Wrapping Up 2009 - Challenges

I attempted five challenges in 2009. Some were lofty. Some were not. I didn't do too badly...if I'd read the 100 novel-length books I'd hoped to read, I could have possibly done it. There are just too many choices out there.

The 999 Challenge I finished all nine books in five categories (new-2009-books, books by an author I'd already read, Mystery/Thrillers, YA titles, and Just for the fun of reading it), but fell short in four categories (Early Reader Series-6, Books with an Arizona setting-3, Books relating to teaching literature-4, and Novels that take a contemporary twist on history-4 plus a mess of unfinished, uninteresting titles). Oh well.

The 2009 TBR Challenge was a real let-down. Of the 20 books in my TBR pile as of January 1st, I only read TWO, Mission to Sonora and Gray Ghost. That's bad news.

2009 1st in a Series Challenge was a winner - I was supposed to read 12 and I read 18. Hip, hip horray!

The Jewish Literature Challenge only required three books, and I read four. However, I'm really surprised that I didn't read more than that!

2009 Mini-Challenges - of the twelve mini-challenges, I fulfilled six and messed up on six. I guess I'm stubborn about reading outside my genre-comfort level. I really need to challenge myself more in my old age.

999 Challenge

It was this challenge last year (888 at the time) that first introduced me to book challenges. It's backed by Library Thing, which I've sort of ignored since I started this blog. If ou're not acquainted with Library Thing, check it out, it's pretty cool if you're a book lover.
The website: http://www.librarything.com/groups/999challenge

The 999 Challenge:

1. Pick 9 categories
2. Read 9 books in each of those categories
3. Complete them in 2009.
4. To make it easier ---
The 888 challenge allowed an overlap of 8 books which would fit into more than one category. So for this challenge, you could overlap 9 books, but that's up to you.
5. To make it harder ---
Complete all your books by 9/9/09.

My categories:
1. Anthologies/Collections CHANGED 11-5-09 to EARLY SERIES titles
2. FINISHED 7/09 New Books (2009)
3. Books with an Arizona setting
4. FINISHED 7/09Titles By an Author I've Already Read
5. FINISHED 7/09 Mystery/Thriller
6. FINISHED 7/09 YA Titles
7. Books Related to My Literature Class Curriculum
8. Novels That Take a Contemporary Twist on Mysteries in History (Knights Templar, the real Shakespeare, lost books, maps, manuscripts...)
9. FINISHED Just for the Fun of Reading It

Early Series Titles
1. Ivy & Bean (Barrows) #1
2. Stink (McDonald) #1
3. Miss Daisy is Crazy (Gutman) #1
4. Judy Moody (McDonald) #1
5. Junie B. Jones (Park) #1
6. Mercy Watson (DiCamillo)

New Books (2009)
1. 11 Birthdays (Mass)
2. The Year the Swallows Came Early (Fitzmaurice) 2009
3. Dying to Meet You (43 Cemetery Road) (Klise) 2009
4. Jake Ransom and the Skull King's Shadow (Rollins) 2009
5. Emeline and the Bunny (Hannigan)
6. Tales from Outer Suburbia (Tan)
7. If I Stay (Forman)
8. When You Reach Me (Stead)
9. Wild Things (Carmichael)
FINISHED

Books with an Arizona Setting
1. Mission to Sonora (Cramer)
2. Cowboy Rides Away (Thornton)
3. High Lonesome Road (Thornton)

Titles By an Author I've Already Read
1. Blood Work (Connelly)
2. Mexican Hat (McGarrity)
3. 3 Willows (Brashares)
4. What Happened to Cass McBride (Giles)
5, Loud Silence of Francine Green (Cushman)
6. Every Soul a Star (Mass)
7. Betrayed (Cast & Cast)
8. Rough Weather (Parker)
9. Lawn Boy (Paulsen)
FINISHED

Mystery/Thriller
1. Tularosa (McGarrity)
2. Indigo Slam (Crais)
3. The Watchman (Crais)
4. Say Goodbye (Gardner)
5. Chasing the Dime (Connelly)
6. Case of the Missing Marquess (Springer)
7. Death Assemblage (Miller)
8. Whiskey Sour (Konrath)
9. Gray Ghost (Tapply)
FINISHED

YA Titles
1. My Lost and Found Life (Bowsher)
2. Hurricane Song (Volponi)
3. Evolution, Me & Other Freaks of Nature (Brande)
4. What My Mother Doesn't Know (Sones)
5. What Would Emma Do? (Cook)
6. Bones of Faerie (Simner)
7. Marked (Cast & Cast)
8. Rule of Won (Petrucha)
9. Marcelo in the Real World (Stork)
FINISHED

Books Related to My Literature Class Curriculum
1. Huckleberry Finn (Twain)
2. The Iliad
3. The Most Beautiful Place in the World (Cameron)
4. The Corn Grows Ripe (Rhoads)

