Darth Heather's 2017 Challenge Log

Just getting ready for the New Year! I'm planning a monthly post in this thread to keep up with progress on various challenges.

January 2017

Friday's Child by Georgette Heyer
424 pages
(Blind Date, ATW #5, Horizons "Female Author")

Into The Wilderness by Sara Donati
896 pages
(Horizons "Love Triangle", ATW #2)

Ice Station Zebra by Alistair MacLean
224 pages
(Horizons "Arctic", ATW #1, Birthstone "Military Character")

In Our Time by Ernest Hemingway
99 pages
(Horizons "Under 100 pgs", ATW #7)

Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb
810 pages
Mad Ship by Robin Hobb
864 pages
Ship of Destiny by Robin Hobb
800 pages
(Birthstone "friendship", ATW #8, Horizons "magic")

Mistake, Wisconsin by Kersti Niebrugge
161 pages
(ATW #3)

The Five by Robert McCammon
608 pages
(Horizons "Number In Title", ATW #6)

Memory & Dream by Charles deLint
400 pages
(Horizons "nonhuman characters", ATW #10)

A Raisin In The Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
148 pages
(Birthstone "fruit in title", Horizons "play")

Outbound Flight by Timothy Zahn (Star Wars Legends)
419 pages
(Horizons "space", ATW Extra)

January total:
12 books
5889 pages

That's a great total, well done Heather. 😊

>4 Andrew-theQM: thank you, kind sir! January is probably the most conducive month for reading, since I spend a lot of time on the couch with a cat (ok, three cats) and a blanket (ok, the cats have the blanket but sometimes they let me sit with them).

Lol! I imagine a tug of war whilst you are trying to read!

nah, I've had cats for all of my life. I'm completely subjugated. They have me well trained :)

>7 Darth-Heather: 😂

February 2017

The Approaching Storm by Alan Dean Foster (Star Wars Legends)
352 pages
(Horizons "future", ATW #4)

Doc by Mary Doria Russell
390 pages
(Horizons "true story", Birthstone "drunkard", ATW #3)

The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann Wyss
352 pages
(Horizons "100 years old", ATW#2)

Going Once by Sharon Sala
350 pages
(Birthstone "love story", ATW #9)

Blessed, the Films of Val Kilmer by William Hamilton
196 excruciating pages
(Horizons "biography")

The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy
567 pages
(Horizons "movie", ATW #8, Passport #1)

Time and Again by Clifford Simak
303 pages
(Horizons "future", ATW #7)

The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
672 pages
(Horizons "about books", Birthstone "red cover", ATW #1)

The Lions of Al Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay
504 pages
(ATW #6)

Firebird by Mercedes Lackey
345 pages
(ATW #5, Passport #4)

Call The Midwife by Jennifer Worth
340 pages
(Horizons "tv show", ATW #10, Passport #3)

The Quest by Nelson DeMille
613 pages
(Horizons "Africa", Passport #2)

>9 Darth-Heather: Doc is on my Wishlist (or it should be) as the excellent follow-up to The Sparrow.

>10 threadnsong: >9 Darth-Heather: Need to read both these!

>11 Andrew-theQM: The first one is hard to put down: incredibly lyrical and heart wrenching and just so full of people whom you would like to know that it just stays with you.

>12 threadnsong: Still waiting for my library to get a copy of either one, and recommended it last March!

For some reason very expensive on Amazon, perhaps this is why they haven't bought a copy.

February total:
12 books
4984 pages
(not bad for a short month :)

Well done. 😊Should that be 4984 pages not books?

>14 Darth-Heather: erm, yes. pages. It's being one of those days...

