Books Read in 2007

Links go to my review of the book on my main blog unless otherwise noted.

65. Shakespeare's Counselor by Charlaine Harris
64. Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs
63. Mine Til Midnight by Lisa Kleypas
62. Innocent in Death by JD Robb
61. Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl
60. Knocked Up by Rebecca Eckler
59. Kitty Takes a Holiday by Carrie Vaughn
58. Kitty Goes to Washington by Carrie Vaughn
57. A Fistful of Charms by Kim Harrison
56. The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever by Julia Quinn
55. All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris
54. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
53. Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris
52. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
51. The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart
50. The Imperfect Mom edited by Therese J. Borchard
49. Looking for Alaska by John Green
48. Glass Houses by Rachel Caine
47. Shakespeare's Champion by Charlaine Harris
46. Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
45. Lean Mean Thirteen by Janet Evanovich
44. Annie Says I Do by Carole Buck
43. Born in Death by J.D. Robb
42. The Storyteller's Daughter by Saira Shah
41. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
40. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
39. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
38. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
37. Paths Not Taken by Simon R. Green
36. The Faith Club by Idliby, Oliver, and Warner
35. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
34. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
33. Hex and the City by Simon R. Green
32. The Second Coming of Lucy Hatch by Marsha Moyer
31. Real Murders by Charlaine Harris
30. 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson
29. The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields
28. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
27. The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
26. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
25. Nightingale's Lament by Simon R. Green
24. Carpe Demon by Julie Kenner
23. The Giver by Lois Lowry
22. What My Mother Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones
21. Shakespeare's Christmas by Charlaine Harris
20. Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn
19. Plum Lovin' by Janet Evanovich (Amazon.com link)
18. The Mediator 1: Shadowland by Meg Cabot
17. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
16. Rachel's Holiday by Marian Keyes
15. Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris
14. Statements by Amy Borkowsky
13. Under the Duvet by Marian Keyes
12. Sufficient Grace by Darnell Arnoult
11. I Feel Bad About My Neck and Other Thoughts on Being a Woman by Nora Ephron
10. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling
9. The History Of Love by Nicole Krauss
8. Every Boy's Got One by Meg Cabot
7. Agents of Light and Darkness by Simon R. Green
6. Something From the Nightside by Simon R. Green
5. Try by Lily Burana (Amazon.com link)
4. Grave Sight by Charlaine Harris
3. Ill Wind by Rachel Caine
2. Size 12 is Not Fat by Meg Cabot
1. Waiting: The True Confessions of a Waitress by Debra Ginsberg (Amazon.com link)

The Newbery Project

There are tons of new challenges going around right now, and I am very firmly NOT JOINING any of them. I have a couple I plan to do in 2008 (after I fail the ones in 2007) but nothing new for fall. Then today as I was bloghopping, I found this- The Newbery Project. This is been going on for a while now, it's not new, but I just found it. There is no list to be made (the list already exists) and no set number of books to read. There is no time limit. Just read them. Here's the complete list, with the ones I've already read (as an adult, I read quite a few of them as a child) marked off.

