Reading Challenge Updates

I'm in the middle of 3 reading challenges for this year.  I'm making some progress, especially since I'm down with a lousy cold and I'm home trying to get well.  I seem to have lots of time to get some reading done!

I have a general reading challenge, called The Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge 2011. The Book Vixen is hosting this challenge! Click on the link to check her out!  I'm keeping track of the books I've finished here. Outdo Yourself Challenge.  So far, I have 29 books listed on this challenge. My hope is to read 100 books this year (I read 65 in 2010)  I'm not sure if I can get to 100, but I'm sure going to try! 

This next challenge is a James Patterson Reading Challenge.  It goes from September 1, 2010 to August 31, 2011.  I have to say I have read  far more James Patterson books than I have listed on my challenge.  Yvonne at Socrates Book Review is hosting this one!  The thing I like about reading James Patterson is he also introduces you to new writers.  At least one writer that I know of, Andrew Gross,  has gone on to write fabulous books on his own!  I just finished reading Gross's The Blue Zone and it was great!!  Couldn't put it down!  Anyway, I'm halfway through the JP Challenge, having read 8 of the 16 books I have listed.  Check them out by clicking on the link!

And last, but not least, I have the Nicholas Sparks Reading Challenge.  This challenge is also hosted by The Book Vixen.  Until I started reading these books, I never read a Nicholas Sparks book, or seen any of his movies.  I'm not a big Romance book fan, but these aren't like the romance novels I've read in the past.  I thought I'd do my best to see if I could read all of the 16 books Nicholas Sparks has written.  I have finished 5 of them.  To be honest, I've been listening to these on audio, in my car.  My list of all his books, and the ones I"ve finished, crossed out, can be found here.  I've discovered that I do like his books! 


In the past year, I have discovered many new writers (and some old favorites) that I really enjoy reading!   You can Google them to see what they've written.  I'm listing them below.  Please check them out!


Sarah Pekkanen
Maryann McFadden
Tamera Lawrence
John Grisham
Claire Cook
Amy Hatvany
Paul Levine
Lisa Scottoline
Janet Evanovich
Tess Gerritsen
Andrew Gross
Elin Hilderbrand
Stieg Larsson
Patricia Cornwell
Sue Grafton
and so many more that I have yet to discover!


So, what authors do you love?

Update on my 3 reading challenges

I signed up for 3 separate reading challenges this year.  I think I'm doing pretty well, so far!  


First off, I'm doing a James Patterson Reading Challenge.  Most, if not all of the James Patterson books I'm "reading" are audio books.  I do a lot of driving, so I listen to the books in my car.  I've challenged myself to read 10+ James Patterson books.  The challenge ends on September 1, 2011.  I have 15 books on my list, as seen on this blog post .  I'm happy to report, as of this morning, I have 6 books under my belt!!


Another challenge I have signed for is the Nicholas Sparks book challenge.  I've never read any of Nicholas Sparks books and I've seen one or two of the movies! I have all of Nicholas Sparks listed here on this blog post.  There are 4 books crossed off this list so far.  This challenge ends at the end of the year.


The last challenge I'm doing is the Outdo Yourself reading challenge!  This one is cool because I can include my James Patterson books AND my Nicholas Sparks books I've read to the list!  I have those books listed here.  I'm happy to report that I have finished 17 books so far and have 3 in the works as I type!


If you click on the links to see the books I've read, there is also a link to the Challenges themselves!


My goal is to read 100 book in 2011.  I hope to read or listen to all he Nicholas Sparks books that are out there (he has a new one coming out soon too!)  I had a big head start on the James Patterson books!  I read quite a few of this books before this challenge even started, so all the books I have listed are his newest ones.  In my more general challenge, I'm including my very favorite authors, among them Sarah Pekkanen,  Jennifer Weiner, Janet Evanovich, Lisa Scottoline, Paul Levine, Stieg Larsson, Eleanor Brown, Elin Hilderbrand and many more!  If you're looking for some new authors to read, why not check out some of these fine authors!  My guess is you won't be sorry!

Boy, do I love to read! (this is longer than originally planned)

First of all, I love to read.  I used to read 3 or 4 books a week, but that was BK (before kids).  Taking care of small kids, my reading time was limited.  I'd often fall asleep after reading only a few pages of a book.  Then came household computers and the internet.  I found myself reading message boards and chat rooms, rather than books.  For a lot of years, I was lucky to read 3 or 4 books a year, rather than 3 or 4 books a week!  I kept buying books, especially when Borders or Barnes and Noble had buy 3, get 1 free, or buy 1, get a 2nd one for half price.  I'm a sucker for books and sales.


I was reading books on Oprah's Book Club, but so many of her books were SO DEEP, or books about women triumphing over adversity.  They are all well and good, but every now and then, you just need a good trashy novel!  I did find a few real gems in her books club though.  House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III, Midwives by Chris Bohjalian, Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts,  The Pilot's Wife by Anita Shreve (this book had me hooked from page 1) were the few books that I simply loved.  


I discovered that the Good Morning America Book Club was even better!  I found so many other books that I was more interested in reading!  Books like The Secret Life of Bees  by Sue Monk Kidd,  The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold,  Three Junes by Julia Glass,  The Dive from Clausen's Pier by Ann Packer (this book was sooo good!)  


