2025 Reading Challenge discussion

Hello and welcome to my 2016 reading den!

This is the place to keep my 2016 reading log organised: challenge progress, book ratings and sometimes thoughts about the books I read, you’re welcome to comment too if you like.

Thanks for stopping by, and happy reading!

Order and date of Challenge completion: 20/20 - All done, bring on 2017!
1. Challenge 14: Times Gone By - 18 Feb
2. Challenge 13: Full House Reading Challenge – 24 Feb
3. Challenge ten: Book Riot's Read Harder challenge - 14 Mar
4. Challenge 11: Popsugar Ultimate reading challenge – 6 Apr
5. Challenge eight: TBR Slimming - 22 Apr
6. Challenge 16: 2nd Quarter Challenge: Award Winning Books – 13 May
7. Challenge 9: Recommended by Reading Challengers challenge - 30 May
8. Challenge 15: Second Quarter Challenge: Clear The Shelves - 12 June
9. Challenge one: Big and Small - 19 June
10. Challenge two: New To Me – 12 July
11. Challenge three: Recommended - 14 July
Page Challenge: 50,000 pages - 18 July
12. Challenge six: Famous people – 8 Aug
13. Challenge five: TBR Favourite Genre challenge - 20 Aug
14: Challenge 18: 26 books in 2016 - 21 Aug
15. Challenge four: Take a Chance - 24 Aug
16. Challenge seven: History – 3 Sep
17. Challenge 17 Bingo #2 – 12 Sep
Goodreads Challenge: 200 books - 13 Sep
18. Challenge 19: Family reading bingo – 30 Nov
19. Challenge 20: Popsugar Fall reading challenge on 5 Dec
20.Challenge 12: Genre of the month on 8 Dec

Goodreads challenge and page goal ✔ Completed


Read at least 200 books - 13 Sep
Read at least 50,000 pages - 18 Jul

Year Summary

2016 was a great reading year, with 290 total number of books and 94,000+ pages read, the highest numbers since I started keeping track. Shortest book: 32 pp, longest 897 pp, average length 327pp.

It breaks down as follows:

Very short (under 100 pp) 16
Short (between 101 and 250 pp) 71
Medium (between 250 and 400 pp) 136
Long (between 401 and 600 pp) 54
Very Long (over 600 pp) 13

My top reading months have been February and October:





1 star (includes DNF): 4%
2 stars: 19%
3 stars: 41%
4 stars: 29%
5 stars: 7%

For me, a 3 star book is a good one, 4 one that I’d recommend, 5 stars is worth of a reread. 224 books were 3 stars and up for an yearly average rating of 3.2 stars. 2016 was a good year for reading!
74% of my reads have been by authors new to me, with a more or less equal split between male and female authors. I like to read a variety of genres, this year looks like this:



fiction: 76%
non-fiction: 24%

Progress towards reducing my TBR:



144 books read from my old (pre 2016) TBR!

2016 awards: see the end of this thread.

-----
Kiwi’s year in books

Challenge 1: Big and small challenge ✔ Completed

(view spoiler)[
Read at least 2 doorstoppers (800+ pages): 2/2
✔.The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
✔.I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb

Read at least 4 chunksters (500+ pages): 3/4
✔.Dark Fire by C.J. Sansom
✔.The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton
✔.Assassin's Quest by Robin Hobb
✔.Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey

Read 6 shorties (less than 150 pages): 6/6
✔.The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly by Sun-mi Hwang
✔.The Willows by Algernon Blackwood
✔.Self-Help by Lorrie Moore
✔.Candide by Voltaire
✔.Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf
✔.Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne
(hide spoiler)]

Challenge 2: New To Me authors challenge ✔ Completed

(view spoiler)[
Read 12 books by popular authors that I have never tried: 12/12

✔.Necessary Lies by Diane Chamberlain
✔.Legionary by Gordon Doherty
✔.The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer
✔.An Officer and a Spy by Robert Harris
✔.Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier
✔.The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski
✔.Naked in Death by J.D. Robb
✔.The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King
✔.Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
✔.Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie
✔.Trust Your Eyes by Linwood Barclay
✔.Pump Six and Other Stories by Paolo Bacigalupi
(hide spoiler)]

Challenge 3: Recommended challenge ✔ Completed

(view spoiler)[
Read at least 6 books that have been recommended or given to me as a gift: 6/6

✔.The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom
✔.Shift by Hugh Howey
✔.Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
✔.Euphoria by Lily King
✔.The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson
✔.What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty
(hide spoiler)]

Challenge 4: Take a Chance challenge ✔ Completed

(view spoiler)[
Read 6 books that come recommended but I doubt I will like: 5/6

✔.Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
✔.American Gods by Neil Gaiman
✔.Belle by Lesley Pearse
✔.Storm Front by Jim Butcher
✔.Watchmen by Alan Moore
✔.Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
(hide spoiler)]

Challenge 5: TBR Favourite Genre challenge ✔ Completed

(view spoiler)[
Read 6 TBR books of each genre: Fantasy, Mystery-Thriller, Children/YA, Classics - 24 in total: 24/24

Fantasy:6/6
✔.Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson
✔.The Summer Tree by Guy Gavriel Kay
✔.Half the World by Joe Abercrombie
✔.The Killing Moon by N.K. Jemisin
✔.Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold
✔.The Providence of Fire by Brian Staveley

Mystery-Thriller:5/6
✔.Still Life by Louise Penny
✔.The Lewis Man by Peter May
✔.Iron Lake by William Kent Krueger
✔.In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
✔.This Dark Road to Mercy by Wiley Cash
✔.Cold in July by Joe R. Lansdale

Children/YA:6/6
✔.Matilda by Roald Dahl
✔.Heidi by Johanna Spyri
✔.Uprooted by Naomi Novik
✔.Knife by R.J. Anderson
✔.The Truth About Alice by Jennifer Mathieu
✔.Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien

Classics:6/6
✔.Frenchman's Creek by Daphne du Maurier
✔.Goodbye, Mr. Chips by James Hilton
✔.The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
✔.A Good Man Is Hard To Find by Flannery O'Connor
✔.If on a Winter's Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino
✔.The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux
(hide spoiler)]

Challenge 6: Famous people challenge ✔ Completed

(view spoiler)[
Read at least 8 biographies: 8/8

✔.Memoirs of Hadrian by Marguerite Yourcenar
✔.Julius Caesar by Philip Freeman
✔.The Eagle and the Raven by Pauline Gedge (about Boudica, queen of one of the British tribes during the Roman occupation)
✔.The Tigress of Forlì: Renaissance Italy's Most Courageous and Notorious Countess, Caterina Riario Sforza de Medici by Elizabeth Lev
✔.Theodora: Actress, Empress, Saint by David Stone Potter (about Theodora, empress of the Byzantine Empire)
✔.Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman by Robert K. Massie
✔.Orazio and Artemisia Gentileschi by Keith Christiansen (Italian Baroque painters)
✔.Joan of Arc: A History by Helen Castor
(hide spoiler)]

Challenge 7: History challenge ✔ Completed


Themes I want to explore in 2016:

❄ ✔ Life in middle ages e.g. monasteries, medieval city/villages, black death, pilgrims
Life in a Medieval City
The Middle Ages: An Illustrated History
Kingmaker: Winter Pilgrims
The Apothecary Rose: The Owen Archer Series - Book One
The Black Death

❄ ✔ Northern Italy history – Longobards, Visconti, Sforza, Gonzaga, Este, Venice
The Tigress of Forlì: Renaissance Italy's Most Courageous and Notorious Countess, Caterina Riario Sforza de Medici by Elizabeth Lev

❄ ✔ History of a city (Venice)
Venice: A New History
The Modern Scholar: A History of Venice: Queen of the Seas
Francesco's Venice: The Dramatic History of the World's Most Beautiful City

