Romance Readers Reading Challenges discussion
2010 Challenge Archive
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2010 Chubby Chunkster Challenge
Photojim wrote: "LooLoo wrote: "Wow, I hope my chunky experience is at least half that good!"I don't know. Now that I've thought about it a bit, I feel sort of used. I thought it was going to be a one time thin..."
ROFLMAO!! You are so entertaining!
Do These Books Make my Butt Look Big?- this option is for the slightly heavier reader who wants to commit to 5 Chunksters over the remainder of the year.
My (tentative) list:
1. PS, I love you - Cecilia Ahern (519 pages)
2. Bet me - Jennifer Crusie (469 pages)finished March 8
3. Vanity Fair - William Thackeray (720 pages)
4. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller (576 pages)
5. Blood runs cold - Alex Barclay (496 pages)
What did you think of Bet Me Lotte? I rather liked it.
Okay I'm changing mine from Do These Make my Butt Look Big? to Mor-book-ly Obese. Added on 3 more!Mor-book-ly Obese
1. Lover Revealed (455 Pgs)
2. Lover Unbound (502 Pgs)
3. Lover Enshrined (534 Pgs)
4. Lover Avenged (527 Pgs)
5. Covet (474 Pgs)
6. Sunshine (405 Pgs)
7. The Scent of Shadows: The First Sign of the Zodiac (464 Pgs)
8. Pleasure of a Dark Prince (431 Pgs)
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Im in. There are a few I already plan to read that will count. I will start with Mor-book-ly Obese. Will add books and page #s when I get home. Being bad and posting at work :)
Kasia wrote: "I guess you can backdate if you want. It's a "yearly" challenge, so backdating some won't hurt..."So I decided to turn this one into a yearly challenge, will not alter the already compiled list (which I’ll probably add to later on), but I will list already red chunksters this year...
Level: Too Big To Ignore Anymore
Challenge Duration: January 1, 2010 - December 31, 2010
Book list:
Lover Eternal by J.R. Ward (464)
Lover Awakened by J.R. Ward (464)
Lover Revealed by J.R. Ward (480)
Lover Unbound by J.R. Ward (528)
Lover Enshrined by J.R. Ward (560)
Lover Avenged by J.R. Ward (672)
Wild Fire by Christine Feehan (496)
Water Bound by Christine Feehan (480)
Demonkeepers by Jessica Andersen (480)
Sizzle and Burn by Jayne Ann Krentz (480)
Running Hot by Jayne Ann Krentz (480)
Covet by J.R. Ward (474)
Seduced by Virginia Henley (532)
FlibBityFLooB wrote: "Awww. *pout* why no audiobooks? *sniff*I'm trying to get more exercise into my life, and audiobooks help me do that. Especially on the long books. I just listened to Acheron th..."
audio books are allowed
I was messing around this morning reading quotes in the "explore" area here on goodreads. Found one I thought was cute for this chalenge! :)"The covers of this book are too far apart."
— Ambrose Bierce
Photojim wrote: "What did you think of Bet Me Lotte? I rather liked it."Well, Photojim I'm a HUGE Jennifer Crusie fan and I've read her books a lot.. my copy of Faking It is falling apart!When I first read Bet Me a few years ago I didn't like it that much. Well, I liked it but not as much as some of the others. I've read it a few times since and it was really grown on me :)So much so that I gave it 4 stars!
So if we do Mor-book-ly Obese we can change our list, but if we do Too Big To Ignore Anymore we can't change our list? This is all hinging on that rat bastard George R.R. Martin--I know A Dance with Dragons will not be out this year, my brother told me he just read on his blog that right now he has it at over 1300 pages, which means it's not even at the publisher, which means it won't be out this year.If I do Too Big To Ignore Anymore and list books from my TBR now, can I add to it in the future? Eh, I haven't even looked at my TBR yet, I'll probably just stick with Mor-book-ly Obese--I love making my lists in advance, but it scares me to lose the option of changing them. :)
Laura Lulu wrote: "If I do Too Big To Ignore Anymore and list books from my TBR now, can I add to it in the future?"You can always add, just you cannot take them out without reading. It's more about the amount of books you're willing to read than particular titles. If you commit to say 12 books, I don't care much if you swap a title or 2 along the way. If you commit to 12 and read 14, hail to you. But if you commit to 12 and end up reading 2, is a fail, challenge incomplete. You get what I'm saying?
