Is it too late to add a personal challenge?

[MaryG2E]

Dear Mods, is it too late in the year to be adding in a new Personal Challenge? I've been working away at one but thought I would have so little chance of success that I did not post it on the board...now I find I am about to complete it, within the timeframe (wonders will never cease!)

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Never too late! Go for it:)

[Jülie ☼♄ ]

Can't wait to see what you have listed Mary, no doubt there will be some good picks there :)

[MaryG2E]

Well, I had this idea early in 2015, that I would like to read a title which began with a different letter of the alphabet. 26 books in total. Two constraints - (1) that I would only resort to a Sue Grafton alphabet book if I definitely could not find a title elsewhere and (2) I'm limited to library books and titles I can borrow from friends, due to my housing situation.
I was genuinely unsure if I could do it. Turns out that I'm just about to finish, with a few weeks to spare. Feel quite chuffed! I'll post the final list on a separate thread.

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

How wonderful! I've thought of that myself and wondered how we could incorporate it into a challenge:)

[MaryG2E]

One of the great benefits of using Goodreads as a book management tool is that you can track your annual reading so easily. To date I've read 132 books this year, and I've shelved them all alphabetically so I know which letters of the alphabet I can tick off. Definitely the hardest titles to source are those starting with the more obscure letters, and the ones that caused me most concern were J, Q, X, Y and Z. Yes, you are correct, there are several titles that start with J, but I've read quite a few of them, from Jasper Jones to Jane Eyre and Jude the Obscure. Finding new reads was the challenge. I located a biography of Xanana Gusmao, but by the time I got round to reading it, Bendigo Library had de-accessioned it because nobody had ever borrowed it!! So, it is a bit of a challenge - probably easier if you have an e-reader, with electronic access to a wider range of titles. It was fun for me, and took a deal of determination. Definitely worth it in the long run.