The Sunday Salon: How I've done this year

I'm usually not good about getting around to assessing my own progress on reading goals, but it's come to the middle of July and I decided it's about time to update my "2009 Reading Goals" page, which has been sadly neglected. (Like much of the rest of my blog this year I'm afraid).

Alright, I'm jumping in. Here goes:

Challenges I've completed this year:
*I did manage to finish the Sci-Fi Experience early this year reading 7 books
*I also managed to finish the Once Upon a Time Challenge reading 10 books (although 6 of them were Fables novels, but still)

Challenges I've made progress on:
*I've made some good progress on the DreamKing Challenge, reading 7 of his graphic novels this year, and having watched Coraline. I need to try and read more books from the other five categories. (Goal is to read 6 books from 6 categories)
*I've read 8 out of 12 books so far for the Young Adult Challenge, putting me right on track to actually finish this one.
*The one challenge I've really shown on is the Graphic Novels Challenge. So far I've read 23 out of the 24 required for a Doctorate and I'm pretty sure I'll read a lot more than that.
*I've also actually kind of completed the Manga Challenge, reading 7 out of the 6 books so far, but I think I want to read more.

Challenges I'm really stinking at:
*I've read 2 out of 12 books for the My Year of Reading Dangerously, but I haven't even really made up a good list of books yet. Need to get ideas for my list and work on this one more.
*I set out to do the World Citizen Challenge with all the best intentions, but I haven't even accomplished a thing yet.
* I really need to get cracking on Dewey's Books Challenge. I know I have a ton of books I discovered thanks to Dewey, I just need to sit down and get a list together.
* I have read 2 out of 10 books for the Dewey Decimal Challenge. Considering how little non-fic I normally read, that is an accomplishment in and of itself, I suppose.
* I have read 2 out of 9 books for 9 Books in 2009 Challenge. Not too bad, I suppose. My tbr stack has indeed been going down, which is GREAT!

So to recap, of the 11 challenges I've attempted this year, I completed 2, I'm making good progress on 4, and I'm stinking at 5 of them.

Actually, looking at the numbers, I was expecting a lot worse than that. I've still got at least five more months to make an attempt at the challenges I'm not doing so well at.

Gearing Up

Okay, so I figured I should join a few challenges here and there.

You're all laughing at me, aren't you, because you know where this one is headed? A few challenges worked its way into a bunch more. I don't have most of my lists filled out. Recommendations, anyone?

DreamKing Challenge
Challenge Blog
Host: Jessi
Rules:
The Dream King Challenge will run from 1 January 2009 - 31 December 2009. You can join at any time during the year.

There are four different levels:

Neophyte: Read one work and watch one movie
Acolyte: Read three works (from three different categories) and watch one movie
Devotee: Read six works (from six different categories) and watch one movie
Zealot: Read twelve works (from at least six different categories) and watch one movie

List of his works
My list (Devotee Level):
Sandman #4 Season of Mists
Sandman #5 A Game of You
Sandman #6 Fables and Reflections
Fragile Things

Young Adult Challenge
Host: J. Kaye
Rules:
1. Anyone can join. You don't need a blog to participate.
2. Read 12 Young Adult novels. No need to list your books in advance. You may select books as you go. Even if you list them now, you can change the list if needed.
3. Challenge begins January thru December, 2009.
4. You can join anytime between now and December 31, 2009.

My List:
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Paper Towns by John Green
Tigerheart by Peter David
Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer
Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer
Sisters of Misery by Megan Kelley Hall

Sci-Fi Experience
Challenge Blog
Host: Carl V
Rules:
And so with great pleasure I announce The Sci Fi Experience 2009, which will run from January 1st through February 28th, 2009. As I said last year, this is an experience and not a challenge. There are no reading lists, book requirements, etc. I do not argue about what is or is not considered ’science fiction’. Nothing about this two month period of science fiction celebration should cause anyone to feel obligated to participate. I host two other very involved challenges throughout the year and the last thing I want to do is start a new year adding stress to your busy lives or my own. This is simply a time to experience how exhilarating science fiction can be.

