Hey! Here’s a challenge I actually completed successfully. Yay me!

I had so much fun with the 2010 YA Reading Challenge, that I couldn’t wait to sign up for it again in 2011. This year, the 2011 Young Adult Reading Challenge was hosted by Jamie at For the Love of YA.

There are four levels to choose from in the YA Challenge:

1. The Mini YA Reading Challenge – Read 12 Young Adult novels.
2. The “Fun Size” YA Reading Challenge – Read 20 Young Adult novels.
3. The Jumbo Size YA Reading Challenge – Read 40 Young Adult novels.
4. The Mega size YA Reading Challenge – Read 50+ Young Adult novels.

Here are my 20 books:

1. The DUFF by Kody Keplinger
2. Gone by Michael Grant
3. The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan
4. Subject Seven by James A. Moore
5. Keys to the Demon Prison by Brandon Mull
6. Eona by Alison Goodman
7. The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
8. Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer
9. The Final Warning by James Patterson
10. Marked by PC Cast
11. Betrayed by PC Cast
12. If I Stay by Gayle Forman
13. Where She Went by Gayle Forman
14. Matched by Ally Condie
15. The Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnell 
16. The Dark City by Catherine Fisher
17. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
18. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
19. Crossed by Ally Condie  
20. The Warlock by Michael Scott

Hosted by The Ladybug Reads, the 2011 E-Book Reading Challenge challenges you to read more e-books. This was the challenge I was most excited about since I’m always trying to convince people of the wonders of e-reading.

I didn’t fail miserably at this one, but I still didn’t meet my goal. I did manage to read more books than the level below the one I choose required, so I don’t think I did too badly. Although, I would like to be reading at least half of my books electronically, so I will try this challenge again next year.

There are seven levels to the challenge:

1. Curious – Read 3 e-books
2. Fascinated – Read 6 e-books
3. Addicted – Read 12 e-books
4. Obsessed – Read 20 e-books
5. Possessed – Read 50 e-books
6. Fanatical – Read 75 e-books
7. Monomaniacal – Read 100 e-books

I’m going for level four – Obsessed – Read 20 e-books.

I’ll be listing my 20 e-books here as I go:

1. Sweet Spot by Susan Mallery
2. The Death of Joan of Arc by Michael Scott
3. Up In Smoke by Katie MacAlister
4. Gone by Michael Grant
5. Divine By Mistake by P.C. Cast
6. Calling for Angels by Alex Smith
7. Marked by P.C. Cast
8. Betrayed by P.C. Cast
9. Death’s Excellent Vacation by Charlaine Harris & Various
10. If I Stay by Gayle Forman
11. The Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnell
12. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
13. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
14. The Warlock by Michael Scott
15. Book Title by Author
16. Book Title by Author
17. Book Title by Author
18. Book Title by Author
19. Book Title by Author
20. Book Title by Author

The 2011 Page to Screen Reading Challenge (hosted by Christina at Reading Extensively) was my first reading challenge of 2011. As an avid movie and TV lover, I thought this one sounded perfect for me!

The rules for the reading challenge were:

• Read books that were made into movies or T.V. shows
• Books must be read between January 1-December 31, 2011
• Rereads count!
• Books that are currently being made into movies also count as long as the movie will be released sometime in 2011
• You can also watch the movies/T.V. shows as part of the challenge but it is not a requirement

I’m decided to try Level One – Read 5 books that were made into movies/T.V. shows.

While I did read a few books that that belong to series which have movies out, I only read one book that is the basis of an already released movie/show.

1. He’s Just Not That Into You by Greg Behrendt & Liz Tuccillo (Review posted)

I did  also read The Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnell which is currently being adapted for a 2012 TV show, but that doesn’t really count since the show didn’t come out this year. Either way, I still failed miserably at this challenge!

I’m now 2 for 2.

As we approach the end of 2011, I thought I’d take some time to look at my reading goals and challenges for the year. At the beginning of the year I was unaware of the changes my life was going to take, and as a result I was a little too optimistic when setting my goals.  I’m ashamed to admit that I think I have failed on all my goals and challenges this year.

Stay tuned over the next few weeks to see just how badly I did on my challenges this year!

