2025 Reading Challenge discussion

I hope to read 200+ books in 2014 and participate in a few yearly challenges and monthly challenges.

January - December 2014
1. Randomiser (10/10) Finished 06/28/14
2. Around the World in Books (12/12) Finished 03/23/14
3. String Theory (12/12) Finished 04/13/14
4. Recommended By Reading Challengers (19/15) Finished 06/03/14
5. Alphabet Personal Challenge (26/26) Finished 08/17/14

Quarterly Challenges
2Q14: #readwomen2014 (20/20) Finished 06/20/14
2Q14: Finish Those Series (10/10) Finished 06/12/14

Monthly Challenges
January 2014 - Let It Snow! (4/4) Finished 01/16/14
February 2014 - Candy Hearts (4/4) Finished 02/26/14
March 2014 - Daylight Savings Time (4/4) Finished 03/08/14
April 2014 - Little April Shower (4/4) Finished 04/17/14
May 2014 - Holiday Cover Hunt (5/5) Finished 05/21/14
June 2014 - School Year Challenge (12/12) Finished 06/20/14
July 2014 - Hoarders Challenge (10/7) Finished 07/14/14
August 2014 - Empire Challenge (8/6) Finished 08/17/14
September 2014 - Banned Books Challenge (7/6) Finished 09/21/14

Buddy Reads
January & February 2014 - Buddy Read - Fall of Giants
February 2014 - Buddy Read - Rebecca
March 2014 - TBR Twin with Jodi - Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
April 2014 - TBR Twin with Jenny - City of Shadows
May 2014 - TBR Twin with Stacey - Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal
June 2014 - TBR Twin with Adam - Stardust
July 2014 - TBR Twin with Dee Dee - The Other Woman's House
July/August 2014 - TBR Twin with Monica - A Discovery of Witches & Shadow of Night
August 2014 - Buddy Read - Winter of the World
September 2014 - Buddy Read - Horns
October 2014 - Buddy Read - The Warded Man

Edited 09/24/14

RANDOMISER CHALLENGE
January 1 - December 31, 2014 -- Current Status: 10/10
CHALLENGE COMPLETE -- 06/28/14

#146 - Hard Stop.... COMPLETE 04/07/14
# 27 - Bad Chili.... COMPLETE 03/14/14
# 12 - A Constellation of Vital Phenomena... COMPLETE 01/21/14
# 40 - Summer of the Big Bachi... COMPLETE 04/15/14
# 67 - Night.... COMPLETE 01/09/14
#192 - Stoner..... COMPLETE 03/04/14
# 81 - Numbers... COMPLETE 01/31/14
#151 - The Lamp of the Wicked... COMPLETE 05/05/14
#157 - Fall of Giants.... COMPLETE 02/02/14
# 51 - Wild Thing.... COMPLETE 06/28/14

Edited 06/28/14.

AROUND THE WORLD IN BOOKS CHALLENGE
January 1 - December 31, 2014 -- Current Status: Read 12 of 12
CHALLENGE COMPLETE 03/23/14
(The book must take place in that region, be written in a language of that region, OR be written by an author from that region.)

Regions
North America -- Wool Omnibus... COMPLETE 01/03/14
Central America -- The Jaguar Smile A Nicaraguan Journey.... COMPLETE 01/16/14
Caribbean -- Wide Sargasso Sea.... COMPLETE 03/17/14
South America -- The Silence of the Rain: An Inspector Espinosa Mystery...... COMPLETE 03/23/14
West Europe -- A Dying Fall... COMPLETE 01/01/14
E. Europe/Former Soviet Union -- A Constellation of Vital Phenomena... COMPLETE 01/21/14
Africa -- The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon... COMPLETE 01/07/14
Middle East -- Day After Night.... COMPLETE 01/13/14
East Asia -- The Orphan Master's Son... COMPLETE 02/05/14
South Asia -- And the Mountains Echoed..... COMPLETE 01/05/14
Southeast Asia -- Cockroaches.... COMPLETE 03/08/14
Australia & South Pacific -- The Dragon Man.... COMPLETE 01/10/14

Edited 03/17/14

Brianna wrote: "Lynn wrote: "Randomizer Challenge

I want to join for ten books. This is my first challenge!
There are 197 books in my TBR list.

#146 - Hard Stop
# 27 - Bad Chili
# 1..."

Fall of Giants is on my list for early next year too! We should do a buddy read.

