2014 Summer Reading Challenge

[Becky]

Putting aside my classic Crime and Punishment for the moment to go on vacation and enjoy an adventure The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared.

[Nephi]

Fantasy - Unraveled (completed)
Classic/Literary -
Mystery - The Insider (completed)
Western - Saving Lucy Cole (completed)
Historical - Master (completed)
Action/Adventure - Cookies To Die For (completed)
Science Fiction - Enders Shadow (completed)
Romance - As You Are (completed)

[Debbie]

Greg wrote: "Challenge #4

Science Fiction - Off to be the Wizard by Scott Meyer (In Progress)
Fantasy - The Gate Thief by Orson Scott Card (In Progress)"

Perhaps rather than just reading groups of 5, you could read one list of all categories in fiction and then a list of all categories in non-fiction. That would be an interesting undertaking. For Science Fiction, substitute Science. For Fantasy, substitute a book about the search for UFOs or Bigfoot or some other topic that most folks think is (or thought was) "nonsense". Perhaps Darwin? Some folks still believe that is fantasy.

Just a thought. You read such interesting things, I thought I'd fuel the fire in a bit of a different direction.

[Cami]

Here's my update for now:

Mystery - A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley, 3rd in the Flavia de Luce series --in progress
Sci Fi - The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood --Completed
Fantasy - Forest Born by Shannon Hale --not yet started
Action/Adventure- When I Fell From the Sky by Juliane Diller Koepcke --Completed
Historical - The Infinite Atonement by Tad R. Callister --Completed

[Greg]

Debbie wrote: Perhaps rather than just reading groups o..."

An intriguing idea. I thought about reading a book from each category, but there are a couple that hold zero interest for me. I like the idea of moving out from just fiction. I am working my way through the challenge 5 times (5 books sounded too easy considering how much I read, but 25 sounded solid). Perhaps for the 5th challenge, I could do non-fiction. If so, I'm already started. A few days ago I finished The Sphinx Mystery by Robert Temple, which could fit into Mystery, Historical, or even SciFi/Science, based on the amount of math and evidence the author used. Perhaps for Romance, I could use The Five Levels of Attachment by Miguel Ruiz Jr., as it's about relationships (and I've been meaning to get to it...

[Ann]

For those of you still looking for titles to use for the Summer Reading challenge, or just looking for a new good book to read, a new round of Reader's Choice just started today. There's a little bit of everything on the list, for a wide variety of tastes.

[Lynn]

I've been out of the loop for awhile, but my daughter mentioned the summer reading challenge today and I thought I'd check it out--now that we're a month into it. I'll have to read fast.
Here's the books I've picked.
Mystery:Fourth Down and Out: An Andy Hayes Mystery by Andrew Welsh-Huggins (if the library gets it in in time--it's a new book on order)
Romance: One Lavender Ribbon by Heather Burch
Western: one of the Louis L'Amour books I inherited from my parents, haven't decided which yet
Classic: Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
Historical: The Bully Pulpit by Doris Kearns Goodwin

[alisonwonderland (Alison)]

I've finished my third book for the challenge - Mystery: Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear.

[Jackie]

I love the Maisie Dobbs series. Did you read the first one? Are you planning to continue the series? Each book is unique as far as the major story line, but I really got attached to the characters, and their stories continue throughout the books. Fun to listen to if you need a good drive along book. :)

[Debbie]

Greg wrote: "An intriguing idea. I thought about reading a book from each category, but there are a couple that hold zero interest for me. ..."

Well, see, this is where you get creative in definitions. I saw that one of our group used "Big Hair and Flying Cows" for romance. I've read the book and mostly its just a very funny book. But if it works as romance, go for it. Another thing you could use for romance would be JD Robb's later Eve Dallas series. The relationship between Eve and Ruarc is most assuredly romance.

For a western, I tend to not like those. But I really enjoyed Lonesome Dove and I liked The Way West by A.B. Guthrie. While both are Westerns, they both are just good books outside of being Westerns. So consider them. Or maybe have one of the libraians help you find out if there are any mysteries set in the time period and places that are considered old west. Maybe something is available that way. Another book that might serve as a Western is Conrad Richter's The Trees. It's written about a time of the expansion of pioneers into Ohio and for it's time period, I'd argue is a "western" for then. Ohio was, after all, the frontier then.

You could try them and, if nothing intrigues, put it down and say you tried. Who knows, you may find a pleasure in a few.

[Carolyn]

this is my updated list so far:
• Mystery- Rebecca- (Complete)
• Romance- The Art of Hearing Heartbeats- (complete)
• Science Fiction- The Giver Series- (complete- read all 4)
• Fantasy- 33 AD (in progress)
• Western- ?
• Action/Adventure- ?
• Classic/Literary- I think this one will be 1984
• Historical- The Lincoln Hypothesis- (Complete)
I finished reading The 13th Day of Christmas, but I don't think it fits into one of these categories. So three down!