2010 Chubby Chunkster Challenge
Upgrading - Mor-bookly-obese
The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough - 591 pages
The Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice - 573 pages
The World According to Garp by John Irving - 570 pages
The Host by Stephenie Meyer - 617 pages
The War Of The Flowers by Tad Williams - 749 pages
Lover Revealed by J.R. Ward - 455 pages
Lover Unbound by J.R. Ward - 502 pages
Rose Madder by Stephen King - 466 pages
Think this maybe the final nail in my monthly challenge coffin, guess I'll just stick to yearly and quarterly from now on!!! These should make a nice dent in my Lifetime of Books challenge as well.
Kasia wrote: "You can always add, just you cannot take them out without reading. It's more about the amount of books you're willing to read than particular titles. If you commit to say 12 books, I don't care much if you swap a title or 2 along the way. If you commit to 12 and read 14, hail to you. But if you commit to 12 and end up reading 2, is a fail, challenge incomplete. You get what I'm saying?"I get what you're saying. :) I'm going to go with Too Big To Ignore Anymore since I know I will be reading these 11 this year. Then if I add more, yea me.
0/11
1. Proven Guilty Jim Butcher 496 pgs
2. White Night Jim Butcher 480 pgs
3. Small Favor Jim Butcher 550 pgs
4. Turn Coat Jim Butcher 560 pgs
5. The Princess Bride William Goldman 480 pgs
6. Spirit Bound Richelle Mead 528 pgs
7. Sabriel Garth Nix 496 pgs
8. Lirael Garth Nix 705 pgs
9. Abhorsen Garth Nix 518 pgs
10. Battle Royale Koushun Takami 624 pgs
11. Lover Mine J.R. Ward 544 pgs
Chubby Chunkster ChallengeMor-book-ly Obese
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Ok time for my list. I originally said I would do Mor-book-ly Obese but I am going to change to Too Big To Ignore Anymore and use books on my physical TBR bookshelf. Here we go!1. Come The Night by Susan Krinard (459)
2. Lover Unbound by J.R. Ward (502)
3. Haunted by Kelley Armstrong (495)
4.The Lady Elizabeth by Alison Weir(473)
5. City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare (453)
6. City of Glass by Cassandra Clare (541)
7. Personal Demon by Kelley Armstrong (523)
8. Living with the Dead by Kelley Armstrong (540)
9. No Humans Involved by Kelley Armstrong (505)
10. Lover Enshrined by J.R. Ward (534)
11. Lover Avenged by J.R. Ward (642)
12. Covet by J.R. Ward (474)
13. The Host by Stephenie Meyer (619)
and for good measure!
14. Lover Mine by J.R. Ward - Has not been release yet but will be read this year. GR has the page # at 544. Will update as soon as i buy it!
I'm in. Chubby chunkster only, 3 books. post the list later
Oh so we can backtrack! Then I can add the book I'm reading now - The Count of Monte Cristo - to my list!I've been meaning to read that book for YEARS but I never felt like it because it was soo long and heavy! But my iPod Touch came to the rescue and I have been reading it there...and I'm loving it.
D.G., I read The Count of Monte Cristo years ago and I loved it. Not that many people read that book, though, so I was surprised to see it mentioned here. LOL
How funny that Dumas would come up here.Actually, I've managed to find copies of The Count of Monte CRisto, The Three Musketeers, and the Man in the Iron Mask.
Two used, one new but reasonable. They're a trilogy, really, and while I still drool over the old film/ miniseries versions (Richard Chamberlain in the 70s
was HOT!! I've had a crush on him since I was maybe 8 years old!) I've never read the books. I Think this may be the year,
so maybe I should up my level to Too Big To Ignore
Gaijinmama, you should definitely read The Count of Monte Cristo! I haven't read the other two you mentioned, but like I was telling D.G., I loved TCOMC.
Gaijinmama wrote: "How funny that Dumas would come up here. Actually, I've managed to find copies of The Count of Monte CRisto, The Three Musketeers, and the Man in the Iron Mask. They're a trilogy, really,..."Actually, the books that follow the four musketeers (Athos, Porthos, Aramis and d'Artagnan) are, in order:
The Three Musketeers (d'Artagnan's story) (704 pages)
Twenty Years After (the sequel) (880 pages)
The Vicomte de Bragelonne (son of Athos, 10 yrs later) (768 pages)
Louise de la Vallière (768 pages)
The Man in the Iron Mask (Climax of the series) (656 pages)
They are all chunksters.