The 2011 1st in a Series Challenge hosted by Katy at A Few More Pages seemed like an easy one to me.  I am a series lover. I really enjoy getting to know characters and following their stories for a long time.

There are four levels for this challenge:

• Series Novice: Read 3 books that are the first in any series.
• Series Lover: Read 6 books that are the first in any series.
• Series Expert: Read 12 books that are the first in any series.
• Series Fanatic: Read 20 books that are the first in any series.

I didn’t fail too miserably at this one, since I did start 9 new series out of the 12 I was aiming for. I will definitely try this one again next year!

Here are the 9 new series I started this year:

1. Gone by Michael Grant (Gone #1)
2. The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan (Kane Chronicles #1)
3. Divine By Mistake by P.C. Cast (Partholon, #1)
4. Subject Seven by James A. Moore (Subject Seven #1)
5. The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan (Heroes of Olympus #1)
6. Marked by PC Cast (House of Night #1)
7. Matched by Ally Condie (Matched #1)
8. The Dark City by Catherine Fisher (Relic Master #1)
9. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness (Chaos Walking #1)
10. Book Title by Author (Series)
11. Book Title by Author (Series)
12. Book Title by Author (Series)

Unfortunately out of those 9 series I did start, only 3 of them were enjoyable enough to keep me reading the next books in the series. So here’s where I ask my fellow book lovers for helpful suggestions… what new series did you start – and really enjoy – this year? I’ll be needing some new series to follow in 2012.

As I mentioned last week, I’ve decided to add a personal challenge of my own to the other reading challenges I’ve joined this year.  Some major life changes have resulted in a need to free up shelf space and to reduce my growing debt. I’ve been cutting back all over, but the big pile of books always seems to be growing.  So, it’s time to make a change! And thus a challenge was born…

The challenge is this: Until my very large pile of unread books is reduced to single digits, I am not allowed to spend any more money on books.

But, this does NOT mean I can’t acquire new books by other means… because that would be unrealistic, and I’d just be setting myself up to fail. But I have quite a collection of book gift certificates to use up, and I have a library card and friends who share books, not to mention review copies. Any of these means are acceptable. As long as I don’t spend any $$. Granted, allowing myself new books won’t reduce the TBR pile as quickly, it will ensure I don’t have to miss out on those books I’ve been waiting for.

I know there are other TBR pile reading challenges out there, but I didn’t want to force myself to read a specific number of books, I just wanted to stop adding to the pile and save some money.

My TBR piles is big enough to keep me going for a while (including e-books and the ones I forgot to put in the pile, it’s about 46 books), but I got all those books because I wanted to read them, so it’s time to stop jumping to the next book I want and read the ones I already have.

This is a challenge I came up with to fit a personal need, but if you like the idea, feel free to join in! I’m sure a support team will be a big help! I have no idea how to use Mr. Linky, so if you want to try the Frugal Reader Challenge yourself, then join in in the comments below. Feel free to grab the badge above and add your own post on your blog if you so desire! I’ll update this post and add my progress from time time, and do a write up post at the end of the year. (Or if I happen to beat the pile. Whichever comes first.)

If at first you don’t succeed… Take the challenge again! The TwentyTen Challenge was the one challenge that I didn’t complete last year, but the point of a challenge is to challenge yourself right? Once again this challenge is being hosted by Bart’s Bookshelf, but this year the challenge becomes The TwentyEleven Challenge.

The Rules:

• You must read a total of  20 books from 11 categories. (You can choose two of the categories where you only need to read one book.)
• The categories are intended to be loose guidelines only, if you decide it fits, then it fits!
• Each book can only qualify for one category.
• Crossovers with other challenges are allowed.
• Books read from 01/01/2011 – 31/12/2011 are eligible.

