2011 Reading Challenge Update - November

The month of November is history and despite numerous reading hours dedicated to the newly released Harry Potter Lego Wii game, we (Evan) ended with a respectable 8 books completed for the month.  At this point we’re trying to pad our stats before the end of the year and only the Books to Movies Challenge remains elusive... 

 

Most of our month was spent deep within the plot of A Game of Thrones, which delivered on the hype.  We also thoroughly enjoyed our read of Howl’s Moving Castle, although the movie was surprisingly painful.  Does it count towards the Books to Movies Challenge if we only watched half the movie???  We’ll have to get clarification from the couple hosting the challenge....  Some other highlights for the month were Anya’s Ghost, Prince Caspian, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and Night Watch.

 

Here are the reviews that we posted in November that fit into our 2011 Challenges.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer – Mark Twain

Rabbit, Run – John Updike

Something Rotten – Jasper Fforde

The Swiss Family Robinson – Johann David Wyss

The Prince of Mist – Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Here’s an update on our 2011 Challenge.  All the inspiring details can be found HERE.

Books to Movies Challenge – 3/6

Gothic Reading Challenge – 8/8

Back to the Classics – 8/8

What’s in a Name Challenge – 6/6

2nds Challenge – 20/20

100+ Reading Challenge – 109/100

We’ve got Schindler’s List, The Three Musketeers, Unbroken, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, and out first Ian Fleming novel coming up for December!  Yipee.  How’s everyone else looking to finish the year?

2011 Reading Challenge Update - October

Another month in the books and another two challenges vanquished.  The 2nds Challenge was a worthy foe and the 100+ Reading Challenge... well, let’s just say we have a questionable year end video planned that will touch on this adversary...

October was our highest book completion month to date, highlighted by The Prince of Mist, Bag of Bones, Water for Elephants, Lost Boys, and Leave it to Psmith.  We didn’t have any lowlights to speak of, although Gormenghast and The Swiss Family Robinson didn’t shatter any literary ceilings.  We also made absolutely no progress in our Books to Movies Challenge, which probably deserves a separate post. 

Here are the reviews that we posted in October that fit into our 2011 Challenges.

A Town Like Alice – Nevil Shute

The Fountainhead – Ayn Rand

Leave it to Psmith – P.G. Wodehouse

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies – Seth Grahame-Smith & Jane Austen

Stranger in a Strange Land – Robert Heinlein

Here’s an update on our 2011 Challenge.  All the inspiring details can be found HERE.

Books to Movies Challenge – 3/6

Gothic Reading Challenge – 8/8

Back to the Classics – 8/8

What’s in a Name Challenge – 6/6

2nds Challenge – 20/20

100+ Reading Challenge – 109/100

On a loosely related topic, a Halloween Miracle occurred during last night’s quest for candy.  Midway through the evening our children came across a “take one” bucket full anti-candy (yo-yo’s, whistles, stickers, etc.).  Our son came running towards the street full of excitement and announced, “Look at this awesome bookmark!”  Ah, words that warmed our bookish minded hearts. 

Also, props to the very talented female Bibliomaniac on her splendid Angry Birds costume!!!

2011 Reading Challenge Update - August

The month of August will go down in the books as the month of the challenge!  In the past 31 day’s we’ve (Evan) managed to put a wrap on no less than 3 challenges!  Let’s take a moment or three to reflect on some of the great books these challenges inspired...

Technically, the Back to the Classics Challenge was the first to be closed out and finished in style with Les Miserables (which was a fantastic book).  We also encountered some of our favorite books of the year in The Count of Monte Cristo and Shutter Island.  The Gothic Reading Challenge came next and delivered some fantastic books in The Woman in White and A Pale View of Hills.  The latter kept us in suspense until the very last page – nicely done Kazuo Ishiguro!   And finally, the What’s in a Name Challenge was closed out with One Hundred Years of Solitude.  Even better were The Princess Bride and I am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I want to be your Class President.

This month also marked our very first Graphic Review, which introduced the Two Bibliomaniacs in full color illustrated form.  Yep, it’s just as weird as it sounds!

Here are the reviews that we posted in July that fit into our 2011 Challenges.

Enchantment – Orsen Scott Card
Titus Groan – Mervyn Peake
Three Men in a Boat – Jerome K. Jerome
Les Miserables – Victor Hugo

Here’s an update on our 2011 Challenge.  All the inspiring details can be found HERE.

