Renee’s Comments (group member since Feb 03, 2014)

Renee’s comments from the The Reading Challenge Group group.

I didn't pay as much attention to this challenge in 2016 as I did in 2015 for some reason. Anyway, I just finished going through and found that I did much better than expected. I can claim 43 of the 50 categories. (I expected about 20.) So, yippee!

Renee's POPSUGAR 2016 READING CHALLENGE
Last year I tried for 50/50 and managed 47/50. This year I'm going for something more manageable. GOAL = 20
COMPLETED: 44 of 50 ... SURPASSED!

[x] 1. A book based on a fairy tale: The Goose Girl**
[x] 2. A National Book Award winner: The Year of Magical Thinking**
[x] 3. A YA bestseller: The Opal Deception**
[x] 4. A book you haven't read since high school: A Wind in the Door**
[x] 5. A book set in your home state: The Silver Linings Playbook**
[x] 6. A book translated to English: The Black Tulip**
[x] 7. A romance set in the future: Barrayar**
[x] 8. A book set in Europe: The Name of the Rose**
[x] 9. A book that's under 150 pages: The Borders of Infinity**
[x] 10. A New York Times bestseller: The Girl in the Spider's Web**
[x] 11. A book that's becoming a movie this year: The Martian**
[] 12. A book recommended by someone you just met
[x] 13. A self-improvement book: It's Only Too Late If You Don't Start Now: How To Create Your Second Life At Any Age**
[x] 14. A book you can finish in a day: Labyrinth**
[x] 15. A book written by a celebrity: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?**
[] 16. A political memoir
[x] 17. A book 100 years > me: The Last of the Mohicans**
[x] 18. A book that's more than 600 pages: Our Mutual Friend**
[] 19. A book from Oprah's Book Club
[] 20. A science-fiction novel: The Warrior's Apprentice**
[x] 21. A book recommended by a family member: The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America**
[] 22. A graphic novel
[x] 23. A book that is published in 2016: The Summer Before the War**
[x] 24. A book with a protagonist that has your occupation: The Rainbow**
[x] 25. A book that takes place during summer: True Love**
[x] 26. A book and its prequel:
- The Heist**
- Pros and Cons**
[x] 27. A murder mystery: The Mystery of Edwin Drood**
[x] 28. A book written by a comedian: A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail**
[] 29. A dystopian novel
[x] 30. A book with a blue cover: Outlander**
[x] 31. A book of poetry: Shakespeare's Sonnets**
[] 32. The first book you see in a bookstore
[x] 33. A classic from the 20th century: Ulysses**
[x] 34. A book from the library: Landline**
[x] 35. An autobiography: I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban**
[x] 36. A book about a road trip: The Odyssey**
[x] 37. A book about a culture you're unfamiliar with: Crime and Punishment**
[x] 38. A satirical book: Castle Rackrent**
[x] 39. A book that takes place on an island: Ever After**
[x] 40. A book that's guaranteed to bring you joy: Post Captain**

READING LIKE A RORY Challenge

Challenge Levels...

Level 1: Visiting Stars Hollow
1. The Bell Jar**
2. Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress**
3. The Jungle**
4. Bel Canto**
5. The Good Soldier**

Level 2: Gilmore Neighbor
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Level 3: Gilmore BFF
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.

Level 4: Gilmore Girl
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.

Level 5: You ARE Rory Gilmore!
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.

