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The Plan, The Myth, The Legend - 2016 Reading List

(�) READ A BOOK YOU MEANT TO READ IN 2015 BUT DIDN'T
Armada by Ernest Cline {}

(�) READ A BOOK SET ON A DIFFERENT CONTINENT
The Royal We by Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan {}

(�) READ A BOOK FROM THE GOODREADS CHOICE AWARDS
The Dorito Effect: The Surprising New Truth About Food and Flavor by Mark Schatzker {}

(�) READ A BOOK BY AN AUTHOR YOU DISCOVERED IN 2015
Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans by Michelle Tam & Henry Fong {}

(�) READ A BOOK WITH A TITLE BEGINNING WITH THE 1ST LETTER OF YOUR NAME
Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld {}

(�) READ THE HIGHEST RATED BOOK ON YOUR TBR
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling {}

(�) READ A BOOK ABOUT BOOKS
Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan }

(�) READ A CLASSIC BOOK WITH LESS THAN 200 PAGES
The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling {}

(�) READ A BOOK THAT WAS MENTIONED IN ANOTHER BOOK
Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie {}

(�) READ A BOOK BY AN AUTHOR YOU FEEL YOU SHOULD HAVE READ BY NOW
Attachments by Rainbow Rowell {}

(�) READ A BOOK FROM THE RORY GILMORE CHALLENGE
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling {}

(�) READ A CHILDHOOD CLASSIC
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll {}

(�) READ A BOOK OF YOUR CHOICE
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness {}

(�) READ A BOOK WITH ONE OF THE FIVE W'S OR H IN THE TITLE
This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp {}

(�) READ A BOOK SET IN THE PAST (MORE THAN 100 YEARS AGO)
Bloody Jack: Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's Boy by L.A. Meyer {}

(�) READ A BOOK FROM THE TOP 100 MYSTERY NOVELS *WILD CARD*
Belly Laughs: The Naked Truth About Pregnancy and Childbirth by Jenny McCarthy {}

(�) READ A BOOK WITH A BEAUTIFUL COVER
Truthwitch by Susan Dennard {}

(�) READ A BOOK ON A SUMMER/BEACH READING LIST
The Newlyweds by Nell Freudenberger {}

(�) READ A NON-FICTION BOOK
The Whole30: The 30-Day Guide to Total Health and Food Freedom by Melissa Hartwig & Dallas Hartwig {}

(�) READ A BOOK WITH A FIRST NAME IN THE TITLE
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince {}

(�) READ A BOOK FROM THE GOODREADS RECOMMENDATIONS PAGE
Texts from Jane Eyre: And Other Conversations with Your Favorite Literary Characters by Mallory Ortberg {}

(�) READ THE FIRST BOOK IN A NEW TO YOU SERIES
The Shadow Queen by C.J. Redwine {}

(�) READ THE NEXT BOOK IN THE SERIES YOU ARE READING
Ten Thousand Skies Above You by Claudia Gray {}

(�) READ A "BETWEEN THE NUMBERS" BOOK OF A SERIES (0.5, 1.5, 2.5, etc.)
The Audition by Rachel Hartman {}

(�) READ A BOOK WHOSE MAIN CHARACTER IS IN A PROFESSION THAT INTERESTS YOU
The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith {}

(�) READ A BOOK EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT
Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology by Leah Remini {}

(�) READ A BOOK WITH A BEAUTIFUL TITLE
Wink Poppy Midnight by April Genevieve Tucholke {}

(�) READ A BIOGRAPHY, AUTOBIOGRAPHY, OR MEMOIR
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling {}

(�) READ A BOOK BY AN AUTHOR WHO WRITES UNDER MORE THAN ONE NAME
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling {}

(-) READ A FAIRY TALE FROM A CULTURE OTHER THAN YOUR OWN


(�) READ A WORK OF YOUNG ADULT FICTION
Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan {}

(�) READ A HISTORICAL FICTION BOOK
Strings Attached by Judy Blundell {}

(�) READ THE 16TH BOOK ON YOUR TBR
Yes, My Accent Is Real: and Some Other Things I Haven't Told You by Kunal Nayyar {}

(�) READ A BOOK ABOUT MENTAL ILLNESS
What Lies Between Us by Nayomi Munaweera {}

(�) READ AN AWARD WINNING BOOK
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire SΓ‘enz {}

