Blue Archipelago

50 Book Challenge

This challenge is to read 50 books between January 1 and December 31. My progress can be found on my 2008 Books Read page.

The 342,745 ways to herd cats challenge

The aim of the challenge is to recommend ten of your favourite books - and then pick at least three from everyone else’s lists to read between May 1 and November 30.

Here’s my list:

1. March by Geraldine Brooks (from Dewey’s list)
2. The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox - Maggie O’Farrell (from Alix’s list)
3. Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Asichie (from Gautami’s list)

Chunkster Challenge 2008 - COMPLETE

The rules of this challenge are simple - read at least four books with at least 450 pages by December 20th.

Here’s my list:

1. The Book Thief - Marcus Zusak - completed
2. This is all - Aidan Chambers - completed
3. Hester’s Story by Adele Geras -completed
4. Before Green Gables by Budge Wilson - completed
5. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer - completed

I heard it through the grapevine - COMPLETE

This challenge runs from May 1 to November 30 and requires you to read at least three books recommended by other readers.

Here’s my list:

1. March by Geraldine Brooks
2. The Secret of Lost Things by Sheridan Hay
3. The Girl Who Stopped Swimming by Joshilyn Jackson
4. The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
5. Stardust by Neil Gaiman

The Pub (2008)

This challenge is all about reading books published this year.

Here are the rules

1. Read a minimum of 8 books published in 2008. (Library books are acceptable!)
2. No children’s/YA titles allowed, since we’re at the ‘pub.’
3. At least 4 titles must be fiction.
4. Crossovers with other challenges are allowed.
5. Titles may be changed at any time.

Here’s my list:

1. Body Surfing - Anita Shreve
   
2. Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
3. The God of Animals by Aryn Kyle
4. The Sound of Butterflies by Rachael King
5. The Secret of Lost Things by Sheridan Hay
6. The Girl Who Stopped Swimming by Joshilyn Jackson
7. Perfect on paper by Maria Murnane
8. Maggie Again by John D. Husband
9. Dizzying Heights by Bruce Drucker
10. What if…? By Steve N. Lee
11. Second Glance by Jodi Picoult
12. Glitz by Louise Bagshaw

The Spring Reading Thing - completed

The Spring Reading Thing 2008 challenge is all about getting through a number of books between March 20 and June 19 - the number and the type of book is entirely up to the participants. All you have to do to take part is publish a list of what you plan to read.

Here’s my list:

1. Secrets of a Family Album - Isla Dewar
2. Good Harbor - Anita Diamant
3. A Quiet Belief in Angels - R.J. Ellory
4. 26a by Diana Evans
5. Then we came to the end - Joshua Ferris - Abandoned
6. The Sea House by Esther Freud
7. Through a Glass, Darkly by Jostein Gaarder
8. Hester’s Story by Adele Geras
9. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
10. Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
11. March by Geraldine Brooks
12. ADMIT ONE: A Journey into Film by Emmett James
13. Perfect on paper by Maria Murnane
14. Maggie Again by John D. Husband
15. The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
16. Dizzying Heights by Bruce Drucker
17. Stardust by Neil Gaiman
18. Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin
19. Before Green Gables by Budge Wilson
20. What if…? By Steve N. Lee

Chick Lit - FAILED

Read at least 3 chick lit books. (Chick lit - as defined by Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chick_lit)
Tell us what you thought of what you read.
Dates for this challenge are June 1 to September 1.

Books can overlap with other challenges. Your list can change as needed. I will also leave it to your discretion as to whether a book is considered chick lit or not.

Here’s my list:

1. Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin
2. Jemima J by Jane Green
3. Love and Devotion by Erica James

Book Binge - COMPLETE

The rules of this challenge are extremely simple: read as many books as possible between May 5 and 31.

1. March by Geraldine Brooks
2. ADMIT ONE: A Journey into Film by Emmett James
3. The Sea House by Esther Freud
4. Maggie Again by John D. Husband
5. Through a Glass, Darkly by Jostein Gaarder
6. Hester’s Story by Adele Geras
7. Perfect on paper by Maria Murnane
8. The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

The Classics Challenge

Read 6 classics in 6 months. The challenge starts on July 1 and runs until December 31.

Here’s my list:

1. July - Wuthering Heights Animal Farm by George Orwell
2. August - Little Women Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
3. September - Jane Eyre
4. October - Great Expectations
5. November - Catcher in the Rye
6. December - Bonus Book TBC

Series Challenge Season 2

This challenge is being hosted by Kathrin at Crazy Cozy Murders - and requires participants to read an entire series between June 1 and November 30.

I’ve been itching to re-read the Anne of Green Gables series ever since I found out there were two books at the end I’d never read. So I will be reading:

• Before Green Gables by Budge Wilson
• Anne of Green Gables
• Anne of Avonlea
  
• Anne of the Island
• Anne of Windy Willows
• Anne’s House of Dreams
• Anne of Ingleside
• Rainbow Valley
• Rilla of Ingleside

I can’t wait to reacquaint myself with Anne and Gilbert!

Celebrate 100 years of Anne - COMPLETE

I’m hosting my first mini-challenge. It will run from June 7 until July 31 and simply requires entrants to read one of the Anne of Green Gables series (including Before Green Gables) and write a post about it on their site.

I’ll be writing my post about one of these two books:

• Before Green Gables by Budge Wilson
• Anne of Green Gables
• Anne of Avonlea

Summer Reading Challenge and the Summer Reading Thing - COMPLETE

The Summer Reading challenge requires you to read as many books as you’d like between June and August. The Summer Reading Thing has slightly different dates and runs from June 20 through September 21 but I’ll be using the same books.

Here’s my list for both challenges:

• Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin
  
• What if…? By Steve N. Lee
• Before Green Gables by Budge Wilson
• Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (The Summer Reading Thing starts here!)
• Anne of Green Gables
• The Girl Who Stopped Swimming by Joshilyn Jackson
• Anne of Avonlea
• The Boy in Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne
• The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O’Farrell
• Dear John by Norma L. Betz
• No Time for Goodbye by Linwood Barclay
• The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
• Matrimony by Josh Henkin
• Anne of the Island
• Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
• Something Blue by Emily Giffin
• The God of Animals by Aryn Kyle
• Little Women by L.M.Alcott
• Jemima J. by Jane Green (Summer Reading Challenge ends here)
  
• The Secret of Lost Things by Sheridan Hay
• Anne of Windy Willows
• Anne’s House of Dreams
• Glitz by Louise Bagshaw
• Second Glance by Jodi Picoult
• The Ice Queen by Alice Hoffman
  

July Book Blowout - COMPLETE

The Book Blowout is my first attempt at hosting a challenge - and the rules are simple - read as many books as you can during the month of July!

Here’s the books I read for the challenge

• Anne of Avonlea
• The Boy in Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne
• The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O’Farrell
• Dear John by Norma L. Betz
• No Time for Goodbye by Linwood Barclay
• The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
• Matrimony by Josh Henkin

The Challenge TBR Planner

I suddenly realised that I was going to have to start juggling challenge books and needed a plan of what to read when - so I have created a TBR Challenge Planner! Given that I usually average four books a month I’m going to have a busy six months ahead if I’m going to keep up. Luckily I have been picking challenges that suit the books on my TBR shelf *lol*

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