Reading Challenge 2009: A Year of Books in Review
One year ago, on January 1, 2009, I set myself a reading challenge (though not, if you'll remember, a terribly specific one). It came in two parts: read, a lot, and keep track of and review everything I read. And as you all know, I have been inundating you with reviews ever since, though not as many as I was originally hoping . . . But anyway, onto the summary of the year!
"You're the same today as you'll be in five years except for the people you meet and the books you read." - Charlie Jones
The Final Tally
Tally: 100
Books Read: 60
Books Reread: 39
Books Written: 1
* = New Read
** = Original Novel
1.* The Calder Game by Blue Balliett
2.* Alphabet of Dreams by Susan Fletcher
3.* The Wizard's Map by Jane Yolen
4. Looking for Alaska by John Green
5.* {Catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson
6.* Foundation by Mercedes Lackey
7.* Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
8. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
9.* The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
10.* Mondays are Red by Nicola Morgan
11. Paper Towns by John Green
12.* Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde
13.* Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin
14.* The Well of Lost Plots by Jasper Fforde
15.* Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
16.* Something Rotten by Jasper Fforde
17.* Turnabout by Margaret Peterson Haddix
18.* The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
19.* The Girls by Lori Lansens
20.* The Declaration by Gemma Malley
21. Angels and Demons by Dan Brown
22.* The Stepsister Scheme by Jim C. Hines
23. Beauty Sleep by Cameron Dokey
24. The Fairy Godmother by Mercedes Lackey
25. One Good Knight by Mercedes Lackey
26.* The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
27. Belle by Cameron Dokey
28. Nine Days a Queen by Ann Rinaldi
29. Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce
30. Wolf-Speaker by Tamora Pierce
31.* Broken for You by Stephanie Kallos
32.* Castle Waiting by Linda Medley
33.* Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Friend by Christopher Moore
34. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
35.* Romeo's Ex: Rosaline's Story by Lisa Fiedler
36. Emperor Mage by Tamora Pierce
37. The Realms of the Gods by Tamora Pierce
38. Darcy's Story by Janet Aylmer
39.* I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
40. Terrier by Tamora Pierce
41.* Bloodhound by Tamora Pierce
42.* 13 by Jason Robert Brown and Dan Elish
43.* The Diamond Secret by Suzanne Weyn
44.* Wild Orchid by Cameron Dokey
45.* The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
46.* The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
47.* The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
48.* The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan
49.* The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan
50.* The Demigod Files by Rick Riordan
51.* The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan
52. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
53.* Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd
54.* Thirteenth Child by Patricia C. Wrede
55. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by JK Rowling
56.* Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
57. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
58. The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
59. The Fire Rose by Mercedes Lackey
60. East by Edith Pattou
61.* Slay and Rescue by John Moore
62.* This I Believe, edited by Jay Allison and Dan Gediman
63.* Because I am Furniture by Thalia Chaltas
64.* Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George
65.* Dorothy, Volume 1 by Mark Masterson
66. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
67.* The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan
68. The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare
69. Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George
70. Dragon Flight by Jessica Day George
71. The World’s Favorite Fairy Tale by Lowell Swortzell
72.* Dragon Spear by Jessica Day George
73. The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
74.* One False Note by Gordon Korman
75.* As You Like It by William Shakespeare
76.* Was by Geoff Ryman
77.* The Sword Thief by Peter Lerangis
78.* Beyond the Grave by Jude Watson
79.* Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare
80.* Graceling by Kristin Cashore
81.* Jump/Cut by Neena Beber
82.* Winter’s Child by Cameron Dokey
83.** We Behind the Curtain by Cassie Guion
84. Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C Wrede
85. Searching for Dragons by Patricia C Wrede
86. Calling on Dragons by Patricia C Wrede
87. Talking to Dragons by Patricia C Wrede
88. Book of Enchantments by Patricia C Wrede
89. The Autobiography of Santa Claus by Jeff Quinn
90.* This Book is Not Good for You by Pseudonymous Bosch
91.* Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett
92.* Rapunzel’s Revenge by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale
93.* A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett
94.* Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett
95. Sunlight and Shadow by Cameron Dokey
96. The Night Dance by Suzanne Weyn
97. Water Song by Suzanne Weyn
98.* Nightlight by the Harvard Lampoon
99. Snow by Tracey Lynn
100. An Earthly Knight by Janet McNaughton
THE 2009 CHALLENGE
1. Going into this year, what was your goal in terms of reading, and how did you do?
To be honest, when the year began, I didn't really have a specific goal. Last year, I read 113 books. This year, I was kinda hoping to match that, but as it turned to December and I realized that was a pipe dream, what I really wanted to do was just hit 100. Well, as some of you may remember, I was about 15 books shy of that a week ago, but I made it!
