2016 Reading Challenge

I decided to make my own reading challenge this year as there were a lot of prompts I just couldn't see myself wanting to force myself into. I have mostly stolen them from various challenges I have seen online. I decided to limit it to 30 books so I had more room to read whatever I feel like in between. 

1. A book from a series you have already started

2. A book that’s becoming a movie this year

3. A New York Times best seller

4. A book by an author you loved as a child

5. A book that was given to you as a gift

6. A book with a blue cover

7. A book from Oprah’s book club

8. A book that a movie you love is based on

9. A book that’s set at Christmas time

10. A book written by a comedian

11. A book about a road trip

12. A classic

13. A dystopian novel

14. A book based on a fairy tale

15. An audio book

16. A collection of essays

17. A historical fiction set prior to 1900

18. A book that was originally published in the decade you were born

19. A book with a protagonist that has a similar occupation to you

20. A graphic novel

21. A Printz Award winner

22. A book recommended by someone 30 years older or younger than you

23. A book you have been meaning to read for a while

24 – 30. A book set on each of the seven continents (Australia, Asia, Antarctica, Africa, Europe, South America, & North America)

What I Read This December

As I mentioned in my last post I managed to pull it together and finish the PopSugar Ultimate Reading Challenge for 2015 *throws confetti* And thanks to some help picking out the final challenges from my friends what I thought would be an exhausting slog through books I wasn’t really interested in turned out to be enjoyable to the end. So I finished my last five reading challenges then I got to enjoy some magical Christmas books.

The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery ★★★★

A book with a colour in the title

I didn't think I would get into this one at the beginning as everyone was so darn unlikeable, thankfully the main character developed fabulously and it made for a fun read.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens ★★★★★

A book published over 100 years ago



Even though its a story we all know so well I had never read this. After attempting a few different books for this challenge Rachel recommended I give this one a shot and it was great. 

Life, the Universe and Everything (Hitchikers #3) by Douglas Adams  ★★★★

A book recommended by a friend

Technically I was recommended this series by one of my friends back in university days but I had never gotten around to books 3-5. The storyline in this edition was much easier to follow than the others in the series. Fortunately I like cricket enough to understand all the cricket-centric jokes it featured. 
 

So Long and Thanks for all the Fish (Hitchikers #4) by Douglas Adams ★★★

A book published in the year you were born



This book was okay, not as well put together as the rest of the series (although the foreword explains how the author was basically held at gunpoint and forced to write it). I wasn't really interested in Arthur Dent's love life, I would have rather followed the other characters. Hopefully the last book is better. I probably wont read the book that Eoin Colfer wrote as the 6th book as I don't like his writing much. 

 

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern ★★★★★

 

A book with magic in it

I loved this book so much, it just made me so happy.

The Night Before Christmas by Scarlett Bailey ★★★★

Calling Mrs. Christmas by Carole Matthews ★★★★

I enjoyed these two little Christmas books, they were pretty fun reads. 
I got a few books for Christmas, I haven't got around to reading any of them yet as I have a thousand library books out but I am excited about reading them sometime soon.

 

PopSugar Ultimate Reading Challenge 2015 Round up

I managed to pull it together and complete the challenge with 8 days to spare! All in all it was a good year of reading, I excelled my expectations by managing to finish in time. Along the way I read books I mostly enjoyed, finally read a few things I had put off and discovered a few new authors to follow. Here is the complete list of challenges and what I read for them:

1. A book with more than 500 pages
Love Saves the Day by Gwen Cooper

2. A classic romance
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

3. A book that became a movie 
Paper Towns by John Green

4. A book published this year
Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli 
  
5. A book with a number in the title
Mr Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloane 

6. A book written by someone under 30
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

7. A book with nonhuman characters
I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

8. A funny book 
Grace's Guide: The Art of Pretending to be a Grown-up by Grace Helbig

9. A book by a female author
The Incredible Adventures of Cinnamon Girl by Melissa Keil 
 
10. A mystery or thriller
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins 

11. A book with a one-word title
Wonder by R.J. Palacio

12. A book of short stories
12 Doctors 12 Stories by Various authors

13. A book set in a different country
Big Cherry Holler by Adrianna Trigiani

14. A nonfiction book
Paddle Your Own Canoe: One Man's Fundamentals for Delicious Living by Nick Offerman

15. A popular author's first book
Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee

16. A book from an author you love that you haven't read yet
Saving Lucas Biggs by Marisa de los Santos and David Teague

17. A book a friend recommended
Life, the Universe and Everything by Douglas Adams

18. A (Pulitzer) Prize-winning book
All the Light we Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

19. A book based on a true story
The Bear by Claire Cameron

20. A book at the bottom of your to-read list
Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy

21. A book your mum loves
Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani

22. A book that scares you
Stay With Me by Maureen McCarthy

23. A book more than 100 years old
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

24. A book based entirely on its cover
From Hill With Love... Actually by Ali McNamara

25. A book you were supposed to read in school but didn't
Animal Farm by George Orwell

26. A memoir
Just Don't Fall:  How I Grew up, Conquered Illness, and Made it Down the Mountain by Josh Sundquist 

27. A book you can finish in one day 
We Should Hang Out Sometime by Josh Sundquist

28. A book with antonyms in the title
Lost and Found by Brooke Davis

29. A book set somewhere you've always wanted to visit
Where'd you go Bernadette by Maria Semple

30. A book that came out the year you were born
So Long and Thanks for all the Fish by Douglas Adams

31. A book with bad reviews 
The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion

32. A trilogy
Slated series by Teri Terry   

33. A book from your childhood
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling

34. A book with a love triangle
Never Google Heartbreak  by Emma Garcia

35. A book set in the future
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

36. A book set in high school 
Winger by Andrew Smith 

37. A book with a colour in the title
The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery

38. A book that made you cry
All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven 

39. A book with magic
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

40. A graphic novel 
Ghost World by Daniel Clowes

41. A book by an author you've never read before
My Life as an Alphabet by Barry Jonsberg

42. A book that takes place in your hometown
Jasper & Abby: and the Great Australia day Kerfuffle by Kevin Rudd

43. A book that was originally written in a different language  
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery

44. A book set during Christmas
Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan

45. A book written by an author with your same initials
Mockingjay by Suzzane Collins

46. A book you own but have never read
Sleepaway Girls by Jen Calonita

47. A play
Hold me Closer: the Tiny Cooper Story by David Levithan

48. A banned book
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

49. A book based on or turned into a TV show
Orange is the new Black: My Year in a Women's Prison by Piper Kerman

50. A book you started but never finished 
Yes Please by Amy Poehler

My year in books!