I was on vacation half of September, and this three-quarters update snuck up on me slightly!  Fortunately, I’ve been doing a lot of challenge reading anyway…

Newbery Medal Winners
Goal: 15 Newbery Medal Winners, to bring myself to half of the total list
Host: Smiling Shelves

I continue to do better with the Newberys than I did in the first quarter, in terms of enjoying the books.  I’m also racking up large numbers of these.  It helps that they’re relatively easy reads, and also that they tend to be brilliant for audiobooks.  I try not to do anything too intense or complicated on audio (driving, you know) so children-friendly Newberys have gone well that way.

Just for fun, this quarter I thought I’d note the year of the Newberys I’ve read.  I need to work on the earliest ones still.  Maybe next quarter!

1. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry (1990)
2. The Grey King by Susan Cooper (1976)
3. The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate (2013)
4. The Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli (1950)
5. Up a Road Slowly by Irene Hunt (1967)
6. A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck (2001)
7. Flora and Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo (2014)
8. The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare (1962)
9. Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli (1991)
10. A Gathering of Days by Joan W. Blos (1980)
11. Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos (2012)
12. Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor (1992)
13. A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park (2002)
14. Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis (2000)

Parallel Universes
Goal: 12 books

I’m on track right now to exceed this goal, with so many really interesting parallel universe stories.  I’m fascinated by how different these books can be, while all being within what I thought was a fairly narrow criteria!

1. Pivot Point by Kasie West
2. A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray
3. Parallel by Lauren Miller
4. Here, There and Everywhere by Chris Roberson
5. Maybe In Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid
6. The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter
7. The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North
8. Sidewise in Time by Murray Leinster
9. The Square Root of Summer by Harriet Reuter Hapgood
10. A Crack in the Line by Michael Lawrence

Diversity On the Shelf
Host: The Englishist
Goal: 18 books

I did not do as well on this challenge this quarter.  But I’m still on track, and I managed a few double-challenge books by reading Newberys with minority leads.  I’m actually a little sad to be on track, though…I was hoping 18 books was a low bar, and I’m coming to the conclusion it wasn’t!

1. Otherbound by Corrinne Duyvis (Hispanic)
2. Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley (African-American)
3. Stars Above by Marissa Meyer (Unspecified Asian)
4. Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld (Indian)
5. Written in the Stars by Aisha Saeed (Pakistani)
6. Upside Down in the Middle of Nowhere by Julie T. Lamana (African-American)
7. Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu (Indian)
8. Scarlett Undercover by Jennifer Latham (African-American Muslim)
9. Bridge of Time by Lewis Buzbee (Chinese)
10. Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline (Native American)
11. Pioneer Girl by Bich Minh Nguyen (Vietnamese)
12. Join by Steve Toutonghi (various)
13. A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park (Korean)
14. Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis (African-American)

The Bardathon: Shakespeare Plays
Host: Samantha Lin
Goal: 5 plays read or seen (but ideally, read 5 comedies, read 5 tragedies, and watch 5 movies)

Sadly, not much Shakespeare this quarter, although while on vacation I went to see a live play at the Globe theatre…that counts double, right?  😉  I’ve exceeded my low goal, not feeling strong about my stretch goal, but will hopefully get a bit more of the Bard in before year’s end.

1. Much Ado About Nothing (Joss Whedon production)
2. Comedy of Errors (read)
3. Comedy of Errors (BBC production)
4. Measure for Measure (read)
5. A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1996 production)
6. Coriolanus (Gerard Butler production)
7. A Midsummer Night’s Dream (live performance at the Globe)

Carl’s Seasonal “Challenges”: Readers Imbibing Peril somehow began three weeks ago when I wasn’t paying attention…  Focused on horror, this one never fit my reading interests as well as the others, and I’m sitting it out this fall.  Back onto these with the Sci Fi challenge in a few months!

With just a few months left in the year and lots of non-reading things planned for that time (NaNoWriMo, anyone?) I’m still feeling pretty good about my reading goals.  A few more reads at the end of the year and goals are looking pretty attainable.  And after ten parallel universe novels, I’m still really looking forward to reading more… 😉

How has your reading been going for 2016? Are you pursuing challenges?  How are they going?

Can you believe we’re halfway through 2016 already?  I can, actually…it’s been a busy year.  With lots happening in and out of books! 🙂  But today is time for an update on the in-books news.  Here’s where I am for my reading challenges, with titles read in the previous quarter in gray…

Newbery Medal Winners
Goal: 15 Newbery Medal Winners, to bring myself to half of the total list
Host: Smiling Shelves

I’ve been enjoying these more this quarter, having hit several good ones.  My faith is becoming restored in the Newberys!  Suggestions are still welcome though.

1. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry (best of the bunch)
2. The Grey King by Susan Cooper (very disappointing)
3. The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate (pretty good)
4. The Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli (enjoyable, but unrealistic)
5. Up a Road Slowly by Irene Hunt (the poor man’s L. M. Montgomery)
6. A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck (uncertain start but grew on me)
7. Flora and Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo (cute and surprisingly silly)
8. The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare (fascinating historical fiction with Biblical connections)
9. Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli (delightful and surprisingly deep)
10. A Gathering of Days by Joan W. Blos (distant, but entertaining)

Parallel Universes
Goal: 12 books

I continue to have a wonderful time with parallel universes and parallel lives, and have managed to break out of the YA universe that marked my first-quarter reading.

1. Pivot Point by Kasie West
2. A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray
3. Parallel by Lauren Miller
4. Here, There and Everywhere by Chris Roberson
5. Maybe In Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid
6. The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter
7. The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North

Diversity On the Shelf
Host: The Englishist
Goal: 18 books

I’ve made some good progress here as well, and happily, I’ve actually managed to stumble on more non-Caucasian protagonists by pure chance!  Four this time, a big jump from the single one in the first quarter of the year.  I’m still hoping to review a few more of these than I have so far, but here’s the current list.

1. Otherbound by Corrinne Duyvis (Hispanic)
2. Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley (African-American)
3. Stars Above by Marissa Meyer (Unspecified Asian)
4. Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld (Indian)
5. Written in the Stars by Aisha Saeed (Pakistani)
6. Upside Down in the Middle of Nowhere by Julie T. Lamana (African-American)
7. Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu (Indian)
8. Scarlett Undercover by Jennifer Latham (African-American Muslim)
9. Bridge of Time by Lewis Buzbee (Chinese)
10. Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline (Native American)
11. Pioneer Girl by Bich Minh Nguyen (Vietnamese)

The Bardathon: Shakespeare Plays
Host: Samantha Lin
Goal: 5 plays read or seen (but ideally, read 5 comedies, read 5 tragedies, and watch 5 movies)

I’ve lost sight of Mr. Shakespeare a little this quarter, compared to the other challenges, but I did fit in a couple movies.  Hopefully, more to come later in the year!

1. Much Ado About Nothing (Joss Whedon production)
2. Comedy of Errors (read)
3. Comedy of Errors (BBC production)
4. Measure for Measure (read)
5. A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1996 production)
6. Coriolanus (Gerard Butler production)

Carl’s Seasonal “Challenges”: We just finished out the Once Upon a Time Challenge, which I reported on last week!

So at the midpoint of the year, I’m actually past the midpoint on most of my challenges, which is nice if I get side-tracked somewhere in the second half of 2016.  I’m having the most fun with the parallel universes one, but I’m feeling good about all the others too, which is a nice place to be halfway through the project. 🙂

How has your reading been going for 2016? Are you pursuing challenges or reading whatever sounds fun? 🙂

Summer has begun and it’s time (a bit past!) to say farewell to the Once Upon a Time challenge.  I’ve been very laid-back and rather unfocused this year, but I did get in a number of fantasy reads…though I reviewed less than I read!

Some may yet be reviewed, and in the meantime here’s a round-up, in the order I read them.

1) The War of Words by Amy Neftzger

2) The Last Enchantment by Mary Stewart – A dense but beautiful Arthurian retelling from Merlin’s point of view, book three in the series.  Particularly lovely with regard to Merlin and Arthur’s relationship.

3) Flora and Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo  – A fun romp about a superhero squirrel, surprisingly silly for a Newbery!

4) The Storyteller by Aaron Starmer

5) Revisionary by Jim C. Hines

6) The Conjurers by David Waid

7) The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto by Mitch Albom

8) Varjak Paw by S. F. Said – I didn’t love this, but it did have a cat protagonist, so there’s that going for it…

9) The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor – For a “true history of Wonderland” it was a bit disappointing.  Not bad, just…not awesome the way I hoped.  There was an uneasy balance between absurd trappings and a very grim narrative.

10) Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu

11) The Wicked Day by Mary Stewart – Final book in her Arthurian series, moving the point of view to Mordred.  Engaging, but then a bit of a weak ending.

