Monday, November 16, 2015
starting over
While I'm not going to delete this blog, I do believe I'm going to give up on it. I haven't been able to keep up with it, keeping track of what books I've read for what challenges and whatnot. And frankly, I'm sort of challenged out. Okay, not totally...but I am making an effort to be FAR more selective in the future. :D
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Stephen King/Richard Bachman Reading Challenge
Dates: Perpetual (otherwise I could never do it!)
Host: Meaghan
For details: Click here.
The challenge (put simply): Read all of Stephen King's books. You do not have to reread any you've already read, but I think I am going to challenge myself to do that, too. If you want, you can also watch the movies...think I'll work on that, too.
Will list them as I read them:
Will list them as I watch them:
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Women of Color
This is a bit different. This is not an official reading challenge. This is a personal challenge, though I think everyone should join in.
Susan put together her "unofficial list of great YA by or about women of color." And I'm challenging myself to read them all. Sounds fantastic, doesn't it?
Susan's unofficial list of great YA by or about women of color:
1. When Kambia Elaine Flew In From Neptune by Lori A. Williams
2. Every Time A Rainbow Dies by Rita Williams-Garcia
3. No Laughter Here by Rita Williams-Garcia
4. Jumped by Rita Williams-Garcia
5. If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson
6. The House You Pass On The Way by Jacqueline Woodson
7. Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith
8. From The Notebooks of Melanin Sun by Jacqueline Woodson
9. Sold by Patricia McCormick
10. Heaven by An Na
11. The Parable of The Sower by Octavia E. Butler
12. Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
13. Persepolis by Majane Satrapi
14. The Rock and The River by Kekla Magoon
15. Secret Keeper by Mitali Perkins
16. Mare’s War by Tanita S. Davis
17. A Wish After Midnight by Zetta Elliott
18. Down To The Bone by Mayra Lazara Dole
19. Don’t Get It Twisted by Paula Chase
20. Jason & Kyra by Dana Davidson
21. Forged by Fire by Sharon Draper
22. Kendra by Coe Booth
23. Shine, Coconut Moon by Neesha Meminger
24. Does My Head Look Big In This? By Randa Abdel-Fattah
25. Born Confused by Tanuja Desai Hidier
26. Skunk Girl by Sheba Karim
27. The Meaning of Conseulo by Judith Ortiz Cofer
28. In The Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez
29. Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
30. First Part Last by Angela Johnson
31. Pemba’s Song by Marilyn Nelson
32. Wanting Mor by Rukhsana Khan
33. M + O 4EVR by Tonya Hegamin
34. Lucy The Giant by Sherri L. Smith
35. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
36. Throwaway Piece by Jo Ann Hernandez
37. White Bread Competition by Jo Ann Hernandez
38. Across A Hundred Mountains by Reyna Grande
39. Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon
40. Ash by Malinda Lo
41. The Skin I’m In by Sharon G. Flake
Susan put together her "unofficial list of great YA by or about women of color." And I'm challenging myself to read them all. Sounds fantastic, doesn't it?
Susan's unofficial list of great YA by or about women of color:
1. When Kambia Elaine Flew In From Neptune by Lori A. Williams
2. Every Time A Rainbow Dies by Rita Williams-Garcia
3. No Laughter Here by Rita Williams-Garcia
4. Jumped by Rita Williams-Garcia
5. If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson
6. The House You Pass On The Way by Jacqueline Woodson
7. Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith
8. From The Notebooks of Melanin Sun by Jacqueline Woodson
9. Sold by Patricia McCormick
10. Heaven by An Na
11. The Parable of The Sower by Octavia E. Butler
12. Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
13. Persepolis by Majane Satrapi
14. The Rock and The River by Kekla Magoon
15. Secret Keeper by Mitali Perkins
16. Mare’s War by Tanita S. Davis
17. A Wish After Midnight by Zetta Elliott
18. Down To The Bone by Mayra Lazara Dole
19. Don’t Get It Twisted by Paula Chase
20. Jason & Kyra by Dana Davidson
21. Forged by Fire by Sharon Draper
22. Kendra by Coe Booth
23. Shine, Coconut Moon by Neesha Meminger
24. Does My Head Look Big In This? By Randa Abdel-Fattah
25. Born Confused by Tanuja Desai Hidier
26. Skunk Girl by Sheba Karim
27. The Meaning of Conseulo by Judith Ortiz Cofer
28. In The Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez
29. Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
30. First Part Last by Angela Johnson
31. Pemba’s Song by Marilyn Nelson
32. Wanting Mor by Rukhsana Khan
33. M + O 4EVR by Tonya Hegamin
34. Lucy The Giant by Sherri L. Smith
35. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
36. Throwaway Piece by Jo Ann Hernandez
37. White Bread Competition by Jo Ann Hernandez
38. Across A Hundred Mountains by Reyna Grande
39. Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon
40. Ash by Malinda Lo
41. The Skin I’m In by Sharon G. Flake
The Printz Project
Dates: Perpetual--WooHoo!
Hosts: Suey and Jessica
For details: Click here.
The challenge (put simply): Read the Printz winners. And honors, if you're so inclined.
