New listy thing

Argh! I've lost my list :(

1. Death's Mistress
2. Terrible Tudors
3. Crown Duel
4. Court Duel
5. Dragonfly
6. Going Postal
7. Remember Me?
8. The Color Purple
9. A Tthousand Splendid Suns
10. A Pirates Pleasure
11. Resenting the Hero
12. The Hero Strikes Back
13. Splendid
14. Dancing at Midnight
15. To Sir Philip with Love
    
16. Prudence
17. Beastly
18. Boy A
    
19. The Magic Flute - Iva Ibbotson (28/05/10)
    

Reading Project - Finished Books

Last year i found a list of books online, claiming to be one published by the BBC with the claim that the average person had only read six of them. Looking through the list i realised that was exactly the number i had read, so i set about trying to make myself a little less of a failure.

This is the list of the books from that list as and when i finish them. Unfortunately i haven't always kept dates

36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis (Primary School)
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White (Primary)
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman (High School)
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck (High School - GCSE set text)
4 Harry Potter series - J.K.Rowling (Last one came out during high school)
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell (Lower sixth - College - April/May)
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen (L6 - College - 20/04/09)
1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen (L6 - College - 18/09/09)
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood (L6 - College - 23/09/09)
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell (L6 - College - September)
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding (Upper sixth - College)
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee (U6 - College)
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker (U6 - College - 03/03/10)

Going Postal - Terry Pratchett

WOOO! My first full Terry Pratchett book! :D I've been wanting to try them for years but never got very far, i think perhaps because i was worried i wouldn't like; its well known that they are suited to a certain sense of humour and i was worried i wouldn't get it but was pleasantly suprised when it had me laugh out loud.

The reason i got into this one was my college book club, which i am trying to finish all the books for (although i did finish this one after the meeting :P). Suprisingly all but two other members either didnt read it or didn't like it, which is a shame because once you get past the rather peculiar 9000 year prologue then its rather gurrd.

The story is about a guy called Moist who was an expert conman who finally got caught. The lord of Ankh-Morpork decides, rather than killing moist he would put his skills to good use by making him head of the failing post office. After some failed escape attempts moist finally grows to his role, seeing it as another challenge to beat the competition and fool the world.

Apparently this is one of the worst T.P's to start on, but i found it fine. However, this might nto have been the case if i hadn;t allready tried to read various pratchett books in the past so had an overview of the world already. If you're in a similar situation, then i'd say this one is a great start into the world (as its relatively stand alone). Earlier i made the mistake of starting at the begining, but apparently his books have changed a lot over time, apparently even he doesnt like his earlier books so much anymore.

Anyhee, worth a go, i'm definitely going to look to read more of his books, perhaps starting with the one that comes after this one, which i am told is called making money, where moist's given the job of reforming the banking system.

TBR Challenge

This is a useful challenge for knocking books off that list that you've always wanted to read but never quite got round to... and mines pretty extensive. The idea is to create a set list of 12 at the begining of the year and either read one a month, or whatever until they are gone. Last year i tried this and knocked 5 off my list, so i'm going to have another go :) (although i am a little late starting :/)

To Be Read:

1. I Hope - Raisa Gorbachev
2. The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
3. A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgees
4. Eucalyptus - Murray Bail
5. Dracula - Bram Stoker
6. Nineteen Eighty-Four - George Orwell
7. Atonement - Ian McEwan
8. The Great Gatsby - F.Scott Fitzgerald
9. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
10. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
11. The Colour Purple - Alice Walker
    
12. The Chronicles of Narnia - C.S.Lewis

Finished List:

1. The Color Purple - Alice Walker (03/03/10)
   

100+ Challenge 2010

Woop, another year and my first challenge of the year :) i really like this one as it allows me to indulge in my reading habbit :P
The Challenge is pretty simple, 1 year, 100 books :) i managed it in 2009 (by the skin of my teeth) and would like to do it again :) I'll probably list books on here as i finish them (i've got a few under my belt already) and stick them in the sidebar too. Hosted by J.Kaye, who i'm very gratefull to :)

(oh, and this year i'd like at least ten of them to be classics, either modern or traditional ones)

100+ Challenge reads:

1. Death's Mistress - Karen Chance (05/01/10)
2. The Terrible Tudors - Terry Deary (12/01/10)
3. Crown Duel - Sherwood Smith (17/01/10) -211 pages (re-read)
   
4. Court Duel - Sherwood Smith (18/01/10) - 260 pages (re-read)
   
5. Dragonfly - Juila Golding (19/02/10) - 398 pages (re-read coursework has left me with no time ):
   
6. Going Postal - Terry Pratchett (21/02/10) - 463 pages (Book Club)
   
7. Remember Me? - Sophie Kinsella (28/02/10) - 432 pages (re-read)
   
8. The Color Purple - Alice Walker (03/03/10) - 244 pages
9. A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini (14/03/10) - 366 pages (Book Club)
10. A Pirates Pleasure - Heather Graham (21/03/10) - 385 pages (re-read - 3rd time)
    
