Category: Challenge Wrap-Up

Challenge Wrap-Up, READING CHALLENGES 2009

Unfinished Challenge – 2009 100+ Reading Challenge

Tara

J. Kaye hosted this challenge in 2009. I really enjoyed it even though I fell short. When I signed up I thought for sure I would be able to accomplish this challenge. In 2008 I ended the year with 97 books read. However, I had a more crazy year in 2009 – we bought a house and moved and got a dog. So my reading time was really cut due to those changes. However, I still finished with a strong year – at 74. Of course the vacation to Florida the last week of the year helped – I read 5 books during those 7 days! Crazy, I know! So I was quite pleased with how I ended up finishing this challenge even though I fell short. Here is what I read:

  1. The Chemist by Janson Mancheski (Finished: 1/7/09) REVIEW
  2. Sweetheart by Chelsea Cain (Finished: 1/13/09) REVIEW
  3. The Midnight Twins by Jacquelyn Mitchard (Finished: 1/15/09) REVIEW
  4. Final Jeopardy by Linda Fairstein (Finished: 1/23/09) REVIEW
  5. Over Your Dead Body by David L. (Finished: 1/25/09) REVIEW
  6. Perfect by Harry Kraus, MD (Finished: 1/28/09) REVIEW
  7. All We Know of Heaven by Jacquelyn Mitchard (Finished: 1/30/09) REVIEW
  8. Jack & Jill by James Patterson (Finished: 2/2/09) REVIEW
  9. Deal Breaker by Harlan Coben (Finished: 2/5/09) REVIEW
  10. C is for Corpse by Sue Grafton (Finished: 2/9/09) REVIEW
  11. Three to Get Deadly by Janet Evanovich (Finished: 2/12/09) REVIEW
  12. To the Power of Three by Laura Lippman (Finished: 2/17/09) REVIEW
  13. Postmortem by Patricia Cornwell (Finished: 2/26/09) REVIEW
  14. The Secret Between Us by Barbara Delinksy (Finished: 3/6/09) REVIEW
  15. The 6th Target by James Patterson (Finished: 3/15/09) REVIEW
  16. Heartstopper by Joy Fielding (Finished: 3/22/09) REVIEW
  17. The Reader by Bernard Schlink (Finished: 4/5/09) REVIEW
  18. The Broken Parachute Man by Robert B. Bolin (Finished: 4/10/09) REVIEW
  19. Heart of Ice by Gregg Olsen (Finished: 4/15/09) REVIEW
  20. Grave Sight by Charlaine Harris (Finished: 4/21/09) REVIEW
  21. Capital Offense by Kathleen Antrim (Finished: 4/30/09 ) REVIEW
  22. The Osiris Alliance by Jack Ford (Finished: 5/11/09) REVIEW
  23. 7th Heaven by James Patterson (Finished: 5/19/09) REVIEW
  24. Whispers by Lisa Jackson (Finished: 5/23/09) REVIEW
  25. Rape: A Love Story by Joyce Carol Oats (Finished: 5/24/09) REVIEW
  26. The 8th Confession by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro (Finished: 5/31/09) REVIEW
  27. The Templar Legacy by Steve Berry (Finished: 6/7/09) REVIEW
  28. A Tisket, a Tasket, a Fancy Stolen Casket by Fran Rizer (Finished: 6/10/09) REVIEW
  29. Snagged by Carol Higgins Clark (Finished: 6/14/09) REVIEW
  30. In a Dark Time by Larry Watson (Finished: 6/19/09) REVIEW
  31. If I Did It by The Goldman Family (Finished: 6/22/09) REVIEW
  32. Grave Surprise by Charlaine Harris (Finished: 6/24/09) REVIEW
  33. The Cove by Catherine Coulter (Finished: 7/4/09) REVIEW
  34. The Maze by Catherine Coulter (Finished: 7/11/09) REVIEW
  35. Sail by James Patterson (Finished: 7/19/09) REVIEW
  36. BoneMan’s Daughter by Ted Dekker (Finished: 7/23/09) REVIEW
  37. The Dyodyne Experiment by James Doulgeris & V. Michael Santoro (Finished: 7/25/09) REVIEW
  38. Cat & Mouse by James Patterson (Finished: 7/31/09) REVIEW
  39. Dancing with Ana by Nicole Barker (Finished: 8/3/09) REVIEW
  40. The Piper’s Sons by Bruce Chandler Fergusson (Finished: 8/8/09) REVIEW
  41. Swimsuit by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro (Finished: 8/11/09) REVIEW
  42. Executive Privilege by Phillip Margolin (Finished: 8/19/09) REVIEW
  43. An Ice Cold Grave by Charlaine Harris (Finished: 8/23/09) REVIEW
  44. She Loves Me Not by Wendy Corsi Stuab (Finished: 8/30/09) REVIEW
  45. sTORItelling by Tori Spelling (Finished: 9/1/09) REVIEW
  46. Real Murders by Charlaine Harris (Finished: 9/6/09) REVIEW
  47. When the Bough Breaks by Jonathan Kellerman (Finished: 9/17/09) REVIEW
  48. Evil at Heart by Chelsea Cain (Finished: 9/22/09) REVIEW
  49. Michelangelo’s Notebook by Paul Christopher (Finished: 9/27/09) REVIEW
  50. The Godwulf Manuscript by Robert B. Parker (Finished: 9/29/09) REVIEW
  51. The Surgeon by Tess Gerritsen (Finished: 10/5/09) REVIEW
  52. ‘D’ is for Deadbeat by Sue Grafton (Finished: 10/10/09) REVIEW
  53. A Bone to Pick by Charlaine Harris (Finished: 10/13/09) REVIEW
  54. Pop Goes the Weasel by James Patterson (Finished: 10/18/09) REVIEW
  55. The Murder of Laci Peterson by Cliff Linedecker (Finished: 10/19/09) REVIEW
  56. Wait Until Twilight by Sang Pak (Finished: 10/21/09) REVIEW
  57. The Double Eagle by James Twining (Finished: 10/25/09) REVIEW
  58. Silent Witness by Richard North Patterson (Finished: 11/6/09) REVIEW
  59. The Eleventh Victim by Nancy Grace (Finished: 11/13/09) REVIEW
  60. The Murder of King Tut by James Patterson & Martin Dugard (Finished: 11/15/09) REVIEW
  61. Grave Secret by Charlaine Harris (Finished: 11/24/09) REVIEW
  62. Denial by Keith Ablow (Finished: 11/28/09) REVIEW
  63. Children of Dust by Ali Eteraz (Finished: 12/3/09) REVIEW
  64. The Aztec Heresy by Paul Christopher (Finished: 12/11/09) REVIEW
  65. Harry Potter & the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling (Finished: 12/13/09) REVIEW
  66. No Place Like Home by Mary Higgins Clark (Finished: 12/19/09) REVIEW
  67. Roses are Red by James Patterson (finished: 12/22/09) REVIEW
  68. The Sorority: Eve by Tamara Thorne (Finished: 12/23/09) REVIEW
  69. Decoding the Lost Symbol by Simon Cox (Finished: 12/23/09) REVIEW
  70. The Sorority: Merilynn by Tamara Thorne (Finished: 12/24/09) REVIEW
  71. The Sorority: Samantha by Tamara Thorne (Finished: 12/26/09) REVIEW
  72. Violets are Blue by James Patterson (Finished: 12/27/09) REVIEW
  73. Conflicts with Interest by Michael Ruddy (Finished: 12/30/09) REVIEW
  74. The Book of Names by Jill Gregory & Karen Tintori (Finished: 12/31/09) REVIEW
Challenge Wrap-Up, READING CHALLENGES 2009