The categories for TwentyEleven are:

1. To YA or not YA: This one works like this… Tend to read more Young Adult than Adult Fiction books then read one or two adult fiction titles, vice-versa if you don’t tend to read much Young Adult. I’m going for 2 non-YA books here.
   1.  Spinning by Michael Baron
   2. Electric Blue by Nancy Bush
   -
2. …With a Twist: This one focuses on sub-genres, read a lot of chick-lit, then try a paranormal romance! Fantasy? Why not give some Steampunk a go, like a bit of Space-Opera in your Sci-Fi then pick up a military Sci-fi book.
   1.  Sweet Spot by Susan Mallery
   2. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
   -
3. Hot off the Presses: Read a book published (in your country) in 2011? Then it counts for this category.
   1. The Summer of Permanent Wants by Jamieson Findlay
   2. The Warlock by Michael Scott
   -
4. It Wasn’t Me! (aka Bad Bloggers*) 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 ago). *Bad Bloggers is hosted by Chris of Stuff as Dreams are Made on.
   1. Crossed by Ally Condie
   2. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
   -
5. Show it Who is Boss! Tackle that overflowing T.B.R. pile! Books for this category must be already residents of your bookshelves as of 1/12/10.
   1. Subject Seven by James A Moore
   2. The Final Warning by James Patterson
   -
6. Bablefish: Read books that are translated from a language that is not your own.
   1.
   2.
   -
7. Will-Power? What Will-Power? Bought a book NEW during 2011? Then it counts for this category. Second-hand books do not count, but books bought for you as gifts or won in a giveaway do count.
   1.  The DUFF by Kody Keplinger
   2. Death’s Excellent Vacation by Various Authors
   -
8. Mind the Gap: Need just one more book to compete that duology/trilogy/series then read it for this one! (This is for that final book you need to complete the series, so you can’t read two books from the same series!) Because not everyone reads a series in order, this is for the last book you need to read, not necessarily the last book in the series…
   1. Sucker Bet by Erin McCarthy  – Vegas Vampires #4
   2. Inheritance by Christopher Paolini
   -
9. Back in the Day: Re-read an old favourite or two for this category.
   1.
   2.
   -
10. Way Back When: Read books that were published before you were born for this one, whether that be the day before or 100 years prior!
    1.
    2.
    -
11. Slim-Pickings: Got a novella you want to read? Then this one is the one for you! Any books between 90-150 pages count.
    1. The Death of Joan of Arc by Michael Scott
    2.

The Dewey Decimal Challenge is hosted by Jen at The Introverted Reader. This challenge is designed for fiction addicts who want to add some non-fiction into their reading but need a little push.

The rules are pretty simple: Read any non-fiction books. That’s it… Absolutely anything that is classified as non-fiction counts for this challenge.

There are four levels in The Dewey Decimal Challenge:

Dilettante–Read 1 non-fiction book.
Explorer–Read 2
Seeker–Read 3
Master–Read 4

I’m going to go all out and try for the Master level!  I know.  Big words for a girl who only finished 2 of her 3 challenges last year, but I’m already reading a non-fiction book now, so I figure I have a good start.

Here are my four non-fiction books:

1. He’s Just Not That Into You by Greg Behrendt & Liz Tuccillo (Review posted)

2. The Big Ten of Grammar by William Bradshaw

3.

4.

The Sky is Everywhere
by Jandy Nelson

Synopsis

After a lifetime of being one half of the inseparable ‘Walker Girls’, Lennie is left lost and reeling when her older sister Bailey suddenly dies at the age of 19. We’re introduced to Lennie on her first day back at school, one month after Bailey’s death. What follows is a truly heart-warming and often heart-wrenching glimpse into the grieving process of a sister and family who have truly lost what matters most.

Review

It took me a few chapters to really get into The Sky is Everywhere, but once I got used to the flow of the unique language and flowery dialogue, I was really blown away! As Lennie progresses through the various stages of her grief, the reader is taken on this very emotional journey right along with her. Although I’ve never lost anyone close to me, Lennie’s reactions to life without her closest confidant – while sometimes shocking – felt very true, and left me wondering how I would ever make it through such a tragedy. Almost every chapter opens with a sample of Lennie’s writing, which gives the reader an intimate look at some of Lennie’s pivotal thoughts and ties the story together beautifully.

The Sky is Everywhere is filled with a great cast of quirky, flawed, yet completely lovable characters. Each is completely unique, with their own voice and distinct personality, and all fill an important role in Lennie’s life. Even though Lennie’s family is a little kooky, I rarely found them so over-the-top as to be unbelievable, and it was clear that their actions always originated from the heart.

It’s hard to imagine a story could be so fantastical and yet so realistic at the same time, but The Sky is Everywhere accomplishes just that. With its unique prose, focus on music and poetry, and collection of quirky characters juxtaposed against the heart-wrenching tale of a family dealing with grief, The Sky is Everywhere is an emotional journey that will leave you completely satisfied and yet wanting more.