Maybe:
❄ ✔ Byzantium
Theodora: Actress, Empress, Saint by David Stone Potter
The Bearkeeper's Daughter by Gillian Bradshaw
The Byzantines by Averil Cameron

❄ ✔ Central America ancient civilizations e.g. Maya, Atzec, Inca
Jungle of Stone: The True Story of Two Men, Their Extraordinary Journey, and the Discovery of the Lost Civilization of the Maya by William Carlsen

Perhaps more of:

❄ ✔ Gold rush history (Australia/NZ, California, Klondike, Alaska) or fur trappers
Gold A Pictorial History of The Australian Goldrush
The Denniston Rose
The Rush: America's Fevered Quest for Fortune, 1848-1853

❄ ✔ Celts history and myths / Ireland legends
The Eagle and the Raven

❄ ✔ Native American/Canadians
The Round House
The Orenda
Dances with Wolves

❄ ✔ Vikings
The Vikings: The Story of a People
The Sea Wolves: A History of the Vikings
The Penguin Historical Atlas of the Vikings
The Age of the Vikings
Viking: The Norse Warrior's Unofficial Manual
The Long Ships: A Saga of the Viking Age
The Broken Sword

❄ Cathars

and ...

Challenge: Read at least 12 books in total and at least one book set in each time period: 12+6/12

(view spoiler)[
Prehistory (< 3400BC)
✔.The Reindeer People by Megan Lindholm

Bronze & Iron Ages (3400-800BC)
✔.Black Ships by Jo Graham
✔.Ransom by David Malouf

Classical Antiquity (800-476AD)
✔.Pompeii by Robert Harris
✔.The Spartans: The World of the Warrior-heroes of Ancient Greece by Paul Anthony Cartledge
extra books:
✔.Sparta: The Warrior State of Ancient Greece by Duncan Ryan
✔.The Spartan WayThe Spartan Way by Nic Fields

Early Middle Ages (476–1000)
✔.The Sea Wolves: A History of the Vikings by Lars Brownworth
✔The Age of the Vikings by Anders Winroth
extra books:
✔The Vikings: The Story of a People by Njord Kane
✔The Penguin Historical Atlas of the Vikings by John Haywood
✔Viking: The Norse Warrior's Unofficial Manual by John Haywood

High Middle Ages (1000–1300)
✔.A Vision of Light by Judith Merkle Riley
extra book:
✔.Life in a Medieval City by Frances Gies

Late Middle Ages (1300–1500)
✔.By Fire, by Water by Mitchell James Kaplan

Early Modern Period (1500-1800)
✔.The Orenda by Joseph Boyden

The Modern Age (1800 - Today)
✔.True Grit by Charles Portis
✔.Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier
(hide spoiler)]

Challenge 8: TBR slimming challenge ✔ (Completed but ongoing)


Read at least 60 TBR books added to the list earlier than 01.01.16: 144/60

Challenge 9 : Recommended by Reading Challengers challenge - ✔ Completed
my post is #8

Read ten books from the recommended list: 12/12
(view spoiler)[
✔. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
✔. Candide by Voltaire
✔. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
✔. American Gods by Neil Gaiman
✔. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
✔. Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson
✔. Euphoria by Lily King
✔. The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King
✔. Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
✔. Watchmen by Alan Moore
✔. Uprooted by Naomi Novik
✔. The Last Child by John Hart
(hide spoiler)]

Challenge 10: Book Riot's Read Harder challenge - ✔ Completed

Read 24 books from the list: 24/24
(view spoiler)[
✔. Read a horror book: The Willows
✔. Read a nonfiction book about science:What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions
✔. Read a collection of essays:The Book of My Lives
✔. Read a book out loud to someone else: Matilda
✔. Read a middle grade novel: Heidi
✔. Read a biography (not memoir or autobiography): Julius Caesar
✔. Read a dystopian or post-apocalyptic novel: Alas, Babylon
✔. Read a book originally published in the decade you were born: True Grit
✔. Listen to an audiobook that has won an Audie Award: The Goldfinch
✔. Read a book over 500 pages long : What Alice Forgot
✔. Read a book under 100 pages: Candide
✔. Read a book by or about a person that identifies as transgender: Middlesex
✔. Read a book that is set in the Middle East: The Almond Tree
✔. Read a book by an author from Southeast Asia: Smaller and Smaller Circles
✔. Read a book of historical fiction set before 1900: Frenchman's Creek
✔. Read the first book in a series by a person of color: The Killing Moon
✔. Read a non-superhero comic that debuted in the last three years: Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened
✔. Read a book that was adapted into a movie, then watch the movie. Debate which is better: Shutter Island
✔. Read a nonfiction book about feminism or dealing with feminist themes: Men Explain Things to Me
✔. Read a book about religion (fiction or nonfiction): And Then There Were Nuns: Adventures in a Cloistered Life
✔. Read a book about politics in your country or another (fiction or nonfiction): An Officer and a Spy
✔. Read a food memoir: Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table
✔. Read a play: Othello
✔. Read a book with a main character that has a mental illness: The Reindeer People
(hide spoiler)]

Challenge 11: Popsugar 2016 Reading challenge - ✔ Completed


Read 40(+1) books from the list: 40/40
(view spoiler)[
✔. A book based on a fairy tale: The Seventh Bride
✔. A National Book Award winner: The Round House
✔. A YA bestseller: Uprooted
✔. A book you haven't read since high school: Frenchman's Creek
✔. A book set in your home state: The Denniston Rose
✔. A book translated to English: Memoirs of Hadrian
✔. A romance set in the future: Naked in Death
✔. A book set in Europe: Heidi
✔. A book that's under 150 pages : The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly
✔. A New York Times bestseller: What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions
✔. A book that's becoming a movie this year: The Choice
✔. A book recommended by someone you just met: The Brotherhood of the Grape
✔. A self-improvement book: Mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation
✔. A book you can finish in a day: Winnie-the-Pooh
✔. A book written by a celebrity: You're Never Weird on the Internet
✔. A political memoir: A Child al Confino: A True Story of Escape in War-Time Italy
✔. A book at least 100 years older than you: The Complete Fairy Tales (first published 1697)
✔. A book that's more than 600 pages: The Goldfinch
✔. A book from Oprah's Book Club: Middlesex
✔. A science-fiction novel: Leviathan Wakes
✔. A book recommended by a family member: Necessary Lies
✔. A graphic novel: Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened
✔. A book that is published in 2016: What Was Mine
✔. A book with a protagonist that has your occupation: Microserfs
✔. A book that takes place during summer: The Summer Tree
✔. A book and its prequel:The Granny and The Young Wan
✔. A murder mystery: Still Life
✔. A book written by a comedian: Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life
✔. A dystopian novel: Alas, Babylon
✔. A book with a blue cover: An Officer and a Spy
✔. A book of poetry: The Prophet
✔. The first book you see in a bookstore: My Name Is Lucy Barton
✔. A classic from the 20th century: The Heart is a Lonely Hunter
✔. A book from the library: The Killing Moon
✔. An autobiography: Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table
✔. A book about a road trip: American Gods
✔. A book about a culture you're unfamiliar with: Euphoria
✔. A satirical book: Candide
✔. A book that takes place on an island: Shutter Island
✔. A book that's guaranteed to bring you joy: The Bartender's Tale
(hide spoiler)]

Challenge 12: Genre of the month - ✔ Completed

Duration: January 1 - December 31, 2016

Read at least one book per month according to month flavor: 82/12 (minimum)

