11/19/2012
So, I was looking around for a book challenge because I like to read, but I don’t really make a lot of time for it. I figure if I make it into a challenge and commit to writing about it, I may have a better chance at making myself make the time. We shall see, though.
The challenge I found is to read one book that was published during each year that you’ve been alive. That means that I will need to read books from 1983 through 2013. And that also means I’ll need to average 2.5 books a month. Wow. I feel old.
As a personal thing, I decided to read books I’ve never read before and to only use each author once. I’ve already fudged the ‘new books only’ rule because I absolutely LOVE Ender’s Game, so I decided to use that as my one rule-breaker when I saw it. There are four on there that I started reading years ago (Wicked, The Two Princesses of Bamarre, Reading Lolita in Tehran and The Lady Queen), but for most of them I didn’t get past the first chapter. I think I got to maybe the second chapter in Reading Lolita, but that’s about it. So I consider those books as not having been read before. Cuz, really, the first chapter isn’t very much.
What is going to make this a bit more of a challenge is that I don’t have a library card here. There is a registration fee and a yearly membership fee AND I must have a Malaysian identity card, which I can’t get because I’m only on a social visit visa, so I have to pick my books from whatever is available as either an audio book or ebook from the OKC library or my parent’s library in St George. Both of my parents have said I can use their library card numbers to check out books, so that will be helpful. Maybe I can see if my brother will get a library card in Salt Lake and let me use the number so I can have access to their library system. That would be helpful. I will also be able to use the public domain books, since those are free and legal to download. Now to just do the research to figure out which books I want to read and which of those are available. This is going to take a while. lol.
11/20/2012
Yay! The final list is done! Here are the books I’d like to read for each year I’ve been alive in 2013:
1983 Alanna: The First Adventure (Song of the Lioness #1) by Tamora Pierce
1984 Legend (The Drenai Saga #1) by David Gemmell
1985 Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
1986 Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynn Jones
1987 Knots And Crosses (Inspector Rebus #1) by Ian Rankin
1988 The Charm School by Nelson DeMille
1989 Snow White and Rose Red by Patricia C. Wrede
1990 The Eye of the World (The Wheel of Time #1) by Robert Jordan
1991 The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Alison Wier
1992 The Children of Men by PD James
1993 Without Remorse (Jack Ryan #1) by Tom Clancy
1994 Toxin by Robin Cook
1995 Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (The Wicked Years #1) by Gregory Maguire
1996 Into the Wild by John Krakauer
1997 Deja Dead (Temperance Brennan #1) by Kathy Reichs
1998 Message in a Bottle by Nicholas Sparks
1999 Speak by Laurie Hasle Anderson
2000 Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophia Kinsella
2001 The Two Princesses of Bamarre (Enchanted #2) by Gail Carson Levine
2002 The Nanny Diaries (Nanny #1) by Emma McLaughlin
2003 Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi
2004 My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult
2005 The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Millenium #1) by Stieg Larsson
2006 Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
2007 City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1) by Cassandra Clare
2008 The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
2009 The Lady Queen: The Notorious Reign of Joanna I, Queen of Naples, Jerusalem, and Sicily by Nancy Goldstone
2010 Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
2011 Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman by Robert K. Massie
2012 Reached (Matched #3) by Ally Condie
2013 – To Be Determined
I haven’t gone through to see which ones are available in ebook or audio book because I’m fairly certain most of them will be available at least as an ebook. If not, I’ll just switch to a different book.
I actually really want to read Reached right now, so I’m not sure if I’ll be able to hold off on that one until 2013. We shall see!
