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Caleb's 2014 Challenge Thread
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PAGESThis year I'm looking to complete 18,000 pages of reading.
I have no page limit on individual books and novels, novellas and short stories will all contribute to the total.
I use a combination of paperback pages, pages advertised in Goodreads/Amazon or calculated pages in Calibre to determine the size of each book/story.
The Books:
1.
- Embassytown - by China Miéville. 345 pages.2.
- The Zero Knot - by K. Z. Snow. 222 pages.3.
- They Thirst - by Robert R. McCammon. 565 pages.4.
- The Wise Man's Fear - by Patrick Rothfuss. 994 pages.5.
- The Drawing of the Three - by Stephen King. 455 pages.6.
- The Broken Angel's Wings - by Alisa Tangredi. 308 pages.7.
- All Quiet on the Western Front - by Erich Maria Remarque. 192 pages.8.
- The Ocean at the End of the Lane - by Neil Gaiman. 181 pages.9.
- Dead Europe - by Christos Tsiolkas. 411 pages.10.
- The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith - by Thomas Keneally. 178 pages.11.
- The Lion, the Lamb, the Hunted - by Andrew E. Kaufman. 263 pages.12.
- Undrawn - by Conchie Fernandez. 218 pages.13.
- The Giver - by Lois Lowry. 180 pages.14.
- Gathering Blue - by Lois Lowry. 215 pages.15.
- Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep - by Philip K. Dick. 244 pages.16.
- Messenger - by Lois Lowry. 169 pages.17.
- Requiem for a Dream - by Hubert Selby Jr. 279 pages.18.
- Son - by Lois Lowry. 393 pages.19.
- Blindsight - by Peter Watts. 384 pages.20.
- Seven-X - by Mike Wech. 270 pages.21.
- Blue World - by Robert McCammon. 464 pages.22.
- The Day of the Triffids - by John Wyndham. 233 pages.23.
- The Book Thief - by Markus Zusak. 550 pages.24.
- Make Room! Make Room! - by Harry Harrison. 240 pages.25.
- The Mysterious Affair at Styles - by Agatha Christie. 297 pages.26.
- The Picture of Dorian Gray (uncensored) - by Oscar Wilde. 167 pages.27.
- In the Night Room - by Peter Straub. 528 pages.28.
- Akhenaten: Dweller in Truth - by Naguib Mahfouz. 168 pages.29.
- Available Dark - by Elizabeth Hand. 246 pages.30.
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - by Roald Dahl. 160 pages.31.
- Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator - by Roald Dahl. 190 pages.32.
- Agency Woman - by John A. A. Logan. 308 pages.33.
- The Fall of Ossard - by Colin Taber. 338 pages.34.
- The Shore - by Robert Dunbar. 319 pages.35.
- The Last Wish - by Andrzej Sapkowski. 280 pages.36.
- Anathem - by Neal Stephenson. 937 pages.37.
- Under Western Eyes - by Joseph Conrad. 320 pages.38.
- The Cuckoo's Calling - by Robert Galbraith. 449 pages.39.
- Dust - by Hugh Howey. 464 pages.40.
- Casino Royale - by Ian Fleming. 178 pages.41.
- Hyperion - by Dan Simmons. 482 pages.42.
- Forsaken - by Andrew Van Wey. 458 pages.43.
- Reunion - by Jeff Bennington. 336 pages.44.
- The Fault in Our Stars - by John Green. 318 pages.45.
- Bliss - by Peter Carey. 282 pages.46.
- Speed of Dark - by Elizabeth Moon. 424 pages.47.
- The Hunger Games - by Suzanne Collins. 374 pages.48.
- The Club of Queer Trades - by G. K. Chesterton. 100 pages.49.
- The Memory Tree - by John R. Little. 238 pages.50.
- Tales of the City - by Armistead Maupin. 269 pages.51.
- Golden Feathers Falling - by Marcin Wrona. 334 pages.52.
- The Grapes of Wrath - by John Steinback. 464 pages.53.
- Maestro - by Peter Goldsworthy. 149 pages.54.
- Exile - by Chris Ward. 400 pages.55.
