Greg's 2017 Challenges

[Greg]

100 again. Just have to keep the 1000 pagers to a minimum.

[Greg]

Let's see now, I have entered the let's count pages and opted for 35000 pages in 2017.

I have entered the serial challenge and am going to finish 7 series, start 5 new ones, read one from start to finish and read 24 books in series I already have started. Total for this is 41 books.

Also am going to do all 26 of the A to Z location challenge.

[Greg]

Just finished book 98 for my 100 book challenge for 2016. I read The Parched Sea which begins yet another series. I am reading so many series I would never keep them straight without goodreads. Anyway, this book was better than I expected and I enjoyed it. Will definitely continue this series.

[Greg]

2016 100 book challenge is finished! I just finished and to make the quota of 100 books. I started as a backup but only have read 22 pages so far. I doubt if I will finish it before Sunday, so it will most likely go to 2017. I am also going to restart . I started it back in October but only read a dozen pages or so. So, on to my next 100 book challenge in the coming year.

[Greg]

OK, I see now why this member's corner is a good thing. I've gone a bit nuts with entering challenges so I need somewhere to keep them all straight.

Annual challenge: 100 books.

Let's Turn Pages challenge: 35000 pages

A to Z Challenge, Local Edition: 26 books

Serial Reader Challenge: 50 books
I will finish 5 series:
Night Soldiers by Alan Furst (3 books left)
Lord Meren by Lynda S. Robinson (1 book left)
TekWar by William Shatner (3 books left)
Mellinnium by Stieg Larsson (1 book left)
The Century Trilogy by Ken Follet (1 book left)
I will start 8 series (8 books) though I haven't decided which ones as yet, except for these:
The Stainless Steel Rat by Harry Harrison
Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton
American Gods by Neil Galman
U.S. Civil War by Harold Coyle
Foreigner by C. J. Cherryh
Also, I will easily read 24 books in series I am currently reading.
I will read 3 series from start to finish:
Underworld USA by James Elroy (3 books)
Red Rising by Pierce Brown (3 books)
Bill Hodges Trilogy by Stephen King (3 books)

First Quarter Challenge goodread Choice Awards:
End of Watch
Morning Star
The Fireman
Leonard: My Fifty-Year Friendship with a Remarkable Man
Rebel of the Sands

January Monthly Challenge: 8 books for 3200 pages

January Group Read: American Gods

Well, this should help keep it straight. I hope.

[Greg]

Monthly:
January: Marathon (message 59) 10/8 4909/3200
Group American Gods finished.
February: Not Participating
March: Challenge 4/4
The Book of Eleanor: A Novel of Eleanor of Aquitaine Finished 19 April.
Outlander Finished March 31.
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest Finished March 23.
March group read: The Handmaid's Tale Finished 20 March.
April: Not Participating
May SUNRISE challenge 4/4: Night And Day read 5 May.
Street of the Five Moons read 10 May.
Redemption Games read 15 May.
The Sun Is Also a Star (May group read, finished 20 May.)
June Fiction to Reality: The Blooding finished 26 June.
Lestrade and the Sawdust Ring finished 2 July.
July: Oath of Fealty finished 8 July.
Last Carpathian Wolf finished 14 July.
Blood and Honor finished 18 July.
August: Giving it a pass to get caught up.
September: Back to school challenge 4/4
The Third Secret finished 4 September.
The Bridges at Toko-ri finished 6 September.
The Black Company finished 9 September.
Mrs. Pollifax on the China Station
October: Folklore Challenge 4/4:
The Broken Sword
The Defiant Agents
The Bridge at Andau
Born of Ice
November: Togetherness in Books (4/4)
Playback
Poodle Springs
Back Of Beyond
The Day After Tomorrow
November: Togetherness in Holidays (2/2)
Lavinia
Back Of Beyond
December: The Long Challenge (5/4)
Until the End
Blood's a Rover
New York Dead
I've Got You Under My Skin
The Last Full Measure

Quarter 1: 5/5
The Fireman finished 30 January.
Leonard: My Fifty-Year Friendship with a Remarkable Man finished 8 February.
Rebel of the Sands finished 9 February.
End of Watch finished 20 February.
Morning Star finished 13 March.

