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

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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

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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