Reading Challenges 2015

Total books for the year

2011 - 156/150 completed
2012 - 104/100 completed
2013 - 134/100 completed
2014 - 206/100 completed
2015 - 276/100 completed + 3

*****

Around the World  2015

Read one book set in each of the 12 regions. (19-24 books)

US/Canada - 

DC - The Jefferson Key by Steve Berry

NC - First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen

Central America/Mexico/Caribbean - 

 Mexico - Look What the Wind Blew In by Ann Charles
 Puerto Rico - An Ordinary Drowning by LeAnn Neal Reilly
 Puerto Rico - The Golden Flower by Nina Jaffe

South America - 

Peru - Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter by Mario Vargas Llosa

Chile - The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende
 Peru - Iron Moon by C.L. Bevill

British Isles/Ireland - 

England - Coraline by Neil Gaiman

England - Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D.H. Lawrence
 England - Medicus by Ruth Downie
 England - The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
 England - The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
 England - Mousetrap and Other Plays by Agatha Christie
 England - Exploring Midsomer by Chris Behan
 Scotland - Scotland's Hidden Hauntings by G. Stewart
 Scotland - Scottish Ghosts and Witches by G. Stewart
 Scotland - Haunted Scottish Castles and Houses by G. Stewart
 England - A Street Cat Named Bob by James Bowen
 Ireland - Jewels of the Sun by Nora Roberts
 Ireland - Tears of the Moon by Nora Roberts
 England - Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence
 England - Capable of Murder by Brian Kavanagh
 Ireland - Shadow Spell by Nora Roberts
 England - The Gentle Art of Murder by Jeanne M. Dams
 Ireland - Pirate Queen of Ireland by Anne Chambers
 England - A Plague of Poison by Maureen Ash
 England - Murder for Christ's Mass by Maureen Ash
 England - In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware
 England - The Wizard of Evesham by M.C. Beaton
 England - The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory
 England - The Witch of Wyckhadden by M.C. Beaton
 England - The Fairies of Fryfam by M.C. Beaton
 England - The Love from Hell by M.C. Beaton
 England - The Day the Floods Came by M.C. Beaton
 England - The Case of the Curious Curate by M.C. Beaton
 England - The Haunted House by M.C. Beaton
 England - The Deadly Dance by M.C. Beaton
 England - The Perfect Paragon by M.C. Beaton
 England - Love, Lies and Liquor by M.C. Beaton
 England - Kissing Christmas Goodbye by M.C. Beaton

Polar Regions/Scandinavia - 

Antarctica - In Cold Pursuit by Sarah Andrews

Norway - The Ringmaster’s Daughter by Jostein Gaarder

Antarctica - Whiteout Vol. 1 by Greg Rucka
 Antarctica - Whiteout Vol. 2 by Greg Rucka

Western Europe - 

Spain - The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Switzerland - The English Assassin by Daniel Silva
 France - Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett
 Euskadi - Legends and Popular Tales of the Basque People by Mariana     Monteiro
 Euskadi - The Hammer of Witches by Begona Echeverria
 Pays Basque - Basque Legends by Wentworth Webster
 Pays Basque - The Land of My Fathers by Robert Laxalt
 France - The Paris Key by Juliet Blackwell

Eastern Europe - 

Slovakia - Requiem for a Gypsy by Michael Genelin

Middle East/North Africa - 

Iran - Farangi Girl: Growing up in Iran by Ashley Dartnell

Israel - A Fly Has A Hundred Eyes by Aileen Baron
 Iran - Off the Radar by Cyrus Copeland

Sub-Saharan Africa - 

Nigeria - The Icarus Girl by Helen Oyeyemi

East Asia - 

Japan - How to Be An American Housewife by Margaret Dilloway

Japan - The Snow Empress by Laura Joh Rowland
 China - Tiger's Promise by Colleen Houck

South Asia - 

Burma - Saving Fish from Drowning by Amy Tan

Bhutan - Beyond the Sky and the Earth by Jamie Zeppa

Pakistan - I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai
 India - Tiger's Promise by Colleen Houck

Australia/Oceania - 

Australia - The Purrfect Picture by Angela Castle

 Australia - All the Birds, Singing by Evie Wyld

Islands/Bodies of Water - 

Malta - The Maltese Goddess by Lyn Hamilton
 Atlantic Ocean - Murder on the Lusitania by Conrad Allen

*****

Seasons 2014-2015

Read one book with titles that begin with the letter or the first letters of the authors' names that begin with the letters of each season.

Dec 21 - Mar 19

W - The Wolfe Widow by Victoria Abbott

I - In Cold Pursuit by Sarah Andrews

N - Crystal Unicorns by Nancy E. Miller

T -Tiger Time by Marissa Dobson

E - An Ex to Grind by Ann Charles

R - The Red Garden by Alice Hoffman

S - The Jefferson Key by Steve Berry

N - Coraline by Neil Gaiman

O - One Potion in the Grave by Heather Blake

W - Structuring Your Novel by K.M. Weiland

Mar 20 - Jun 20

S - The Witch of Little Italy by Suzanne Palmieri

P - The Fifth Horseman by James Patterson

R - The Ringmaster’s Daughter by Jostein Gaarder

I - The Icarus Girl by Helen Oyeyemi

N - Jewels of the Sun by Nora Roberts

G - Songs of Love and Death by Yasmine Galenorn

F - From Potter’s Field by Patricia Cornwell

L - Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D.H. Lawrence

O - Once She Knew by Sheila Connolly

W - Whiteout Vol. 1 by Greg Rucka

E - All the Birds, Singing by Evie Wyld

R - Tears of the Moon by Nora Roberts

S - The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Jun 21 - Sep 22

S - Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

U - Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe

M - Murder for Christ’s Mass by Maureen Ash

M - Beloved by Toni Morrison

E - Empty Mansions by Bill Dedman

R - Heart of the Sea by Nora Roberts

B - Black Jasmine by Toby Neal
O - The Pot Thief Who Studied Ptolemy by J. Michael Orenduff
A - A Plague of Poison by Maureen Ash
T - Broken Ferns by Toby Neal
S - Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Sep 23 - Dec 21

