2025 Reading Challenge discussion

Personal yearly goal - 102

133/102 - Challenge Completed!!!

I SPY CHALLENGE
Duration: January 1, 2015 - December 31, 2015

Read a book that contains a word in the title that fits each of the 25 categories below. If you're having trouble with a particular category, ask other members what they are reading for it. You may also use the name of the series for up to three categories.

Here are the 25 categories with examples. The examples are just to get you started - any word that fits the category is fair game.

1. Color - red, crimson, indigo - Red Rising by Pierce Brown - completed January 2015
2. Number - one, twice, third - First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen - completed January 2015
3. Things That Grow - tree, rose, garden - Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen - completed January 2015
4. Seasons - spring, fall, autumn - The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley - completed June 2015
5. First Name - Jacqueline, Robert, Ajax - Elizabeth Is Missing by Emma Healey - completed January 2015
6. Places - country, empire, London - The Lost and Forgotten Languages of Shanghai: A Novel by Ruiyan Xu - completed August 2015
7. Body Part - hand, bone, mind - The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan - completed April 2015
8. Weapon - knife, poison, arrow - The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi - completed September 2015
9. Body of Water - sea, river, pond - The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan - completed February 2015
10. Form of Water - ice, mist, rain - In the Land of the Long White Cloud by Sarah Lark - completed July 2015
11. Product of Fire - heat, ash, flames - An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir - completed September 2015
12. Celestial Body - sun, star, planet - The Secret Wisdom of the Earth by Christopher Scotton - completed March 2015
13. Architecture - castle, bridge, house - The Museum of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman - completed February 2015
14. Senses - sight, touch, taste - Second Glance by Jodi Picoult - completed April 2015
15. Royal Title - king, duke, emperor - The Dark Queen by Susan Carroll - completed June 2015
16. Family Member - brother, aunt, parent - Golden Son by Pierce Brown - completed February 2015
17. Elements - fire, wind, air - Things We Set On Fire by Deborah Reed - completed April 2015
18. Time of Day - morning, dusk, evening - Night Music by Jojo Moyes - completed September 2015
19. Metal - gold, bronze, steel - The Silver Rose by Susan Carroll - completed August 2015
20. Emotion/Feeling - love, fear, pride - Somebody to Love by Kristan Higgins - completed March 2015
21. Animal/Insect - dog, tiger, unicorn - The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah - completed February 2015
22. Something to Read - book, story, newspaper - The Book of Strange New Things by Michael Faber - completed January 2015
23. Gender Identifier - wife, man, lady - The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan - completed March 2015
24. Paranormal Being - vampire, angel, ghost - The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan - completed March 2015
25. Occupation - doctor, assassin, detective - Messenger by Lois Lowry - completed February 2015

25/25 - Challenge completed!!!

THE COMPLETE WORKS CHALLENGE - 2015
January 1st - December 31st, 2015

Do you have authors you like but haven't had the chance to explore his or her writing fully? Here's your chance! For this challenge, pick an author (or two or three) that you enjoy. Look him or her up on Goodreads, and read every book he or she has written (not every version, don't worry, just every unique work). You do NOT need to count short stories or books your author has merely contributed to, introduced, edited or translated.

Sarah Addison Allen:
- Garden Spells - completed January 2015
- The Peach Keeper - completed May 2015
- The Girl Who Chased the Moon - completed June 2015
- Waking Kate - completed February 2015
- First Frost - completed January 2015
5/5 - completed!

Jojo Moyes:
- After You by Jojo Moyes - completed October 2015
- Me Before You - completed May 2015
- The Girl You Left Behind - completed June 2015
- The Last Letter from Your Lover - completed December 2015
- The Ship of Brides - completed February 2015
- Silver Bay - completed December 2015
- Honeymoon in Paris - completed December 2015
- Sheltering Rain - completed December 2015
- Foreign Fruit, aka Windfallen - completed December 2015
- Night Music - completed September 2015
- The Horse Dancer - completed August 2015
- Peacock Emporium - completed October 2015
12/12 - completed!

