Thursday, September 10, 2009

Reading Challenge

In past years I've tried to set a number of books to read in that year - really it's taken the place of my "new years resolution." Last year I read 80 books... and i was pretty proud of myself. I think I'm still just excited to be able to read without having school stuff get in the way. Everything I've read is because I want to. It's a wonderful freedom.

This year I found an online book challenge to give me a different sort of goal. The 999 challenge. Sounds daunting, doesn't it?

The whole thing is that you read nine books in nine categories in 2009. That would be a total of 81 books - giving me a little lead on last year's number... but some people also took another level of the challenge and tried to do it by 09/09/09.... yesterday. I almost made it. I lack two books (both classics, of course). But I've read more than 9 in some categories... so perhaps it still counts as complete. Right? Right.

I figured I needed to branch out of my fantasy/sci fi/favorite authors stuff and read something else. And I have to say, it has made me a better librarian for it. I've actually been able to talk about books that I wouldn't have had any idea about before. I would totally recommend doing this to anyone who is an avid reader. It totally broadens your scope.

So I guess I'm going to write my book list here. I'll put stars next to the ones that I loved the most :). Those aren't the only ones I recommend though. Enjoy!

Young Adult Fiction Challenge
Realistic Fiction
Caught Between the Pages - Merlene Carvell
Undone - Brook Taylor
Cracked Up to Be - Courtney Summers
Jellicoe Road - Melina Marchetta
Peeled - Joan Bauer **
Boot Camp - Todd Strasser
Same Difference - Siobhan Vivian **
Mystery/Adventure
Dead is the New Black - Marlene Perez
Dirty Laundry - Daniel Ehrenhaft
School for Dangerous Girls - Eliot Schreiber
Dead is a State of Mind - Marlene Perez
Max (A Maximum Ride Novel) - James Patterson
Death By Bikini - Linda Gerber
Princess of the Midnight Ball - Jessica Day George **
Gentlemen - Michael Northrop
The Awakening - Kelley Armstrong **
Death by Latte - Linda Gerber
Science Fiction
The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins **
Skinned - Robin Wasserman **
GemX - Nicky Singer
Dangerous Days of Daniel X - James Patterson
Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins
Leviathan - Scott Westerfeld
Neptune's Children - Bonnie Dobkin
The Carbon Diaries - Saci Lloyd **
Fantasy/Horror
Dragon's Keep - Janet Lee Carey
Generation Dead - Daniel Waters **
Gregor the Overlander - Suzanne Collins
Lord of Misrule (A Morganville Vampires Novel) - Rachel Caine
Shadow Kiss (A Vampire Academy Novel) - Richelle Mead
Sucks to be Me - Kimberly Pauley
Fragile Eternity - Melissa Marr
Persistance of Memory - Amelia Atwater Rhodes
Impossible - Nancy Werlin **
City of Glass (Mortal Instruments Series) - Cassandra Clare **
Hunted: a House of Night Novel - PC and Kristin Cast
The Lightning Thief - Rick Riordan **
Evermore -Alyson Noel
Historical Fiction
Ivy - Julie Hearn
Envy (A Luxe novel)- Anna Godbersen
The Season - Sarah MacLean
Newes From the Dead - Mary Hooper
The Red Necklace - Sally Gardner
The Smile - Donna Jo Napoli
Ten Cents a Dance - Christine Fletcher
A Voice of Her Own - Barbara Dana
Graphic Novels
Watchmen - Alan Moore
Breaking Up - Aimee Friedman
Plain Janes - Cecil Castellucci
Life Sucks- Jessica Abel
Cairo - G. Willow Wilson
The Good Neighbors (Kin) - Holly Black **
Japan Ai - Aimee Major Steinberger
Heroes (Companion to the TV show) - various authors
Urban Fiction
Hot Girl - Dream Jordan
Work What You Got - Stephanie Perry Moore
Tyrell - Coe Booth **
Shortie Like Mine - Nini Simone
Hotlanta - Denene Millner and Mitzi Miller
Push - Sapphire
Jason and Kyra - Dana Davidson
Shooter - Walter Dean Myers
Messed Up- Janet Lynch
"Chick Lit"
At Face Value - Emily Franklin
Girl v. Boy - Yvonne Collins and Sandy Rideout
Jet Set - Carrie Karasyov
Gamer Girl - Mari Mancusi **
Being Nikki - Meg Cabot
The Girls - Tucker Shaw
Peace, Love, and Baby Ducks- Lauren Myracle **
Oh. My. Gods. - Tera Lynn Childs **
Audrey, Wait! - Robin Benway **
Classics
Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger
1984 - George Orwell
Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut
A Separate Peace - John Knowles
The Stranger - Albert Camus
(two more classics to be added... once I read them :))
Sorry for the length... but that's how it goes, I suppose :).
Posted by at
Labels:

2 comments:

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)