Novels That Take a Contemporary Twist on Mysteries in History (Knights Templar, the real Shakespeare, lost books, maps, manuscripts...)
1. People of the Book (Brooks)
2. The Book of Lies (Meltzer)
Unf. Venetian Betrayal (Berry)
Unf. Rule of Four (Caldwell/Thompson)
Unf. The Eight (Neville)
3. Physick Book of Deliverance Dane (Howe)
4. Book of Air and Shadows (Gruber)

Just For the Fun of Reading It
1. The Lace Reader (Barry)
2. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (Shaffer & Barrows)
3. The Rug Merchant (Mullins)
4. Austenland (Hale)
5. Sworn to Silence (Castillo)
6. Confetti Girl (Lopez)
7. Shiver (Stievater)
8. Jane Austen Ruined My Life (Pattillo)
9. Escape Under the Forever Sky (Yohalem)
FINISHED


Repetitions (Can only have 9!)
None yet! ! !

2009 Mini-Challenges

This seems really different and fun. It can be found at: http://www.caribousmom.com/2008/12/30/2009-mini-challenges-a-novel-challenge-yahoo-group/

Complete all 12 mini-challenges between January 1st and December 31st, 2009.
Challenges can be completed in any order.
Overlaps are allowed.
Have fun! Challenge yourself to do something literary every month of the year! ( **I LOVE THIS ! ! !)
Here are the 12 challenges:

1. Read a collection of short stories and either blog about it, OR tell the group about what you read.
2. Read a play. Blog about it, OR tell the group about your experience.
3. Read a nonfiction book; write a review on your blog or post it to the group.
4. Read an 2 essays from the same collection; write a review on your blog or tell the group about what you read.
5. Go to a book event; blog about it or tell the group about it.
6. DONE Borrow a library book, read it and review it on your blog (or tell the group about it).
7. DONE Read a book by a new to you author. Do a little research on the author…do they have a blog? How many books have they written? Have they won any prizes? Where do they live? etc… Blog about the book you read and the author OR tell the group about them.
8. DONE Make a donation. You can either donate to an organization that supports reading OR make a physical donation of a book (or books) to ANYONE. Blog about it or tell the group what you did.
9. DONE Promote literacy. This is wide open - use your imagination. You could give a child a book, or read a book to someone who cannot read, or volunteer at an event which promotes literacy, or donate to your local library, or write something on your blog with a link to a group which promotes literacy, or anything in between. The only rule with this one is that you must PROMOTE literacy in some way…
10. DONE Participate in a buddy read or Group discussion. This can be a face to face group, an on-line group or a one on one discussion with a friend who read the same book. Either way, blog about your experience or share with the group. Did the discussion give you greater appreciation or insight into what you read?
11. Read a book outside your comfort level or from a genre you don’t normally read. Blog about it, or tell the group about it.
12. DONE Read a classic (defined as anything published before 1970). Tell us why it fits the category of being a classic. Write a review or tell the group about the book.

My List:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6. I usually have my limit of 25 out of the library, so this is easy. My 2009 Book #4: Tularosa by Michael McGarrity was taken from the Miller-Golf Links Branch of the Tucson/Pima Library, read, and reviewed on this blog on Jan. 9th. One down!
7. I researched quite a few new-to-me authors (and illustrators) such as Jen Bryant, Carrie Jones, and Michael McGarrity.
8. I donated books to the THA Library, and I sent a box of books to the middle school near Seattle that lost all its books in a fire around Thanksgiving. I donated many books to the Friends of Pima County Library for its book sale.
9. I try to promote literacy every day, since I teach literature to middle schoolers. But here are some special things that have come up:
A. Jan, 2009: My 7th and 8th graders have started a blog where they review YA literature for teens. They are very excited, and have even thought up pen names/pseudonyms. Check out: www.ReadingJewCrew.blogspot.com
10. Although my wonderful adult book group became defunct in 2009, I kept up (somewhat) with the TARC monthly meeting/discussions at Something Sweet.
11.
12. Feb. 2009: I read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Mark Twain) with my eighth grade class. I wasn't particularly impressed - you can read my review.

Jewish Literature Challenge

Because I teach at a Jewish Day School, and am learning slowly but surely about Judaism, AND because I teach middle school literature, AND because I want to learn more about the culture, history, and celebrations, I'm looking forward to this challenge.

website: http://jewishliteraturechallenge.blogspot.com/
rules (they seem pretty simple):
What: Reading at least 4 books by Jewish Authors or about Judaism
When: December 21, 2008 (Beginning of Hanukkah) to April 27, 2009 (End of Passover)

I'll post the books as I read them. I gave my friend, Fran, Sarah's Key (DeRosnay) for Christmas - it looks really good, and Yellow Star (Roy) has been recommended to me as a companion to when I teach Night to my 7th graders. Picture books are also incredibly helpful, so let's see how many I can read from now until Passover!