The list:
2009
Jellicoe Road, by Melina Marchetta
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation; Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves, by M.T. Anderson
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, by E. Lockhart
Nation, by Terry Pratchett
Tender Morsels, by Margo Lanagan
2008
The White Darkness, by Geraldine McCaughrean
Dreamquake: Book Two of the Dreamhunter Duet, by Elizabeth Knox
One Whole and Perfect Day, by Judith Clarke
Repossessed, by A.M. Jenkins
Your Own, Sylvia: A Verse Portrait of Sylvia Plath, by Stephanie Hemphill
2007
American Born Chinese, by Gene Luen Yang
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation; Volume I: The Pox Party, by M.T. Anderson
An Abundance of Katherines, by John Green
Surrender, by Sonya Hartnett
The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak
2006
Looking for Alaska, by John Green
Black Juice, by Margo Lanagan
I Am the Messenger, by Markus Zusak
John Lennon: All I Want Is the Truth, a Photographic Biography, by Elizabeth Partridge
A Wreath for Emmett Till, by Marilyn Nelson
2005
how i live now, by Meg Rosoff
Airborn, by Kenneth Oppel
Chanda’s Secrets, by Allan Stratton
Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy, by Gary D. Schmidt
2004
The First Part Last, by Angela Johnson
A Northern Light, by Jennifer Donnelly
Keesha’s House, by Helen Frost
Fat Kid Rules the World, by K.L. Going
The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things, by Carolyn Mackler
2003
Postcards from No Man’s Land, by Aidan Chambers
The House of the Scorpion, by Nancy Farmer
My Heartbeat, by Garret Freymann-Weyr
Hole in My Life, by Jack Gantos
2002
A Step From Heaven, by An Na
The Ropemaker, by Peter Dickinson
Heart to Heart: New Poems Inspired by Twentieth-Century American Art, by Jan Greenberg
Abrams Freewill, by Chris Lynch
True Believer, by Virginia Euwer Wolff
2001
Kit’s Wilderness, by David Almond
Many Stones, by Carolyn Coman
The Body of Christopher Creed, by Carol Plum-Ucci
Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson, by Louise Rennison
Stuck in Neutral, by Terry Trueman
2000
Monster, by Walter Dean Myers
Skellig, by David Almond
Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson
Hard Love, by Ellen Wittlinger
Notes:
Proof that my brain is in a state of decline...I could have sworn I'd signed up for this a few weeks ago. Oh well. Better late than never.
Friday, December 31, 2010
The Lambda Challenge
Dates: No time restraints. :)
Host: Adventures in Reading
For details: Click here.
The Challenge (put simply): Read as many Lambda Literary Award winners as you want.
My list:
Among Other Things, I've Taken Up Smoking by Aoibheann Sweeny (Lesbian Debut Fiction)
Name All the Animals by Alison Smith (Autobiography/Memoir)
Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris (Humor)
Swimming in the Monsoon Sea by Shyam Selvaduai (Children's/Young Adult)
Fun Home by Alison Bechdel (Lesbian Memoir)
Host: Adventures in Reading
For details: Click here.
The Challenge (put simply): Read as many Lambda Literary Award winners as you want.
My list:
Among Other Things, I've Taken Up Smoking by Aoibheann Sweeny (Lesbian Debut Fiction)
Name All the Animals by Alison Smith (Autobiography/Memoir)
Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris (Humor)
Swimming in the Monsoon Sea by Shyam Selvaduai (Children's/Young Adult)
Fun Home by Alison Bechdel (Lesbian Memoir)
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Harry Potter Reading Challenge
Date: August 1st of 2009 through July 31st of 2010
Host: Michelle
For details: Click here.
The challenge (put simply): Read the Harry Potter series. (As an added bit of fun, I'm going to try to watch all the movies, too.
The list read, as I complete them:
The list watched, as I complete them:
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
1% Well-Read Challenge Round 2
Dates: March 1st of 2009 through March 31st of 2010 (each are the dates for option #3)
Host: 3M
For details: Click here.
The challenge (put simply): There are actually 3 different options, but basically it involves reading 10-13 books from "the list."
Notes: Despite the fact that I totally suck at finishing challenges, I'm going for option three which involves 13 books instead of 10. Simply because then I don't have to pay attention if they are from the "old" list or the "new" list. Yes, this boils down to pure laziness.
My list consists only of books which are currently in my house.
I wish I could include rereads as a.) I know I'll be rereading a few on the list because we'll be using them for school, and b.) there's some others I'd just really love to read again (like One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and some of the Vonnegut). But I know that's not the point of the challenge.
My list of possibles:
*Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
*The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid
*The Plot Against America by Philip Roth
*The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
*Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer
*Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
*Life of Pi by Yann Martel
*The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Marakami
*The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
*Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
*Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto
*The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks
*Neuromancer by William Gibson
*Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
*Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson
*Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
*The Lords of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien (because I still haven't read The Return of the King yet)
*The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
*Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
*The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
*Out of Africa by Isak Dineson
*All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
*Orlando by Virginia Woolf
*We by Yevgeny Zamyatin
*The Hounds of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
*Kim by Rudyard Kipling
*The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
*The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
*Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson
*The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
*Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
*Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
*Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
*Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
*Walden by Henry David Thoreau
*Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
*Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Host: 3M
For details: Click here.