- The Frozen Sky - by Jeff Carlson. 348 pages.56.
- The Dispossessed - by Ursula K. Le Guin. 387 pages.57.
- The White Castle - by Orhan Pamuk. 150 pages.58.
- Let the Right One In - by John Ajvide Lindqvist. 472 pages.59.
- The 39 Steps - by John Buchan. 118 pages.60.
- The King of Blades - by Ken Brosky. 213 pages.61.
- The Dark Shore - by A. A. Attanasio. 500 pages.62.
- Ancient Images - by Ramsey Campbell. 268 pages.63.
- Picnic at Hanging Rock - by Joan Lindsay. 213 pages.64.
- Starship Troopers - by Robert Heinlein. 263 pages.65.
- The Twelve - by Justin Cronin. 589 pages.66.
- The Steel Remains - by Richard K. Morgan. 391 pages.67.
- Against A Dark Background - by Iain M. Banks. 487 pages.68.
- Forever Peace - by Joe Haldeman. 351 pages.69.
- Another F-Word - by Lissa Brown. 238 pages.70.
- Soulbreaker - by Terry C. Simpson. 332 pages.71.
- 'Salem's Lot - by Stephen King. 439 pages.72.
- Noli Me Tangere - by José Rizal. 480 pages.73.
- Ring - by Koji Suzuki. 282 pages.74.
- Containment - by Christian Cantrell. 251 pages.75.
- The White Guard - by Mikhail Bulgakov. 310 pages.76.
- Song of Kali - by Dan Simmons. 320 pages.77.
- Cat's Cradle - by Kurt Vonnegut. 287 pages.78.
- Fire Watch - by Connie Willis. 271 pages.Total: 26,421 of 18,000 pages. (100% complete)
Note 1: At end of March I've added 66 pages for 2 short stories that I've read thus far this year.
Note 2: At end of June I've added 188 pages for 14 short stories that I've read in the second quarter.
Note 3: At end of December I've added 343 pages for 25 short stories that I've read in the third/fourth quarter.
CHALLENGE COMPLETE!
INDIE READ & REVIEWThis year I'm looking at reading and reviewing 45 indie works.
Previously I aimed for 34 books in the year which is 3 books per month up to November and then one book for December. What I'll try is 4 books per month with one in December but of the 4 books per month, one slot is reserved for a smaller length work (novella or short novel).
This is restricted to novels and novella-length works in accordance with my review policies of my review site: http://papyrus.calebblake.net/
The Books:
1.
- The Zero Knot - by K. Z. Snow. {Review}2.
- The Broken Angel's Wings - by Alisa Tangredi. {Review}3.
- Undrawn - by Conchie Fernandez. {Review}4.
- Seven-X - by Mike Wech. {Review}5.
- Agency Woman - by John A. A. Logan. {Review}6.
- Dust - by Hugh Howey. {Review}7.
- Forsaken - by Andrew Van Wey. {Review}8.
- Reunion - by Jeff Bennington. {Review}9.
- Golden Feathers Falling - by Marcin Wrona. {Review}10.
- Exile - by Chris Ward. {Review}11.
- The Frozen Sky - by Jeff Carlson. {Review}12.
- The King of Blades - by Ken Brosky. {Review}13.
- Another F-Word - by Lissa Brown. {Review}14.
- Soulbreaker - by Terry C. Simpson. {Review}15.
- Containment - by Christian Cantrell. {Review}Total: 15 out of 45 books. (33.33% complete)
BOOK BONFIREThis year I'm attempting to read 12 books that exist as paperbacks or hardbacks on my bookshelves.
The Books:
1.
- They Thirst - by Robert R. McCammon.2.
- The Wise Man's Fear - by Patrick Rothfuss.3.
- The Drawing of the Three - by Stephen King.4.
- All Quiet on the Western Front - by Erich Maria Remarque.5.
- Dead Europe - by Christos Tsiolkas.6.
- Blue World - by Robert McCammon.7.
- The Book Thief - by Markus Zusak.8.
- In the Night Room - by Peter Straub.9.
- The Fall of Ossard - by Colin Taber.10.
