The end of June marks the midpoint of the year, which of course means it’s time for an update on reading challenges…

All links go to reviews, and if you’re curious about any unreviewed books, just ask!

The Chunkster Challenge

In my efforts to overcome my fear of long books, I’m trying to read some of the intimidating ones I’ve been putting off…

1) Walden by Henry David Thoreau (audio)

2) Les Miserables by Victor Hugo (reviews Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3)

3) The House on Durrow Street by Galen Beckett

4) The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien

5) The Master of Heathcrest Hall by Galen Beckett

My goal was one chunkster a month, which went slightly awry when it turned out that The Two Towers and Return of the King are not as long as I always thought!  But since the real goal was to finally read intimidating books, I’m calling that good anyway…

Finishing the Series

I’ve been trying since last year to finish the many series I was midway through, and I’m making some good progress…

1) The Pink Carnation series by Lauren Willig
Total books: 9 (to date)
When I began the series: February, 2011
Read prior to 2013: 7
Read in 2013: The Orchid Affair, The Garden Intrigue
Status: Up to date, until the next one comes out in August

2) Ender’s Game series by Orson Scott Card
Total books: 4
When I began the series: February, 2012
Read prior to 2013: 1
Read in 2013: Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, Children of the Mind
Status: Complete–kind of!
So this is funny–it’s complicated counting how many books are in the Ender series, because there’s a second, connected series, and a few scattered items that fit in as well.  I’ve decided to reduce my focus (for now at least) to just the original Ender quartet.  I may eventually come back and read the other six or eight related books…

3) The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer
Total books: 2 (to date)
When I began the series: June, 2012
Read prior to 2013: 1
Read in 2013: Scarlet
Status: Up to date!

4) Sevenwaters by Juliet Marillier
Total books: 6
When I began the series: June, 2010
Read prior to 2013: 3
Read in 2013: Heir to Sevenwaters, Seer of Sevenwaters
Still to read: 1

5) The Mrs. Quent Trilogy by Galen Beckett
Total books: 3
When I began the series: September, 2012
Read prior to 2013: 1
Read in 2013: The House on Durrow Street, The Master of Heathcrest Hall
Status: Complete!

Revisiting Old Friends

I’ve also been resolving to reread some beloved books, and since many of them are fantasy, I made good progress during Once Upon a Time.  Revisited favorites include:

1) Pat of Silver Bush and Mistress Pat by L. M. Montgomery

2) A Voice from the Border by Pamela Smith Hill

3) Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey

4) Star Trek: Federation by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens

5) Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman

6) Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George

7) Chalice by Robin McKinley

8) The Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine

9) The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley

10) The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley

11) Heart’s Blood by Juliet Marillier

12) The Princess Bride by William Goldman

13) The Crystal Gryphon by Andre Norton

14) Gryphon in Glory by Andre Norton

The plan this year was to be relatively low-key with the challenges, mostly to open up some space for all those big thick intimidating books.  Which has worked, since, after all, I read Lord of the Rings!  But long books have rather thoroughly occupied my reading focus recently, so I’m planning on an increasingly low-key summer to do a little more random reading…at least in theory.  I’ll have another update at the end of September!