – Jodi Picoult - COMPLETE
Harvesting the Heart– Jodi Picoult -COMPLETE
Fatal Harvest – Catherine Palmer
Fatal Grace: A Three Pines Mystery – Louise Penny
A Tread of Grace – Mary Doria Russell
The Scarlet Tread – Francine Rivers
Scarlet Moon – Kimberly C Hughes
Blue Moon – Luanne Rice -COMPLETE
Autumn Blue – Karen Harter - COMPLETE

I actually got a few books I own in this List (Tread of Grace & Drums of Autumn). I have been wanting to read more Jodi Picoult (and the change of heart is her new one) and Janette Oke because I love the Love Comes Softly Series...all of the others are new books and new authors!! This was hard but fun!! It took me a few hours...and I wanted to include the Drums of Amber so I can work on the series this year.

2008 TBR Challenge

To Be Read Challenge
1. Voyager – Diana Gabaldon – Book 3 of the Outlander Series
2. The Surrogate – Judith Henry Wall
3. Case Histories – Kate Atkinson
4. Busters Midnight Café --Sandra Dallas
5. Dancing on the Edge of the Roof – Shelia Williams
6. Beginner’s Luck– Laura Pedersen
7. PS I Love You – Cecelia Ahern
8. The Touch - Colleen McCullough - COMPLETE
9. Always – Jude Deveraux
10. The Shop on Blossom Street – Debbie Macomber
11. The Perfect Arangement – Suzanne Berne
12. Five Fortunes – Beth Gutcheon - COMPLETE

Alternates
13. The Secret Wife of King George IV (Diane Haeger )
14. Snow Flowers and the Secret Fan (Lisa See) - COMPLETE
15. All We know of Love (Katie Schneider)
16. Redemption (Kingsbury with Smally)
17. The Other Boleyn Girl (Philippa Gregory) -COMPLETE
18. Custody (Nancy Thayer)
19. Bread Alone (Judity Ryan Hendricks)
20. The Persia Café (Melany Neilson)
21. The Negotiator (Dee Henderson) - COMPLETE

Read-a-thon Information!

Dewey at The Hidden Side of a Leaf is hosting her second 24 hour read-a-thon! This will be my first time participating but I observed in October and it looked like a blast!! So this year I am joining and I am going to be a cheerleader! It is June 28 & June 29 starting at 9:00 Pacific DST - which is noon for me in Louisville. Let me know if you are going to join!!

Novella Challenge - OVER

Trish of Hey Lady! Watcha Readin'? is hosting a challenge for Novellas. Books that are too long to be a short story but too short to be a novel. Here are the rules:
Read 6 novellas in 6 months
A Novella is defined as between 100-250 pages (with some leeway allowed!) You don't have to have your own blog
Provide reviews of the books you read either on your blog, on the challenge blog, or in the comments section of the challenge post.

I am sure that I have a few books that will qualify that are in current challenges. I will post a proposed list soon. The challenge goes from April 1 - September 30, 2008.

1. The Awakening by Kate Chopin (190 pgs) -COMPLETE
2. Love Comes Softly by Jannette Oke (240 pgs) – COMPLETE

3. Little House in the Big Woods – Laura Ingalls Wilder - COMPLETE
4. Drums of Change: A Story of Running Fawn- Janette Oke- COMPLETE

Summer Reading Thing 2008 - OVER

Karlene is hosing a Summer Thing challenge. My goal for this challenge is to read 26 books. Here is my list but if the Spring Thing is any indication it will change greatly!


Friday, June 2oth through Sunday, September 21st, 2008.

1. PS I Love You Cecelia Ahern
2. There’s No Place Like Here Cecelia Ahern -COMPLETE
3. The Next Big Thing -Johnanna Edwards
4. Love Walked In by Marisa De Los Santos - COMPLETE
5. Harvesting the Heart– Jodi Picoult - COMPLETE
6. Fatal Harvest – Catherine Palmer
7. Scarlet Moon – Kimberly C Hughes
8. Snow Flowers and the Secret Fan- Lisa See - COMPLETE
9. God’s In Alabama – Joshilyn Jackson - COMPLETE
10. Girl Who Stopped Swimming – Joshilyn Jackson -COMPLETE
11. Cape Refuge by Terri Blackstock
12. There’s No Place Like Here by Cecelia Ahern - COMPLETE
13. Hidden – Shelley Shepard Gray - COMPLETE
14. Light Years - Tammar Stein
15. The Flirt – Kathleen Tessaro
16. Twilight -Stephenie Meyer
17. Luxe -Anna Godbersen
18. Love is a Many Trousered Thing - Louise Rennison
19. Light Years - Tammar Stein
20. Ever - Gail Carson Levine
21. Peaches - Jodi Lynn Anderson
22. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants - Ann Brashares
23.Thirtheenth Tale – Diane Setterfield
24. 13 Reasons Why – Jay Asher
25. The Host - Stephenie Meyer

26. ??

SWAPS

1. Sugar Queen Sarah Addison Allen - COMPLETE

2. Garden Spells - Sarah Addison Allen

Chick Lit Challenge - OVER

Journey to the End of the TBR Pile is hosting a Chick Lit Challenge. This challenge is from June 1 - September 1 with 3 books to read. Here is my list:

1. PS I Love You Cecelia Ahern
2. There’s No Place Like Here Cecelia Ahern
The Next Big Thing -Johnanna Edwards

3. Sunday’s At Tiffany’s - James Patterson

Alternates

Austentland –Shannon Hale
Remember Me? – Sophie Kinsella
Queen of Babble – Meg Cabot
The Bright Side of Disaster – Katherine Center
Life’s a Beach – Claire Cook (author of Must Love Dogs)
Hearbreak Town – Marsha Moyer

48 Hour Read-A-Thon

Final Updates

Pages Read: 238

Books finished: 0

Time: 5 hours and 30 minutes

I know - lame, lame, lame. The weekend got away with me - With a birthday party, church, a going away party and cleaning for guests later in the week before I knew it the weekend was gone!! I did listen to an audio book for about 2 hours while I cleaned but I don't think that counts! I will try to do better next year!!