2007 The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron
2006 Criss Cross, by Lynne Rae Perkins
2005 Kira-Kira, by Cynthia Kadohata
2004 The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread, by Kate DiCamillo
2003 Crispin: The Cross of Lead, by Avi (I've met the author)
2002 A Single Shard, by Linda Sue Park
2001 A Year Down Yonder, by Richard Peck (I've met the author)
2000 Bud, Not Buddy, by Christopher Paul Curtis (I've met the author)
1999 Holes, by Louis Sachar
1998 Out of the Dust, by Karen Hesse
1997 The View from Saturday, by E. L. Konigsburg (I've met the author)
1996 The Midwife’s Apprentice, by Karen Cushman
1995 Walk Two Moons, by Sharon Creech
1994 The Giver, by Lois Lowry
1993 Missing May, by Cynthia Rylant
1992 Shiloh, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
1991 Maniac Magee, by Jerry Spinelli
1990 Number the Stars, by Lois Lowry
1989 Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices, by Paul Fleischman
1988 Lincoln: A Photobiography, by Russell Freedman
1987 The Whipping Boy, by Sid Fleischman
1986 Sarah, Plain and Tall, by Patricia MacLachlan
1985 The Hero and the Crown, by Robin McKinley
1984 Dear Mr. Henshaw, by Beverly Cleary
1983 Dicey’s Song, by Cynthia Voigt
1982 A Visit to William Blake’s Inn: Poems for Innocent and Experienced Travelers, by Nancy Willard
1981 Jacob Have I Loved, by Katherine Paterson
1980 A Gathering of Days: A New England Girl's Journal, 1830-1832, by Joan Blos
1979 The Westing Game, by Ellen Raskin
1978 Bridge to Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson
1977 Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, by Mildred D. Taylor
1976 The Grey King, by Susan Cooper
1975 M. C. Higgins, the Great, by Virginia Hamilton
1974 The Slave Dancer, by Paula Fox
1973 Julie of the Wolves, by Jean Craighead George
1972 Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, by Robert C. O’Brien
1971 Summer of the Swans, by Betsy Byars
1970 Sounder, by William H. Armstrong
1969 The High King, by Lloyd Alexander
1968 From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, by E. L. Konigsburg
1967 Up a Road Slowly, by Irene Hunt
1966 I, Juan de Pareja, by Elizabeth Borton de Treviño
1965 Shadow of a Bull, by Maia Wojciechowska
1964 It’s Like This, Cat, by Emily Neville
1963 A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L’Engle
1962 The Bronze Bow, by Elizabeth George Speare
1961 Island of the Blue Dolphins, by Scott O’Dell
1960 Onion John, by Joseph Krumgold
1959 The Witch of Blackbird Pond, by Elizabeth George Speare
1958 Rifles for Watie, by Harold Keith
1957 Miracles on Maple Hill, by Virginia Sorenson
1956 Carry On, Mr. Bowditch, by Jean Lee Latham
1955 The Wheel on the School, by Meindert DeJong
1954 …And Now Miguel, by Joseph Krumgold
1953 Secret of the Andes, by Ann Nolan Clark
1952 Ginger Pye, by Eleanor Estes
1951 Amos Fortune, Free Man, by Elizabeth Yates
1950 The Door in the Wall, by Marguerite de Angeli
1949 King of the Wind, by Marguerite Henry
1948 The Twenty-One Balloons, by William Pène du Bois
1947 Miss Hickory, by Carolyn Sherwin Bailey
1946 Strawberry Girl, by Lois Lenski
1945 Rabbit Hill, by Robert Lawson
1944 Johnny Tremain, by Esther Forbes
1943 Adam of the Road, by Elizabeth Gray Vining
1942 The Matchlock Gun, by Walter Edmonds
1941 Call It Courage, by Armstrong Sperry
1940 Daniel Boone, by James Daugherty
1939 Thimble Summer, by Elizabeth Enright
1938 The White Stag, by Kate Seredy
1937 Roller Skates, by Ruth Sawyer
1936 Caddie Woodlawn, by Carol Ryrie Brink
1935 Dobry, by Monica Shannon
1934 Invincible Louisa: The Story of the Author of Little Women, by Cornelia Meigs
1933 Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze, by Elizabeth Foreman Lewis
1932 Waterless Mountain, by Laura Adams Armer
1931 The Cat Who Went to Heaven, by Elizabeth Coatsworth
1930 Hitty, Her First Hundred Years, by Rachel Field
1929 The Trumpeter of Krakow, by Eric P. Kelly
1928 Gay Neck, the Story of a Pigeon, by Dhan Gopal Mukerji
1927 Smoky the Cowhorse, by Will James
1926 Shen of the Sea, by Arthur Bowie Chrisman
1925 Tales from Silver Lands, by Charles Finger
1924 The Dark Frigate, by Charles Hawes
1923 The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle, by Hugh Lofting
1922 The Story of Mankind, by Hendrik Willem van Loon

Complete Challenge List TBR

Ok, so here it is, the full list of challenge books. Put this way, it's a lot of books and WHAT WAS I THINKING???