ALPHABET PERSONAL CHALLENGE
January 1 - December 31, 2014
Current Status: 26/26 -- Finished 08/17/14

✼ A ✼
The Anatomist's Apprentice by Tessa Harris
The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman
Any Other Name by Craig Johnson
All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque

✼ B ✼
The Bride Wore Black by Cornell Woolrich
Blindness by José Saramago
Big Bad Love by Larry Brown
Bad Chili by Joe R. Lansdale
Bad Little Falls by Paul Doiron
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West by Dee Brown
The Bloody Chamber And Other Stories by Angela Carter
A Beautiful Place To Die by Malla Nunn
A Broom of One's Own: Words on Writing, Housecleaning, and Life by Nancy Peacock
Burglars Can't Be Choosers by Lawrence Block
Black Swan by Chris Knopf
The Burglar in the Closet by Lawrence Block
The Bone Orchard by Paul Doiron

✼ C ✼
A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra
Carousel by Joseph Robert Janes
Cockroaches by Jo Nesbø
The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith
City of Shadows by Ariana Franklin
Calculated in Death by J.D. Robb
Chocolat by Joanne Harris
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
The Case of the Love Commandos by Tarquin Hall
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Close Range by Annie Proulx
Claws of the Cat by Susan Spann

✼ D ✼
A Dying Fall by Elly Griffiths
The Dragon Man by Garry Disher
Day After Night by Anita Diamant
Delusion in Death by J.D. Robb
Dirty Snow by Georges Simenon
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick
The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches by Alan Bradley
Dust by Hugh Howey
Dust and Shadow: An Account of the Ripper Killings by Dr. John H. Watson by Lyndsay Faye
Dante's Poison: A Mark Angelotti Novel by Lynne Raimondo
The Disappeared by Kim Echlin
Debbie Doesn't Do It Anymore: A Novel by Walter Mosley
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

✼ E ✼
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope by Rhonda Riley

✼ F ✼
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
For Every Season by Frankie J. Jones
Fall of Giants by Ken Follett
A False Mirror by Charles Todd
First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers by Loung Ung
The First Days by Rhiannon Frater
Falling to Earth by Kate Southwood
A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
The Friends of Eddie Coyle by George V. Higgins

✼ G ✼
Guests on Earth by Lee Smith
Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal by Mary Roach
The Girl Next Door: A Mystery by Brad Parks
The Grifters by Jim Thompson
The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
Grotesque by Natsuo Kirino

✼ H ✼
Hard Stop by Chris Knopf
The Hidden Child by Camilla Läckberg
Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened by Allie Brosh

✼ I ✼
The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
I Am Pilgrim: A Thriller by Terry Hayes
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

✼ J ✼
The Jaguar Smile: A Nicaraguan Journey by Salman Rushdie

✼ K ✼
Knockemstiff by Donald Ray Pollock

✼ L ✼
Leaving Everything Most Loved by Jacqueline Winspear
Lois Lenz, Lesbian Secretary by Monica Nolan
The Lamp of the Wicked by Phil Rickman
The Lover by Marguerite Duras
Long Story Short: Flash Fiction by Sixty-five of North Carolina’s Finest Writers edited by Marianne Gingher
Life After Life by Jill McCorkle
Let The Dead Lie by Malla Nunn
Louisiana Lament by Julie Smith

✼ M ✼
And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
The Minor Adjustment Beauty Salon by Alexander McCall Smith
MaddAddam by Margaret Atwood
Massacre Pond by Paul Doiron
The Madman of Bergerac by Georges Simenon
The Martian by Andy Weir
My Soul to Take by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir

✼ N ✼
Night by Elie Wiesel
The Necromancer by Jonathan L. Howard
Numbers by Rachel Ward
The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
Nine Dragons by Michael Connelly

✼ O ✼
The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories by B.J. Novak
The Other Woman's House by Sophie Hannah
Our Picnics in the Sun by Morag Joss

✼ P ✼
Pray for Silence by Linda Castillo
Prayers for Sale by Sandra Dallas
The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain
The Purity of Vengeance: A Department Q Novel by Jussi Adler-Olsen
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind
Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard

✼ Q ✼
The Queen of the Tambourine by Jane Gardam

✼ R ✼
Role Models by John Waters
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
Refuge by Dot Jackson
Raven Black by Ann Cleeves
Red Harvest by Dashiell Hammett