A - Bitten by Kelley Armstrong

U - Unzipped by Lois Greiman

T - Irish Thoroughbred by Nora Roberts

U - Unplugged by Lois Greiman

M - Wizard of Evesham by M.C. Beaton

N - Angel’s Blood by Nalini Singh

L - The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory

E - Between Light and Dark by Elissa Wilds

A - The Awakening by Kate Chopin

V - The Sister Circle by Vonette Bright & Nancy Moser

E - The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

S - An Early Wake by Sheila Connolly

*****

Ultimate Reading Challenge 2015

1. A book with more than 500 pages - The Jefferson Key by Steve Berry 592 pgs

2. A classic romance - Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D.H. Lawrence

3. A book that became a movie - Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

4. A book published this year - First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen

5. A book with a number in the title - The Fifth Horseman by James Patterson

6. A book written by someone under 30 - The Icarus Girl by Helen Oyeyemi

7. A book with nonhuman characters - Tiger Time by Marissa Dobson

8. A funny book - An Ex to Grind by Ann Charles

9. A book by a female author - The Wolfe Widow by Victoria Abbott

10. A mystery or thriller - In Cold Pursuit by Sarah Andrews

11. A book with a one-word title - Beloved by Toni Morrison

12. A book of short stories - Songs of Love and Death by George R.R. Martin

13. A book set in a different country - The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende

14. A nonfiction book - Structuring Your Novel by K.M. Weiland

15. A popular author’s first book - Irish Thoroughbred by Nora Roberts

16. A book from an author you love that you haven’t read yet - Fortune’s Daughter by Alice Hoffman

17. A book a friend recommended - The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

18. A Pulitzer Prize-winning book - The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

19. A book based on a true story - The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory

20. A book at the bottom of your to-read list - Bitten by Kelley Armstrong

21. A book your mom loves - From Potter’s Field by Patricia Cornwell

22. A book that scares you - Coraline by Neil Gaiman

23. A book more than 100 years old - The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

24. A book based entirely on its cover - All the Birds, Singing by Evie Wyld

25. A book you were supposed to read in school but didn’t - Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe

26. A memoir - I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai

27. A book you can finish in a day - Wizard of Evesham by M.C. Beaton

28. A book with antonyms in the title - Between Light and Dark by Elissa Wilds

29. A book set somewhere you’ve always wanted to visit - The Ringmaster’s Daughter by Jostein Gaarder

30. A book that came out the year you were born - We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

31. A book with bad reviews - The Awakening by Kate Chopin

32. A trilogy - Gallaghers of Ardmore (Jewels of the Sun) by Nora Roberts

33. - Gallaghers of Ardmore (Tears of the Moon) by Nora Roberts

34. - Gallaghers of Ardmore (Heart of the Sea) by Nora Roberts

35. A book from your childhood - The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

36. A book with a love triangle - Tiger’s Curse by Colleen Houck

37. A book set in the future - The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

38. A book set in high school - Avalon High by Meg Cabot

39. A book with a color in the title - The Red Garden by Alice Hoffman

40. A book that made you cry - Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

41. A book with magic - Panther Prowling by Yasmine Galenorn

42. A graphic novel - Through the Woods by Emily Carroll

43. A book by an author you’ve never read before - Ruso and the Disappearing Dancing Girls by R.S.  Downie

44. A book you own but have never read - Shadow Spell by Nora Roberts

45. A book that takes place in your hometown - Summer of the Big Bachi by Naomi Hirahara

46. A book that was originally written in a different language - Waiting For Godot by Samuel Beckett

47. A book set during Christmas - Murder for Christ’s Mass by Maureen Ash

48. A book written by an author with your same initials - Angel’s Blood by Nalini Singh

49. A play - The Mousetrap and Other Plays by Agatha Christie

50. A banned book - To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

51. A book based on or turned into a TV show - The Apprentice by Tess Gerritsen

52. A book you started but never finished - Port Townsend: An Illustrated History of Shanghaiing, Shipwrecks, Soiled Doves and Sundry Souls by Thomas W. Camfield

A brand new year!

2014 is in the past, and 2015 leads on into the future.  It's been an interesting year.  Plans have changed, my writing is coming along, but slowly.  My plan for the new year is to make writing a priority, rather than reading.  Beki, Anne and I have challenged ourselves to write one short story per week while still working on our longer pieces.  My plan for Chrysalis is ever clearer.  A book I read by K.M. Weiland called Outlining Your Novel really helped to clarify things about the story and has re-inspired me to jump back into it, change the beginning and re-direct where I thought the end would be.  

My planned move to PT has shifted toward a move to just south of Portland.  One of my best friends lives there, and we look forward to spending a lot of quality time getting crazy.  PT is still somewhere on the horizon, but for now I'm looking forward to being an Oregonian again.  Go Ducks!