I've read only the first and before I read the fifth, I wanted to read the books in between. Took me a bit of looking to find them all. I ended up with Oxford World Classics which include an introduction, bibliography, chronology and explanatory notes.
According to Wikipedia, the first three books are called the d'Artagnan Romances.
And under Muskateer movies they mention that...
The Man in the Iron Mask (film), a number of films with that title (or something similar, or in one case The Fifth Musketeer) based on the final section of the novel The Vicomte de Bragelonne by Dumas.
I would have thought it was based off the fifth book, not the final part of book 3, but I havn't read them yet.
Well, hush my mouth. I stand corrected. I should have checked my facts before posting. **TAngent alert!** for those of use who love tall dark and handsome leading men, I still recommend the version of The Three Musketeers that has Richard Chamberlain in it. He plays Aramis, not D'Artagnan, but totally steals every scene he's in. A couple years later, he starred in the mini-series of The Man in the Iron Mask and The Count of Monte Cristo. I was just a child but have been a fan ever since.
Changing my level to Too Big to Ignore Anymore I'll choose at least 10 from the following list, all in my TBR pile.
1. Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison 469 pp.
2. Wolfking by Bridget Wood 614 pp.
3. House of Dreams by Pauline Gedge 513 pp.
4. Doomsday Book by Connie Willis 578 pp.
5. Charlotte Gray by Sebastian Faulks 496 pp.
6. Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs 509 pp.
7. The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova 816 pp.
8. Wraeththu by Storm Constantine 774 pp.
9. Water Touching Stone by Eliot Pattinson 621 pp.
10. House of Illusions by Pauline Gedge 466 pp.
11. The Three Sisters by Rebecca Locksley 498 pp.
12. Wit'ch War by James Clemens 547 pp.
13. Wit'ch Gate by James Clemens 517 pp.
14. Wit'ch Star by James Clemens 588 pp.
15. The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas 673 pp.
16. The Man in the Iron Mask by Alexandre Dumas 495 pp.
17. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas 509 pp.
18.The Ill-Made Mute by Cecilia Dart-Thornton 552 pp.
19. The Lady of the Sorrows by Cecilia Dart-Thornton 463 pp.
20. The Battle of Evernight by Cecilia Dart-Thornton 458 pp.
21. The Black Jewels Trilogy: Daughter of the Blood, Heir to the Shadows, Queen of the Darkness by Anne Bishop 1200 pp.
22. The Age Of Misrule: World's End, Darkest Hour, Always Forever: "World's End", "Darkest Hour", "Always Forever" by Mark Chadbourn 800 pp.
23. The Book of Air and Shadows by Michael Gruber 561 pp.
24. Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith 470 pp.
25. Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson
26. The Diamond Age by Neal STephenson
27. Dissolution by C.J. Sansom 463 pp.
**alternates/ additional titles**
I reserve the option to include the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon
and Night World series by L.J. Smith
And this is really, truly my last edit!! The list is now engraved in stone.
I think you meant "Too Big To Ignore Anymore", that's where you have to list the books from your TBR **grins**
Kasia wrote: "I think you meant "Too Big To Ignore Anymore", that's where you have to list the books from your TBR **grins**"OK...Too Big To Ignore Anymore. I will attempt to read at least 7, all from the above list which is now engraved in stone, all of which are currently collecting dust on my shelves or in stacks on the bedroom and living room floor and royally annoying my non-bookish husband.
Gaijinmama wrote: "How funny that Dumas would come up here.Actually, I've managed to find copies of The Count of Monte CRisto, The Three Musketeers, and the Man in the Iron Mask.
Two used, one new but reasonable. T..."
Well those books are so long that if they were going to come up in a thread, this was the place. :) I have the other two books, TTM and TMitIM in my iPod Touch...maybe I'll read them next year! :)
I recommend Monte Cristo to anybody. That book is so freaking exciting...it has adventure, pain, revenge, redemption. I'm dying to continue reading it but I need to finish another book for a challenge.
Gaijinmama wrote: "Well, hush my mouth. I stand corrected. I should have checked my facts before posting...."Don't worry about it. It's a long, old, sometimes confusing series. For years I didn't know about the 3rd & 4th books as they are less well known.
