2015 Reading Challenge Blog Post
2016 Reading Challenge Blog Post
I may not have met my goal of 150 books, but I did read quite a few and I wrote my 300th Indie book review 🙂
I spent $81.61 on kindle books this year
The books I read this year so far:
How are you doing with your reading challenge, if you have one?
RSVP to the Meetup HERE or the Facebook HERE
Celebrate the release of For the Love of Donuts Book 1: Rachel Barnard will be there to sign the books with Ksenia Anske and her novel, “The Badlings.”
Add the book to your Goodreads shelf:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30052109-donuts-in-an-empty-field
There’s a raffle: Free to enter. Drawing will take place towards the end of the event. Don’t miss out on the donut swag!
Got something cool to say about donuts? Don’t forget to add it to the “All about the Donuts” comment/quote box.
Before this event ,head over to Neverending Bookshop in Bothell for a donut tasting and meet and greet with Donuts author, Rachel Barnard:
Meetup HERE or the Facebook HERE
And the last four books of the year were…
I’m currently only reading Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
I have written over 100 reviews of Indie books this year and read over 200 books total.
I have spent my annual budget for books with a combination of Kindle Unlimited subscription, Patreon support of an author, GoFundMe of a bookstore, Kickstarter support of a book project, kindle downloads, and print books. I have gone to the following events to support authors and pick up new books: Marissa Meyer book signing in Tacoma for the Fairest Release, AFK I Heart Authors in February, an author signing at St. James, Author release party at the AFK, AFK Staycation author event, 2 author releases in North Bend, and a multi-author release party at UW Bellevue bookstore. What book events have you gone to this year?
I completed 43/50 of the following Reading Challenges
| The Challenge | 2014 | 2015 | |
| 1 | A book with more than 500 pages | Shift (Silo #2) by Hugh Howey (608) | Valley of Amazement by Amy Tan |
| 2 | A classic romance | Wildest Dreams by Stefany Rattles | Â Shatterd & Scarred (The Sacred Hearts MC, #1) by AJ Downey |
| 3 | A book that became a movie | The Fault in Our Stars by John Green | Â The Duff by Kody Keplinger |
| 4 | A book published this year | Unseen by Stephanie Erickson | Mina Cortez: From Bouquets to Bullets by Jeffrey Cook |
| 5 | A book with a number in the title | 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher | Â Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury |
| 6 | A book written by someone under 30 | Deny the Moon by Melissa Graham | Â Silent Circle by Cassandra Larsen |
| 7 | A book with nonhuman characters | Pickled Apocalypse of Pancake Island by Cameron Pierce | Cinder by Marissa Meyer |
| 8 | A funny book | This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper | Yes Please by Amy Pohler |
| 9 | A book by a female author | The Enchanted Forest Chronicles (The Enchanted Forest by Patricia Wrede | From the Wreckage by Michele G. Miller |
| 10 | A mystery or thriller | Cache a Predator by M. Weidenbenner | Â Size 12 is Not Fat by Meg Cabot |
| 11 | A book with a one-word title | Room by Emma Donoghue | Cress by Marissa Meyer |
| 12 | A book of short stories | Free-Flowing Stories by FVP authors | Â The Fierce Reads Anthology by Anna Banks |
| 13 | A book set in a different country | The 100-Foot Journey by Richard Morais |  Yassa: Genghis Khan’s Coming of Age Taley by Jo Michaels |
| 14 | A nonfiction book | Rock Your Plot: A Simple System for Plotting Your Novel by Cathy Yardley | You Are a Writer So Start Acting Like One by Jeff Goins |
| 15 | A popular author’s first book | Looking for Alaska by John Green |  The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath |
| 16 | A book from an author you love that you hadn’t read yet | Silo by Hugh Howy |  The Stillness of the Sky by Starla Huchton |