✔January: Children / Young adult
(view spoiler)[
1.Heidi by Johanna Spyri
2.Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne
3.Matilda by Roald Dahl
4.The Truth About Alice by Jennifer Mathieu
(hide spoiler)]
✔February: Romance / Chick lit
(view spoiler)[
5.What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty
6.Euphoria by Lily King
7.Black Ships by Jo Graham
8.Naked in Death by Robb, J.D.
9.Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
10.The Choice by Nicholas Sparks
(hide spoiler)]
✔March: Historical
(view spoiler)[
11.Belle by Lesley Pearse
12.Ransom by David Malouf
13.Dark Fire by C.J. Sansom
14.The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer
15.The Almond Tree by Michelle Cohen Corasanti
16.The Young Wan by Brendan O'Carroll
17.Pompeii by Robert Harris
18.The Denniston Rose by Jenny Pattrick
(hide spoiler)]
✔April: Fantasy
(view spoiler)[
19.Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien
20.Knife by R.J. Anderson
21.The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski
22.The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate by Ted Chiang
23.Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold
(hide spoiler)]
✔May: Award winning
(view spoiler)[
24.The Door by Magda Szabó (Oxford-Weidenfeld Translation Prize - 2006, Prix Femina for Étranger - 2003)
25.The Lock Artist by Steve Hamilton (Barry Award for Best Novel - 2011, Edgar Award for Best Novel -2011, ALA Alex Award – 2011, CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger -2011, etc)
26.The Last Child by John Hart (Barry Award for Best Novel – 2010, Edgar Award for Best Novel - 2010, CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger - 2009)
27.Bel Canto by Ann Patchett (Orange Prize for Fiction - 2002, Book Sense Book of the Year Award for Paperback – 2003, PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction - 2002)
28.Half the World by Joe Abercrombie (ALA Alex Award - 2016)
(hide spoiler)]
✔June: Classics / Literary fiction
(view spoiler)[
29.Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
30.The Overcoat by Nikolai Gogol
31.A Good Man Is Hard To Find by Flannery O'Connor
32.The Ballad of the Sad Café and Other Stories by Carson McCullers
33.Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw
(hide spoiler)]
✔July: New releases
(view spoiler)[
34.The Curious Charms Of Arthur Pepper
35.Sharp Ends
36.Behind Closed Doors
37.The Nest
38.This Census-Taker
39.When Breath Becomes Air
(hide spoiler)]
✔August: Science fiction
(view spoiler)[
40.Dark Matter
41.Mockingbird
42.Beacon 23: The Complete Novel
43.Join
44.Folding Beijing
45.Exigency
(hide spoiler)]
✔September: Travel or different culture
(view spoiler)[
46. The Orenda
47.Venice: A New History
48.The Modern Scholar: A History of Venice: Queen of the Seas
49.The Devotion of Suspect X
50.Dances with Wolves
51.Francesco's Venice: The Dramatic History of the World's Most Beautiful City
52.The Shipping News
53.Orhan's Inheritance
(hide spoiler)]
✔October: Mystery or Horror
(view spoiler)[
54. Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances
55.Snow, Glass, Apples
56. The Wasp Factory
57. Rebecca
58. Rain Dogs
59. Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror
60. A Tapping at my Door
61. This Rough Magic
62. The Heavenly Table
63.Rubbernecker
64. I See You
65.The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
66.Tales Of Terror From The Black Ship
(hide spoiler)]
November: Non Fiction
(view spoiler)[
67.We Should All Be Feminists
68.The Black Death
69.Unstoppable: Harnessing Science to Change the World
70. Happiness Now!: Timeless Wisdom for Feeling Good FAST
71. Umbria
72. Between the World and Me
73. Where Am I Now?
74. You Can't Ruin My Day: 52 Wake-Up Calls to Turn Any Situaion Around
75. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing
(hide spoiler)]
December: Holiday reads
(view spoiler)[
76. A Fatal Grace (set at Christmas/New Year time)
77. Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Joy of Christmas: 101 Holiday Tales of Inspiration, Love and Wonder
78. A Doll's House (set at Christmas/New Year time)
79. Christmas Tales of Terror
80. The Stupidest Angel: A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror
81. Where It Hurts (takes place in the Xmas holidays)
82. Jamie Oliver's Christmas Cookbook
(hide spoiler)]

Challenge 13: Full House Reading Challenge 2016 - ✔ Completed



(view spoiler)[


Full House link

Progress:25/25 - Completed 24/2/16

First bingo: 4th row 28/1/16
2nd bingo: diagonal left to right 3/2/16
3rd bingo: 5th column 3/2/16
4th & 5th: diagonal right to left + first column 5/2/16

Author outside own country: The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly
Book club worthy: Necessary Lies
A dominant color in cover: The Goldfinch
Book you bought: Heidi
First in a series: The Summer Tree
Memoir: Memoirs of Hadrian
Setting begins with B: Shutter Island (Boston harbour)
Though provoking book: The Truth About Alice
Way out of comfort zone: The Killing Moon
Had laugh out loud moments: Middlesex
Book from series you love: Still Life
Self challenge: And Then There Were Nuns: Adventures in a Cloistered Life
Would make a good movie: An Officer and a Spy
Author’s surname starts with the same letter as yours:The Brotherhood of the Grape
You’d like to change the cover: What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions
Been on TBR “forever”: Candide
By an author you wish was better known: This Dark Road to Mercy
You didn’t want to put down: Julius Caesar
New author to you: True Grit
Published in 2015: Uprooted
Library book: Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table
Color word in the title: Black Ships
Debut novel: Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened
Published in 2016: My Name Is Lucy Barton
Family relationship word in the title: The Seventh Bride
(hide spoiler)]

Challenge 14 - February Group Challenge: Times Gone By - ✔ Completed

6/5
(view spoiler)[
3. Read a book that takes place ... about 1,500,000 years ago to 0 A.D.
Julius Caesar by Philip Freeman (100 - 44 BC)
Black Ships by Jo Graham (after Trojan war, about 12th century BC)

9. Read a book that takes place ... 1945 to 2000
This Dark Road to Mercy (1990s)

6. Read a book that takes place 1500 A.D. to 1900 A.D.
True Grit (1870s)

7. Read any book that takes place in the Far East before Communism. up to about 1950 A.D.
Euphoria (New Guinea, 1930s)

4. Read a book that takes place between … 0 A.D. to 700 A.D.
Legionary (376 AD)
Goths

5. Read a book that takes place during the Dark or Middle Ages.
about 700 A.D. to 1500 A.D.
Life in a Medieval City by Frances Gies, Joseph Gies
(hide spoiler)]

Challenge 15: Second Quarter Challenge: Clear The Shelves - ✔ Completed
Duration: April 1 - June 30, 2016
(adapted to clear books from pre-2016 TBR)

31/30
(view spoiler)[
My post is #52

1.Cold in July
2.Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
3.The Bartender's Tale
4.The Lewis Man
5.Knife
6.The Last Wish
7.The Kitchen House
8.The Tigress of Forlì: Renaissance Italy's Most Courageous and Notorious Countess, Caterina Riario Sforza de Medici
9.Ancillary Justice
10.Good-Bye, Mr. Chips
11.Paladin of Souls
12.The Door
13.The Lock Artist
14.Our Souls at Night
15.Assassin's Quest
16.The Last Child
17.The Phantom of the Opera
18.The Beekeeper's Apprentice
19.The Bearkeeper's Daughter
20.Self-Help
21.Bel Canto
22.Half the World
23.Se una notte d'inverno un viaggiatore
24.Throne of Glass
25.A Vision of Light
26.Provinces of Night
27.I Know This Much Is True
28.The Kind Worth Killing
29.Their Eyes Were Watching God
30.By Fire, by Water
31.Pump Six and Other Stories
(hide spoiler)]

Challenge 16: Second Quarter Challenge: Award Winning Books - ✔ Completed
Duration: April 1 - June 30, 2016