(�) READ AN IDENTITY BOOK
George by Alex Gino {}

(�) READ A BOOK THAT YOU'VE SEEN THE MOVE OF BUT HAVEN'T YET READ
Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion {}

(�) READ A BOOK ABOUT AN ANTI-HERO
Harley Quinn, Vol. 1: Hot in the City by Amanda Conner {}

(�) READ A PREVIOUS SUGGESTION THAT DID NOT MAKE IT ONTO THE LIST (a book set in a place that you would like to live in)
Nerve by Jeanne Ryan {}

(-) READ A NOVELLA FROM YOUR FAVORITE GENRE


(�) READ A BOOK ABOUT A MAJOR WORLD EVENT (FICTION OR NON-FICTION)
The BFG by Roald Dahl {}

(�) READ A TOP 100 FANTASY NOVEL
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling {}

(�) READ A BOOK ABOUT A THING THAT GOES BUMP IN THE NIGHT
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman {}

(�) READ A BOOK YOU'RE EMBARRASSED TO READ IN PUBLIC
Down the Rabbit Hole: Curious Adventures and Cautionary Tales of a Former Playboy Bunny by Holly Madison {}

(�) READ A BOOK RELATED TO A HOBBY OR PASSION YOU HAVE
In Real Life by Cory Doctorow {}

(�) READ A CRIME STORY
The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith {}

(�) READ A BOOK WITH A TYPE OF FOOD/DRINK IN THE TITLE
Relish: My Life in the Kitchen by Lucy Knisley {}

(�) READ A DYSTOPIA
V for Vendetta by Alan Moore {}

(�) READ A BOOK WITH A GREAT OPENING LINE
The Martian by Andy Weir {}

(�) READ A BOOK ORIGINALLY WRITTEN IN A LANGUAGE OTHER THAN ENGLISH
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondō {}

(-) READ A SHORT STORY FROM A WELL-KNOWN AUTHOR


(�) READ A BOOK PUBLISHED IN 2016
Pax by Sara Pennypacker {}

Oh yes, Robin Hobb, good choice!
I'll try to read Karen Memory as a side-read so if you pick it, I'll discuss it with you :)

The Warm Bodies sequel is due for 2016 and there's a between the number already released. I enjoyed the book but I don't remember it (and I haven't seen the movie). Bridget Jones was nice when I read it (after the movie) but I'm not sure it aged well.

Such a great list!!!

I know a lot of people loved it, but I wanted to burn my copy of Red Queen when I was finished with it. I was just frustrated about how worn out her plot line was; there wasn't anything original about it. If you decide to read it, I hope you like it better than I did.

I'm looking forward to discussing it. I decided that for one of my published in 2016 books that I would read the sequel to Red Queen. I'm giving Aveyard a second chance in hopes that she takes the series someplace new. It's kind of funny, because Red Rising is my first book of the 2016 challenge, while The Glass Sword (Red Queen 2) is my last.

Thanks Zaz and Manda! :)

It's a work in progress. I had the oh so brilliant idea of going through my entire to-read shelf and categorizing the books to the best of my ability to make it easier to find books which has been an epic undertaking. I'm almost done though... I think. Once I have that worked out, it should be easier to find what I'm looking for. Unfortunately, categorizing books you've yet to read based on a synopsis is a lot harder than I thought it would be. ;)

I'm excited to read Warm Bodies, Zaz! Zombies, to be honest, aren't really my thing but I loved this movie! Bridget Jones's Diary is another movie I adored (and still do) so I was hoping the book would be better than the movie, as is often the case.

If you're planning to read Karen Memory I'll make it a priority even if it doesn't end up being my selection for that week. I love a good buddy read!

I've heard a lot of mixed feedback on Red Queen, Manda, so it's kind of just become one of those things I have to read for myself or I'll wonder. ;) It feels like this year (2015) I've been totally shocked by my reads - they've either largely been positively reviewed and I've hated them or they've been negatively reviewed and I've loved them. Maybe I'm just weird?

I remembered when I saw Red Queen was coming out that I thought the premise seemed very similar to Red Rising so I'm not surprised that you thought it was a tired plot. Hopefully you'll get the chance to discuss more with me if/after I've read it!

