I’m a Reading Challenge Addict who only completed half of her challenges

Happy New Year, everyone! It’s time to wrap up where I am with all of my challenges. I would have put this in my wrap-up for December, but I think it deserved its own post. I also wanted to make sure I squeezed everything in by December 31st.

2017 Book Blog Discussion Challenge

Hosted by Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction and Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight

Goal: Creative Conversationalist (11 posts)

Actual: Creative Conversationalist (15 posts)

This is a significant improvement from last year.

Goodread 2017 Reading Challenge

Goal: 60 books

Actual: 78 books

I squeezed in one more before midnight, so I’m at a solid 78 books.

Pages Read 2017 Reading Challenge

Hosted by Gina @ Book Dragon’s Lair

Goal: 17,000 (Bonsai)

Actual: 16,044 (Bonsai)

At least I made it to the right level. I didn’t think it would be this hard to read 17,000 pages (and keep track of them), but it was. Can I get half credit for this?

Back to the Classics Challenge 2017

Hosted by Karen K. @ Books and Chocolate

Goal: 6 of 12 categories

Actual: 4 categories

• 19th Century Classic: Pudd’nhead Wilson by Mark Twain
• 20th Century Classic: Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser
• Classic by a Woman Author: Life in the Iron Mills by Rebecca Harding Davis
• Classic Originally Published Before 1800: Paradise Lost by John Milton

Romeo & Juliet would have counted for the fifth category (Romance Classic) if I had gotten around to reviewing it, which I haven’t felt inclined to do. The same goes for Richard III (Classic with a Number in the Title) as the sixth category.

Banned/Challenged Books Reading Challenge 2017

Hosted by Book Dragon’s Lair

Goal: 13 books (Uncontrolled)

Actual: 10 books. “You are a Blow-up fire. Sudden increase in fire intensity strong enough to upset control plans.”

There is supposed to be a place to link-up my reviews, but I never found that linky. Besides, it looks like reviews were optional. If they weren’t optional, I’m still in the same level at 9 books.

1. The Color of Earth by Kim Dong Hwa
2. Pudd’nhead Wilson by Mark Twain
3. Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser
4. Ash by Malinda Lo
5. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
6. Paradise Lost by John Milton
7. Tokyo Ghoul, Vol. 1, by Sui Ishida
8. Tokyo Ghoul, Vol. 2, by Sui Ishida
9. Beijing Doll by Chun Sue
10. Romeo & Juliet by William Shakespeare

Graphic Novel & Manga Reading Challenge

2017 10th Annual Graphic Novel & Manga Challenge, hosted by Nicola

Goal: 12 books (Modern Age level)

Actual: 13 books (Modern Age level)

I would just like to note that my 13th book for this challenge was not added to try to get to the next level. There was no way I was going to be able to read 24 graphic novels this year, but I read and reviewed 13 nonetheless. I didn’t review 3 graphic novels this year.

These are the graphic novels that I read and reviewed this year.

Something I noticed: almost all of the graphic novels I read this year were translated into English, and I didn’t like the ones that were written in English. Am I naturally drawn to graphic novels from other countries?

2017 Library Love Challenge

Hosted by Bea’s Book Nook and Angel’s Guilty Pleasures

Original Goal: 12 books (Dewey Decimal)

Second Goal: 24 books (Thrifty Reader)

Actual: 24 books (Thrifty Reader)

This challenge showed me that I read a lot of library books throughout the year. That’s why I raised my goal after reaching it so soon in the year.

Thank you to the public library and the university library for giving everyone access to books.

Here are the library books I read this year:

2017 Operation Deepen Faith

As I announced back in October, I realized there was no way I was going to complete Operation Deepen Faith this year. I admitted defeat and dropped the challenge. Just so you know, this was the goal, and this is where I stood by the end of it:

Goal: Read the whole Protestant Bible.

Percent of Old Testament: 7.9%

Percent of New Testament: 0.0%

Percent of the Bible: 6.1%

Would I do this challenge again? Probably not.

2017 Picture Book Reading Challenge

Hosted by Becky’s Book Reviews

Goal: 20 books for Option 2

Actual: 20

This challenge ended up being more of a chore than anything fun. Option 2 is very useful for getting yourself to read all sorts of picture books if you want to participate in future years.

In my list, I will also include the reviews for the two books that I read in December.