• The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai (bookawards group book for April)
• The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields (bookawards group for May)
• The Giver by Lois Lowry (1994 Newberry Winner and on my Dystopian Challenge list.)
• Number the Stars by Lois Lowry (1990 Newberry Winner)
• The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin (1979 Newberry Winner)
• Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor (1977 Newberry Winner, Book Awards)
• Up a Road Slowly by Irene Hunt (1967 Newberry Winner, Book Awards, Decades)
• A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle (1963 Newberry Winner, Saturday Review, Book Awards)
• The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare (1959 Newberry Winner, Book Awards, Decades)
• Brave New World by Huxley (Dystopian Challenge, Decades)
• The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (Dystopian Challenge, Saturday Review, Book Awards, Decades)
• Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang by Kate Wilhem (Dystopian Challenge)
• Never Let Me Go by Ishiguro (Dystopian Challenge, Saturday Review, Decades)
• 1984 by Orwell (Dystopian Challenge)
• Wicked by Gregory Maguire (TBR Challenge, Saturday Review)
• Bel Canto by Ann Patchett (TBR Challenge, Book Awards)
• Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson (TBR Challenge)
• The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke (TBR Challenge)
• Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery (TBR Challenge, Decades)
• A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf (TBR Challenge)
• The Eight by Katherine Neville (TBR Challenge)
• Carpe Demon by Julie Kenner (TBR Challenge)
• The Second Coming of Lucy Hatch by Marsha Moyer (TBR Challenge)
• Sense and Sensability by Jane Austin (Saturday Review)
• The Optimist's Daughter by Eudora Welty (Book Awards, Southern)
• Possession: A Romance by A.S. Byatt (Book Awards)
• Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides (Book Awards)
• The Road by McCarthy (Book Awards)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling (Book Awards)
• gods in Alabama by Joshilyn Jackson (Southern)
• Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns (Southern)
• The Little Prince by Antoine St. Exupery (Decades)

Alternates for Challenges:

• Ella Minnow Pea by Dunn (TBR)
• Lean Mean Thirteen by Evanovich (Saturday Review)
• Shakespeare's Landlord by Harris (Saturday Review)
• My Sister's Keeper by Picoult (Saturday Review)
• Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by See (Saturday Review)

Not on any challenge list, but on my original TBR list.

• Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
• Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs
• Heat Stroke by Rachel Caine
• Shakespeare's Counseler by Charlaine Harris
• Shakespeare's Champion by Charlaine Harris
• The Rest Falls Away by Colleen Gleason
• The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
  

Book Across the States

Bonnie is compiling a list of books for each state in the US. There is no time limit, no amount to be read, just a little list to keep up with. Who am I to deny the fun in this? I might as well keep a list too.

Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming

Books Read in 1999

In 1999 we moved to Huntsville, AL. I took a job at Burritt on the Mountain. I was working full time. In August, we would start to play EverQuest and from August until December I don't think I read a single book. Hard to read when you're online from the minute you get home until 2 or 3 in the morning! Regardless, I think that in the first 8 months of 1999 I read more books than I have in any year since.

Books are in alphabetical order, not order read.