The challenge (put simply): There are actually 3 different options, but basically it involves reading 10-13 books from "the list."
Notes: Despite the fact that I totally suck at finishing challenges, I'm going for option three which involves 13 books instead of 10. Simply because then I don't have to pay attention if they are from the "old" list or the "new" list. Yes, this boils down to pure laziness.
My list consists only of books which are currently in my house.
I wish I could include rereads as a.) I know I'll be rereading a few on the list because we'll be using them for school, and b.) there's some others I'd just really love to read again (like One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and some of the Vonnegut). But I know that's not the point of the challenge.
My list of possibles:
*Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
*The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid
*The Plot Against America by Philip Roth
*The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
*Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer
*Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
*Life of Pi by Yann Martel
*The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Marakami
*The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
*Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
*Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto
*The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks
*Neuromancer by William Gibson
*Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
*Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson
*Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
*The Lords of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien (because I still haven't read The Return of the King yet)
*The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
*Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
*The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
*Out of Africa by Isak Dineson
*All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
*Orlando by Virginia Woolf
*We by Yevgeny Zamyatin
*The Hounds of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
*Kim by Rudyard Kipling
*The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
*The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
*Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson
*The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
*Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
*Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
*Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
*Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
*Walden by Henry David Thoreau
*Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
*Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Arthurian Challenge 2
Dates: April 1st of 2009 through March 31st of 2010
Host: Becky
For details: Click here.
The challenge (put simply): Read as many books as you'd like that in one way or another involve Arthurian legend.
My list:
*King Arthur and His Knights of The Round Table by Roger Lancelyn Green
(O.K., O.K., calling this a list is a stretch. But being completely ignorant of all things Arthur, I thought I'd get my feet wet and see where it goes from there.)
Sunday, February 28, 2010
What an Animal 2
Date: July 1st of 2009 through February 28th of 2010
Host: Kristi
For details: Click here.
The challenge (put simply): Read six books that have an animal in the title, on the cover, or playing a major role in the book. Fiction or non-fiction.
My list (to be announced as I go):
*Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog by Kitty Florey Burns
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Japanese Literature Challenge 3
Date: July 30th of 2009 through January 30 of 2010.
Host: Bellezza
For details: Click here.
The challenge (put simply): Read at least one book of Japanese origin. Yep, that's it. And dammit, this year I'm actually going to do it! I am!
My list of possibles (I will count myself a success if I read just one of these, but really, truly I hope I manage more than that!):
*Basho: The Complete Haiku
*Grotesque and/or Out by Natsuo Kirino
*some manga (possibly some Fruit Baskets by Natsuki Takaya)
*The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Colorful Reading Challenge
Dates: January 1st through December 31st of 2009
Host: Rebecca
For details: Click here.
The Challenge (put simply): Read 9 books with a color in the title. There are six required colors (red, white, blue, black, silver, and gold), and the other three are reader's choice.
My tentative list:
Red: Chasing Redbird by Sharon Creech
White: The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson.
Blue: The Blue Girl by Charles de Lint
Black: Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War by Mark Bowden
Silver: The Silver Donkey by Sonya Hartnett
Gold: The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
Green: Green Angel by Alice Hoffman
Yellow: The American Plague: The Untold Story of Yellow Fever, The Epidemic that Shaped Our History by Molly Caldwell Crosby
Rose: Rose Madder by Stephen King
Host: Rebecca
For details: Click here.
The Challenge (put simply): Read 9 books with a color in the title. There are six required colors (red, white, blue, black, silver, and gold), and the other three are reader's choice.
My tentative list:
Red: Chasing Redbird by Sharon Creech
White: The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson.
Blue: The Blue Girl by Charles de Lint
Black: Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War by Mark Bowden
Silver: The Silver Donkey by Sonya Hartnett
Gold: The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
Green: Green Angel by Alice Hoffman
Yellow: The American Plague: The Untold Story of Yellow Fever, The Epidemic that Shaped Our History by Molly Caldwell Crosby
Rose: Rose Madder by Stephen King
Young Adult Challenge '09
Dates: January 1st through December 31st of 2009
Host: J.Kaye
For Details: Click here.
The Challenge (put simply): Read 12 young adult books.
My list of possibles:
*An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
*Paper Towns by John Green
*A Bottle in the Gaza Sea by Valerie Zenatti
*Nation by Terry Pratchett
*How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff
*The Hollow People by Brian Keaney
*Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
*Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder
*The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
*Gossamer by Lois Lowry
*Such a Pretty Girl by Laura Wiess
*Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones
*Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott
*The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
*Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata
*Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
*The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
*The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
*The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer
*American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
*The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett
*Skim by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki
*Janes in Love by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg
*Pemba's Song by Marilyn Nelson and Tonya C. Hegamin
*The Body of Christopher Creed by Carol Plum-Ucci
*The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
Host: J.Kaye
For Details: Click here.
The Challenge (put simply): Read 12 young adult books.