In terms of totals, I read 100 books this year. If it took me longer than 30 minutes to read, it went on the list. 60 of the 100 were new books, 39 were rereads, and 1 was an original novel that I wrote myself. As far as the reviewing went, I did pretty well until this last week or so, and then I got lazy. Sorry about that.
2. Are you happy with your list for this year?
Yes and no. If we break my list down into sections of the year, I read 20 books during the spring semester (January to May), 41 during the summer (June to first half of August), 22 during the fall semester (second half of August to early December), and the final 17 since I went on break. I wanted to hit my 100, and I did, but I consistently hit my landmark dates later than last year, and I read SO MUCH this past week. I know I read less during the school year, but . . . eh, it's just me being OCD. I'm proud of my list and of the reading I did this year, yes.
3. What kinds of things did you read this year?
As usual, mostly novels, and most of them YA novels or fantasy novels. Other than that, I had two anthologies of short stories, one collection of essays, three graphic novels, and seven scripts. Oh, and my original novel, of course. In case you were wondering, it's on the list because I did read it in its entirety about three times, which doesn't count, you know, writing the thing.
4. Any recommendations for us?
Like I did last year, I'll stick to the new books I read this year, since if I'm rereading it, it's probably a good bet I'd recommend it. As far as new books go, I give you the best of the year:
Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Friend by Christopher Moore
I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Thirteenth Child by Patricia Wrede
Was by Geoff Ryman
Graceling by Kristin Cashore
I also read two new entire series this year that were wonderful and get added to the favorites list:
Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan
The Tiffany Aching Adventures by Terry Pratchett
5. Worst books of the year? Any that earn negative recommendations?
Honestly, I don't think I have any that I'd say absolutely stay away from. I have books I certainly didn't enjoy and I had books that disappointed me, but negative recommendations . . . Mondays are Red is probably the closest, but I wouldn't warn anyone away from it.
6. Any books fail to meet your expectations?
Sadly, yes. The Wizard's Map by Jane Yolen and Winter's Child by Cameron Dokey are the ones that stand out, and they were mainly disappointing to me because of the high esteem I hold their authors in. Yolen and Dokey are both too good to publish mediocre books like those.
7. Any of this year's books exceed your expectations?
I Am the Messenger, definitely. As I said in my review, it's a good book up until the last four pages, and then it becomes absolutely magnificent. Not only did the plot twist take me completely by surprise (which is hard for a book to do, let me tell you!), it is utterly brilliant in a breathtaking way, which is why it made its way onto my Universal Book List. Everybody needs to read this book.
Other than that, This I Believe was much better than I was expecting. I thought it would be dry and dull, but it really, really wasn't. I really enjoyed it. Same goes for Was by Geoff Ryman.
8. Favorite books of the year? (and yes, this list has slightly different criteria from the recommendations listed above)
Looking for Alaska by John Green
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
Paper Towns by John Green
Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
The Stepsister Scheme by Jim C. Hines
Beauty Sleep by Cameron Dokey
The Fairy Godmother by Mercedes Lackey
Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Friend by Christopher Moore
Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
13 by Jason Robert Brown and Dan Elish
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan
The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan
The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan
Thirteenth Child by Patricia C. Wrede
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by JK Rowling
The Fire Rose by Mercedes Lackey
East by Edith Pattou
Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George
Graceling by Kristin Cashore
Rapunzel’s Revenge by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale
Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett
A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett
Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett
The Night Dance by Suzanne Weyn
An Earthly Knight by Janet McNaughton
And yes, I know that that list has 30 books on it. You're lucky I whittled it down that much.
9. What does 2010 hold for your reading?
And here, I set down the 2010 Reading Challenge!
I will read at least 100 books in 2010.
I will read at least 50 books I've never read before.
I will post a regular records of my progress on LiveJournal, Facebook, Nerdfighters, and Xanga.
I will post reviews of all the new books I read, as well as any rereads for which reviews are specifically requested.
I challenge you all to do a similar challenge! Not 100 in a year (I'm aware I have some slightly freakish tendencies when it comes to reading), but some kind of goal to get you to read more than you usually do. The actual challenge I based mine on is the 50 Books in 52 Weeks challenge, but if a book a week seems a little overwhelming, start with a book a month. That's 12 books in 2010, and I know you can all do it! Then post your progress for me to read, either on your own blog somewhere, or in a comment of one of my posts because I am ALWAYS looking for new books to read. And who knows? Maybe one of your recs will make it onto my Universal Book list!
