2012 Completed Reading Challenge: War Through the Generations

These are the books I read for the War Through the Generations reading challenge:

1. And The Soldiers Sang. J. Patrick Lewis. Illustrated by Gary Kelley. 2011. Creative Editions. 32 pages.
2. My Brother's Shadow. Monika Schroder.
3. All Our Worldly Goods. Irene Nemirovsky.
4. Hattie Big Sky. Kirby Larson.
5. Day of the Assassins. (Jack Christie #1) Johnny O'Brien. 2009. Candlewick. 224 pages.
6. Yesterday's Dead. Pat Bourke. 2012. Second Story Press. 232 pages.
7. Dear America: The Diary of Lydia Amelia Pierce, Like the Willow Tree, Portland Maine, 1918. Lois Lowry. 2011. Scholastic. 224 pages.
8. War Horse. Michael Morpurgo. 1982/2010. Scholastic. 176 pages.
9. Rilla of Ingleside. L.M. Montgomery. 1921. 280 pages.
10. Moon Over Manifest. Clare Vanderpool. 2010. October 2010. Random House. 368 pages.


© 2013 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

2012 Completed Challenge: Short Story

I am signing up for the 2012 Short Story Reading Challenge hosted by Library of Clean Reads. I am signing up for 'Tell Me a Story' which is 1 to 3 books.

1. Firewatch. Connie Willis. 1985. Bantam Books. 271 pages.
2. Jane Austen Made Me Do It. Edited By Laurel Ann Nattress. 2011. Random House. 464 pages.
3. The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
4. Lin McLean by Owen Wister
5. Poirot Investigates by Agatha Christie
6. Dead Witness, edited by Michael Sims
7. After Dark by Wilkie Collins
8. Stories by Ray Bradbury
9. The Tuesday Club Murders by Agatha Christie
10. Star Trek Reader by James Blish
11. Christmas on Deery Street. Steven Roberts. 2006. 100 pages.
12.  While Shepherds Watched: Stories of Christmas Miracles and Mysteries by Steven Roberts. 2007. 165 pages.

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

2012 Completed Challenges: Time Travel

I am so happy I discovered the Time Travel Reading Challenge hosted by Library of Clean Reads.  I am signing up for 'great adventure' which is four to six time travel books. (I was so tempted to commit to more than that--since time travel is one of my favorite, favorite, favorite things to read about.)


What I read for the Time Travel Reading Challenge hosted by Library of Clean Reads:

1. To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis
2. Blackout. Connie Willis.
3. All Clear. Connie Willis.
4. The Door Into Summer. Robert A. Heinlein.
5. 11/22/63 by Stephen King
6. Tempest by Julie Cross
7. Caught. (Missing #5) Margaret Peterson Haddix. 2012. Simon & Schuster. 352 pages.
8.  Day of the Assassins. (Jack Christie #1) Johnny O'Brien. 2009. Candlewick. 224 pages.
9. The Indigo King. James A. Owen. 2008. Simon & Schuster. 375 pages.
10. The Shadow Dragons. James A. Owen. 2009. Simon & Schuster. 417 pages.
11. The Dragon's Apprentice. James A. Owen. 2010. Simon & Schuster. 376 pages.
12. The Dragons of Winter. James A. Owen. 2012. Simon & Schuster. 389 pages.


© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

2012 Completed Challenge: Science Fiction

 

I am joined Curiosity Killed the Bookworm's science fiction challenge. I hoped to read at least twelve science fiction books next year.

1. To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis
2. Babylon 5: To Dream in the City of Sorrows by Kathryn M. Drennan
3. Babylon 5: The Shadow Within by Jeanne Cavelos
4. Babylon 5: In the Beginning by Peter David
5. Babylon 5: Legions of Fire: The Long Night of Centauri Prime. Peter David.
6. Babylon 5: Legions of Fire: Armies of Light and Dark. Peter David.
7. Babylon 5: Legions of Fire: Out of the Darkness. Peter David.
8. A Million Suns (Across the Universe #2). Beth Revis.
9. The Pledge. Kimberly Derting.
10. The Predicteds. Christine Seifert.
11. Scored. Lauren McLaughlin.
12. Shadows in Flight. Orson Scott Card.
13. Blackout. Connie Willis.
14. All Clear. Connie Willis.
15. Enchantress from the Stars. Sylvia Louise Engdahl.
16. The Way We Fall. Megan Crewe.
17. Tankborn. Karen Sandler.
18. All Good Children. Catherine Austen
19. Cinder. (The Lunar Chronicles #1). Marissa Meyer.
20. Crossed. Ally Condie.
21. Awaken. Katie Kacvinsky.
22. The Demolished Man. Alfred Bester.
23. Alas, Babylon. Pat Frank.
24. The Worthing Saga. Orson Scott Card.
25. Earth Abides. George R. Stewart.
26. Time for the Stars. Robert A. Heinlein.
27. The Puppet Masters. Robert A. Heinlein
28. The Door Into Summer. Robert A. Heinlein.
29. Double Star. Robert A. Heinlein
30. The Stars My Destination. Alfred Bester.
31. We. Yevgeny Zamyatin.
32. Fever. (Chemical Garden Series #2). Lauren DeStefano.
33. 11/22/63. Stephen King.
34. Article 5. Kristen Simmons.
35. Partials. Dan Wells.
36. Pandemonium. Lauren Oliver.
37. Parallelogram: Book 2: Caught in the Parallel. Robin Brande.
38. Unwind. Neal Shusterman.
39. Divergent. Veronica Roth.
40. Insurgent. Veronica Roth.
41. Tempest. Julie Cross.
42. Fahrenheit 451. Ray Bradbury.
43. Martian Chronicles. Ray Bradbury.
44. Earth Unaware. Orson Scott Card and Aaron Johnston
45. The Age of Miracles. Karen Thompson Walker.
46. City. Clifford D. Simak. Old Earth Books. 264 pages. 
47. The Star Trek Reader. Twenty-one Novelized Episodes Based on the Exciting Television Series Created by Gene Roddenberry. James Blish. 1968, 1969, 1972. Dutton. 372 pages.
48. The Long Earth. Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter. 2012. HarperCollins. 352 pages.
49. Caught. (Missing #5) Margaret Peterson Haddix. 2012. Simon & Schuster. 352 pages.
50. The Bar Code Tattoo. Suzanne Weyn. 2004/2012. Scholastic. 256 pages.
51. Unwholly. Neal Shusterman. 2012. Simon & Schuster. 416 pages.
52. The Forsaken. Lisa M. Stasse. 2012. Simon & Schuster. 375 pages.
53. For Darkness Shows the Stars. Diana Peterfreund. 2012. HarperCollins. 416 pages.
54. Raider's Ransom. Emily Diamand. 2009. Scholastic. 368 pages.