Oh good! We can discuss Red Rising too! I'm planning to read it before the year is out. It's on my 2015 list! Then we can discuss just how similar they really are.

hahaha! Excellent plan! :D

I'm with you on Red Queen, Manda. It felt very "been there, done that". That said, it reads quickly & it's not too taxing on the brain! I'll let you read the sequel before I decide if I'm going to bother with it or not. ;)

Jody wrote: "I'm with you on Red Queen, Manda. It felt very "been there, done that". That said, it reads quickly & it's not too taxing on the brain! I'll let you read the sequel before I decide ..."

Very true. Admittedly, sometimes having the brainless reads are needed.

I'm loving the other challenge books :)

I'm just gonna sit here and applaud your gigantic list... because it's quite a list! Good luck! I do love that you're using the list as a TBR dump, though. You'll have a lot more to choose from when the time comes to actually start reading.

Aww! Thanks Raeann! I appreciate the encouragement! I'm still working on it - I want to find books for every one of the suggestions that didn't make it but that (with the 52 suggestions that did make it) is like some 200 books. I definitely won't be able to do it in a year but I just liked the idea of doing it (which was really Manda's idea).

So the real plan, I guess, is to do my 2016 challenge and read as much from my to-read shelf as possible that fits into these categories! I'm gonna push myself and see how many I can read this year. I'm aiming to double the challenge and do 104. There is some smaller stuff on the challenge this year, which should help, but one of my challenge books (The Complete Sherlock Holmes) is 1796 pages.

Whoa! The COMPLETE Sherlock? That's impressive!

I agree, because the stories are not really compelling! I'm on this book since 2014 and 2-3 stories a year are enough for me.

Hmm, maybe I'll buy it right away and read it all throughout the year just so I don't get burned out trying to read it all at once. :x

That's brave! I read my first Sherlock Holmes earlier this year and it wasn't that compelling, like Zaz said. Although I've heard that the first isn't so flash. I'm still planning on reading them all at some point though, but probably just one every now & then.

Emm wrote: "Hmm, maybe I'll buy it right away and read it all throughout the year just so I don't get burned out trying to read it all at once. :x"

I like that strategy. I tried reading ALL the Sherlock Holmes last year and quickly realized it wasn't going to work. Maybe I'll give your way a try... see how that goes. But regardless, I'll be cheering you on!

Mmm, now that I've painstakingly mapped it all out (the rejected suggestions, that is, at least my version of it) I think I'm just going to roulette it and draw random numbers to see which of these I actually read this year since, quite obviously, I cannot do them all.

I ended up condensing the list some. I removed some topics that I didn't feel contributed much to the overall challenge, for me, and modified a couple to make them more reasonable.

I see you're planning to start the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. I started it years ago and am currently plodding through the 9th book. It is long, very long and there is a lot of characters. A LOT. I think there are countless fabulous series out there, I advise you to be sure you want to commit to this one ;)

It seems to be a mostly well-loved series among big fantasy readers so I thought I'd give it a whirl. I'm doing another challenge to read 101 Fantasy books in 10 Years so maybe it won't be so bad! :)

Globally it is a good series, but the later books are unfortunately less good. I'm sure some people finished it only because they spent so much time reading it, they want to now the end ;)

Impressive endeavor! Looks like we are reading a couple of the same books for 2016, although maybe for different categories....The Name of the Wind and Slaughterhouse Five.

I'm putting together my reject list now ... I'm tired just doing it, let alone reading them all!

Wow! Good luck on the reject list. I might modify this to a "My reject list" which means choosing the categories on the reject list that I suggested.

Debra, awesome! I can't wait to discuss!

Yeah, Jody, it was definitely a project! It took me two and a half days to finish it. Then I stuck them all on a spreadsheet like Manda has done so, at this point, I'm sick of looking at that list! LOL.

I think you should definitely do it, Ella! Come to the dark side with us.... mwahahaha.

Maybe we should do another poll - Top 10 Rejects - since 175 is too much for me to handle.

I bought my copy of The Complete Sherlock Holmes from Google Play using credits I got from taking surveys (a great way to get free books legally, btw!) to gear up for next year. I think I'm going to try and read the stories between books and one of each of the four novels each quarter so I don't get burned out.

It'll probably be one of the first books I start reading in 2016 and one of the last ones I finish, haha, but I'm determined to get it done.