My Pool:
Ender in Exile by Orson Scott Card
Unholy Domain by Dan Ronco
Strangers in Death by J.D. Robb
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
The Planet That Wasn't by Isaac Asimov
Bluebeard by Kurt Vonnegut
Transition by Vonda McIntyre
The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury
Radio Free Albemuth by Philip K. Dick
Quicker Than the Eye by Ray Bradbury
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
The Toynbee Convector by Ray Bradbury

My Year of Reading Dangerously
Challenge Blog:
Host: Estella’s Revenge
Rules:
Read 12 books you deem "dangerous." between January 1st and December 31st 2009. They may be banned or challenged books, new-to-you genres, books that seem to inhabit a permanent space on your stacks, or authors you're afraid of. The possibilities are endless! If it's dangerous to you, it's challenge-worthy to us!

Instead of breaking the year down into monthly Mr. Linky's, we'll be hosting one ongoing Linky this year. We'll post updates and notices to participants in sticky posts at the top of the blog, but your reading will be the centerpiece of this site. Whenever you finish a dangerous book, come leave the link to your review so other participants can ogle your accomplishments.

My List:

World Citizen Challenge
Challenge Blog
Host: Eva
Rules:
The challenge begins January 1st, 2009 and ends December 31st, 2009. However, you can join any time before the challenge ends. You do not have to have a blog to participate; you can either e-mail your reviews/thoughts to me, or I can make a participant on this blog and you can post here. You do not have to make a reading list ahead of time. There will be monthly mini-challenges that you can choose whether or not to participate in.
There will be prizes. There are six categories of books: politics, economics, history, culture or anthropology/sociology, worldwide issues, and memoirs/autobiographies.

There are six levels of participation to choose from:

The Prospie Level So, you’re a prospective high school student trying to decide if this is the right college for you, and you happen to sit in on a world citizenship class. This is for those of you with no time to read another book, but who still want to do something. I’ll be running a different mini-challenge each month of the challenge, and all you have to do to be a prospie is say you want to participate in at least one of them. I promise they’ll be fun, and there will be prizes involved!

The Auditor Level You thought the class sounded interesting, but you didn’t really want to have to worry about attendence or grades or stuff like that. Good thing you can audit. For this level, you just need to declare your interest in the challenge. Anything else you might want to do: the mini-challenges, making a list of potential books, participating in the discussions, etc. is completely up to you. Maybe you want to commit to reading a newspaper or magazine instead of a book-go for it. Also, if you want to choose a different number of books than what I’ve offered in the other levels, come here!

The World Citizenship 101 Level Maybe you’re a freshman trying to decide what to major in, maybe you’re an upperclassman in need of a distribution credit. Either way, you end up in the intro class. For this level, you need to commit to one book.

The Minor Level You’ve taken a couple classes in World Citizenship and decide to go ahead and get the minor. After all, you’ll learn more stuff and you can still have a practical major! For this level, you need to commit to three books, from at least two different categories.
The Major Level Despite the occasional, impertinent “And what are you going to do with a degree in that?!” question, you’ve realised that World Citizenship is where your passion really lies, so you declare your major. For this level, you need to commit to five books, from at least three different categories.

The Postgraduate Level Four years just wasn’t enough for you! You’ve decided to continue your education in World Citizenship, since you’re a bit obsessive about the whole thing. For this level, you need to commit to seven books, including one book from each category.

Suggested Reading

My List (Minor Level):

Dewey’s Books Challenge
Challenge Blog
Review Blog
Host: Chris and Robin
Rules:
I made a comment in a recent book review of mine that it would be cool to have a “Dewey Challenge” in honor of Dewey from The Hidden Side of a Leaf who recently passed away, where participants would read books that she reviewed. I know my wishlist has grown tremendously as a result of her and I’ve loved every book that I’ve read that she’s recommended. Dewey was such a prolific reader and her reviews were honest, intriguing, and beautifully written. What better way to celebrate her wonderful life than by having a year long challenge in her name!