A couple of years ago, I made a deal with myself to try to read a book a month. I had a huge pile of books (50 or more), many from some of my favorite authors (Sue Grafton, Patricia Cornwell, John Grisham, Dan Brown,  James Patterson, Jennifer Weiner to name a few)  I was really surprised to realize that I read 23 books in 2009!  


John gave me a Kindle for Christmas in 2009 (just months before the price dropped drastically!)  I started buying books for my Kindle, even though I still had a good 30 or more print books at home, waiting to be read.  I learned how to search for free books and the newest books were considerably less than the hard-cover versions in the store! (My Kindle has more than paid for itself this past year)


I also bought a Blackberry from a co-worker who just HAD to get the Droid as soon as it came out, even though he bought the Blackberry only 3 months before.  I found out that I could download audio books from my local library to my computer and transfer them to my BB!  So instead of having music on the MP3 player part of my phone, I have BOOKS!!    And I listen to them in my car when I'm driving for 30 minutes or more.  The best $10 I ever spent was for a Jupiter Jack.  It works like a charm! (Thanks Billy Mays, wherever you are!)  Plug that baby into my Blackberry, tune my car radio to channel 99.3 FM, and I hear my books clear as a bell (most of the time... it doesn' t like the mountains on the PA Turnpike and parts of Wilmington, DE)


So I now have 3 different ways to get my book loving in.  The print books I keep in my work bag.  I'm afraid to bring my Kindle into work.  All I need is someone to spill a drink on it and it's ruined.  I keep my Kindle in my regular bag or in my netbook bag.  I often read that when I'm at John's.  I bet I have 35 books on my Kindle right now.  Some were freebies that are only so-so.  Others are books by my favorite authors and I have some new favorite authors now.   


I have happily discovered Elin Hilderbrand, whose books all take place on Nantucket.  Janet Evanovich, who has me laughing out loud with the antics of her Trenton, NJ heroine, Stephanie Plum.  Lisa Scottoline, who writes a series of book about an all-women law firm, as well as other books.  Maryann McFadden who has 2 excellent books under her belt. Sarah Pekkanen whose 2 books I simply could not put down until they were finished. Tamera Lawrence,a local writer (I wait on her at Fridays all the time) who has one book published (The Pond.. it's spooky and really good!) and has another that will be out by the end of the year. And Paul Levine, who has a series of books I'm reading about an attorney in Miami.   And I keep discovering new authors all the time!


In 2010, I'm happy and surprised to report that I've read 65 books!!  


For 2011, I signed up for a few reading challenges and my goal is to read 100 books (or as close to that as I can get!)


I'm reading all of Nicolas Sparks' books.  I have 2 (of the 15) finished so far.  


I'm doing a James Patterson challenge that ends at the end of August (it started in September.)  I'm hoping to read more than 10 of his books. I have 3 finished and 1 nearly finished.   I mostly listen to his books on audio.  


Then there is a general reading challenge.  I keep track of all the books I'm reading on that blog. I have 6 books finished so far this year.  I do keep track of all my reading on my sidebar.  You can see what I'm currently reading and what I've finished so far this year.  Check them out!  Maybe you'll find a book or two that you might be interested in checking out!

Nicholas Sparks Reading Challenge 2011

This is where I'll be keeping track of the books I've read on the Nicolas Sparks Reading Challenge.  I'll be crossing them off the list as I finish them.  I'm hoping to read or listen to all of them before the year is out.   Believe it or not, I've never read any of his books, but I have seen a few of the movies.

List of Nicholas Sparks novels:

     The Notebook
     Message in a Bottle
     A Walk to Remember
     The Rescue
     A Bend in the Road
     Nights in Rodanthe
     The Wedding
     The Guardian
     Three Weeks With My Brother
     True Believer (read this first, before At First Sight)
     At First Sight (read this after True Believer)
     The Choice
     Dear John
     The Lucky One
     The Last Song
     Safe Haven

James Patterson Reading Challenge 2011

I found this really cool blog, called Socrates Book Review Blog.  The host, Yvonne, puts up different reading challenges.  I signed up for the James Patterson Reading Challenge II, because I love James Patterson (and his various co-authors) and he has about a bazillion books published!.  I signed up for the Level 3 which is 10+ books.  I get to count the 3 James Patterson books  I've read in the last 3 months of 2010, since this challenge is from September 2010 to August 2011. 


You can check her out, and maybe there will be a reading challenge that you like!  


Here are some of the other challenges she's offering right now:


The Harlequin/Silhoutte Challenge


The Sookie Stackhouse Reading Challenge


Cruisin' Thru The Cozies Reading Challenge


Alex Cross Reading Challenge


What An Animal III Reading Challenge


Simply click on any of the links above to see what the challenges are about.  If you see something you like, join in!!


**note:  The Alex Cross Challenge is a cross-over to the James Patterson Challenge because James Patterson writes the Alex Cross series of novels.  You can get double credit if you sign up for both!!**


I've only signed up for the one challenge because I'm not a bog fan of romance novels or vampire novels.  I've already ready all of the Alex Cross books, and I don't think I have any of the kinds of mysteries that the Cozy challenge entails on my reading list.  I did, however sign up for a Nicolas Sparks Book Challenge and the Outdo Yourself Challenge (which challenges you to read more books in 2011 than you did in 2010)  Links on my sidebar!


Happy reading everyone, and good luck if you sign up for a challenge!