12/10
(view spoiler)[
1.Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH (Newbery Medal -1972)
2.Knife (Concorde Book Award - 2011)
3.The Last Wish (Tähtifantasia Award - 2011)
4. Ancillary Justice (Hugo Award for Best Novel - 2014, Nebula Award for Best Novel - 2013, etc)
5. The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate (Hugo Award 2008, Nebula award 2007, etc)
6. Paladin of Souls (Hugo Award – 2004, Nebula Award - 2004, Locus Award - 2004)
7.The Pecan Man by Cassie Dandridge Selleck (2006 CNW/FFWA Florida State Writing Competition)
8.The Door by Magda Szabó Szabó (Oxford-Weidenfeld Translation Prize - 2006, Prix Femina for Étranger - 2003)
9.The Lock Artist by Steve Hamilton (Barry Award for Best Novel - 2011, Edgar Award for Best Novel -2011, ALA Alex Award – 2011, CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger -2011, etc)
10.The Last Child by John Hart (Barry Award for Best Novel – 2010, Edgar Award for Best Novel - 2010, CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger - 2009)
11.Bel Canto by Ann Patchett (Orange Prize for Fiction - 2002, Book Sense Book of the Year Award for Paperback – 2003, PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction - 2002)
12.Half the World by Joe Abercrombie (ALA Alex Award - 2016)
(hide spoiler)]

Challenge 17: 2016 Bingo #2 ✔ Completed

started June 2016
Bingo 2 webpage
progress:25/25

(view spoiler)[
A Book that:
was turned into a movie: Provinces of Night / Bloodworth (2010)
everyone has already read: I Know This Much Is True
published last year: The Kind Worth Killing
Published this year: Arkwright
More than 10 years old: Their Eyes Were Watching God
A friend told you about: By Fire, by Water
With a number in the title: Pump Six and Other Stories
By an author you’ve never read: The Luck Uglies
A classic you never read a school: The Overcoat
With a white cover: Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption
Based on a true story: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: A Savannah Story (Bingo 2nd row)
With a blue cover: A Good Man Is Hard To Find
You can finish in a weekend:The Ballad of the Sad Café and Other Stories
Owned but not yet read: Cold Mountain
Set in the summer: Hello from the Gillespies (Christmas in Australia) (Bingo 4th column)
With a female MC: The Serpent
One word title: Pygmalion
Biography of someone interesting: Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman
Trending book: Behind Closed Doors (Bingo first row)
That was made into a tv show: My Family and Other Animals – The Durrells (2016)
With a red cover: Dark Matter (Bingo first column)
With a green cover: The Night Gardener
That will make you smarter: Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me): Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts
Free space - reader’s choice: Beacon 23: The Complete Novel
Re-read : Cry to Heaven
(hide spoiler)]


Challenge 18: 26 books in 2016 ✔ Completed

started June 2016
26 Books in 2016 web page
progress:26/26


(view spoiler)[
A book:
you’ve been meaning to read: Provinces of Night
about siblings: I Know This Much Is True
with a murder or a mystery: The Kind Worth Killing
with one word title: Arkwright
ALA banned and challenged classics list: Their Eyes Were Watching God
with a number in the title: Pump Six and Other Stories
based on an historical event: By Fire, by Water (Spanish inquisition)
from the library: The Luck Uglies
Will make you laugh: The Overcoat (smile :)
that won an award: Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption (Dayton Literary Peace Prize for Non-Fiction (2015), Andrew Carnegie Medal for Nonfiction (2015), etc)
based on a true story: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: A Savannah Story
over 400 pages: The Secret Keeper
with magic in it: The Dungeoneers
about a vacation or a road trip: Cold Mountain
with a great first line: The Serpent (She is gone, she is gone. The coin turns, and she is gone.)
with water on the cover: Island of the Lost: Shipwrecked at the Edge of the World
you read with a friend: The Curious Charms Of Arthur Pepper: Free Sample
biography or memoir: Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman
set in the future: Shift
that will help you grow: How to Be an Imperfectionist: The New Way to Fearlessness, Confidence, and Freedom from Perfectionism
written in the decade you were born: In Cold Blood
set on a school campus: Confessions
with food in the title: Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe
NYTimes bestseller: When Breath Becomes Air
Swap out (a book you learned about because of this challenge): Beacon 23: The Complete Novel
A favourite book from your childhood: Pippi Longstocking
(hide spoiler)]

Month Summary


January
(view spoiler)[
1.The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly by Sun-mi Hwang **
2.Necessary Lies by Diane Chamberlain ****
3.The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt ***
4.Frenchman's Creek by Daphne du Maurier ***
5.Heidi by Johanna Spyri ****
6.The Summer Tree by Guy Gavriel Kay **
7.Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne ****
8.Memoirs of Hadrian by Marguerite Yourcenar ***
9.The Reindeer People by Megan Lindholm **
10.Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane *****
11.Matilda by Roald Dahl ***
12.The Truth About Alice by Jennifer Mathieu ****
13.The Killing Moon by N.K. Jemisin **
14.Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides ****
15.Still Life by Louise Penny ***
16.An Officer and a Spy by Robert Harris *****
17.And Then There Were Nuns: Adventures in a Cloistered Life by Jane Christmas **
18.The Willows by Algernon Blackwood **
19.The Brotherhood of the Grape by John Fante **
20.What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions by Randall Munroe ***
21.American Gods by Neil Gaiman ****
22.Candide by Voltaire ***
23.Candide by James K. Lowers ***
(hide spoiler)]



# Books read: 23
# Pages read: 7,727
Average Rating: 3.09
Best book of the month: Shutter Island
Best yield/payoff book: The Goldfinch (6 challenges)

February
(view spoiler)[
24.What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty ***
25.This Dark Road to Mercy by Wiley Cash ***
26.Julius Caesar by Philip Freeman *****
27.True Grit by Charles Portis ***
28.Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit ***
29.Uprooted by Naomi Novik ***
30.Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey ** (DNF)
31.Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table by Ruth Reichl ****
32.Euphoria by Lily King ****
33.Black Ships by Jo Graham **
34.Naked in Death by J.D. Robb ***
35.Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened by Allie Brosh ****
36.Smaller and Smaller Circles by F.H. Batacan **
37.Mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation by Daniel J. Siegel ***
38.Legionary by Gordon Doherty **
39.Goths by Kathryn Hinds ****
40.Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank ****
41.Stai zitta e va' in cucina: Breve storia del maschilismo in politica da Togliatti a Grillo by Filippo Maria Battaglia ****
42.My Name Is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout **
43.The Book of My Lives by Aleksandar Hemon ***
44.Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen ***
45.Life in a Medieval City by Frances Gies ****
46.The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran ****
47.The Seventh Bride by T. Kingfisher **
48.My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman **
49.Gold A Pictorial History of The Australian Goldrush by Geoff Hocking ****
50.The Complete Fairy Tales by Charles Perrault *****
51.Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life by Steve Martin ****
52.The Choice by Nicholas Sparks ***
(hide spoiler)]



# Books read: 29
# Pages read: 8,793
Average Rating: 3.21
Best book of the month: Julius Caesar (NF) / Alas Babylon (F)
Best yield/payoff book: Euphoria (6 challenges)
Challenges completed (2):
• Times Gone By (February Group Challenge) 6/5
• Challenge thirteen: Full House Reading Challenge 25/25

March
(view spoiler)[
53.You're Never Weird on the Internet by Felicia Day ****
54.Belle by Lesley Pearse **
55.Ransom by David Malouf ****
56.Dark Fire by C.J. Sansom ***
57.The Round House by Louise Erdrich ****
58.Othello by William Shakespeare ****
59.CliffsComplete Othello by Kate Maurer ****
60.The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer ***
61.Shards of Honour by Lois McMaster Bujold **
62.The Almond Tree by Michelle Cohen Corasanti ***
63.The Granny by Brendan O'Carroll ***
64.How to be a Grrrl: by Lucy van Pelt by Charles M. Schulz **
65.Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson ***
66.The Young Wan by Brendan O'Carroll ***
67.What Was Mine by Helen Klein Ross ****
68.Pompeii by Robert Harris ***
69.A Child al Confino: A True Story of Escape in War-Time Italy by Enrico Lamet ****
70.Microserfs by Douglas Coupland **
71.The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers **
72.The Denniston Rose by Jenny Pattrick *****
(hide spoiler)]



