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The Big Damn Reading Challenge
I got a Kindle for Christmas in 2011, and immediately launched myself into what I assumed would be a year-long challenge to read 50 books. Long story short, I moved away to college in August of the next year and that all came to a grinding halt. In the three years since, I still haven't reached that 50, but I'm trying to get back to reading consistently and keeping track of the books I do finish. So I'm starting back on the count, hoping to reach 75 by the end of 2015, while simultaneously working on a separate book challenge I found on Tumblr. DW has the best format for this list, so I'm brushing the dust off to repost it here.
Most of the books I've read fall into one of two categories: 1) Young adult or children's fiction, and 2) books that I am just now finding several years after everyone else did. I think it's pretty clear which is which.
2011-2012
1. Good Omens
Neil Gaiman / Terry Pratchett
December 25 - December 28
100%
2. The Graveyard Book
Neil Gaiman
December 28 - December 29
94%
3. Sisterhood Everlasting
Anne Brashares
January 1 - January 3
67% (Brashares seemingly sacrificed this book's plot in favor of 350 pages of repetitive introspection.)
4. When You Reach Me
Rebecca Stead
January 3
43% (I still don't know how this book won the Newberry.)
5. Girl, Barely 15, Flirting for England
Sue Limb
January 4 - January 8
86%
6. Forever Princess
Meg Cabot
January 9 - January 12
90%
7. His Last Duchess
Gabrielle Kimm
January 13 - January 22
75% (Told me a lot about how frescos are made, but not a lot about the promised historical romance.)
8. The Turn of the Screw
Henry James
January 23 - February 5
83%
9. American Gods
Neil Gaiman
February 6 - February 22
98%
10. The Hunger Games
Suzanne Collins
February 24 - March 6
82% (Technically a reread, to see if I could get back into it. I didn't.)
11. Breadcrumbs
Anne Ursu
March 7 - March 8
91% (Really great writing. Really lazyass worldbuilding.)
12. A Night to Remember
Walter Lord
March 8 - March 10
95%
13. Titanic: One Newspaper, Seven Days, and the Truth That Shocked the World
Stephen Hines
March 11 - March 20
90%
14. The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book One
Maryrose Wood
March 21 - March 26
97% (This series is so cute *^* )
15. The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book Two
Maryrose Wood
March 27 - April 2
95%
16. The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book Three
Maryrose Wood
April 2 - April 16
70% (Cute, yes, but there's only so many questions you can still leave hanging after three books before it gets maddening.)
17. Gilded Lives, Fatal Voyage
Hugh Brewster
April 17 - April 22
87% (I was enjoying it until the passages about the sinking wound up being pulled straight from Lord.)
18. The Haunting of Hill House
Shirley Jackson
April 23 - April 25
95%
19. Howl's Moving Castle
Diana Wynne Jones
April 26 - April 29
100%
20. House of Many Ways
Diana Wynne Jones
April 30 - May 5
85%
21. Hell House
Richard Matherson
May 5 - May 6
98% (Can all horror novels please be this much fun to read?)
22. The Serpent's Shadow
Rick Riordan
May 9 - May 22
83% (Every book in this series is exactly the same, I can't keep anything straight!)
23. Castle in the Air
Diana Wynne Jones
May 23 - May 24
96%
24. Jurassic Park
Michael Crichton
May 25 - June 4
92%
25. The Lost World
Michael Crichton
June 5 - June 7
82%
26. A Game of Thrones
George R. R. Martin
June 7 - June 21
97%
27. The Westing Game
Ellen Raskins
June 22 - June 25
98%
28. A Clash of Kings
George R. R. Martin
June 26 - July 16
90%
29. Wren Journeymage
Sherwood Smith
July 17 - July 19
60% (Reads like fanfiction. Pretty sure she only wrote this book to pair up the characters.)
30.The Mark of Athena
Rick Riordan
October ?? - ??
93%
31. Let Me In
John Avide Lindquist
October ?? - November ??
100%
32. In Her Shoes
Jennifer Weiner
November ?? - December ??
97%
33. Murder on the Orient Express
Agathe Christie
December 12 - December 23
88% (Would have been better if I hadn't suddenly remembered the twist ending halfway through reading).
2013
34. The Storyteller
Jodi Picoult
May 28 - June 9
70% (The 100-something-page flashback right in the middle failed to win me over).
35. Peter and the Starcatchers
Ridley Pearson and Dave Barry
June 9 - June 22
92%
36. Peter and the Shadow Thieves
Pearson and Barry
June 23 - July 12
94%
37. The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer
Author not given
July 15 - August 8
90%
38. The House of Hades
Rick Riordan
October ?? - ??
97%
39. Nuclear Time (A Doctor Who New Series Adventure)
Oli Smith
December 14 (one sitting)
79% (I think the author had a hard time translating some of his more timey-wimey ideas into prose, because it got really confusing about halfway through)
40. Martha in the Mirror (A Doctor Who New Series Adventure)
Justin Richards
December 15 (one sitting)
85%
41. Nightmare on Black Island (A Doctor Who New Series Adventure)
Mike Tucker
December 16 - December 17
92%
42. Feast of the Drowned (A Doctor Who New Series Adventure)
Stephen Cole
December 17 - December 18
96%
2014
43. The Fault in Our Stars
John Green
May ?? - ??
80% (25% actual heart-wrenching plot, 75% pretty quotes that made me believe Hazel less and less as an actual teenager.)
44. The Blood of Olympus
Rick Riordan
October ?? - ??