The movie version you're talking about stars Michael York as d'Artagnon. It also has Raquel Welch and Faye Dunaway in it. And as a bit of surprise, Charlton Heston appears as Cardinal de Richelieu. "The Three Muskateers" remakes the book of the same name, and they all star again in "The Four Muskateers" which remakes the second book, Twenty Years Later.
This 5 book chunkster set I've been meaning to read for a long time. But it's been so long since I read the first book, I figured I should re-read it before I continue. These books are just so big, and not necessarily easy to read with french thrown in that they take me forever to read.
Mor-book-ly Obese0 of 8
March 12, 2010 - December 31, 2010
1. Nightkeepers by Jessica Andersen (464)
2. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (853)
3. Crave by J.R. Ward (560)
4. Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead (528)
5. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia (563)
6. Lover Awakened by J.R. Ward (464)
7. Lover Revealed by J.R. Ward (455)
8. Lover Mine by J.R. Ward (544)
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Chubby Chunkster ChallengeDo These Books Make My Butt Look Big?
1/5
Do These Books Make my Butt Look Big?- this option is for the slightly heavier reader who wants to commit to 5 Chunksters over the remainder of the year.
My (tentative) list:
1. PS, I love you - Cecilia Ahern (519 pages)finished March 13
2. Bet me - Jennifer Crusie (469 pages)finished March 8
3. Vanity Fair - William Thackeray (720 pages)
4. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller (576 pages)
5. Blood runs cold - Alex Barclay (496 pages)
Okay- I'm in!!Do These Books Make my Butt Look Big?
1/5 Completed
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2. Shadow Souls by L.J. Smith 599 pages
3. Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead 528 pages
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5.
I'll go for Mor-book-ly Obese :]1. Fallen by Lauren Kate (452 pages) **2/21/10
2. The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks (463 pages) **3/15/10
3. Shadow Souls by LJ Smith (599 pages) **4/5/10
4. Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead (528 pages) **5/18/10
5. Acheron by Sherrilyn Kenyon (722 pages) **5/31/10
6. Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon(464 pages) **6/9/10
7. Stray by Rachel Vincent (618 pages) **6/16/10
8. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer (629 pages) **6/29/10
9. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer (724 pages) **7/03/10
10. Alpha by Rachel Vincent (472 pages) **9/25/10
11. Halo by Alexandra Adornetto (496 pages) **9/28/10
12. Torment by Lauren Kate (464 pages) **10/8/10
13. The Passage (769 pages) **10/28/10
14. Nightshade (454 pages) **11/12/10
15. Nevermore by Kelly Creagh (543 pages) **11/14/10
16. The Hollow by Jessica Verday (560 pages) ** 11/20/10
17. The Haunted by Jessica Verday (467 pages) **11/22/10
18. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia (563 pages) **11/28/10
19. Beautiful Darkness by Margaret Stohl(512 pages) **12/06/10
20. Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead (594 pages) **12/08/10
21. The Search by Nora Roberts (488 pages) **11/30/10
22. Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare (476 pages) **
23. Covet by JR Ward (474 pages) **
24. Crave by JR Ward (480 pages) **
My "Too Big to Ignore Anymore" Challenge
finished 1 out of 17 (so far)
2. La Quete du saint graal (The Quest for the Holy Grail) - p. 502 of 572
3. La Mort du roi Artu (The Death of King Arthur) - 726 pages
4. Shadow Souls by L.J. Smith - 512 pages
5. Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead - 528 pages
6. Angelology by Danielle Trussoni - 464 pages
7. The Book of Joby by Mark J. Ferrari - 640 pages
8. The Host by Stephanie Meyer - 619 pages
9. Obsidian Butterfly by Laurell K. Hamilton - 596 pages
10. Narcissus in Chains by Laurell K. Hamilton - 644 pages
11. Cerulean Sins by Laurell K. Hamilton - 547 pages
12. Incubus Dreams by Laurell K. Hamilton - 752 pages
13. Danse Macabre by Laurell K. Hamilton - 576 pages
14. Skin Trade by Laurell K. Hamilton - 486 pages
15. A Kiss of Shadows by Laurell K. Hamilton - 480 pages
16. Long After Midnight by Iris Johansen - 464 pages
17. Witch by Marie Brennan - 464 pages
Mor-book-ly ObeseCurrent status: 1 of 8 completed
1. Black Magic Sanction by Kim Harrison (487 pp) 3/13/10
1/9 read"The covers of this book are too far apart."