11. Resenting the Hero - Moira J. Moore (30/03/10) - 285 pages (re-read)
12. The Hero Strikes Back - Moira J. Moore (31/o3/10) - 308 pages
13. Splendid - Julia Quinn (05/04/10) - 396 pages (re-read)
14. Dancing at Midnight - Julia Quinn (11/04/10) - 375 pages (re-read)
15. To Sir Phillip with Love - Julia Quinn (11/04/10) - 372 pages
16. To Catch an Heiress - Julia Quinn (16/04/10) - 377 pages (Re-read)
17. Heros book 3 (may bank holiday)
18. Prudence
19. Beastly - Alex Flinn (15/05/10)
20. Boy A - Jonathan Tirgell (17/05/10) - 248 pages (Book Club)
21. The Magic Flute - Iva Ibbotson (28/05/10) (Here is where i've neglected it, lost my order and dates and possibly which books have been read.... shall try my best)
22. Do You Want Me? - India Knight
23. Octavia - Jilly Cooper
    
24. My Single Friend - Jane Costello
25. ?
    
26. The Duke and I - Julia Quinn
27. Making Money - Terry Pratchett
28. The Turning
29. ?
    
30. Harriet
31. Aphrodite's Workshop for Reluctant Lovers - Marika Cobbold (21/08/10) - 302 pages
32. ?
33. ?
34. ? various books, no idea how many.
35. Lisa & Co - Jilly Cooper
    
36. Riders - Jilly Cooper
37. Bella - Jilly Cooper
    

New Year Resolutions

HAHAHA, its the time to make a load of promises to ourselves that we know the chances of us keeping them are slim, its a wonder why we bother year after year.... but i guess you never give up hope and a new year is the best time to think of new starts and if you have several resolutions and keep to just one of them then thats good i guess :)

Resolutions for 2010:

• Learn to do the splits
• Read another 100 books
  
• Revise FULLY for exams and hopefully get into a good uni :)
• Learn to write more concisely in essays etc

I guess its at least worth a try :)
I would put in the typical ones: excercise more, eat less and healthier, monitor my bad language and help out more, but i guess that goes without being said. Been my resolutions so many times, but never quite managed to suceed for longer than a few weeks...

Methinks perhaps it would be better to lay out a couple of resolutions for each month and take things in bitesiezed chunks, therefore:

January Resolutions: (0/4)

• No more reading (unless exam related or book club) before re-sits
• REVISE, REVISE, REVISE.
• Not hang around in the hall talking with friends but burrow self away in library and... revise.
• Find a mousse recipe that works :) (for me at least)
  

2009 100+ Challenge Wrap-up

The aim of this challenge was to read 100+ books in 2009, and i almost thought i wouldn't make it! (Finished the last one this morning!), I'm going to publish the finished list below, which is copied from the original post i've been updating. I will confess the fact that i've been cheating slightly - there are several books that i've read twice this year and i've counted those aswell, not sure whether it technically counts or not, but everytime i've finished a book i've written it down - for the most part i've made a note of when i was reading one again, anyhee, here goes:

100 Books Read in 2009:

1. Blue Moon Rising - Simon Greene
2. Ella Enchanted - Gail Carson Levine
3. Tithe - Holly Black
4. Crown Duel - Sherwood Smith
   
5. The Princess Academy - Shanon Hale
6. Club Dead - Charlaine Harris
7. Touch the Dark - Karen Chance
8. Claimed by Shadow - Karen Chance
9. Embrace the Night - Karen Chance
10. Midnight's Daughter - Karen Chance
11. Remember Me - Sophie Kinsella
12. Eclypse - Stephene Meyer
13. Curse the Dawn - Karen Chance
14. Gone with the Wind - Margaret Mitchell
15. The Rangers Apprentice, the Ruins of Gorlan - (need to find out author)
16. An offer from a Gentleman - Julia Quinn
17. Storm Front - Jim Butcher
18. Bella - Jilly Cooper
19. Persuasion - Jane Austen
20. Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac - Gabrielle Zevin
21. Kitty and the Midnight Hour - Carrie Vaughn
22. Beauty - Robin McKinley
23. Star-Crossed - Rachael Wing
24. Emily - Jilly Cooper
    
25. Minx - Julia Quinn
26. Harriet - Jilly Cooper
27. The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic - Sophie Kinsella
28. Brighter than the Sun - Julia Quinn
29. Splendid - Julia Quinn
30. Dancing at Midnight - Julia Quinn
31. To Catch an Heiress - Julia Quinn
32. Teen Idol - Meg Cabot
    
