I have just finished reading The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear by Walter Moers (translated by John Brownjohn,) which marks the final book in my reading challenge for 2015. This has been an awesome experience, and I'm really glad I did it.
One great thing that came out of this challenge was that it encouraged me to keep track of my books for the year. No, I didn't blog about all of them as I had planned, but I did update my Goodreads more faithfully than I ever have done. This is a habit I hope to keep up on, as it's really helpful to see what I've read and what I thought of it (information I tend to forget.)
The best thing that came from this challenge was a feeling of productivity connected with reading. It's my belief that we should all read as much as we are able, especially those of us who wish to be writers. Reading is a productive pastime. The trouble is, I never seem to be able to convince myself of this. Whenever I read, I always get this anxious feeling that I should be doing something else, something "more productive." Having a check list of books to read helped combat this feeling. I'm stubborn enough to be determined to complete the challenge, and I knew I had to put in time to do so. There was a feeling of fulfillment every time I checked off a book, and apparently I need that.
I will be doing another challenge next year, although this one will be rather different. More on that later.
For now, here are the books I read as part of my 2015 Reading Challenge (reviews attached.)
A book with more than 500 pages
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
A classic romance
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
A book that became a movie
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
A book published this year
Winter by Marissa Meyer
A book with a number in the title
Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary - ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
A book written by someone under thirty
Frankenstein by Mary Shelly
A book with nonhuman characters
Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger
A funny book
The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner
A mystery or thriller
The Ghost of Raven Hill by Emily Rodda
A book with a one-word title
Cress by Marissa Meyer
A book of short stories
The Unicorn Treasury compiled by Bruce Coville
A book set in a different country
Five Weeks in a Balloon by Jules Verne
A nonfiction book
The Story of Hans Anderson by Esther Meynell
A popular author's first book
Carpet People by Terry Pratchett
A book from an author you love that you haven't read yet
Mike by P. G. Wodehouse
A book a friend recommended
The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo
A book your mom loves
The Ivy Tree by Mary Stewart
A book that scares you
The Thing on the Doorstep and Other Weird Stories by H. P. Lovecraft
A book more than one hundred years old
Dracula by Bram Stoker
A memoir
Ride the Butterflies by Donald Davis
A book you can finish in a day
The Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli
A book with antonyms in the title
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
A book set somewhere you've always wanted to visit
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
A book that came out the year you were born
Winter Moon by Dean Koontz
A trilogy
The Rondo Trilogy by Emily Rodda
The Key to Rondo
The Wizard of Rondo
The Battle for Rondo
A book from your childhood
Backyard Angel by Judy Delton
A book with a love triangle
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
A book set in the future
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
A book set in High School
Rebel Belle by Rachel Hawkins
A book with a color in the title
Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
A book that made you cry
Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
A book with magic
The Iron Trial by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare
A graphic novel
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask by Akira Himekawa
A book by an author you've never read before
The Farwalker's Quest by Joni Sensel
A book that takes place in your hometown
Meet your Match by Stephanie Fowers
A book that was originally written in a different language
The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear by Walter Moers, translated by John Brownjohn
A book set during Christmas
Skipping Christmas by John Grisham
A book written by an author with your same initials
Hannah by Kathryn Lasky
A play
The Tempest by William Shakespeare - ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
A banned book
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll - ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
A book based on or turned into a TV show
Avatar: the Last Airbender - The Search
A book you started but never finished
The Golden Journey by Agnes Sligh Turnbull
A book on the BYU honors list
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight translated by Simon Armitage
An LDS nonfiction
Mary, Martha, and Me by Camille Fronk Olson
A book of poems
Forgive Me, I Meant to Do It by Gail Carson Levine
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