# Books read: 20
# Pages read: 7,250
Average Rating: 3.15
Best book of the month: (NF) You’re never weird on the internet / The Denniston rose (F)
Best yield/payoff book: Ransom (3 challenges)
Challenges completed:
• Challenge 10: Book Riot's Read Harder challenge 24/24

April
(view spoiler)[

73.Cold in July by Joe R. Lansdale ***
74.The Eagle and the Raven by Pauline Gedge ** (DNF)
75.Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien ****
76.The Bartender's Tale by Ivan Doig ****
77.The Lewis Man by Peter May *****
78.Knife by R.J. Anderson ***
79.The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski ****
80.Watchmen by Alan Moore * (DNF)
81.The Spartans: The World of the Warrior-heroes of Ancient Greece by Paul Anthony Cartledge ***
82.Sparta: The Warrior State of Ancient Greece by Duncan Ryan ****
83.The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom ****
84.The Tigress of Forlì: Renaissance Italy's Most Courageous and Notorious Countess, Caterina Riario Sforza de Medici by Elizabeth Lev ****
85.The Spartan WayThe Spartan Way by Nic Fields ****
86.Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie **
87.The Testament of Mary by Colm Tóibín ***
88.Good-Bye, Mr. Chips by James Hilton ****
89.The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate by Ted Chiang ***
90.Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold ***
91.Fool Me Once by Harlan Coben ****
92.The Pecan Man by Cassie Dandridge Selleck ****
(hide spoiler)]



# Books read: 20
# Pages read: 6,585
Average Rating: 3.40
Best book of the month: (NF) The tigress of Forli / The Lewis Man (F)
Best yield/payoff book: Mrs Frisby and the rats of the NIMH (5 challenges)
Challenges completed:
• Challenge TBR slimming on 60/60 (ongoing)

May
(view spoiler)[
93.The Door by Magda Szabó ****
94.Mindfulness: An Eight-Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World by Mark Williams, Danny Penman ***
95.The Vikings: The Story of a People by Njord Kane ***
96.The Sea Wolves: A History of the Vikings by Lars Brownworth *****
97.The Penguin Historical Atlas of the Vikings by John Haywood ***
98.The Lock Artist by Steve Hamilton ****
99.Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire **
100.Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf ****
101.The Age of the Vikings by Anders Winroth ***
102.Viking: The Norse Warrior's Unofficial Manual by John Haywood ***
103.Assassin's Quest by Robin Hobb ***
104.The Last Child by John Hart ***
105.The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux ***
106.The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King ****
107.The Girl In The Ice by Robert Bryndza ***
108.The Bearkeeper's Daughter by Gillian Bradshaw ***
109.Theodora: Actress, Empress, Saint by David Stone Potter ***
110.The Byzantines by Averil Cameron ***
111.Self-Help by Lorrie Moore **
112.Bel Canto by Ann Patchett ****
113.Half the World by Joe Abercrombie ***
114.Se una notte d'inverno un viaggiatore by Italo Calvino ****
115.Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas ***
116.A Vision of Light by Judith Merkle Riley **
(hide spoiler)]



# Books read: 24
# Pages read: 7,998
Average Rating: 3.21
Best book of the month: (NF) The sea wolves /Bel canto (F)
Best yield/payoff book: The lock artist (4 challenges)
Challenges completed (2):
• Challenge 16: Second Quarter Challenge: Award Winning Books 12/10
• Challenge 9: Recommended by Reading Challengers challenge 12/12

June
(view spoiler)[
117.Provinces of Night by William Gay ***
118.I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb ****
119.The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson ***
120.Arkwright by Allen Steele **
121.Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston ****
122.By Fire, by Water by Mitchell James Kaplan **
123.Pump Six and Other Stories by Paolo Bacigalupi ****
124.The Luck Uglies by Paul Durham ***
125.The Overcoat by Nikolai Gogol ***
126.Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson ****
127.Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil
by John Berendt ****
128.The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton ***
129.A Good Man Is Hard To Find by Flannery O'Connor **
130.The Dungeoneers by Jeffery Russell ***
131.The Ballad of the Sad Café and Other Stories by Carson McCullers ***
132.Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier *****
133.Hello from the Gillespies by Monica McInerney ***
134.The Serpent by Claire North ****
135.Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw ***
136.Island of the Lost: Shipwrecked at the Edge of the World by Joan Druett ****
(hide spoiler)]



# Books read: 20
# Pages read: 6,685
Average Rating: 3.30
Best book of the month: Just Mercy (NF) / Cold mountain (F)
Best yield/payoff book: The kind worth killing (5 challenges)

Challenges completed (2):
• Challenge 15: Second Quarter Challenge: Clear The Shelves 31/30
• Challenge 1: Big and Small 12/12

July
(view spoiler)[
137.Trust Your Eyes by Linwood Barclay ***
138.The Curious Charms Of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick ***
139.Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman by Robert K. Massie *****
140.Sharp Ends by Joe Abercrombie **
141.Iron Lake by William Kent Krueger ***
142.Hard to Be a God by Strugatsky bros * (DNF)
143.Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris ***
144. All-of-a-Kind Family by Sydney Taylor ****
145. Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier ***
146.Shift by Hugh Howey ***
147. Joan of Arc: A History by Helen Castor **
148. My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell ****
149. How to Be an Imperfectionist: The New Way to Fearlessness, Confidence, and Freedom from Perfectionism by Stephen Guise ****
150.In Cold Blood by Truman Capote ***
151.The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney ***
152.Elric of Melniboné by Michael Moorcock ****
153.Bruno, Chief of Police: A Novel of the French Countryside by Martin Walker ****
154. The Sailor on the Seas of Fate by Michael Moorcock **
155. This Census-Taker by China Miéville **
156. The Pursuit of Perfect: How to Stop Chasing Perfection and Start Living a Richer, Happier Life by Tal Ben-Shahar ****
157. Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear ***
158. Life or Death by Michael Robotham ***
159.The Passion of Artemisia by Susan Vreeland * (DNF)
160.Confessions by Kanae Minato ****
161.When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi ***
162.Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg *****
(hide spoiler)]



# Books read: 26
# Pages read: 9,082
Average Rating: 3.12
Best book of the month: Catherine The great (NF) / Fried green tomatoes at the whistle stop cafe (F)
Best yield/payoff book: Shift (3 challenges)
Challenges completed (3):
• Challenge two: New To Me authors challenge: 12/12
• Challenge three: Recommended – 6/6
• Page Challenge: 50,000 pages

August
(view spoiler)[
163.Dark Matter by Blake Crouch ****
164.The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier ***
165. Orazio and Artemisia Gentileschi by Keith Christiansen ***
166. The Face of a Stranger by Anne Perry ***
167. Mockingbird by Walter Tevis ***
168. Kingmaker: Winter Pilgrims by Toby Clements ****
169. Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me): Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts by Carol Tavris *****
170. Beacon 23: The Complete Novel by Hugh Howey *****
171.The Apothecary Rose: The Owen Archer Series - Book One by Candace Robb ***
172. Margeau Chapeau by Margeau Soboti **
173. Knitted Wraps & Cover-Ups by Annie Modesitt **
174. Weekend Hats by Cecily Glowik MacDonald ***
175. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls *****
176. A Necklace of Raindrops and Other Stories by Joan Aiken ***
177. The Providence of Fire by Brian Staveley ****
178. Join by Steve Toutonghi ****
179. Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren ****
180. One Foot in Eden by Ron Rash ****
181. Grief Is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter **
182. Storm Front by Jim Butcher ***
183. Folding Beijing by Hao Jingfang **
184.Suite Française by Irène Némirovsky *****
185.Exigency by Michael Siemsen * (DNF)
186. Heartbroke Bay by Lynn D'urso * (DNF)
187. The Short Drop by Matthew FitzSimmons ***
188.The Rush: America's Fevered Quest for Fortune, 1848-1853 by Edward Dolnick ****

additional short story: Cat Pictures Please by Naomi Kritzer ** (Hugo 2016)
(hide spoiler)]