| 17 | A book a friend recommended | Heart of Africa by Loren Lockner | Â The Crossing Hour by Quoleena Sbrocca |
| 18 | A Pulitzer Prize-winning book | X | The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt |
| 19 | A book based on a true story | Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend by Susan Orlean | Â Not That Kind of Girl: A Young Woman Tells You What She’s “Learned” by Lena Dunham |
| 20 | A book at the bottom of your to-read list | I, Robot by Isaac Asimov | Â The Road by Cormac McCarthy |
| 21 | A book your mom loves | Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn | Â X |
| 22 | A book that scares you | Brave New World by Aldous Huxley | The Shining by Stephen King |
| 23 | A book more than 100 years old | X | Â X |
| 24 | A book based entirely on its cover | The Pickled Apocalypse of Pancake Island by Cameron Pierce | Food Rules: An Eater’s manual by Michael Pollan |
| 25 | A book you were supposed to read in school but didn’t | NA | NA |
| 26 | A memoir | X | Â Yes, Please by Amy Poehler |
| 27 | A book you can finish in a day | If I stay by Gayle Foreman | The Encounter by Katherine Applegate |
| 28 | A book with antonyms in the title | Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter | Â Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty |
| 29 | A book set somewhere you’ve always wanted to visit | X |  Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight |
| 30 | A book that came out the year you were born | X | Â X |
| 31 | A book with bad reviews | Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James | Â Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee |
| 32 | A trilogy | Maze Runner by James Dashner | The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer |
| 33 | A book from your childhood | The Enchanted Forest Chronicles (The Enchanted Forest by Patricia Wrede | The Visitor by Katherine Applegate |
| 34 | A book with a love triangle | The Thousand Year Curse (Curse Books, #1) by Taylor Lavati | Â Fallen (Fallen, #1) by Lauren Kate |
| 35 | A book set in the future | The Maze Runner by James Dashner | Â Feed by M.T. Anderson |
| 36 | A book set in high school | The Moment Before by Suzy Vitello | The Duff by Kody Keplinger |
| 37 | A book with a color in the title | Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James | Scarlet by Marissa Meyer |
| 38 | A book that made you cry | Ghostwriter by Tyan Wyss | Â Don’t Call Me Kit Kat by K.J. Farnham |
| 39 | A book with magic | Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs | Sticks and Sontes by Shawn McGuire |
| 40 | A graphic novel | X | Â X |
| 41 | A book by an author you’ve never read before | Unseen by Stephanie Erickson | Big Girl Panties by Stephanie Evanovich |
| 42 | A book you own but hadn’t read before | X |  The Truth About Mud by Christina L. Rozelle |
| 43 | A book that takes place in your hometown | The Siren Suicides by Ksenia Anske | Â The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown |
| 44 | A book that was originally written in a different language | X | Â X |
| 45 | A book set during Christmas | The French for Christmas by Fiona Valpy | Â Mr. Miracle by Debbie Macomber |
| 46 | A book written by an author with your same initials | The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury | Â Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury |
| 47 | A play | X | Â X |
| 48 | A banned book | Brave New World by Aldous Huxley | Â Speak by Laurie Anderson |
| 49 | A book based on or turned into a TV show | X | Animorphs by Katherine Applegate |
| 50 | A book you started but never finished | A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess | Choke by Chuck Pahlaniuk |
The books I read this year so far:
I’ve passed the 100 book mark for 2015, but haven’t yet checked off each challenge item. What are the hardest items of the challenge for you to complete?