Kristan Higgins:
- Too Good to Be True - completed May 2015
- Just One of the Guys - completed October 2015
- My One and Only - completed May 2015
- Catch of the Day - completed March 2015
- The Next Best Thing - completed March 2015
- Somebody to Love - completed March 2015
- Fools Rush in - completed October 2015
- If You Only Knew - completed September 2015
8/8 - completed!


Gabrielle Zevin:
- Elsewhere - completed April 2015
- Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac - completed October 2015
- All These Things I've Done - completed November 2015
- Because It Is My Blood - completed November 2015
- In the Age of Love and Chocolate - completed November 2015
- Margarettown - completed December 2015
- The Hole We're In - completed December 2015
7/7 - completed!

4/4 - Challenge completed!!!

Another personal yearly goal - Goodreads Choice Awards 2015. I really enjoyed this challenge last year and felt much more informed when the choice awards came around.

Fiction:
- The Secret Wisdom of the Earth by Christopher Scotton - completed March 2015 (4.5 stars)
- The Art of Baking Blind by Sarah Vaughn (3.5 stars)
Mystery & Thriller
Historical Fiction
- The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah - completed February 2015 (5 stars)
- Rebel Queen by Michelle Moran - completed June 2015 (4 stars)
Fantasy
- First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen - completed January 2015 (3.5 stars)
- At the Water's Edge by Sara Gruen - completed April 2015 (4 stars)
Paranormal Fantasy
- Prudence by Gail Carriger - completed April 2015 (2.5 stars)
Science Fiction
Romance
- The Liar by Nora Roberts - completed April 2015 (3.5 stars)
- Beach Town by Mary Kay Andrews - completed May 2015 (3 stars)
Nonfiction
- Beneath the Surface: Killer Whales, SeaWorld, and the Truth Beyond Blackfish by John Hargrove - completed May 2015 (4 stars)
Debut Goodreads Author
Young Adult Fiction
- Golden Son by Pierce Brown - completed February 2015 (4 stars)
Young Adult Fantasy
- The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski - completed June 2015 (3.5 stars)

Goal is to read as many as possible!

Now adding to my personal challenge:

THIRD AND FOURTH QUARTER CHALLENGE: GOODREADS CHOICE AWARDS
Duration: July 1, 2015 - December 31, 2015

See the second post for the rules of the challenge (there's a separate thread for a similarly themed contest).

Every November, the Goodreads Choice Awards come around, and readers get to vote on the best books of the year. To encourage members to read the books that may be in the running this year, we thought it'd be fun to have a challenge AND a contest around this event.

These were 2014's categories (they sometimes change, so we can't guarantee that these will be the 2015 categories):

Fiction:
- A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler - completed July 2015 (3 stars)
- Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradel - completed November 2015
- After You by Jojo Moyes - completed October 2015 (4 stars)
- Trail of Broken Wings by Sejal Badani - completed November 2015 (5 stars)
Mystery & Thriller:
- Alert by James Patterson - completed August 2015 (3 stars)
- Where They Found Her by Kimberly McCreight
- Second Life by S.J. Watson - completed October 2015 (2 stars)
- Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver
- The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins - completed November 2015 (4 stars)
Historical Fiction:
- The Swans of Fifth Avenue by Melanie Benjamin - completed September 2015 (4 stars)
- The Last Midwife: A Novel by Sandra Dallas - completed September 2015 (4 stars)
- White Collar Girl by Renee Rosen - completed September 2015 (3.5 stars)
- The Accidental Empress by Allison Pataki - completed November 2015 (4 stars)
Fantasy:
- Shadowshaper by Daniel Jose Older - completed October 2015 (4.5 stars)
- The Bookseller by Cynthia Swanson - completed October 2015 (4 stars)
Romance:
- If You Only Knew by Kristan Higgins - completed September 2015 (5 stars)
- All the Single Ladies by Dorothea Benton Frank
Science Fiction:
- The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi - completed September 2015 (3.5 stars)
Nonfiction:
- American Ghost: A Family's Haunted Past in the Desert Southwest by Hannah Nordhaus - completed October 2015 (4 stars)
- Daughters of the Samurai: A Journey from East to West and Back by Janice Namura
Debut Goodreads Author:
- In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware - completed November 2015
Young Adult Fiction:
- Paperweight by Meg Haston - completed October 2015 (4.5 stars)
- All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven - completed November 2015 (5 stars)
Young Adult Fantasy:
- Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard - completed July 2015 (4 stars)
- Sea of Stars by Amy Bartol - completed August 2015 (4 stars)
- An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir - completed September 2015 (4 stars)
- Darken the Stars by Amy Bartol - completed September 2015 (3 stars)