Verdict

I actually hugged the book and cried a little when I finished reading The Sky is Everywhere. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good story that deals with real human issues without taking itself too seriously. I can’t wait for more from this debut author!

*This book was provided for review by the publisher, via the Goodreads first reads program.

**The Sky is Everywhere is book #4 for the TwentyTen Reading Challenge.

The Reckoning (Darkest Powers #3)
by Kelley Armstrong

I’ve been anxiously awaiting this third (and final) volume in the Darkest Powers Trilogy for some time now.  So as soon as I got my hands on it, I set aside my other books and dove right in. I love that feeling of being reunited with characters you’ve been missing and finally getting to learn the rest of their story.

Synopsis

The Reckoning picks up right where The Awakening left off, with Chloe and her group of genetically modified supernaturals safe from the clutches of the Edison Group at last. Once they get a chance to rest and stop running, the teens finally start learning how to use their powers. But it quickly becomes evident that no one is ready for what the Edison Group’s experiments have created. When their safe house suddenly doesn’t feel so safe, Chloe and her friends are forced to run again, and this time the stakes are even higher.

Review

The Darkest Powers trilogy does a wonderful job of building on the supernatural world created in Armstrong’s Women of the Otherworld series without ever leaning on those characters to propel the story. Like the first two books in the series, The Reckoning is an action packed adventure that will keep you guessing as the story unfolds and loyalties are put into question. Never knowing who to trust keeps the reader in the same mindset as the characters, and heightens the suspense as things progress to the high-stakes conclusion. I actually found this series to be scarier than the Women of the Otherworld books, and was often on the edge of my seat as Chloe battled her ghosts and demons.

The character development in The Reckoning is fantastic! As usual, Kelley Armstrong’s characters are so layered and authentic that you miss them when they’re not around. Chloe, Derek and Tori all really grow and change throughout the course of this novel. Simon’s role is reduced quite a bit in The Reckoning, but this makes sense as the other characters powers continue to grow.

Between the action, suspense and great characters, The Reckoning is a gripping adventure set in an amazing supernatural world that meshes seamlessly with our own.

Verdict

The Reckoning is a satisfying conclusion to the Darkest Powers trilogy, but it’s so well written that I really wish there were more stories about these young characters to look forward to in the future.

• If you’d like to learn a little more about The Reckoning, read an excerpt here, or check out the cool Browse & Search feature on randomhouse.ca.

*This book was provided for review by the publisher.

**The Reckoning is book #6 for the 2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge.

The What’s in a Name? Challenge is hosted by Beth at Beth Fish Reads, and ever since Rae mentioned it to me I’ve been interested in joining.

Here’s how it works:

Between January 1 and December 31, 2010, read one book in each of the following categories:

1. A book with a food in the title: Clockwork Orange, Grapes of Wrath, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
2. A book with a body of water in the title: A River Runs through It, Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, The Lake House
3. A book with a title (queen, president) in the title: The Murder of King Tut, The Count of Monte Cristo, Lady Susan
4. A book with a plant in the title: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Wind in the Willows, The Name of the Rose
5. A book with a place name (city, country) in the title: Out of Africa; London; Between, Georgia
6. A book with a music term in the title: Song of Solomon, Ragtime, The Piano Teacher

The book titles are just suggestions, you can read whatever book you want to fit the category.

Other Things to Know:

• Books may be any form (audio, print, e-book).
• Books may overlap other challenges.
• Books may not overlap categories; you need a different book for each category.
• Creativity for matching the categories is allowed.
• You do not have to make a list of books before hand.
• You do not have to read through the categories in any particular order.
• There will be a single prize at the end of the challenge. Readers who complete the challenge and write up a wrap-up post (or wrap-up comment) are eligible.

My Books
1. Food: God is in the Pancakes by Robin Epstein (Review posted)
2. Water: The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan (Review posted)
3. Title: The Iron King by Julie Kagawa (Review posted)
4. Plant: Nightshade by Andrea Cremer (Review posted)
5. Place: Return to the Hundred Acre Wood by David Benedictus (Discussion)
6. Music: The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks (Discussion)