85%
45. The Thief Lord
Cornelia Funke
December 30 - December 31
93% (Points deducted because goddammit Scipio why did you do that.)
2015 Reading Challenge - "A book that involves magic" (shhh I'm starting early).
2015
46. TBA
Most of the books I've read fall into one of two categories: 1) Young adult or children's fiction, and 2) books that I am just now finding several years after everyone else did. I think it's pretty clear which is which.
2011-2012
1. Good Omens
Neil Gaiman / Terry Pratchett
December 25 - December 28
100%
2. The Graveyard Book
Neil Gaiman
December 28 - December 29
94%
3. Sisterhood Everlasting
Anne Brashares
January 1 - January 3
67% (Brashares seemingly sacrificed this book's plot in favor of 350 pages of repetitive introspection.)
4. When You Reach Me
Rebecca Stead
January 3
43% (I still don't know how this book won the Newberry.)
5. Girl, Barely 15, Flirting for England
Sue Limb
January 4 - January 8
86%
6. Forever Princess
Meg Cabot
January 9 - January 12
90%
7. His Last Duchess
Gabrielle Kimm
January 13 - January 22
75% (Told me a lot about how frescos are made, but not a lot about the promised historical romance.)
8. The Turn of the Screw
Henry James
January 23 - February 5
83%
9. American Gods
Neil Gaiman
February 6 - February 22
98%
10. The Hunger Games
Suzanne Collins
February 24 - March 6
82% (Technically a reread, to see if I could get back into it. I didn't.)
11. Breadcrumbs
Anne Ursu
March 7 - March 8
91% (Really great writing. Really lazyass worldbuilding.)
12. A Night to Remember
Walter Lord
March 8 - March 10
95%
13. Titanic: One Newspaper, Seven Days, and the Truth That Shocked the World
Stephen Hines
March 11 - March 20
90%
14. The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book One
Maryrose Wood
March 21 - March 26
97% (This series is so cute *^* )
15. The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book Two
Maryrose Wood
March 27 - April 2
95%
16. The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book Three
Maryrose Wood
April 2 - April 16
70% (Cute, yes, but there's only so many questions you can still leave hanging after three books before it gets maddening.)
17. Gilded Lives, Fatal Voyage
Hugh Brewster
April 17 - April 22
87% (I was enjoying it until the passages about the sinking wound up being pulled straight from Lord.)
18. The Haunting of Hill House
Shirley Jackson
April 23 - April 25
95%
19. Howl's Moving Castle
Diana Wynne Jones
April 26 - April 29
100%
20. House of Many Ways
Diana Wynne Jones
April 30 - May 5
85%
21. Hell House
Richard Matherson
May 5 - May 6
98% (Can all horror novels please be this much fun to read?)
22. The Serpent's Shadow
Rick Riordan
May 9 - May 22
83% (Every book in this series is exactly the same, I can't keep anything straight!)
23. Castle in the Air
Diana Wynne Jones
May 23 - May 24
96%
24. Jurassic Park
Michael Crichton
May 25 - June 4
92%
25. The Lost World
Michael Crichton
June 5 - June 7
82%
26. A Game of Thrones
George R. R. Martin
June 7 - June 21
97%
27. The Westing Game
Ellen Raskins
June 22 - June 25
98%
28. A Clash of Kings
George R. R. Martin
June 26 - July 16
90%
29. Wren Journeymage
Sherwood Smith
July 17 - July 19
60% (Reads like fanfiction. Pretty sure she only wrote this book to pair up the characters.)
30.The Mark of Athena
Rick Riordan
October ?? - ??
93%
31. Let Me In
John Avide Lindquist
October ?? - November ??
100%
32. In Her Shoes
Jennifer Weiner
November ?? - December ??
97%
33. Murder on the Orient Express
Agathe Christie
December 12 - December 23
88% (Would have been better if I hadn't suddenly remembered the twist ending halfway through reading).
2013
34. The Storyteller
Jodi Picoult
May 28 - June 9
70% (The 100-something-page flashback right in the middle failed to win me over).
35. Peter and the Starcatchers
Ridley Pearson and Dave Barry
June 9 - June 22
92%
36. Peter and the Shadow Thieves
Pearson and Barry
June 23 - July 12
94%
37. The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer
Author not given
July 15 - August 8
90%
38. The House of Hades
Rick Riordan
October ?? - ??
97%
39. Nuclear Time (A Doctor Who New Series Adventure)
Oli Smith
December 14 (one sitting)
79% (I think the author had a hard time translating some of his more timey-wimey ideas into prose, because it got really confusing about halfway through)
40. Martha in the Mirror (A Doctor Who New Series Adventure)
Justin Richards
December 15 (one sitting)
85%
41. Nightmare on Black Island (A Doctor Who New Series Adventure)
Mike Tucker
December 16 - December 17
92%
42. Feast of the Drowned (A Doctor Who New Series Adventure)
Stephen Cole
December 17 - December 18
96%
2014
43. The Fault in Our Stars
John Green
May ?? - ??
80% (25% actual heart-wrenching plot, 75% pretty quotes that made me believe Hazel less and less as an actual teenager.)
44. The Blood of Olympus
Rick Riordan
October ?? - ??
85%
45. The Thief Lord
Cornelia Funke
December 30 - December 31
93% (Points deducted because goddammit Scipio why did you do that.)
2015 Reading Challenge - "A book that involves magic" (shhh I'm starting early).
2015
46. TBA