Finished Challenge – 2009 What’s in a Name 2

Tara

Annie hosted this challenge again in 2009. I really loved the 2008 version, this one I had a lot more difficulty finishing. I’m not sure if it was because I got burned out on having to find books to “fit” a challenge or what it was. I probably stretched the definition of “building” by using “Home” to fulfill the category, but I got desperate!! I will not be signing up for this 2010 version which is being hosted by someone else, but I have thoroughly enjoyed my two years with this challenge!! Here’s what I read:

  1. Time of Day: The Midnight Twins by Jacquelyn Mitchard REVIEW
  2. Building: No Place Like Home by Mary Higgins Clark REVIEW
  3. Body Part: Sweetheart, Chelsesa Cain REVIEW
  4. Relative: BoneMan’s Daughter, Ted Dekker REVIEW
  5. Profession: The Chemist, Janson Mancheski REVIEW
  6. Medical Condition: ‘D’ is for Deadbeat, Sue Grafton REVIEW

Challenge Wrap-Up, READING CHALLENGES 2009

Finished Challenge – Celebrate the Author 2009

Tara

Becky hosted this challenge again in 2009. I got a little bit behind and had to play catch up quite a bit, but I ended up finishing this challenge and enjoying it once again. I have also signed up for the 2010 version of this challenge. Anyway, the idea is to “celebrate” author birthdays by reading a book by a certain author who is celebrating a birthday in that particular month. Here is what I read:

  1. January: Deal Breaker, Harlan Coben REVIEW
  2. February: Evil at Heart, Chelsea Cain REVIEW
  3. March: Heartstopper, Joy Fielding REVIEW
  4. April: ‘D’ is for Deadbeat, Sue Grafton REVIEW
  5. May: Whispers by Lisa Jackson REVIEW
  6. June: The Surgeon, Tess Gerritsen REVIEW
  7. July: Harry Potter & the Sorcerer’s Stone, J.K. Rowling REVIEW
  8. August: When the Bough Breaks, Jonathan Kellerman REVIEW
  9. September: The Godwulf Manuscript, Robert B. Parker REVIEW
  10. October: The Eleventh Victim by Nancy Grace REVIEW
  11. November: Grave Secret by Charlaine Harris REVIEW
  12. December: No Place Like Home by Mary Higgins Clark REVIEW

Challenge Wrap-Up, READING CHALLENGES 2009

Finished Challenge – A Well-Rounded Challenge 2009

Tara

Teddy Rose hosted this wonderful challenge this year. The idea behind this challenge is to read books for challenges that you’re currently signed up for. I can tell you that this challenge really jump started me back up on my challenges, specifically the Celebrate the Author Challenge (which I was really behind on). Here is what I read:

Challenge Wrap-Up, READING CHALLENGES 2009

Finished Challenge – 2009 1st in a Series Challenge

Tara

J. Kaye over at J. Kaye’s Book Blog hosted this great challenge this year. The main page for this challenge can be found here. I am a huge series reader, so I was really excited to sign up for this one. I really enjoyed reading the books that completed this challenge for me. I met some really great new characters is what I hope will be some good series’!  Here is what I read:

  1. Deal Breaker, Harlan Coben (Myron Bolitar) REVIEW
  2. Final Jeopardy, Linda Fairstein (Alex Cooper) REVIEW
  3. Grave Sight by Charlaine Harris (Harper Connelly) REVIEW
  4. Real Murders by Charlaine Harris (Aurora Teagarden) REVIEW
  5. When the Bough Breaks, Jonathan Kellerman (Alex Delaware) REVIEW
  6. Michelangelo’s Notebook, Paul Christopher (Finn Ryan) REVIEW
  7. The Chemist, Janson Mancheski (Cale Van Waring) REVIEW
  8. The Godwulf Manuscript, Robert B. Parker (Spenser) REVIEW
  9. Postmortem, Patricia Cornwell (Kay Scarpetta) REVIEW
  10. The Templar Legacy, Steve Berry (Cotton Malone) REVIEW
  11. The Cove, Catherine Coulter (FBI Thriller) REVIEW
  12. A Tisket, a Tasket, a Fancy Stolen Casket, Fran Rizer (Calamine Parrish) REVIEW

Challenge Wrap-Up, READING CHALLENGES 2009

Countdown Challenge – Unfinished

Tara

Well, I didn’t finish the Countdown Challenge. Oh well. I tried. Hard. But for some unknown reason I really struggled with it. When I signed up I thought it would be easy to accomplish, especially since I joined late and it was retroactive to August 2008 and I had so many books already done. However, I didn’t do too bad; I completed 39 out of 45 books which is 86% complete. Not bad in my opinion. I’m going to sign up for the second year of this one (which starts today) and try again 🙂

Here is what I managed to read for this challenge:

2009

  1. Heart of Ice by Gregg Olsen
  2. The Osiris Alliance by Jack Ford
  3. The 8th Confession by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro
  4. BoneMan’s Daughter by Ted Dekker
  5. The Dyodyne Experiment by James Doulgeris & V. Michael Santoro
  6. Dancing with Ana by Nicole Barker
  7. Swimsuit by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro

2008 (Completed)

  1. A Cold Dark Place by Gregg Olsen
  2. One Last Scream by Kevin O’Brien
  3. Compulsion by Jonathan Kellerman
  4. Trust Me by Brenda Novak
  5. Quicksand by Iris Johansen
  6. The Chemist by Janson Mancheski
  7. Sweetheart by Chelsea Cain
  8. The Midnight Twins by Jacquelyn Mitchard

2007 (Completed)

  1. All the Pretty Girls by J.T. Ellison
  2. Heartsick by Chelsea Cain
  3. Last Known Victim by Erica Spindler
  4. The Sleeping Doll by Jeffery Deaver
  5. In the Woods by Tana French
  6. I Heard That Song Before by Mary Higgins Clark
  7. Over Your Dead Body by David L.

