Reading challenges update

So far, I’ve managed to finish:
–Once Upon a Time V: Quest the First
I read 11 books and the requirement was 5.

–Once Upon a Time V: Quest on the Screen
I watched and reviewed Angel seasons 1 and 2.

–The Audio book challenge 2011
I’ve already listened and reviewed the required 12 audiobooks. However, I will continue. In fact, I’m currently listening two audiobooks, one SF and one fantasy.

–2011 Graphic Novels Challenge
Requirement for Expert level was 11 comics reviewed and I’ve reviewed 14. I’ll continue with this, too.

–1st In a Series Reading Challenge 2011
I committed to the Expert level with 12 books and I’ve read 18 so far. Fanatic level (with 20 books) is near!

Five finished! Yay!

Challenges going strong:
-New Author Challenge 2011
The requirement is 25 new authors and I’ve read 18.

-Chunkster Challenge 2011
I’ve read exactly three of the six required books and I got the next one from the library.

-2nds Challenge 2011
I committed to Expert level with 12 books. I’ve read 6 so far.

-TBR
I’ve read six of the required 12 books and my next review will be a TBR book.

-Horror & Urban Fantasy Reading Challenge 2011
I’ve read 15 of the required 24 books.

-Women of Fantasy
I’ve only read three of the 11 books. However, I’m going to participate this and next month.

-Take A Chance Challenge
I’ve read only two of the required ten books but I’ve already got lined up two books for it.

Sadly, I failed Once Upon a Time V: Quest the Third.
I didn’t get the Midsummer Night’s Dream movie in time from the library. I did read the play but I have no business reviewing Shakespeare.

Clearly, I need to read less new series. 🙂

 

Historical Reading Challenge – completed!

I’ve now completed the Historical Reading Challenge, too! I signed up to read 12 books and they were:

1, Elizabeth Peters: The Hippopotamus Pool
2, Elizabeth Peters: Seeing a Large Cat
3, Elizabeth Peters: The Ape that Guards the Balance
4, Alexandre Dumas, père: Vingt ans après
5, Alexandre Dumas, père: The Three Musketeers
6, Elizabeth Peters: Lord of the Silent
7, Elizabeth Peters: He shall Thunder in the Sky
8, Elizabeth Peters: The Falcon at the Portal
9, Peter Elbling: the Food Taster
10, Anton Gill: City on the Horizon
11, Carol McCleary: The Alchemy of Murder
12, Elizabeth Peters: The Golden One

I’ll certainly continue with Peters’ series (in fact, I’m listening the next one right now) and also with Dumas’ and McCleary’s series.

 

2nds Reading Challenge 2010 – compeleted

In the the 2nds Reading Challenge 2010 I aimed again for the Obsessed level with 20 read books and I’ve just completed the challenge!

1, Jim Butcher: Fool Moon
2, Michelle West: Hunter’s Death
3, Cherryh: Chanur’s Venture
4, Kristine Smith: Rules of Conflict
5, Megan Whelan Turner: The Queen of Attolia
6, Kate Elliott: Shadow Gate
7, Ilona Andrews: Magic Burns
8, Stacia Kane: Unholy Magic
9, Rowena Cory Daniells: The Uncrowned King
10, Elizabeth Bear: Hell and Earth
11, Alexandre Dumas, père: Vingt ans après
12, Lisa Shearin: Armed and Magical
13, Liz Williams: the Demon and the City
14, Elaine Cunningham: The Floodgate
15, Connie Willis: All Clear
16, Marie Brennan: In Ashes Lie
17, Rachel Caine: Heat Stroke
18, Walter Greatshell: Xombies: Apocalypticon
19, Laura Anne Gilman: Curse the Dark
20, Lloyd Alexander: The El Dorado Adventure

Now I’ve only got two challenges to complete: the historical fiction and graphic novels challenges.

 

Speculative Fiction Reading Challenge 2010 -completed

I took part in Book Chick City’s Speculative Fiction Challenge. I aimed for obsessed with 24 read books and actually managed to do that some months back.

