Shelli's 2011 reading challenges...

[Shelli]

JAN:
1.(1st in a series)Vampire Academy 4*
2.(wolves)The Wolves of Willoughby Chase 3*
3.(winter)Starvation Lake: A Mystery 5*
4.(Extra)The Luxe 4*
5.(Extra)The Age of Innocence
FEB:
1.(F)The Forgotten Garden
2.(shortest)The Pearl 3*
3.(gift)Abandon
4.(F)Fablehaven 3.5*
MAR:
1.(war)]The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle 4*
2.(classic) Rebecca 5*
3.(M-Mcbride character)Monkeewrench...5*
4.(Extra)The Secret Life of Cee Cee Wilkes 4*
APR:
1.Here, There be Dragons
2.(futuristic)Doomsday Book
3.(humor)The House of Sleep
4.(extra)Daughter of the Forest
MAY:
1.(oldest)Tuck Everlasting
2.(non-fiction)Touching the Void: The True Story of One Man's Miraculous Survival
3.(character M) Looking for Alaska
4.(extra)A Game of Thrones
JUN:
1.(YA)The Wednesday Wars
2.(couple)The Solitude of Prime Numbers
3.(Alt.)Innocent Traitor
4.(Rose) The Tea Rose
JUL:
1.(animal)All the Pretty Horses
2.(longest)Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell
3.(character J)Wake 4*
4.(extra) Seabiscuit
AUG:
1.(historical fic)The White Queen
2.(beach)The Crimson Petal and the White
3.(person of importance)American Wife
4.(extra)The Amulet of Samarkand
SEP:
1.(17th century)Year of Wonders
2.(sad)Chains
3.(school setting) The Lords of Discipline
OCT:
1.(vampire)Night World
2.(horror) Handling the Undead
3.(series continuation)one of the many I own!
NOV:
1.(colonial)The Heretic's Daughter
2.(mystery) Alias Grace
3.(extra)The Egypt Game
DEC:
1.(Christmas) A War of Gifts
2.(family)A Christmas Memory
3.(pleasure)The Billionaire's Vinegar: The Mystery of the World's Most Expensive Bottle of Wine
4.(D)Crime and Punishment

Alternates:
1.An Echo in the Bone
2. SOMETHING I OWN!!!!
3.The Count of Monte Cristo

[Shelli]

Finished my 1st book for 2011!

[Sarah]

Yay! I can't wait to cross my first book off the list. Which one was it - Vampire Academy or Starvation Lake?

[Shelli]

Finished:
The Luxe
Vampire Academy
Starvation Lake
The Harsh Cry of the Heron so far for 2011.

[Kerri]

And it hasn't even been a week!!!!!! That's quite a start, Shelli!

[Diane]

4 books in 6 days. I'm still on my first. Good going Shelli!

[Angela]

Shelli wrote: "Finished:
The Luxe
Vampire Academy
Starvation Lake
The Harsh Cry of the Heron so far for 2011."

Wow! What a lot of books in such a short time!!! I wish I was a faster reader.

[Sarah]

Wow speedy! You're off to a great start :-)

[Diane]

Shelli, since you became friends with Endre he gets your updates and he keeps telling me "Wow, Shelli finished another book" -- LOL

[Shelli]

Thanks everybody! I had a terrible head cold all last week and was couch ridden(very unusual for me)so got a lot of reading in! I'm excited to have finished so many on my challenges, but I'm sure now that I'm feeling better, I can't keep up this pace!!! I also always have an audio going while I'm cooking and cleaning...so that helps!!

[Shelli]

I also finishedThe Wolves of Willoughby Chasewhich was a cute and very quick read...it was on my books I own challenge...wolves category!

[Mary]

I have taken Dead in Dallas off of my purchased by not read list now. Finished it about 2 weeks ago. Also, took Torment by Lauren Kate off of that list as I finished it last week. Now to finish The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff. I purchased all of these books back in October so I'm making head-way but am pretty sure I'm buying more books this week. I got a gift card for Christmas!

[Angela]

Shelli wrote: "Thanks everybody! I had a terrible head cold all last week and was couch ridden(very unusual for me)so got a lot of reading in! I'm excited to have finished so many on my challenges, but I'm sure n..."

Glad you're feeling a bit better now. There's a lot of nasty colds and other viruses around at the moment. My eldest granddaughter went back to school last Wednesday and was very poorly over the weekend - still not right, but improving.

[Shelli]

I also finished Mornings in Jeninand Lover Awakenedso 7 total books in Jan. so far.

[Shelli]

oops...8...I also finished Wild Swans.

[Sarah]

How did you like Mornings in Jenin?

[Shelli]

Sarah wrote: "How did you like Mornings in Jenin?"