Happy reading!
"It is not true we have only one life to love, if we can read, we can live as many lives and as many kinds of lives as we wish." - S.I. Hayakawa
"You're the same today as you'll be in five years except for the people you meet and the books you read." - Charlie Jones
The Final Tally
Tally: 100
Books Read: 60
Books Reread: 39
Books Written: 1
* = New Read
** = Original Novel
1.* The Calder Game by Blue Balliett
2.* Alphabet of Dreams by Susan Fletcher
3.* The Wizard's Map by Jane Yolen
4. Looking for Alaska by John Green
5.* {Catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson
6.* Foundation by Mercedes Lackey
7.* Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
8. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
9.* The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
10.* Mondays are Red by Nicola Morgan
11. Paper Towns by John Green
12.* Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde
13.* Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin
14.* The Well of Lost Plots by Jasper Fforde
15.* Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
16.* Something Rotten by Jasper Fforde
17.* Turnabout by Margaret Peterson Haddix
18.* The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
19.* The Girls by Lori Lansens
20.* The Declaration by Gemma Malley
21. Angels and Demons by Dan Brown
22.* The Stepsister Scheme by Jim C. Hines
23. Beauty Sleep by Cameron Dokey
24. The Fairy Godmother by Mercedes Lackey
25. One Good Knight by Mercedes Lackey
26.* The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
27. Belle by Cameron Dokey
28. Nine Days a Queen by Ann Rinaldi
29. Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce
30. Wolf-Speaker by Tamora Pierce
31.* Broken for You by Stephanie Kallos
32.* Castle Waiting by Linda Medley
33.* Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Friend by Christopher Moore
34. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
35.* Romeo's Ex: Rosaline's Story by Lisa Fiedler
36. Emperor Mage by Tamora Pierce
37. The Realms of the Gods by Tamora Pierce
38. Darcy's Story by Janet Aylmer
39.* I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
40. Terrier by Tamora Pierce
41.* Bloodhound by Tamora Pierce
42.* 13 by Jason Robert Brown and Dan Elish
43.* The Diamond Secret by Suzanne Weyn
44.* Wild Orchid by Cameron Dokey
45.* The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
46.* The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
47.* The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
48.* The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan
49.* The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan
50.* The Demigod Files by Rick Riordan
51.* The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan
52. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
53.* Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd
54.* Thirteenth Child by Patricia C. Wrede
55. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by JK Rowling
56.* Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
57. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
58. The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
59. The Fire Rose by Mercedes Lackey
60. East by Edith Pattou
61.* Slay and Rescue by John Moore
62.* This I Believe, edited by Jay Allison and Dan Gediman
63.* Because I am Furniture by Thalia Chaltas
64.* Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George
65.* Dorothy, Volume 1 by Mark Masterson
66. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
67.* The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan
68. The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare
69. Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George
70. Dragon Flight by Jessica Day George
71. The World’s Favorite Fairy Tale by Lowell Swortzell
72.* Dragon Spear by Jessica Day George
73. The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
74.* One False Note by Gordon Korman
75.* As You Like It by William Shakespeare
76.* Was by Geoff Ryman
77.* The Sword Thief by Peter Lerangis
78.* Beyond the Grave by Jude Watson
79.* Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare
80.* Graceling by Kristin Cashore
81.* Jump/Cut by Neena Beber
82.* Winter’s Child by Cameron Dokey
83.** We Behind the Curtain by Cassie Guion
84. Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C Wrede
85. Searching for Dragons by Patricia C Wrede
86. Calling on Dragons by Patricia C Wrede
87. Talking to Dragons by Patricia C Wrede
88. Book of Enchantments by Patricia C Wrede
89. The Autobiography of Santa Claus by Jeff Quinn
90.* This Book is Not Good for You by Pseudonymous Bosch
91.* Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett
92.* Rapunzel’s Revenge by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale
93.* A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett
94.* Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett
95. Sunlight and Shadow by Cameron Dokey
96. The Night Dance by Suzanne Weyn
97. Water Song by Suzanne Weyn
98.* Nightlight by the Harvard Lampoon
99. Snow by Tracey Lynn
100. An Earthly Knight by Janet McNaughton
THE 2009 CHALLENGE
1. Going into this year, what was your goal in terms of reading, and how did you do?
To be honest, when the year began, I didn't really have a specific goal. Last year, I read 113 books. This year, I was kinda hoping to match that, but as it turned to December and I realized that was a pipe dream, what I really wanted to do was just hit 100. Well, as some of you may remember, I was about 15 books shy of that a week ago, but I made it!
In terms of totals, I read 100 books this year. If it took me longer than 30 minutes to read, it went on the list. 60 of the 100 were new books, 39 were rereads, and 1 was an original novel that I wrote myself. As far as the reviewing went, I did pretty well until this last week or so, and then I got lazy. Sorry about that.
2. Are you happy with your list for this year?
Yes and no. If we break my list down into sections of the year, I read 20 books during the spring semester (January to May), 41 during the summer (June to first half of August), 22 during the fall semester (second half of August to early December), and the final 17 since I went on break. I wanted to hit my 100, and I did, but I consistently hit my landmark dates later than last year, and I read SO MUCH this past week. I know I read less during the school year, but . . . eh, it's just me being OCD. I'm proud of my list and of the reading I did this year, yes.
3. What kinds of things did you read this year?
As usual, mostly novels, and most of them YA novels or fantasy novels. Other than that, I had two anthologies of short stories, one collection of essays, three graphic novels, and seven scripts. Oh, and my original novel, of course. In case you were wondering, it's on the list because I did read it in its entirety about three times, which doesn't count, you know, writing the thing.
4. Any recommendations for us?
Like I did last year, I'll stick to the new books I read this year, since if I'm rereading it, it's probably a good bet I'd recommend it. As far as new books go, I give you the best of the year:
Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Friend by Christopher Moore
I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Thirteenth Child by Patricia Wrede
Was by Geoff Ryman
Graceling by Kristin Cashore
I also read two new entire series this year that were wonderful and get added to the favorites list:
Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan
The Tiffany Aching Adventures by Terry Pratchett
5. Worst books of the year? Any that earn negative recommendations?
Honestly, I don't think I have any that I'd say absolutely stay away from. I have books I certainly didn't enjoy and I had books that disappointed me, but negative recommendations . . . Mondays are Red is probably the closest, but I wouldn't warn anyone away from it.
6. Any books fail to meet your expectations?
Sadly, yes. The Wizard's Map by Jane Yolen and Winter's Child by Cameron Dokey are the ones that stand out, and they were mainly disappointing to me because of the high esteem I hold their authors in. Yolen and Dokey are both too good to publish mediocre books like those.
7. Any of this year's books exceed your expectations?
I Am the Messenger, definitely. As I said in my review, it's a good book up until the last four pages, and then it becomes absolutely magnificent. Not only did the plot twist take me completely by surprise (which is hard for a book to do, let me tell you!), it is utterly brilliant in a breathtaking way, which is why it made its way onto my Universal Book List. Everybody needs to read this book.
Other than that, This I Believe was much better than I was expecting. I thought it would be dry and dull, but it really, really wasn't. I really enjoyed it. Same goes for Was by Geoff Ryman.
8. Favorite books of the year? (and yes, this list has slightly different criteria from the recommendations listed above)
Looking for Alaska by John Green
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
Paper Towns by John Green
Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
The Stepsister Scheme by Jim C. Hines
Beauty Sleep by Cameron Dokey
The Fairy Godmother by Mercedes Lackey
Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Friend by Christopher Moore
Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
13 by Jason Robert Brown and Dan Elish
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan
The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan
The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan
Thirteenth Child by Patricia C. Wrede
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by JK Rowling
The Fire Rose by Mercedes Lackey
East by Edith Pattou
Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George
Graceling by Kristin Cashore
Rapunzel’s Revenge by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale
Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett
A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett
Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett
The Night Dance by Suzanne Weyn
An Earthly Knight by Janet McNaughton
And yes, I know that that list has 30 books on it. You're lucky I whittled it down that much.
9. What does 2010 hold for your reading?
And here, I set down the 2010 Reading Challenge!
I will read at least 100 books in 2010.
I will read at least 50 books I've never read before.
I will post a regular records of my progress on LiveJournal, Facebook, Nerdfighters, and Xanga.
I will post reviews of all the new books I read, as well as any rereads for which reviews are specifically requested.
I challenge you all to do a similar challenge! Not 100 in a year (I'm aware I have some slightly freakish tendencies when it comes to reading), but some kind of goal to get you to read more than you usually do. The actual challenge I based mine on is the 50 Books in 52 Weeks challenge, but if a book a week seems a little overwhelming, start with a book a month. That's 12 books in 2010, and I know you can all do it! Then post your progress for me to read, either on your own blog somewhere, or in a comment of one of my posts because I am ALWAYS looking for new books to read. And who knows? Maybe one of your recs will make it onto my Universal Book list!
Happy reading!
"It is not true we have only one life to love, if we can read, we can live as many lives and as many kinds of lives as we wish." - S.I. Hayakawa