LET'S HAVE PIE Challenge

Thirds
1. Comedy: Penrod by Tarkington**
2. Crime: The Thirty-Nine Steps**
3. Family & Self: Tenant of Wildfell**
4: Love: Mansfield Park**
5: SciFi & Fantasy: Titus Groan**
The Man Who Was Thursday**
6: State of the Nation: Oroonoko**
7. War & Travel: Robinson Crusoe**


Renee's Second Helping
1. Comedy: Three Men in a Boat**
2. Crime: The Secret Agent**
3. Family & Self: The Poisonwood Bible**
4. Love: Death in Venice**
5. Science Fiction & Fantasy: The Monk**
6. State of the Nation: The Last Chronicle of Barset**
7. War & Travel: The Things They Carried**

Renee's Boxall/Guardian Pie
1. Comedy: Brewster's Millions**
2. Crime: My Cousin Rachel**
3. Family & Self: The Bell Jar**
4. Love: The Good Soldier**
5. Science Fiction & Fantasy: Solaris**
6. State of the Nation: A Passage to India**
7. War & Travel: A Town Like Alice**

Reserved

Alphabet Challenge : Seconds

A- The Agony and the Ecstasy
B- Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress**
C- The Cricket in Times Square**
D- The Danish Girl**
E- Elizabeth and Her German Garden**
F- A Few of the Girls: Stories**
G - The Good Soldier**
H- Heidi**
I- In Memoriam A. H. H.
J- June**
K- A Kiss for Cinderella: A Comedy**
L- Life After Life**
M- The Monk**
N- Nine Women, One Dress**
O- Oroonoko**
P- The Power of One**
Q- Queen Margot, or Marguerite de Valois**
R- The Return of the Native**
S- The Swans of Fifth Avenue**
T- A Town Like Alice**
U- Under Western Eyes
V- Vanished**
W- Wicked Appetite**
X- ???
Y- The Yellow House**
Z- Ziska: The Problem of a Wicked Soul**

DECADE CHALLENGE 2017

1800-1810: Belinda**
1810-1819:
1820-1829:
1830-1839: Eugene Onegin
1840-1849: The Old Curiosity Shop**
1850-1859:
1860-1869: Framley Parsonage**
1870-1879:
1880-1889: The Woodlanders**
1890-1899: Esther Waters**
1900-1909: The Jungle**
1910-1919: The Good Soldier**
1920-1929: A Passage to India**
1930-1939: Little House in the Big Woods**
1940-1949: Titus Groan**
1950-1959: A Town Like Alice**
1960-1969: The Bell Jar**
1970-1979: The Neverending Story**
1980-1989: The Letter of Marque**
1990-1999: The Poisonwood Bible**
2000-2009: Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress**
2010-2017: Life After Life**

Anti-Alphabet Challenge... Fourths!

This one is a twist on the Alphabet Soup challenge; however, for this one you are looking for books titles that are MISSING a particular letter.

Mission: 26 books, each missing one letter of the alphabet

No A- The Truelove**
No B- The Nutmeg of Consolation**
No C- The Wine-Dark Sea**
No D- Pawn in Frankincense**
No E- Pros and Cons**
No F- The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare**
No G- The Tenant of Wildfell Hall**
No H- Big Girl Panties**
No I- The Shell Game**
No J- The Winter Garden Mystery**
No K- Requiem for a Mezzo**
No L- The Commodore**
No M- Agnes Grey**
No N- The Lake House**
No O- Mansfield Park**
No P- The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane**
No Q- The Bookshop on the Corner**
No R-
No S- Penrod**
No T-
No U- The Great Impersonation**
No V- The Ringed Castle
No W- Murder on the Orient Express
No X- The Woman on the Orient Express
No Y-
No Z-

Maxi Challenge: FANTASY FAIRE

This challenge is for those who want to explore the genre of Fantasy. It will run from April-December 2017.

This can include any kind of fiction that has magic or paranormal elements, or that is set in a fictional location (excluding Sci Fi settings such as the future or space).

Level 1 - Linger with Elves (2 Books)
1. Wicked Appetite**
2. Wicked Business**

Level 2 - Fly with Dragons (4 Books)
3. Wicked Charms
4. Puck of Pook's Hill**

Level 3 - Eat the Food in Faerie (7 Books)
5. Ella Enchanted**
6. The Monk**
7. Titus Groan**

Level 4 - Go on a Quest to Save the World (10 Books)
8. Ziska: The Problem of a Wicked Soul**
9. Norse Mythology**
10. The Willows**

Level 5 - Explore Other Worlds (15 books)
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.