Books to Movies Challenge – 2/6

Gothic Reading Challenge – 8/8

Back to the Classics – 8/8

What’s in a Name Challenge – 6/6

2nds Challenge – 19/20

100+ Reading Challenge – 85/100

As we look ahead to September, there is reason for considerable zeal.  A Game of Thrones, Night Watch, Kane and Abel, Her Fearful Symmetry,  and Trainspotting should provide us with one heck of a month!  How’s everyone else doing in their 2011 reading endeavors?  Send us a link so we can check out your progress!

2011 Reading Challenge Update - June

How’s it even possible that half of 2011 is already gone? Seriously? Actually, we have some theories, but most of them are conspiratorial in nature and better saved for a later post. Plus, it’s above 90 today in tropical northern Indiana and the local pool is calling our name. Let’s hurry up and get down to business.

The simple fact that we’re only 32% away from completing our goal of 100 novels makes us want to perform a giant cannonball into water during the above referenced trip to the pool. We’ve read a few great books since our last check in (Mort, The Well of Lost Plots, I Capture the Castle, and The Wastelands), a few that were medium (Enchantment, The Body, Jamaica Inn), and one that was quite annoying (Stranger in a Strange Land).

Here are the reviews that we posted in June that fit into our 2011 Challenges.

The Princess Bride – William Goldman
The Color Purple – Alice Walker
Mort – Terry Pratchett
The Well of Lost Plots – Jaspier Fforde
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell – Susanna Clarke
The Looking Glass Wars – Frank Beddor


Here’s an update on our 2011 Challenge. All the glorious details can be found HERE.

Books to Movies Challenge – 1.5/6

Gothic Reading Challenge – 6/8

Back to the Classics – 7/8

What’s in a Name Challenge – 3/6

2nds Challenge – 19/20

100+ Reading Challenge – 68/100

In July we have The Help, Morality for Beautiful Girls, and The Phantom of the Opera to get excited about!!! How’s everyone else doing in their 2011 reading endeavors? Send us a link so we can check out your progress!

100+ Reading Challenge

With only a couple hours left in 2010 we couldn't resist signing up for 1 more reading challenge.  Historically, we've never tracked the number of novels completed in a calendar year and so the 100+ Reading Challenge seemed like the perfect motivation to start.

Details:

1. Simply put, the goal is to read 100 novels within a calander year.  Anyone can join and you don't need a blog to participate.

2. Audio, Re-reads, eBooks, YA, Maga, Graphic Novels, Library Books, Novellas, Young Reader, Nonfiction - as long as the book has an ISBN or equivalent or can be purchased as such, the book counts.

3. Crossovers from other reading challenges count.

4. Challenge begins January 1st thru December 31st 2011.

Head on over to My Overstuffed Bookshelf to sign up and view the complete details.

We plan to track our progress on the "2011 Challenges" page.  Be sure to check back hourly for updates.  Okay, maybe not hourly, but all we're saying is don't be a stranger...

2011 Reading Challenges

In previous posts, we’ve explained our feelings on the world of book blogging in general and how, up to this point, we’ve only dipped our metaphorical big toe into the water.  Well, today, everything changes with the introduction of our first “challenge”.  For those unfamiliar, challenges are really nothing more than feats of strengths for readers.  We say bring it on!  This is not so much out of respect for our physical prowess, but our unbridled ambition to read every book every published.  For us, turning down a challenge would be a sign of weakness and as everyone knows, Vampires and Werewolves can sense vulnerability…

All this said to highlight that fact that over the next few weeks you will see us posting a considerable number of challenges that we’ll be undertaking throughout 2011.  We’re still nursing a mild hernia and significant hangnail in our right index finger, but otherwise we are in peak reading condition.  We’d encourage you to join us in some of the challenges as we’ll promise to keep the trash talking to a minimum.

Without further ado, we’re excited to announce the 2nds Challenge hosted by Fewmorepages.blogspot.com as our first ever display of might.  The levels are detailed below and in the spirit of Thanksgiving, we’re going for the All you can eat level (this could be subject to change if we end up with indigestion or gas at any point during the meal).    

• Just a spoonful - Read 3 books that are 2nd in a series or the second time you've read the author. 
• A few more bites - Read 6 books that are 2nd in a series or the second time you've read the author.
• A full plate - Read 12 books that are 2nd in a series or the second time you've read the author.
• All you can eat - Read 20 books (or more) that are 2nd in a series or the second time you've read the author.

Click on the picture to sign up and get the rest of the happy details!