When I commented about having the challenge, I didn’t think I’d actually do it :p But then Robin (that wonderful person!) emailed me and had already designed a button for it! And it’s quite beautiful. She’s offered to help in any way she can, and I just might take her up on that The original plan was that Robin was going to look up all of her 2003-2005 reads and I was going to do her 2006-2008 reads. I started going through Dewey’s archives and realized that my list would be close to 700 books long and no one would read through all that! I also realized that I was really enjoying my time over at Dewey’s blog, searching through all of her old posts. It was like visiting with an old friend. So instead of me giving you a list of books, I say we all go visit her again and pick out books that sound interesting to us. There are two ways to join this challenge:

1. Pick one book from each of the 6 years that Dewey has archives of. You can access her archives by clicking on the archive link in the sidebar of her website. It’s a dropdown menu. For instance, you would read one book that she reviewed in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 for a total of six books.

2. The other option is to read 5 books that Dewey reviewed. These can be from any year and I’m guessing that each of us has at least 5 books on our TBR list because of Dewey!
And the rules:

1. Choose either option 1 or 2 from above.
2. Commit to read your books (either 5 or 6 depending on which option you choose) throughout 2009. The challenge will end on December 31, 2009 but we’ll go ahead and unofficially start it right away! We’ll officially start it on January 1st, 2009.
3. Check back to this page often as I’ll put up Mr. Linky’s for reviews and I’ll mention prize giveaways!

I’m hoping to do some prize giveaways that have a “Dewey Theme”. I have a couple of books in mind that she reviewed which I read and loved and of course there’s the ever so popular Chocolate Monkey that Dewey would give away! Anyone know where she got that from?

Finally, this is my first time EVER hosting a challenge and Robin’s as well, so please have patience with us, lol. If anyone would like to give me a nudge if I’m missing something or just totally screwing up, please do! It’ll be appreciated. And lastly, if anyone wants to donate prizes to the challenge, you’re more than welcomed to do that too! Don’t feel pressured to though, I’ll have some prizes of my own.

Lastly, have fun!! And enjoy spending time with the books that our wonderful friend recommended to us. Please comment below if you’d like to join and I’ll add your name to a list. Also, feel free to take a button that Robin designed! We’ll have different sizes posted soon!

My List:
Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer
I Am the Cheese by Robert Cormier
Into the Forest by Jean Hegland

Graphic Novels Challenge
Challenge Blog
Host: Laza
Rules:
1. Choose a level of participation:
Minor: Read 6
Major: Read 12
Masters: Read 18
Doctorate: Read 24
2. Challenge begins Jan 1, 2009 and ends Dec 31, 2009. You may join at any point during the year.
3. Can I Overlap? Titles may overlap with any challenges and your list can change at any time.
4. Join the Blog!

My List (Major):
Sandman #4 Season of Mists Neil Gaiman
Sandman #5 A Game of You Neil Gaiman
Sandman #6 Fables and Reflections Neil Gaiman

The Dewey Decimal Challenge
Challenge Blog
Host: The Novel World
The Rules:
- Starting January 1st, the goal is to read 1 book from each Dewey Century per month from 000 to 999.
The Review:
- Post the title and the correlating Dewey Decimal Classification Code
- You can verify this a number of ways. Look up the title in your local library catalog and use that Dewey Code.
- You can look it up on the LibraryThing catalog.
- Post a link to your review on here. Check at the beginning of each month for updates, prizes, giveaways and discussion topics.
So, the Dewey Chain goes as follows:
000 - Generalities
100 - Philosophy and Psychology
200 - Religion
300 - Social Sciences
400 - Language
500 - Natural Sciences + Math
600 - Technology
700 - The Arts
800 - Literature and Rhetoric
900 - Geography and History

My List:
600-Eat This, Not This by David Zinczenko (613)
800-Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint: techniques and exercises for crafting dynamic characters and effective viewpoints by Nancy Kress
900-The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream by Barack Obama (973)

Manga Challenge
Challenge Blog:
Host: Rhinoa
Rules: Read at least 6 manga novels in 2009 (cross overs with other challenges are fine and please feel free to read more!). Sign up with Mister Linky below. I will put up a post each month with a Mister Linky for you to add your reviews to. You do not need to set a list of books to read in advance, just fill them in as you go if it's easier.