- The Shore - by Robert Dunbar.11.
- Anathem - by Neal Stephenson.12.
- Hyperion - by Dan Simmons.Total: 12 out of 12 books. (100% complete)
Challenge Complete!!!
Extras:
13.
- Bliss - by Peter Carey.14.
- Speed of Dark - by Elizabeth Moon.15.
- The Grapes of Wrath - by John Steinback.16.
- Maestro - by Peter Goldsworthy.17.
- The Dark Shore - by A. A. Attanasio.18.
- The Steel Remains - by Richard K. Morgan.19.
- Against A Dark Background - by Iain M. Banks.20.
- Forever Peace - by Joe Haldeman.21.
- 'Salem's Lot - by Stephen King.
GIMME THE PRIZEThis year I'm attempting to read 10 prize winning books. The prizes can vary from literary prizes such as the Pulitzer, through genre-based awards such as the Hugo and even to independent awards such as the IPPY.
The Books:
1.
- Embassytown - by China Miéville. Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel in 2012.2.
- The Zero Knot - by K. Z. Snow. Rainbow Award for Best LGBT Young Adult / Coming of Age in 2012.3.
- The Giver - by Lois Lowry. Newbery Medal in 1994.4.
- The Book Thief - by Markus Zusak. Michael L. Printz Honor Book (2007). 5.
- In the Night Room - by Peter Straub. Bram Stoker award for best novel in 2004.6.
- Anathem - by Neal Stephenson. Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel (2009)7.
- Hyperion - by Dan Simmons. Hugo Award in 19908.
- Bliss - by Peter Carey. Miles Franklin Literary Award (1981)9.
- Speed of Dark - by Elizabeth Moon. Nebula Award for Best Novel in 2003.10.
- The Grapes of Wrath - by John Steinback. Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (1939)Total:10 out of 10 books. (100% complete)
CHALLENGE COMPLETE!
Extras:
11.
- The Dispossessed - by Ursula K. Le Guin. Jupiter Award for Best Novel (1975)12.
- Starship Troopers - by Robert Heinlein. Hugo Award for Best Novel (1960)13.
- Forever Peace - by Joe Haldeman. John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel in 1998.14.
- Song of Kali - by Dan Simmons. World Fantasy Award for Best Novel (1986).15.
- Fire Watch - by Connie Willis. Nebula Award for Best Novelette (1982)Suggested Reading List:
Midnight's Children - Best of the Booker 2008
The Color Purple - Pulitzer Prize in 1983
The Keepers of the House - Pulitzer Prize in 1965
The Old Man and the Sea - Pulitzer Prize in 1953
The Lovely Bones - Bram Stoker award for best new novel in 2002
Jasper Jones - Australian Independent Booksellers Indie Book Award for Fiction and Indie Book of the Year in 2010
20th Century Ghosts - British Fantasy Award for Best Collection in 2006
A Spell for Chameleon - British Fantasy Award for Best Novel in 1978
Buried - Edgar Award for Best Young Adult in 2007
Dog Boy: A Novel - Prime Minister's Literary Award for Fiction in 2010
Who Fears Death - World Fantasy Award for Best Novel in 2011
Koko - World Fantasy Award for Best Novel in 1989
Little Brother - John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel in 2009
Truth - Miles Franklin Literary Award in 2010
Watership Down - Carnegie Medal in Literature in 1972
Ship of Fools - Philip K. Dick Award in 2001
Blackout (All Clear, #1) - Hugo Award for Best Novel in 2011
All Clear (All Clear, #2) - Hugo Award for Best Novel in 2011
The Windup Girl - Hugo Award for Best Novel in 2010
Paladin of Souls - Hugo Award for Best Novel in 2004
Stranger in a Strange Land - Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1962
Zoo City - Arthur C. Clarke Award for Best Novel in 2011
The Sparrow - Arthur C. Clarke Award for Best Novel in 1998
Quicksilver - Arthur C. Clarke Award for Best Novel in 2004
The Broken Shore - The Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger in 2007
King Solomon's Carpet - The Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger for Fiction in 1991
A Drink Before the War - Shamus Award for Best First PI Novel (1995)
In the Night Garden - Mythopoeic Award for Adult Literature (2008)
The Sisters Brothers - Governor General's Literary Awards / Prix littéraires du Gouverneur général for Fiction (2011)
Short-cutsThis year I'm not specifically targeting a number for short stories I read. I'm mainly interested in tracking them for the purpose of adding to the page count challenge. So without further ado....
The Stories:
First Quarter:
1. The White People - Arthur Machen. (36 pages)
2. Whisper in the Pines - Donald Wells (30 pages)
Second Quarter:
3. Red and Gold - Jonathan Winn (56 pages)
4. The Fear - Julio Angel Ortiz (50 pages)
5. After Sunset - Amanda Young (6 pages)
6. The Party - Steve Nugent (6 pages)
7. Michievous - Richard Hiscock (5 pages)
8. The Sandman - Alex Stargazer (10 pages)
9. Slippery When Wet - Blaine D. Arden (6 pages)
10. Render - J. M. Snyder (6 pages)
11. The Wanderer - A. Scott Boddie (5 pages)
12. The Storyteller - Blaine D Arden (8 pages)
13. Making Camp - Clare London (8 pages)
14. Cruising on Cary Street - J. M. Snyder (8 pages)
15. The Bank Robbery - L. M. Dawson (8 pages)
16. Parks and Recreation - Terry O'Reilly (6 pages)
Third Quarter
17. Freeing Pain - Lor Rose (6 pages)
18. Pressure - Jeff Carlson (20 pages)
19. The Man Who Would Be King - Rudyard Kipling (40 pages)
20. Planting Seeds (Earth Day Celebration) - Alex Whitehall (8 pages)
21. The Convergent - Joshua Skye (8 pages)
22. Stroke of Midnight - Jordan Castillo Price (8 pages)
23. Max Under the Stars - Ann Frazier (9 pages)
24. Busted - Chuck William (5 pages)
25. Betters, Inc. - R. Woodville (18 pages)
26. The Hook Up - Steven Kerry (12 pages)
27. Blame it on the Hormones - Dick O'Connor (8 pages)
28. Ace - Part 1 - Kate Aaron (18 pages)
29. Playing Doctor - S.L. Armstrong & K. Piet (14 pages)
30. Love in the Library - J.M. Snyder (15 pages)
31. Rapport - Carole Cummings (15 pages)
32. Ripped - Dick Powers (6 pages)
33. Swept Up in Blue - Pender Mackie (16 pages)
34. Turn Around Where Possible - Martin Pond (8 pages)
35. Wayward Spirits - Brian Rathbone (10 pages)
36. White - Robert McCammon (12 pages)
37. The Camera - Richard C. Hale (6 pages)
38. The Game - Henrietta Clarke (15 pages)
39. The Carnivorous Vegan - K. A. Merikan (18 pages)
40. Cross the Mountain - P. D. Singer (18 pages)
41. Broken Dreams - Justin James (30 pages)
Total: 41 stories
Dear AuthorNot necessarily a challenge at this stage, but just listing authors I'd like to sample or continue with if I get the chance:
Barbara Vine
Stephen Donaldson
J A Konrath
Jack Kilborn
Tim Powers
Paolo Bacigalupi
Russell Blake
Octavia E. Butler
Michael Chabon
Blake Crouch
Cory Doctorow
Barry Eisler
David Farland
William Faulkner
Rick Hautala
Glen Krisch
Simon Royle
Simon Haynes
Douglas Adams
Michael R. Hicks
Ian Hocking
Kameron Hurley
Shaun Jeffrey
K. W. Jeter
Steven Lyle Jordan
Richard Kadrey
Madeleine L'Engle
B V Larson
Stephen R Lawhead
Mark Lawrence
Stephen Leather
Dennis Lehane
Stanislaw Lem
Joseph Robert Lewis
Gregory Maguire
Hilary Mantel
Richard Matheson
R W Ridley
L J Sellers
Julie Smith
Alexander Sokoloff
Josephine Tey
Michael Wallace
Rick Yancey
Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Sarah Zettel
Dave Zeltserman
The Great Aussie Reading ListIn the literary book club last year at Mobilereads, we had a selection of Australian authors to choose from. After some discussion a list was posted of Aussie must reads and I was quite embarrassed as an Australian to have read only one or two of the titles listed.