— Ambrose Bierce
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2. A Rose in Winter by Kathleen Woodiwiss 567 pages
3. Pamela: Or Virtue Rewarded by Samuel Richardson 592 pages
4. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë 576 pages
5. Flowers from the Storm by Laura Kinsale 560 pages
6. Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey 1015 pages
7. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon 853 pages
8. Emma by Jane Austen 512 pages
9. The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons 656 pages
Jennefer,You have two of my favorite books in there:
- Jane Eyre (OMG, I loooved this book!)
- Flowers from the Storm (another amazing read)
I'll be reading Emma too for this challenge...is the only JA book I haven't read. :)
Mor-book-ly Obese1/8 completed
1. The Mammoth Book of Irish Romance - 512 pages (currently reading)
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2. Sepulchre - 550 pages (finished 3/14/10)
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I am Mor-Book-ly-Obeese - 8 books here I come.First up;
Ken Follett - The Pillars of the Earth
I'm going to give it a try, I think. I'm going with the Too Big To Ignore Anymore level. (Changed from the Mor-book-ly Obese 05/12)
Progress: 2/14
1.Heir to the Shadows by Anne Bishop (496 pages)
2.Dreams Made Flesh by Anne Bishop (464 pages)
3.Noah by Jacquelyn Frank (471 pages)
4.Let the Right One In: A Novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist (472 pages)
5.Acheron by Sherrilyn Kenyon (722 pages)
6.Born of Fire by Sherrilyn Kenyon (526 pages)
7.
8.Lover Mine by J.R. Ward (544 pages)
9.A Kiss of Shadows (Meredith Gentry, #1) by Laurell K. Hamilton (480 pages)
10.Lover Avenged by J.R. Ward (527 pages)
11.The Black Dagger Brotherhood: An Insider's Guide by J.R. Ward (478 pages)
12.
13.Whitney, My Love by Judith McNaught (736 pages)
14.Come the Night by Susan Krinard (613 pages{Large Print Edition})
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My Level is Too Big To Ignore AnymoreThe Shining (479)
The Stand (1153)
The Talisman (656)
Bag of Bones (752)
Duma Key (607)
Under the Dome (1074)
Jane Eyre (576)
The Count of Monte Cristo (1276)
Born of Night
Whitney, My Love
I had two books, one 444 pages, and the other 448. Frustrating. I wanted to use them in this challenge.
Yeah, most of what I read is 400-ish but rarely over 450, but hey, this is supposed to be a challenge! LOL
Kelley wrote: "Mor-book-ly Obese1/8 completed
1. The Mammoth Book of Irish Romance - 512 pages (currently reading)
[image error]
..."
I'm reading The Mammoth Book of Irish Romance right now also, but in the first post of this thread it states that short story collections don't count for this challenge. It's worth a read anyway. :)
Kris wrote: "I am Mor-Book-ly-Obeese - 8 books here I come.First up;
Ken Follett - The Pillars of the Earth"
Kris, that's lurking on my shelves - I'd like to know what you think of it.
Ok this is my first challenge so I'm gonna close my eyes and pick....Mor-book-ly Obese.I know I can read 8 books in 9 months.I know it!My fiance will just have to get used to his hand for awhile.Ok now i'm scared.Lots of big chunky books & not much sex? Someone hand me a paper bag,im about to hyperventilate.
LethalLovely wrote: "Ok this is my first challenge so I'm gonna close my eyes and pick....Mor-book-ly Obese.I know I can read 8 books in 9 months.I know it!My fiance will just have to get used to his hand for awhile.Ok..."LethalLovely, all the way over here in Japan I am ROTFLMAO,
in fact I just spewed my coffee. I like the way you think, lady!
Romance Readers Reading Challenges
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Assassin's Quest (other topics)Alpha (other topics)
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Sabriel (other topics)
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Monica McInerney (other topics)Danielle Steel (other topics)
J.R. Ward (other topics)
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I don't know. Now that I've thought about it a bit, I feel sort of used. I thought it was going to be a one time thing with me and the book each going our separate ways after our time together. Now I see things for what they really are. This book is part of a series! I am telling myself this will only end in frustration and pain. But even though we have just left each other, I feel the itch to lose myself in that world again. Even though our time is done, her sister The Taste of Night: The Second Sign of the Zodiac just called and would like to set up a little alone time for the two of us. I am so weak.
*edit - What's this I see? Her sister is only 440 pages?! Too thin for my tastes. Maybe this co-dependence cycle can be broken.