Archive for the ‘Reading Challenges’ Category

Everything Austen Challenge!

Last semester, I read my very first Jane Austen book – Northanger Abbey. I was extremely nervous about reading it, as I had heard such mixed things about her books from so many people. I didn’t expect to enjoy it – but I did. In fact – I more than enjoyed it. I LOVED it. So, when I saw this challenge I got really excited. I really want to read through everything I can of her’s and about her. Does anyone know of any other books written by other people featuring the characters in Northanger Abbey? I would love to revisit them!

So, I have to choose six Austen-themed things for this challenge. I really want to stick with books for this challenge, even though you can watch movies and stuff. I saw a movie version of Northanger Abbey in class after I read the book, and it was quite good, but as I’ve been concentrating on book-reading lately (and I’m not much of a movie/TV-watching person in general) I’m going to just read my way through this challenge.

1. Sense And Sensibility by Jane Austen
2. Pride And Prejudice by Jane Austen
3. Pride And Prejudice And Zombies by Sean Grahame-Smith
4. Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler
5. Emma by Jane Austen
6. The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler

Wish me luck!

1% Well Read Challenge

I think a lot of the “1001 Books To Read Before You Die” book-thing is a bit silly, but this challenge is a good opportunity to catch up on some reading that I probably wouldn’t have done otherwise – which is why I’m getting into all of these challenges (who knows how many I’ll actually finish – it’s just good incentive to get reading).

Anyway, from the list of books, I’ve chosen these ten:

1. The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe
(I conveniently just bought a copy of this last week!)
2. The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
3. Memoirs Of A Geisha by Arthur Golden
4. Beloved by Toni Morrison
5. Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson
6. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
7. The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks
8. Schindler’s List/Ark by Thomas Keneally
9. Journey To The Centre Of The Earth by Jules Verne
10. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

US Presidents Reading Project!

I’m so excited about this one. I feel like an enormous dork. But oh man, how cool is this?

There is a list of U.S. Presidents on the White House website (right here!) so I’m going to go down the list in order and try to find books that work for it. I’m excited to see how difficult it is to find books on some of the lesser-known ones in comparison to people like Lincoln, hahaha.

I will post a list of the ones I find on my Reading Challenge page to let you know what I’m up to. I want to find a title for as many of them as possible. n.n; I think I’ll head to Barnes & Noble tonight to see if I can find a good one about Washington and Adams.

“In Their Shoes” Reading Challenge

I don’t think I read enough memoirs, so this will be a good one for me! Since you get to pick how many books you want to read for this challenge, I think I’ll pick five. It’s a nice number, hahaha. I also think you can prune it down and change things if you change your mind, but I’m going to try my hardest to stick with what I’ve originally chosen.

1. Labor Of Love by Thomas Beatie
2. As Nature Made Him by John Colapinto
3. The Real Trial of Oscar Wilde by Merlin Holland
4. Nickel And Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich
5. Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt
(I was going to re-read Holding The Man by Timothy Conigrave, a very good book that one of my best friends sent to me – but I was not in the mood to be utterly miserable and heartbroken at this time, as that book is good at having that happen!

2009 YA Book Challenge

Well, I love young adult books, so this seems like a good one to participate in as well. :] Also, this gives me a very much appreciated excuse to buy some more YA books, as I tend to fly through them pretty fast. There are a few I want to finish up, but not enough to fill the list.

1. Rainbow High by Alex Sanchez
2. Hunger Games by Suzanna Collins
3. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
4. Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson
5. Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz
6. Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
7. Abarat by Clive Barker
8. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
9. Glass Houses by Rachel Caine
10. Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
11. Mister Monday by Garth Nix
12. In The Forests of the Night by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

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