World Travel Maxi

Travel the World, 1st Leg - Africa (Jan-March)
1) The Covenant
2) The Power of One**
3) The Poisonwood Bible**
4) Under the Udala Trees**

Travel the World, 2nd Leg - Europe (April-June)
1) Queen Margot, or Marguerite de Valois (France)**
2) Elizabeth and Her German Garden**
3) Death in Venice (Italy)**
4) The Shadow of the Wind (Spain)

Travel the World, 3rd Leg - Asia/Oceania
1) The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane**
2)
3)

Travel the World, 4th Leg - Americas
1) Johnny Tremain: The Story of Boston in Revolt Against the British**
2)
3)

The Game is Afoot! Trying for Level 3

Level 1 - Break the Code (2 Books)
1. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall**
2. The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare**

Level 2 - Shadow the Suspect (4 Books)
3. The Shell Game**
4. Pros and Cons**

Level 3 - Crack the Case (7 Books)
5. The Winter Garden Mystery**
6. Requiem for a Mezzo**
7. The Woman in White

Level 4 - Chase the Villain (10 Books)
8.
9.
10.

November: Read ___ of ___

Victorians!: The Woman in White
Trollope Project: Can You Forgive Her?
Readers Review:
Les Misèrables: 31 chapters
Aubrey-Maturin: The Yellow Admiral
Aubrey-Maturin:
Guardian/Boxall: Martin Chuzzlewit
Guardian/Boxall: Penrod
Children's 1000:
Little House: Little House on the Prairie
Outlander Saga: Dragonfly in Amber
Dunnett: The Ringed Castle
Rory: none
Minis:
Miscellaneous:
- The Shadow of the Wind

Goals for 2017


1) Read 150 books (12.5 per month)

2) Read books I own (2-5 per month)

3) Read more from the 20th & 21st Century (maybe)
4) Push my Comfort Zone (see #3)

5) Read The Little House Collection
6) Read Les Misérables

I'm going to give this one a try, but am not sure what I'll read.
So far my choices are...

- Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela which I started but never finished (South Africa)
- The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope by William Kamkwamba which I stared but never finished (Malawi)
- The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay which has been on my TBR forever (South Africa)
- The Covenant by James A. Michener should read more Michener (South Africa)
- Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe on my TBR forever (Nigeria)
- A Bend In The River by V.S. Naipaul has shown up on some "must read" lists (Central Africa, CAR)
- Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee lots of acclaim but might not be for me (South Africa)
- Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie on my TBR for a couple years (Nigeria/Biafra)
- The Poisonwood Bible which would be a reread but wow this book knocked me on my butt the first time (Congo/Zaire)

Hide the stacks??? I need tips!

This one is a twist on the Alphabet Soup challenge; however, for this one you are looking for books titles that are MISSING a particular letter.

Mission: 26 books, each missing one letter of the alphabet

No A-
No B-
No C-
No D-
No E-
No F-
No G-
No H-
No I-
No J-
No K-
No L-
No M-
No N-
No O-
No P-
No Q-
No R-
No S-
No T-
No U-
No V-
No W-
No X-
No Y-
No Z-

A few of us have started a Buddy Read on The Little House Collection and others in the Little House series. If anyone else is interested, this can be found in the Buddy Reads folder.

Lol. Yep. I was feeling a little nostalgic.

Ha! No. Holly (the friendliest mod) went off to her university. Camille had a baby. And the rest of us... Got caught up in the stuff of life. But, yeah, I thought it would be nice to hear about that stuff. Hence, the resurfacing of the chat thread.

I do love that Camille's last comment was about how she couldn't wait to get new bookshelves, and now she has her bookshelves.

Oh, wow. I just learned that there were series about pretty much all Laura's female relatives. Good to know they're as interesting as the originals.