1, Kristine Smith: Rules of Conflict
2, R. A. MacAvoy: Tea with the Black Dragon
3, Ilona Andrews: Magic Bites
4, Julie Czerneda: To Trade the Stars
5, Jim Butcher: Fool Moon
6, Kate Elliott: Shadow Gate
7, Elizabeth Bear: Hell and Earth
8, Marjorie Liu: The Iron Hunt
9, Steven Brust: Brokedown Palace
10, Lisa Shearin: Magic Lost, Trouble Found
11, Carrie Vaughn: Kitty and the Midnight Hour
12, Michelle West: Hunter’s Death
13, Paul DiFilippo: The Steampunk Trilogy
14, C. J. Cherryh: Chanur’s Venture
15, Roger Zelazny: Isle of the Dead
16, Steven Brust: Cowboy Feng’s Space Bar and Grill
17, Roger Zelazny: Roadmarks
18, C. J. Cherryh: The Kif Strike Back
19, Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling, ed.: The Faery Reel: Tales From the Twilight Realm
20, C. L. Moore: Jirel of Joiry
21, Kristine Smith: Law of Survival
22, Rachel Caine: Heat Stroke
23, Naomi Novik: Victory of Eagles
24, Sharon Shinn: Dark Moon Defender

I really enjoyed this challenge and I even won a book from Book Chick City’s monthly prize drawings!

I ended up reading more fantasy than SF which is usual for me. I intend to continue with the urban fantasy series by Liu, Shearin, Caine, and Vaughn, and Cherryh is one my new favorite authors. On the other hand, Shinn and MacAvoy turned up not to be my cup of tea and I didn’t like Zelazny’s other books nearly as much as I like the Amber books. I really, really need more books by Bear!

 

1st in a series challenge 2010 – completed!

I aimed for 20 books in the 1st in a series challenge 2010 and I’ve now completed it!

I enjoyed all of the books here, and ended up reading more in quite a few series.

1, Ilona Andrews: Magic Bites
2, Kirsten Imani Kasai: Ice Song
3, Amanda Cross: In the Last Analysis
4, Lisa Shearin: Magic Lost, Trouble Found
5, Ian Rankin: Knots and Crosses
6, Mike Shepard: Kris Longknife: Mutineer
7, Martha Grimes: The Man with a Load of Mischief
8, Elizabeth Bear: Dust
9, Alexander McCall Smith: No 1 Ladies’ detective agency
10, Laura Anne Gilman: Staying Dead
11, Carrie Vaughn: Kitty and the Midnight Hour
12, Marjorie M. Liu: Iron Hunt
13, Rowena Cory Daniells: The King’s Bastard
14, Lori Devoti: Amazon Ink
15, Stacia Kane: Unholy Ghosts
16, Jocelynn Drake: Nightwalker
17, Dana Stabenow: A Cold Day for Murder
18, Zoë Sharp: Killer Instinct
19, L. A. Banks: Minion
20, Barbara Hambly: Immortal Blood

 

The Fantasy Reading Challenge – done!

It’s time to check how I’m doing with the challenges and I noticed that I managed to complete this one months ago.

I aimed for level 4: Obsessed – Read 20 Fantasy Fiction novels and now I’ve done it:

1, Naomi Novik: Victory of Eagles
2, Lori Devoti: Amazon Ink
3,Kate Elliott: Shadow Gate
4, Sharon Shinn: Dark Moon Defender
5, Lois McMaster Bujold: The Curse of Chalion
6, R. A. MacAvoy: Tea with the Black Dragon
7, Caleb Fox: Zadayi Red
8, Megan Whalen Turner: the Queen of Attolia
9, Ilona Andrews: Magic Bites
10, Kirsten Imani Kasai: Ice Song
11, Stacia Kane: Unholy Ghosts
12, Laura Anne Gilman: Staying Dead
13, Elizabeth Bear: Hell and Earth
14, Jim Butcher: Grave Peril
15, Jim Butcher: Fool Moon
16, Patricia McKillip: In the Forests of Serre
17, Carrie Vaughn: Kitty and the Midnight Hour
18, Steven Brust: Brokedown Palace
19, Lisa Shearin: Magic Lost, Trouble Found
20, Jocelynn Drake: Nightwalker

Done! Yay!