My List:

9 Books for 2009
Challenge Blog
Host: Books and Other Stuff
Rules:
This challenge is set up so you can read some books in your TBR (To Be Read) Stacks
(If you need more challenges to keep whittling your TBR stacks, click on A NOVEL CHALLENGE also.)
RULES
• Open to anyone, whether you have a blog or not!
• No need to register or to announce what you are going to read.
• Start in any category that you wish.
• 3 books from this reading challenge can be used in other reading challenges.
• Just post in the comment section.
• The genre of the books can be ANYTHING (fiction or non-fiction), but it must be decent (because you have to write reviews about the books).
• Other reading materials (graphic novels, poetry, museum catalogs, art books, zines etc.) are OK.
• The book must already be in your bookcase or storage area.
• The Challenge starts 12/27/08 to 12/27/09. (I hate to begin anything on January 1st).
• You can post starting on 12/27/08.
• Format of work can be paper, audio, or electronic.
These are the NINE categories to celebrate 2009! See the above tabs for details. (I had to abbreviate some of the categories due to WordPress Code restrictions.)
To post, please click one of the tabs for the specific category and place your review JUST in that category, not on any of the 4 pages on the front of this blog.
1. Long
2. Free
3. Dusty
4. Used
5. Letter
6. Strange
7. Distance
8. Alive or Not
9. Cover
REWARDS
I will give out one prize each quarter, one prize for finishing five books (deadline 8/29/2009), and a nice gift for finishing the challenge (deadline: 12/27/2009).

My List:
1. Long Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
2. Free Comfort Food by Kate Jacobs
3. Dusty
4. Used Peace Like a River by Leif Enger
5. Letter
6. Strange Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
7. Distance The Road by Cormac McCarthy
8. Alive or Not
9. Cover

Goodbye 2008

As it will be time in my particular timezone to bid farewell to 2008, I am going to wrap up a few final challenges of 2008. It has been a pretty great reading year for me!

Classics Challenge
Sigh, didn't quite make it for this one (goal to read 6 books total), but I did fit in a few books. I read:
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
I Am Legend by Richard Matheson
Winnie the Pooh by AA Milne

Highlights: Winnie the Pooh and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.

Lowlights: I didn't care for I Am Legend as much as I expected.

Short Story Challenge
The goal was to read 10 short stories or 5-10 short story collections or combination in 2008. I think I did pretty well, although I always feel like I should take more time to read short stories. Onward in 2009!
Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman (collection)
The Overcoat by Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol (story)
Araby by James Joyce (story)
Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri (collection)
Eminent Domain by Dan O'Brien (collection)
Down to a Sunless Sea by Mathias B. Freese (collection)
I Hope I Shall Arrive Soon by Philip K. Dick (collection)

Highlights: I Hope I Shall Arrive Soon is a collection that sticks with you. Smoke and Mirrors was also very awesome.

Lowlights: None, really, except I wish I'd read more short stories.

Graphic Novel Challenge
Yeah, nailed this one. The goal was to read 3 graphic novels in 6 months.
Sandman: World's End by Neil Gaiman
The Absolute Sandman Volume 1 by Neil Gaiman
Maus I & II by Art Spiegelman
Watchmen by Alan Moore
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Vol 1 by Alan Moore

Highlights: I pretty much loved all of the graphic novels I read.

Lowlights: None.

Young Adult Reading Challenge
The goal was to read 12 YA novels in 2008, and I think I got this one covered.
Feed by M.T. Anderson
House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer
Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry
The Messenger by Lois Lowry
The Giver by Lois Lowry
The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor
Seeing Redd by Frank Beddor
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card
The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff
Breakout by Paul Fleischman
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation Volume 1: The Pox Party by M. T. Anderson
Uglies by Scott Westerfield
Magic or Madness by Justine Larbalestier
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Anatomy of a Boyfriend by Daria Snadowsky
Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
New Moon by Stephanie Meyer

Highlights: I more than doubled the required number of books.