My list of possibles:
*An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
*Paper Towns by John Green
*A Bottle in the Gaza Sea by Valerie Zenatti
*Nation by Terry Pratchett
*How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff
*The Hollow People by Brian Keaney
*Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
*Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder
*The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
*Gossamer by Lois Lowry
*Such a Pretty Girl by Laura Wiess
*Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones
*Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott
*The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
*Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata
*Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
*The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
*The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
*The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer
*American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
*The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett
*Skim by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki
*Janes in Love by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg
*Pemba's Song by Marilyn Nelson and Tonya C. Hegamin
*The Body of Christopher Creed by Carol Plum-Ucci
*The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
21 Cultures Challenge
Dates: January 1st through December 31st of 2009
Host: Lost in Books
For Details: Click here.
The Challenge (put simply): Read 21 books about 21 different cultures, modern or traditional. Books can be fictional, but must not be about a fictional culture.
My list of possibles:
*The Sex Lives of Cannibals by J. Maarten Troost (Tarawa)
*Getting Stoned with Savages by J. Maarten Troost (Fiji and Vanuatu)
*The River of Lost Footsteps: A Personal History of Burma by Thant Myint-U (Burma)
*The Lizard Cage by Karen Connelly (Thailand)
*Red Scarf Girl by Ji-Li Jiang (China)
*Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See (China)
*Grotesque by Natsuo Kirino (Japan)
*Legend of Chun Hyang by CLAMP (Korea)
*A Taste of Earth and Other Legends of Vietnam by Thich Nhat Hanh (Vietnam)
*The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (Afghanistan)
*In the Land of Invisible Women by Qanta A. Ahmed, MD (Saudi Arabia)
*The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (Iran)
*I’jaam by Sinan Antoon (Iraq)
*A Bottle in the Gaza Sea by Valerie Zenatti (Israel/Gaza)
*The Midaq Alley by Naguib Mahfouz (Egypt)
*Antipode by Heather E. Heying (Madagascar)
*Blood Diamonds by Greg Campbell (Sierra Leone)
*They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky by Benson Deng, Alephonsion Deng, and Benjamin Ajak with Judy A. Bernstein (Sudan)
*House of Stone: The True Story of a Family Divided in War-Torn Zimbabwe by Christina Lamb (Zimbabwe)
*ZenZele by J. Nozipo Maraire (Zimbabwe)
*Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe (Nigeria)
*Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen (Kenya)
*A Sunday by the Pool in Kigali by Gil Courtemanche (Rwanda)
*King Leopold's Ghost by Adam Hochschild (Congo region)
*No More Strangers Now interviews by Tim McKee (South Africa)
*Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (Sweden)
*Winterwood by Patrick McCabe (Ireland)
*The Dress Lodger by Sheri Holman (England)
*The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett (England)
*The Reader by Bernhard Schlink (Germany)
*Fax from Sarajevo by Joe Kubert (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
*The Jaguar Smile by Salman Rushdie (Nicaragua)
*The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende (Chile)
*A Nation of Enemies: Chile Under Pinochet by Pamela Constable and Arturo Valenzuela (Chile)
*The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz (Dominican Republic)
*Tell My Horse by Zora Neale Hurston (Haiti and Jamaica)
*Almost Heaven by Martin Fletcher (rural U.S.)
*The Crucible by Arthur Miller (Puritan New England)
*Through Black Spruce by Joseph Boyden (Cree of northern Ontario, Canada)
*Monkey Beach by Eden Robinson (Haisla of British Columbia, Canada)
*Javatrekker: Dispatches from the World of Fair Trade Coffee by Dean Cycon (many indigenous cultures around the world)
Host: Lost in Books
For Details: Click here.
The Challenge (put simply): Read 21 books about 21 different cultures, modern or traditional. Books can be fictional, but must not be about a fictional culture.
My list of possibles:
*The Sex Lives of Cannibals by J. Maarten Troost (Tarawa)
*Getting Stoned with Savages by J. Maarten Troost (Fiji and Vanuatu)
*The River of Lost Footsteps: A Personal History of Burma by Thant Myint-U (Burma)
*The Lizard Cage by Karen Connelly (Thailand)
*Red Scarf Girl by Ji-Li Jiang (China)
*Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See (China)
*Grotesque by Natsuo Kirino (Japan)
*Legend of Chun Hyang by CLAMP (Korea)
*A Taste of Earth and Other Legends of Vietnam by Thich Nhat Hanh (Vietnam)
*The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (Afghanistan)
*In the Land of Invisible Women by Qanta A. Ahmed, MD (Saudi Arabia)
*The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (Iran)
*I’jaam by Sinan Antoon (Iraq)
*A Bottle in the Gaza Sea by Valerie Zenatti (Israel/Gaza)
*The Midaq Alley by Naguib Mahfouz (Egypt)
*Antipode by Heather E. Heying (Madagascar)
*Blood Diamonds by Greg Campbell (Sierra Leone)
*They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky by Benson Deng, Alephonsion Deng, and Benjamin Ajak with Judy A. Bernstein (Sudan)
*House of Stone: The True Story of a Family Divided in War-Torn Zimbabwe by Christina Lamb (Zimbabwe)
*ZenZele by J. Nozipo Maraire (Zimbabwe)
*Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe (Nigeria)
*Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen (Kenya)
*A Sunday by the Pool in Kigali by Gil Courtemanche (Rwanda)
*King Leopold's Ghost by Adam Hochschild (Congo region)
*No More Strangers Now interviews by Tim McKee (South Africa)
*Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (Sweden)
*Winterwood by Patrick McCabe (Ireland)
*The Dress Lodger by Sheri Holman (England)
*The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett (England)
*The Reader by Bernhard Schlink (Germany)
*Fax from Sarajevo by Joe Kubert (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
*The Jaguar Smile by Salman Rushdie (Nicaragua)
*The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende (Chile)
*A Nation of Enemies: Chile Under Pinochet by Pamela Constable and Arturo Valenzuela (Chile)
*The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz (Dominican Republic)
*Tell My Horse by Zora Neale Hurston (Haiti and Jamaica)
*Almost Heaven by Martin Fletcher (rural U.S.)