 

To-be-read-challenge completed!

I set out to read 24 books for this year’s TBR challenge and I’ve now managed to complete the challenge even though it’s only August! I will, of course, continue to attack my still towering TBR in the hopes that some day I might even finish it all.

TBR books read this year:
1, Elizabeth Peters: The Hippopotamus Pool
2, Kristine Smith: Rules of Conflict
3, R. A. MacAvoy: Tea with the Black Dragon
4, Ilona Andrews: Magic Bites
5, Amanda Cross: In the Last Analysis
6, Ian Rankin: Knots and Crosses
7, Julie Czerneda: To Trade the Stars
8, Jim Butcher: Fool Moon
9, Kate Elliott: Shadow Gate
10, Elizabeth Bear: Hell and Earth
11, Martha Grimes: The Man with the Load of Mischief
12, Marjorie Liu: The Iron Hunt
13, Steven Brust: Brokedown Palace
14, Lisa Shearin: Magic Lost, Trouble Found
15, Carrie Vaughn: Kitty and the Midnight Hour
16, Michelle West: Hunter’s Death
17, Paul DiFilippo: The Steampunk Trilogy
18, C. J. Cherryh: Chanur’s Venture
19, Roger Zelazny: Isle of the Dead
20, Steven Brust: Cowboy Feng’s Space Bar and Grill
21, Roger Zelazny: Roadmarks
22, C. J. Cherryh: The Kif Strike Back
23, Dana Stabenow: A Cold Day for Murder
24, Zoë Sharp: Killer Instinct

 

Do nothing but read Day

Do nothing but read day is on Sunday and I decided to join in.
My current list:

West: Hunter’s Death (I’m currently reading this one but I probably won’t finish it before Sunday)
Zelazny: Isle of the Dead
Cherryh: Chanur’s Venture
Bennett: Orion’s Hounds
Sharp: Killer Instinct

I’m expecting to Finish West and maybe Zelazny, and just sample the others.
Oh, and I do intend to eat and sleep. 🙂

 

To-be-read challenge

It’s the middle of May so it’s time to look at how I’ve done so far with the to-be-read pile challenge.

I decided to read 24 books or 2 books a month from my looming pile of books. The number is so low because of review books (which can’t be in my to-read-pile and so far haven’t been in my to-be-read- lists, either) and audio books which I tend to buy from Audible. So far, I’ve read:

1, Elizabeth Peters: The Hippopotamus Pool
2, Kristine Smith: Rules of Conflict
3, R. A. MacAvoy: Tea with the Black Dragon
4, Ilona Andrews: Magic Bites
5, Amanda Cross: In the Last Analysis
6, Ian Rankin: Knots and Crosses
7, Julie Czerneda: To Trade the Stars
8, Jim Butcher: Fool Moon
9, Kate Elliott: Shadow Gate
10, Elizabeth Bear: Hell and Earth
11, Martha Grimes: The Man with the Load of Mischief

11 books so I’m slightly ahead of schedule!

On the other hand, I’ve bought 5 books:
Star Trek: Titan books 3 and 4
Jocelynn Drake: Nightwalker
Laura Anne Gilman: Staying Dead
Lori Devoti: Amazon Ink

So the pile has been brought down by 6 books in total! Yay!

Incidentally, buying just 5 books in 5 months is very little for me. It’s probably the lowest amount I’ve bought for years.

 

1st in a series challenge 2010

One more challenge to go: 1st in a series challenge 2010.

2. There are four levels:

— Curious– Read 3 novels that are first in a series.

— Fascinated – Read 6 novels that are first in a series.

— Addicted – Read 12 novels that are first in a series.

— Obsessed – Read 20 novels that are first in a series.

3. Any genre counts.

I’m aiming again for 20 books. I have over 90 1st in a series books in my to-be-read-pile, so this shouldn’t be a problem. I think I’m going to read mostly mystery and urban fantasy genres in this challenge.