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Smiling Shelves

2017 Reading Challenges Completed - Round Two

12/21/2017

2 Comments

 
I've finished the rest of my reading challenges for the year!! (Well, sort of. Exceptions will be addressed in the challenges to which they apply.) I'm cutting it closer than I normally do, but I made it! (More or less.)
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Hosted by Book Date
Goal: Making Inroads (21-40%)
​Books Bought in 2017
1. A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron (read in January)
2. The Penderwicks in Spring by Jeanne Birdsall (read in April)
3. The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George (read in July)

4. Around the World in 50 Years by Albert Podell (read in August)
5. Uprooted by Naomi Novik (read in April)
6. Jesus on Trial: A Lawyer Affirms the Truth of the Gospel by David Limbaugh (read in March)

7. The Hemingway Book Club of Kosovo by Paula Huntley
​8. The Lure of the Moonflower by Lauren Willig
9. The Kestrel by Lloyd Alexander (read in April - May)
10. The Beggar Queen by Lloyd Alexander (read in August - October)
​11.  Gypsy Rizka by Lloyd Alexander
12. The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley (read in November)
​13. Linnets and Valerians by Elizabeth Goudge
14. The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith (read in April)
15. Tears of a Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith
16. Freckles by Gene Stratton-Porter
17. Mail Obsession by Mark Mason
​18. The Hidden Gallery by Maryrose Wood (read in July)
19. Flirtation Walk by Siri Mitchell
20. Time Was Soft There by Jeremy Mercer
21.  Sweet Thunder by Ivan Doig
22. If You Lived Here, I'd Know Your Name by Heather Lende
23. Inklings by Melanie M. Jeschke
24. Expectations by Melanie M. Jeschke
25. Evasions by Melanie M. Jeschke
26. Leepike Ridge by N.D. Wilson
27. A Necessary Deception by Laurie Alice Eakes
28. A Flight of Fancy by Laurie Alice Eakes
29. A Reluctant Courtship by Laurie Alice Eakes
30. The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan
​31.  Trip of the Tongue by Elizabeth Little
32. Dandelion Fire by N.D. Wilson
33. The Jewel of Kalderash by Marie Rutkoski
34. The Unseen Guest by Maryrose Wood (read in October)
35. The Interrupted Tale by Maryrose Wood
​36. The Unmapped Sea by Maryrose Wood
37. Mr. Lemoncello's Great Library Race by Chris Grabenstein
​38. Snowdrift and Other Stories by Georgette Heyer
39. The Lost Track of Time by Paige Britt
40. Manor of Secrets by Katherine Longshore
41. Wings of Fire: The Lost Heir by Tui Sutherland
42. The Girl on the Cliff by Lucinda Riley
43. It Happened at the Fair by Deanne Gist
44. My Life in Middlemarch by Rebecca Mead
45. Under the Wide and Starry Sky by Nancy Horan
46. John Adams by David McCullough
​47. Wandmaker by Ed Masessa

Percentage Read:​ 26% (This would have been a better percentage if I hadn't been to two Scholastic book fairs and a used bookstore in the last week or so. . .​)

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Hosted by Chapter Break and Second Run Reviews
Goal: Give Your Shelves a Warm, Friendly Hug (21-30 books)
1.  My Life in France by Julia Child
2. Slipping Into Paradise:​ Why I Live in New Zealand by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson
3. Blue Latitudes: Boldly Going Where Captain Cook Has Gone Before by Tony Horwitz
​4. Chronicles of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery
5. Further Chronicles of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery
​6. A Walk Across America by Peter Jenkins
7. Crossworld: One Man's Journey into America's Crossword Obsession by Marc Romano
8. Raising Real Men: Surviving, Teaching, and Appreciating Boys by Hal & Melanie Young
​9. Waterfall by Lisa Tawn Bergren
10. Cascade by Lisa Tawn Bergren
​11. Milk Glass Moon by Adriana Trigiani
12. The Shepherd's Castle by George MacDonald
​13. The Governess of Highland Hall by Carrie Turansky
14. The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling
15. Scoop by Evelyn Waugh
16. A Hope Undaunted by Julie Lessman
17. The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo
18. The Seduction of the Crimson Rose by Lauren Willig
19. Praying by Boys by Brooke McGlothlin
20. A Heart Revealed by Julie Lessman
21. The Hidden Gallery by Maryrose Wood
22. First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen
23. Village School by Miss Read
24. False Colours by Georgette Heyer
25. Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
26. Minders of Make-Believe by Leonard S. Marcus
​27. Wonderland Creek by Lynn Austin
28. Utopia by Thomas More
​29. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark
​30. Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortensen & David Oliver Relin
31. Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift
32. The Case for the Real Jesus by Lee Strobel
​33. The Eye of Zoltar by Jasper Fforde