Since I brought it up. If you have an Android device (phone or tablet) you can download from the Google Play store to take short little surveys for Google for Google Play credit. You only get a few to start out but the more you do the more surveys you'll be selected for. They're very quick, very easy, and generally get you between 10 or 20 cents a survey. It doesn't seem like much but it adds up relatively quickly. You can then use the Google Play credits to buy movies, games, apps, and, my personal favorite, books! The books can be read on your phone, tablet, or computer.

By my rough estimate, I've made somewhere around $40 to $50 in 2015 from just these surveys (looking through my purchase history). Since I live in the US, I can't confirm if this works in any other countries.

Thanks! Yes, I'm afraid anything by "the Donald" is too embarrassing to read in public! But I'm thinking I might read this one, Crippled America: How to Make America Great Again, instead of Trump: The Art of the Deal.

I was a weird kid with weird bookish tastes. The Secret Garden, A Little Princess, and Little Women were three of my favorite books growing up.

I have not read Stardust or seen the film.

I agree Dee. :( And Neil Gaiman has an absolute gift at being able to tap into the child within the adult in a really meaningful way. He's amazing.

I only heard of Gaiman yesterday when looking for book inspiration on Pinterest. Saw a cover of Stardust and it was so pretty, just a simple golden star on a navyish cover. I can feel an appreciation growing for old bound books with gorgeous typography rather than latest contemporary graphic designs :) Plus when watching Rory read, we usually couldn't see the book covers but it was all about her body language, nose in the book and all that.

Some good choices! Just being nosy and wanted to see what I've read from your list.

Armada(*Audiobook* Pretty good. The audiobook was narrated by Wil Wheaton and he is one of my favorite narrators. He can make any book better!)

The Name of the Wind(*Audiobook* Yes Yes Yes!! Such a great book. And book 2 is even better!)

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban(You can't go wrong with HP!!)

Carry On(*Audiobook* I really enjoyed this one. You should check out Fangirl first though. You might enjoy Carry On more if you read that first.)

The Cuckoo's Calling(*Audiobook* This was just okay for me. I didn't hate it though. I still plan on continuing the series. I hear it gets better.)

Gone with the Wind(This will always be one of my favorite books of all time)

The Hunger Games(*Audiobook* Awesome book. But since it's under "re-read" I'm sure you already know that!)

At the Water's Edge(*Audiobook* Decent. Very slow in parts. I ended up giving it 3 stars. But a very weak 3 stars)

Anne of Green Gables(*Audiobook* I will always love this book and movie. They take me back to a very good time in my childhood)

The Selection(Pretty good. I enjoyed it though the second book put me off of the series. I'm already not a fan of love triangles(especially in my YA novels) so I'm completely turned off by a love octagon. Or whatever the hell that hot mess was turning into.)

Red Queen(*Audiobook* Meh. I've never read the book you mentioned (Red Rising) so I couldn't remark on any similarities. But once again the hot mess YA love triangle I so hate threw me off. Umm... people are dying. There are more important things going on so put your teenage hormonal nonsense aside for a second and get your shit together!)

Divergent(*Audiobook* I actually liked this first book. So did my husband. We listened to it during a road trip. However we DNF book 2 and I never finished the trilogy)

Room(*Audiobook* Good book but oh, boy. Let me tell you. That kid will get on your last nerve at times. I'm hearing great things about the movie though.)

The Lightning Thief(*Audiobook* I thought it was decent. My daughter, however, thinks this series is the best thing that has ever happened to the literature world. So there's that.)

Water for Elephants(*Audiobook* Good book and my favorite by this author.)

Attachments(I was surprised by how much I actually enjoyed this book. A romance where the MCs don't even speak to each other until around 94%? I was dubious at best. But it was surprisingly enjoyable)

Wuthering Heights(*Audiobook* One of my favorite classics from the 19th century)

Cress(and any others in this series)(*Audiobook* Good edition to the series. I've enjoyed each book so far and look forward to reading Winter)

The Girl on the Train(*Audiobook* Omg. This book was a freaking hot mess to the extreme. And I LOVED it. Cannot recommend it enough!)

The Hobbit(*Audiobook* I liked it but was disappointed I didn't like it more)

The Handmaid's Tale(Honestly I do not get the hype about this book. Though I rated it 3 stars it was more of a 2.5. Slightly better than okay. Really boring in parts)

Darkfever(Actually really good and I'm surprised I haven't read more in the series. Why haven't I read more? Fix that, Krissy. Okay.)