2nd Quarter: Clear the Shelves Challenge 8/8
Perish Twice Read 5 April
Battle Flag Read 9 April
The Book of Eleanor: A Novel of Eleanor of Aquitaine Read 19 April
American Tabloid Read 2 May.
Tek Money Read 6 May.
Governor Ramage R. N. Read 13 May.
Foreigner Read 18 May.
Disclosure Read 3 June.

Quarter 3: 25/25

2017 Yearly Challenges:

Overall 100/100

Pages 37462/35000

TBR Randomizer (see message 8) 12/12
The Book of Eleanor: A Novel of Eleanor of Aquitaine
Governor Ramage R. N.
A Fine Boy for Killing
Assassin's Apprentice
Empire of the East
Last Carpathian Wolf
Blood and Honor
Lord of Emperors
The Black Company
Gerald's Game
The Day After Tomorrow
Alien

Top Ten Faves (see message 11) 8/8
Red Rising
The Handmaid's Tale
Outlander
The Bell Jar
Assassin's Apprentice
The Fault in Our Stars
The Clan of the Cave Bear
The 5th Wave

Serial 66/66 (message 90, updated by message 301)
Series finished 15/15 books to complete 10 series. 10/10 complete.
Series Started 17/17
Series continued 23/23
Series start to finish 11/11 for 4 series. 4/4 complete.

A-Z 26/26
A-Abbey of Saint Anne de Beaupre Outlander
B-Bit of Heaven A Stainless Steel Rat is Born
C-Cambridge, Mass Perish Twice
D-Denmark The Keeper of Lost Causes
E-Egypt Slayer of Gods
F-France The Book of Eleanor: A Novel of Eleanor of Aquitaine
G-Greenland East of Desolation
H-House on a Rock American Gods
I-India Flashman in the Great Game
J-Jamaica Governor Ramage R. N.
K-Khwarezmia Genghis: Bones of the Hills
L-Last County Rebel of the Sands
M-Monfort The Dragon Society
N-New Hampshire The Fireman
O-Olympus Red Rising
P-Paris Mission to Paris
Q-Qandir Lord of Emperors
R-Rome Street of the Five Moons
S-Stockholm The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest
T-Tuen Mun Nine Dragons
U-Uruguay Blood and Honor
V-Virginia Look Away
W-Washington DC Edge of Eternity
X-Xian Mrs. Pollifax on the China Station
Y-Yemen Foreign Influence
Z-Zim's spaceship Invader Zim Vol. 1

[Greg]

In an attempt to clear out my last 2016 library haul, I have finished reading The Bloom County Library, Vol. 2: 1982-1984. I still find this comic strip absolutely hilarious and it served to remind me of the events of the early 1980s.

[Greg]

So, I went and entered another challenge, TBR Randomizer, for 12 books:

1. Governor Ramage R. N. Read 13 May.
2. The Book of Eleanor: A Novel of Eleanor of Aquitaine Read 19 April
3. A Fine Boy for Killing Read 29 May.
4. Last Carpathian Wolf Read 14 July.
5. Assassin's Apprentice Read 4 June.
6. The Black Company Read 9 September.
7. Alien Read 27 November.
8. The Broken Lands read 19 June.
9. Lord of Emperors read 4 September.
10. The Day After Tomorrow read 17 November.
11. Gerald's Game read 17 September.
12. Blood and Honor read 18 July.

[Greg]

Just finished Edge of Eternity to complete the Century trilogy. I was very disappointed in this book.

[Greg]

Finished Look Away.

[Greg]

Well, now, I can't seem to stop adding more challenges. I have entered the Top Ten Faves challenge to read these 8 books:

The Handmaid's Tale Finished it.
Outlander Finished it.
The Fault in Our Stars Finished it.
Red Rising Finished it.
The Bell Jar Yucked it.
The Clan of the Cave Bear Finished it.
The 5th Wave Finished it.
Assassin's Apprentice Finished it.

