Alaskabookworm's 75 Book Challenge for 2012

Well, I didn't spend too much time writing on my 2011 thread, but at least I managed to read 151 books last year, which was a new record for me. I don't think I'll come near meeting that record this year, as I am already off to a slow start, but it's still fun to keep track. I'm going to try and use asterisks to show my ratings of each book. Not sure I'll have time to write reviews. Hopefully the star system will imply whether I recommend something or not.

Currently Reading:

Here's the year's reading so far:

September
113. Dare Me by Megan Abbott****
112. Drama by Raina Telgemeier***
111. We Sinners by Hanna Pylvainen****
110. A Million Heavens by John Brandon***
109. My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick*****
108. Unwholly by Neal Shusterman****
107. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn****
106. Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake****

August
105. The Call by Yannick Murphy****
104. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Foer Safran*****
103. A Bad Day for Voodoo by Jeff Strand****
102. The Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce*****
101. Team Human by Justine Larbalestier & Sarah Rees Brennan****
100. Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale***
99. Monkey Mind by Daniel B. Smith****
98. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller***
97. All About Emily by Connie Willis***
96. The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey*****
95. In One Person by John Irving****
94. The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian*****
93. Tigers in Red Weather by Liza Klaussmann***

July
92. Keeping the Castle by Patrice Kindl***
91. The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker*****
90 The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour***
89. The House at Tyneford by Natasha Solomons*****
88. The Unfinished Work of Elizabeth D by Nichole Bernier**
87. An Available Man by Hilma Wolitzer*****
86. Brand New Human Being by Emily Jeanne Miller****
85. Unsaid by Neil Abramson***
84. All Clear by Connie Willis*****
83. American Dervish by Ayad Akhtar****
82. At Last by Edward St. Aubyn***

June
81. The Mansion of Happiness by Jill Lepore***
80. Somebody Everybody Listens To by Suzanne Supplee****
79. Blackout by Connie Willis****
78. The Innocents by Francesca Segal***
77. Wife 22 by Melanie Gideon****
76. The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen***
75. Insurgent by Veronica Roth****
74. The Red House by Mark Haddon***

May
73. Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore*****
72. Truth Like the Sun by Jim Lynch****
71. Fated by Alyson Noel*
70. The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett***
69. Faith Bass Darling's Last Garage Sale by Lynda Rutledge****
68. The Mighty Miss Malone by Christopher Paul Curtis****

April
67. Wonder by R.J. Palacio****
66. Mad Love by Suzanne Selfors***
65. The American Heiress by Daisy Goodwin***
64. You Against Me by Jenny Downham****
63. The Boy on Cinnamon Street by Phoebe Stone**
62. BZRK by Michael Grant****
61. All Is Grace by Brennan Manning***
60. Cleopatra by Stacy Schiff****
59. The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate****
58. The Starboard Sea by Amber Dermont***
57. Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life by Richard Rohr*****
56. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews***
55. Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver****
54. Some Assembly Required by Anne Lamott***
53. Dead To You by Lisa McMann***
52. Flip by Martyn Bedford****
51. There Is No Dog by Meg Rosoff***
50. Cold Cereal by Adam Rex***
49. Partials by Dan Wells****
48. A Good American by Alex George***

March
47. Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi***
46. True.... Sort Of by Katherine Hannigan***
45. Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai****
44. The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning****
43. The Returning by Christine Hinwood****
42. Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson****
41. Carry the One by Carol Anshaw***
40. Life: An Exploded Diagram by Mal Peet****
39. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury*****
38. The Flight of Gemma Hardy by Margot Livesey****
37. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith***1/2
36. Shadowcry by Jenna Burtenshaw****
35. Unpacking My Library: Writers and Their Books edited by Leah Price****
34. Heft by Liz Moore*****
33. Wither by Lauren DeStefano**
32. Bluefish by Pat Schmatz*****
31. Curse of the Blue Tattoo: Being an Account of the Misadventures of Jacky Faber, Midshipman and Fine Lady by L. A. Meyer****
30. The Wolf Gift by Anne Rice***
29. The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes****
28. Crossed by Ally Condie**
27 Pure by Julianna Baggott****
26. Still: Notes on a Mid-Faith Crisis by Lauren Winner****
25. The Talk-Funny Girl by Roland Merullo****

February
24. Clarity by Kim Harrington**
23. What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen****
22. Nothing by Janne Teller***
21. Ivanhoe by Walter Scott***
20. Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos***
19. Bloody Jack by L.A. Meyer*****
18. No One Is Here Except All of Us by Ramona Ausubel****
17. Stay With Me by Paul Griffin****
16. Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley***
15. Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler****
14. Bellwether by Connie Willis****
13. How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr****
12. The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction by Alan Jacobs****
11. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green***************

