2010 Challenges Wrap-Up

2010 Aussie Author Challenge – FAILED

Hosted by Page Turners.
Because I joined late (May) I was trying for the Ankle Biter level of 4 books. Unfortunately I did not get into the last book, so I only read three:

1. Ice Station by Matthew Reilly (review)
2. The Secret River by Kate Grenville (review)
3. Bad Debts by Peter Temple (review)

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Spark-i-baken round 9 (BookCrossing) – COMPLETED 30/9-10

From the Scandinavian forum on BookCrossing.
The title of this challenge literally means "kick in the butt" and was created to well, give people a kick in the butt and get you reading. The rules were simple: Pick 10 books from your bookshelf and try to read them in six months. The challenge went from 1 April to 30 September 2010.

1. Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris2. Under Gemini by Rosamunde Pilcher
3. Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett
4. The Secret River by Kate Grenville
5. Inkspell by Cornelia Funke
6. Talk to the Hand by Lynne Truss
7. 16 Lighthouse Road by Debbie Macomber
8. Atlantis Found by Clive Cussler
9. The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
10. Rise and Shine by Anna Quindlen

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The Book Challenge (GoodReads) – PARTIALLY COMPLETED

This is a group on GoodReads where the members set their own reading goals for a year. My goal for 2010 was to read 35 books, 15 of which must be books I have received from BookCrossing. I read 37 books and exceeded my total goal with 2 books, but only 12 of them were BookCrossing books.

1. The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
2. Past Secrets by Cathy Kelly
3. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
4. The 5 Greatest Warriors by Matthew Reilly
5. Blue Shoes and Happiness by Alexander McCall Smith
6. Heartbeat: Constable Across the Moors and Other Tales of a Yorkshire Village Bobby by Nicholas Rhea
7. (BC1) Irish Girls About Town by Maeve Binchy, Marian Keyes, Cathy Kelly et al
8. (BC2) The Spider Sapphire Mystery by Carolyn Keene
9. Det niende prinsipp by Gert Nygårdshaug
10. De dødes båt by Knut Nærum
11. (BC3) Atlantis Found by Clive Cussler
12. Siste akt by Nils Nordberg & Klaus Hagerup
13. (BC4) Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett
14. (BC5) Talk to the Hand by Lynne Truss
15. (BC6) Rise and Shine by Anna Quindlen
16. Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
17. (BC7) Under Gemini by Rosamunde Pilcher
18. Inkspell by Cornelia Funke
19. Ice Station by Matthew Reilly
20. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
21. (BC8) 16 Lighthouse Road by Debbie Macomber
22. Eleven On Top by Janet Evanovich
23. (BC9) The Secret River by Kate Grenville
24. The Heretic's Treasure by Scott Mariani
25. (BC10) The Last Unicorn by Peter Beagle
26. (BC11) The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz
27. The Hot Rock by Donald E. Westlake
28. (BC12) The Mystery of the 99 Steps by Carolyn Keene
29. Bad Debts by Peter Temple
30. The Sevenfold Spell by Tia Nevitt
31. 'Twas the Night by Sandra Hill, Kate Holmes, Trish Jensen
32. The Burglar and the Blizzard by Alice Duer Miller
33. Incarceron by Catherine Fisher
34. Christmas in Harmony by Philip Gulley
35. The Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore
36. Christmas at The Mysterious Bookshop by Otto Penzled (ed.)
37. Julemysteriet (The Christmas Mystery) by Jostein Gaarder

2nds Challenge 2011

I was not planning on joining any more challenges this year, but after looking over my books, I think I can safely pull this one off.

 

The 2011 2nds Challenge is hosted by A Few More Pages, and is not just for second books in series, but also for the second time you have read a particular author.

Visit the challenge page to read the rules and sign up.

There are four levels, and I am aiming for the Just a spoonful level which is to read 3 books.