| The Challenge | 2014 | 2015 | |
| 1 | A book with more than 500 pages | Shift (Silo #2) by Hugh Howey (608) | Valley of Amazement by Amy Tan |
| 2 | A classic romance | Wildest Dreams by Stefany Rattles | Â Shatterd & Scarred (The Sacred Hearts MC, #1) by AJ Downey |
| 3 | A book that became a movie | The Fault in Our Stars by John Green | Â The Duff by Kody Keplinger |
| 4 | A book published this year | Unseen by Stephanie Erickson | Mina Cortez: From Bouquets to Bullets by Jeffrey Cook |
| 5 | A book with a number in the title | 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher | Â Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury |
| 6 | A book written by someone under 30 | Deny the Moon by Melissa Graham | Â Silent Circle by Cassandra Larsen |
| 7 | A book with nonhuman characters | Pickled Apocalypse of Pancake Island by Cameron Pierce | Cinder by Marissa Meyer |
| 8 | A funny book | This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper | Yes Please by Amy Pohler |
| 9 | A book by a female author | The Enchanted Forest Chronicles (The Enchanted Forest by Patricia Wrede | From the Wreckage by Michele G. Miller |
| 10 | A mystery or thriller | Cache a Predator by M. Weidenbenner | Â Size 12 is Not Fat by Meg Cabot |
| 11 | A book with a one-word title | Room by Emma Donoghue | Cress by Marissa Meyer |
| 12 | A book of short stories | Free-Flowing Stories by FVP authors | Â The Fierce Reads Anthology by Anna Banks |
| 13 | A book set in a different country | The 100-Foot Journey by Richard Morais |  Yassa: Genghis Khan’s Coming of Age Taley by Jo Michaels |
| 14 | A nonfiction book | Rock Your Plot: A Simple System for Plotting Your Novel by Cathy Yardley | You Are a Writer So Start Acting Like One by Jeff Goins |
| 15 | A popular author’s first book | Looking for Alaska by John Green |  The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath |
| 16 | A book from an author you love that you hadn’t read yet | Silo by Hugh Howy |  The Stillness of the Sky by Starla Huchton |
| 17 | A book a friend recommended | Heart of Africa by Loren Lockner | Â The Crossing Hour by Quoleena Sbrocca |
| 18 | A Pulitzer Prize-winning book | X | The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt |
| 19 | A book based on a true story | Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend by Susan Orlean | Â Not That Kind of Girl: A Young Woman Tells You What She’s “Learned” by Lena Dunham |
| 20 | A book at the bottom of your to-read list | I, Robot by Isaac Asimov | Â The Road by Cormac McCarthy |
| 21 | A book your mom loves | Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn | |
| 22 | A book that scares you | Brave New World by Aldous Huxley | The Shining by Stephen King |
| 23 | A book more than 100 years old | X | |
| 24 | A book based entirely on its cover | The Pickled Apocalypse of Pancake Island by Cameron Pierce | Food Rules: An Eater’s manual by Michael Pollan |
| 25 | A book you were supposed to read in school but didn’t | NA | NA |
| 26 | A memoir | X | Â Yes, Please by Amy Poehler |
| 27 | A book you can finish in a day | If I stay by Gayle Foreman | The Encounter by Katherine Applegate |
| 28 | A book with antonyms in the title | Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter | |
| 29 | A book set somewhere you’ve always wanted to visit | X |  Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight |
| 30 | A book that came out the year you were born | X | |
| 31 | A book with bad reviews | Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James | |
| 32 | A trilogy | Maze Runner by James Dashner | The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer |
| 33 | A book from your childhood | The Enchanted Forest Chronicles (The Enchanted Forest by Patricia Wrede | The Visitor by Katherine Applegate |
| 34 | A book with a love triangle | The Thousand Year Curse (Curse Books, #1) by Taylor Lavati | Â Fallen (Fallen, #1) by Lauren Kate |
| 35 | A book set in the future | The Maze Runner by James Dashner | Â Feed by M.T. Anderson |
| 36 | A book set in high school | The Moment Before by Suzy Vitello | The Duff by Kody Keplinger |
| 37 | A book with a color in the title | Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James | Scarlet by Marissa Meyer |
| 38 | A book that made you cry | Ghostwriter by Tyan Wyss | Â Don’t Call Me Kit Kat by K.J. Farnham |
| 39 | A book with magic | Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs | Sticks and Sontes by Shawn McGuire |
| 40 | A graphic novel | X | |
| 41 | A book by an author you’ve never read before | Unseen by Stephanie Erickson | Big Girl Panties by Stephanie Evanovich |
