Friday, March 14, 2008

Reading challenge

Glad this list isn't set in stone, because I'm already making changes! (I'll just keep making changes in a new color.)

I realize that the year is almost one-fourth over, but I came across this reading challenge today and I have to do it.

1. Challenge runs from January 1 through December 31, 2008. (So I will use a couple of books that I've read already this year.)
2. Choose 8 categories of your own that you would like to read 8 books EACH in.
3. You will be allowed 8 overlaps, for a total of 56 unique book titles.
4. You may overlap these 56 titles with any other challenge.
5. You may change your list or your categories at any time.

1. Biography/Autobiography/Memoir
Boone : A Biography by Robert Morgan (finished 5/2008)
The Ungarnished Truth: A Cooking Contest Memoir by Ellie Matthews (finished 4/9/2008)
Miles Gone By: A Literary Autobiography by William F. Buckley (finished 12/22/2008)
My Grandfather's Son: A Memoir by Clarence Thomas (finished 11/2008)
A Pirate of Exquisite Mind: The Life of William Dampier: Explorer, Naturalist, and Buccaneer by Diana Preston
Katherine Swynford by Alison Weir (finished 4/7/08)
Time to Be in Earnest by P.D. James
Such a Pretty Fat by Jen Lancaster (finished 6/3/08)

2. Historical Fiction
The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett (finished 2/2008)
World Without End by Ken Follett(finished 10/17/2008)
Sweetsmoke by David Fuller (finished 8/10/2008)
Buckingham Palace Gardens by Anne Perry (finished 5/7/08)
Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank Galbreth (finished 1/2008)
The Jumping-Off Place by (finished 11/18/2008)
A Prisoner of Birth by Jeffrey Archer
Sweetsmoke by David Fuller (finished 8/2008)

3. Quick & Easy
Pandora's Daughter by Iris Johansen (finished 2/2008)
7th Heaven by James Patterson (finished 3/12/2008)
Tombstone Courage by J.A. Jance (finshed 4/17/2008)
Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella (finished 7/6/2008)
He Said Beer, She Said Wine by Sam Calagione & Marnie Old (finished 4/6/08)
The Darcys Give a Ball by Elizabeth Newark (finished 4/19/2008)
Innocent as Sin by Elizabeth Lowell (finished 5/5/08)
Shoe Addicts Anonymous by Elizabeth Newark (finished 5/9/08)

4. Non-Fiction
Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise by Ruth Reichl (finished 1/2008)
Made in America by Bill Bryson (finished 1/2008)
In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan (finished 3/21/2008)
An Inconvenient Book by Glenn Beck (finished 5/25/2008)
Richistan: A Journey Through the American Wealth Boom and the Lives of the New Rich (finished 7/15/2008)
The Big House: A Century in the Life of an American Summer Home by George Howe Colt (finished 6/7/2008)
Better Than Beauty: A Guide to Charm by Helen Valentine (finished 7/2008)
The Omnivore's Dilemm
a by Michael Pollan (finished 6/12/2008)

5. Classics
Elmer Gantry by Sinclair Lewis (finished 2/2008)
Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens (finished 1/2008)
Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank (finished 4/1/2008)
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Bleak House by Charles Dickens
Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank Galbreth (finished 1/2008)
Three Men in A Boat (To Say nothing of the dog) by Jerome K. Jerome (finished 12/20)

My Antonia by Willa Cather

6. Mystery/Thriller/Suspense
Blasphemy by Douglas Preston (finished 2/29/2008)
California Girl by T. Jefferson Parker (finished 2/25/2008)
Lady Killer by Lisa Scottoline (finished 3/2008)
The Book of the Dead by Patricia Cornwell (finished 3/17/08)
Stone Cold by David Baldacci (finished 5/11/08)
Compulsion by Jonathan Kellerman finished (finished 4/27/2008)
Quicksand
by Iris Johansen (finished 7/26/2008)
Careless in Red by Elizabeth George (finished 6/30/2008)

7. Current Fiction
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (finished 6/6/2008)
New Moon by Stephenie Meyer (finished 6/7/2008)
Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer (finished 6/9/2008)
Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult (finished 6/19/2008)
Phantom Prey by John Sandford (finished 6/17/2008)
Moscow Rules by Daniel Silva (finished 10/1/2008)
The Secret Servant by Daniel Silva (finished 7/5/2008)
Nothing to Lose by Lee Child (finished 9/2008)

8. On the Shelf (books that are waiting for me)
A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston
Plainsong by Kent Haruf (finished 4/19/2008)
A Thousand Splendid Suns
by Khaled Hosseini (finished 7/30/08)
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (finished 8/2008)
Uniforms: Why We Are What We Wear by Paul Fussell (finished 5/20/08)
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver (finished 9/2008)
Made in America by Bill Bryson (finished 1/2008)
Miles Gone By: A Literary Autobiography by William F. Buckley

9. Books that I read, or want to read, that don't fit
The Front by Patricia Cornwell (finished 8/3/2008)
The Whole Truth by David Baldacci (finished 8/5/2008)
The Dirty Secrets Club by Meg Gardiner (finished 8/6/2008)
Schooled by Anisha Lakhani (finished 9/2008)
Sweetheart by Chelsea Cain (finished 10/5/2008)
The Ivy Chronicles by Karen Quinn (finished 9/2008)
The Book of Lies by Brad Meltzer (finished 9/2008)
Devil Bones by Kathy Reichs (finished 12/1 2008)
The Last Patriot by Brad Thor (finished 12/3/2008)
The Winds of Marble Arch by Connie Willis (finished 12/18/2008)
The Host by Stephenie Meyer (finished 11/2008)
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins


It will be fun to see how many things I change. Right now this is a pretty lazy, off-the-top-of-my-head list. If anyone has any suggestions, let me know!

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have two suggestions, both by the same author, who also wrote March. Year of Wonders and People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks fall under the category of historical fiction. The former takes place in England during the time of the plague, and the latter traces the path taken by an ancient haggadah manuscript.

Joan

Susan said...

You've got 56+ books on a list, and I'm doing good to get ONE read per year....

RPW said...

I'm working on mine!

Unknown said...

I wonder if you want to take it a step further, Jane, and choose one from each category to discuss. We could have an informal book club meet once a month for the next 8 months. Whadya think?

Jane said...

That's a great idea, Julie. Let's do it!

Cheryl said...

Susan, you took the words right out of my mouth.

Unknown said...

You're making great progress, Jane! I guess I didn't really follow up with our book discussion group idea. :) If you had to pick five of the top books you've completed, what would they be? (You might guess I'm searching for new books--need some poolside options!)

Jane said...

Right now I'm at a slowdown because I'm reading about eight books. :)

For summer reading I would probably pick _The Big House_, _Garlic and Sapphires_,_Buckingham Palace Gardens_ (but only if you've read her earlier mysteries), and _Remember Me?_ which was an amusing bit of fluff. :)

My other suggestion would be _Twilight_ for a couple of reasons. The first is that even though I'm not a vampire book fan, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's a quick, relatively mindless read for a book so large. :) And since it is *the* hot series among the high school and college crowd it's good for cultural literacy. :)

The Jodi Picoult book was good, too, if you like her.

If you want to borrow a book or two let me know. I have Big House, Garlic, & Twilight.

Jane said...

Oh, and Julie, we could always start with the book club this fall.