# Books read: 26
# Pages read: 7,767
Average Rating: 3.19
Best book of the month: Mistakes were made (NF) / The Glass Castle (F)
Best yield/payoff book: Beacon 23 by Hugh Howey (3 challenges)
Challenges completed (4):
• Challenge six: Famous people challenge 8/8 on 8 Aug
• Challenge five: TBR Favourite Genre challenge:24/24 on 20 Aug
• Challenge 18: 26 books in 2016 : 26/26 on 21 Aug
• Challenge 4: Take a Chance challenge: 6/6 on 24 Aug

September
(view spoiler)[
189. The Orenda by Joseph Boyden ***
190.The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena ****
191.Venice: A New History by Thomas F. Madden ****
192.The Modern Scholar: A History of Venice: Queen of the Seas by Thomas F. Madden ***
193.Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops by Jen Campbell ***
194. Pop. 1280 by Jim Thompson **
195.City of Thieves by David Benioff ****
196.The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino **
197.The Builders by Daniel Polansky **
198.Cry to Heaven by Anne Rice ****
199.My Sister's Grave by Robert Dugoni ***
200.The Homecoming of Samuel Lake by Jenny Wingfield ***
201.Dances with Wolves by Michael Blake ***
202.A Hero in France by Alan Furst **
203.Francesco's Venice: The Dramatic History of the World's Most Beautiful City by Francesco Da Mosto ***
204.Gone, Baby, Gone by Dennis Lehane **
205.The Shipping News by Annie Proulx ***
206.Screw You Dolores by Sarah-Kate Lynch ****
207.Orhan's Inheritance by Aline Ohanesian ****
208.Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin **
209. Stone of Farewell by Tad Williams ***
210. The Convictions of John Delahunt by Andrew Hughes **
211. The Thief by North, Claire ***
212. Pretty Baby by Kubica, Mary ***
213. The Invisible Life of Ivan Isaenko by Stambach, Scott * (DNF)
(hide spoiler)]



# Books read: 25
# Pages read: 8,409
Average Rating: 2.88
Best book of the month: Venice a new history (NF) /City of Thieves (F)
Best yield/payoff book: The Orenda (3 challenges)
Challenges completed (2):
• Challenge seven: History 12+6/12 on 3 Sep
• Goodreads challenge: 200 books on 13 Sep

October
(view spoiler)[
214. Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances by Gaiman, Neil **
215. The price of salt/Carol by Patricia Highsmith ***
216. Snow, Glass, Apples by Neil Gaiman ****
217. The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd ****
218. Pompeii: The History, Life and Art of the Buried City by Marisa Ranieri Panetta ****
219. Una questione privata by Beppe Fenoglio ****
220. The Wasp Factory by Ian Banks **
221. Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons ***
222. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier ****
223. Black Dog by Levi Pinfold **
224. Owl Moon by Jane Yolen ****
225. The Other Side of the Bridge by Mary Lawson ****
226. Rain Dogs by Adrian McKinty ****
227. Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror by Chris Priestley ****
228. Heft by Liz Moore ****
229. The Long Ships: A Saga of the Viking Age by Frans G. Bengtsson *****
230. Hiroshima by John Hersey *****
231. A Thread of Grace by by Mary Doria Russell * (DNF)
232. A Tapping at my Door by David Jackson ***
233. This Rough Magic by Mary Stewart ***
234. The Heavenly Table by Donald Ray Pollock ***
235. Fortune's Pawn by Rachel Bach ***
236. Gennaro's Italian Bakery by Gennaro Contaldo ***
237. Rubbernecker by Belinda Bauer ****
238. Damocles by S.G. Redling * (DNF)
239. The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult **
240. Eifelheim by Michael Flynn ***
241. I See You by Clare Mackintosh ***
242. Il fu Mattia Pascal by Luigi Pirandello ***
(hide spoiler)]



# Books read: 29
# Pages read: 8,947
Average Rating: 3.24
Best book of the month: Hiroshima (NF) /The long ships (F)
Best yield/payoff book: The wasp factory (3 challenges)

November

(view spoiler)[
243. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving ****
244. Tales of Terror from the Black Ship by Chris Priestley *****
245. A Cat, a Hat and a Piece of String by Joanne Harris ***
246. We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie ****
247. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms by George R.R. Martin *****
248. The Black Death by Sean Martin *****
249. House of the Rising Sun by James Lee Burke ***
250. Unstoppable: Harnessing Science to Change the World by Bill Nye ****
251. Commonwealth by Ann Patchett **
252. Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls ***
253. Happiness Now!: Timeless Wisdom for Feeling Good FAST by Robert Holden **
254. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken ***
255. Umbria by Jonathan Keates ***
256. Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates ****
257. The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi ****
258. Where Am I Now? by Mara Wilson ***
259. The Complaints by Ian Rankin ***
260. I giorni dell'abbandono by Elena Ferrante **
261. You Can't Ruin My Day: 52 Wake-Up Calls to Turn Any Situation Around by Allen Klein ***
262. The Universe of Us by Lang Leav *
263. Where All Light Tends to Go by David Joy ***
264. Relic by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child ***
265. The Faithful Dead by Alys Clare **
266. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondō ***
267. The Ballroom by Anna Hope ****
268. Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult * (DNF)
269. Nimona by Noelle Stevenson ***
(hide spoiler)]



# Books read: 27
# Pages read: 7,744
Average Rating: 3.15
Best book of the month: The black death (NF) /Tales of Terror from the Black Ship (F)
Best yield/payoff book: Where am I now? (3 challenges)
Challenge completed:
• Challenge Family Reading Bingo: 25/25 on 30 Nov

December

(view spoiler)[
270. The Trespasser by Tana French ****
271. Ella Minnow Pea: A Progressively Lipogrammatic Epistolary Fable by Mark Dunn ***
272. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson ****
273. A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny ***
274. The Snowman by Jo Nesbo ****
275. Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Joy of Christmas: 101 Holiday Tales of Inspiration, Love and Wonder by Amy Newmark **
276. Afternoon of the Elves by Janet Taylor Lisle ***
277. A Doll's House by Ibsen, Henrik ***
278. Catholicism Today: An Introduction to the Contemporary Catholic Church by Evyatar Marienberg ****
279. The Broken Sword by Paul Anderson ****
280. The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens **
281. Christmas Tales of Terror by Chris Priestley **
282. A Monstrous Regiment of Women by Laurie R. King ***
283. Home by Harlan Coben ***
284. The Stupidest Angel: A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror by Christopher Moore ****
285. The House We Grew Up In by Lisa Jewell ***
286. Where It Hurts by Reed Farrel Coleman ***
287. Jamie Oliver's Christmas Cookbook by Jamie Oliver ***
288. Jungle of Stone: The True Story of Two Men, Their Extraordinary Journey, and the Discovery of the Lost Civilization of the Maya by William Carlsen ****
289. The Incredible Adventures of Professor Branestawm by Norman Hunter **
290. The Novice's Tale by Margaret Frazer **
(hide spoiler)]



# Books read: 21
# Pages read: 7,089
Average Rating: 3.10
Best book of the month: A short history of nearly everything (NF)/ The broken sword (F)
Challenges completed (2):
• Challenge 20: Popsugar Fall reading challenge 16/16 on 5 Dec
• Challenge 12: Genre of the month on 8 Dec

and .... one more bingo:

Challenge 19: Family reading BINGO ✔ Completed

Started 1 Oct 2016
progress: 25/25


(view spoiler)[
Has become a movie: Carol
Based on a myth: Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances
Set in the past: The Invention of Wings
Non-fiction book: Pompeii: The History, Life and Art of the Buried City
Written in another language: Una questione privata
More than 10 years old: The Wasp Factory
A classic: Rebecca
Greenway award winning: Black Dog
Caldecot award winning: Owl Moon
Set in a different continent: The Other Side of the Bridge
Published in 2015: Rain Dogs
First in a series: Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror
One word title: Heft
Based on a true story: Hiroshima
Audiobook or ebook: The Long Ships: A Saga of the Viking Age
More than 200 pages: This Rough Magic
Set in the future: Fortune's Pawn
About making things: Gennaro's Italian Bakery
Colour in the title: Tales of Terror from the Black Ship (double BINGO: 5th row, 2nd column)
About science: Unstoppable: Harnessing Science to Change the World (BINGO 4th column)
With non-human characters: Where the Red Fern Grows (BINGO 4th row and 5th column)
A memoir or biography: Where Am I Now? (Bingo 1st Row)
Set in Thailand: The Windup Girl (Bingo Diagonals)
Poetry: The Universe of Us (BINGO 1st Column)
Graphic novel: Nimona
(hide spoiler)]

Ohhh, look what I found: another Popsugar challenge to do before the end of the year!

Challenge 20: Popsugar 2016 Fall Reading Challenge ✔ Completed

started October 2016
Popsugar Fall Reading Challenge link



progress:16/16
(view spoiler)[
✔- A scary book: The Wasp Factory
✔- A book that was written by a female and has a male protagonist: Heft
✔- A book and its sequel: Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror and Tales of Terror from the Black Ship
✔- A celebrity memoir: Where Am I Now?
✔- A book on all the bestseller lists: Commonwealth
✔- A book recommended by an independent bookstore employee: The Ballroom
✔- A book that your book club read but you skipped: The Invention of Wings
✔- A book that you always wanted to read but never got around to reading: The Long Ships: A Saga of the Viking Age
✔- A book by a famous author you've never read: This Rough Magic by Mary Stewart
✔- A book based on a historical event: Pompeii: The History, Life and Art of the Buried City
✔- A book that was published in 1995: Relic
✔- A book that was published in 2015: Rain Dogs
✔- A book with food in the title: Snow, Glass, Apples
✔- A book with a pun in the title: Ella Minnow Pea: A Progressively Lipogrammatic Epistolary Fable
✔- A book that takes place during Fall: The Heavenly Table
✔- A book with an orange cover: Hiroshima
(hide spoiler)]

I like your challenges for the coming year good luck.

Thank you!

@Stephanie, borrow away as much as you like. I have often borrowed ideas from friends too, nothing original here :)

Kiwi wrote: "Challenge 8: TBR slimming challenge


Read at least 60 TBR books added to the list earlier than 01/01/16: 0/60"

I should do this. Make at least half of the books I read next year from my TBR list. Especially since I have books on my list that have been their since before I even joined Goodreads!

Kadijah Michelle, you're welcome to use the idea if you like. Books at the bottom of the TBR often get neglected in the selection.
For me it's rewarding do a TBR count at the beginning and see how many from the original list are left at the end of the year :)

I did the TBR subtraction this year. I allowed myself to add no books to my GR TBR list, and I will see how much smaller my number is at the end of the year. I will have read 37 from my list if I read the last two that I plan on. Out of 95 (hopefully) total read this year ,that isn't great but not terrible either.

That's almost 40% and sounds pretty good to me, congratulations Laurie.
I admire your restraint, I wouldn't be able not to add books to the TBR for a whole year, I'm just glad when I feel that it is under control.

Kiwi wrote: "Challenge 8: TBR slimming challenge


Read at least 60 TBR books added to the list earlier than 01/01/16: 0/60"

May I offer a suggestion as to how you might do this? What I did what I found a random number generator and I input the numbers 1 through as many books as I had in the list and asked for a specific number of random numbers to be generated- so you would ask for 60, I guess or less if you wanted to specifically choose certain books. Anyway, I then went and looked up specifically which books those numbers correlated to and devoted myself to reading them all in 2016.

I like it because it doesn't let me fall into my old patterns of things and exposes me to books that I may have waited many more years to get to (granted I have well over 5,000 books on my TBR list). Just a thought.

I really like the way you have set up your corner! I imagine I will come back here for inspiration every so often :)

Thanks Stephanie for the suggestion, I used the random integer generator when I started the challenges 2 years ago, it's an excellent tool. This year I'm thinking of using that challenge simply as a counter, to see how many books I can knock off by the end of the year.

You're welcome to come back and visit any time :)

I will start to add books for the challenges shortly, but I like to be flexible, I might change my mind along the way

Finished adding the links with the planned books for my 2016 personal challenges. I think I'll add a couple of group ones in the next few days

Added some group challenges as well as a BINGO I found on the net (I love BINGOs :)

My reading plan for January includes:

Colossal: The Goldfinch (just started)
Shortie: The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly
New 2 me: Necessary Lies
Fantasy: The Summer Tree
Classic: Frenchman's Creek
Famous people: Memoirs of Hadrian
History: The Reindeer People

I picked them for my personal challenges, but I will try to fit some of these in the other challenges too.

Happy reading everyone!

Just finished my first book of the year, The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly:

A cute story, although I’m not sure children are this book target audience; I think the themes of surrogate motherhood and sacrifice would be lost on young readers. I found the writing uneven, sometimes too simple and bare, other times heavy on the allegories and preachy. Maybe it’s the style, perhaps the translation or I wasn’t in the right mood for it, either way only 2 star read for me.

Favourite quote:

In various parts of the fields things happened without interruption. Someone died, and someone was born. Sometimes a farewell and a greeting happened at the same time. Sprout knew she couldn’t be sad for long.


Only 2 stars, but I can tick off a few challenges: Big and Small (Shortie), TBR Slimming, Popsugar (#9. A book that's under 150 pages ) and Full House (Author outside own country).

Currently reading: The Goldfinch, which I'm enjoying less than I thought I would and Necessary Lies, a great read so far.

Necessary Lies , 3.5 stars
(New2Me author, TBR Slimming, Popsugar, Full House)

Necessary Lies is my first Diane Chamberlain novel and I enjoyed it very much. I found it a good choice for a book club, so many themes to be discussed: mental retardation and eugenics programs, the stress on social workers, welfare services policies and poverty trap, white upper-class expectations of a young bride in the ‘60s, etc.
This novel touched me more than Bastard Out of Carolina and it made me want to read more by the author. 3.5 stars rounded up.

Favourite quotes:

“You’re a very good person,” she said. “Just not a very good social worker.”

This was a side to Nonnie I never seen before. This weak, soft side. I knew all of a sudden this was the real Nonnie. It got covered up by her yelling and hitting, and it scared me more than anything to know she wasn’t as tough as she seemed. I needed somebody in my life to be strong.