| 42 | A book you own but hadn’t read before | X |  The Truth About Mud by Christina L. Rozelle |
| 43 | A book that takes place in your hometown | The Siren Suicides by Ksenia Anske | Â The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown |
| 44 | A book that was originally written in a different language | X | |
| 45 | A book set during Christmas | The French for Christmas by Fiona Valpy | Â Mr. Miracle by Debbie Macomber |
| 46 | A book written by an author with your same initials | The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury | Â Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury |
| 47 | A play | X | |
| 48 | A banned book | Brave New World by Aldous Huxley | Â Speak by Laurie Anderson |
| 49 | A book based on or turned into a TV show | X | Animorphs by Katherine Applegate |
| 50 | A book you started but never finished | A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess | Choke by Chuck Pahlaniuk |
| The Challenge | 2014 | |
| 1 | A book with more than 500 pages | Shift (Silo #2) by Hugh Howey (608) |
| 2 | A classic romance | Wildest Dreams by Stefany Rattles |
| 3 | A book that became a movie | The Fault in Our Stars by John Green |
| 4 | A book published this year | Unseen by Stephanie Erickson |
| 5 | A book with a number in the title | 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher |
| 6 | A book written by someone under 30 | Deny the Moon by Melissa Graham |
| 7 | A book with nonhuman characters | Pickled Apocalypse of Pancake Island by Cameron Pierce |
| 8 | A funny book | This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper |
| 9 | A book by a female author | The Enchanted Forest Chronicles (The Enchanted Forest by Patricia Wrede |
| 10 | A mystery or thriller | Cache a Predator by M. Weidenbenner |
| 11 | A book with a one-word title | Room by Emma Donoghue |
| 12 | A book of short stories | Free-Flowing Stories by FVP authors |
| 13 | A book set in a different country | The 100-Foot Journey by Richard Morais |
| 14 | A nonfiction book | Rock Your Plot: A Simple System for Plotting Your Novel by Cathy Yardley |
| 15 | A popular author’s first book | Looking for Alaska by John Green |
| 16 | A book from an author you love that you hadn’t read yet | Silo by Hugh Howy |
| 17 | A book a friend recommended | Heart of Africa by Loren Lockner |
| 18 | A Pulitzer Prize-winning book | X |
| 19 | A book based on a true story | Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend by Susan Orlean |
| 20 | A book at the bottom of your to-read list | I, Robot by Isaac Asimov |
| 21 | A book your mom loves | Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn |
| 22 | A book that scares you | Brave New World by Aldous Huxley |
| 23 | A book more than 100 years old | X |
| 24 | A book based entirely on its cover | The Pickled Apocalypse of Pancake Island by Cameron Pierce |
| 25 | A book you were supposed to read in school but didn’t | NA |
| 26 | A memoir | X |
| 27 | A book you can finish in a day | If I stay by Gayle Foreman |
| 28 | A book with antonyms in the title | Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter |
| 29 | A book set somewhere you’ve always wanted to visit | X |
| 30 | A book that came out the year you were born | X |
| 31 | A book with bad reviews | Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James |
| 32 | A trilogy | Maze Runner by James Dashner |
| 33 | A book from your childhood | The Enchanted Forest Chronicles (The Enchanted Forest by Patricia Wrede |
| 34 | A book with a love triangle | The Thousand Year Curse (Curse Books, #1) by Taylor Lavati |
| 35 | A book set in the future | The Maze Runner by James Dashner |
| 36 | A book set in high school | The Moment Before by Suzy Vitello |
| 37 | A book with a color in the title | Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James |
| 38 | A book that made you cry | Ghostwriter by Tyan Wyss |
| 39 | A book with magic | Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs |
| 40 | A graphic novel | X |
| 41 | A book by an author you’ve never read before | Unseen by Stephanie Erickson |
| 42 | A book you own but hadn’t read before | X |
| 43 | A book that takes place in your hometown | The Siren Suicides by Ksenia Anske |
| 44 | A book that was originally written in a different language | X |
| 45 | A book set during Christmas | The French for Christmas by Fiona Valpy |
| 46 | A book written by an author with your same initials | The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury |
| 47 | A play | X |
| 48 | A banned book | Brave New World by Aldous Huxley |
| 49 | A book based on or turned into a TV show | X |
