The 104 Book Challenge - 2014 discussion

Hello! I'm Silver and live in Blue Springs, MO. My account is new but that's merely because I was in just too many groups and RPs to go through and delete them all and say goodbye to everyone so I just deleted my account I had for seven years and started fresh last week... I forgot how many books I'd have to put back on (unfortunately). I don't read as often as I'd like to, have a neurological disorder and was teased for it so much in school I stopped reading altogether. I'm trying to get back into it though!

Phyllis wrote: "Hi -- I joined last years group, but didn't hit 104 books. Hopefully, I'll make it this year. I'm from Tulsa OK. and have been retired from the City of Tulsa Purchasing Div. since 2003 I love re..."

Hi, Phyllis! Glad you're back for another year. And don't feel bad about not making 104 books. Like I said, it took me four years to make it. :)

Diana wrote: "Hi,

I'm Diana and I live near Chicago. I'm new to this challenge and also to goodreads. I've just started tracking my books.

I had been working LONG, LONG hours until this month, when I quit a..."

Hi, Diana! Here's hoping you DO have the time to read more now that you're not working all the time. We're glad you're here.

Tiffany wrote: "Hi! I'm Tiffany and I live near Montgomery, Alabama. I'm new to this challenge and fairly new to Good Reads.

I am currently in Nursing school and thought this would be a way to make time for myse..."

Hi, Tiffany! Good luck with your resolution! Hope this challenge helps you get there. Thanks for joining!

Silver wrote: "Hello! I'm Silver and live in Blue Springs, MO. My account is new but that's merely because I was in just too many groups and RPs to go through and delete them all and say goodbye to everyone so I ..."

Hi, Silver! I'm so sorry to hear that the cruelness of others stopped you from reading. Good for you for taking it back up again! We're glad you're here!

Hi Everyone, I am Samantha. 30 something Army Wife and mom currently in Tacoma Washington.

Currently in school for photography. When I am not doing school work or Blogging I am reading. My blog is
http://the-fletcher-files.blogspot.com/, though you have to forgive it I am just starting fresh.

I am new to this challenge but not very new to good reads. I am looking forward to 2014 and this challenge.

Hi!

I'm Virginia! I am 20 years old, engaged, and live in Lansing, MI. I currently work at the Service Desk in a Lowe's store.

Reading has been a passion of mine since I was a little girl. During my senior year of high school, things got a little hectic and I stopped reading as much. Now that life has settled down a little bit, I have gotten back into reading.

I recently discovered Goodreads, and it has become a tad bit of an obsession. My fiancé got me a $50 gift card to Barnes and Noble for Christmas, so I'm excited to see what great new books I can get to read for this year!

I can't wait to read with you all!!!

Samantha wrote: "Hi Everyone, I am Samantha. 30 something Army Wife and mom currently in Tacoma Washington.

Currently in school for photography. When I am not doing school work or Blogging I am reading. My blog..."

Hi, Samantha! I see you that your bucket list includes reading 365 books in one year. Um, wow. :) This challenge could be the launching pad for that goal! We're glad you're here. Welcome!

Christy wrote: "Hello!

In 2013, my main reading goal was to finally read the Harry Potter series. I accomplished my goal, but did not reach my goal of 100 books. I consider myself an avid reader, but over this ..."

Hi, Christy! I'm so glad I don't have another hobby that competes with my time. I can see how you'd be torn between the two. :) I hope you meet your goal of 100 books this year! Thanks for joining the challenge.

Virginia wrote: "Hi!

I'm Virginia! I am 20 years old, engaged, and live in Lansing, MI. I currently work at the Service Desk in a Lowe's store.

Reading has been a passion of mine since I was a little girl. Durin..."

Hi, Virginia! So glad to hear you're getting back into reading again. That $50 gift certificate will go a looong way in getting you some great books! Can't wait to see what you get. :) Glad you joined the challenge.