>16 Darth-Heather: LoL! I've had one of those days too!!! 🙈

March 2017

Huntress Moon by Alexandra Sokoloff
373 pages
(Horizons "thriller", March Blind Date, ATW #5)

Buffy The Vampire Slayer 3
853 pages
(Horizons "high school', Birthstone "blood on cover", ATW #8)

Wool by Hugh Howey
528 pages
(Horizons "one-word title", Birthstone "sacrifice", ATW #2)

Quentins by Maeve Binchy
359 pages
(Horizons "re-read", Ireland Passport #1, ATW #10)

Mary's Land by Lucia St. Clair Robson
465 pages
(Birthstone "water voyage", ATW #6)

Jamaica Inn by Daphne duMaurier
243 pages
(Horizons "classic romance", Ireland Passport #2, ATW #4)

The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
287 pages
(ATW #1)

Cathedral by Nelson DeMille
571 pages
(Ireland Passport #3, ATW #7)

The Widow's War by Sally Gunning
320 pages
(ATW #3)

The Mote In God's Eye by Larry Niven
560 pages
(ATW #9, Horizons birth year)

March total:
10 books
4559 pages

>19 Darth-Heather: A great return, well done! 🍾👏

April 2017

Riddled With Life by Marlene Zuk
291 pages
(Horizons "nonfiction")

The Winter of Our Discontent by John Steinbeck
336 pages
(ATW #5, Birthstone #3)

Excellent Women by Barbara Pym
256 pages
(Blind Date April, ATW #2)

The Blue Nile by Alan Moorehead
318 pages
(Passport 'African author', Birthstone "color")

House of Earth by Woody Guthrie
289 pages
(ATW #6)

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
212 pages
(ATW #9)

The Practice House by Laura McNeal
434 pages
(ATW #1)

The Painted Drum by Louise Erdrich
276 pages
(ATW #8)

The Light Between Oceans by ML Stedman
337 pages
(ATW #7, Horizons "australia")

The Far Pavilions by M.M Kaye
968 pages
(ATW #4, Horizons "asia")

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
331 pages
(ATW #4)

At Home In Mitford by Jan Karon
437 pages
(ATW #3, Passport 'published 1994')

April total:
12 books
4485 pages

May 2017

Chasing The North Star by Robert Morgan
316 pages
(ATW #8)

Wideacre by Philippa Gregory
556 pages
(ATW #6, Passport "fire", Horizons "author's first")

The Changeover by Margaret Mahy
214 pages
(Birthstone "seer", Passport "NZ")

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson
384 pages
(Blind Date May)

Cashelmara by Susan Howatch
692 pages
(Birthstone "Ireland", ATW #1)

The Silver Chalice by Thomas B. Costain
576 pages
(ATW #3, Passport "red/black/white cover"

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
304 pages
(Birthstone "mythical location", ATW #9)

This Is What You Just Put In Your Mouth? by Patrick Di Justo
255 pages
(ATW #4)

Labyrinth of Evil by James Luceno
362 pages
(ATW #2) (Palpatine is a politician)

Jack of Kinrowan by Charles deLint
416 pages
(Passport "twelfth book")

Perfume by Patrick Suskind
255 pages
(ATW #5)

Shift by Hugh Howey
576 pages
(ATW #10)

May total:
12 books
4906 pages

>24 Darth-Heather: Well done, a cracking total! 👏

June 2017

Dust by Hugh Howey
466 pages
(Birthflower #2)

The Little French Bistro by Nina George
292 pages
(ATW #6)

At The Edge of The Orchard by Tracy Chevalier
304 pages
(ATW #9, Horizons "North America")

The Haunting of Maddy Clare by Simone St. James
318 pages
(Blind Date June, ATW #5, Horizons "scary")

The Mirror Crack'd by Agatha Christie
288 pages
(ATW #4)

Crescent Dawn by Clive Cussler
627 pages
(Passport set in Turkey)

Night Fall by Nelson DeMille
682 pages
(ATW #1)

Mafia Fix Remo Williams The Destroyer #4 by Murphy&Sapir
167 pages
(ATW #3, Passport "bull", Birthflower "asian")

Flying Crows by Jim Lehrer
256 pages
(ATW#8, Passport "train", Birthflower "bird", Horizons "bad reviews")

Oil! by Upton Sinclair
560 pages
(ATW #7)

Lost In A Good Book by Jasper Fforde
399 pages
(ATW #10)

The Foundling by Georgette Heyer
439 pages
(ATW#2)

June total:
12 books (seems to be the norm)
4798 pages

I hope to keep this pace in July, even with various weekend events that interrupt my reading time.