I learned pick smaller books - I picked a book with over 400 pages because it is due at the library, but if I didn't I would have had a book read. :) Also - don't plan anything - because stuff comes up!

Once Upon A Time II

I am still on my challenge crazy quest.... I am joining the Once Upon A Time II hosted by Carl. I am not normally a big fantasy reader, but I LOVED Harry Potter. I saw Stephanie's list at The Written Word and looked that the synopsis at B&N and decided that this sounds like a fun challenge. I think I loved her list because the books were pictured...I have an obsession with buying books.

I picked several that were on Stephanie's list. They are mostly Young Adult so hopefully I will get through them fast and they won't affect my other challenges. :) I also want to finish the Thursday Next Series, which I started last year, so this is a great opportunity for that! This challenge lasts until June 20.

I am going to do Quest One: Read five books from any category or combination of category.

1. Once Upon a Marigold by Jean Ferris -COMPLETE

2. Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

3. Stolen Child by Keith Donohue

4. The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly

5. Something Rotten: A Thursday Next Novel

6. Thursday Next: First Among Sequels

7. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman (I have this on request at the library, but I am #9 so I am not sure it will come in before the challenge is over)

This one might interfere with the Spring Thing Challenge, but I am trying to increase the number of books I am reading so we'll see in June how I did!! :) Several of these are YA so I think I might be OK. Also my real goal with Spring Thing was to read one book a week...I will be happy if I complete this regardless of what the books are!

Spring Thing Reading Challenge 2008

I went back to Callapidder Days and the Spring Thing Reading Challenge needs a few more specifics than I originally detailed. So here are some more details...

Goal
1. Finish Themed Reading Challenge. - COMPLETE

AND Goal 2 Read the following:
1. Blue Moon – Luanne Rice
2. Blue Water – A Manette Ansay -COMPLETE
3. The Quilter's Apprentice by Jennifer Chiaverini (Elm Creek Series) -COMPLETE
4. Dakota Born – Debbie Macomber (Dakota Series)
5. A Great and Terrible Beauty – Libba Bray - COMPLETE
6. Drums of Autumn – Diana Gabaldon
7. The Sister – Poppy Adams - COMPLETE
8. Family Tree – Barbara Delinsky -COMPLETE
9. Looking for Peyton Place - Barbara Delinsky
10. Lake News - Barbara Delinsky
11. The Book Thief – Markus Zusak - COMPELETE

Others Completed...

12. Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult - COMPLETE

13. Monsters of Templeton - Lauren Groff - COMPLETE
14. Once Upon a Marigold – Jean Ferris - COMPLETE

15. The Summer I Dared - Barbara Delinsky - COMPLETE

16. The Senator's Wife - Sue Miller- COMPLETE

17. Life As We Knew It - Susan Beth Pfeffer- COMPLETE

18. The Opposite of Love - Julie Buxbaum- COMPLETE

19. The Golden Compass - Philip Pullman- COMPLETE

Themed Reading Challenge - COMPLETE

Caribousmom is hosing a Themed Reading Challenge. I am picking books with Blue in the title. I have.

Blue Moon – Luanne Rice -COMPLETE
Autumn Blue – Karen Harter - COMPLETE
The Blue Bistro by Elin Hilderbrand - COMPLETE
Blue Water by A. Manette Ansay -COMPLETE

48 Hour Book Challenge

48 Hour Book Challenge
When: June 6-8
Premise: Read for 48 hours straight! Well there are a few more details...Mother Reader has posted the rules/guidelines.
I will post here when I start and the finishing totals. My goal is to read for 20 hours. Anything above that is fabulous! I am hoping to finish some challenges during this time because I have several that are due. I will link the posts during the challenge at my main posting area... Reading Derby.

tl;dr Challenge

Renay is hosting a 342,745 Ways to Herd Cats, or tl;dr challenge. What you do is submit 10 books that you loved, then May 1 you pick 3 books on the list and read the 3 books by November 30.

Here are my favorite 10 books:

1. 1001 White Women by Jim Fergus

2. Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani

3. Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas by James Patterson

4. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

5. The Honk and Holler Opening Soon – Billie Letts

6. Night Ride Home by Barbara Esstman

7. Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons – Lorna Landvick

8. Here are Earth – Alice Hoffman

9. Crow Lake – Mary Lawson

10. The Blessing Stone – Barbara Wood

Here are the books that I am going to read:

1. The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale (Melody’s Reading Corner) - COMPLETE

2. Love Walked In by Marisa De Los Santos (Melody’s Reading Corner)
3. The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly (Melody’s Reading Corner and Mrs S )

Here are some other ones that I am interested in:

Red Leaves by Thomas H. Cook (Melody’s Reading Corner)

Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn (Word Lily)

The Hummingbird's Daughter by Luis Alberto Urrea (Framed and Booked)

The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O’Farrel (Alix)

What I Was by Meg Rosoff (Dewey)

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield (Dewey)

The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy (Invocations)

The Thief (Megan Whalen Turner)

Book of a Thousand Days (Shannon Hale)

Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier

Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

The Prize Winner of Defiance Ohio by Terry Ryan

Snow Flower & Secret Fan by Lisa See

The Giver by Lois Lowry

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire