Sunday, September 21, 2008

The Sunday Salon meets Weekly Geeks 18: Catching up on Becky's Challenges Blog

Updated: I've created a new blog. It's called GREAT LEADER OF OUR INSANITY. It's my hostess-hat wearing blog. The focus is on the challenges I'm hosting. Creating one-place where participants can gather to catch up on challenges and other participants' reading.

Dewey's idea for week 18 is to catch up on anything (or everything) we're behind on. I am taking this opportunity to organize my challenge blog and get everything all sorted out.

Today I learned that I have...

*finished 51 challenges so far this year.
*have seven challenges finishing up in 2009
*signed up for three perpetual challenges
*have twenty-two challenges ending on/before December 31, 2008.
*realized that some of those twenty-two are highly unlikely to end in success.

I'm a bit more organized...okay, a lot more organized than I was just yesterday.

These are the twenty-two challenges I've got going for 2008:

R.I.P. III
Host: Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings
Dates: September 1 through October 31, 2008
books required: Participant decides

I've read six so far.

Gaskell Challenge
host: Becky
dates: May - November 15, 2008
books required: 2

I've read one book so far. And watched one movie.

Dumas Challenge
host: Becky
dates: May - November 15, 2008
books required: 2

I've read one book, The Three Musketeers. Currently reading second book.

Dickens Challenge
host: Becky
dates: May - November 15, 2008
books required: 2

Haven't read ANY books. Don't want to read ANY books.

Bronte Sisters Challenge
host: Becky
dates: May - November 15, 2008
books required: 2

Read Jane Eyre's Daughter. Currently reading Jane Eyre. Have watched Jane Eyre movie.

Initials Reading Challenge
host: Becky of Becky’s Book Review; But has own site for reviews
dates: April 1, 2008 - November 30, 2008
books required: 5

Read plenty. But L.M. Montgomery books and Tolkien books fit here and they're on other challenge lists.

Herding Cats Challenge
host: Renay
dates: May through November 30th 2008
books required: 3

Read two books so far. Jane Eyre should count as the third book. So this one is an almost.

Series Challenge Season 2
Crazy Cozy Murders
dates: June 1, 2008 - November 30, 2008
books required: participant decides

Lacking Tolkien Lord of the Rings series and 7 of the 8 Anne books by L.M. Montgomery.

Chunkster Challenge
host: So Many Books, So Little Time
dates: January 7th- December 20th
books required: 4

I've read more than 4. But the challenge says that you must read one per season. So I'm not sure if I can be technically done yet until closer to the end of the year. Can I?

Triple-8 Challenge
host: own website
dates: all of 2008
books required: 64 (or is it 56?)

I lack two audio books (haven't written up reviews yet). I lack three nonfiction books. (I really think I've got it covered, just need to cut and paste from nonfiction five list into this one.) I lack 7 of the 8 Anne books by L.M. Montgomery.

The A to Z Challenge for 2008
host: Thoughts for Joy
dates: all of 2008
books required: 52

I'm missing just two books. An X title. (I really need to get to Xenocide by Orson Scott Card.) And a U author. I think Streams of Babel is by a U author. Must make plans to read it soon.

Mythopoeic Award
host: Foxy writer
dates: all of 2008
books required: 7

I've read three books so far. I'd need four more.

Options: Watership Down by Richard Adams (nominee, 1975), Beast by Donna Jo Napoli (children's nominee 2001), Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine (children's nominee 1999), Tithe by Holly Black (children's nominee 2003), Valiant by Holly Black (children's nominee 2006), Seventh Son by Orson Scott Card (winner, 1988), Red Prophet by Orson Scott Card (nominee, 1989), Prentice Alvin by Orson Scott Card (nominee, 1990)

The problem? None of those are books I want to read. So I may drop out of this one.

The Nineteenth Century Women Writers
host: Becky’s Book Reviews
dates: all of 2008
books required: 4-6

I've read five books so far. Jane Eyre counts here and should finish it.

2008 TBR Challenge
host: Mizbooks
dates: all of 2008
books required: 12

I've read eight of the twelve books. Just need four more. I'm reading Secret Garden, which counts. And I'd need three more on top of that. I'm thinking: Pippi Longstocking, The Once and Future King, Walk Two Moons. May change those last three up.

Printz Award Challenge
host: Hidden Side of A Leaf
dates: all of 2008
books required: 6

I've read five of the six books. Need just one more. I'm thinking An Abundance of Katherines by John Green which qualifies because it was an honor book.

Inklings Mini-Challenge
host: Becky’s Book Reviews
dates: all of 2008
books required: 4

Just waiting for the Lord of the Rings books.

In Their Shoes Reading Challenge
host: own site
dates: all of 2008
books required: participant decides

I *said* I'd read eight, but I've only read five. I'm not sure I'll get to the remaining ones or not. Just not in the mood.

Celebrate the Author Challenge
host: Becky’s Book Reviews
dates: all of 2008
books required: 12

I have read seven of the twelve. I need to catch up on August. I need September, October, November, and December.

Cardathon Challenge
host: me (but has its own site)
dates: all of 2008
books required: participant decides

Just waiting on The Lord of the Rings books to call this one done.

100+Book Reading Challenge
host: its own blog, its own yahoo group, its own shelfari group
dates: all of 2008
books required: 100 or more

Scary, scary. I've read more than 100. More than 200 even. But I haven't updated my shelfari page in forever and ever. Too intimidated.

Classics Challenge
host: Trish
dates: July 1, 2008 - December 31, 2008
books required: 6

I've read two books. Jane Eyre should be the third. And then just three more to go. One is a "new" classic. The other two would be other classics. I am not sure which books I want to read yet.

A Well Rounded Challenge
host: Jan (own blog)
dates: July 1, 2008 - December 31, 2008
books required: 6

Desperately need to revise my list. I've been finishing challenge books since the start date. A lot more than six even. I just haven't written them down as counting towards this challenge.

The two I'm most worried about--are the Mythopoeic Award challenge and the Dickens Mini-Challenge.


© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

5 comments:

alisonwonderland said...

i need to do this - and i don't have anywhere near 22 challenges pending completion by december 31!

Joanne ♦ The Book Zombie said...

Wow Becky you've done an amazing job with your reading this year! I only have 4 to complete this year which shouldn't be hard, but the A-Z is what's troubling me because I wasn't checking which letters I needed. I really need to follow your lead and organize better :)

Kim said...

Nice job organizing the challenges. I did this a couple of weeks ago and was a little disturbed by how many challenges I have ending in Dec/Jan and how many books I have to read to finish them. Maybe I will take another look and cross a few off the realistic to complete list!?
*smiles*
Kim
(page after page)

Kathleen said...

I have my challenges organized, I just need to pare a bunch down. I too have lots of challenges ending Dec. 31 that I'll never finish

Debi said...

Wow, Becky! Great job getting organized!!! But even better job on getting them done...you just freakin' amaze me, girl! I have no doubt you could finish them all if you wanted to, but I commend you for not "forcing" yourself to read something that you're just not in the mood for!