I just watched the Warm Bodies movie, I'm surprised because it was good (in another hand, I read the book because I liked the trailer). Now, I'm ready to re-read the book and to read The New Hunger and the sequel. They will be fresh in my mind so it will be easier to discuss them :)

When I went to the library the other day I saw The New Hunger on the shelf and wanted to pick it up but it's not time. *sigh*

Truthfully, zombies aren't really my thing. But I found the film to be so charming that I really wanted to read the book.

I'm not so much into zombies either. Vampires, sure, but zombies, nope.

I usually enjoy zombies books but it happens that I read mostly ones from the zombie's point of view. Usually these zombies have humour, something which isn't always true with humans :p

Zombies with humour? I'm interested! Which book is it?

Warm Bodies (zombie-romance) & Love, Death and Tea (zombie-fantasy) are two good ones ;)

Edit: ok, Warm Bodies has humour in the movie, not so much in the book ;)

Love, Death and Tea looks great! I try to avoid starting a new series, so maybe I'll skip Warm Bodies, but thanks for the rec!

I saw yesterday that the sequel to Warm Bodies is supposed to be coming out in 2016: The Burning World. I know have another reason to jump Warm Bodies in my list :)

They are beautiful �

January Update:
I didn't even last a month before I decided to completely change my book line up for the year. Planning a year in advance (and sticking to it) is a lot harder than it sounds! I'm still working it all out so I've just included a link to up top until I have it all nailed down.

In January, I read 4,150 pages between the 11 books I finished. I'm on par with my goal of 120 books this year but squeezing in extra reading has meant less and less reviews. I'm not keen on that. I will be kicking myself later when I go back and try to recapture my thoughts/feelings on a book after enough time has passed. I'm hoping I can carve out some time soon to get those need-to-review books reviewed.

January Reads:
Beautiful Creatures (ReadHarder Challenge) β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜�
Wizard's First Rule (PopSugar Challenge) β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜�
Armada (Around the Year Challenge) β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜�
Rapunzel's Revenge (Rejects Challenge) β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜�
What I Saw and How I Lied (PopSugar Challenge) β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜�
Thirteen Reasons Why (Read Harder Challenge) β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜�
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (Around the Year Challenge) β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜�
Down the Rabbit Hole: Curious Adventures and Cautionary Tales of a Former Playboy Bunny (Around the Year Challenge) β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜�
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (PopSugar Challenge) β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜�
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Monthly Keyword Challenge) β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜�
Attachments (Around the Year Challenge) β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜�

Reading Challenge Updates:
I have made a resolution for the color cover challenge I'm doing, I've decided to make my focus on wellness/healthy eating/fitness books. I've slacked off so much in my fitness regimen last year (and now into 2016) and I want to get back into the swing of things. Nothing seems to motivate me more than learning about the benefits of what good eating and exercise do for my body!



Reading Goal Updates:
I made it my goal this year to re-read the Harry Potter Series and to re-read the Seven Realms Series. I was able to check Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets off my list.

What's Next:
I'm trying to squeeze as many of my romance (or mostly romance driven) books into February. It isn't my preferred genre but, hey, even I can get into it every now and again. There are some romance reads that have gotten enough buzz or have premises that excite me enough that I actively want to read them.

They're not all romances, but these are the books I've tentatively got on deck for February.

Ten Thousand Skies Above You β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜�
Strings Attached
Truthwitch
The Royal We
Alice in Wonderland
These Broken Stars
Inherit the Stars
Me Before You

I'm also regretting some of my choices for the AtY challenge, mostly the seven doorstops I have on there. I'm determined not to change anything though, so I have to get my thrills changing books on other challenges. :D

And your gif ... that's me! I've been coerced into signing up to run 10km in the ZΓΌrich Marathon at the end of April, and that's exactly what I'm doing lol.

I felt like I spend the entire month of February in a haze! I missed a lot of the chatter around here. When you get around to reading Wizard's First Rule, Annika, I'll be so excited to hear your thoughts! :D

February Update:
Oof, it was a bad month. I felt completely unprepared for February in every possible way. Between work, family, social obligations, and a terrible book that put me off reading for weeks, I feel like I really accomplished none of my February reading goals.That, of course, means I'm behind on my yearly goal and will have to use March and April to get back on track.