[Greg]

Finished Mr. Mercedes.

[Greg]

Finished Red Rising.

[Greg]

Finished American Gods and, thus, the January group read.

[Greg]

Well now, February looks like a month to work on other challenges. I don't like either monthly challenge and have already read the group read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and have no desire to read it again.

[Greg]

Finished The Fireman. Best book of the year so far.

[Greg]

Just finished Slayer of Gods the last book of the Lord Meren series. I don't know how long ago I started reading this series.

[Greg]

Just finished Finders Keepers. The second book of the Bill Hodges trilogy and the better of the two I've read so far.

[Greg]

Among all of the different challenges I have entered, I've decided to add a personal challenge. I still have 6 books on my TBR list from 2011 and I will read this year:

Foreigner Read 18 May.
Oath of Fealty Read 8 July.
Follow the Free Wind Read 16 June.
Bard's Oath Read 23 July.
Disclosure Read 3 June.
Invader
The Defiant Agents Read 4 October.

[Greg]

Finished Leonard: My Fifty-Year Friendship with a Remarkable Man. Second book for the quarterly challenge,

[Greg]

And done with Rebel of the Sands. Third book for the quarterly challenge.

[Greg]

Golden Son is done. Good book but . . . I do tire of the whiny, sole searching, motivation agonizing, type of hero. And the ending sucked. Still I gave it three stars, but barely.

[Greg]

I am updating message 90 of the serial challenge (message 301)and the serial reader challenge portion of message 5 here to align this challenge with my other challenges.

I am changing the series I will finish to 10:
Night Soldiers by Alan Furst (3 books left) 3 read. Finished.
Lord Meren by Lynda S. Robinson (1 book left) Finished.
TekWar by William Shatner (3 books left) Finsihed.
Mellinnium by Stieg Larsson (1 book left) Finished.
The Century Trilogy by Ken Follet (1 book left) Finished.
The Sarantine Mosaic by Guy Gaverial Kay (1 book left) Finished.
The Dragon Lord Trilogy by Joanne Bertin (1 book left) Finished.
The Civil War Trilogy by Jeff Shaara (1 book left) Finished.
The Starbuck Chronicles by Bernard Cornwell (1 book left) Finished.
Philip Marlowe by Raymond Chandler (2 books left) Finished.

I am changing my series book 1s from 16 to 17. The will be book 1 of the following:
The Stainless Steel Rat by Harry Harrison (Read)
Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton (Read)
American Gods by Neil Galman (Read)
Foreigner by C. J. Cherryh (Read)
Sea Officer William Bentley Novels by Jan Needle (Read)
Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb (Read)
Chronicles of the Black Company by Glen Cook (Read)
Alien by Alan Dean Foster (Read)
Empire of the East by Fred Saberhagen (Read)
Outlander by Diana Galbadon (Read)
Earth's Children by Jean M. Auel (Read)
The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey (Read)
Paladan's Legacy by Elizabeth Moon (Read)
Complete Cossack Adventures by Harold Lamb (Read)
Commander Shaw Counter Spy by Philip McCutchen (Read)
Department Q by Jussi Adler-Olsen (Read)
Deep Black by Stephen Coonts. (Read)

I still intend to read 23 books in series I am currently reading.

I am changing the number of series I will read from start to finish from 3 to 4:

Underworld USA by James Elroy (3 books) Finished.
Red Rising by Pierce Brown (3 books) Finished.
Bill Hodges Trilogy by Stephen King (3 books) Finished.
U.S. Civil War by Harold Coyle (2 books) Finished.

[Greg]

Finished End of Watch and that finishes the Bill Hodges trilogy. This series got better with each book. I gave this one 5 stars, but The Fireman is still the best yet. This was close, though.

[Greg]

Genghis: Bones of the Hills is now done. Book 3 of the Conqueror series.

[Greg]

Finished Mission to Paris. Book 12 of the Night Soldiers series. Only two more to go!