January
10. Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn***
9. The Abused Werewolf Rescue Group by Catherine Jinks***
8. The Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Jinks****
7. The Year We Left Home by Jean Thompson****
6. Quiver by Holly Luhning***
5. Tales of the Madman Underground by John Barnes*****
4. The Future of Us by Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler****
3. Night Road by Kristin Hannah***
2. Among Others by Jo Walton*****
1. The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson****

2011 Reads

December
151. The Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck
150. Everybody Sees the Ants by A.S. King
149. Steel by Carrie Vaughn
148. The Coffins of Little Hope by Timothy Schaffert
147. Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer Holm
146. Blink & Caution by Tim Wynne-Jones
145. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever by Jeff Kinney
144. The Dead Gentleman by Matthew Cody
143. Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu
142. Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver
141. Enchantments by Kathryn Harrison
140. The Gift of Being Yourself by David Benner
139. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
138. Froi of the Exiles by Melina Marchetta
137. Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood
136. Katherine by Anya Seton

November
135. Quiet by Susan Cain
134. The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides
133. To Catch a Mermaid by Suzanne Selfors
132. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
131. The Kingdom of Childhood by Rebecca Coleman
130. Tempest by Julie Cross
129. Powerless by Matthew Cody
128. Darth Paper Strikes Back by Tom Angleberger
127. Prophet of Fire by William H. Stephens

October
126. The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann
125. The Curse of the Wendigo by Rick Yancey
124. Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean
123. Dark Water by Laura McNeal
122. Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones
121. Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick
120. The Thin Executioner by Darren Shan
119. Forgotten by Cat Patrick
118. White Crow by Marcus Sedgwick
117. This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel
116. Ten Things We Did by Sarah Mlynowski
115. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

September
114. Charles and Emma by Deborah Heligman
113. Snakewoman of Little Egypt by Robert Hellenga
112. Something Upstairs by Avi
111. Middlemarch by George Eliot
110. Divergent by Veronica Roth
109. A Strange Stirring by Stephanie Coontz

August
108. Chain Reaction by Simone Elkeles
107. Envy by Gregg Olsen
106. The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness
105. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
104. The Dragons of Chiril by Donita K. Paul
103. One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia

July
102. The Gift by Bryan M. Litfin
101. Gone by Lisa McMann
100. The Bride's House by Sandra Dallas
99. Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore
98. Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
97. Notes From the Blender by Trish Cook & Brendan Halpin
96. Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin
95. The Season by Sarah MacLean
94. The Incorrigle Children of Ashton Place: The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood
93. Prom & Prejudice by Elizabeth Eulberg
92. Artichoke's Heart by Suzanne Supplee
91. The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb by Melanie Benjamin
90. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
89. Bright Before Us by Katie Arnold-Ratliff

June
88. Fade by Lisa McMann
87. God Is In the Pancakes by Robin Epstein
86. How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff
85. Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea
84. Guilty Pleasures by Laurel K. Hamilton
83. Voices of Dragons by Carrie Vaughn
82. No Passengers Beyond This Point by Gennifer Choldenko
81. Coffeehouse Angel by Suzanne Selfors
80. Wake by Lisa McMann
79. All Unquiet Things by Anna Jarzab
78. Renovation of the Church by Kent Carlson and Mike Lueken
77. The Final Frontiersman by James Campbell
76. Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce
75. Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon
74. Enclave by Ann Aguirre
73. Faithful by Janet Fox
72. Mine Is the Night by Liz Curtis Higgs
71. The Dark City (Relic Master) by Catherine Fisher
70. Beauty Queens by Libba Bray
69. Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt
68. The Defense of Thaddeus A. Ledbetter by John Goesslink
67. The Sweetest Thing by Elizabeth Musser
66. Doc by Mary Doria Russell

May
65. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
64. The Witches of East End by Melissa de la Cruz
63. Things a Brother Knows by Dana Reinhardt
62. Touch by Alexi Zentner
61. A Love Story: Starring My Dead Best Friend by Emily Horner
60. After the Golden Age by Carrie Vaughn
59. Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
58. How to Ruin Your Boyfriend's Reputation by Simone Elkeles
57. How to Ruin a Teenage Life by Simone Elkeles
56. How to Ruin a Summer Vacation by Simone Elkeles
55. The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

April
54. Love Wins by Rob Bell
53. Townie by Andre Dubus III
52. Revolver by Marcus Sedgwick
51. Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper
50. The Last Summer of the Death Warriors by Francisco X. Stork
49. Toby Alone by Timothee de Fombelle
48. Fat Cat by Robin Brande
47. Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King
46. Dune by Frank Herbert
45. The Uncoupling by Meg Wolitzer

