I’ve been having so much fun with the first reading challenge I joined, I decided it’s time to try a few more! I’ve found two that I’m interested in, the first is the TwentyTen Reading Challenge hosted by Bart’s Bookshelf.

The aim is to read a total 20 books, over ten categories, in 2010.

Rules:

• Read 2 books from each category, making a requirement of 20 books total.
• The categories are intended to be loose guidelines only, if you decide it fits, then it fits. (Apart from those marked **)
• Categories marked with ** have tighter rules, and these must be followed.
• Each book can only qualify for one category.
• Crossovers with other challenges are allowed.
• Books read from 01/01/2010 to 31/12/2010 are eligible.

So, on with the categories:

1. Young Adult: Any book classified as young adult or featuring a teenage protagonist counts for this category.
   1. The Wizard Heir by Cinda Williams Chima (Review posted)
   2. Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports (Maximum Ride #3) by James Patterson (Review posted)
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2. T.B.R.: Intended to help reduce the old T.B.R. pile. Books for this category must be already residents of your bookshelves as of 1/11/09.
   1. Personal Demon by Kelley Armstrong
   2. Chasing Harry Winston by Lauren Weisberger (Review Posted)
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3. Shiny & New: Bought a book NEW during 2010 from a bookstore, online, or a supermarket? Then it counts for this category. Second-hand books do not count for this one, but, for those on book-buying bans, books bought for you as gifts or won in a giveaway also count!
   1. Witch & Wizard by James Patterson
   2. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
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4. Bad Blogger’s: ** Books in this category, should be ones you’ve picked up purely on the recommendation of another blogger count for this category (any reviews you post should also link to the post that convinced you give the book a go).
   **Bad Bloggers: Is hosted by Chris of Stuff as Dreams are Made on.
   1. The Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink
   2. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
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5. Charity: Support your local charity shops with this category, by picking up books from one of their shops. Again, for those on book-buying bans, books bought for you as gifts also count, as long as they were bought from a charity shop.
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6. New in 2010: This category is for those books newly published in 2010 (whether it be the first time it is has been released, or you had to wait for it to be published in your country, it counts for this one!)
   1. Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris – May 4, 2010 (Review posted)
   2. Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich
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7. Older Than You: Read two books that were published before you were born, whether that be the day before or 100 years prior!
   1. Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell (1949)
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8. Win! Win!: Have a couple of books you need to read for another challenge? Then this is the category to use, as long that is, you don’t break the rules of the other challenge by doing so!
   1. The Iron King by Julie Kagawa (What’s in a Name Challenge)
   2. Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick (YA Challenge)
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9. Who Are You Again?: This one isn’t just for authors you’ve never read before, this is for those authors you have never even heard of before!
   1. Crossing the Bridge by Michael Baron (Review posted)
   2. The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson (Review posted)
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10. Up to You!: The requirements for this category are up to you! Want to challenge yourself to read some graphic novels? A genre outside your comfort zone? Something completely wild and wacky? Then this is the category to you. The only requirement is that you state it in your sign-up post.
    - I’d like to challenge myself to read more Canadian authors. I’ll add to the challenge to say it must be 2 Canadian authors I haven’t read before.
    1. As She Grows by Lesley Anne Cowan (Review Posted)
    2. Fearless Female Journalists by Joy Crysdale (Review Posted)

The Of the Royal Line Challenge is my first challenge with the Romance Readers Reading Challenges group over at Goodreads. Since I read a lot of historical romances, this one seemed like a no-brainer.

The goal is to read TEN books which titles (or series titles) have nobility words in it (Ex. king, queen, prince, princess, lord, lady, duke, earl, viscount, duchess, etc).

Duration: Dec 1, 2009 – Feb 28, 2010

1. Silent in the Grave (Lady Julia Grey, #1) by Deanna Raybourn, 01/03/10, ★★★
2. Silent in the Sanctuary (Lady Julia Grey, #2) by Deanna Raybourn, 01/05/10, ★★★
3. Silent on the Moor (Lady Julia Grey, #3) by Deanna Raybourn, 01/08/10, ★★★
4. The Princess Bride by William Goldman, 01/17/10, ★★★★
5. The Truth About Lord Stoneville by Sabrina Jeffries, 01/21/10, ★★★★
6. How I Met My Countess by Elizabeth Boyle, 01/23/10, ★★★
7. His Lady Mistress by Elizabeth Rolls, 01/26/10, ★★★
8. At the Duke’s Pleasure by Tracy Anne Warren, 02/03/10, ★★
9. TBA
10. TBA

Note: I’m currently linking to each book’s Goodreads page but I do plan to review one or two of them here and I’ll update this post with links to those reviews as I get them done.