In February, I read a dismal 1,303 pages between 4 books. That puts me about 8 books behind my yearly commitment to 120 books. Ouch!

February Reads:
Ten Thousand Skies Above You (Around the Year Challenge) β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜�
Strings Attached (Around the Year Challenge) β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜�
Alice in Wonderland (Around the Year Challenge) β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜�
The Royal We (Around the Year Challenge) β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜�

As you can see, in addition to being an unproductive month, it wasn't a very entertaining one either. Most of the books I read in February were just meh or, in the case of Strings Attached, mind numbing.

Reading Challenge Updates:
Nothing new to report... all my February reads were for the Around the Year Challenge.

Reading Goal Updates:
No update here either.

What's Next:
I'll probably be reading a lot of the stuff I planned to read in February and did not. The five below are the ones I really hope to get in. Wish me luck!

Truthwitch
Inherit the Stars
The Crucible
A Game of Thrones
Year of No Sugar

March Update:

It's a little late, but here's an update! March was a mostly good month for me. It was certainly an improvement over February. I felt like I was able to get back into the swing of things though maybe not as quickly as I would have liked. Still... progress, yo!

In March, I read 2,476 pages between 9 books. That still puts me about 6 or 7 books behind my yearly commitment to read 120 books.

I set a pretty lofty goal for myself this year. Well, lofty for me. It's nearly double what I read last year. I knew this goal would be challenging but I am determined to make it happen. February put me behind pace, but I'm optimistic I can catch up. I've been able to catch up on some reviews this month but, in doing so, I have realized that setting such a high read goal for myself this year has made me feel like I'm not fully appreciating what I'm reading. I'm hoping to find some middle ground between quality reading and quantity reading.

March Reads:
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondō (Around the Year Challenge) β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜�
The Crucible by Arthur Miller (Read Harder Challenge) β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜�
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling (PopSugar Challenge) β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜�
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling (Around the Year Challenge) β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜�
The Dorito Effect: The Surprising New Truth About Food and Flavor by Mark Schatzker (Around the Year Challenge) β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜�
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling (Around the Year Challenge) β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜�
Thug Kitchen: The Official Cookbook: Eat Like You Give a F*ck by Thug Kitchen (Colorful Covers Challenge) β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜�
Those Left Behind by Joss Whedon (Read Harder Challenge) β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜�
Better Days by Joss Whedon (PopSugar Challenge) β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜�

Reading Challenge Updates:
Remember back in January when I said that I was going to read all the health and wellness books I could for my colorful covers challenge? Well, it turns out that a surprising number of health and wellness books are white. How do you do a colorful cover challenge with all white books? You just don't. So now, I'm just reading whatever I want, wherever I want, whenever I want. But I'm still going to try and incorporate some of the health, wellness, and nutrition books I want to read into the year somewhere. I even read a few this month! Huzzah!

Reading Goal Updates:
With 1/4 of the year behind me (whoa, time flies!) I've managed to put only a minor dent in my reading goals for the year. I resolved to read the Seven Realms series by Cinda Williams Chima this year. I've read none so far. I'm hoping to knock the whole series out in April though. I managed to gobble up two more Harry Potter books in March toward my goal of re-reading the whole series this year. Four down, three to go!

What's Next:
I'm doing two read-a-thons in April so I'm feeling pretty ambitious. These are some of the books I'd like to get read in April.

Truthwitch by Susan Dennard (70% Read)
The Body Book: The Law of Hunger, the Science of Strength, and Other Ways to Love Your Amazing Body by Cameron DΓ­az
The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith
A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima
The Exiled Queen by Cinda Williams Chima
The Gray Wolf Throne by Cinda Williams Chima
The Crimson Crown by Cinda Williams Chima
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling
George by Alex Gino
Yes Please by Amy Poehler
I Don't Know What You Know Me From: Confessions of a Co-Star by Judy Greer
The Kind Diet: A Simple Guide to Feeling Great, Losing Weight, and Saving the Planet by Alicia Silverstone
The Newlyweds by Nell Freudenberger
This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper
Yes, My Accent Is Real: and Some Other Things I Haven't Told You by Kunal Nayyar

For the record, no. I did not intend to make this month (or even this year) the celebrity memoir read-a-thon. It just sort of worked out that way. Especially this month when a lot of them kept popping up as available on my library wishlist.