Hi everyone!
I'm Wendy and this is my second year of the challenge, although I was huge slacker and didn't update my challenge post last year. Nor did I read as many books as I wanted to. I'm blaming the baby I had in April (haha). I'm doing it again to redeem myself. :)

I'm a Detroit girl who has been living in North Carolina for the last 13 years. You can take the girl out of Detroit, but you can't take the Detroit out of the girl. (I'm not mean, just tough - and awesome).

Look forward to seeing everyone's lists.

Oh! My goal is to read at least 104 books, b/c the 59 I'm stuck at this year just makes me sad.

Happy Reading!

Wendy wrote: "Hi everyone!
I'm Wendy and this is my second year of the challenge, although I was huge slacker and didn't update my challenge post last year. Nor did I read as many books as I wanted to. I'm blami..."

Yay, Wendy! So glad you joined again! Now, be sure to document all your reads! ;)

Christy wrote: "Hello!

In 2013, my main reading goal was to finally read the Harry Potter series. I accomplished my goal, but did not reach my goal of 100 books. I consider myself an avid reader, but over this ..."

I know how you feel. I been trying to increase my crocheting skills these past few weeks (and I will continue trying next year)so I know how much time it takes away from reading.

Recently I started to get into audiobooks. They are the perfect thing to listen to when you are doing some of the monotonous repetitions in knitting and crochet. Although every now and then I will rewind because I found I got to focused on the pattern of my crochet.

Hope that helps you =]

Hi everyone! I'm Erin and I live in the suburbs of St Paul, MN. I work full time at the Minnesota Historical Society library which I absolutely LOVE. I'm also an aspiring YA novelist (so I read a ton of YA), hoping to find more time to write this year!

I completed the 104 in 2013 challenge (with 24-hours to spare! What do I win?) And wrote one complete novel (which is in the midst of re-writes...)

I adore well narrated audiobooks (I'm a narrator snob) so if you're an audiobook first timer, or just looking for a great listen, I can offer recommendations.

I discovered one of my favorite books of 2013 (Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore) through the 104 challenge group so I'll be paying attention to everyone's posts again this year ;)

Wishing you all Happy Reading in 2014!!

Hi, I am Lesley from North Idaho. This will be my 5th year in the 104 Book Challenge and I have only made it to 104 once, but that isn't stopping me from trying again this year! My favorite part of this group is seeing what everyone else is reading. Over the last 4 years I have come to love young adult books, as well as fiction, mysteries, history, and children's books. BTW, I have 4 children between the ages of 25-32 and 4 grandsons. I teach child development courses at a community college, and occasionally pad my numbers here with textbooks I have to read.

Hello! I'm Emily =D I live in Vermillion, South Dakota but in May I will be moving back to my hometown of Tacoma, Washington. I am a third year Law Student at the University of South Dakota and I will graduate in May. YAY!

I'm actually a little worried I won't make it to 104 because I have to study for the bar exam over the summer, which is usually when I get a good chunk of reading done. Hopefully this group will keep me on track though!

Erin wrote: "Hi everyone! I'm Erin and I live in the suburbs of St Paul, MN. I work full time at the Minnesota Historical Society library which I absolutely LOVE. I'm also an aspiring YA novelist (so I read a t..."

Hi, Erin! I have to say, I LOVE that you found a new favorite based on something someone in last years group was reading. I'm almost embarassed by the amount of happiness this brings me. :) So glad you're back for another year--I always love your posts.

Lesley wrote: "Hi, I am Lesley from North Idaho. This will be my 5th year in the 104 Book Challenge and I have only made it to 104 once, but that isn't stopping me from trying again this year! My favorite part ..."

YAY, LESLEY! I was hoping I'd see you come back for more in 2014. You can never NOT do the challenge, okay? :)

Good luck in getting to 104 this year. I FINALLY did it last year and decided to up my goal to 125. *gulp*

Emily wrote: "Hello! I'm Emily =D I live in Vermillion, South Dakota but in May I will be moving back to my hometown of Tacoma, Washington. I am a third year Law Student at the University of South Dakota and I w..."