1. Daddy-Long-Legs
2. Anyone But You by Jennifer Cruise
3. A Bride for John by Trisha Alexander
4. Bit of a Gypsy by Shannon Anderson
5. Dance With the Devil by Leanne Banks
6. For the Love of Sin by Leanne Banks
7. More Than a Mistress by Leanne Banks
8. Fairest of the All by Leanne Banks
9. Date with Dr. Frankenstein by Leanne Banks
10. Expectant Father by Leanne Banks
11. Wife for a Day by Patti Berg
12. Lawless Man by Beverly
13. Kiss and Tell by Suzanne Brockmann
14. Forever Blue by Suzanne Brockmann
15. Prince Joe by Suzanne Brockmann
16. Harvard's Education by Suzanne Brockmann
17. Otherwise Engaged by Suzanne Brockmann
18. The Kissing Game by Suzanne Brockmann
19. Everyday, Average Jones by Suzanne Brockmann
20. Adam's Fall by Sandra Brown
21. Zoe and the Best Man by Carole Buck
22. Rings on her Fingers by Susan Connell
23. One Good Man by Kathleen Creighton
24. The Cinderella Deal by Jennifer Crusie
25. Sign Me, Speechless in Seattle by Dalton
26. First Impression by Margot Dalton
27. Perfect Partners by Karen Drogin
28. Back to the Bedroom by Janet Evanovich
29. Smitten by Janet Evanovich
30. Myth and the Magic by Christine Flynn
31. Jake's Mountain by Christine Flynn
32. Anything You Can Do by Roz Denny Fox
33. Talk to Me by Jan Freed
34. Guardian Angel by Julie Garwood
35. Ransom by Julie Garwood
36. The Secret by Julie Garwood
37. With All My Heart by Jo Goodman
38. My Reckless Heart by Jo Goodman
39. Send Me No Flowers by Trish Graves
40. For a Good Time Call... by Trish Graves
41. Slow Dance by Greene
42. Bachelor Mom by Greene
43. Unwilling Bride by Greene
44. Baby in his In-Box by Jennifer Greene
45. It Had to be You by Jennifer Greene
46. Dear Reader by Jennifer Greene
47. Body and Soul by Jennifer Greene
48. Breathless by Laura Lee Guhrke
49. Lucky's Lady by Tami Hoag
50. In Our Dreams by Tami Hoag
51. Mackenzies by Linda Howard
52. Now You See Her by Linda Howard
53. Reforming of Matthew Dunn by Virginia Kantra
54. Passion of Patrick MacNeill by Virginia Kantra
55. Night Whispers by Leslie kelly
56. Four Men and a Lady by Alison Kent
57. Badge and the Baby by Alison Kent
58. The Heartbreak Kid by Alison Kent
59. Call Me by Alison Kent
60. Phoenix Rising by Mary Kirk
61. Miracles by Mary Kirk
62. The Mad, the Bad and the Innocent by Barbara Kirwin
63. Then Came You by Lisa Kleypas
64. Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas
65. A Rose for Maggie by Kathleen Korbel
66. Stormy Challenge by Stephanie James
67. Pirate by Jayne Ann Krentz
68. Trust Me by Jayne Ann Krentz
69. Absolutely, Positively by Jayne Ann Krentz
70. Full Bloom by Jayne Ann Krentz
71. The Nine Dollar Daddy by Day LeClaire
72. Yours and Mine by Macomber
73. My Hero by Debbie Macomber
74. Dead Men Do Tell Tales by William Maples
75. If Wishes Were Horses by Curtiss Ann Matlock
76. Charming the Prince by Teresa Medeiros
77. Dragonbound by Carl Miller
78. Sizzle by Foster & Minger
79. Most Wanted Woman by Maggie Price
80. Desire by Amanda Quick
81. To Catch an Heiress by Julie Quinn
82. Daddy by Accident by Riggs
83. Conspiracy in Death by JD Robb
84. Silent Night by JD Robb
85. Holiday in Death by JD Robb
86. Vengenance in Death by JD Robb
87. Ceremony in Death by JD Robb
88. Rapture in Death by JD Robb
89. Immortal in Death by JD Robb
90. Glory in Death by JD Robb
91. Man for Amanda by Nora Roberts
92. Inner Harbor by Nora Roberts
93. Rising Tides by Nora Roberts
94. Sea Swept by Nora Roberts
95. Mackenzie's Woman by JoAnn Ross
96. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by JK Rowling
97. Summer Heat by Burford & Ryan
98. Burning Touch by Patricia Ryan
99. For the Thrill of it by Patricia Ryan
100. Man for Megan by Darlene Scalera
101. One Hot Summer by Suzanne Scott
102. Family for Carter Jones by Ana Seymour
103. Talk About Love by Deborah Shelley
104. Dear Miss Jones by Catherine Spencer
105. Isn't It Romantic by Rhonda Thompson
106. Operation Gigolo by Vicki Lewis Thompson
107. Pure Temptation by Vicki Lewis Thompson
108. The Clairvoyant by Marian Thurm
109. Some Kind of Magic by Theresa Weir
110. Long Night Moon by Theresa Weir
111. American Dreamer by Theresa Weir
112. Last Summer by Theresa Weir
113. Breaking the Rules by Ruth Wind
114. Jezebel's Blues by Ruth Wind
115. Miss Liz's Passion by Sherryl Woods
116. Natural Born Lawman by Sherryl Woods

Books Read in 1998

I graduated from college in June 1998. I still had about 6 months to go in Auburn before my husband graduated, and I spent that time working full time at the bookstore.

Books are listed in alphabetical order, not order read.