✼ S ✼
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
A Serpent's Tooth by Craig Johnson
The Stranger by Albert Camus
Stoner by John Edward Williams
Shift by Hugh Howey
Snow Angels by James Thompson
The Scorpion by Gerri Hill
The Silence of the Rain by Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza
Slash And Burn by Colin Cotterill
Summer of the Big Bachi by Naomi Hirahara
The Striker by Clive Cussler
The Sealed Letter by Emma Donoghue
Slip of the Knife by Denise Mina
Swamplandia! by Karen Russell
Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
Stardust by Neil Gaiman
The Small Hand and Dolly by Susan Hill
The Scarecrow by Michael Connelly
Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness

✼ T ✼
Tenth of December by George Saunders
This Dark Road to Mercy by Wiley Cash
The Troop by Nick Cutter
Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt
Three Graves Full by Jamie Mason
Thankless in Death by J.D. Robb

✼ U ✼
Unwind by Neal Shusterman
UnWholly by Neal Shusterman
UnSouled by Neal Shusterman

✼ V ✼
Vulture Peak by John Burdett
The Vanished by Bill Pronzini

✼ W ✼
Wool Omnibus by Hugh Howey
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
Wake by Anna Hope
Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
Watching You by Michael Robotham
The Woman Who Wouldn't Die by Colin Cotterill
Wolf by Mo Hayder
Wild Thing by Josh Bazell
Winter of the World by Ken Follett

✼ X ✼
X'ed Out by Charles Burns

✼ Y ✼
The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood

✼ Z ✼
Zeitoun by Dave Eggers

Edited--08/17/14

THE STRING THEORY CHALLENGE
January 1 - December 31, 2014 -- Current Status: Read 12 of 12
CHALLENGE COMPLETE -- 04/13/14

1. Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers... COMPLETE 01/07/14
2. The Anatomist's Apprentice... COMPLETE 01/13/14
3. The Necromancer.... COMPLETE 01/18/14
4. Something Wicked This Way Comes.... COMPLETE 01/23/14
5. Carousel..... COMPLETE 02/10/14
6. Dirty Snow..... COMPLETE 02/12/14
7. The Stranger..... COMPLETE 02/22/14
8. The Postman Always Rings Twice..... COMPLETE 02/21/14
9. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest..... COMPLETE 03/09/14
10. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian..... COMPLETE 03/20/14
11. Bury my heart at Wounded Knee..... COMPLETE 03/29/14
12. First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers..... COMPLETE 04/13/14

How about February or April? I'll be traveling in January and March. What about you Jodi?

Could we do February? It was first in my randomizer challenge. I could switch it to the second or third book. Would that work for you, Lynn and Brianna?

JANUARY'S LET IT SNOW! Mini Challenge
Duration: January 1 - 31, 2014. .... Finished 01/16/14

1. Read a book written in the 1940s....The Bride Wore Black...first published 1940.... COMPLETE 01/08/14

2. Read a book with a predominantly white cover....Role Models.... COMPLETE 01/11/14

3. Read a book with the number 6 in the page number....The Jaguar Smile: A Nicaraguan Journey....160 pages.... COMPLETE 01/16/14

4. Read a long book (more than 500 pages)....Wool Omnibus....539 pages.... COMPLETE 01/03/14

Lynn wrote: "2. Read a book with a predominantly white cover....Night"

Perfect choice -I read that one a month ago for the first time in a single sitting, and it so deeply affected me that for days I couldn't get over myself constantly questioning "what?...Why?....HOW? NO. NO. NO."

Just wanted to give you a heads up that it may haunt you for a few days. I can't believe I was never assigned to read it in school. Also, this is not my attempt to discourage you from reading it. I gave it 5 stars - I think it's one of the most important books I've read and truly believe every single person should read it at some point in their lives because too many people forget these things truly happened and have been happening and continue to happen over and over throughout history. Anyway again, good luck with this challenge!

Thanks for the warning Brian. Night has been on my to-read list a long time and the 2014 Randomizer challenge brought it forward for me. I've even checked it out from the library before but returned it without reading it because I didn't think I could face it. I'll definitely have to add some trashy detective novels into the mix to lessen the impact.

You're welcome - I still strongly suggest reading it at some point but mentally prepare yourself because I didn't. Elie Wiesel writes his autobiographical account somewhat like a journalist (he later became one which is interesting), not much embellishment, no emotional manipulation, and absolutely no attempt for sympathy. Just a straightforward and unapologetic tiny book did far more to affect and terrify me than any of the movies I've seen ever did (e.g., Sophie's Choice, Schindler's List, Life is Beautiful). He didn't need to try at all to tug at my heartstrings, like so many memoir writers do.It might help to read or talk about it with someone = it would have made it more bearable for me than reading it alone like I did - not discussing it was tough. Utterly shocked to discover after that Elie Wiesel is still alive - eerie to read something like this during the author's lifetime.