Hi, Emily! I think studying for the bar exam makes it onto the list of excusable reasons for potentially missing your reading goal. :) What an exciting year you have planned! Thanks so much for joining us.

Hi everyone!

I'm Ashley and I just started out on Goodreads about a month ago, but I'm already super involved in a lot of groups and even started my own YA group. XD I also started a bookish blog (www.lumosbooks.weebly.com - it would mean a lot to me if you checked it out!)

I love reading and am excited to finish (hopefully) more than 104 books this year!

Hello again! I'm Lyssa, and this is my fourth year participating in Jen's challenge. I've set my goal at 125 - I had hoped for 150 last year, but only made it to 100, so I've moderated for 2014.

I live in Southern California and have two daughters away at college. I prefer dark fantasy, travel memoirs and silliness (Christopher Moore, Douglas Adams) but will read nonfiction that doesn't read like a textbook, some YA, and have been dabbling in popular fiction.

I see other folk adding goals of particular kinds of books - not sure I have the time or will to do so, but I'll make an unofficial goal of reading some of the classics sitting on my shelves (Gullivers Travels, Frankenstein, etc.)

Hi Jen - thanks for running this again. It's great to see some of the same people returning (Nanci! Lyssa! Erin!) and I'm really looking forward to seeing what everyone's reading.

I'm still outside Philadelphia area, with my two daughters (currently 10 and 4). At the end of January I go for the second half of my sabbatical - so hopefully I'll rack up the reading again. I'm hoping to make 104 this year without the YA, though I keep track of those too! I'm also going to try to mix in a little more non-fiction this year.

Ashley wrote: "Hi everyone!

I'm Ashley and I just started out on Goodreads about a month ago, but I'm already super involved in a lot of groups and even started my own YA group. XD I also started a bookish blog ..."

Hey, Ashley! Welcome to the challenge--we're glad you're here.

Love the watercolor look of your blog. I just followed you on Twitter. :)

Lyssa wrote: "Hello again! I'm Lyssa, and this is my fourth year participating in Jen's challenge. I've set my goal at 125 - I had hoped for 150 last year, but only made it to 100, so I've moderated for 2014.

I..."

Yay, Lyssa! I think I'd like to read more classics this year, too. I didn't read as many in 2013 as I usually do. So glad you're back for another round of reading! :)

Mary wrote: "Hi Jen - thanks for running this again. It's great to see some of the same people returning (Nanci! Lyssa! Erin!) and I'm really looking forward to seeing what everyone's reading.

I'm still out..."

Hi, Mary!! Not gonna lie, seeing you all come back year after year is my favorite part of the challenge. I'm so glad you've joined again! :)

Hello, I'm Alissa from Alberta, Canada.

I've been a member the last two years and have yet to reach 104 books but maybe this year :)

This site and group have provided many recommendations for me but my faves are mystery/crime, food, music.

This is also going to be the year that I get through at least some of the piles of unread books sitting around the house.

Alissa wrote: "Hello, I'm Alissa from Alberta, Canada.

I've been a member the last two years and have yet to reach 104 books but maybe this year :)

This site and group have provided many recommendations for me..."

YAY A fellow Albertan!!! woo hoo. I never get to see people from my neck of the woods.

Wow! There's a lot of us this year.

Hi *waves* I'm Claire, I'm from Snodland, Kent, England. I have 1 child, well I still think of him as a child (19), a dog called Milly and a husband. I love to read and you can catch me blasting out my audiobooks. When I'm not reading you can find me chatting on twitter or having fun with my girls at TZWNDUBC.

I took part last year for the first time and surprised myself, even though I didn't log all my rereads, because quite frankly, it was looking a bit sad. Needless to say, I love Lucas and Cage.

I read YA, NA fantasy, fiction, a little scifi, a touch of erotica some romance, basically if it's good I will give it a go.

So bring on 2014, I'm looking forward to see what you have in store for me.

Jeri wrote: "Ida wrote: "

Just saw this. I think my finding-a-way-to-read-in-your-sleep endeavor has become more complicated."

Whoa, this might also explain why I can never dial a phone in my dreams. Does any..."

You do not want to know what my phone gets up to when I sleep.

Hi. I am Heather. I joined years ago but due to bad book keeping, I didn't fulfill my commitment. Going to give it a college try this year!

I am the director or a small social service agency and food pantry. This is my first "job" after 10 years at home with my 3 kids (ages10, 8, and 6). Due to the reading interests of said children my book list this year will be filled with YA. I will also be reading for work so look for non-profit management and marketing topics. Zzzzzzz. I may find time for a thriller or two.

My main goal is to chat with all of you and get some new ideas!

Ok. I need to add that I am a Minnesota girl transplanted to the south. I live about an hour from Charlotte,NC. I see I am not the only transplant to NC in the group! Fun!

Jennifer wrote: "Jeri wrote: "Hi! I'm Jeri Smith-Ready, author of some books.

As I mentioned in my discussion thread, I'm on the committee/jury for the 2013 Norton Award, which is given to outstanding YA/MG specu..."

Wow,Jen, I will have to try that way of reading. Jeri, I listen to books everywhere I go and every minute I can. I get a lot done that way. Unless you have a daughter who wants to talk to you and you have to take the earphones out and listen. It always happens right at the good part but hey, listening to my teen is a good part too, most of the time.

Me neither! Hello. We might be the only Canadians so far too.

Hi, I'm Izzy. Of course that's not my real name, but whatever. I live in San Diego California and I'm twelve years old. Some hobbies of mine are watching movies/anime, reading, chatting, playing, and exploring (or should I say getting outta the house ;)). My favorite movie is Finding Nemo, and the last movie I watched was Prometheus (I'm not late on watching it, I just BOUGHT it yesterday :)). My favorite anime and first (I'm a newb with anime. I starred just a while back), is Angel Beats. My favorite book (s) are a tie between the Naruto manga series, A Series of Unfortunate Events, and the Harry Potter series. I didn't mention before, but I'm totally into graphic novels, comics, manga, etc. Whenever a book catches my eye, I have to check it out. Just like with movies. I try to only but Blu-Ray and I try to look for unbeatable prices. If I see one, I will do everything in my power to get it. Hey, books and movies aren't cheap. Which is why I do most of my shopping off of Amazon ;) Well, there you have it. A little background knowledge on me. In glad to be a part of the group :) Thanks.

Hi, everyone!

I'm Ashley and I live in a small town called Baden in Austria (but originally from another small town -- Olean, NY). I am currently working at the United Nations in Vienna, and finishing up a Master's degree in Austria. Since I've been in Austria I really haven't been reading as much as I used to and and much as I'd like to, which is why I joined the challenge!

Ashley wrote: "Hi, everyone!

I'm Ashley and I live in a small town called Baden in Austria (but originally from another small town -- Olean, NY). I am currently working at the United Nations in Vienna, and fin..."

Welcome Ashley!

Hi! My name is Megan. I'm from Columbus, Oh. I'm 23. I'm married. We have a dog named Chloe and two cats named Bean and Milo. I work at a bank in Columbus as a teller supervisor.

I have never done a book challenge before but I am really looking forward to it. I love reading. Fiction is my favorite. :)

I'm Sarah. I live in Podunk MN, also known as the middle of nowhere. I've got a 'To Be Read' stack that's bigger than my 'To Be Written' list, so my odds of finishing are good.

I think...

Alissa wrote: "Hello, I'm Alissa from Alberta, Canada.

I've been a member the last two years and have yet to reach 104 books but maybe this year :)

This site and group have provided many recommendations for me..."

Hey, Alissa! So good to see you again! I was just thinking about my crazy TBR pile today and I think I'm going to read a book that has been on my list for a long time for every three new or review books I read. I really do want to make a dent on those older books this year.

Good luck to you this year!

Claire wrote: "Wow! There's a lot of us this year.

Hi *waves* I'm Claire, I'm from Snodland, Kent, England. I have 1 child, well I still think of him as a child (19), a dog called Milly and a husband. I love..."

CLAIRE! *tackle hugs* Looking forward to stalking your reading list, per the usual. <3

Heather wrote: "Hi. I am Heather. I joined years ago but due to bad book keeping, I didn't fulfill my commitment. Going to give it a college try this year!

I am the director or a small social service agency an..."

Hi, Heather! It's been so fun to have you be a part of the challenge. Here's hoping you get better at book keeping this year and get some good ideas from everyone. Thanks for joining again this year!

Izzy wrote: "Hi, I'm Izzy. Of course that's not my real name, but whatever. I live in San Diego California and I'm twelve years old. Some hobbies of mine are watching movies/anime, reading, chatting, playing, a..."

Hey, Izzy! Good to have you here. I totally know what you mean about books catching your eye. I'm super thankful for the library. :)

Christy wrote: "Hello!

Escaping reality in a good book is what keeps me sane! My goal this year is to read 100 books. I've tried the past several years, but have yet to make it. Hopefully, this year will be th..."

Welcome, Christy! Glad you're here! Good luck hitting your goal of 100 books--I found this group to be very motivating.

Ashley wrote: "Hi, everyone!

I'm Ashley and I live in a small town called Baden in Austria (but originally from another small town -- Olean, NY). I am currently working at the United Nations in Vienna, and fin..."

Hello Ashley! Welcome to the group! It's must be tough to balance all the stuff you have going on. Here's hoping that you get to read more this year. :)

Megan wrote: "Hi! My name is Megan. I'm from Columbus, Oh. I'm 23. I'm married. We have a dog named Chloe and two cats named Bean and Milo. I work at a bank in Columbus as a teller supervisor.

I have never done..."

Hi, Megan! Welcome to the group! I love fiction, too. I recently picked up a non fiction book for my Kindle and when I finally get around to reading it, it will be the first I've read in a very long time. Good luck with the challenge!

Sarah wrote: "I'm Sarah. I live in Podunk MN, also known as the middle of nowhere. I've got a 'To Be Read' stack that's bigger than my 'To Be Written' list, so my odds of finishing are good.

I think..."

YAY, SARAH! So happy to see you here! Good luck with the challenge (though I have a hard time believing that your TBR pile is bigger than your TBW pile :)

Hi! I´m Paula and I live in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I´m a postgrad student doing my PhD in Biochemestry. Every day I have a 2 hours train ride to and from the Hospital and I spend every minute of it reading! I love YA, misteries and romances. I hope I can keep up with this challange!
PS: sorry if my English is´nt that great. As you may know, we speak Spanish in Argentina.

Paula wrote: "Hi! I´m Paula and I live in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I´m a postgrad student doing my PhD in Biochemestry. Every day I have a 2 hours train ride to and from the Hospital and I spend every minute of ..."

Your English is far FAR better than my Spanish :)

Paula wrote: "Hi! I´m Paula and I live in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I´m a postgrad student doing my PhD in Biochemestry. Every day I have a 2 hours train ride to and from the Hospital and I spend every minute of ..."
Welcome Paula!!! Don't worry about your English, it's great; believe me I know since my first language is Spanish as well.
¡Bienvenida!

Hi I'm Tami Chapman> I live in Castle Rock, CO. I am married and have a 15 year old son. I work at Air Academy Federal Credit Union as an Indirect Lending Representative.

I like to read romance, erotic, mysteries, true crime. I find myself hoping for slow days at work so that I can sneak in some read time.

Oh and I'm Jen's favorite cousin.... TEE HEE!!!