1. People of the Book (Geraldine Brooks) Adult Mystery
2. Someone for Mr. Sussman (Patricia Polacco) Picture Book
3. The Secret Seder (Doreen Rappaport/Emily Arnold McCully) Picture Book
4. The Yankee at the Seder (Elka Weber/Adam Gustavson) Picture Book

2009 1st in a Series Challenge

This sounds like a good challenge for an obsessive read-the-books-in-order listmaker. At least a couple of titles that were recommended at Singing Wind Bookstore (and purchased there!) and a couple of others in my TBR pile are first in a series.
The website: http://j-kaye-book-blog.blogspot.com/2008/11/1st-in-series-challenge-2009.html
The Guidelines for 1st in Series Challenge 2009

1. Anyone can join. You don't need a blog to participate.
2. Read 12 books that are the first in any series. You may read & list your chosen books any time during the year.
3. Challenge begins January thru December, 2009.
4. You can join anytime between now and December 31, 2009.

Books read:
1. Tularosa - Michael McGarrity, 1996 (Kevin Kerney, NM)
2. 3 Willows - Ann Brashares, 2009 (new Sisterhood series) YA
3. Mission to Sonora - Rebecca Cramer, 1998 (Linda Bluenight, Tucson)
4. Marked - P. C. Cast & Kristin Cast, 2007, (House of Night series) YA
5. Dying to Meet You - Klise, 2009 (43 Cemetery Road series) kids
6. Jake Ransom and the Skull King's Shadow - Rollins, 2009 Middle School
7. Ivy & Bean - Sophie Blackall, 2006 Early Rdr
8. The Incredibly Shrinking Kid - Megan McDonald, (Shrink Series) Early Rdr
9. The Cowboy Rides Again - Betsy Thornton, 1996 (Chloe Newcomb, Bisbee)
10. Sworn to Silence - Linda Castillo, 2009 (Kate Burkholder/ex-Amish Police Chief)
11. The Case of the Missing Marquess - Nancy Springer, 2006 (Enola Holmes Mystery) Middle School
12. Death Assemblage - Susan Cummins Miller, 2002 (Frankie MacFarlane, Tucson)
13. Whiskey Sour - J. A. Konrath, 2004 (Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels, Chicago PD)
14. Miss Daisy is Crazy - Dan Gutman, 2004 (My Weird School Series) Early Rdr
15. Judy Moody #1 - Megan McDonald, 2000 Early Rdr
16. Junie B. Jones #1 Stupid Smelly Bus, 1992 Early Rdr
17. City of Ember #1 - Jeanne DuPrau, 2003
18. Invisible I: The Amanda Project Book 1 - Stella Lennon (Melissa Kantor) 2009

2009 TBR Challenge

I look at the huge pile of books that I can't wait to read (actually, they're standing up between bookends on my coffee table, not exactly piled up...) so this is the first challenge I'm going to take on this brand new year:
The website: http://tbrchallenge.blogspot.com
The rules:
* the challenge is to read 12 TBR books in 12 months -- you can read those all in one month if you want, or one a month, or however you wanna do it.
* you need to have a list posted somewhere for others to see (even if it's in a comment here)
* you CANNOT change your list after January 1st, 2009!!!
* you can create an Alternates list of MAXIMUM 12 books, if you want, in order to have options to choose from (you can read these in place of books on your original list).
* audiobooks and e-books ARE allowed
* re-reads are NOT allowed, as they aren't TRUE "TBRs"
* you CAN overlap with other challenges
* OPTIONAL: you can join the Yahoo! Group created for participants of the TBR Challenge, if you want to have a place to keep your list, or just to share with others about how you're doing! :)

My TBR List:

1. Labyrinth (Mosse)
2. One Good Turn (Atkinson)
3. Triangle (Weber)
4. Illuminated (Bronleewe)
5. The Ring (Molist)
6. Midnight Cactus (Pollen)
7. Black Olives (Dudman)
8. At Ease with the Dead (Satterthwait)
9. Mission to Sonora (Cramer) READ
10. Gray Ghost (Tapply) READ

My Alternates:

11. Shoot the Moon (Letts)
12. Coyota (Egan)
13. The King's Lizard (Christie)
14. The Mortician's Daughter (Bloom)
15. Three Cups of Tea (Mortenson & Relin)
16. Not the End of the World (Atkinson)
17. Nol! I Don't Want to Join a Book Club (Ironside)
18. Shakespeare: The World as a Stage (Bryson)
19. They Did It with Love (Morgenroth)
20. Alphabet Weekends (Noble)

BOOKS READ
1. Mission to Sonora (Cramer) slow, set in Tucson with lots of references to places around town
2. Gray Ghost (Tapply) after reading, found that Tapply died in the last year of cancer. So sorry.