RECOMMENDED BY READING CHALLENGERS
Duration: January 1 - December 31, 2014
CHALLENGE COMPLETE -- 06/03/14

I've read 51 of the top 100 on the List and will read 15 more in 2014.

1. The Fault in Our Stars..... COMPLETE 01/10/14
2. Rebecca..... COMPLETE 02/08/14
3. Fall of Giants...... COMPLETE 02/02/14
4. And the Mountains Echoed ...... COMPLETE 01/05/14
5. Perfume: The Story of a Murderer ...... COMPLETE 04/16/14
6. Wool Omnibus...... COMPLETE 01/03/14
7. Blindness...... COMPLETE 02/20/14
8. Bury my heart at Wounded Knee..... COMPLETE 03/29/14
9. The Cuckoo's Calling..... COMPLETE 03/31/14
10. Eleanor & Park..... COMPLETE 04/05/14
11. Tell the Wolves I'm Home..... COMPLETE 04/11/14
12. Code Name Verity..... COMPLETE 04/17/14
13. The Sealed Letter..... COMPLETE 04/21/14
14. Sarah's Key..... COMPLETE 05/12/14
15. Crime and Punishment..... COMPLETE 06/03/14
16. Stardust..... COMPLETE 06/05/14
17. Unwind..... COMPLETE 06/07/14
18. A Fine Balance..... COMPLETE 07/20/14
19. The Golem and the Jinni...... COMPLETE 07/14/14
20. A Discovery of Witches...... COMPLETE 07/29/14
21. I Capture the Castle...... COMPLETE 07/26/14
22. The Silent Wife
23. The Weird Sisters

Edited -- 07/30/14

Wow! You'll have read over half of the list.

I read Rebecca with my October TBR Twin. I had no expectations beyond knowing it was a classic, but I absolutely loved it and count it among my favorite books.

I watched the Alfred Hitchcock movie of the same name a week after I finished reading it. My reading buddy and I both agreed the seeing the translation to film for a book that we both loved was an awesome experience :]

Brian -- I've seen the Hitchcock movie but never read the book. I'm looking forward to all the great books on my 2014 list ;-)

The book is much better! Especially the ending

CANDY HEARTS MINI-CHALLENGE
Duration: February 1-28, 2014
Current Status: 4/4

1. Love me. The Rosie Project..... COMPLETE 02/09/14

2. Puppy love. The Wind in the Willows.... COMPLETE 02/14/14

3. Love bug. Wake.... COMPLETE 02/26/14
verb
1. emerge or cause to emerge from a state of sleep; stop sleeping
2. (dialect) hold a vigil beside someone who has died.
noun
1. a watch or vigil held beside the body of someone who has died, sometimes accompanied by ritual observances including eating and drinking.
2. (historical in some parts of the UK) a festival and holiday held annually in a rural parish, originally on the feast day of the patron saint of the church.

4. Tweet me. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?.... COMPLETE 02/15/14

DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME MINI-CHALLENGE
Duration: March 1-31, 2014 -- Current Status: 4/4
CHALLENGE COMPLETE: 03/08/14

1. Read a book set in a place that currently uses daylight savings time -- The Purity of Vengeance: A Department Q Novel by Jussi Adler-Olsen set in Denmark...... Finished 03/01/14 .

2. Read a book set in a place that does not currently use daylight savings time -- Cockroaches by Jo Nesbø set in Thailand....... Finished 03/08/14

3. Read a book that takes place before 1916 -- The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd set in the 1800s...... Finished 03/03/14 .

4. Read a book by an author who shares an initial with George Vernon Hudson -- Shift Omnibus Edition (Silo, #2) by Hugh Howey....... Finished 03/07/14 .

FINISH THAT SERIES CHALLENGE
Duration: April 1- June 30, 2014 -- CHALLENGE COMPLETE 06/12/14

SERIES FINISHED - (10/10) . . . . . TOTAL BOOKS READ - (13/13)

Dr. Siri Paiboun Mysteries by Colin Cotterill -- 9 in Series so far -- COMPLETE
-- Finished 03/31/14 . . . . . -- Finished 06/04/14

Sam Acquillo Mysteries by Chris Knopf -- 5 in Series -- COMPLETE
-- Finished 04/07/14 . . . . . -- Finished 06/12/14

MaddAddam Trilogy by Margaret Atwood -- 3 in Series  -- COMPLETE
-- Finished 04/10/14 . . . . . -- Finished 04/28/14