2. a counting book – DK Braille: Counting by Fleur Star, designed by Jemma Westing
4. a book set on a farm or in the country – The Gigantic Turnip by Aleksey Nikolayevich Tolstoy, illustrated by Niamh Sharkey
7. a book with human characters – The Dunderheads by Paul Fleischman, illustrated by David Roberts
8. a book with animal characters – Si·su T’i·yeli T’a·gɨm Moŋgɨl HayaɁ: The Wašiw Legend of the Large Bird that Grew Pine Nuts retold and translated by Lisa Enos and Melba Rakow, ilustrated by Mauricio Sandoval
23. a book by Jon Scieszka – The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka, illustrated by Lane Smith
30. a book about trains or planes – Line 135 by Germano Zullo, illustrated by Albertine
39. a new-to-you illustrator – Two White Rabbits by Jairo Buitrago, illustrated by Rafael Yocktang
42. a book celebrating food (cooking, eating, trying new foods, eating healthy) – I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato by Lauren Child
47. a book published in the 1980s – The Tale of the Dark Crystal by Donna Bass, illustrated by Bruce McNally
52. a book by Dr. Seuss – Bartholomew and the Oobleck by Dr. Seuss
53. a book by Mo Willems – Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems
56. a book by Laura Numeroff – If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff, illustrated by Felicia Bond
57. a book by Patricia Polacco – The Lemonade Club by Patricia Polacco
67. a book you discovered as an adult – Golem by David Wisniewski

I forgot that I read this book earlier in the year. (Thank you, Goodreads.) It’s a great little story that involves the creation and destruction of life. The best part of this book is the illustrations. They’re striking.

74. a book that makes you laugh – The Dumb Bunnies by Sue Denim, illustrated by Dav Pilkey
76. hate the text, love the art – The Pumpkin Blanket by Deborah Turney Zagwyn
84. a book about seasons – C’ošuŋi: The Wašiw Seasons as Told by Cošuŋi retold and translated by Lisa Enos and Melba Rakow, illustrated by BillyHawk Enos
87. a book by a celebrity – Green Porno by Isabella Rossellini

Isabella Rossellini dresses in costume and explains how sex happens in several species of sea creatures. The photographs are placed effectively to show drama and effect. The book cleverly teaches you about sexual reproduction in certain sea creatures while also showing some of the negative effects of over-fishing. It’s not a particularly wonderful book, but it is clever and colorful. It also comes with a DVD of short films about the same subject.

98. a bilingual book – Guadalupe: First Words / Primeras Palabras by Patty Rodríguez, illustrated by Ariana Stein
101. an adaptation of a myth or legend – Pewet’sali Ɂi·da Damalali C’ɨk’ɨ HaɁka: The Wašiw Legend of Pewet’sali and Damalali and Their Adventure with Black Widow retold and translated by Lisa Enos and Melba Rakow, illustrated by Charles Munroe

Read It Again, Sam, Challenge

Hosted by Bev Hankins @ My Reader’s Block

Goal: 8 books (Feeling Nostalgic)

Actual: 8 books (Feeling Nostalgic)

I read

1. The Pumpkin Blanket by Deborah Turney Zagwyn
2. The Dumb Bunnies by Sue Denim, illustrated by Dav Pilkey
3. The Tragedy of Romeo & Juliet by William Shakespeare
4. Ouran High School Host Club, Vol. 2 by Bisco Hatori
5. Hamlet by William Shakespeare
6. The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka, illustrated by Lane Smith
7. Bartholomew and the Oobleck by Dr. Seuss
8. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff, illustrated by Felicia Bond

I’m aware that most of these are picture books and that it might be cheating. I intended to reread novels, but the truth is that most of my re-reads were picture books this year.

I don’t want to plan on re-reading books next year, even if I manage it, because I don’t re-read books very often. If I do, it’s usually because I love it that much.

The Well Read Pagan Reading Challenge 2017

Hosted by The Domestic Witch

Goal: 2 books

Actual: 0 books

I thought I was going to want to read a couple of books this year, and I ended up reading none.

Reading Challenge Addict

Goal: 11 challenges (In Flight)

Actual: 7 completed (On the Roof)*

Update (1/2/2018): I miscounted. I completed 7, not 6 challenges.

*Remember that I gave myself two challenges with the Library Love Challenge.

This is about half of my challenges. That’s disappointing since I clearly have a problem with signing up for challenges and not completing them. My only consolation is that I’ve signed for fewer 2018 challenges than 2017 challenges, but I will still try to complete them.

>^..^<

How did your challenges go? Are you repeating any of them for 2018?