12) Scarlett Undercover by Jennifer Latham – A very cool mix of murder mystery, Islamic beliefs and magic, all centered around a teenage girl determined to be a private eye.

13) Sunborn Rising: Beneath the Fall by Aaron Saffronoff – A book I received for review, so that review will be coming!

14) Bridge of Time by Lewis Buzbee – Time travel involving Mark Twain and a serious look at racism in early San Francisco, in a YA book.  A nicely done one.

15 & 16) The Squire’s Tale and The Squire, His Knight and His Lady by Gerald Morris – Rereads, they’re wonderful juvenile Arthurian tales centered around Gawain and his (original character) squire, Terence.  Utterly unlike Mary Stewart, wholly delightful!

I also watched a version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the 1996 production.  It was highly surreal, the fairies were rather sinister, and I mostly enjoyed the presence of a very young Mosely (from Downton Abbey, you know) as Demetrius!

And so we have my adventures in fairyland for the spring season.  What will summer bring?  🙂

Happy April Fool’s Day!  No tricks here though, I’m here to tell you accurately 🙂 how my reading challenges for the year are going a quarter of the way in.  I was very laid-back about challenges last year, and I’ve been greatly enjoying digging in on challenges this year, after that break.

Newbery Medal Winners
Goal: 15 Newbery Medal Winners, to bring myself to half of the total list
Host: Smiling Shelves

I’ve been making great progress reading these, though I’ve been disappointed more than once by a book.  For now I’m continuing on and hoping to hit some better ones (suggestions welcome!)

1. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry (best of the bunch)
2. The Grey King by Susan Cooper (very disappointing)
3. The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate (pretty good)
4. The Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli (enjoyable, but unrealistic)
5. Up a Road Slowly by Irene Hunt (the poor man’s L. M. Montgomery)
6. A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck (uncertain start but grew on me)

Parallel Universes
Goal: 12 books

I’ve been thoroughly enjoying this one.  Even imperfect books are just so fascinating in how they handle the question of parallel universes and crossing between them.

1. Pivot Point by Kasie West
2. A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray
3. Parallel by Lauren Miller

Diversity On the Shelf
Host: The Englishist
Goal: 18 books

Just a few months has made it abundantly clear that if I don’t seek out non-white protagonists, they rarely happen.  Depressing, although not surprising.

1. Otherbound by Corrinne Duyvis (Hispanic)
2. Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley (African-American)
3. Stars Above by Marissa Meyer (Asian) (the only chance-met book)
4. Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld (Indian)
5. Written in the Stars by Aisha Saeed (Pakistani)

The Bardathon: Shakespeare Plays
Host: Samantha Lin
Goal: 5 plays read or seen (but ideally, read 5 comedies, read 5 tragedies, and watch 5 movies)

I’ve loved getting back into Mr. Shakespeare’s language, and even though I have a ways to go to reach my ideal goal, I feel like I’m making wonderful progress.  I like the feeling that the Bard and I are getting closer again!

1. Much Ado About Nothing (Joss Whedon production)
2. Comedy of Errors (read)
3. Comedy of Errors (BBC production)
4. Measure for Measure (read)

Carl’s Seasonal “Challenges”: We’re just at the beginning of Once Upon a Time, so I’m signed up and reading fantasy.  I’ll have more to report on this at the next update.

I’m also quite pleased that I’ve been reviewing many of my challenge books (and still plan to review some of the recent, unreviewed ones).  I hate to do these updates and have no information on the blog about the books or what I thought of them!

So far I’m still enjoying these challenges, and feeling good about how they’re impacting my reading.  How has your reading been going for 2016?

It’s the start of spring, and you know what that means–time to return for another year of Once Upon a Time, the fantasy reading “challenge” hosted by Carl over at Stainless Steel Droppings.  This is my favorite reading challenge, one that so perfectly fits my favorite genre–fantasy, with an emphasis on fairy tales!

In keeping with the laid-back nature of this challenge (and the general busy-ness of my life in the last few weeks!) I don’t have particular plans…but I’m sure I’ll find my way into plenty of challenge appropriate books.  I’m reading a fantasy right now and have three more on my stack, so…

I love two-for reads, so I’ll be checking the Newbery list for any fantasies, and if you know of a magic-based parallel universe story (I think it’s been all sci fi so far) or a good fantasy with a non-Caucasian protagonist, let me know!

Are you joining the challenge?  Do you have fairylands you plan to explore? And did I mention I’ve written three fairy tale retellings, if you need ideas? 🙂