[Cami]

Carolyn, you have finished 4 and have another in progress so if you're doing the challenge as originally presented, you'll be done when that last book is complete! :)

[Debbie]

Greg,

I have a couple of specific recommendations for you that would fit the Romance category. They are not romances in the traditional sense.

1) Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. It also qualifies for the Classics category and the Mystery category. It is a wonderful book and does not read like a "traditional" romance.

2) A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. It also qualifies for the Classics category. What sets it apart is that, rather than a romance between two people, it is a romance with life.

So try one (or both) of these.

[Debbie]

I'm done! I've finished my fifth book of the Summer Challenge! Here is my final list. Of course, as with several of us, that doesn't mean I won't finish other books that fit within the challenge. It is fun to be able to participate again!

Fantasy - Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke (Completed June 11)
Classic/Literary - Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins (Completed June 20)
Mystery - The Lighthouse by P.D. James (Completed June 21)
Western - O Pioneers! by Willa Cather (Completed June 27)
Science Fiction - Earth Awakens by Orson Scott Card and Aaron Johnston (Completed July 3)
Historical - Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman (In Progress)
Action/Adventure - The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein (In Progress)
Romance - The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley.

[Becky]

Finished my adventure book The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared. On to mystery...

[Greg]

Debbie,

I actually read Rebecca last July. I don't know that I'd put it in a romance category, it seemed more of a mystery, or a tragedy, involving very little love of anyone for anyone.

I don't know much of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I might give that one a shot.

[Debbie]

Greg wrote: "Debbie,

I actually read Rebecca last July. I don't know that I'd put it in a romance category, it seemed more of a mystery, or a tragedy, involving very little love of anyone for anyone."

It's actually considered in the realm of Gothic Romance. Those always have mystery as a key part of the story. Next time you are faced with a "romance" category, consider Mary Stewart, especially This Rough Magic. Other Gothic Romance authors are Phyllis Whitney and Victoria Holt. These are ones from when I was a girl in the '60s. I don't know who leads the field today, but I think Tami Hoag is one, others can verify or name others.

[Jackie]

Debbie wrote: "Greg wrote: "Debbie,

I actually read Rebecca last July. I don't know that I'd put it in a romance category, it seemed more of a mystery, or a tragedy, involving very little love of anyone for anyo..."
"A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" is one of my all time favorite books. Even if you don't put it in the "romance"genre, it is worth the read.

[Jennie]

Here's my list of what I've read:

Mystery - Insider
Romance - Waiting for You, Becoming Lady Lockwood
Fantasy - Rebel Princess, I'm Not Cinderella
Action/Adventure - Twisted Fate, Quantum Breach
Classic/Literary - Counting Candles (not sure this counts, but it doesn't fit anywhere else)
Historical - Hope, Eastward to Zion, Men of Destiny

I haven't read a western yet, but I'll recommend my own Where the River Once Flowed for this category or it could go in Historical.I read a good science fiction novel by Jerry Borrowman, but I finished it just before this contest started.

[Jenny]

Done with three and in progress with two more:
Mystery: The Ring of Rocamadour...complete
Romance: The Girl You Left Behind...complete
Science Fiction: Cress...complete
Action/Adventure: Steelheart...in progress
Classic: The Good Earth...not yet started
Historical: The Story of Beautiful Girl...in progress

[Emily]

I am doing this challenge also. These are the books I have decided on:

Mystery: The Book of Lies by Brad Meltzer (read)
Romance: The Girls' Guide to Love and Supper Clubs by Dana Bate (read)
Action/Adventure: One for the Money by Janet Evanovich (currently reading)
Sci-Fi: The Giver by Lois Lowry (need to read)
Historical: Killing Jesus by Bill O'Reilly (need to read)

[Becky]

Update to my list:

Mystery: Mr. Mercedes (complete)
Romance: The Girl on the Cliff (complete)
Science Fiction: The Here and Now (complete)
Western: The Painter (complete)
Action/Adventure: The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared (complete)
Classic/Literary: Crime and Punishment (in progress)
Fantasy: The Ocean at the End of the Lane (to-read)
Historical:All the Light We Cannot See (to-read, choice might change)

[Mary]

Fantasy: Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson (completed)
Western: Where Courage Calls by Janette Oke (in progress)
Historical: Hornet Flight by Ken Follett (to-read)
Romance: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith (to-read)

[Rachel]

I just finished "The Invention of Wings" by Sue Monk Kidd. I hope that counts for Historical, even though it's Historical Fiction.