The Challenge
Duration: July 1, 2015 - December 31, 2015

Set a goal to read books published in 2015. The idea is that we, as a group, want to have read as many books in each category as we can! We'll track which books we've read in each category, so please identify which category (or categories) the book falls in.

23/10 - challenge completed!

A-Z CHALLENGE
Duration: January 1, 2015 - December 31, 2015

Read a book for each letter of the alphabet. You can use ANY of the first letters of the main words in a title of a book (don't use words like "a", "an", "the", or "of") or the initials of its authors.

A: Stone Mattress: Nine Tales by Margaret Atwood - completed January 2015
B: The Book of Strange New Things by Michael Faber - completed January 2015
C: The Secret Wisdom of the Earth by Christopher Scotton - completed March 2015
D: Catch of the Day by Kristan Higgins - completed March 2015
E: Elizabeth Is Missing by Emma Healey - completed January 2015
F: First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen - completed January 2015
G: Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen - completed January 2015
H: The Lost Hero by Rich Riordan - completed February 2015
I: Inamorata by Megan Chance - completed June 2015
J: Wayfaring Stranger by James Lee Burke - completed January 2015
K: The Good Girl by Mary Kubica - completed February 2015
L: Landline by Rainbow Rowell - completed January 2015
M: Messenger by Lois Lowry - completed February 2015
N: The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah - completed February 2015
O: The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan - completed March 2015
P: Golden Son by Pierce Brown - completed February 2015
Q: The Dark Queen by Susan Carroll - completed June 2015
R: Red Rising by Pierce Brown - completed January 2015
S: The Ship of Brides by Jojo Moyes - completed February 2015
T: Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult - completed January 2015
U: Under Different Stars by Amy Bartol - completed March 2015
V: The Art of Baking Blind by Sarah Vaughn - completed March 2015
W: We Were Liars by E. Lockhart - completed January 2015
X: The Lost and Forgotten Languages of Shanghai: A Novel by Ruiyan Xu - completed August 2015
Y: The Young Elites by Marie Lu - completed May 2015
Z: Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin - completed April 2015

26/26 - CHALLENGE COMPLETED!!!

January group read - The Book of Strange New Things by Michael Faber - completed!

FIRST QUARTER CHALLENGE: ONE, TWO, BUCKLE MY SHOE
Duration: January 1 - March 31, 2015

This challenge turns to a beloved nursery rhyme for reading inspiration.

1. One, two,
Buckle my shoe;
finish a series - Weekday Brides Series by Catherine Bybee:
- Married by Monday - completed February 2015
- Fiancé by Friday - completed February 2015
- Single by Saturday - completed February 2015
- Taken by Tuesday - completed February 2015
4/4

2. Three, four,
Open the door;
read a new genre or author (or both for those who are game) - The Book of Strange New Things by Michael Faber (new author) - completed January 2015

4. Seven, eight,
Lay them straight;
read a trilogy or small series (at least 4 books) in order - Gideon's Cove by Kristan Higgins
- Catch of the Day - completed March 2015
- The Next Best Thing - completed March 2015
- Somebody to Love - completed March 2015
3/3 - completed

6. Eleven, twelve,
Dig and delve;
read an old favourite - From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg - completed

7. Thirteen, fourteen,
Maids a-courting;
read a romance novel - The Ship of Brides by Jojo Moyes - completed February 2015

8. Fifteen, sixteen,
Maids in the kitchen;
read a book that takes place in a prairie or has food on its cover - First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen - completed January 2015

9. Seventeen, eighteen,
Maids a-waiting;
read a book you've been waiting to read - Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen - completed January 2015

10. Nineteen, twenty,
My plate's empty.
read the last book on your tbr list - The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan - completed February 2015

8/8 - Challenge completed!!!