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Hosted by Novel Knight
Goal: 30 books published before 2017
1.  My Life in France by Julia Child (2006)
​2. Slipping Into Paradise:​ Why I Live in New Zealand by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson (2004)
3. Blue Latitudes
: Boldly Going Where Captain Cook Has Gone Before by Tony Horwitz (2003)
​4. Chronicles of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery (1912)
5. A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron (2010)
6. Further Chronicles of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery (1920)
7. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (1890)
​8. A Walk Across America by Peter Jenkins (1979)
9. Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English by Natasha Solomons (2008)
10. Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain by Oliver Sacks (2007)
11.  Raising Real Men: Surviving, Teaching, and Appreciating Boy by Hal & Melanie Young (2010)
12. Howl by Allen Ginsberg (1956/2010)
13. Westmark by Lloyd Alexander (1981)
14. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson (1882)
15. Crossworld: One Man's Journey into America's Crossword Obsession by Marc Romano (2006)
16. The Choir Immortal by Katie Schuermann (2015)
17. Waterfall by Lisa Tawn Bergren (2011)
18. Jesus on Trial by David Limbaugh (2014)
​19. Moloka'i by Alan Brennert (2003)
20. Cascade by Lisa Tawn Bergren (2011)
21. Milk Glass Moon by Adriana Trigiani (2002)
22. 100 Cupboards by N.D. Wilson (2007)
23. The Penderwicks in Spring by Jeanne Birdsall (2015)
24. Tolstoy and the Purple Chair by Nina Sankovitch (2011)
25. The Shepherd's Castle by George MacDonald (1883/1995)
26. The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith (1998)
27. The Kestrel by Lloyd Alexander (1982)
​28. The Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli (1949)
29. Scoop by Evelyn Waugh (1937)
30. A Hope Undaunted by Julie Lessman (2010)
So I stopped tracking this one in May because I have no trouble reading books published before 2017. I signed up because I liked the Hogwarts house competition aspect, but I never really did anything with this part. This probably isn't a reading challenge I'll participate in again, but it did motivate me to add a publication year column to my book-tracking spreadsheet, and that has been really interesting to see!

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Hosted by Book Date
Okay, here's one exception. I'm not actually done with the last book I'm reading for this challenge (Work Song by Ivan Doig). But I definitely will be by the end of the year, so I'm counting it!
Nonfiction - Blue Latitudes: Boldly Going Where Captain Cook Has Gone Before by Tony Horwitz
2017 Published - Grace Alone by Ruth Meyer
Award Winner - Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
Food on cover or title - First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen
Western - Work Song by Ivan Doig
On TBR for 2+ years - Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English by Natasha Solomons
Published pre-2000 - The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Book about books - Tolstoy and the Purple Chair​: My Magical Year of Reading by Nina Sankovitch
Cozy mystery - The Tale of Holly How by Susan Wittig Albert
USA/Canadian author - Chronicles of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery
More than 500 pages - The White Princess by Philippa Gregory
UK/European author - The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson
Size word in title - The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde
Book from childhood - Five Little Peppers and How They Grew by Margaret Sidney
Not really for you - The Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch
Page turner - Waterfall by Lisa Tawn Bergren
Backlist book from favorite author - Westmark by Lloyd Alexander
Two worded title - Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Diversity book - The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
Attractive cover - Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk
Middle grade book - The Inquisitor's Tale by Adam Gidwitz
Book from a list - The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley
Debut book - Be Frank with Me by Julia Claiborne Johnson
Australia/NZ author - Frogkisser! by Garth Nix
Borrowed - The Choir Immortal by Katie Schuermann

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Hosted by Smiling Shelves (me!)
Goal: Spinelli (30-44 points)
1. The Inquisitor's Tale by Adam Gidwitz (2 points)
2. The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill (3 points)
3. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry (3 points)
4. Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson (2 points)
5. The Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli (3 points)
6. Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk (2 points)
7. Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman (3 points)
8. The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman (3 points)
9. Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan (3 points)
10. Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko (2 points)
​11. The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley (3 points)
12. Dicey's Song by Cynthia Voigt (3 points)
13. A Visit to William Blake's Inn by Nancy Willard (3 points)
​14. Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan (2 points)
15. Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson (3 points)
16. The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley (2 points)
​17. Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson (2 points)
​18. A Gathering of Days by Joan W. Blos (3 points)
​19. The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper (2 points)
​20. El Deafo by Cece Bell (2 points) (Okay, I technically haven't read this one yet. But it's sitting on my table and it's a graphic novel, so I have no doubt that I can get it done by the end of the year.)
Points:​ ​51

And another year of reading challenges done (almost)! Now I need to figure out what to sign up for next year!
2 Comments
Christine @Buckling Bookshelves link
12/22/2017 08:18:43 am

You’re so much better at finishing these than I am! I also have no trouble reading backlist books either — but as much as I loved that challenge, it took way too much time to track and submit everything. If it were the only challenge I joined, maybe I’d feel differently, but when do I ever join just one?! Haha!

I love debating reading plans for the new year. Trying to keep myself in check this year though LOL. Good luck!

Reply
Julie @ Smiling Shelves link
12/23/2017 03:24:56 pm

My secret is to pick challenges that I naturally almost finish without even trying. :) I did have to have a plan for these last couple of months, though, to make sure I covered everything. That's part of what makes it fun, but it can be a bit stressful, too. I don't think I'll be able to finish my Classics Club spin book before the end of the year with all of the holiday craziness coming up, but that's okay!

I'm also really trying to limit my number of challenges for next year, but I'm not doing a very good job of it so far...

Reply



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    My name is Julie, and I own a lot of books. As in, they are stacked on the floor because I've run out of room on the shelves. And those shelves? There are so many books on them that they smile -- not sag; smile. This blog will cover book reviews and all manner of other bookish things.

    You can contact me at julie@smilingshelves.com.

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