1. The Romance Reader by Pearl Abraham
2. Marry Me Christmas by Jo Ann Algermissen
3. A Precious Jewel by Mary Balogh
4. Thirty- Day Fiance by Leanne Banks
5. Wonderful by Jill Barnett
6. The Gift of Fear by Gavin De Becker
7. The Surprise Baby by Nikki Benjamin
8. Fifty Ways to be Your Lover by Connie Bennett
9. Something Wicked by Jo Beverly
10. Baby Love by Toni Blair
11. A Man for All Seasons by Robert Bolt
12. Manhunting in Mississippi by Stephanie Bond
13. Littlest Marine by Maureen Child
14. Nine-Month Bride by Christenberry
15. Sleeping Murder by Agatha Christie
16. Count Your Blessings by Kathy Clark
17. Willfully Wed by Judy Collins
18. How to Succeed at Love by Connell
19. Rebel's Spirit by Connell
20. Tall, Dark and Temporary by Susan Connell
21. Point of Origin by Patricia Cornwell
22. Dying for Chocolate by Diane Mott Davidson
23. First Class Father by Douglas
24. Dear Mr. Right by Jennifer Drew
25. Private Lives: Men and Women of the Fifties by Benita Eisler
26. Her Child's Father by Christine Flynn
27. From House Calls to Husband by Christine Flynn
28. Hannah and the Hellion by Christine Flynn
29. Tantalizing by Lori Foster
30. Outrageous by Lori Foster
31. Fantasy by Lori Foster
32. This Old Heart by Holly Fuhrmann
33. Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons
34. Q's Legacy by Helene Hanff
35. The Duchess of Bloomsbury Stree by Helene Hanff
36. 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff
37. How Much is that Couple in the Window? by Lori Herter
38. Falling for a Father of Four by Arlene James
39. Daddy by Destiny by Muriel Jensen
40. Daddy by Design by Muriel Jensen
41. Daddy by Default by Muriel Jensen
42. Headstrong Bride by Joan Johnston
43. The Disobedient Bride by Joan Johnston
44. Blue Christmas by Linda Jones
45. Knight of a Trillion Stars by Dara Joy
46. Love You Forever by Kaiser
47. At Home in Mitford by Jan Karon
48. Tuesday's Knight by Kistler
49. Simple Gifts by Kathleen Korbel
50. Hidden Talents by Jayne Ann Krentz
51. Perfect Partners by Jayne Ann Krentz
52. Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
53. Two-week Wife by Miranda Lee
54. Cinderella and the Texas Prince by Lewis
55. adventurous Bride by Liholm
56. Brave the Wild Wind by Johanna Lindsey
57. Untamed by Elizabeth Lowell
58. Mr. December by Macallister
59. Dr. Texas by Debbie Macomber
60. Smoochin' Santa by Jule McBride
61. Crash Diet: Stories by Jill MCCorkle
62. Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
63. Cowboy Dad by Nicholas
64. The Promise of Jenny Jones by Maggie Osborne
65. The Cowboy's Ideal Wife by Victoria Pade
66. Baby Wishes and Bachelor Kisses by Valerie Parv
67. Regarding Rita by Pemberton
68. The Silent Cry by Anne Perry
69. Bibioholism by Tom Raabe
70. Naked in Death by JD Robb
71. Irish Thoroughbred by Nora Roberts
72. Cowboys, Babies and Shotgun Vows by Goodyear Rogers
73. There Goes the Bride by Roszel
74. In Hot Pursuit by Patricia Ryan
75. Ruined by Reading by Lynne Sharon Schwartz
76. The Struggle for Black Equality by Harvard Sitkoff
77. Not Looking for a Texas Man by Lass Small
78. Death Turns a Trick by Julie Smith
79. Rafe's Revenge by Stuart
80. Baby Boom by Peg Sutherland
81. It's Only Temporary by Cathy Gillen Thacker
82. Dad on the Job by Linda Varner
83. Crazy Ladies: A Novel by Michael Lee West
84. Quite a Year for Plums by Bailey White
85. Male for Sale by Steve White
86. Six Foot One Inch Grinch by Tiffany White
87. The Santa Suit by Whittenburg
88. Night by Elie Wiesel
89. She's Having His Baby by Wisdom
90. Cowgirl and the Unexpected Wedding by Sherryl Woods
91. Lizard by Banana Yoshimoto

Saturday Review of Books Challenge

Well. I just said, not even a week ago, that I wasn't going to join any other challenges until I finished one. I clearly remember myself saying that. But what's a goal for if not to be broken?

Semicolon is hosting a challenge for her Saturday Review of Books blog. The goal is to read 6 books that have been reviewed for the Saturday Review by the end of 2007. As you review each book you should go back and link it at the Review. Sounds easy enough? I went and reviewed the list to choose from, and wouldn't you know it, there are tons of books on there that are already on my TBR list! In fact, enough of them are on my other challenge lists that I'm really not adding many books at all to my challenges. How can I not sign up?