I liked it a lot...especially the first 3/4 of it...at the end..I felt like it was getting to be a bit much...so much suffering for one family...every injustice of Palestine on them....and some of the anti-westerner and anti-america comments bothered me....the book is asking us to see the humanity of a group of people that are often referred to as terrorists...I understand and appreciate that....I always want to learn about all sides....but the book at times made me feel defensive...why are the american people as a whole being judged by some american policies? Sorry about the rant....the book is good, but it did stir up some feelings!

[Kat (A Journey In Reading)]

How did I miss you reading The Age of Innocence?? That was a really wonderful book!

[Shelli]

Oh good....I think it's my next audio!

[Shelli]

I've read 18 books so far this year...13 were books I owned in 2010 or before!!!

[Angela]

Your reading is going really well,isn't it, Shelli!

[Shelli]

Don't know if I'll be able to keep up this pace....I've been lucky to get some audios of the books I had already planned on reading!

[Shelli]

Good luck Jo....I think you've been reading quite a bit in spite of the move! I forgot...are you moving out of your parents house? Are you living alone?

[Shelli]

# 19 The Kitchen House....fabulous...5 stars!

[Shelli]

Congrats on your new place and job!

[Angela]

Hope you'll be happy in both your new home and new job!

[Sarah]

Shelli wrote: "Congrats on your new place and job!"

Ditto!

[Shelli]

I read #21 Magic Study...but not a book I already owned...Poison Study(which was) was so good...I bought it on my Kindle....got the next one Fire Study from the library.

[Shelli]

#22 The Elegance of the Hedgehogand #23The Pearlwhich was my shortest BIO.

[Shelli]

#24....Fire Study...3.5 stars...not as good as the first two in the series, but it had a great ending and it had closure which is always satisfying in a series end.

[Shelli]

#25...Monkeewrench...5 stars.

[Shelli]

#26...Frostbite...4 stars.

[Shelli]

#27....The Lost Symbol....3 stars.

[Shelli]

#28...Shadow Kiss..4 stars.
#29...Rebecca...5 stars.
#30...Radium Halos: A Novel about the Radium Dial Painters....4 stars.
#31...The Hidden Diary of Marie Antoinette...4 stars.

[Sarah]

You're on a roll!

[Angela]

Glad you liked Rebecca. I loved it!

[Shelli]

#32....Immortal with a Kiss...4.5 stars....I really enjoyed this...more of an old fashioned vampire story but with a modern feel. I won this on goodreads!

[Shelli]

#33...Revelations...3 stars.
#34...The House at Riverton...3 stars.
#35...Come and Find Me...3 stars.
#36...The Forgotten Garden...5 stars.
#37...The Van Alen Legacy....4 stars.

[Shelli]

#38 Blood Promise....5 stars!
#39 The Lace Reader...4 stars...live book club read.
#40 Daughter of the Forest...4 stars BIO.
#41 The Secret Life Of CeeCee Wilkes...4.5 stars BIO.
#42 A Wizard of Earthsea...3 stars BIO.
#43 Major Pettigrew's Last Stand...4 stars.

MAY COMPLETED:
#44 Snow Angels...3.5* book off my shelf.

[Sarah]

You're on a roll Shelli! I'm hoping to read Major Pettigrew soon...glad to see you enjoyed it :-)

[Shelli]

Sarah wrote: "You're on a roll Shelli! I'm hoping to read Major Pettigrew soon...glad to see you enjoyed it :-)"

I found it an uplifting little Gem!

[Marilyn]

keep up the good work!

[Shelli]

Thanks Marilyn!

[Shelli]

#45 My Cousin Rachel....4 stars.
#46 Halfway to the Grave....5 stars.
#47 Fool's Republic: A Novel...3 stars.
#48 The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks....NF...4 stars.
#49 The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle....BIO..4 stars.
#50 Wake....4 stars...BIO.

I have read 22 BIO(books I own)

[Sarah]

You go girl! Keep up the good work :-)

[Chris]

Shelli - I just checked your stats and your 50+ books cover 19052 pages! That's a lotta pages!

[Shelli]

Wow...that is a lot of pages....although....many of those are audios!!

[Shelli]

JUNE COMPLETED:
#53 Spirit Bound....3.5 stars.
#54 The Day the Falls Stood Still....4 stars.
#55 Last Sacrifice...4 stars.
#56 Slammerkin...3.5 stars.
#57 Touching the Void: The True Story of One Man's Miraculous Survival...3.5 stars

[Kerri]

Shelli wrote: "Sarah wrote: "You're on a roll Shelli! I'm hoping to read Major Pettigrew soon...glad to see you enjoyed it :-)"

I found it an uplifting little Gem!"

Good to know....I think it's next on my list!

[Sarah]

Go Shelli go!