July 2017

Ham On Rye by Charles Bukowski
288 pages
(Passport "school", ATW #9)

The Leaky Establishment by David Langford
220 pages
(Birthflower "poisoned", ATW #7)

Come In And Cover Me by Gin Phillips
344 pages
(July Blind Date, Birthflower "american west", ATW #2)

The Law of Nines by Terry Goodkind
576 pages
(ATW #1)

Virgin Earth by Philippa Gregory
672 pages
(ATW #8)

Kraken by China Mieville
528 pages
(ATW#4)

The House of Dies Drear by Virginia Hamilton
278 pages
(ATW #6)

Portrait In Sepia by Isabel Allende
304 pages
(ATW # 10, Passport "spanish speaking")

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin
182 pages
(Birth Flower "water in title")

Murder With Mirrors by Agatha Christie
184 pages
(ATW #3)

March by Geraldine Brooks
279 pages
(ATW #5)

This Is Your Brain On Music by Daniel Levitin
322 pages
(Passport "music")

July totals:
the usual 12 books
4177 pages

I'm closing July and starting on August now, since I won't get much reading done this weekend and will be on vacation later in Aug so my total will probably be a bit low.

Aug 2017

The Name Of The Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
721 pages
(Birth Flower "weapon on cover", ATW #6)

Lost Among The Living by Simone St. James
364 pages
(Blind Date, ATW #9)

This Rough Magic by Mary Stewart
254 pages
(ATW #1)

8-15-17
The Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone
760 pages
(Passport #3, ATW #8)

8-17-17
A Caribbean Mystery by Agatha Christie
176 pages
(Birth Flower "drugs", ATW #7)

8-17-17
The Black Pearl by Scott O'Dell
114 pages
(ATW# 4)

8-19-17
Daisy Miller by Henry James
64 pages
(Birth Flower "France")

8-20-17
The Onion Girl by Charles deLint
508 pages
(Passport "Canada", ATW #2)

8-21-17
The Prince of Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
224 pages
(Passport "Royalty", Horizons "author under 30")

8-23-17
Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz
301 pages
(ATW #3)

8-31-17
Devil In The White City by Erik Larsen
447 pages
(ATW #10)

Yours is another thread I probably should have been following from the start of the year!

>31 LibraryCin: It is pretty cool that we like a lot of the same stuff. Your thread adds to my wishlist quite frequently :D

That is the danger of following too many threads! LOL!

August totals:
11 books
3933 pages

not bad considering I was on vacation for a week and only read on the plane!

Well done. 👏

September 2017

9-7-17
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
387 pages
Blind Date, Passport "Train", ATW #8

9-11-17
Fool's Errand by Robin Hobb
672 pages
Birthflower "trip", ATW #2

9-15-17
Golden Fool by Robin Hobb
640 pages
ATW #1

9-18-17
Fool's Fate by Robin Hobb
687 pages
Passport "9th", ATW#9

9-21-17
Zorro by Isabel Allende
390 pages
Passport "Chilean author", ATW #4

9-22-17
Ulterior Motives by Mel Parish
348 pages
ATW #7

9-25-17
Welcome To Night Vale by Joseph Fink
421 pages
Birthflower "purple cover", ATW #6

9-26-17
Junk Raft: an ocean voyage by Marcus Eriksen
196 pages
ATW #3

9-27-17
War Brides by Lois Battle
372 pages
ATW #5

9-30-17
Invasive Procedures by Orson Scott Card
352 pages
ATW #10

>36 Darth-Heather: Love The Night Circus, one of my favourite reads this year.

>37 Andrew-theQM: It's definitely making my Top 5 of 2017. I was set up with it as a Blind Date by Carol, and am so glad of the recommendation.

>38 Darth-Heather: Just call me the little match maker:) Glad you enjoyed it, Heather.

>38 Darth-Heather: >39 Carol420: Kudos to Carol!