JANUARY CHALLENGE: GOODREADS CHOICE AWARDS 2014 WINNERS
Duration: January 1 - January 31, 2015

Let's celebrate the best books of 2014, Goodreads style! This challenge is based around the Goodreads Choice Award Winners of 2014, found here: 2014 Award Winners

Read the winner in as many categories as you can.

- Landline by Rainbow Rowell - completed
- We Were Liars by E. Lockhart - completed
- Red Rising by Pierce Brown - completed

3/3 - Challenge Completed!!!

February Group read - Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

Completed!

February Challenge: Theme Saints

1. St. Dominic Savio: Dominic is the patron saint of choir boys and of the falsely accused. The latter title was given to Dominic after two boys filled the school stove full of garbage and snow and falsely blamed Dominic. Dominic was punished in front of the entire class but he did not tell on the two boys. Read a book about music, or someone who is falsely accused of something. - Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel - completed

2. St. Francis of Assisi: Early in his life Francis lead a crowd of young people who spent their lives in wild parties, giving into their vices and surrounding themselves with evil. When he was 25, God came to him in a dream and he turned over a new leaf. Francis became a lover of nature, where he felt all of nature and the animals in it were part of his brotherhood. Read a book where the main characters give into their vices or evil or read a book where nature or animals is an important part of the story. - The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters - completed

3. St. Michael the Archangel: In the New Testament Michael leads God's armies against Statan's forces, where during the war in heaven, he defeats Satan. Read a book about a fierce battle or war. - The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah - completed

4. St. Patrick of Ireland is one of the world's most popular saints. At 14 Patrick was captured and taken to Ireland as a slave to herd and tend sheep. At the age of 20, he escaped captivity and returned to Britain to reunite with his family. Read a book about slavery or read a book that takes place in Ireland. - Golden Son by Pierce Brown - completed

5. St. Therese of Lisieux: Therese had always wanted to be a saint but when she compared herself to all of the other saints, she felt the differences between them were so great. She believed that God wouldn't make her wish for something impossible, so she decided to accept herself and all of her faults. Read a story where the main character struggles with and overcomes his or her own faults, whether they be physical, emotional, personality or other faults. - The Museum of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman - completed

6. St. Cecilia: She was a virgin given in marriage to a youth named Valerian. She wore sackcloth, fasted and invoked the saints and angels to protect her virginity. Four hundred people, including her husband were baptized because they wanted to see the angel protecting her. Cecilia was sentenced to death for preaching and converting people. Read a book where there is an angel or other paranormal being or read a book where someone is sentenced to death. - The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan - completed

7. St. Joseph: Joseph was the husband of Mary and foster father to Jesus. Joseph was a working man, with humble work (a carpenter) and humble means. He wasn't a rich man but he came from royal lineage. Read a book where people live a simple life and do not have a luxurious lifestyle or read a book about royalty. - Messenger by Lois Lowry - completed

8. St. Lucy: Lucy's mother tried to arrange a marriage for her to a pagan. Lucy rejected her mother's choice and thought Christ was a better partner for life. The rejected bridegroom betrayed Lucy to the governor as a Christian. The governor tried to send Lucy into prostitution. Read a book about an arranged marriage or read a book about prostitution. - The Ship of Brides by Jojo Moyes - completed

9. St. Clare: Clare was a beautiful Italian woman of nobility. After hearing St Francis preach, Clare wanted to imitate Francis. She ran away from home and gave herself to God. She cut off her hair and wore a rough brown habit, tied with a plain cord around her waist. Read a book about a character who runs away, or read a book where someone drastically changes his or her appearance. - The Good Girl by Mary Kubica - completed

10. St. Rose of Lima: St. Rose of Lima is the patroness of Latin America and the Philippines. Rose had many temptations from the devil and there were times she suffered terrible feelings of loneliness, sadness and in the end a painful sickness. Many miracles followed her death. Read a book about some kind of suffering or read a book that contains a miracle. - Married by Monday by Catherine Bybee - completed

10/5 - challenge completed!!!