April Update:
Thanks to the read-a-thons I participated in (including the Around the Year group read-a-thon, so much fun), April was an epic month for catching up. I am on pace with the Around the Year challenge and only one book shy (easily manageable) of my overall quantity goal for 2016. I have not given myself a lot of wiggle room with regard to the challenges I've taken on for the year though. I want to read 120 books and the combined number of books needed to complete every challenge I've committed myself to in 2016 is just shy of 120. Trying to squeeze all the books published in 2016 that I want to read into the categories available has been tough. That and trying to get all the health/wellness/nutrition books in that I want to read. Next year, I think I'll stick to my ongoing challenges (no deadline) with the exception of the Around the Year challenge just to give myself more breathing room.

I read 14 books in April and 3,840 pages. I'm at 11,769 pages read for the year, so far, and 38 books to date.

April Reads:
What Lies Between Us by Nayomi Munaweera (Around the Year Challenge) β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜�
Lumberjanes, Vol. 1: Beware the Kitten Holy by Noelle Stevenson (Read Harder Challenge) β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜�
Truthwitch by Susan Dennard (Around the Year Challenge) β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜�
The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling (Around the Year Challenge) β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜�
Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling (PopSugar Challenge) β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜�
Yes Please by Amy Poehler (PopSugar Challenge) β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜�
I Don't Know What You Know Me From: Confessions of a Co-Star by Judy Greer (PopSugar Challenge) β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜�
George by Alex Gino (Read Harder Challenge) β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜�
The Newlyweds by Nell Freudenberger (Around the Year Challenge) β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜�
Pax by Sara Pennypacker (Read Harder Challenge) β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜�
Yes, My Accent Is Real: and Some Other Things I Haven't Told You by Kunal Nayyar (Read Harder Challenge) β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜�
Wink Poppy Midnight by April Genevieve Tucholke (Colorful Covers Challenge) β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜�
The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (Around the Year Challenge) β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜�
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg (PopSugar Challenge) β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜�

Reading Goal Updates:
In line with my goal to read more globally, I did manage to make it out of the US/UK. Then I seemed to be planted firmly in Southern Asia. I read one book set in Bangladesh, one set in India, and one set in Sri Lanka. Hopefully I can mix it up some for the rest of the year. I haven't read any more Harry Potter books or Seven Realms books this month so no updates there. I did squeeze in a few 2016 releases (another of my reading goals) in April and have plans to read quite a few more in May.

What's Next:
The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith (25% Read)
The Body Book: The Law of Hunger, the Science of Strength, and Other Ways to Love Your Amazing Body by Cameron DΓ­az (10% Read)
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
The Love That Split the World by Emily Henry
The Whole 30: The Official 30-Day Guide To Total Health And Food Freedom by Melissa Hartwig & Dallas Hartwig
The Vegetarian by Han Kang
A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro
Tuesday Nights in 1980 by Molly Prentiss
Stone Field by Christy Lenzi
We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson
The Shadow Queen by C.J. Redwine
Girl Through Glass by Sari Wilson
The Happy Herbivore Guide to Plant-Based Living by Lindsay S. Nixon
Revenge and the Wild by Michelle Modesto
The Kind Diet: A Simple Guide to Feeling Great, Losing Weight, and Saving the Planet by Alicia Silverstone
After the Woods by Kim Savage

I doubt I will get to all of these in May but that's what's on deck.

May Update:
Mmkay, I'm a little lot late but here's May's update! I read a lot of Roald Dahl because he's brilliant. I started reading and I couldn't stop. I think I'll re-read through all my Dahl favorites this year even if they're not going to fit into most of my primary challenges. I just love him.

I read 17 books in May. I read 2,710 pages. My year-to-date totals are 55 books and 14,479 pages.

May Reads:
Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie (Around the Year Challenge) β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜�
This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp (Around the Year Challenge) β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜�
American Housewife: Stories by Helen Ellis (PopSugar Challenge) β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜�
A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro (PopSugar Challenge) β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜�
The Enormous Crocodile by Roald Dahl (Rejects Challenge) β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜�
Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl (Rejects Challenge) β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜�
Esio Trot by Roald Dahl (Read Harder Challenge) β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜�
The Magic Finger by Roald Dahl (Rejects Challenge) β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜�
The Minpins by Roald Dahl (Rejects Challenge) β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜�
Revolting Rhymes by Roald Dahl (Rejects Challenge) β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜�
The Twits by Roald Dahl β˜…β˜…β˜�
Dirty Beasts by Roald Dahl (Rejects Challenge)
The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me by Roald Dahl (Rejects Challenge) β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜�
Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology by Leah Remini (Read Harder Challenge) β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜�
In Real Life by Cory Doctorow (Around the Year Challenge) β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜�
Relish: My Life in the Kitchen by Lucy Knisley (Around the Year Challenge) β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜�
The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith (Around the Year Challenge) β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜�