*The Crucible by Arthur Miller (Puritan New England)
*Through Black Spruce by Joseph Boyden (Cree of northern Ontario, Canada)
*Monkey Beach by Eden Robinson (Haisla of British Columbia, Canada)
*Javatrekker: Dispatches from the World of Fair Trade Coffee by Dean Cycon (many indigenous cultures around the world)
Young Readers Challenge
Dates: January 1st through December 31st of 2009
Host: Becky
For details: Click here.
The challenge (put simply): Read at least 12 children's books (anything written to be read, or read aloud, to children 12 and under).
My list (to be filled in as I go):
1. Skippyjon Jones and the Big Bones by Judy Schachner
2. Have You Got My Purr? by Judy West
3. Toots the Cat by Karla Kuskin
4. Comic Adventures of Boots by Satoshi Kitamura
5. Cat and Fish by Joan Grant
6. Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes
7. Circle of Cats by Charles de Lint
8. Cat, What Is That? by Tony Johnston
9. The Scaredy Cats by Barbara Bottner
10. The Cat Who Walked Across France by Kate Banks
11.
12.
Host: Becky
For details: Click here.
The challenge (put simply): Read at least 12 children's books (anything written to be read, or read aloud, to children 12 and under).
My list (to be filled in as I go):
1. Skippyjon Jones and the Big Bones by Judy Schachner
2. Have You Got My Purr? by Judy West
3. Toots the Cat by Karla Kuskin
4. Comic Adventures of Boots by Satoshi Kitamura
5. Cat and Fish by Joan Grant
6. Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes
7. Circle of Cats by Charles de Lint
8. Cat, What Is That? by Tony Johnston
9. The Scaredy Cats by Barbara Bottner
10. The Cat Who Walked Across France by Kate Banks
11.
12.
Dream King Challenge
Dates: January 1st through December 31st of 2009
Host: Jessi
For details: Click here.
The Challenge (put simply): There are several levels of participation, but the basic gist is reading Neil Gaiman works in a variety of categories and watching one movie.
My list:
*The Wolves in the Walls (children/young adult)
*Fragile Things (short story collection)
*Anansi Boys (novel)
*The Sandman: Doll's House (graphic novel)
bonus for category:
--The Sandman: Dream Country
--The Sandman: Season of Mists
--The Sandman: A Game of You
*Mirrormask (audiobook)
*The 13 Clocks (other: Neil approved reading)
*Death: At Death's Door by Jill Thompson (Neil spin-offs)
*Stardust (movie)
Host: Jessi
For details: Click here.
The Challenge (put simply): There are several levels of participation, but the basic gist is reading Neil Gaiman works in a variety of categories and watching one movie.
My list:
*The Wolves in the Walls (children/young adult)
*Fragile Things (short story collection)
*Anansi Boys (novel)
*The Sandman: Doll's House (graphic novel)
bonus for category:
--The Sandman: Dream Country
--The Sandman: Season of Mists
--The Sandman: A Game of You
*Mirrormask (audiobook)
*The 13 Clocks (other: Neil approved reading)
*Death: At Death's Door by Jill Thompson (Neil spin-offs)
*Stardust (movie)
Dewey Decimal Challenge
Dates: January 1st through December 31st of 2009
Host: The Novel World
For details: Click here.
The challenge (put simply): Read one book from each of the Dewey Decimal categories.
My list (to be filled in as read):
000 - Generalities
100 - Philosophy and Psychology
200 - Religion
300 - Social Sciences - Green River, Running Red by Ann Rule (364.152 RUL)
400 - Language - Sister's Bernadette's Barking Dog by Kitty Burns Florey (428.2)
500 - Natural Sciences/Math - The Stuff of Life: A Graphic Guide to Genetics and DNA by Mark Schultz (576.5 SCH)
600 - Technology - George & Sam: Two Boys, One Family, and Autism by Charlotte Moore (618.928 MOO)
700 - The Arts - That's Life: Finding Scrapbook Inspiration in the Everyday by Nic Howard (745.593 HOW)
800 - Literature and Rhetoric - The Crucible by Arthur Miller (812 MIL)
900 - Geography and History - House of Stone: The True Story of Family Divided in War-Torn Zimbabwe by Christina Lamb (968.9105 LAM)
Host: The Novel World
For details: Click here.