Vish Puri Mysteries by Tarquin Hall -- 4 in Series so far  -- COMPLETE
-- Finished 05/29/14

Wool Silo Trilogy by Hugh Howey -- 3 in Series -- COMPLETE
-- Finished 05/19/14

Joe O'Loughlin Mysteries by Michael Robotham -- 7 in Series so far -- COMPLETE
-- Finished 05/11/14

Flavia de Luce Mysteries by Alan Bradley -- 6 in Series so far -- COMPLETE
-- Finished 04/20/14

Ruth Galloway Mysteries by Elly Griffiths -- 6 in Series so far -- COMPLETE
-- Finished 05/16/14

Mike Bowditch Mysteries by Paul Doiron -- 5 in series so far -- COMPLETE
-- Finished 06/09/14

Paddy Meehan Trilogy by Denise Mina -- 3 in Series -- COMPLETE
-- Finished 04/25/14


edited 06/12/14

#READWOMEN2014 CHALLENGE
Read 12 new-to-me women authors. (Completed 05/07/14--Challenge increased to 20.)
Duration: April 1 - June 30, 2014 -- Current Status: 20/20
CHALLENGE COMPLETE: 06/20/14

Angela Carter .....Finished 04/04/14
Rainbow Rowell .....Finished 04/05/14
Carol Rifka Brunt .....Finished 04/11/14
Loung Ung .....Finished 04/13/14
Joanne Harris .....Finished 04/14/14
Naomi Hirahara .....Finished 04/15/14
Elizabeth Wein .....Finished 04/17/14
Rhiannon Frater .....Finished 04/22/14
Malla Nunn .....Finished 04/23/14
Rhonda Riley .....Finished 04/29/14
Kate Southwood .....Finished 04/30/14
Karen Russell .....Finished 05/07/14
Tatiana de Rosnay .....Finished 05/12/14
Lyndsay Faye .....Finished 05/21/14
Jamie Mason ....Finished 05/23/14
Nancy Peacock .....Finished 06/01/14
Dot Jackson .....Finished 06/15/14
Annie Dillard .....Finished 06/18/14
Ann Cleeves .....Finished 06/19/14
Kim Echlin ......Finished 06/10/14

Full list of potential new authors from my TBR shelf.

LITTLE APRIL SHOWER MINI CHALLENGE
Duration: April 1 - 30, 2014 -- Current Status: 4/4
CHALLENGE COMPLETE: 04/17/14

1. Read a book that has "Romance" listed as a genre -- Eleanor & Park.....Finished 04/05/14

2. Read a book that has "Adventure" listed as a genre -- Code Name Verity.....Finished 04/17/14

3. Read a book with mythical creatures -- The Bloody Chamber And Other Stories.....Finished 04/04/14

4. Read a book that contains magic -- Chocolat.....Finished 04/14/14

THE MAY HOLIDAY COVER HUNT
Duration: May 1 - 31, 2014 -- Current Status: 5/5
CHALLENGE COMPLETE: 05/21/14

1. May Day is lei day in Hawaii. Read a book with a flower on its cover.
.....Finished 05/09/14

2. World Press Freedom Day. Read a book with a form of media on its cover.
.....Finished 05/17/14

3. Star Wars Day. May the Fourth be With You. Read a book with a star on its cover OR read a science fiction book.

4. Children’s Day. こどもの日. Read a book that has a child on its cover.
......Finished 05/12/14

5. Cinco de Mayo. Read a book with the number 5 somewhere on its cover (even if it’s in the title!) OR read a book with a 5 in its number of pages.

6. National Train Day. Read a book with a mode of transportation on its cover.
.....Finished 05/21/14

7. Towel Day. "A towel, [The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy] says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have." Read a book with a towel on it OR read a book written by Douglas Adams.

8. World Turtle Day. Read a book with an animal on its cover.
.....Finished 05/07/14

------------------
Edited--05/21/14.

THE JUNE SCHOOL YEAR CHALLENGE
Duration: June 1 - 30, 2014 -- Current Status: 12/12
CHALLENGE COMPLETE: 06/20/14
(Goal increased from 8 to twelve -- 06/12/14.)