2006 (Completed)

  1. A Necessary Evil by Alex Kava
  2. Judge & Jury by James Patterson
  3. New Moon by Stephanie Meyer
  4. The Witness by Sandra Brown
  5. The Templar Legacy by Steve Berry
  6. Grave Surprise by Charlaine Harris

2005

  1. Presumed Guilty: What the Jury Never Knew About Laci Peterson’s Murder and Why Scott Peterson Should Not Be on Death Row by Matt Dalton
  2. Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
  3. To the Power of Three by Laura Lippman
  4. Grave Sight by Charlaine Harris

2004 (Completed)

  1. Night Fall by Nelson DeMille
  2. Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay
  3. Black Creek Crossing by John Saul
  4. White Hot by Sandra Brown

2003

  1. The Falls by Karen Harper
  2. She Loves Me Not by Wendy Corsi Staub

2002

2001 (Completed)

  1. Mystic River by Dennis Lehane
Challenge Wrap-Up

Finished Challenge – Suspense & Thriller 2008/2009 Challenge

Tara

I just finished the Suspense & Thriller 2008/2009 Challenge! The rules were to read twelve books total; six in 2008 and 6 in 2009. And each book had to belong to one of the subcategories that were listed on the challenge homepage. There were a lot of different categories to choose from, but I found myself repeating many of the categories and that’s why it took me so long to finish this challenge. However I was pleasantly surprised to see that the last book I read (A Tisket, a Tasket, a Fancy Stolen Casket) would fit nicely into the cozy mystery category to complete this challenge. Plus this is my first completed challenge for 2009 so it’s a great big sigh of relief for me!!! Here’s what I read:

  7. J.T. Ellison, All the Pretty Girls (serial killer thriller)
  8. W.E.B. Griffin, By Order of the President (military thriller)
  9. Laura Lippman, To the Power of Three (drama thriller)
  10. Patricia Cornwell, Postmortem (forensic mystery)
  11. James Patterson, The 8th Confession (police procedural thriller)
  12. Fran Rizer, A Tisket, a Tasket, a Fancy Stolen Casket (cozy mystery)

Favorite: All the Pretty Girls (Ellison) and To the Power of Three (Lippman)
Least Favorite: Darkly Dreaming Dexter (Lindsay)

Challenge Wrap-Up

Finished Challenge – 2008 2nds Challenge

Tara

I just finished Joy’s 2008 2nds Challenge. I really enjoyed this challenge, even though I waited until the very last moment to get my last book read! The rules were to read 4 books between September 1st and December 31st by authors that you had only read once before. Here’s what I read:

New Moon by Stephanie Meyer
One Last Scream by Kevin O’Brien
The Witness by Sandra Brown
A Wicked Snow by Gregg Olsen

Favorite: One Last Scream (O’Brien)
Least Favorite: The Witness (Brown)
[Please note that it was very difficult to list my favorite and least favorite because I actually enjoyed all four of these books]

Challenge Wrap-Up

Finished Challenge – 2008 Celebrate the Author Challenge

Tara

I just finished Becky’s 2008 Celebrate the Author Challenge. The rules were to read 12 books, Jan. 1-Dec. 31, 2008. The selection of the books had to correspond to the month that the author was born in. I struggled with my November selection, seeing as I just now finished it today (Dec. 26!), but I’m glad that I did get this challenge finished in time 🙂 And I’m definitely looking forward to the 2009 version of this challenge!

My list of what I read:

  1. January:  No Second Chance by Harlan Coben
  2. February: See Jane Die by Erica Spindler
  3. March:  1st to Die by James Patterson
  4. April: ‘A’ is for Alibi by Sue Grafton
  5. May: Marker by Robin Cook
  6. June: The Deadly Dance by M.C. Beaton
  7. July: The Black Echo by Michael Connelly
  8. August: Night Fall by Nelson DeMille
  9. September: The Shining by Stephen King
  10. October: Dead by Sunset by Ann Rule
  11. November: By Order of the President by W.E.B. Griffin
  12. December: I Heard that Song Before by Mary Higgins Clark

Favorite: See Jane Die (Spindler) AND I Heard that Song Before (Clark)
Least Favorite: Dead by Sunset (Rule)

Challenge Wrap-Up

Finished Challenge – Book-to-Movie Challenge

Tara

I recently finished another challenge!! I finished Callista’s Book-to-Movie Challenge. The rules were to read at least 3 books that had been made into movies. I scrambled to finish this challenge, but I managed to get the third one in on Nov. 30th! Here’s my list of what I read:

  1. The Shining by Stephen King
  2. Mystic River by Dennis Lehane
  3. Kiss the Girls by James Patterson

Favorite: Kiss the Girls (Patterson)
Least Favorite: Mystic River (Lehane)