What's Next:
Well, since it's the end of June, I can tell you that none of the books I planned to read in June got read. That's right, I have not finished a single book in the month of June! So now my major goal, beyond playing catch-up, is to finish challenges. I'm going to focus on reading as many of my Around the Year challenge books in the next couple months as I can. From there I'll try to finish up the PopSugar challenge and then the Read Harder Challenge. There are a few books on my Around the Year challenge list that I'm reserving for holidays like Halloween (spooky reads!) and Christmas (holly jolly reads!) so I won't actually be fully finished until the end of the year.

June & July Update:
Oof, I'm in bad shape here. I read five books in June & July combined. Yes, you read that correctly. Just five books. I'm really banking on another read-a-thon to pull me back up the ladder. I read 3,100 pages which brings my year-to-date page count to 17,579 and my total reads up to 60 books. I'm aiming for 120 here so I'm only half way there with 5 months to go. I've got a lot of work to do.



June & July Reads:
The Shadow Queen by C.J. Redwine (PopSugar Challenge) β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜�
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling (Read Harder Challenge) β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜�
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling (Around the Year Challenge) β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜�
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling (Around the Year Challenge) β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜�
The Whole 30: The Official 30-day Guide To Total Health And Food Freedom by Melissa Hartwig & Dallas Hartwig (Around the Year Challenge) β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜�

Reading Goal Updates:
I did make substantial progress toward one of my reading goals though! As you can see, I finished the Harry Potter series. I wanted to give the series a re-read this year and I did. I'm so glad. Reading them as an adult gives me fresh perspective and I think I've come to appreciate things about the series I didn't in my younger years. It's hard to imagine loving that series any more than I already did, but somehow I managed. ;) I'm going to focus on the Seven Realms series (starting with The Demon King) by Cinda Williams Chima next. It's another series I wanted to complete this year and I've managed to squeeze all the titles into my various challenges.

What's Next:
The bulk of my reading for August will be working on that series and my ATY challenge. I'm also reading The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman for our BOTM.

The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima
The Exiled Queen by Cinda Williams Chima
The Gray Wolf Throne by Cinda Williams Chima
The Crimson Crown by Cinda Williams Chima
Flamecaster by Cinda Williams Chima (if I'm not burned out... if I am, I'll push this back for another month)
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Summer Days & Summer Nights: Twelve Love Stories by Stephanie Perkins (and others)
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

August Update:
I think I'm finally there. I'm finally at the point where I'm ready to admit I bit off way more than I can chew this year. At this point, it will take some sort of miracle to complete my goal. That or a whole lot of graphic novels. I'm gonna keep pushing for it though - we'll see where we end up.

I read 6 books in August (actually, two of those were short stories) and 1,822 pages.

August Reads:
Texts from Jane Eyre: And Other Conversations with Your Favorite Literary Characters by Mallory Ortberg (Around the Year Challenge) β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜�
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (Around the Year Challenge) β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜�
And You Shall Know Her by the Trail of Dead by Brooke Bolander [Short Story] (Side Read) β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜�
Cat Pictures Please by Naomi Kritzer [Short Story] (Rejects Challenge)
The Martian by Andy Weir (Read Harder Challenge) β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜†β˜�
Summer Sisters by Judy Blume (PopSugar Challenge) β˜…β˜…β˜…β˜†β˜�

Reading Goal Updates:
About that...



At this point, as I said, it'll be a miracle if I reach my reading goal so I'm putting all my energy into that (and finishing my challenges). My other reading goals will have to wait for next year.

What's Next:
I'm basically winging it for September. I'm just trying to squeeze in what I can wherever I can. For October, I've got some Halloween appropriate reads lined up. That should be fun!

Oh no, you didn't like Texts from Jane Eyre: And Other Conversations with Your Favorite Literary Characters, it sounded really fun!

Good luck with your challenges, I hope you're going to find nice and quick reads!