Good enough: The final reading challenge update

Yeah, my family can't read it either.

Haaaaappy New Year! It's 2016, the time when we can reflect on everything we did last year and say, of course I'll do better this year.

Speaking of reflection, does anybody remember way back when, when I started doing a reading challenge? Well, I may have stopped updating you all on it, but I didn't quite stop doing it! However, I'm not writing this to update you on what I've completed lately, but to wrap it all up so that I can start a new challenge (and wish you a good one, while we're at it).

Did I finish it? Well... no. Am I disappointed? No! In fact, while I didn't always stick to the required list, it meant I always had a prompt in case I ever got stuck without a book, which is a great idea in case you're ever wondering what to read next.
And I'm not upset that I failed at my challenge, because I've come to terms with the idea that failure just gives you another chance to do it again (and because it turns out that 52 books is a LOT).

No doubt my new reading challenge will come around with January, and no doubt I'll grab it by the horns again and try to cross everything off of it.
But fifty two books is a heck of a lot, so I'm quite chuffed with myself at having finished how many I did - especially as I did read more books, just nothing I could fit into these categories.

Just to show you how I got on, I thought I'd include the latest and last update of the list, and how much I crossed off. Next year, the goal is to cross off a few more than this one.

What did I miss? Well, about half. But half is half, and that's like, 27 more than zero. I even cheated and reshuffled them so I could put others in categories I had 'already done', but I'll take what I can get. Some of these books were... well, not my cup of tea. Some of them are now on my to-buy list. No doubt you'll see a few of these in future blog posts where I gush all about them (and some I already have)!

My family is now in the process of making a new and revised book list. It's made of two parts - those who have less time to read can tackle the one-book-a-month challenge, and the others have an extra list that doubles it.
It seems like a few of us never got around to completely finishing our list, but not for trying (we shared our progress on a family page). I wasn't the only one! It does mean that hopefully, I'll finally be able to finish a challenge I set for myself - but we can only see.

How did everyone else do? Did you guys have any reading (or otherwise) challenges that you pulled off magnificently, or failed miserably, or finished like me and did so-so? And do you have any more plans for a new one this lovely new year? Let me know!

Crossing off my Reading Challenge! Part One (and a half)

As everyone might remember, in April I posted my Reading Challenge for ya'll to see. I've since made progress (as one should hope, seeing as we're halfway through the year now - scary!) and here it is - Update One-and-a-Half (having already shown my undying love for cat warriors in my 'first' update).

Alright! What have I read so far?

A book published this year - First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen (Published January 20th, 2015)

As we already know from a previous post before I thought to make my challenge public, First Frost is by my very favourite adult fiction author, Sarah Addison Allen.
The Waverly family is plodding along nicely, until suddenly everyone loses spirit. The first frost is coming, and everyone is uneasy. Claire doesn't know if her magic is working - or if she even had any to start with, and Bay, her niece, is trying to make her way through high school after her powers make a huge mess of her reputation with the one person who matters.

I cannot possibly explain how much I love her books, but just take my word for it. Apparently, they're similar in style to Diana Wynne Jones (says a well-read friend) which I haven't read (yet) so if you're a fan of hers, these books might be for you. When I finally could get my mitts on this latest one from SAA, I read it in one go - not hard, as this ones quite a bit shorter than her others - and loved it, as I expected.

A book with a number in the title - Th1rteen R3asons Why by Jay Asher

Thirteen Reasons Why is about a teenage girl who, before committing suicide, records 13 'reasons' of why she came to the conclusion to do so, and then sends them to the people 'responsible' for her death. The main character, Clay, receives them one morning in the mail, and slowly listens to why the girl he thought he was possibly in love with killed herself.

It's a morbid read that does well in showing how suicide and depression is still taboo and 'ignored' - despite how common it is and sheds some light on why that can't happen anymore. In that way, I respect it. I just didn't think it was for me - not because of content/themes, but because the main guy, Clay, got on my nerves a little.

A book with non-human characters - Black Wings by Christina Henry

Maddy is an Agent - someone who leads the dead to the after-life. She's also broke and in need of a flat-mate to help pay her rent. Enter Gabriel, a hunky guy who just happens to know about her past and her mother's death, and who inadvertently brings a whole bunch of demons knocking on Maddy's door. She has to fight or die, and with Gabe's help, she finds she is much more than just an Agent.

A paranormal/fantasy romance. Angels, demons, 'Agents', titan-like beings that like to mess stuff up. A fun read that was easy to get through, but not for if you're wanting some serious thinking to go on - so it's like most of the books I read, haha.