I'd like to reach at least 30 50 85 books before the year is out. *crosses fingers*

Here's my current (completed) list for 2009:
January
1) Peony in Love

February
2) Watchmen

March
n/a

April
3) Under the Banner of Heaven

May
4) People of the Book
5) A Walk with Jane Austen A Journey into Adventure, Love, and Faith

June
6) Ponzi's Scheme The True Story of a Financial Legend
7) Persuasion
8) The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
9) Captain Wentworth's Diary
10) Three Cups of Tea One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time

July
11) Bel Canto
12) Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
13) Man's Search for Meaning
14) Good Omens The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch
15) Midnight Medusa <- author's first novel
16) The Song Is You A Novel
17) Water for Elephants
18) Those Who Save Us
19) Just a Geek <- geek <3
20) Charmed Destinies
21) Sushi for Beginners A Novel
22) The Graveyard Book
23) Fairy Tale
24) Uglies

August
25) Stardust
26) The Bad Beginning
27) Wild, Tethered, Bound <- <3 cover
28) The Help
29) Alice in Wonderland
30) Shanghai Girls A Novel
31) Such a Time As This A Novel
32) Great Lives Series Esther A Woman of Strength and Dignity
33) The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane
34) The Forgotten Garden
35) I Was a Teenage Popsicle
36) The Gates of Sleep


September - December Posted later

R - Reserved for the Cat
U
M - Much Ado About Nothing
P - (The) Physick Book of Deliverance Dane
E - Ester: A Woman of Strength and Dignity
L
S - Such a Time as This
T - The Princess and the HOund
I - I Was a Teenage Popsicle
L
T - The Coral Thief
S - Sibley's Birding Basics
K
I - Infidel
N

Great goal... you can do it!!

I see we have another Jane Austen fan. Good luck on your goal, my "sister in literature"!

You've gotten some good ones under your belt. Good luck with making your goal but remember to enjoy the journey.

I love Austen. I vegged last weekend to nothing but Austen films; I own a wide collection.

Half the books up there are from my book club. We do about two a month. The other half is reading in between those two books.

And thanks for the encouragement!!

I never read Jane Austen before. I may have to pick something up of hers.

Check out the Jane Austen group on Goodreads if you want a preview review on each of the books. If you don't want to come across a spoiler, I'll say this...about average...the main book Austen fans love is Pride & Prejudice followed by Persuasion or Sense and Sensibility. I think Emma typically falls afterwards and Northenger Abbey and Mansfield Park kinda float around.

Personally, I'd recommend P&P, S&S or Persuasion.

Thanks Tanja. I will check them out. =)

13) Man's Search for Meaning
14) Good Omens The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch

15) Midnight Medusa <- author's first novel

I should go back one day and write a brief review on each of the books I've read. It would be a good practice. Course I'll hold off on book club reviews until after book club meets. No sneak previews other than rating!

Did you like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo? I have been seeing it alot lately in bookstores, and seeing people on GR reading it.

I wrote a brief review on The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. In my book club, amusing enough, we all were complaining about the unbelievable characters and situations YET we all would read the next book in the series. I enjoyed the novel and do plan to pick up the next in the series. I will warn if you object to strong material (X-rated) then this book isn't for you.

I think I may have to give it a try. I'm intrigued!

Me too!!

16) The Song Is You A Novel

Bypassed my mid-mark. Wonder if I'll make the goal!

17) Water for Elephants

I didn't realize until now how quickly I powered through that novel. I really did love it! *sniffle* So pretty.

If I reach my goal before the year is out, I plan to use the remainder to do a quirky book goal such as read holiday books only or read a novel that begins with the letters in my name. I think the quirker, the more I'll giggle as though it were a present to myself. Great way to end the year. But *FIRST* reaching my goal of 30.

Oh and I don't count the manga I read. Those are such swift reads it seems like cheating to add.

18) Those Who Save Us

You can do it Tanja! Look forward to seeing your next goal. =)

19) Just a Geek

Thanks Mandy Sue! 11 more to go!

20) Charmed Destinies

You read fast Chickie!!

On weekends, I can read through books like lightning. IF I'm in the mood. Otherwise, I'm tugged into some other activity or chore. It's my goal to get Sushi done by tomorrow...only 47% into the book.

21) Sushi for Beginners A Novel

22) The Graveyard Book

23) Fairy Tale

24) Uglies

Tanja! You are doing some reading! I picked up Pretties for my daughter. I'm hoping she will like it. She is reading more than I am over the summer. :)

The whole trilogy to me is a good introduction into sci-fi/fantasy for a young adult. I hope your daughter DOES enjoy it completely!

And thanks. I put my latest book down for most of today. I might crack it back open to power it out :P

25) Stardust

I just finished that one! How did you like it? It was my first Neil G. book. not too bad.

Stardust was really cute but I enjoyed the movie a little more. Probably because the ending had its charming points. I enjoyed Good Omens and The Graveyard Book more than Stardust - if you want to read other Neil G. books!

26) The Bad Beginning

27) Wild, Tethered, Bound

Goodness me I am within 3 books of my goal!

28) The Help

Gave this one 5 Stars. Wrote a short review (not my best). Adore this novel thoroughly!

5 stars!! Just gotta read this one! I have it on hold at the library and on PBS; may have to break down and buy it new!

Tanja wrote: "Goodness me I am within 3 books of my goal!"

YAY!!! Are you going to up the goal a little or just see how many you can read?

29) Alice in Wonderland

Cindy -> See if a 2nd hand book store has a copy or check paperbackswap.com?

Cyndi -> Hmm. Once I hit 30, I may give myself a quirky book challenge to finish out the year!

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnddddd


30) Shanghai Girls A Novel
31) Such a Time As This A Novel

Now I need to figure out what my next challenge is. Adding more until the end of the year is too simple! Hrrrmmm. But I shall say I'll read 50 before end of the year. HEE!

Next Curious Self-Challenge is:
Read a book that the title begins with each letter of my name RUMPELSTILTSKIN!. *giggles*

Oh thats too easy, use Rumpelstiltskin as your name! *giggle* remember that fairy tale?

*giggles at Rachelle* I <3 Rumpelstilskin. Now that would be amusing to try!

Did you see that "Uglies" was released as a DRM free download? You can read the whole book as a PDF for free now! I downloaded it. What did you think?

I didn't see Uglies was free! EeeK! I had already purchased it. *sniff*

But could you send me that link? I'm going to show it to a co-worker so he could read to see if his daughter would be interested.

I like this series set for teens. To me, it's a neat way to introduce a youth into sci-fi/fantasy. And the premise behind Uglies-Pretties is wonderful in that it may force some to re-think their ideals on beauty. Possibly. But to use that "equality" to control the population is different from others futuristic novels I've read.

Here you go! This is the blog where I found the link to download it. :)

http://www.boingboing.net/2009/08/06/sco...

Thanks Kristin!!

32) Great Lives Series Esther A Woman of Strength and Dignity

33) The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane

Thoroughly loved this book. Thanks CoL for having this on our To-Read Shelf!

Another love vote for Deliverance Dane! Yay, can't wait to read it!

34) The Forgotten Garden

Wonderful story filled with my favorite - FAIRY TALES! Enchanting. Really. This one didn't fit my Rumple self-challenge but it was on the list to read for BC next month. HEE!