Lowlights: Meh, I liked all of the ones I read in some form or another.

My Year of Reading Dangerously
The goal was to read 12 books in challenging categories in 2008, 1 per month. I read 7 out of the 12 required books.
January: Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
February: The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison (African American)
March: Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood (Atwood for Atwood's sake)
April: Beowulf translated by Seamus Heaney (Poetry)
May: The Watermelon King by Daniel Wallace (Southern)
July: Breakout by Paul Fleischman (adolescent)
August: Maus I & II by Art Spiegelman (Graphic Novel, Pulitzer winner)

Highlights: I found that I really enjoyed Beowulf, and I have come to enjoy Atwood more than I ever expected.

Lowlights:I did pick up Lolita, The Chocolate War, and The Human Stain, but sadly, no luck finishing.

Royalty Rules Challenge Wrap Up

The Challenge:
2-4 books about royalty (real or imaginary) Feb 1-April 30

Books Read:
The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor
Seeing Redd by Frank Beddor

Highlights:
I enjoyed both of Frank Beddor's books.

Lowlights:
I never did make it to my actual list. These were books I chose more for other challenges, but applied to this challenge nicely. I found I didn't have the patience for The Constant Princess.

Once Upon a Time...

Was there any way I could pass up this challenge? The answer is a big resounding no! Carl V at Stainless Steel Droppings is hosting Once Upon a Time II Challenge. His Sci-Fi Experience is what drew me in to reading challenges, so could I really pass up the chance to read fantasy books, my other favorite genre.

You can read the rules here, and there are three different quests to take. I'll probably be taking Quest the First, reading 5 books that fit within the fantasy/folklore/fairy tale category.

I don't have my list finalized yet, but it's sure to at least include Seeing Redd or The Looking Glass Wars.

Update: Here's my list (so far)

Seeing Redd by Frank Beddor
The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor
Fablehaven by Brandon Mull
Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier
The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

Subject to change of course!

Book review: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Author: Sherman Alexie
Rating: 3/5
Challenge: YA Reading Challenge

A few days after finishing this book, I’m still not sure if I completely like it or not. On the plus side, there were a lot of great elements to this book: funny and insightful writing, and a memorable main character, Arnold Spirit. Arnold lives on the Spokane Indian reservation along with his sister and his parents, draws cartoons (interspersed throughout the book), and writes his observations on life on rez. Towards the beginning of the book, Arnold explains in a very matter of fact way what his life is like:

“…we reservation Indians don’t get to realize our dreams. We don’t get those chances… We’re just poor… It sucks to be poor, and it sucks to feel that you somehow deserve to be poor. You start believing that you’re poor because you’re stupid and ugly. And then you start believing that you’re stupid and ugly. And then you start believing that you’re stupid and ugly because you’re Indian. And because you’re Indian you start believing you’re destined to be poor. It’s an ugly vicious cycle and there’s nothing you can do about it. Poverty doesn’t give you strength or teach you lessons about perseverance. No, poverty only teaches you how to be poor.”

Arnold has mostly accepted his life as what it is, but when he gets to his first day of high school and realizes that his geometry book is at least 30 years older than him, he gets so mad about the unfairness of it that he throws the book at his teacher. To his surprise, his teacher comes over to encourage him to get out of the rez so that he doesn't become hopeless like everyone else around him. Arnold decides to follow that advice and enrolls immediately in Reardon High School. The rest of the book chronicles his freshman year at Reardon.

While Arnold sticks out at first, he eventually makes friends, joins the basketball team, and falls in love with a beautiful classmate. The book is both funny and serious as Arnold deals with being labeled a traitor by everyone else on the rez (including his best friend), an alcoholic father, losing his grandmother and a family friend for alcohol-related reasons, and even more losses as the book goes on.

Stripping this book down, it is about an outcast who finds a way to fit in. That storyline has been done before. As impressive and profound as some of the writing is in the book (like the passage above), other parts felt flat and preachy. I wanted it to not end so neatly, every little end tied up. I wanted all of the minor characters to ring true. So to sum it up, I enjoyed this book but I wanted more out of it.

Royalty Rules Challenge

Host: The Ink Mage

Challenge: Read 2-4 books (fiction or nonfiction) involving royalty.

My list:

The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory
The Dark Queen by Susan Caroll
The Princess and the Hound by Mette Ivie Harrison

Bookmooching

My mom just got Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover for Christmas. While visiting, I started reading it, and started getting really into it. So before she could even finish it, I asked her if I could please please borrow it because I just wanted so badly to finish it and start my own money makeover. She agreed, on the condition that I bring it back asap.

Husband and I are recent college grads and we both had read over the majority of the book in a few hours and we were absolutely amazed. Dave Ramsey claims that we could could get out of our amazing mountain of student loan debt in 2 years or less. He breaks down his plan into baby steps (a send up to "What About Bob") and I realized that we had actually started on his plan by recently paying off a minor student loan in 4 months instead of 10 years.

I quibble with Dave on a few minor points, but then again he is the one with the wealth, and I'm the one with the student loans, so I'll post an update after we get rolling and let you know how his techniques are working for us.

Total Money Makeover wasn't the only thing I mooched though. I have been getting more and more excited about the many reading challenges online, and in anticipation of the ones I hope to join soon, I cleared out a few shelves of my parents' books. I felt like I hit the literary jackpot, leaving with 2 bags worth of books. My parent's collection is pretty sci fi heavy, but I did score with War and Peace, a short story collection by Mark Twain, Animal Farm, The Gangs of New York, and Lord of the Flies.

The final thing I was uberexcited to recover from my parent's place is a stack I had been keeping of stories I've written over the years. I didn't have time to sort through it yet, but I saw stories as far back as middle school. One of my New Year's resolutions this year is to write more stories. Hopefully I will be inspired by all of the fabulous books I'll be reading!

Books Read by Month

2008
January
The Overcoat by Gogol
Feed by M.T. Anderson
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
American Gods by Neil Gaiman

February
Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman
Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
The Rest Falls Away by Colleen Gleason
Firefly Lane byKristin Hannah

March
The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer
The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor
Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood
Rises the Night by Colleen Gleason
The Three Incestuous Sisters by Audrey Niffenegger
The Sister by Poppy Adams
Nickeled and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich
Fifteen Minutes of Shame by Lisa Daly

April
Araby by James Joyce
Sunshine by Robin McKinley
Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry
Seeing Redd by Frank Beddor
Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card
Bikini Season by Sheila Roberts
Our Friends from Frolix 8 by Philip K. Dick
Fifteen Minutes of Shame by Lisa Daly
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Messenger by Lois Lowry
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
Fables: Legends in Exile by Bill Willingham
Beowulf translated by Seamus Heaney
Candy Girl: A Year in the Life of an Unlikely Stripper by Diablo Cody

May
Fables: Animal Farm by Bill Willingham
Watermelon King by Daniel Wallace
The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
Interpreter of Maladies by by Jhumpa Lahiri
Life is So Good by George Dawson and Richard Glaubman
Janeology by Karen Harrington
Stardust by Neil Gaiman

June
The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mosim Hamid
Entombed by Linda Fairstein
Sandman: World's End by Neil Gaiman
How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff
Marie-Therese, Child of Terror by Susan Nagel

July
The Absolute Sandman Volume 1 by Neil Gaiman
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
Breakout by Paul Fleischman
World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks

August
The Free Lunch by Spider Robinson
Eminent Domain by Dan O' Brien
Mercy Street by Mariah Stewart
Maus I & II by Art Spiegelman
Farworld: Water Keep by J. Scott Savage
Little Altars Everywhere by Rebecca Wells
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Montana 1948 by Larry Watson

September
Watchmen by Alan Moore
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation Volume 1: The Pox Party by M. T. Anderson
Uglies by Scott Westerfield
Vampyres of Hollywood by Adrienne Barbeau
The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

