At the beginning of the year, I charged myself to read fifty books this year. Well, yesterday I finished my fiftieth book! Yay!! In 25 weeks, I've read roughly two books each week. If I can keep up that pace, then I can surely read 100 books in a year. Right? Only one way to find out, I guess. :)
I must say that I've gotten so much out of all this reading. Aside from finding out what's already out there, I've been able to study different authors' ways of doing things. Things that work really well, and others that...well...didn't work for me. In each case, though, I've been able to figure out why something works or why it doesn't. It's envigorating, refreshing, and fun all at the same time. :) I'm enjoying this so much that I look forward to whatever book I'm about to open, no matter what I've heard (or haven't heard) about it.
The next book on my list is THE SUMMONING by Kelley Armstrong. And it's at the top of a very tall stack of books next to my bed:
LIAR by Justine Larbalestier
DEMON PRINCESS: REIGN OR SHINE by Michelle Rowan
FRAGILE ETERNITY by Melissa Marr
THE DUST OF 100 DOGS by A.S. King
A KISS IN TIME by Alex Flinn
BEASTLY by Alex Flinn
I SO DON'T DO MYSTERIES by Barrie Summy
WINGS by Aprilynne Pike
GREGOR THE OVERLANDER by Suzanne Collins
SERENDIPITY MARKET by Penny Blubaugh
THE ALCHEMIST by Michael Scott
BREAKING DAWN by Stephanie Meyer
BRISINGR by Christopher Paolini
And yes, I know that those last two books have been on my nightstand for over a year, but I'm determined to finish them before the end of this year.
There are so many more books I want to read, like CATCHING FIRE and THE NAVEL OF THE WORLD. But if I listed more then I'd never finish. :) So I'm going to start a new list of books I've read (beginning at 51, which picks up where my other list left off), and keep it updated as I read them.
How are the rest of you doing with your reading? Are you enjoying it? What's next on your list?
Here's my list of the books I read in the second half of 2009:
51. The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong
52. Demon Princess: Reign or Shine by Michelle Rowan
53. The Dust of 100 Dogs by A.S. King
54. Wings by Aprilynne Pike
55. Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins
56. Escape Under the Forever Sky by Eve Yohalem
57. Liar by Justine Larbalestier
58. A Kiss In Time by Alex Flinn
59. Beastly by Alex Flinn
60. The Season by Sarah Maclean
61. Prada and Prejudice by Mandy Hubbard
62. Three Witches by Paula Jolin
63. Shadowed Summer by Saundra Mitchell
64. The Miles Between by Mary E. Pearson
65. North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley
66. Once Was Lost by Sara Zarr
67. Evermore by Alyson Noel
68. City of Glass by Cassandra Clare
69. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
70. Gone by Michael Grant
71. Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon
72. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
73. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
74. Scribbler of Dreams by Mary Pearson
75. Lament by Maggie Stiefvater
76. The Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink
77. How To Steal A Car by Pete Hautman
78. Ash by Malinda Lo
79. The Midnight Charter by David Whitley
80. The Secret Year by Jennifer Hubbard
81. 39 Clues: The Black Circle by Patrick Carman
82. Need by Carrie Jones
83. Oh. My. Gods. by Terra Lynn Childs
84. David v. God by Mary Pearson
85. Golden by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
86. Front and Center by Catherine Murdock
87. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
88. Fairy Tale by Cyn Balog
89. Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler
90. Magic Lost, Trouble Found by Lisa Shearin
91. Love That Dog by Sharon Creech
92. The Clue of the Linoleum Lederhosen by M.T. Anderson
93. The Misadventures of Maude March by Audrey Couloumbis
94. The Shadow Speaker by Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu
95. Fire by Kristin Cashore
96. Jasper Dash and the Flame Pits of Delaware by M.T. Anderson
97. Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev
98. Goddess Boot Camp by Terra Lynn Childs
99. 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson
100. Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher
101. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
102. Flash Burnout by L.K. Madigan
103. Fallen by Lauren Kate
104. Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
105. I So Don't Do Mysteries by Barrie Summy
106. Numbers by Rachel Ward
107. Ruined by Paula Morris
13 comments:
That's awesome Tabitha!
Reading = 1 book a day. I kid you not. Seems like setting up a review blog guarantees I read a lot more. It's fun working out what works, what doesn't - and just what's flooding the market right now.
The only time I won't read a book a day is when life gets manic. So far, I've managed to fit it in.
Wow, Yuna, that's amazing!!! I have way too much going on to read a book a day, so I'm happy with my two books a week. But I'm SO impressed by that book a day thing. :)
Reading in general is just so fun, isn't it? :)
Oooh, thanks for mentioning my book!
I've been LOVING reading so many books this year, too. It's been one of the best things I've done for my writing. I am enjoying the time, learning so much, and being able to see what is out there.
I haven't read 50, but probably about 30. I think I need to slow down. I feel like I've read so many and read so fast that they've blurred together. Some are distinct, others I barely remember. I don't know if that says more about me or the books.
PJ - I'm really looking forward to reading your book!! :) And isn't it amazing how much you can learn by just reading? I learn something new with each book I read. I just love it. :)
Meg - I had that problem until I started keeping a book diary. As soon as I finish a book, I jot down the title and my reaction to the story. Some of these entries turn into blog posts, and some just stay there so I can remember the things I want to remember. It's not much, maybe a paragraph or two, but it's enough to keep everything straight.
It originally was 'needs' must' (or however I'm supposed to punctuate it). Now, well, still kinda 'need' to read 1 a day to keep up. Be interesting to see how long I can maintain this speed. I give myself 2 days if things crop up, or 3 tops if life is manic.
Wow. As Darth Vader says when he meets Luke, one-on-one, “Impressive.” You have just made my personal Reader’s Hall of Fame! Great job! I’ve maybe *thought* about reading, oh…10 books this year. But 50? In half a year? I could more easily grow a nice head of hair. Yes, I’m folically challenged. How do you find the time? Thanks for the inspiration. I’ll try harder.
By the way, were you the little girl in the first row in school, who always answered the questions--and got them all correct…sort of a la Hermione Granger? I’ll bet you were.
Best Regards, Galen.
Imagineering Fiction Blog
Yuna - wow, still, a book every two days is a major feat! Do you keep a book diary so you can keep all those stories straight?
Galen - actually I was the girl who was always staring out the window and not paying attention, and wishing I was in the back row. :) But I'm able to read so much because I carry a book around with me, and I read every night before going to bed. I also read while I'm waiting on my kids to come out of school, and in pretty much every spare minute of my time.
I have no idea how Yuna is reading a book a day. That's just amazing. :)
My reading speed has increased somewhat! I'm fortunate in working part-time :) I slot it in with everything else.
Book diary/journal? No - it's called my review blog! I can now average 100 pages an hour, so I can roughly work out from that how long it'll take to read a book. It does depend on size/genre and other things. (I'm not bragging I'm just explaining how I do it). I just focus, and read like the wind!
A book journal....that's a good idea. Otherwise, I'm scratching my head saying, "I know I read that."
Wow! You are crazy but doing great. I'm impressed. I saw the Summoning in the bookstore today and I was curious about it. Tell us what you think about it.
That's terrific! I'm working on the 50 book challenge this year as well. I'm at 23. I should make it by the end of December.
I'd love to hear your recommendation on Wings, by Aprilynne Pike. I heard a little about it before it was release, but then I didn't hear anymore.
I just finished The Summoning, so I'll review that for thursday.
And, Nora, when I read Wings I'll post a review of that too.
Thanks for asking!
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