This is a tentative list of the books I would like to read:

1. Curse of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz

2. Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris

3. Always and Forever by Cathy Kelly

Mystery & Suspense Reading Challenge 2011

I usually read quite a few thrillers and mystery books in a year, and I have a lot of books from this genre on my shelves (some which have been there forever). So I have decided to join Book Chick City's Mystery & Suspense Challenge for 2011. The challenge is to read at least 12 mystery and suspense books during 2011, which sounds like a reasonable number.

As an added incentive, Simon & Schuster UK is providing a free ARC of The Survivor by Sean Slater for all participants in the challenge. Be sure to stop by BCC's challenge post to read the rules and sign up. You can also check out her list of sub-genres to help you decide which books to read.

This is a tentative list of books I would like to read, but I do reserve the right to change it at any time (and chances are I will). :)

1. The Surgeon by Tess Gerritsen
2. The Good Husband of Zebra Drive by Alexander McCall Smith
3. The Thieves of Heaven by Richard Doetsch
4. Tripwire by Lee Child
5. The Doomsday Key by James Rollins
6. Pulse by Jeremy Robinson
7. The Shadow Project by Scott Mariani
8. The Lions of Lucerne by Brad Thor
9. Transfer of Power by Vince Flynn
10. 2nd Chance by James Patterson
11. Déjà Dead by Kathy Reichs
12. Homicide in Hardcover by Kate Carlisle

1st In a Series Challenge 2011

I've decided to join my first challenge for 2011; the 1st In a Series Challenge hosted by A Few More Pages. So many books on my wishlist and TBR list are the first book in a series, and I thought this challenge would be a good excuse to read some of them.

The challenge runs from January 1 through December 31, 2011, and there are four levels:

1. Series Novice: Read 3 books that are the first in any series
2. Series Lover: Read 6 books that are the first in any series
3. Series Expert: Read 12 books that are the first in any series
4. Series Fanatic: Read 20 books that are the first in any series

I am aiming for Series Lover for now. I'll choose the books as I go.

2010 Holiday Reading Challenge

I love Christmas and obviously I love reading, so this challenge hosted by All About {n} is perfect for me. Here are the details from Nely:

1. Challenge will start Monday, November 15 and will end Friday, December 31.

2. You can read anywhere from 1 to 5 books for the challenge and, of course, if you're like me, you are more than welcome to surpass that number.

3. And now, here's the clincher... they must be holiday related books. That's right, the holiday doesn't really matter, but it would be more "jolly" if your choices were Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, etc.

4. The size of the book does not matter, nor does the genre. It is also okay for the book to overlap with other challenges. The only thing I ask is that they are not children's books. YA is okay. And so are re-reads. I for one tend to read the same books every Christmas - they are tradition.

Oh, and there will be weekly prizes!

If you'd like to join me in this challenge, head on over to All About {n} and sign up!

Here is a list of the books I would like to read. I'm aiming for one a week, but
I'll try to read more if I can.

1. The Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore
2. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
3. The Christmas Mystery by Jostein Gaarder
4. Christmas at the Mysterious Bookshop by Otto Penzler (ed.)
5. Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher
6. The Burglar and the Blizzard by Alice Duer Miller

The Aussie Author Challenge

I've always loved Australia, and after visiting this wonderful country twice, I've become even more interested in reading Australian fiction. I recently came across Page Turners' The Aussie Author Challenge, and thought it would be a nice opportunity for me to read more Australian literature.

Unfortunately Aussie books aren't the easiest to find in Norway, but I do have a couple on my shelves, and I'm pretty sure I can find at least one more in my local library (it will probably have to be a Norwegian translation, but I can live with that).

I'm going for the Ankle Biter level of 4 books, and will be reading these:

1. The Secret River by Kate Grenville
2. Ice Station by Matthew Reilly
3. Summer Lightning by Tamara McKinley
4 will have to be decided later depending on what books I can find in the library, but I'll try to locate one of these authors: Tim Winton, Bryce Courtenay, Colleen McCullough, John Marsden, Peter Temple, Kate Morton, Di Morrissey.