[Emily]

I am changing my historical to The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd

[Greg]

Rachel,

Since the challenge is literary elements, to actually fit the challenge, it pretty much has to be Historical Fiction, not Historical Fact. Histories, Biographies, etc. aren't really "literature." (At least, not to my mind. I know some people argue that anything written down is literature, but I think of literature as imaginative, not just any ink on any paper).

Debbie pointed out that if you want to do the challenge more than once, you can do the different categories in non-fiction books (or at least close equivalents). But fiction is definitely the implied theme.

Or, in other words, The Invention of Wings totally counts.

[Greg]

I'm nearly done with challenge #4. And to me, it is impossible to read just one book at a time. So, I'm starting books in the next set (I decided to do the challenge 5 times), and I'm also reading books in a 6th set, as Debbie suggested, using non-fiction books.

Challenge #5

Science Fiction - Contact by Carl Sagan (Complete July 12)
Action/Adventure - The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan (Complete July 16)
Romance - A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith (Complete July 24)
Classic/Literary - The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien (Complete July 26)
Historical - The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (Complete July 27)


Challenge #6 (non-fiction)

Historical - The Sphinx Mystery by Robert Temple (Complete June 25)
Romance - The Five Levels of Attachment by Don Miguel Ruiz Jr. (Complete July 10)
Science - Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of his Time by Dava Sobel (Complete July 22)
Mystery - Green River, Running Red by Ann Rule (Complete July 29)
Fantasy - Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions by Bill W. Alcoholics Anonymous (Complete July 29)

[Dwight]

My plan:


• Mystery: "Rolling Thunder" by Chris Grabenstein [queued]
• Romance: "Taste of Darkness" by Maria V. Snyder [complete]
• Science Fiction: "Influx" by Daniel Suarez [queued]
• Fantasy: "The alchemist of souls" by Anne Lyle [queued]
• Western: "Territory" by Emma Bull [complete]
• Action/Adventure: "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken [queued]
• Classic/Literary "Something Fresh" by P. G. Wodehouse [queued]
• Historical: "A Plunder of Souls" by D.B. Jackson [queued]

[Marinda]

I read The One by Kiera Cass. I'm counting it as my Romance. I was happy by the way the book ended, but it was too tidy for my taste. I wonder if her editor made her kill off one particular character...it was anti-climactic. Only three more books to go!
• Mystery
• Romance - The One (2 of 5)
• Science Fiction - Dangerous (1 of 5)
• Fantasy
• Western
• Action/Adventure
• Classic/Literary
• Historical

[Carolyn]

this is my list so far and technically I am finished, but I am going to keep reading book and add them as they fit into the categories:
• Mystery- Rebecca- (Complete)
• Romance- The Art of Hearing Heartbeats- (complete)
• Science Fiction- The Giver Series- (complete- read all 4)
• Fantasy- 33 AD (complete)
• Western- ?
• Action/Adventure- Seven Unholy Days- (in process)
• Classic/Literary- I think this one will be 1984 (in process)
• Historical- The Lincoln Hypothesis- (Complete),
And Jesus Wept- (complete)
Number the Stars- (complete)
I Will Plant You a Lilac Tree- (in process)
And other books I have read: 13th Day of Christmas, The Menagerie,

[Debbie]

I'd decided to continue reading books in all categories. Now I've finished my sixth book of the Summer Challenge! Here is my continued list.

Fantasy - Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke. (Completed June 11)
Classic/Literary - Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins. (Completed June 20)
Mystery - The Lighthouse by P.D. James. (Completed June 21)
Western - O Pioneers! by Willa Cather. (Completed June 27)
Science Fiction - Earth Awakens by Orson Scott Card and Aaron Johnston. (Completed July 3)
Historical - Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman. (Completed July 10)
Action/Adventure - The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. (In Progress)
Romance - The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley. (In Progress)

[Rachel]

Emily wrote: "I am changing my historical to The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd"

Good choice, It's awesome!

[Greg]

Challenge #4 Complete!

Fantasy - The Gate Thief by Orson Scott Card (Complete June 30)
Mystery - Dark Memories by Jeffrey S. Savage (Complete July 2)
Historical - All Our Yesterdays by Robert B. Parker (Complete July 4)
Science Fiction - Off to be the Wizard by Scott Meyer (Complete July 8)
Classic/Literary - The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien (Complete July 11)

[Debbie]

Greg wrote: "Challenge #4 Complete!..."

Congrats-ats-ats-ats!

[Debbie]

Deciding to continue reading books in all categories, I've finished my seventh book of the Summer Challenge! Here is my continued list. Oh, and I've added a new possible book, depending on how the story shakes out, it well may fit the Romance category.