Here's my six:

1. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (Also on my Dystopian list)
2. Never Let Me Go by Ishiguro (ditto)
3. Wicked by Maguire (Also on my TBR Challenge list)
4. A Wrinkle in Time by L'Engle (on my Newbery list)
5. Sense and Sensibility by Austen (not on any list, but coming to my Inbox daily courtesy of http://www.dailylit.com/)
6. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Hosseni (also not on any list, but a recent gift)
   

Alternates:

1. Ella Minnow Pea by Dunn (TBR challenge alternative)
2. Lean Mean Thirteen by Evanovich (I already have this one, I can't imagine I won't get it read before the end of the year. It's the one series I'm actually current on.)
3. Shakespeare's Landlord by Harris (in the TBR)
4. My Sister's Keeper by Picoult (Not on any list, but my best friend Gina recently sent it to me with glowing reviews)
5. The Road by McCarthy (on my Book Awards Challenge list)
6. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by See (in the TBR)

Book Awards Reading Challenge

Ok, just ONE more challenge. Then I'm done. Actually, this one is so easy it doesn't even hardly count. The Books Awards Reading Challenge is hosted by 3M and the goal is to read 12 award winning books between July 1, 2007 and June 30, 2008. Books CAN overlap with other challenges, which means my list is mostly made already! Just a handful more and a full year to add them, I think this should work out just fine. As a bonus, I don't have to have my full list now, so I can add things from other, TBD, challenges later.


Here's what I've got so far:

1. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry (Newbery 1990)
2. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D Taylor (Newbery 1977)
3. Up A Road Slowly by Irene Hunt (Newbery 1967)
4. A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine D'Engle (Newbery 1963)
5. The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Spear (Newbery 1960)
6. The Optimist's Daughter by Eudora Welty (Pulitzer 1973)
7. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett (Orange Prize 2002)(PEN/Faulker 2002)
   
8. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (Governor General's Award 1985)
   
9. Possession: A Romance by A. S. Byatt (Man Booker 1990) (not on any other challenge, but on my shelves)
   
10. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides (Pulitzer 2003) (ditto)
11. The Road - Cormac McCarthy (Pulitzer 2007) (not on another challenge, but feels like something I should read.)
    
12. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by JK Rowling (British Book Award 2006)

Ok, there's my first 12. I've only added 3 that aren't already on another challenge. Now here's the best part- there are PRIZES- credits from paperbackswap! Woohoo! The more books you read, the more chances you have to win. I'm in it to win it!

3M has set up a nice little blog for this challenge, so come by and sign up- Books Awards Reading Challenge.

Southern Reading Challenge

Maggie over at Maggie Reads is hosting a Southern Reading Challenge this summer. After much deliberation I have decided on my three choices, and they are:

1. 1. gods in Alabama by Joshilyn Jackson
2. 2. The Optimist's Daughter by Eudora Welty
3. 3. Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns

All three of these are on my bookshelf already, so I can dive right in.

By the Decades Challenge

It has been pointed out to me that I can join this challenge without adding any more books to my list! So how could I not?

Here's my list:

• 2000s-Never Let Me Go by Ishiguro
  
• 1990s-The Giver by Lois Lowry
  
• 1970s- The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
• 1980s- The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
  
• 1960s- Up a Road Slowly by Irene Hunt
  
• 1950s- The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
• 1940s- The Little Prince by Antoine St. Exupery
• 1930s- Brave New World by Huxley
  
• 1920s- Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery
  

I have already read The Little Prince half a dozen times. This is my very favorite book, and when I saw it was written in the 40s I couldn't resist adding it. Perhaps it does not qualify for the challenge as I have read it, in which Animal Farm is also from the 40s. There are actually lots of great novels from the 40s that I could have added- Gigi (which I have), Cheaper By the Dozen, The Heart of the Matter, The Pearl, Cannery Row, Stuart Little. I'm going with The Little Prince because it's my favorite.

Reading the lists on wikipedia sure does make me want to read a lot of classics that I never got around to. There are just so many good books out there, and not enough time in my life to read them all.