Finally finished The Goldfinch, only 2.5 stars I'm afraid. my review

Also finished Frenchman's Creek a 3 stars re-read. my review

I have just started Memoirs of Hadrian, which will take me a while to finish, it's wonderful writing and I'm taking my time to digest it. So, I've decided to read Heidi at the same time, to even things out :)

Heidi, 3 1/2 stars rounded up

The Summer Tree, 2 1/2 stars, my thoughts:

I loved my first book by Guy Gavriel Kay, Tigana, but this first book of his famous The Fionavar Tapestry trilogy was a disappointment.
Like many fantasy novels written in the 80s, the author mixes characters from the modern world with the fantasy one, using the device of magical portal or “crossing” to move characters between them. I don’t like that, I prefer my fantasy pure fantasy, an imagined story, fleshed out characters that live in their own world with their own laws, even magic should have some laws to govern it. Probably it is because of my rational mind, for the same reason I do not like time travel, portals don’t work for me.

Another complaint I have with the book was that a lot is introduced without explanation. Legendary figures, places and events occurred centuries in the past are casually mentioned, while the reader is not privy to the background, the modern characters either have an innate understanding of what is going on or they seem to be content with accepting these bits of information as if it all make sense. I mean, if you were to be transported in a world that is alien to you wouldn’t you ask a few more questions?

If it sounds too negative, I readily admit that there are positives too. GGK’s style is engaging, the writing, like in Tigana, is richly descriptive and lyrical; the world building is well done, overall not a bad book. Like many series, the first book may prove to be the weakest because of plot building and preparation required to sustain the series itself.
The violence at the end (view spoiler)[(torture and rape) (hide spoiler)]was off putting for me and so I will not continue this series, but I might reach for another one of GGK standalone novels.

I'm slowly continuing with Memoirs of Hadrian, but I've also started The Reindeer People for my history challenge.
I will probably start another book for this month genre: children and YA

Winnie-the-Pooh, 3.5 stars

Memoirs of Hadrian, 3 stars:

This book deserves to be read slowly to appreciate the beauty of the language and the depth of thought expressed. I absolutely loved the first chapter, “Animula vagula blandula”, it contains memorable quote after memorable quote and I ended up reading it twice (it is simply superb). The later chapters were a challenge though; after a while, I was struggling to follow the story through Hadrian’s frequent poetic digressions.

Overall, I liked this book despite it was not what I was looking for (an informative bio of the emperor rather than the monologue of an ailing Hadrian at the twilight of his life, who often goes on philosophical tangents). Reading the author’s notes at the end one realises that the book is a passionate labour of research. Yourcenar’s is a masterly work and her reflections on the human condition are impressive. Many GR reviewers rate the book at 5 or 4 stars, I agree that it is a worthwhile read however, I, Claudius remains my undisputed favourite memoir, and when compared to it, Memoirs of Hadrian loses a couple of stars.

The Reindeer People, 2 stars

Good story but more chick lit than historical fiction, the characters are more modern than you would expect in a pre-historical setting. I prefer the author when she writes Fantasy genre novels under the pseudonym Robin Hobb.

Eureka! Finally the first 5 stars of the year!

Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane

A dark and gripping psychological thriller, just what I needed to jolt out of a reading slump. The book is not completely clean but Marshal Teddy Daniels’ coarseness falls within the bounds of his character development. I particularly liked the post war and cold war atmosphere of the ’50s and the twisted mind games. Conspiracy or paranoia?

In this instance, I’m glad I have a bad memory since I’d seen the Scorsese’s movie previously but I had forgotten the details, so it didn’t spoil my reading experience. I watched the movie again last night and despite the differences (and without spoilers, let’s just say I prefer the book version) it is a great movie, I would highly recommend both.
My first Dennis Lehane will definitely not be my last. The audiobook narrated by Tom Stechschulte is also great. 4.5 stars

Favourite quotes:

"If you are deemed insane, then all actions that would otherwise prove you are not do, in actuality, fall into the framework of an insane person's actions. Your sound protests constitute denial. Your valid fears are deemed paranoia. Your survival instincts are labeled defense mechanisms. It's a no-win situation. It's a death penalty really. Once you're here, you're not getting out. No one leaves Ward C. No one.”

They say, Get over her, you have to get over her, but get over to what? To this fucking life? How am I going to get you out of my mind? It hasn't worked so far, so how am I supposed to do that? How am I supposed to let you go, that's all I'm asking. I want to hold you again, smell you, and, yes too, I just want you to fade. To please, please fade...

Teddy stopped at the ledge, looked back at her. "I had a friend. He was with me tonight and we got separated. Have you seen him?" She gave him the same sad smile. "Marshal," she said, "you have no friends."

The Truth About Alice, a pleasant surprise, 3.5

Matilda, re-read to/with my son, 3 stars.

I've just started The Killing Moon and Middlesex

The Killing Moon, 2 stars. This was a gamble and it didn't work out.

I'm continuing Middlesex which I'm enjoying, with its lots of LOL moments and just started Still Life.

Still Life by Louise Penny, 3 stars.

Middlesex, 4 shining stars:

Wonderful story, informative and entertaining; I loved the characters (Desdemona being my favourite) and the humor. I was late at the party; finally I join the scores of readers who loved this book. Thank you Jeffrey Eugenides for the laughs.

I started What If? : Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions and And Then There Were Nuns: Adventures in a Cloistered Life.

I will probably start another fiction book as my main read

well, And Then There Were Nuns: Adventures in a Cloistered Life turned out a disappointment, 1.5 stars, very close to be a DNF.

but I loved An Officer and a Spy, an absolute pleasure to read and to listen to, my thoughts:

This book recounts the events of the Dreyfus affair; the trial of a French military officer, from a rich Jewish family, accused and convicted of passing intelligence information to the German embassy. Despite the trial evidence being shaky and circumstantial at best, Dreyfus was found guilty and speedily sent into exile to the penal colony of Cayenne (on Devil’s island). Later, the real informer was identified but the French authorities attempted to cover up the new evidence and persisted in their initial conviction of the inconvenient Jew. Anti-Semitic sentiment and the complicated relationship with Germany are the background of the case: in 1894, France was still reeling from the catastrophic loss Alsace and part of Lorraine (Germany invaded and annexed the French territory in 1870).

The book is a fascinating historical thriller detailing astute manoeuvres leading to blatant injustice. The political scandal rocked Paris at the fin de siècle with the effect of dividing France public opinion into pro and anti Dreyfus, one vocal supporter was the writer Émile Zola who publicly denounced the injustice in his “J'accuse” open letter.

I don’t know why I waited so long to read this book, perhaps it was the topic of politics and espionage that put me off. If you have considered this historical novel and are still hesitant don’t be, this is one of those cases when fact is stranger than fiction, Harris’ high tension narrative is absolutely riveting. I highly recommend the book and the narration by David Rintoul, which is also fantastic. 4.5 stars rounded up

still reading What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions, I'm interested in some questions, others ...not so much.

Off to pick my next reads ...

Kiwi, I'm very glad to know you enjoyed Middlesex, I absolutely loved that book!

Kiwi wrote: "Eureka! Finally the first 5 stars of the year!

Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane

A dark and gripping psychological thriller, just what I needed to jolt out of a reading slump. The book..."

I love Dennis Lehane! Mystic River is the book that sparked my love affair with mystery/suspense novels.

Alex wrote: "I love Dennis Lehane! Mystic River is the book that sparked my love affair with mystery/suspense novels. ..."

Hi Alex, I haven't read that novel but I remember the movie very well, it was excellent. The problem I have with books that have been made into movies is that I need to forget the story otherwise its spoils the surprise in the book.
I have another Dennis Lehane on my TBR, Gone, Baby, Gone which I'm looking forward to reading.

Marina wrote: "Kiwi, I'm very glad to know you enjoyed Middlesex, I absolutely loved that book!"

Thank you Marina, Middlesex was great!

Kiwi wrote: "Alex wrote: "I love Dennis Lehane! Mystic River is the book that sparked my love affair with mystery/suspense novels. ..."

Hi Alex, I haven't read that novel but I remember the movie very well, it..."

I completely understand that. I read all of his books first before ever seeing any of the movies.