October
I Hope I Shall Arrive Soon by Philip K. Dick
Magic or Madness by Justine Larbalestier
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
I Am Legend by Richard Matheson

November
Old Man's War by John Scalzi
Hurry Down Sunshine by Michael Greenberg
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Volume 1 by Alan Moore
Mirror, Mirror by Gregory Maguire
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
The Last Colony by John Scalzi

December
Anatomy of a Boyfriend by Daria Snadowsky
Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
Confederates in the Attic by Tony Horowitz
Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
New Moon by Stephanie Meyer

2009
January
Ender in Exile by Orson Scott Card
Paper Towns by John Green
Slaughter House Five by Kurt Vonnegut
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Corey Doctorow
The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
Soon I Will Be Invincible by Austin Grossman
Sandman:Season of Mists by Neil Gaiman
Sandman:A Game of You by Neil Gaiman

February
Eclipse One edited by Jonathan Strahan
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
Fables:Storybook Love by Bill Willingham
Fables:March of the Wooden Soldiers by Bill Willingham
Sandman:Fables and Reflections by Neil Gaiman

March
Sandman:Brief Lives by Neil Gaiman
Sandman:the Kindly Ones by Neil Gaiman
Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

April
Heat Lightning by Jason Sanford
Lonely Werewolf Girl by Martin Millar
Library: an Unquiet History by Matthew Battles
Tigerheart by Peter David
The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter
Zel by Donna Jo Napoli
Sandman: The Wake by Neil Gaiman
Fables: The Mean Seasons by Bill Willingham
Fables: Homelands by Bill Willingham
Fables: Arabian Nights (And Days) by Bill Willingham

May
Laika by Nick Abadzis
Sandman: Endless Nights by Neil Gaiman
Vampire Knight Volume I by Matsuri Hino
Vampire Knight Volume II by Matsuri Hino
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephan Chbosky
The Apprentice's Masterpiece by Melanie Little
On Beauty by Zadie Smith
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

June
Peace Like a River by Leif Enger
Fables: Wolves by Bill Willingham
Fables: Sons of Empire by Bill Willingham
Fables: The Good Prince by Bill Willingham
Emma: Volume I by Kaoru Mori
The Walking Dead: Days Gone Bye by Robert Kirkman
Emma: Volume II by Kaoru Mori
Emma: Volume III by Kaoru Mori
Emma: Volume IV by Kaoru Mori
The Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi
The Lucifer Effect by Phillip Zimbardo
A Beautiful Child by Matt Birkbeck
The Walking Dead: Miles Behind Us by Robert Kirkman

July
Fables: War and Pieces by Bill Willingham
Bluebeard by Kurt Vonnegut
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Storm Front by Jim Butcher
The Invisible Man by H. G. Wells
Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway
Emma: Volume V by Kaoru Mori
The Walking Dead: Safety Behind Bars by Robert Kirkman
The Walking Dead: The Heart's Desire by Robert Kirkman
The Walking Dead: The Best Defense by Robert Kirkman
Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall by Bill Willingham
Heavier Than Air by Nona Caspers
The Gathering by Anne Enright
The Walking Dead: This Sorrowful Life by Robert Kirkman
The Walking Dead: The Calm Before by Robert Kirkman
The Walking Dead: Made to Suffer by Robert Kirkman
What Do Muslims Believe? by Ziaddin Sardar
The Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi

August
Scar Night by Alan Campbell
Thessaly: Witch for Hire by Bill Willingham
Guns, Germs & Steel by Jared Diamond
Persepolis I by Marjane Satrapi

September
Persepolis II by Marjane Satrapi
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffeneger
Emma Volume 6 by Kaoru Mori
Emma Volume 7 by Kaoru Mori
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Persepolis I & II by Marjane Satrapi

October
The Magicians by Lev Grossman
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffeneger
A Spanish Lover by Joanna Trollope

November
In the Woods by Tana French
Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
Under the Banner of Heaven by

December
Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
The City and The City by China Mieville
Club Dead by Charlaine Harris
Flora Segunda
American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

January
Freakonomics
Superfreakonomics
Stolen Innocence by Elissa Wall
Liar by Justine Larbalestier
Persuasion by Jane Austen
The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly
Coraline (graphic novel) by Neil Gaiman
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by
The Help by

2008 Challenges

Here is a list of my current challenges. If it's underlined, I've read it. You can click on the title to see my review of it.