1. Summer break: Read a book that involves a life changing trip or vacation.
......Finished 06/05/14

2. Good teacher: Read a book that explores the subject that person taught.
.....Finished 06/18/14

3. Bad teacher: Read a book where the characters do something that is generally unacceptable.
.....Finished 06/06/14

4. The Classics: Read a book that you feel like you "should" have read by now.
......Finished 06/03/14

5. Seniors: Read a book involving a transition.
.....Finished 06/15/14

6. Juniors: Read a book where a character struggles with his/her identity.
.......Finished 06/01/14

7. Sophomores: Read a book on a subject or a character who is wise, foolish or both.
.......Finished 06/12/14

8. Freshman: Read a book where the character(s) are experiencing something entirely new to them.
......Finished 06/20/14

9. Foreign Exchange: Read a book set in a foreign country.
.......Finished 06/04/14

10. Varsity: Read a book involving a power struggle.
.......Finished 06/09/14

11. Junior Varsity: Read a book by an author that is new to you.
.....Finished 06/07/14

12. New School Year: Read a book involving memory or memory loss.
....Finished 06/17/14

-----

Edited -- 06/20/14

THE HOARDERS CHALLENGE
Duration: July 1 - July 30, 2014 -- Current Status: 10/7

1. Read the book that has been on your Goodreads TBR list longest. (Since 04/15/11)
.....Finished 07/08/14

2. Read a book from your physical book shelf or any other stash of books.
.....Finished 07/11/14

3. Read a book you got as a gift or for free.
.....Finished 07/09/14

4. Read a book recommended by or borrowed from a friend. (Fran)
....Finished 07/14/14

5. Read a group read that you missed.
.....Finished 07/14/14

6. Read the next book in a series that you've neglected.
.....Finished 07/07/14

7. Read the book that you've most recently added to your TBR list.
.....Finished 07/08/14

8. Read a book you started and never finished.
.....Finished 07/05/14

9. Read a book you bought with great intentions to read and just haven't got to it yet.
....Finished 07/20/14

10. Read a book that you should have read in high school or college but you faked through instead.
....Finished 07/23/14

------------
Edited: 07/23/14

GREAT EMPIRES CHALLENGE
Duration: August 1 - 30, 2014 -- Current Status: 8/6
CHALLENGE COMPLETE 08/17/14

1. Ottoman Empire - Read a book that contains at least one Muslim character. -- Zeitoun.....Finished 08/17/14

2. Persian Empire - Read a book that has a metal in the title. (Gold) -- The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics....Finished 08/22/14

3. Byzantine Empire - Read a book that takes place in a city that has at least one other name. (Tokyo / Edo) -- Grotesque......Finished 08/14/14

5. British Empire - Read a book that is set in several countries around the world. (Britain, France, Prague/Bohemia, U.S., Holland) -- Shadow of Night......Finished 08/12/14

6. Russian Empire - Read a book where at least one character is introduced to a foreign culture. (Russia -> U.S.) -- Bread Givers......Finished 08/24/14

7. Roman Empire - Read a book that includes a physical fight. -- Red Harvest.....Finished 08/07/14

8. Holy Roman Empire - Read a book where characters try hold on to something longer than they should. (Failing farm/B&B) -- Our Picnics in the Sun.....Finished 08/02/14

9. Mongol Empire - Read a large book (more than 500 pages). (940 pages) -- Winter of the World.....Finished 08/06/14

-----

Edited: 08/24/14.

THE BANNED BOOKS CHALLENGE
Duration: September 1 - 30, 2014 -- Status: 7/6 Finished 09/21/14

1. Banned Books Week is September 21st-27th. Lolita (added 05/25/14)........Finished 09/10/14

2. Forty-six of the top 100 novels of the 20th century have been the target of ban attempts. Read one of those 46 novels -- A Clockwork Orange.......Finished 09/09/14

3. Choose a year that has significant meaning to you, then read a book from that year's list. 2001 -- Of Mice and Men.......Finished 09/04/14

4. Use Random.org to help you choose a number between 1-100 that will correspond to one of the Top 100 Books Challenged/banned from 2000-2009 -- #6 I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.......Finished 09/19/14

5. Chances are you have recognized some books on these lists. Some may even be on your TBR list or some maybe your favorite books. But do you recognize the most challenged authors of the 21st Century? Sort your TBR list by author and find one who is on this list. -- Sherman Alexie -- The Toughest Indian in the World.......Finished 09/12/14

6. During the actual Banned Book Week (September 21st-27th), read a book that has been banned by a government entity from Wikipedia's list. -- The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie.......Finished 09/24/14

7. Lastly, if all these controversial books are making your blush or get squirmy, read one of these books instead from a Goodread's listopia as a less offensive option. -- Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones.......Finished 09/21/14

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Edited 09/24/14.