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.

A List of Lists: Reading Challenges

I am a huge fan of reading challenges. Oh, who am I kidding. I'm a huge fan of challenges in general - especially when I come across them in list form. If there's a list of things that need to be ticked off, then by golly I will try to do that.

Working in the library means that yes, I have access to and often read a lot of books. Why not make a list of them, or read particular ones? Why not try to expand my reading repertoire?

Thus began my main reading challenge - a family wide one (we're very bookish) with a whole bunch of relatives all seeking to mark off a list to see who can finish it first. ("It's not a competition though!")

And, because I like to make life hard for myself, I also set my own personal challenges - another 3 in fact -

Dana's Reading Challenge List

1. The family 'Reading Challenge' - 52 Books in Different Categories
2. Adult Fiction - 26 books, one for each letter of the alphabet
3. Young Adult Fiction - 26 books, one for each letter of the alphabet
4. Children's Fiction - again, 26 books, one for each letter of the alphabet

Why, Dana? Why do you do this to yourself? Especially the books in alphabetical order, and in YA and Children's? Well, I'll tell you why - in another list!

• Forcing myself to go by letters means I'll probably pick up books I wouldn't think of, just because the letter won't have anything I normally read;

• This situation - "This looks like such a lovely book... BUT it's children/YA fiction." should happen less. Why not judge a book by its cover and read it for that instead of whats on the inside (or who it's 'meant' for)?

• Being a young(er) library assistant means that when kids or teens need a recommendation, co-workers often send them to me for help.
  Having a limited knowledge of children/teen fiction means that I've steered too many kids towards 'popular' series - The Hunger Games, Geronimo Stilton, anything by Robert Muchamore for someone after 'action-y books'. While the books are popular for a reason, I'd like being able to cater to a kids preferences better. If they've read The Hunger Games, Divergent series, The Maze Runner - what can they read next? What else is there? You know, I don't know... But I'm hoping reading 52 books that aren't adult will help me find out.

• Also, I like lists. Did I mention I like making lists, and crossing things off of lists? 

So I figure, since I've made so much work for myself already, I might as well make a little more and share my reviews with you as well every so often (as I share them on my family 'Reading Challenge Page' on facebook anyway).

But not today. Today I'll just share the original Reading Challenge with you. Let me know if you have any challenges of your own going on! Or, if you have any recommendations (for example, I'm not a fan of classics, so if you have a favourite then let me know, because choosing it myself would just be 'whatever-classic-is-the-shortest') for either the categories OR the alphabet ones I'm doing. I've already started, and have crossed some off, but don't let that stop you from giving me your opinions!

Or anything else to do with lists, or goals you have in mind to complete by the end of the year. Because, as I said - I love lists (and I can't be the only one).