March 2011
44. Return to Paradise by Simone Elkeles
43. The Duff by Kody Keplinger
42. Plain Kate by Erin Bow
41. Sean Griswold's Head by Lindsey Leavitt
40. Mister Posterior and the Genius Child by Emily Jenkins
39. Leaving Paradise by Simone Elkeles
38. One of Our Thursdays Is Missing by Jasper Fforde
37. Church: An Insider's Look At How We Do It by John G. Stackhouse
36. Swamplandia! by Karen Russell
35. The Romeo and Juliet Code by Phoebe Stone
34. Crazy Beautiful by Lauren Baratz-Logsted
33. Salvation City by Sigrid Nunez
32. Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles
31. The Garden of Eve by K. L Going
30. Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell
29. Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles
28. This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer

February 2011
27. The Chasm by Randy Alcorn
26. The Storm Runners by Roland Smith
25. Stolen by Lucy Christopher
24. The Fates Will Find Their Way by Hannah Pittard
23. Real Live Boyfriends by E. Lockhart
22. The Treasure Map of Boys by E. Lockhart
21. Moon Over Manifest by Claire Vanderpool
20. The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde
19. Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine
18. An American Childhood by Annie Dillard
17. The Radleys by Matt Haig
16. Don't Breathe a Word by Jennifer McMahon
15. Forge by Laurie Halse Anderson
14. Funeral for a Dog by Thomas Pletzing

January 2011
13. The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall
12. Left Neglected by Lisa Genova
11. This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper
10. The White Darkness by Geraldine McCaughrean
9. Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson
8. Little Bee by Chris Cleave
7. Sir Quinlan and the Sword of Valor by Chuck Black
6. Jane by April Lindner
5. At Home by Bill Bryson
4. The House at Riverton by Kate Morton
3. The Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
2. The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney
1. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Wow that is amazing!! How can you possibly read so much in a year?! Even if I try extremely hard, I doubt I will make it to 75. Also....did you like Dune? I really want to star the series.

I don't think 6 books is a slow start ;-)
Welcome back, Linda!

Glad to see you back with us again, Linda!

Welcome back!

I'm new to 75 book challenge and thought I would start by following people with whom I share a lot of books. Although my library is much smaller (so I don't even show up on your list) you're number 1 in "raw" number of books in common with me. I also am astonished (and inspired) by the number of books you read. I look forward to following you this year.

Linda missed your thread somehow. Since we share 1500 books I thought that I would try to keep up with your reading. btw splendid collection of books!

Thanks for saying "Hi" everyone! I appreciate the visit.

I find myself in an unusual situation regarding how many books I'm currently working on. I'm typically a monogamous reader (one book at a time), but between book club, and an early review book I'm creeping through, an enticing stack of library books, and the overwhelming impulse to begin tackling my pile of I-WANT-TO-READ-THIS-YESTERDAY books, I'm a bit over my head. Kind of an eclectic mix of books at that, but the Jacobs book, The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction is going far in aleving any guilt.

I just finished John Green's newest last night and I just loved it. I've read all his books and enjoyed them all - Looking for Alaska in particular - but I really think The Fault in Our Stars is his best so far. It takes courage and an enormous amount of talent to tell the story of teens living and dying with cancer in such a thoughtful and engaging way. He does not waste a single word in that book. It made me laugh and cry - sometimes simultaneously. And, seriously, when I read what I was soon to discover was the final page, I cried simply because I wasn't ready to leave the characters. Anyway, enough of that. So great. I love it when a book forever changes how a person looks at the world.

I'm having a similar perception-altering experience with Bellwether. I am actually listening to it, as a library audio download, though I also own it. I'm not quite halfway through, but it is making me think about life differently.

I've spent most of the morning reading. I've got another hour - less actually - until I have leave and take my daughter to the dentist. Getting her ready for braces. Lucky us. I've delved into three of the four books I'm reading. Trying to give each equal attention, but like trying to give each of my four kids equal attention, it isn't easy. Its different though. With the kids, I tend to give the most attention to the most challenging one. Conversely, with the books, I find I want to take the path of least resistance and stick with the easy stuff. Oh well, my goal is to get through 30 more pages of Ivanhoe. I guess he's the one accompanying me to the dentist.

"Its different though. With the kids, I tend to give the most attention to the most challenging one. Conversely, with the books, I find I want to take the path of least resistance and stick with the easy stuff. Oh well, my goal is to get through 30 more pages of Ivanhoe. I guess he's the one accompanying me to the dentist."

You know, this is exactly the reason I love the 75 book challenge. You meet the kind of person who thinks 'Ivanhoe' is the 'path of least resistance' and takes him to the dentist. I love you guys so much!

Oh how I love John Green's masterpiece The Fault our Stars.

Only you guys will appreciate this: 10 cent per book sale at a thriftstore today here in Anchorage. I spent $17.60. You do the math. I feel a bit enchanted.

Linda - a lady after my own heart. It is not surprising that your collection expands so rapidly with books at such a reasonable price level. Enjoy.

Wow, what a deal!! But where do you put them all?

> 12: WOW!!
That is a great deal, I am glad books aren't THAT cheap over here, we would need an extra room build in no time ;-)

#15: same here!