Classics Challenge
5 classics July 1-December 31 + 1 "modern classic"
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
I Am Legend by Richard Matheson
Winnie the Pooh by AA Milne

Graphic Novel Challenge
3 Graphic Novels June 1-December 31
Sandman: World's End by Neil Gaiman
The Absolute Sandman Volume 1 by Neil Gaiman
Maus I & II by Art Spiegelman
Watchmen by Alan Moore
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Vol 1 by Alan Moore

Short Story Challenge
10 short stories or 5-10 short story collections or combination in 2008
Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman (collection)
The Overcoat by Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol (story)
Araby by James Joyce (story)
Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri (collection)
Eminent Domain by Dan O'Brien (collection)
Down to a Sunless Sea by Mathias B. Freese (collection)
I Hope I Shall Arrive Soon by Philip K. Dick (collection)

Young Adult Reading Challenge
Read 12 YA books in 2008
Feed by M.T. Anderson
House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer
Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry
The Messenger by Lois Lowry
The Giver by Lois Lowry
The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor
Seeing Redd by Frank Beddor
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card
The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff
Breakout by Paul Fleischman
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation Volume 1: The Pox Party by M. T. Anderson
Uglies by Scott Westerfield
Magic or Madness by Justine Larbalestier
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Anatomy of a Boyfriend by Daria Snadowsky
Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
New Moon by Stephanie Meyer

My Year of Reading Dangerously
Read 12 books in challenging categories in 2008, 1 per month
January: Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
February: The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison (African American)
March: Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood (Atwood for Atwood's sake)
April: Beowulf translated by Seamus Heaney (Poetry)
May: The Watermelon King by Daniel Wallace (Southern)
July: Breakout by Paul Fleischman (adolescent)
August: Maus I & II by Art Spiegelman (Graphic Novel, Pulitzer winner)

The Sci-Fi Experience
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
Feed by M. T. Anderson

Margaret A. Edwards Award Challenge
Read 3-5 books by winners of the Margaret A. Edwards Award Feb 1-June 1
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card
Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry
Messenger by Lois Lowry
The Giver by Lois Lowry

Royalty Rules Reading Challenge
2-4 books about royalty (real or imaginary) Feb 1-April 30
The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor
Seeing Redd by Frank Beddor

Once Upon A Time Challenge
5 fantasy books March 21-June 20th
The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor
Seeing Redd by Frank Beddor
Sunshine by Robin McKinley
Fables: Legends in Exile by Bill Willingham
Beowulf translated by Seamus Heaney
Fables: Animal Farm by Bill Willingham
The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
Sandman: World's End by Neil Gaiman
Stardust by Neil Gaiman

R.I.P. III Challenge
Read Scary Stories September 1-October 31
Vampyres of Hollywood by Adrienne Barbeau
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
I Hope I Shall Arrive Soon by Philip K. Dick
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
I Am Legend by Richard Matheson

Mythopoeic Award Challenge
Seven books from Mythopoeic Award (winners or runners up) in 2008
Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman
Sunshine by Robin McKinley
House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer
Stardust by Neil Gaiman
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood

In Their Shoes Reading Challenge
Read memoirs/autobiographies/biographies in 2008
Eat, Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
Nickeled and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich
Candy girl: a year in the life of an unlikely stripper by Diablo Cody.
Life is So Good by George Dawson and Richard Glaubman
Marie-Therese, Child of Terror by Susan Nagel
Maus I & II by Art Spiegelman

The Chunkster Challenge
Read 4 books of 450 pages of more in 2008
Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood
The Absolute Sandman Volume 1 by Neil Gaiman
The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens