Monday, 13 April 2015

Reading Challenge Progress

Looking for today's A to Z Challenge post? Click here for it.

It occurred to me the other day that I've not mentioned my progress on the Reading Challenge for a little while, so rather than slotting it into my Weekly Rundown post I figured I'd give it a post of its own.

In case you're not familiar with the challenge, it's this one:

From here.
A group of us on Goodreads are working our way through the list in order, one book a week through the whole year (the trilogy bulks the list out to fifty-two books) and as of this week we're up to Week 14: A popular author's first book. My choice is The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens.

Thus far my list of books that I've read for the challenge looks something like this:

1. A book with more than 500 pages Emma by Jane Austen
2. A classic romance Pride and Prejudice by  Jane Austen
3. A book that became a movie The Book Thief by Markus Zusak REREAD
4. A book published this year Miramont's Ghost by Elizabeth Hall
5. A book with a number in the title Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
6. A book written by someone under 30 Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
7. A book with nonhuman characters Roverandom by J.R.R. Tolkien REREAD
8. A funny book: The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
9. A book by a female author The Game by Laurie R. King
10. A mystery or thriller Tales of Terror and Mystery by Arthur Conan Doyle
11. A book with a one-word title Filth by Irvine Welsh
12. A book of short stories The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling REREAD
13. A book set in a different country Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier
14. A non-fiction book Sherlock Chronicles by Steve Tribe
15. A popular author's first book The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens

Part of the reason I was drawn to this challenge was because it would give me a chance to read some of the books I've always said I would read but have never gotten around to (hence the two Jane Austen books at the start). I'm making a lot of use of the free books for the Kindle and on Project Gutenberg.

I'm also trying to read books that I've got on my bookcase which might have been hanging around for a while without me ever reading them, or not revisiting them for a while. I'm pleased that thus far I've only had three rereads in the challenge (I've had quite a few non-challenge rereads). And I've found a lot of new favourites. I really loved Emma!

I've also got plenty of books lined up for the coming weeks including Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, and Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.

There are still a few weeks that I'm struggling to fill and others that I'm just pulling something up the week before that catches my eye (which is how I found the wonderful Tales of Terror and Mystery). It's good fun and I'm enjoying comparing notes on the books I'm reading with others in the Goodreads group.

Are you taking part in any reading challenges this year? How are you finding them?

2 comments:

  1. I have the PopSugar challenge on my list and a Day Zero Project (101 in 1001) too!! I'm totally a challenge hoarder. I looked, but didn't see your Goodreads profile name or I would have gone over and sent you a friend request. Elle @ Erratic Project Junkie

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    Replies
    1. I love challenges! Like you, I collect them. I'll have to look up my Goodreads name so I can link it on here. ;-)

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