Newbery Challenge

I've decided to join the Newbery Challenge. This challenge runs May 15- December 31, 2007.

I'm not sure where I'll find the time to read them, but I can't help myself. I figure just entering the challenge will have me reading at least a couple books I'd otherwise skip over. I had a really hard time choosing as so many of them brought back memories for me. I managed to only pick one that I had read before (#6). Here's my list:

1. The Giver by Lois Lowry (1994 Newbery Winner and on my Dystopian Challenge list.)
2. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry (1990 Newbery Winner)
3. The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin (1979)
4. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
5. Up a Road Slowly by Irene Hunt (1967)
6. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle (1963)
7. (alternate title) The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare (1959)

Dystopian Challenge

For a list of participants, see this post on my main blog.

In case you missed the first post, the rules were as follows:

1. Pick any number of books you wish to read that fall into the Utopia/Dystopia genre.
2. They do not have to be books you've never read, but hopefully they aren't books you last week.
3. Challenge is open now, and will last until November 6th.

I followed that up with post #2, which has some lists of books and links to lists.

A couple of brave souls actually agreed to play along with me! Ok, so there aren't many, but at least I'm not alone. I plan to convince my husband to join in too. I had a hard time narrowing down my list, without it being the first 5 books listed. I think I have it now though.<

1. The Giver by Lois Lowry. (I really want to read Lowry's Number the Stars too, but it doesn't fit the challenge. Or really, any of her books. )
2. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. (I read this in 10th grade and loved it so much. It was the first books that really made me *think*. Then I had to do a presentation to my class, much of which revolved around sex and drugs, and I was mortified.)
3. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. (I've also read this before, but I'd like to read it again as an adult and mother.)
4. Where Late The Sweet Birds Sang by Kate Wilhelm. (Susan at West of Mars keeps recommending it, so I chose it.)
5. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. (This one was on the list at wikipedia and looks interesting.)
6. Either Animal Farm or 1984 by Orwell. I have not decided which yet.

New Author Challenge

I signed up to participate in the 2007 New Author Challenge over at Paperbackswap.com . The idea is that you read 26 new-to-you authors in one year.

LAST UPDATED 5/9/07
Currently 12 of 26

A- Sufficient Grace by Darnell Arnoult
B- Try by Lily Burana -2/3/07 (Amazon.com link)
Statements by Amy Borkowsky- 3/10/07
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury - 3/30/07
C- Size 12 is Not Fat by Meg Cabot -1/18/07
D-
E-I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron- 3/2/07
F-
G- Waiting: The True Confessions Of A Waitress by Debra Ginsberg- 1/4/07 (Amazon.com link)
H-
I-
J- Carpe Demon by Julie Kenner- 5/8/07
K- The History of Love by Nicole Krauss- 2/19/2007
L- The Giver by Lois Lowry 5/7/07
M-Under the Duvet by Marian Keyes- 3/7/07
N-
O-
P-
Q-
R- Ill Wind by Rachel Caine 1/25/07
S- Something From the Nightside by Simon R. Green 2/5/07
T-
U-
V- Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn 4/28/07
W-
X-
Y-
Z- The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

TBR Challenge

I signed up to participate in the TBR (to be read) challenge. Like a lot of bookish people, I have a lot of books that I've never gotten around to reading. Some of these books have been following me around for, uh, years. Some of them I got last summer, or last week, but there's always something more pressing when I go to select a new book. Yesterday I found a link to the challenge here.

The rules of the challenge:
1. Pick 12 books that have been on the TBR pile (or in my case, piles) for more than 6 months.
2. Read one book a month in 2007, until the list is gone.
3. It is permissable to have an "extra credit" list of alternates, in case the original twelve aren't doing it for you.

Here's my list, in no particular order, (crossed off books have been read):

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Rachel's Holiday by Marian Keyes
Wicked by Gregory Maguire
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson
The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke
Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery
A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf
The Eight by Katherine Neville
Carpe Demon by Julie Kenner
The Second Coming of Lucy Hatch by Marsha Moyer
Try by Lily Burana

My "Extra Credit"
Toddler Edited by Jennifer Margulis
The Imperfect Mom Edited by Therese J. Borchard
Katherine by Anya Seton
The Makeup Girl by Andrea Semple
The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella
The Dogs of Bedlam Farm by Jon Katz
The Shadow of the Wind by Carols Ruiz Zafon
Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn