2016 Reading Challenge

Inspiration Jan 18, 2016

I’ve been a bookworm for as long as I can remember – I asked my parents, teachers, & family, to read to me relentlessly until I was able to read on my own. Once I was able to get through a book on my own, nothing in print was safe around me. I packed 2-3 books on every family vacation and when I was done with mine I scooped up my dad’s Stephen Kings & (unfortunately) my mom’s trashy romance novels (and no I couldn’t understand any of what was going on… is manhood related to Robin Hood? He does seem to be doing a lot of giving….).

Anyway, summer reading lists were a dream come true for me. Yes, I know, how nerdy but HEY IT’S NOT LIKE I TOLD ANYONE HOW EXCITED I WAS WHEN THEY HANDED THE LIST OUT! I devoured books like candy. Educational candy which meant that my parents were more than happy to buy me whatever books I wanted. When I got to high school and had to learn how to budget for myself, my mom always told me I could spend whatever I wanted on three things: food, books, & travel (chaperoned obviously). My dad told me not to trust someone if I went over to their house and they didn’t have any books; side note- browsing someone’s bookshelves is one of my favorite things to do. You learn so much about someone by the books they choose to read.

So, about choosing to read! Some of you may have seen the reading challenge I did last year. If you didn’t see it, you can read it HERE. To refresh your memory, here’s the checklist:

  
Okay so according to the list I was suppose to read 52 books last year. That’s a book a week. On a good week I finished up to 3. Unfortunately there were a lot of weeks where I didn’t finish any. So in total I read 38 books in 2015. I’m actually really bummed I didn’t read all 52 books but I’m pretty happy I passed the half way mark! If you’re interested, here’s a list of the books I read (& which checkpoint they fit).

  1. A book with more than 500 pages: The Goldfinch by Donna Tart
  2. A classic romance: Sense & Sensibility by Jane Austen
  3. A book that became a movie: The Martian by Andy Weir
  4. A book published this year: The School of Greatness by Lewis Howes
  5. A book with a number in the title: 29 Gifts by Cami Walker
  6. A book written by someone under 30: The Opposite of Loneliness by Marina Keegan
  7. A book with nonhuman characters: The Last Mermaid by Shana Abe
  8. A funny book: Yes Please by Amy Poehler
  9. A book by a female author: Why Not Me by Mindy Kaling
  10. A mystery or thriller: Wreckage by Emily Bleeker
  11. A book with a one word title: Perfume by Patrick Suskind
  12. A book of short stories: Unnatural Creatures by Neil Gaiman
  13. A book set in a different country: The Vacationers by Emma Straub
  14. A nonfiction book: The One Thing by Gary Keller
  15. A popular author’s first book: Looking for Alaska by John Green
  16. A book from an author you love that you haven’t read yet: The Supreme Gift by Paulo Coelho
  17. A book a friend recommended: Essentialism by Greg McKeown 
  18. A Pulitzer Prize winning book: The Brief & Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
  19. A book based on a true story: The Happiness of Pursuit by Chris Guillebeau
  20. A book at the bottom of your to read list: Not That Kind Of Girl by Lena Dunham
  21. Memoir: 6 word Memoirs
  22. A book that scares you: Lost Girls by Robert Kolker
  23. A book more than 100 years old: The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
  24. A book based entirely on its cover: The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton
  25. A book you were suppose to read in school but didn’t: To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
  26. A book you can finish in a day: Stories by Neil Gaiman & Al Sarrantonio
  27. A book with bad reviews: The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
  28. A trilogy: The MaddAddam Trilogy by Margaret Atwood
  29. A book from your childhood: Grimm’s Fairy Tales
  30. A book with a love triangle: Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
  31. A book set in the future: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adam
  32. A book set in high school: Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
  33. A book that made you cry: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
  34. A book with magic: The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White
  35. A graphic novel: I Kill Giants by Joe Kelly & JM Ken Niimura
  36. A book by an author you’ve never read before: A Year of Miracles by Marianne Williamson
  37. A banned book: Lady Chatterly’s Lover by DH Lawrence
  38. A book published the year you were born: The Princess Bride by William Goldman

But on to the new year! It’s 2016 and there’s a brand new list out people! Here it is:

  

As you can see there are way less books this year with only on the list. Okay so maybe not way less but 10 less anyway! So now the big question, who wants to do the challenge with me? It’ll be fun, I promise! Whether you’re joining me or not, if you have any recommendations of books to read, please leave them below!

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