MARCH CHALLENGE: SPRING BREAK SPELL OUT
Duration: March 1 - March 31, 2015

Spring Break is coming soon for students and teachers everywhere. This is the spring break spell out challenge. I love a spell out challenge. For this challenge choose a word that relates to spring break and spell out that word with books. You can use ANY of the first letters of the main words in a title of a book (don't use words like "a", "an", "the", or "of") or the initials of its authors.

B: The Next Best Thing by Kristan Higgins - completed
E: The Secret Wisdom of the Earth by Christopher Scotton - completed
A: The Art of Baking Blind by Sarah Vaughan - completed
C: Catch of the Day by Kristan Higgins - completed
H: Somebody to Love by Kristan Higgins - completed

5/5 - challenge completed!

April group read - Chocolat by Joanne Harris - completed:)

Oprah Book Club 2.0 - Ruby by Cynthia Bond - completed:)

2ND QUARTER CHALLENGE: SHARON'S SPRING CHALLENGE
Duration: April 1 - June 30, 2015

SPRING

1. Spring Ahead! The phrase "Spring forward, Fall back" helps people remember how Daylight Saving Time affects their clocks. At 2 a.m. on the second Sunday in March, we set our clocks forward one hour ahead of Standard Time. Read a book about time travel. - The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley - completed June 2015

2. Spring into action - to suddenly begin moving or doing something. Read a book where a character makes an impetuous decision. - Second Glance by Jodi Picoult - completed April 2015

3. Spring is a Season! Spring is one of the four conventional temperate seasons following winter and preceding summer. There are various technical definitions of spring, but local usage of the term varies according to local climate, cultures and customs. When it is spring in the Northern Hemisphere, it will be autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. Read a book that takes place in the Spring. - Chocolat by Joanne Harris - completed April 2015

4. A spring is a natural source of water – read a book with water on the cover or that takes place on the water. - Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin - completed April 2015

5. Spring, a mechanical device that stores energy. Read a steampunk book - Steampunk is a subgenre of speculative fiction, usually set in an anachronistic Victorian or quasi-Victorian alternate history setting. It could be described by the slogan "What the past would look like if the future had happened sooner." It includes fiction with science fiction, fantasy or horror themes. Most steampunk books have mechanical devices in them. - Prudence by Gail Carriger - completed April 2015

6. Spring Cleaning. Spring cleaning is the practice of thoroughly cleaning a house in the springtime. The practice of spring cleaning is especially prevalent in climates with a cold winter. The most common usage of spring cleaning refers to the yearly act of cleaning a house from top to bottom which would take place in the first warm days of the year typically in spring, hence the name. However it has also come to be synonymous with any kind of heavy duty cleaning or organizing enterprise. A person who gets their affairs in order before an audit or inspection could be said to be doing some spring cleaning. Read a book that has been on your TBR list the longest. - The Dark Queen by Susan Carroll - completed June 2015

7. Spring Break is a vacation period in early spring at universities and schools in various countries in the northern hemisphere. Read a book that takes place at a college or during spring break. - Foodies Rush In by Tanya Eby - completed June 2015

8. Spring goes in like a lion and out like a lamb. With March being such a changeable month, in which we can see warm spring-like temperatures or late-season snowstorms, you can understand how this saying might hold true in some instances. We can only hope that if March starts off cold and stormy it will end warm and sunny, but the key word is hope. Read a book where weather plays an important part to the plot. - The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan - completed March 2015

9. She’s/He’s no Spring Chicken. New England chicken farmers discovered that chickens born in the Spring bought better prices, rather than old birds that had gone through the winter etc. Sometimes farmers tried to sell the old birds as a new spring born chicken. Smart buyers often complained that a tough fowl was "no spring chicken" and so the term now is used to represent birds (and even people) past their plump and tender years. Read an old favorite or a book you have been putting off reading. - The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert - completed May 2015

