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

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

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

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