2015 Reading Challenge [Closed] discussion

I've never been good at following a plan since what I read depends on my mood at the time I pick up a book. I had also decided to start 2015 by reading the entire Harry Potter series for the first time. This means that I will not be following the weekly order, but I do plan to read a book for each of the topics.

This is a tentative list of books I plan to read. I have a few choices for some of the topics so they may change depending on my mood.

51/52

1. a book with more than 500 pages: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling 1/24/15
2. a romance: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen 5/9/15
3. a book that became a movie: The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger 3/25/15
4. a book published this year: An Appetite for Violets by Martine Bailey 3/16/15
5. a book with a number in the title: 1984 by George Orwell 9/20/15
6. a book written by someone under 30: The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers 2/8/15
7. a book with nonhuman characters: Animal Farm by George Orwell 2/28/15
8. a funny book: A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
9. a book by a female author: Maya's Notebook by Isabel Allende 6/8/15
10. a mystery or thriller:The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes 7/6/15
11. a book with a one-word title Angelopolis by Danielle Trussoni 1/26/15
12. a book of short stories: Shifting Shadows: Stories from the World of Mercy Thompson by Patricia Briggs 4/23/15
13. a book set in a different country: Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein 4/12/15
14. a nonfiction book: A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson 1/30/15
15. a popular author's first book: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling 1/4/15
16. a book from a favorite author that you haven't read yet: Doctor Sleep by Stephen King 10/28/15
17. a book a friend recommended Soulless by Gail Carriger 6/13/15
18. a Pulitzer-prize winning book: The Color Purple by Alice Walker 4/8/15
19. a book based on a true story: Burial Rites by Hannah Kent 8/12/15
20. a book at the bottom of your to read list: Outlander by Diana Gabaldon 11/29/15
21. a book your mom loves: The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks 3/3/15
22. a book that scares you: The Shining by Stephen King 4/7/15
23. a book more than 100 years old: Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll 3/3/15
24. a book based entirely on its cover: Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor 2/25/15
25. a book you were supposed to read in school but didn't: The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood 9/30/15
26. a memoir: Untied: A Memoir of Family, Fame, and Floundering by Meredith Baxter 1/6/15
27. a book you can finish in a day: A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf 1/13/15
28. a book with antonyms in the title: Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty 4/14/15
29. a book set somewhere you've always wanted to visit: Me Before You by JoJo Moyes 9/2/15
30. a book that came out the year you were born:The Stand by Stephen King 8/26/15
31. a book with bad reviews: The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros 11/29/15
32. a trilogy (the first): The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman 2/10/15
33. a trilogy: The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman 2/12/15
34. a trilogy: The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman 2/18/15
35. a book from your childhood: Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell 3/2/15
36. a book with a love triangle: The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides 7/30/15
37. a book set in the future: The Maze Runner by James Dashner 4/18/15
38. a book set in high school: Paper Towns by John Green 5/18/15
39. a book with a color in the title: The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton 4/26/15
40. a book that made/makes you cry: My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult 2/3/15
41. a book with magic: The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness 5/24/15
42. a graphic novel: The Crow by James O'Barr 10/13/15
43. a book by an author you've never read before: A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki 6/3/15
44. a book you own but have never read: The Casual Vacancy 3/31/15
45. a book that takes place in your hometown: (using Savannah GA) The Line by J.D. Horn 4/24/15
46. a book that was originally written in another language: The Neverending Story by Michael Ende 9/9/15
47. a book set during Christmas (or similar holiday): A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens 12/31/15
48. a book written by an author with your same initials: Grave Sight by Charlaine Harris 5/1/15
49. a play: Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller 5/6/15
50. a banned book: Lord of the Flies by William Golding 5/27/15
51. a book based on OR turned into a tv show: The Carrie Diaries TV Tie-in Edition by Candace Bushnell 12/3/15
52. a book you started but never finished: Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice 7/2/15

Ah, The Neverending Story! This one is in my to-read list and it could fit on my week 46 (I'll decide this summer what to read for this one), so if you decide to keep the book, tell me and maybe I'll join you :)

We'll read Big Little Lies during the same week.

I picked The Neverending Story up at a used book store several years ago because I loved the movie when I was little but I've never gotten around to reading it. It came up in a search while I was googling books written in another language. Maybe I should take that as my sign that it's time to read it.

I used to love The Neverending Story when I was younger and I really must check out the book at some point!

I'm reading Pride and Prejudice for this week. Have you read much Austen before? She's rapidly becoming a favourite author of mine. :-)

I have actually never read any Jane Austin. I was always resistant to reading classics when I was younger which is why I've tried to add them to my plan for this year. I haven't gotten to start Pride and Prejudice yet since its on a bookshelf at my parents house which is 4 hours away but with all the positive comments I'm anxious to get it and start reading.

I'm enjoying it so far. I was hoping to get to about the halfway mark last night, but I'd been up the night before with a storm and then no power (so had to ration my Kindle usage, hehe).

I like the fact that most of the chapters are quite short so they only take five or ten minutes to get through, so you can pick it up and put it down in between doing other things.