| 50 | A book you started but never finished | A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess |
Here is my 2014 Christmas Letter:
The books I’ve read in 2014 with my star ratings for each. An asterisk indicates a recommended read:
The Kill Order by James Dashner 3/5
A Woman Lost by T.B. Markinson 4/5: to-be-reviewed
The Death Cure by James Dashner 3/5
If I Stay by Gayle Forman 3/5
*Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan 4/5
Caching In by Tracy Krimmer 3/5: to-be-reviewed
This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper 4/5
*Scattered Links by M. Weidenbenner 5/5: to-be-reviewed
*Claudia Must Die by T.B. Markinson 5/5: to-be-reviewed
*Ghostwriter by Tyan Wyss 5/5: to-be-reviewed
The Scorch Trials by James Dashner 4/5
Wildest Dreams by Stefany Rattles 3/5
Neuromancer by William Gibson 1/5
Deny the Moon by Melissa A. Graham 3/5
*Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher 5/5
Zero Anaphora by Luke Brimblecombe 4/5
The Maze Runner by James Dashner 4/5
The Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard C. Morais 4/5
The Genesis Code: Lambda by Robert E. Parkin 3/5
The French for Christmas by Fiano Valpy 2/5
Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walters 3/5
Deadly Accounts by C.R. Wiley 4/5
Of Mice and Money by Winifred Morris 4/5
Shift by Bill Castengera 4/5: to-be-reviewed
*Confessions from a Coffee Shop 5/5: to-be-reviewed
*The Solitaire Prince by Tyan Wyss 5/5
Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James 1/5
The Thousand Year Curse by Taylor Lavati 4/5
*Little Bee by Chris Cleave 5/5
*Marionette by T.B. Markinson 5/5
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine 3/5
First to Find by Mark Gessner 5/5: to-be-reviewed
Rock Your Plot by Cathy Yardley 5/5
Landline by Rainbow Rowell 3/5
The Heist by Shaun Jeffrey 4/5: to-be-reviewed
The Cleansing by Danielle Tara Evans 3/5
Coordinates for Murder by Darren Kirby 2/5
*Cache a Predator by M. Weidenbenner 5/5
Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend by Susan Orlean 3/5
Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty 4/5
The Time Sphere by A.E. Albert 4/5
Call off the Search by Natasja Hellenthal 2/5
*Return to Mt. Snagra by Tyan Wyss 5/5
*Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion 5/5
Norwegian by Night by Derek B. Miller 4/5
Intrigue in the House of Wong by Amy Kwei 4/5
*Mind Space Book 3 by David Moore 5/5
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell 3/5
All Fall Down by Jennifer Weiner 3/5
Click Date Repeat by K.J. Farnham 4/5
Siren Suicides #3 by Ksenia Anske 4/5
Siren Suicides #2 by Ksenia Anske 4/5
Siren Suicides #1 by Ksenia Anske 5/5
The Boy Who Fell into the Sky by Chad Spencer 3/5
Defending Jacob by William Landay 2/5
A Concubine for the Family by Amy Kwei 5/5: to-be-reviewed
Silo #2 by Hugh Howey 5/5
*I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai 5/5
High Born by Natalia Leigh 4/5
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman 2/5
The Empress Chronicles by Suzy Vitello 4/5
*Mind Space Book #2 by David Moore 5/5
We All Fall Down by Michael Harvey 3/5
I, Robot by Isaac Asimov 3/5
*The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion 5/5
Stars in the Texas Sky by Stephen J. Matlock 4/5
The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde 2/5
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley 5/5
*The Moment Before by Suzy Vitello 5/5
Roots Entwine by Victoria Bastedo 5/5
Wonderkid: A Novel by Wesley Stace 4/5
The Killing Moon by N.K. Jemisin 1/5
Highland Lord by Colleen Faulkner 3/5
Nightwoods by Charles Frazier 5/5
Childhood’s End by Arthur C. Clarke 4/5
*Mind Space Book #1 by David Moore 5/5
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman 4/5
A clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess 1/5
The Paris Wife by Paula McLain 4/5
An Abundance of Katherines by John Green 4/5
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs 4/5
Dawn of Steam: First Light by Jeffrey Cook 4/5
Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green 5/5
Paper Towns by John Green 4/5
The White Queen by Philippa Gregory 4/5
Unicorn Battle Squad by Kirsten Alene 3/5
Sunrise Meets the Star by Victoria Bastedo 4/5
*Room by Emma Donogue 4/5
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick 4/5
The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia Wrede 4/5
The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury 3/5
*The Fault in Our Stars by John Green 5/5
Allegiant by Veronica Roth 4/5
The Pickled Apocalypse of Pancake Island by Cameron Pierce 3/5
*Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn 5/5
Rachel Author Barnard 