33. How to Marry a Marquis - Julia Quinn
34. AQA Britain (1483-1529)
35. The Lost Duke of Wyndham - Julia Quinn
36. The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever - Julia Quinn
37. Everything and the Sun - Julia Quinn
38. Curse the Dawn - Karen Chance (re-read)
39. A Midsummer Nights Dream - William Shakespeare
40. Resenting the Hero - Moira J Moore
41. Addition - Toni Jordan
42. Mr.Cavendish, I Presume - Julia Quinn
43. And then there were none - Agatha Christie
44. Love you to Death - Meg Cabot
45. High Stakes - meg Cabot
46. Mean Spirits - Meg Cabot
47. Young Blood - Meg Cabot
48. Grave Doubts - Meg Cabot
49. Fantastic Mr Fox - Roal Dahl
50. Heaven Sent - Meg Cabot
51. The Sweet Scent of Blood - Suzanne McLeod
52. Fool Moon - Jim Butcher
53. Magic Study - Maria V. Snyder
54. Touch the Dark - Karen Chance (again)
55. Claimed by Shadow - Karen Chance (again)
56. Embrace the Night - Karen Chance (again)
57. Graceling - Kristin Cashore
58. The Secret Countess - Eva Ibbotson
59. The Singing - Alison Croggon
60. Warprize - Elizabeth Vaughan
61. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
62. Bella - Jilly Cooper (again)
63. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Attwood
64. Animal Farm - George Orwell
65. When he was Wicked - Julia Quinn
66. Bridget Jone's Diary - Helen Fielding
67. Angus, thongs and full frontal snogging - Louise Rennison
68. Its OK, I'm wearing REALLY BIG Knickers! - Louise Rennison
69. Knocked out by my Nunga-Nungas - Louise Rennison
70. Dancing in my Nuddy-Pants - Louise Rennison
71. '...and thats when it fell off in my hand' - Louise Rennison
72. '...then he ate my boy entrancers.' - Louise Rennison
73. '...startled by his furry shorts!' - Louise Rennison
74. 'Luuurve is a many trousered thing...' - Louise Rennison
75. 'Stop in the name of pants! - Louise Rennison
76. 'Are these my basoomas i see before me?' - Louise Rennison
77. Cinderella - Never-Never Land Stories
78. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs - Never-Never Land Stories
79. Little Red Riding Hood - Never-Never Land Stories
80. The Musicians of Breman - Fantasy Land Fairy Tales
81. Polo - Jilly Cooper
82. Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
83. The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever - Julia Quinn (again!)
84. The Changeover - Margaret Mahy
85. The Magic Finder - Roald Dahl
86. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
87. Minx - Julia Quinn (again)
88. Beastly - Alex Flinn
89. Everything and the Moon - Julia Quinn (again)
90. Slam - Nick Hornby
91. Brighter than the Sun - Julia Quinn (again)
92. Magic Bites - Ilona Andrews
93. Dead Until Dark - Charlaine Harris
94. How to Marry a Marquis - Julia Quinn
95. Love Struck - Rachael Wing
96. Tales from Russia - James Mayhew
97. Emily - Jilly Cooper (again)
98. Midnight's Daughter - Karen Chance (again)
99. Wicked Lovely - Melissa Marr
100. Old Magic - Marianne Curley

Its a bit of a mix, there are some i'm proud of, others less so, but for me personally i feel i have achieved something because previously i don't think i'd read any classics or books like that, i read purely for pleasure (which i don't see much of a problem with, but sometimes i feel i should read more 'intellectual' books aswell), but i'll put a breakdown below.

Books i'm particularly proud of having read: (If 'proud' is the right word...?)

• Gone with the wind - (WOOP! first classic! - i really chose a short one didn't i? :P)
  
• Persuasion -(my first jane austen!)
  
• AQA Britain 1483-1529(I read a textbook woop! :P)
• A midsummer night's dream - (my first shakespeare!)
• And Then there were none - (My first agatha Christie! - and no, i didn't get the murderer right ):
• Pride and Predudice
  
• A Handmaid's Tale
• Animal Farm
• Farenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury (totally out of my usual comfort zone)
• To Kill a Mockingbird - (AND it was relevant to my history course!)

Books I Particularly Enjoyed:

• Touch the Dark/Claimed by Shadow/Embrace the Night/Curse the Dawn - Karen Chance - (urban fantasy series which IMO = Awesum :P)
• Midnight's Daughter - Karen Chance (spin off series)
• Gone with the Wind - (Because Rhett Butler = amazing; but the end is so sad!! NOOOOOO!)
• Minx - Julia Quinn (Because it made me smile on a dark day :)
• A midsummer night's dream - (because the language is amazing)

Anyway, thats a rough summary :P Of all the challenges i attempted this year this is probably the one i enjoyed the most (an excellent excuse for excessive reading ;P) so thankyou very much for hosting it :) :) I shall hopefully try again next year, but i have a couple of pesky exams to get out of the way first :P

Thanks, and Happy New Year! :D:D xxxx