10. Hope Springs Eternal is from a poem An Essay on Man by Alexander Pope – people always hope for the best, even in the face of adversity. Will continue to hope even though they have evidence that things cannot possible turn out the way they want. Read a book of poetry or a book about a poet. - Things We Set On Fire by Deborah Reed - completed April 2015

11. Spring to mind - to appear suddenly or immediately in your thoughts. Read a book that was released in 2015 or the newest book on your TBR list. - At the Water's Edge by Sara Gruen - completed April 2015

12. Spring in his step If you walk with or have a spring in your step, you walk energetically in a way that shows you are feeling happy and confident. Read a book that has a character who exhibits these characteristics or an action genre book. - The House of Hades by Rick Riordan - completed April 2015

12/12 - challenge complete!

CHOCOLATE CHALLENGE
Duration: April 1, 2015 - April 30, 2015

April's theme is chocolate, so this challenge is based on the many kinds of chocolate. All facts from http://facts-about-chocolate.com/type...

1. Cacao: This is the healthiest form of chocolate but it can be very bitter. Read a book with a character who is bitter or resentful. - Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin - completed April 2015

2. Chocolate Liquor: This is the basis for all chocolate and it does not contain any alcohol. Read a book that explores a misconception. This could include a character fighting a stereotype or a bad reputation or even a non fiction book setting the record straight on some topic. - Calling Me Home by Julie Kibler - completed

3. Cocoa Butter: This is what makes chocolate taste like we expect it to taste - sweet and smooth. If you like chocolate, read a book by an author you like or something you enjoy. If you dislike chocolate, read a book you wouldn't normally read. - Prudence by Gail Carriger - completed

4. Unsweetened Chocolate: Bakers often prefer this type of chocolate because they can control the flavor. Read a book with a controlling character. - The Liar by Nora Roberts - completed

5. Bittersweet Chocolate: Dark chocolate and Bittersweet chocolate are the same thing. Read a book where a character goes by different names or has multiple personalities. - The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan - completed

6. White Chocolate: White chocolate isn't really chocolate because it doesn't contain chocolate liquor. Read a book about fraud or stolen identity. - At the Water's Edge by Sara Gruen - completed

7. Cocoa: Cocoa is made by removing fat from chocolate liquor and is often used in low-fat recipes. Read a short story or book with less than 100 pages.

8. Chocolate Coating: Chocolate Coating has a vegetable fat base so it's not real chocolate even though it is often used to make chocolate decorations. Read a book about things that are not quite as they seem. - Things We Set On Fire by Deborah Reed - completed

9. Couverture: Couverture is dark chocolate with extra cocoa butter. It's great for chocolate fountains. Read a book with a celebration or party. - Chocolat by Joanne Harris - completed

10. Gianduja: This is chocolate made with toasted hazelnuts. Both the Swiss and the Italians claim to have invented it. Read a book set in Europe or that contains a conflict. - Mademoiselle Chanel by C.W. Gortner

11. Single Bean Chocolate: Selectivity makes this type of chocolate high quality. Read with a character who is rich or extremely picky. - Second Glance by Jodi Picoult - completed

12. Chocolate Oil: There is no such thing as chocolate oil. Read a book with a ghost or mythological creature. - The House of Hades by Rick Riordan - completed

10/4 - challenge completed!!!

THIRD QUARTER CHALLENGE: CLEAR THE SHELVES
Duration: July 1 - September 30, 2015

As we move into the second half of the year, it's time to clear our shelves! Many of us (myself included) have shelves full of books that we haven't read. In my case I buy cheap books at secondhand stores or yard sales so my entire top shelf of my bookcase is full of unread books. Others don't buy books, but have to-read lists that are getting out of control.

Either way, pick a goal and try to clear those many books off your shelves!

Feel free to make this your own - you can add extra requirements, like using a random number generator to select books like our randomizer challenge. You could limit the challenge to books you actually own, or tackle the books that have been on your to-read list the longest.