So I've decided to start pinging away at a list of famous and great Aussie works - both from contemporary authors and from those who have passed. The list will be gathered from various resources, not one specific place.
1.
- Dead Europe - by Christos Tsiolkas.2.
- The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith - by Thomas Keneally.3.
- The Book Thief - by Markus Zusak.4.
- Bliss - by Peter Carey.5.
- Maestro - by Peter Goldsworthy.6.
- Picnic at Hanging Rock - by Joan Lindsay.Entries with an * means that I either own or have access to the title(s). A ? means that I think I have easy access but am not sure.
Preference will probably be given to titles I own.
Authors:
Tim Winton
Ruth Park
*Craig Silvey - Jasper Jones
Helen Garner
*Handel Richardson - The Getting of Wisdom
*Murray Bail - Eucalyptus
*Peter Temple - The Broken Shore
*Jeannie Gunn - We Of The Never Never
Jessica Anderson
Darcy Niland
*Richard Flanagan - Gould's Book of Fish: A Novel in Twelve Fish
*Andrew McGahan - White Earth
*Eva Hornung - Dog Boy
David Malouf
*A.B. Facey - A Fortunate Life
*Anna Funder - All That I Am
Shirley Hazzard
*Kenneth Cook - Wake In Fright
*Miles Franklin - My Brilliant Career
*Raimond Gaita - Romulus, My Father
*Alexis Wright - Carpentaria
First! Now where did I put that victory music?
Ha. What do you think of the author inspiration list? Obviously there's no way/no how I'm going to read one book from each of these authors, but it's a nice mix of authors I enjoy and a whole bunch of authors I haven't read but would like to.
Homeinmyshoes wrote: "First! Now where did I put that victory music?"Damn it!!!! I wanted to be first, lol.
Caleb wrote: "Ha. What do you think of the author inspiration list? Obviously there's no way/no how I'm going to read one book from each of these authors, but it's a nice mix of authors I enjoy and a whole bun..."
Nice. I'd like to apologize now for any inconvenience in normal reading patterns I've caused. :)
Some options for award winners:In the Night Garden along with book two were given the Mythopoeic Award for Adult Literature in 2008. I've only read the first and I've been waiting to read the second. Some time. Maybe after next year's challenge.
I'll also suggest The Sisters Brothers which one the Governer General's Award and Stephen Leacock Awards in Canada. Not sure why it won the Leacock award, but then of the books I've read from that pile, none were terribly funny. Given that we are the land of Kids in the Hall and SCTV I would think our books would be funnier.
Oooh - how naughty that you're adding to my list. :)I'll put those there as well.
Well - the challenges have commenced with my first book read.Embassytown by China Miéville was a fantastic opener. It's great to start the year reading your favourite author and Miéville did not disappoint.
I've got it as 5 stars, but it was closer to 4.5 as there were some elements of expression I found a little clunkier than I would like. But the ideas, and the story threaded within reminded me of why I put this author on the top of my list.
I've been hemming and hawing on reading Mieville for a while. Maybe next year or very late this year.
Caleb wrote: "Well - the challenges have commenced with my first book read.Embassytown by China Miéville was a fantastic opener. It's great to start the year reading your favourite author and Mi..."
Congrats on your first read of the year! :)
Sidenote: I couldn't get my "ticker" to work, please tell me if yours is working.
Mine isn't working either. :(The page count on the ticker site is correct, but it's just showing 0 on the GR page.
I think GR may have done something to disable it, because mine works on MobileRead but not here.
Phew! First bigger book of the year: The Wise Man's Fear.Actually, it was utterly delicious, just like the first book. I was a bit worried about the reported 100 pages of faerie sex, but it wasn't anywhere near as tedious as I feared. I gave the book 5 stars, which is anything between a strong 4.5 - 5 stars. :)
Caleb wrote: "Phew! First bigger book of the year: The Wise Man's Fear.Actually, it was utterly delicious, just like the first book. I was a bit worried about the reported 100 pages of faerie se..."
