Now, I'm pretty certain that at the start of the year I said I wasn't really going to set myself any challenges (I didn't set one on Goodreads for example). But after a month, I caved and posted this list of books I wanted to read to complete a reading challenge for the year.
I then promptly forgot all about it until just now. Oops.
So although it's way past the halfway point of the year (hello August, how did you get here???), I thought I'd just do a quick update on how I've done so far... Better late than never, eh? And who knows? Maybe I'll surprise myself.
1. A book with more than 500 pages: CHECK!
A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin2. A classic romance
3. A book that became a movie: CHECK
I read The Color Purple, To Kill a Mockingbird, Dracula, and The Beach, all of which became movies! There are probably even more that I can't think of right now.
4. A book published this year
5. A book with a number in the title: CHECK
I literally just finished Ready Player One by Ernest Cline about 5 minutes ago, so that's another challenge complete! Yay! Hopefully I'll get a review up soon :)
6. A book written by someone under 30
7. A book with non-human characters: CHECK
I finished The City and the Stars by Arthur C. Clarke a couple of days ago and that has some characters that aren't human... So I'm gonna go with that!
8. A funny book: CHECK
Read (and loved) The Martian earlier in the year. Not exactly the same type of humour as the book in my original post, but still really funny!
9. A book by a female author: CHECK
Loads of them!
10. A mystery or thriller: CHECK
I forgot to mention in my July wrap-up (woops) that I read Taken at the Flood by Agatha Christie, partly listening to it on audiobook in the car on the way to Norfolk, and partly via my own physical copy (which I flew through - I couldn't take the suspense!).
11. A book with a one word title: CHECK
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman.
12. A book with short stories
13. A book set in a different country: CHECK
I put Burial Rites by Hannah Kent as my original answer for this, but I could also have gone with Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
14. A non-fiction book
15. A popular author's first book: CHECK
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan, which I LOVED and really need to get on and review!
16. A book from an author you love that you haven't read yet
17. A book a friend recommended: CHECK
The Beach by Alex Garland.
18. A Pulitzer Prize winning novel: CHECK
Well, I haven't managed to read Gilead yet, but I did read The Color Purple and To Kill a Mockingbird, which I think have both won the Pulitzer Prize.
19. A book based on a true story
20. A book at the bottom of your TBR list
21. A book your mom loves: CHECK
I didn't get round to reading the one I put on the list originally, but I did read Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson, which my mum adores!
22. A book that scares you
23. A book more than 100 years old: CHECK
Dracula by Bram Stoker. I also read some of the Penguin Little Black Classics that fall into this category.
24. A book based entirely on its cover
25. A book you were supposed to read in school and didn't
26. A memoir
27. A book with antonyms in the title
28. A book you can finish in a day: CHECK
I read The Machine Stops by E.M. Forster, which is super short, in one sitting (I think), and it completely blew my mind.
29. A book set somewhere you've always wanted to go
Does Mars count? ;)
30. A book published the year you were born
31. A book with bad reviews
32. A trilogy
33. A book from your childhood
34. A book with a love triangle
35. A book set in the future: CHECK
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel.
36. A book set in high school
37. A book with a colour in the title: CHECK
The Color Purple by Alice Walker.
38. A book that made you cry
39. A book with magic
40. A graphic novel: CHECK
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, which I recently cited as one of my favourite reads of this year.
41. A book by an author you've never read before: CHECK
Loads.
42. A book you own but have never read: CHECK
Again, loads. I did read a lot of books I only bought this year, but I also read plenty that had been sitting on my shelf awhile.
43. A book that takes place in your hometown
44. A book that was originally written in another language: CHECK
The Guest Cat by Takashi Hiraide.
45. A book set during Christmas
46. A book by an author with your initials
47. A play
48. A banned book
49. A book based on or turned into a TV show
I'm part of the way through A Clash of Kings so I'll probably count that here when I'm done with it.
50. A book you started but never finished
I'm coming for you Villette!
So there you go! If my counting is correct, I've completed:
21/50 challenges
Yay me! I'm definitely pleased with that :) I just hope I actually end up reading over 50 books this year (stupid exams).
Are you guys doing any challenges? How's your reading going so far this year?
For having forgotten about your checklist, you've made some awesome progress!
ReplyDeleteHaha thanks Shaina! I actually really surprised myself! :P
DeleteOh Chronicle of a Death Foretold. What did you think about it?! I read that one and was kind of unsure what was going on the whole time
ReplyDeleteIt is an extremely bizarre book! I think I really benefited from having already read One Hundred Years of Solitude, as I was already a bit familiar with his writing style. He definitely takes some getting used to! I don't know if you've read any other Marquez books but if not, I recommend giving him another shot!
Delete