[Greg]

Just finished East of Desolation by Jack Higgins. I've wanted to read this one for a long time and just decided to break in among all my challenges and read one for fun.

[Greg]

For the March monthly challenge:
The Handmaid's Tale
Outlander
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's NestThe Book of Eleanor: A Novel of Eleanor of Aquitaine

[Greg]

Finished The Keeper of Lost Causes. This is a damn good book on a par with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. It was also made into a very good movie, albeit a Danish one.

It is the first book of the Department Q trilogy that I said I would read from beginning to end.

[Greg]

Done with Flashman in the Great Game, book 5 in George MacDonald Fraser's Flashman Papers series.

[Greg]

I just couldn't take it anymore. Morning Star is a horrible book. I almost put it down at the very beginning, then it got better, then worse and almost put it down again. Finally, I just couldn't read anymore of it.

[Greg]

I have managed to finish, with great difficulty, The Handmaid's Tale. Not a fan, let me tell you.

[Greg]

Finished The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. An exceptional ending to a well written trilogy. And a refreshing change after the last two books I read.

[Greg]

Bazaar book. Just read Dead and Alive. Only Dean Koontz can be that weird.

[Greg]

The line up for Quarter 2:

Governor Ramage R. N. Read 13 May.
Perish Twice Read 5 April.
American Tabloid Read 2 May.
Foreigner Read 18 May
Disclosure Read 3 June.
Tek Money Read 6 May.
Battle Flag Read 9 April.
The Book of Eleanor: A Novel of Eleanor of Aquitaine Read 19 April.

[Greg]

I have finished Outlander. Good book, but a bit mushy. Borderline soft porn. But a very good read for all that.

[Greg]

And finished Nine Dragons. Enjoy Harry Bosch books.

[Greg]

I finished Perish Twice.

[Greg]

I need to make a list of series I am very close to finishing and possibly add them to my series challenge:

Dragon'sbane by Barbara Hambly
The Warlord Chronicles by Bernard Cornwell
Jacqueline Kirby by Elizabeth Peters
The Transition subseries of the Legend of Drizzt series by R.A. Salvatore
World War II: 1939-1945 series by Jeff Shaara
American Revolutionary War (1770-1783) series by Jeff Shaara
What The Night Knows series by Dean Koontz

[Greg]

Finished Battle Flag. Just one more book to finish The Starbuck Chronicles.

[Greg]

Finished Robert B. Parker's Bull River, book 6 in the Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch series. Robert Knott's second book after he took over from Robert B. Parker. And definitely better than Robert B. Parker's Ironhorse.

[Greg]

And I have finished Foreign Influence, book 9 in the Scot Harvath series by Brad Thor.

[Greg]

The Bell Jar, what a horrible book. And so depressing. Put this one on the yuck list. Can't say I am much impressed with my selection for the top ten faves. I've read four and haven't liked three of them.

[Greg]

May SUNRISE challenge: 4 books

Night And Day Read 5 May.
Street of the Five Moons Read 10 May.
Redemption Games Read 16 May.
The Sun Is Also a Star Read 20 May.

Finished May's challenge.

[Greg]

Give us a twofer for today. Just finished Double Deuce book 19 of the Spenser series by Robert B. Parker and I finished American Tabloid, book 1 of the Underworld USA trilogy.

[Greg]

Okay, read Night And Day for the May SUNRISE challenge,

[Greg]

Finished Tek Money, book 7 of the TEK War series by William Shatner. I only have 2 more to go to finish the series. This also a 2nd quarter challenge book.

[Greg]

Street of the Five Moons, Vicky Bliss book 2 by Elizabeth Peters, for the SUNRISE challenge. Also, gives me R for Rome.

[Greg]

And Governor Ramage R. N. is finished. Been trying to get to this book since February but couldn't until recently. Good book. And one that is part of several challenges.

[Greg]

Finished Redemption Games book 4 of the John Rain series by Barry Eisler. This book gives me the R for the SUNRISE challenge.