Oooh! Congrats! I couldnt get thorough book 1 but I love Pat Rothfuss.
I love the camel/desert counter. Kindof gives the image for the long haul in page count.
Yeah - me too. I keep it every year. It's also exotic and romantic in a way. Just like I'm not. ;)I wish it was working on GR though.
Already 25% through my Book Bonfire challenge. The Drawing of the Three is the latest I've knocked over. Actually, I liked this better than the first book in the series.After the first, I thought I might not really get into The Dark Tower, but the second was a better showing.
Caleb wrote: "Already 25% through my Book Bonfire challenge. The Drawing of the Three is the latest I've knocked over. Actually, I liked this better than the first book in the series.After the fir..."
Oh, you'll love it. I hate horror I read books 1-4 back to back. This was years ago...King took a 10 year hiatus before continuing the series. I never picked it back up. But I own all the books.
Even hubby like it.
My first Aussie author of the year, with Christos Tsiolkas' Dead Europe.Great book, but quite savage and in your face like other Tsiolkas works. At least he's consistent.
Well, at the end of Feb I'm doing pretty well with quite a few of the challenges.I'm already 25% through my page count challenge and I'm almost 50% through my book bonfire challenge. The only challenge that's really suffering this year is my indie read and review.
Due to various reasons (laziness amongst them) my review site has almost petered out. I need to kick myself in the rear end to get some more reviews up and finish last year's reviews so that I can move on to this year's reads.
After 8 months off work I've finally got another job and I'm not sure how it's going to impact my reading. If I'm driving to work it's going to mean quite a bit less reading time. However, if I take public transport I will be travelling for 3 hours a day which can all be dedicated to reading - a good thing. It's going to be a balance I guess.
Soooo - finally read the novel Requiem for a Dream. The movie was a favourite but one I can't really watch over and over. It's too hard.The book was like reliving the movie. Darren Aronofsky's movie was very faithful to the book, so reading the book was like reliving the movie page by painful page.
The only thing I didn't like - and it was quite annoying - was that the author does not like to punctuate or separate dialog in any way. A running paragraph could contain a whole conversation between multiple characters without much (or any) indication of which character is saying what to whom.
Not for those who don't like despair. :)
Caleb wrote: "Soooo - finally read the novel Requiem for a Dream. The movie was a favourite but one I can't really watch over and over. It's too hard.The book was like reliving the movie. Darre..."
O_O Sounds good but depressing.
I've done very well in the number of books I've read and number of pages I've read in the first quarter. After coming out of unemployment for an 8 month period, I've gone into a role requiring at least 2 hours of travel time a day - in public transport. Guess what happens in that 2 hours? :)
That's what I do on the bus. It's a great way to get through the pages.
Caleb wrote: "I've done very well in the number of books I've read and number of pages I've read in the first quarter. After coming out of unemployment for an 8 month period, I've gone into a role requiring at l..."O_O
Wow. Two hours. That's crazy.
I thought you lived in Australia, not here in D.C....
So anyway - where did I sit at the halfway mark? In some ways I'm doing well, but my 2014 reading was quite different from the last two years.I've increased the amount of traditionally published works this year with only a handful of indie works read thus far. Also my reviews have evapourated almost completely. I guessed I just needed a change.
Because I was initially unemployed and now employed in a job that requires considerable public transport time, the volume of my reading has increased. My page count challenge is already just over 85% complete. With 45 books read this puts me closest I've ever been to meeting a 100 book challenge for the year. Given my Goodreads challenge is only set to 60 books I'm obviously going to smash that shortly.
I've completed by Book Bonfire challenge which makes sense if my reading has been skewed towards traditionally published authors. I believe I'll probably read a few more of the books on my shelves before the end of the year.
I'm almost complete on the Gimme the Prize challenge, with only two prize-winners to read before I'm done. I like having that minor focus on books that others have considered worthy of award, although I obviously recognise that an award granted does not necessarily mean an award deserved (at least in my opinion).