Ever since venturing into the world of book blogging early this year, I’ve been noticing the multitude of Reading Challenges that so many of you are participating in. After reading and observing for many months, I think I’m finally going to dip my toes into the challenge pool!

It was when I came across The 2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge hosted by J. Kaye’s Book Blog, that I knew it was time for me to give a challenge a try! I may be all grown up, but I love my YA fiction.

Here are the details of the challenge as posted at J. Kaye’s Book Blog:

1.  Anyone can join. You don’t need a blog to participate.
2.  There are four levels:

• The Mini YA Reading Challenge – Read 12 Young Adult novels.
• Just My Size YA Reading Challenge – Read 25 Young Adult novels.
• Stepping It Up YA Reading Challenge – Read 50 Young Adult novels.
• Super Size Me YA Reading Challenge – Read 75 Young Adult novels.

3.  Audio, eBooks, paper all count.
4.  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.
5.  Challenge begins January 1st thru December, 2010.

Since this is my first challenge, I think I will start slowly and try The Mini YA Reading Challenge. I’ll list my 12 books here as I go.

1. Wake by Lisa McMann (Review posted)
2. Rise of the Evening Star by Brandon Mull
3. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (Review posted)
4. The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima (Review posted)
5. School’s Out Forever by James Patterson (Review posted)
6. The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong (Review posted)
7. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
   
8. Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
9. The Necromancer by Michael Scott (Review posted)
10. The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller (Review posted)
11. Graceling by Kristin Cashore (Review posted)
12. EON by Alison Goodman (Review posted)

The Ultimate Gift
by Jim Stovall

I finished this book last weekend. And, while Christmas preparations kept me busy the last few days, that’s not why it’s taken me so long to write this review. It’s that I was disappointed. The librarian who recommended the book to me so was so enthusiastic with her praise. As a result, I expected so much more than I got.

I got teary a few times so the book’s got something. It’s just not a lot. Or rather, I can see exactly how they got a TV movie out of it. It’s the perfect outline for a script. But, as a book, it did – and pardon me for dragging this saying out – too much telling, not enough showing.

In the story, Jason Stevens the spoiled great-nephew of newly deceased billionaire Red Stevens finds out he must complete a year’s worth of tasks in order to collect his inheritance. With each task that he completes, Jason finds his view of the world challenged and his attitude towards those around him changing. Though he’s tempted to give up several times, he keeps pushing so that he can finish the year and receive The Ultimate Gift.

Sounds good, right? The inside flap on the front of the book invites us to, “Join Jason on the Journey of a Lifetime!” More like join the narrator (not Jason, FYI) as he wonders how Jason is doing on the journey of a lifetime but has to wait until Jason returns every month to fill us in on what happened. It’s frustrating, to say the least, that we never actually get to see any of Jason’s journey. The book certainly wouldn’t be as short if the author had fleshed it out and actually followed Jason instead of Red’s lawyer but it would be a lot more interesting.

Like I said, I did tear up over the things Jason learns and I like the overall message of the book. I don’t doubt that Jim Stovall is a good motivational speaker. I suspect his non-fiction books are probably outstanding. That said, I’d think twice about picking up another of his fictions. In fact, there’s a sequel to this book called The Ultimate Life but, since it appears to be told in the same manner as The Ultimate Gift, I think I’ll pass.

I will say this, there are a lot of people who really, really love this book. So, while I’m not ever going to recommend it to anyone, I do think those who were already interested in it reading it should give it a try. It’s a fast read and the overall message is worth remembering. And if you check it out from the library, you always have the option of buying it later if you end up loving it as much as my librarian did.

The Man Who Invented Christmas: How Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol Rescued His Career and Revived Our Holiday Spirits
by Les Standiford

“Celebrating Christmas without some reference to A Christmas Carol seems impossible, a remarkable fact given that the book was published more than 150 years ago. Indeed, the resonance of the story has remained so strong through the generations that commentators have referred to Dickens as the man who invented Christmas.”

I first found The Man Who Invented Christmas: How Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol Rescued His Career and Revived Our Holiday Spirits last year as I was wandering through Barnes and Noble randomly picking titles off shelves. I was intrigued by the title and I skimmed through a few pages. But I already had way too many books in my pile for someone who still had a lot of Christmas shopping left to do. Which is why the Christmas Reading Challenge seemed like the perfect reason to seek it out again.

The book is very interesting but the title is misleading and I found myself disappointed it didn’t spend more time focused on how A Christmas Carol “revived our holiday spirits.” The author certainly convinced me Dickens’s Carol played an important part in the revival but, based on the title of the book, I expected it to have a much more significant role.