6 Kindle books:
- A Duty To The Dead by Charles Todd - completed September 2015
- The Summer Queen by Elizabeth Chadwick - completed August 2015
- In the Land of the Long White Cloud by Sarah Lark - completed July 2015
- Song of the Spirits by Sarah Lark - completed July 2015
- Call of the Kiwi by Sarah Lark - completed July 2015
- Deadly Fear by Cynthia Eden - completed August 2015

6 Shelved books:
- The Swans of Fifth Avenue by Melanie Benjamin - completed September 2015
- White Collar Girl by Renee Rosen - completed September 2015
- Night Music by Jojo Moyes - completed September 2015
- The Last Midwife: A Novel by Sandra Dallas - completed September 2015
- Nine Days a Queen: The Short Life and Reign of Lady Jane Grey by Ann Rinaldi - completed September 2015
- Dancing for Degas by Kathryn Wagner - completed September 2015

12/12 - challenge completed!!!

July Challenge:

Oh, say can you see by the dawn’s early light: Read a book where someone losses their eyesight, or a book where characters meet at dawn. - The Courtesan by Susan Carroll - completed

What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming? Read a book where a character learns how to find pride in themselves, or a book where the characters have reached the twilight of their lives. - In the Land of the Long White Cloud by Sarah Lark - completed

Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight, Read a book where a character earns stripes in the military, or a book where a character gets in a nasty fight. - Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire - completed

O’er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming? Read a book with a fortress (rampart) or a book with someone doing something brave (gallant). - Song of the Spirits by Sarah Lark - completed

And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Read a book with a character that rockets into space or a book that has a character that deals with bombs going off around him/her. - Call of the Kiwi by Sarah Lark - completed

Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. Read a book where a character has to prove something, or a book about early America. - A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler - completed

Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave Read a book with the word star in the title, or read a book with the American flag on the the cover.

O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave? Read a book where a character migrates to the US, or a book about Native Americans.

6/3 - Challenge completed!

July book - Americanah by Chimamanda Adichie. - not going to finish:(

August Travel Challenge:

Point of origin: West Palm Beach, Florida, USA

Deadly Fear by Cynthia Eden - completed:
- Washington DC, USA - 989 miles
- Jasper, MI - 932 miles
- Gatlin, LA - 337 miles
- Jasper, MI - 337 miles

The Lost and Forgotten Languages of Shanghai: A Novel by Ruiyan Xu - completed:
- Shanghai, China - 7,634 miles

The Silver Rose by Susan Carroll - completed:
- Noirmoutier-en-I'lle, France (closest approximation to Faire Isle, France in this book) - 6,005 miles
- Paris, France - 249 miles

Alert by James Patterson - completed:
- Tipperary, Ireland - 524 miles
- New York City, New York, USA - 3118 miles
- Avore Preta, Cape Verde - 3491 miles
- New York City, New York, USA - 3491 miles

The Horse Dancer by Jojo Moyes - completed:
- Saumur, France - 3567 miles
- London, England - 288 miles
- Saumur, France - 288 miles
- London, England - 288 miles

31,538/20K - Challenge completed!

FROM THE PAGE TO THE SCREEN
Duration: October 1 - December 31, 2015

With the holidays coming up, it's the most popular time for movie releases. Several of the upcoming movies are based off of popular books. From Frankenstein to The Martian, our beloved books are getting some time on the big screen. Many favorites have been made into films over the years, and it's always interesting to see how the movie compares to the book.

For this challenge, simply choose a number of books that have movie adaptations to read during the quarter. Bonus points if you watch the movie - and if you do, tell us what you think of the differences (mark your spoilers, of course).

1. The Maze Runner by James Dashner - completed November 2015

2. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins - completed November 2015

3. The Scorch Trials by James Dashner - completed November 2015

4. All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven - completed November 2015

5. Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter

6. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead - completed November 2015

7. Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradel - completed November 2015

6/5 - challenge completed!

December book - The Girl with All the Gifts by M. R. Carey. - completed!

All of my challenges and group reads for the year have been completed! I've read more books than ever before, and I'm still going to keep adding books:) 2015 has been a great book year - looking forward to 2016!