My Indie Read and Review challenge has been an utter failure this year, but I'm writing this off as a "climate change" within my current literary atmosphere. Of those that I've read, most have been good and one has been particularly bad. My interest in indie authors has not blunted, but I guess I just needed to change direction for a while.
I'm rather pleased that I've managed to include 4 Aussie works in my reading list so far this year. I still have at least a couple more planned, but trying to give Australian authors a little more focus in my reading has been an enjoyable decision.
As usual, I haven't included that many short stories in my reading list so far - and most of them have been utter trash, but I think I'll still track them each year and it does help shift the read vs unread ratio in my Calibre library. ;)
Anyway - that my mid-year status update. I hope everyone else is enjoying their yearly challenges as much as I am.
Another challenge complete. I've read 10 prize winners from various categories this year finishing off with the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1939, The Grapes of Wrath.What a way to finish! What a brilliant book!
I've had this on my "Must read before I die" list in my head for a long time and I can see why I placed it there.
Caleb wrote: "Another challenge complete. I've read 10 prize winners from various categories this year finishing off with the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1939, The Grapes of Wrath.What a way to f..."
:-D
Well that's the earliest I've finished my page count challenge yet.All 18,000 pages are now behind me as I read on to a new frontier.
I'm making the most of my additional reading time this year. :)
WOw.I'm just happy that I'm getting through some shorts and novellas.
I think next year I might include a challenge that focuses on library books (ebooks or physical). Maybe the challenge can just be to read at least 6 books that have been borrowed from a (e)library.
Caleb wrote: "Well that's the earliest I've finished my page count challenge yet.All 18,000 pages are now behind me as I read on to a new frontier.
I'm making the most of my additional reading time this year...."
Congratulations. I'm finally catching up on everyone's thread. So, technically I'm reading, right?
Homeinmyshoes wrote: "Caleb wrote: "Well that's the earliest I've finished my page count challenge yet.All 18,000 pages are now behind me as I read on to a new frontier.
I'm making the most of my additional reading t..."
lol
Well, there you go! Completely by GoodReads Challenge for the year with 60 books read.There were some smaller books in the there, but there was a balance between those and some larger books. At book 60 I had averaged just over 330 pages per book, which although not a tome, it's still a fairly respectable size.
I've still got the final quarter of the year to go, so plenty of good reading ahead still.
Congrats!
OK - done for another year. Most challenges went really well, but I completely fell over in my Indie Read & Review challenge.26,421 pages read (out of 18,000), averaging almost 339 pages per book based on the 78 books I read.
Only 15 out of 45 indie books read and none reviewed. I'm redefining this challenge for 2015 to be more realistic.
21 out of 12 planned books from my bookshelf read during the year.
15 out of 10 prize-winners read during the year.
41 short stories read. I had no particular target but I think I can do better next year and am expecting to get through about 70.
6 reads from Aussie authors read and I'm hoping to get through about the same number of Aussie authors in 2015.
Overall, a fantastic year for reading. I'm loving my reading life - bringing me into contact with gripping reads, interesting literary works and classics that stretch my experience. I even squeeze in some trashy fun that often makes me smile.
I'm looking forward to the next year of reading with many, many books already put aside for reading.
I hope everyone else has had a great year and I wish the blessings of gods, goddesses and/or abstract powers on you all.
Congratulations and best of luck in next years challenges. I've already read one of the Aussie books you listed for 2015.
Homeinmyshoes wrote: "Congratulations and best of luck in next years challenges."Ditto! Congratulations Caleb!! Wishing you a very Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year!
Caleb wrote: "OK - done for another year. Most challenges went really well, but I completely fell over in my Indie Read & Review challenge.26,421 pages read (out of 18,000), averaging almost 339 pages per book..."
That's pretty great!
MobileRead Book Challenges
Books mentioned in this topic
Fire Watch (other topics)Fire Watch (other topics)
Cat's Cradle (other topics)
Song of Kali (other topics)
The White Guard (other topics)
More...
Page Count
Indie Read and Review
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Book Bonfire
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Gimme the Prize
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Short-cuts
41
The Great Aussie Reading List
6