The challenge (put simply): Read one book from each of the Dewey Decimal categories.
My list (to be filled in as read):
000 - Generalities
100 - Philosophy and Psychology
200 - Religion
300 - Social Sciences - Green River, Running Red by Ann Rule (364.152 RUL)
400 - Language - Sister's Bernadette's Barking Dog by Kitty Burns Florey (428.2)
500 - Natural Sciences/Math - The Stuff of Life: A Graphic Guide to Genetics and DNA by Mark Schultz (576.5 SCH)
600 - Technology - George & Sam: Two Boys, One Family, and Autism by Charlotte Moore (618.928 MOO)
700 - The Arts - That's Life: Finding Scrapbook Inspiration in the Everyday by Nic Howard (745.593 HOW)
800 - Literature and Rhetoric - The Crucible by Arthur Miller (812 MIL)
900 - Geography and History - House of Stone: The True Story of Family Divided in War-Torn Zimbabwe by Christina Lamb (968.9105 LAM)
World War II Challenge
Dates: January 1st through December 31st of 2009
Hosts: Anna and Serena
For details: Click here.
The challenge (put simply): Read at least 5 books, fiction and/or non-fiction, that involve WWII.
My list of possibles (I'm going for 5 of these; any extras will be icing on the cake):
*Smoke and Ashes by Barbara Rogasky
*Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
*The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang
*The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
*Dawn of Fear by Susan Cooper
*The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
*Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose
*The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen
*Night by Elie Wiesel
*Plot Against America by Philip Roth
*Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut (would be a reread)
*The Zookeepers Wife by Diane Ackerman
*Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata
*...I never saw another butterfly...: Children's Drawings and Poems from Terezin Concentration Camp, 1942-1944
Hosts: Anna and Serena
For details: Click here.
The challenge (put simply): Read at least 5 books, fiction and/or non-fiction, that involve WWII.
My list of possibles (I'm going for 5 of these; any extras will be icing on the cake):
*Smoke and Ashes by Barbara Rogasky
*Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
*The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang
*The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
*Dawn of Fear by Susan Cooper
*The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
*Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose
*The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen
*Night by Elie Wiesel
*Plot Against America by Philip Roth
*Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut (would be a reread)
*The Zookeepers Wife by Diane Ackerman
*Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata
*...I never saw another butterfly...: Children's Drawings and Poems from Terezin Concentration Camp, 1942-1944
World Citizen Challenge
Date: January 1st through December 31st of 2009
Host: Eva
For details: Click here.
The challenge (put simply): Basically, read books about the world. There are a variety of levels of participation. And a variety of categories. I obviously secretly love failure, because I'm going for the post graduate level. That means seven books, including one from each of the six categories.
My list of possibles:
***Note 1--I tried very hard to stick with only books that we already owned, but a couple (*) have been on my wish list for a long time, and I figured this was a good excuse to possibly finally pick them up.
***Note 2--I'm not entirely sure I have all these books in the appropriate category. Please feel free to set me straight.
Politics:
The Looming Tower: Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 by Lawrence Wright
The Fate of Africa by Martin Meredith
A Continent for the Taking: The Tragedy and Hope of Africa by Howard W. French
The Siege of Mecca: The Forgotten Uprising in Islam's Holiest Shrine and the Birth of Al Qaeda by Yaroslav Trofimov
*A Nation of Enemies: Chile Under Pinochet by Pamela Constable and Arturo Valenzuela
*House of Stone: The True Story of a Family Divided in War-Torn Zimbabwe by Christina Lamb
Economics:
*The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time by Jeffrey Sachs
History:
The Massacre at El Mozote by Mark Danner
Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond
King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa by Adam Hochschild
Africa: A Biography of the Continent by John Reader
Culture:
*Labor's Lot: The Power, History, and Culture of Aboriginal Action by Elizabeth A. Povinelli
Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond
Worldwide Issues:
Blood Diamonds: Tracing the Deadly Path of the World's Most Precious Stones by Greg Campbell
Five Past Midnight in Bhopal: The Epic Story of the World's Deadliest Industrial Disaster by Dominique Lapierre and Javier Moro
The New Killing Fields: Massacre and the Politics of Intervention edited by Nicolaus Mills and Kira Brunner
Memoirs:
First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers by Joung Ung
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah
They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky: The True Story of Three Lost Boys from Sudan by Benson Deng, Alephonsian Deng, and Benjamin Ajak with Judy A. Bernstein
In the Land of Invisible Women: A Female Doctor's Journey in the Saudi Kingdom by Qanta A. Ahmed MD
Javatrekker: Dispatches from the World of Fair Trade Coffee by Dean Cycon (This isn't exactly a memoir. But I'm not sure it quite fits under economics either. Just wasn't sure where to put it, but thought it definitely fit in with the spirit of the challenge, so I wanted to use it.)
Host: Eva
For details: Click here.
The challenge (put simply): Basically, read books about the world. There are a variety of levels of participation. And a variety of categories. I obviously secretly love failure, because I'm going for the post graduate level. That means seven books, including one from each of the six categories.