Nonetheless, I enjoyed it. It’s not a light read. The author is from academia and though he notes at the end of the book that he didn’t indeed it as a formal work of scholarship, I think you can take the man out of academia but you can’t take the academia out of the man. So, while he may not have intended it as a work of scholarship, some of the writing is still more formal than informal. That combined with pieces that he was quoting from Dickens and his contemporaries, made some passages of the book a little challenging. I come from an English background and I still found myself reading portions of the book out loud so I could understand the point being made.

Continue reading for more of my thoughts on The Man Who Invented Christmas.

The Christmas Box
by Richard Paul Evans

Like Jody, I’m participating in the Christmas Reading Challenge and The Christmas Box marks the first of my three books. Coming in at 125 pages (give or take, depending on your publication version), this is a very quick read and very enjoyable. I wasn’t quite as blown away by it as I expected based on what I’d heard but it’s definitely a heart-warming tale about a parent’s love for his child and taking time to appreciate what you have.

The book opens with a young family exchanging their cramped residence for the mansion of a wealthy widow who desires companionship more than she actually needs the young couple to cook for her. Our narrator, the husband, works long hours making his new business a success. But it doesn’t take long for the family to bond with Mary, the widow, and grow close to her, especially as they share the joys of the holidays. By the story’s end, Mary has taught the young family about the first gift of Christmas and the importance of the season.

Like I said, I really enjoyed this short story. The shortness, however, is exactly why I didn’t find it nearly as touching as I expected. I just didn’t have time to get emotionally connected to these characters so, while I could appreciate the story, I felt almost detached from it. Although I do think parents are more likely to feel the deeper connection I was missing. If I ever have children, I’ll have to read it again and see if my perspective changes.

I have a confession. Until I read more about the book on his site, I believed Richard Paul Evans was sharing a story from his life. His wife’s name is the same as the wife in the story, Keri, as is his daughter’s, Jenna. I can’t remember if that info was in the included little author bio or not but, given the narrator is male and never identifies himself, it felt like Evans was telling the story himself. Especially since there’s a note at the end of the book about the actual statue included in the story. All these things combined gave the story an air of non-fiction.

Not that it changes the effect of the story but I had to admit I felt quite silly when I did a little more research and discovered the truth. Evans did originally write the story as an expression of love for his children and only ever intended it for family and friends. I imagine that’s why he chose those names and, indeed, wanted it to feel like he was the one telling the story. In a way, knowing that gives the book a little extra special meaning.

If you’ve never read The Christmas Box and are looking for a quickly holiday read this season, I suggest you give it a try. Especially if you’re a parent!

All I Have to Give
by Melody Carlson

All I Have to Give was my first holiday book of the season, and also marks my first book for the Christmas Reading Challenge!  It was a very enjoyable story that I zipped through in an evening, and it succeeded in helping to get me in the Christmas spirit – which was the intention! So, overall a successful reading venture.

The story opens with sisters Anna and Meredith chatting about their respective marital issues as they clean up from Thanksgiving dinner, and proceeds to follow Anna’s attempts at creating “the best Christmas ever”.  Despite her greatest efforts to have a happy holiday, Anna’s health and various family issues threaten to ruin the festivities. But as with any good holiday story, the good persevere, and miracles are waiting to occur.

I really liked all the characters in All I Have to Give, and found the story relatable and believable (sometimes this is not the case with holiday stories). It’s very nice to see romance and marriage portrayed in a realistic manner for a change.  My one complaint with All I Have to Give would be that it’s a little predictable. It’s loosely based on the traditional Christmas story The Gift of the Magi, so some obvious connections are hard to avoid, but one of the major plot points was pretty transparent as well. This doesn’t really take away from the spirit of the story though, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading All I Have to Give, and would definitely try some of Carlson’s other books.

I’m all about the challenges today! In an effort to try and capture some of that Christmas spirit that is often so elusive to me, I like to read some Christmas novels in the month of December. Last year was the first time I tried this, and it actually worked quite well. So when I discovered the Christmas Reading Challenge, I couldn’t wait to sign up!

Michelle of the True Book Addict is hosting the Christmas Reading Challenge, and here are the details:

• The Challenge will run from Thanksgiving Day (November 26, 2009) through New Year’s Eve (December 31, 2009).
• You may choose 1 – 3 books.  It may seem like a small amount, but it’s a busy time of year and the challenge is only a little over a month.
• They must be Christmas novels, books about Christmas lore or a book of Christmas short stories. (Sorry, no children’s books, but YA novels are okay.)

I’ll list my Christmas books here as I read them.

1. All I Have to Give by Melody Carson (Nov. 29) Review posted!
2. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (Dec. 8 ) Review posted!
3. Grace: A Novel by Richard Paul Evans (Dec. 19) Review posted!