Fantasy - Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke. (Completed June 11)
Classic/Literary - Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins. (Completed June 20)
Mystery - The Lighthouse by P.D. James. (Completed June 21)
Western - O Pioneers! by Willa Cather. (Completed June 27)
Science Fiction - Earth Awakens by Orson Scott Card and Aaron Johnston. (Completed July 3)
Historical - Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman. (Completed July 10)
Action/Adventure - The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. (Completed July 13)
Romance - The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley. (In Progress)
OR
Romance - The City by Dean Koontz. (In Progress)

I'm glad this group allows considerable freedom with definitions of genres!

[Alyson]

I'm jealous of everyone who is going beyond the minimum here...I'm pregnant with my fourth and too tired to read as much as I'd like! I did manage to complete my five, though--here they are!

Classic/Literary: The Call of the Wild (Jack London)
Mystery: Winter Sky (Patricia Reilly Giff)
Fantasy: A Wizard of Earthsea (Ursula K. LeGuin)
Historical: The Night the Bells Rang (Natalie Kinsey- Warnock)
Western: One Came Home (Amy Timberlake)

[Dawnmcd]

Finally got a start on these.


• Mystery
• Romance
• Science Fiction
• Fantasy - Night Broken - Patricia Briggs - completed
• Western
• Action/Adventure
• Classic/Literary
• Historical

[Debbie]

Alyson wrote: "I'm jealous of everyone who is going beyond the minimum here."

Don't be jealous, Alyson. We each do what we can. I'm just glad you were able to participate! Good luck, this is a nasty time to be pregnant. My only was born at the end of August and I was too tired to read, too!

[Jackie]

Alyson wrote: "I'm jealous of everyone who is going beyond the minimum here...I'm pregnant with my fourth and too tired to read as much as I'd like! I did manage to complete my five, though--here they are!

Clas..."
I am too tired to read just THINKING about having 3 littles and another on the way. Blessings to you!

[Emily]

One for the Money-read
The giver-read
Now I just have to read the historical fiction.

[Britt, Book Habitue]

I'm 8 months pregnant with my 5th and well... my total # of books read so far this YEAR is about what I normally read in just January.
BUT I did just finish The Jedi Doth Return (Ian Doescher) which I'll count as my Sci-Fi for this challenge.

[Rachel]

Romance: "The Fault in Our Stars" By John Green. Two more to go!!

[Ann]

I'm currently reading Hearth Fires by Dorothy Keddington. I think this one is going to count for my Romance category. (Technically, it's romantic suspense, but the action is pretty mild so far, so I think it fits well with romance.)

[Tammy]

Hi I have read 2 Science Fiction books this summer. I know only one counts so I use Variant by Robison Wells. I read Elizabeth the First Wife for Reader's Choice and hope that counts for Romance, since it is a romance.

[Cami]

Here's my revised list again. I should be able to finish this one!

Mystery - A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley, 3rd in the Flavia de Luce series (Completed)
Sci Fi - The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (Completed)
Fantasy - Cinderella by Jenni James (Completed)
Action/Adventure - When I Fell From the Sky by Juliane Diller Koepcke (Completed)
Historical - Fire of the Covenant by Gerald Lund (not yet started)

[Mary]

YAY!!! another book finished! here is my updated reading list:
Fantasy- Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson (completed)
Western- Where Courage Calls by Janette Oke and Laurel Oke Logan (Completed)
Historical- Hornet Flight by Ken Follett (In Progress)
Romance- The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer Smith (TBR)
I still am unsure of what my fifth book will be but since I don't plan on stopping after just five I have a lot of choices.

[Debbie]

Greg wrote: "Rachel,

Since the challenge is literary elements, to actually fit the challenge, it pretty much has to be Historical Fiction, not Historical Fact. ..."

Hmmmm. I hadn't thought of this. My Historical is actually fact, but I chose it because it was a Newbery winner. Still, it doesn't affect me finishing the challenge because I did that before I read the book on Lincoln.

That said, I'm going to defer to Greg's clarification as my choice, and consider something else for historical ... maybe.

[Britt, Book Habitue]

Finished Fortunately the Milk, so there's my Fantasy...
2 down. :)

[Ann]

Tammy wrote: "Hi I have read 2 Science Fiction books this summer. I know only one counts so I use Variant by Robison Wells. I read Elizabeth the First Wife for Reader's Choice and hope that counts for Romance, s..."

I always enjoy finding books that can fit into more than one genre/category. For whatever reason I find myself more engaged in the more varied aspects of these kind of books and the characters.

[Emily]

I finished The Invention of Wings today so my challenge is officially done!! Such a good book!