I'm getting ready to go away at the moment so I'm trying to work out how much of my bookshelf to take with me. ;-)

A lot of people seem to really love Jane Austin. I actually have most of her books but never read them because li thought they'd be boring. I'm glad you are enjoying it. Let me know your overall thoughts when you are done.

I always have that problem when I go out of town. I go on vacation in a few months so I downloaded some to my kindle. It's much easier to take the kindle than it is to pack several books.

I never finished Interview with a Vampire either, but I have no plans to. I already finished one of her books before, hoping there will be a payoff, but for me it was boring till the end. I hoped Interview would be different, but it didn't seem like it, so I just gave up. Anne Rice is just not my cup of tea. If you're sticking with it, I hope you'll like it though.

Good luck with the rest of your list. :)

I'm actually a fan of Anne Rice. My not finishing Interview was more because I tried reading it not long after the movie came out. The story was too fresh in my mind and I just couldn't get into it. This is why I now try to read books before I watch the movies.

Good to know. I'm the same when it comes to books and movies.

Which book of hers did you try?

Vittorio, The Vampire. With Interview, I got to page 249 before leaving it.

I haven't read any of the vampire ones. I read the witch series years ago and loved it. Her hardest novels for me were the angel ones. I just couldn't get into them.

I'm not reading in weekly order but I've read 6/52 so far.

Now i hope I can get through Interview. I might have to pick something else.

Dear John is great, that's an ugly cry book for me. The Handmaid's Tale is really good too.

I've never actually read any Nicholas Sparks but I've seen the movies based on his books. I guess I will need a box of tissues nearby when I get to that one.

I was supposed to read the Handmaid's Tale in college but I ended up dropping the class. Quite a few of my friends list it as one their top books so I have high hopes for it.

I may be a jumper but I've completed 14 so far.

17/52 so far...making progress :)

I am reading The Handmaid's Tale right now and am struggling to get through it. have you read it yet? what were your thoughts?

I haven't read it yet. I've been trying to fit in books for other challenges as well and it just hasn't fit in yet.

20/52 done so far.

Still a jumper but 24/52 done so far.

I've had it on my shelf for a couple years and haven't picked it up yet but I've heard lots of good things. My aunt has been trying to get me to watch the show but I'd rather read the books first. I guess I should just make myself read it for the challenge.

Love love love Game of Thrones.

Ok you've talked me into it. I'm going to try to get this one read for the challenge. Maybe I will borrow the first season as well so I can read and watch as well.

Awesome!

Maybe next year Stephanie? lol

Still part of the jumpers but I am halfway towards my goal.

30 out of 52 done.

I see that you have Soulless on your list. I just started reading that series this year and am now on book 4. When ever I finish one I can't wait to start the next one! Such good books! Hopefully you enjoy it.

That's good to know Sarah! A friend of. Mine recommended it a few years ago but I hadn't managed to pick it up yet. I decided that this challenge meant it was finally time. I have an omnibus with the first 3 books. If they are that good I may need to get the others soon,

I'm reading Kamikaze Kangaroos about Australia and I'm really enjoying it. Could be a suggestion for 29 if u ever wanted to visit Australia.

I enjoyed Soulless too, it's not amazing but the characters are great and the overall story is nice :)

Thanks for the info Zaz. Have you read any of her other series? I picked up the first 2 of the other series at a book warehouse for cheap while I was on vacation.

No, I finished Soulless this month so I've to read the other books before trying her other series.

Zaz I probably should have waited to see if I liked soulless before buying the other too but who can pass up good book prices. :)

Stephanie - it took me a while to get into P&P but once I got used to the writing style I fell in love! I can't believe I've put off reading her for so long.

As of today I have read 31/52 11 books ahead of schedule. Being a member of the jumpers has its benefits.

32/52 done. 12 books ahead of schedule.

You're doing great! I'm "only" 5 books ahead of schedule but I feel way behind.

How was the trilogy? I've chosen the same, but haven't started reading it yet

I really enjoyed The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife (to a slightly lesser degree), The Amber Spyglass was really disappointing. I couldn't believe he had a great story going and decided to end it like he did. By my friend'a ratings and reviews of the third book, I am not the only one that felt that way.

34/52 getting closer to done. :)

35/52 and still jumping.

36/52 11 ahead of schedule.

37/52 11 ahead of schedule.

38/52 still 9 ahead of schedule but I have slowed down a bit. I have been slowly filling in holes in several challenges instead of just focusing on one. At least I am still ahead so I will still finish.

39/52 still 8 ahead of schedule. Burial Rites slowed me down quite a bit. I just couldn't seem to get into it in the beginning.

40/52 Still 7 books ahead of schedule. Only 12 more to go.

42/52 still 7 books ahead of schedule.

I just finished my book that was originally written in another language: The Neverending Story. I think if I had I read this book when I was younger I may have enjoyed it more but I am such a huge fan of the movie that I kind of lost interest in the story after that portion of the story ended.

43/52 still 7 books ahead of schedule.

44/52 now 6 books ahead of schedule. I seem to be slipping a little more as we go but I will complete the challenge even if I have to change some out in the end.