Beatles1964 Goes For 50 Book Challenge Again In '09

I've decided to try again in 2009 for the 50 Book Challenge. This year I failed to real the goal of 50 books read but hopefully in 2009 I can not only reach but go far beyond it as well since I also joined the 999 Book Challenge and also the Paranormal 999 Book Challenge too. However, the 50 Book Challenge for 2008 wasn't a total loss for me since I had surpassed my previous high of 21 books read in a year set back in 1991 and for the last several years I had been averaging under 10 books read a year so I am looking at the positive effects this year's 50 Book Challenge held for me. I also hope to be able and several more books read between now and the end of the year so my total number of books read in 2008 will be a little bit higher.

I plan on starting to get a head start on my book reading as soon as I can on January 1 and since we will have a long 4 day weekend this year because of the Birthday for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Presidential Inauguration I am hoping to get as much reading done as I possibly can over the 4 days. It was supposed to read Beatles1964 Goes For 50 Again In '09. I didn't catch the mistake before I posted the message.

Beatles1964

Hi, beatles1964!
I will enjoy following your progress in 2009! :) I am also doing the 999 Challenge, so I will see you both places. Are you reading The Coffee Trader?
--BJ

No, I'm not. Is it a good book? I have to get a ticker to show my progress in the 999 Challenge and also the Paranormal 999 Book Challenge too.

Beatles1964

Hi, beatles1964!

It's great that you are trying again and not discouraged that you didn't read 50 books this past year. Why not change the rules (I say you can make up your own rules!) and challenge yourself to read more books each year until you finally reach 50 books a year?

I know you won't forget to keep count because you are looking for tickers for other challenges now! :)

Good luck!

Hey, that's a real neat idea SqueakyChu. I think I am finally out of my book reading slump that I have been in for such a long time now. I look forward to reading a lot more books in 2009. One of my New Year's Resolutions is to Read more books. And this is one New Year's Resolution I plan on working hard on to accomplish. No, I'm not the least bit discouraged that I didn't read at least 50 books in 2008. It's much more like a minor disappointment than anything else that I wasn't able to reach that goal. I feel good about myself that I was able to read as many books as I did this year. At the start of 2008 I never imagined I would even be able to read 30 or books. It would've been great to say I read 50 or more books in a year but that will help serve as a reminder to myself that even though I fell short of 50 books read in 2008 that I can and will do better in 2009. I hope to be able to read a lot more than 50 books in 2009 since I joined the 999 Challenge where you have to read 9 books in 9 different categories for a total of 81 books and I also joined the Paranormal 999 Book Challenge as well.

That sounds like it will be a fun group to be a part of and I can't wait until I can start reading for these other groups.
And seeing what everyone else will be reading too. So if I'm real lucky in 2009 I might even be able to surpass 100 books read or maybe even more. However, even if I don't reach 100 books read but at least read 81 or more books for the 999 Challenge I will count it as a very successful year.

Beatles1964

since I joined the 999 Challenge where you have to read 9 books in 9 different categories for a total of 81 books

It's not true that you *must* read 81 books for the 999 Challenge. If you read the rules carefully, you'll learn that you can overlap titles in more than one category! It's just your choice if you want to or not.

I'm still wavering about that and have already changed my mind twice. Now I'm not for the overlap. Last week I was for it. It's a good thing that no one's is tracking all my changes. I also changed category titles during the past year to better suit the books I read for the 888 Challenge (which I'm still working on)! :D

#3 The same group that read The Poisonwood Bible is reading The Coffee Trader. I think the group is called The Coffee Trader: Early Winter Reading Group 2009 or something like that. We are going to start reading January 5th I think.
--BJ

OK, Thanks for the update billiejean. I may have to look into that book. So I still have some time left to actually get a copy of the book.

Beatles1964

I can't wait until we can all officially begin our 50 Book Challenge, Paranormal 999 Challenge, 999 Challenge and all the other different Book Challenges I am Signed up to participate in for 2009. Here's to a year of reading great, fun and interesting books.