September totals:
10 books
4465 pages

October 2017

10-1-2017
Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks
318 pages
Birthflower "religious figure", ATW #2

10-4-2017
The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
512 pages
ATW #7

10-6-17
Wicked Witch Murder by Leslie Meier
308 pages
Birth flower "orange cover", ATW #9

10-7-17
The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon
384 pages
Birthflower "cemetery", ATW #4

10-11-17
Firebringer by David Clement-Davies
498 pages
ATW #5

10-13-17
Prime Time by Hank Phillippi Ryan
288 pages
Oct Blind Date, ATW Alt

10-16-17
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
338 pages
Passport "Swedish author", ATW #8

10-17-17
From The Dust Returned by Ray Bradbury
267 pages
Passport "black cover", ATW# 6

10-18-17
Heart of a Champion by Ellen Schwartz
255 pages
ATW #3

10-24-17
Swan Song by Robert McCammon
1037 pages
Horizons "1000 pages", ATW #1

10/31/2017
Fall of Giants by Ken Follett
942 pages
ATW #10

October total
(I'm finishing the last one today, so I'm calling it a month now)

11 books
5147 pages

November 2017

11-3-17
Deadly Scandal by Kate Parker
338 pages
Blind Date, ATW #7

11-9-17
The Museum of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman
365 pages
Passport "loyal dog", ATW #10

11-12-17
Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie
219 pages
Birthflower "wine glass", ATW #2

11-14-17
The Golden Gate by Alistair MacLean
223 pages
Passport "Scottish author", ATW #8

11-16-17
Cotillion by Georgette Heyer
327 pages
Birthflower "Happily ever after", ATW #6

11-19-17
Airs Above The Ground by Mary Stewart
229 pages
Passport "plane trip", ATW #3

11-23-17
Promises by Catherine Gaskin
440 pages
Passport "kilt", ATW #9

11-27-17
Four Past Midnight by Stephen King
763 pages
Birthflower "Four In Title", ATW #1

11-29-17
The Scent of Rain and Lightning by Nancy Pickard
317 pages
ATW #4

11-20-17
The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. LeGuin
146 pages
ATW #5

>43 Darth-Heather: Well done 👏

November totals:
10 books
3367 pages

a little short this month, but not bad considering two long weekends with houseguests.

>46 Darth-Heather: That’s still a great effort! 😊

December 2017

12-5-17
While Still We Live by Helen MacInnes
441 pages
Horizons "initials", ATW #3

12-6-17
Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala
240 pages
Passport "Indian author", ATW #7

12-9-17
In The Company of The Courtesan by Sarah Dunant
384 pages
Birthflower "great beauty", ATW #5

12-11-17
Tell The Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt
357 pages
ATW #1

12-13-17
Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
143 pages
Horizon "supposed to read in school"

12-14-17
Christmas In Harmony by Philip Gulley
84 pages
Horizons "christmas", Birthflower "christmas", ATW #8

12-17-17
The Good Sister by Wendy Staub
391 pages
Blind Date

12-18-17
Nine Parts of Desire by Geraldine Brooks
240 pages
Passport "difficult job", ATW #6

12-19-17
The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah
438 pages
Birthflower "bird", Passport "mountain", ATW #10

12-21-17
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
357 pages
ATW #2

12-23-17
Keepers of the House by Shirley Ann Grau
302 pages
ATW #9

12-30-2017
The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
502 pages
Passport "translated", ATW #4

December total:
12 books
3879 pages

Final 2017 Page Count: 54,589

My goal was 50k, so I'm well pleased with the outcome!

You’d have met your target even if you hadn’t picke up a book in December. Well done and best of luck for 2018.

Book total for the year: 136

I prefer to go by page count, because it helps even out the 1000-page books with the 100-page ones. That way I can see if I'm keeping up with approximately the same amount of reading-hours-per-year.

>51 Andrew-theQM: thanks, and happy reading to you too, dear Andrew!

Congrats! And good job. Page count is a nice idea, but I try to fit in so many monthly challenges, that my total number of books needs to be pretty high, as well. So, it's hard to fit in more than one 1000 page book per year! The past few years that has mostly been the Outlander series. :-)

>53 LibraryCin: It is not easy to find 1000 page books that are actually fun... Outlander books get longer as the series progresses, so you can probably cover that category for a couple more years :)

I keep coming close with quite a few 800-page-ers, though, so the page-count thing works for me. Some months have more books than others, but the overall amount of reading time comes out about the same.