My list of possibles:
***Note 1--I tried very hard to stick with only books that we already owned, but a couple (*) have been on my wish list for a long time, and I figured this was a good excuse to possibly finally pick them up.
***Note 2--I'm not entirely sure I have all these books in the appropriate category. Please feel free to set me straight.
Politics:
The Looming Tower: Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 by Lawrence Wright
The Fate of Africa by Martin Meredith
A Continent for the Taking: The Tragedy and Hope of Africa by Howard W. French
The Siege of Mecca: The Forgotten Uprising in Islam's Holiest Shrine and the Birth of Al Qaeda by Yaroslav Trofimov
*A Nation of Enemies: Chile Under Pinochet by Pamela Constable and Arturo Valenzuela
*House of Stone: The True Story of a Family Divided in War-Torn Zimbabwe by Christina Lamb
Economics:
*The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time by Jeffrey Sachs
History:
The Massacre at El Mozote by Mark Danner
Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond
King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa by Adam Hochschild
Africa: A Biography of the Continent by John Reader
Culture:
*Labor's Lot: The Power, History, and Culture of Aboriginal Action by Elizabeth A. Povinelli
Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond
Worldwide Issues:
Blood Diamonds: Tracing the Deadly Path of the World's Most Precious Stones by Greg Campbell
Five Past Midnight in Bhopal: The Epic Story of the World's Deadliest Industrial Disaster by Dominique Lapierre and Javier Moro
The New Killing Fields: Massacre and the Politics of Intervention edited by Nicolaus Mills and Kira Brunner
Memoirs:
First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers by Joung Ung
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah
They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky: The True Story of Three Lost Boys from Sudan by Benson Deng, Alephonsian Deng, and Benjamin Ajak with Judy A. Bernstein
In the Land of Invisible Women: A Female Doctor's Journey in the Saudi Kingdom by Qanta A. Ahmed MD
Javatrekker: Dispatches from the World of Fair Trade Coffee by Dean Cycon (This isn't exactly a memoir. But I'm not sure it quite fits under economics either. Just wasn't sure where to put it, but thought it definitely fit in with the spirit of the challenge, so I wanted to use it.)
Essay Reading Challenge
Dates: January 1st through December 31st of 2009
Host: Books and Movies
For details: Click here.
The challenge (put simply): Read 10, 20, or 30 essays.
My list (I think I'll shoot for 30) to be added as read:
1. "Bugs in the Brain" by Robert M. Sapolsky (from Monkeyluv and Other Essays on Our Lives as Animals)
2. The Complete Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby ***This actually contained a total of 28 essays, so technically I'm in great shape for this challenge. :)
3. "The Pony Problem" by Sloane Crosley (from They Said There'd Be Cake)
4. Shakespeare Wrote for Money by Nick Hornby ***This actually contained 15 essays.
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Host: Books and Movies
For details: Click here.
The challenge (put simply): Read 10, 20, or 30 essays.
My list (I think I'll shoot for 30) to be added as read:
1. "Bugs in the Brain" by Robert M. Sapolsky (from Monkeyluv and Other Essays on Our Lives as Animals)
2. The Complete Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby ***This actually contained a total of 28 essays, so technically I'm in great shape for this challenge. :)
3. "The Pony Problem" by Sloane Crosley (from They Said There'd Be Cake)
4. Shakespeare Wrote for Money by Nick Hornby ***This actually contained 15 essays.
5.
6.
7.
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10.
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The Science Book Challenge
Dates: January 1st through December 31t of 2009
Host: Science Besieged
For details: Click here.
The Challenge (put simply): Read at least 3 science books.
My list of possibles:
*The Scientists: A History of Science Told Through the Lives of Its Greatest Inventors by John Gribbin
*Genome: The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters by Matt Ridley
*The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature by Matt Ridley
*The Diversity of Life by E.O. Wilson
*Climbing Mount Improbable by Richard Dawkins
*Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex by Mary Roach
*Adam's Navel: A Natural and Cultural History of the Human Form by Michael Sims
*Into the Jungle: Great Adventures in the Search for Evolution by Sean B. Carroll
*The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks
*Civilization and the Limpet by Martin Wells
*Why Geese Don't Get Obese (And We Do) by Eric P. Widmaier
*When Elephants Weep: The Emotional Lives of Animals by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson and Susan McCarthy
*Cheating Monkeys and Citizen Bees: The Nature of Cooperation in Animals and Humans by Lee Dugatkin
*Dr. Tatiana's Sex Advice to All Creation by Olivia Judson
*The Snakebite Survivors' Club: Travels Among Serpents by Jeremy Seal
*Extinction: Bad Genes or Bad Luck? by David M Raup
*The Sixth Extinction: Patterns of Life and the Future of Humankind by Richard Leakey and Roger Lewin
*Unearthing the Dragon by Mark Norell
*Antipode: Seasons with the Extraordinary Wildlife and Culture of Madagascar by Heather E. Heying