Beatles1964

Books Read In 2009

1. Cycle of the Werewolf by Stephen King
2. Ghost Dancers by Angela Gray

Beatles1964

3. Maria or the Wrongs of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft With an Introduction by Moira Ferguson The Norton Library Edition.

I have already started reading Salem's Lot and Sense and Sensibility. I haven't read Salem's Lot in years so it's about time I went back to read it again. I like the movie version with David Soul of Starsky and Hutch.

Beatles1964

4. Witch of the Dark Gate by John Jakes
5. The Ruins of Isis by Marion Zimmer Bradley

Beatles1964

6. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
7. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer

Right now I think I am probably behind a pace to wind up reading at least 50 books for the year. However, I still have plenty of time to really pick up the pace and get back on track again. All I really need to do is to start finishing some of the books I am currently reading right now in order for me to get back on track once more to finish reading 50 books for the year. At least I'll break the number of books I read in 2008. But I want to be able to break the 50 books read Goal for 2009.

Beatles1964

8. Pandora by Anne Rice

Beatles1964

Hi, beatles1964!
Are you reading The Blind Assassin? I am about halfway through it. It is an unusual book and my first by Margaret Atwood. Have a great day!
--BJ

Yea, I'm reading The Blind Assassin and as of right now I am on page 95. I am enjoying the book very much. You're a lot further along in the book than I am.

Beatles1964

Well, it certainly looks like I'm going to fall way short of reading 50 books again this especially since I'm way behind the pace I was a year ago at this time. Also, I have failed miserably in my 75 book challenge and all of my other challenges as well. It's pitiful I haven't even hit 25 books read for the year, yet. Maybe I'll come back later and update everyone with the list of books I've read as of now.

Beatles1964

I must be a glutton for punishment because as of right now I'll probably try to not only finally get over the hump and read 50 books in 2010 but I'm also going to try for the 75 books read challenge again in 2010 as well. And who knows if I can read everything in my101010 challenge I would've read over 100 books for the year. We'll have to wait and see how it goes for me in 2010. Wish me luck everyone because I know I'll certainly need it in order for me to complete my 101010 challenge.

Beatles1964

9. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
10. The Witch of BlackBird Pond by Elizabeth Speare
11. The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
12. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
13. Salem's Lot by Stephen King
14. Star Mother by Sydney J. Van Scyoc
15. The Lord of the Rings The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
16. Philip Hall likes me. I reckon maybe. by Bette Greene
17. Goosebumps#22 Ghost Beach by R.L. Stine
18. Dragonsong by Anne McCaffrey
19. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
20. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
21. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

This is the most current and up-to-date list of everything I've read so far in '09 as of right now. And I'm still in the process of reading several more books at the moment. I told you it was pitiful. Beatles1964 hangs head in shame. I'll continue to update this list on a regular basis from now on whenever I finish reading any books.

Beatles1964 :(

Thank the Goddess for small favors. At least the number of books I've read so far this year exceeded the total number of books I had been averaging on a yearly basis prior to my record breaking year of having read 35 books in 2008. Prior to that I was averaging 10 books or less a year so in that respect I'm totally grateful for having read 20 or more books for '09 because it could've been a lot worse than the 21 books I've already listed here. So in that respect I feel lucky to have read this total number of books so far even though it's a lot less than I wanted to read in '09.

Here's some examples of the number of books I was averaging a year. These are the only other years I've been able to find where I had kept a personal record. I think all the other years are lost for the time being. You'll notice that there had been a few years where I had read 10 or more books in an entire year. Mostly for the last several years I had been averaging 10 books or less read a year.

1988-13 books read
1989-20 books read
1990-21 books read
1991-11 books read
1998-9 books read
2008-35 books read
2009-22 books read (so far)

Beatles1964

22. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

Beatles1964