2010 Challenges

I haven't written a post yet this year stating how well I did on my personal challenge from last year (for reading 100 books). I was so close, yet so far... I ended up reading 99 and a half books for 2009. I knew on the last day that I wasn't going to finish the challenge (too much to do and not enough time to read), and mentioned this to several family members. They in turn suggested that I read a children's book just to make it happen. I figured that would be considered cheating... so I took the high road I guess and didn't finish the last book. I figure that now, I can look back on it and say that it was a trial run for one of the challenges that I joined this year...

The first challenge that I joined was J. Kaye's 2010 100+ Reading Challenge. I thought, after all, I had nearly made 100 books last year, why not try for the same this year?

I've currently read 3 books towards this challenge. Last year I was only 2 books in at this point in time. (I have a list from the last 2 years detailing dates and books read as well as a five star rating system. I just recently switched to blogging about the books that I have read.)

The second challenge to catch my eye was the Take Another Chance Challenge which is hosted by Jenner. I just re-read my earlier posting about the challenge and realized that I had only signed up for the Moderate Gamble stage. I thought I had signed up for Gambling It All and as such, devised a list of books to read for all twelve challenges. (I'll list all of the books at the end of this post as I have some that cross the different challenges).

I then came across yet another challenge, the 451 Challenge which is based on 451 Fridays and is hosted at As Usual, We Need More Bookshelves. This is the only challenge that ends November 30, 2010. (The rest end December 31, 2010).I joined at the Blaze level, so I'll hopefully be reading 7 books (or more). I saw several on this list that I had wanted to read, but had not gotten around to.

I did manage to find some books that I could use as "cross-over" books (which will definitely help!).

These are the only challenges that I have joined this year. I want to finish the challenges this year, so I haven't joined any others. ;)

Alright, so the books for the Take Another Chance Challenge are:

1. Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis (this coincides with the 451 Challenge as well as the all encompassing 2010 100+ Reading Challenge). It also is my "doppelganger" with C.L. matching my initials.
2. My Blogroll Roulette # found at random.org was #21 and at the time that number matched with Library Lounge Lizard and I will be reading Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick. (I have since added more blogs that I am following).
3. The next book was taken from Radcliffe's Rival 100 Best Novels List and is Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut.
4. This book I picked from the Pulitzer Prize winner list from 1991 and it is Rabbit At Rest by John Updike. (This book can also "cross-over" into the 451 Challenge).
5. I went to random.org again to get a random number, and received the number 5. My 5-word title is Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn.
6. The genre that I have not read before (and I have read pretty well everything, so this is one that I consider having read the least) is Local History: Ghost Towns of Ontario by Maria Da Silva.
7. The author or genre that I dislike the most is *gasp* Stephen King. I really detest the books of his that I have read, so in an effort to do this challenge I will be reading his latest book Under the Dome. (I absolutely hated Cell, among others...) Maybe I will break the prejudice, maybe I won't. This book will tell.
8. The next challenge on the list is "real and inspired". I will be reading Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice as well as Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith.
9. This challenge consists of same word, different book. I hope to re-read First Wizard's Rule by Terry Goodkind (I haven't read it in years) and I'd also like to read At First Sight by Nicholas Sparks.
10. In this next challenge, I need to assume the character from the book that I read and give the "behind the scenes" interview, or the "what happens next" interview. I haven't decided if I'm going to do Kristen Britain's Green Rider, or if I'm going to go with another personal favourite, Wit'ch Fire by James Clemens.
11. This challenge is a familial one. I will be reading Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, and one of Charlotte Bronte's books, most likely Jane Eyre as I haven't read that one either.
12. This last challenge is an anthology of sorts... I hope to read Eternal Kiss: 13 Vampire Tales of Blood and Desire. The author that I absolutely love who has a short story in this book is Kelley Armstrong. I hope to also read her book Living With the Dead.

I thought that I had chosen to do all of the challenges, so I picked books for all of them. I however only need to do 6, and if I'm feeling up to it, I will upgrade for sure!

The books that I have listed in the 451 Challenge are as follows:

1. Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
2. The Iliad by Homer
3. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
4. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
5. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
6. Rabbit At Rest by John Updike
7. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

That is my list so far. I hope that it doesn't change, and I hope that I can finish all of these books. There are some cross-overs, so I hope that that will help enable me to finish them all.