*Stalking the Plumed Serpent and Other Adventures in Herpetology by D. Bruce Means
*Throwim Way Leg: Tree-Kangaroos, Possums and Penis Gourds--On the Track of Unknown Mammals in Wildest New Guinea by Tim Flannery
*Among Orangutans: Read Apes and the Rise of Human Culture by Carel Van Schaik
*A Primate's Memoir by Robert Sapolsky
*The Wisdom of the Bones by Alan Walker and Pat Shipman
*A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold
*Animal Minds by Donald R. Griffin
*King Solomon's Ring by Konrad Lorenz
*Rats: Observations on the History and Habitat of the City's Most Unwanted Inhabitants by Robert Sullivan
*Life on a Little Known Planet by Howard Evans
*Parasite Rex by Carl Zimmer
*A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
*How to Dunk a Doughnut: The Science of Everyday Life by Len Fisher
*Nature of Australia: A Portrait of the Island Continent by John Vandenbeld
*The Hot Zone by Richard Preston
*Flu: The Story of the Great Influenza Pandemic of 1928 and the Search for the Virus that Caused It by Gina Kolata
*The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World by Steven Johnson
*Flushed: How the Plumber Saved Civilization by W. Hodding Carter
*The American Plague: The Untold Story of Yellow Fever, The Epidemic that Shaped Our History by Molly Caldwell Crosby
*The Survival Factor by Mike and Tim Birkhead
*Of Kinkajous, Capybaras, Horned Beetles, Seladangs, and the Oddest and ost Wonderful Mammals, Insects, Birds, and Plants of Our World by Jeanne K. Hanson and Deane Morrison
*Why Aren't Black Holes Black? by Robert M. Hazen
*The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming by Laurie David and Cambria Gordon
*The Secret Life of Germs: What They Are, Why We Need Them, and How We Can Protect Ourselves Against Them by Philip M. Tierno, Jr., Ph.D.
*The Stuff of Life: A Graphic Guide to Genetics and DNA by Mark Schultz
Host: Science Besieged
For details: Click here.
The Challenge (put simply): Read at least 3 science books.
My list of possibles:
*The Scientists: A History of Science Told Through the Lives of Its Greatest Inventors by John Gribbin
*Genome: The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters by Matt Ridley
*The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature by Matt Ridley
*The Diversity of Life by E.O. Wilson
*Climbing Mount Improbable by Richard Dawkins
*Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex by Mary Roach
*Adam's Navel: A Natural and Cultural History of the Human Form by Michael Sims
*Into the Jungle: Great Adventures in the Search for Evolution by Sean B. Carroll
*The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks
*Civilization and the Limpet by Martin Wells
*Why Geese Don't Get Obese (And We Do) by Eric P. Widmaier
*When Elephants Weep: The Emotional Lives of Animals by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson and Susan McCarthy
*Cheating Monkeys and Citizen Bees: The Nature of Cooperation in Animals and Humans by Lee Dugatkin
*Dr. Tatiana's Sex Advice to All Creation by Olivia Judson
*The Snakebite Survivors' Club: Travels Among Serpents by Jeremy Seal
*Extinction: Bad Genes or Bad Luck? by David M Raup
*The Sixth Extinction: Patterns of Life and the Future of Humankind by Richard Leakey and Roger Lewin
*Unearthing the Dragon by Mark Norell
*Antipode: Seasons with the Extraordinary Wildlife and Culture of Madagascar by Heather E. Heying
*Stalking the Plumed Serpent and Other Adventures in Herpetology by D. Bruce Means
*Throwim Way Leg: Tree-Kangaroos, Possums and Penis Gourds--On the Track of Unknown Mammals in Wildest New Guinea by Tim Flannery
*Among Orangutans: Read Apes and the Rise of Human Culture by Carel Van Schaik
*A Primate's Memoir by Robert Sapolsky
*The Wisdom of the Bones by Alan Walker and Pat Shipman
*A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold
*Animal Minds by Donald R. Griffin
*King Solomon's Ring by Konrad Lorenz
*Rats: Observations on the History and Habitat of the City's Most Unwanted Inhabitants by Robert Sullivan
*Life on a Little Known Planet by Howard Evans
*Parasite Rex by Carl Zimmer
*A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
*How to Dunk a Doughnut: The Science of Everyday Life by Len Fisher
*Nature of Australia: A Portrait of the Island Continent by John Vandenbeld
*The Hot Zone by Richard Preston
*Flu: The Story of the Great Influenza Pandemic of 1928 and the Search for the Virus that Caused It by Gina Kolata
*The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World by Steven Johnson
*Flushed: How the Plumber Saved Civilization by W. Hodding Carter
*The American Plague: The Untold Story of Yellow Fever, The Epidemic that Shaped Our History by Molly Caldwell Crosby
*The Survival Factor by Mike and Tim Birkhead
*Of Kinkajous, Capybaras, Horned Beetles, Seladangs, and the Oddest and ost Wonderful Mammals, Insects, Birds, and Plants of Our World by Jeanne K. Hanson and Deane Morrison
*Why Aren't Black Holes Black? by Robert M. Hazen
*The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming by Laurie David and Cambria Gordon
*The Secret Life of Germs: What They Are, Why We Need Them, and How We Can Protect Ourselves Against Them by Philip M. Tierno, Jr., Ph.D.
*The Stuff of Life: A Graphic Guide to Genetics and DNA by Mark Schultz
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