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

2012 Completed Challenge: Victorian Challenge

What I Read:

David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis
The Cheshire Cheese Cat: A Dickens of a Tale by Carmen Agra Deedy and Randall Wright
A Boy Called Dickens. Deborah Hopkinson.
Charles Dickens: England's Most Captivating Storyteller. Catherine Wells-Cole.
The Mistress of Nothing. Kate Pullinger.
Being God's Friend. Charles Spurgeon.
Power in the Blood. Charles Spurgeon.
The Practice of Praise: How To Develop the Habit of Abundant, Continual Praise In Your Daily Life by Charles Spurgeon.
Grace God's Unmerited Favor. Charles Spurgeon.
North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
The Light Princess. George MacDonald. 1864. 110 pages.
The Princess and the Goblin. George MacDonald. 1872. 259 pages.
Cousin Henry. Anthony Trollope. 1879. 336 pages.
Dombey and Son. Charles Dickens. 1846-1848. 880 pages.
Magnificent Obsession: Victoria, Albert, and the Death that Changed the British Monarchy. Helen Rappaport. 2012. St. Martin's Press. 352 pages.
Becoming Queen Victoria: The Tragic Death of Princess Charlotte and the Unexpected Rise of Britain's Greatest Monarch. Kate Williams.
The Queen of Hearts. Wilkie Collins. 1859. 484 pages.

What I Watched:

Jane Eyre (1944)
David Copperfield (1935)
Victoria and Albert (2001)
North and South (2005)
The Valley of Decision (1945) (set in America/England)
Young Victoria (2009)
Jane Eyre (1983)
Jane Eyre (2011)
Jane Eyre (1934, 1944, 1949)
Jane Eyre (1970, 1973)
Jane Eyre (2006)
Jane Eyre (1997)
Jane Eyre (1996)
Pickwick Papers (1985)
Our Mutual Friend (1998)

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

2012 Completed Challenge: Vintage Mysteries

What I read for the Vintage Mystery Reading Challenge this year: 

I'll be joining My Reader's Block's Vintage Mystery Reading Challenge. I hope to complete TWO THEMES. For a total of 16 books. I am not sure I can complete two themes. I just know I want to try!!! All books must have a publication date before 1960.

Golden Age Girls: 8 books by female authors OR 8 books with female detectives

1. The Tuesday Club Murders. Agatha Christie. 1932/2007. Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers. 256 pages.
2. Lady Audley's Secret. Mary Elizabeth Braddon. 1862/1998. Oxford World's Classic. 496 pages.  
3. Poirot Investigates. Agatha Christie. 1924/2011. HarperCollins. 256 pages.
4. Mrs. McGinty's Dead. Agatha Christie. 1952/2011. HarperCollins. 272 pages. 
5. The Man in the Brown Suit. Agatha Christie. 1924/2012. HarperCollins. 320 pages.
6. One, Two Buckle My Shoe. Agatha Christie. 1940/2011. HarperCollins. 240 pages. 
7. The Seven Dials Mystery. Agatha Christie. 1929/2012. HarperCollins. 304 pages.
8. The Secret Adversary. Agatha Christie. 1922/2012. HarperCollins. 352 pages.

Cherchez le Homme: 8 books by male authors OR 8 books with male detectives

1. The Case of the Runaway Corpse. Erle Stanley Gardner. 1954. 210 pages. 
2. The Dead Witness: A Connoisseur's Collection of Victorian Detective Stories. Edited by Michael Sims. 2011. Walker & Company. (Late December 2011). 608 pages.
3. The Mystery of the Blue Train. Agatha Christie. 1928/2011. HarperCollins. 320 pages.
4.  The Secret of Chimneys. Agatha Christie. 1925/2012. HarperCollins. 336.
5. Too Many Women. Rex Stout. 1947/1985. Bantam Books. 176 pages.
6. Champagne for One. Rex Stout. 1958/1995. Random House. 224 pages.
7. The Demolished Man. Alfred Bester. 1951. Random House. 245 pages.
8. The Daughter of Time. Josephine Tey. 1951/1995. Simon & Schuster. 208 pages.


© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

2012 Completed Challenges: Historical Fiction

I signed up for Historical Tapestry's Historical Fiction challenge.  I signed up for the highest level of twenty books. I stopped updating with twenty-five.


1 The Maid of Fairbourne Hall. Julie Klassen. 2012. Bethany House. 416 pages. (Christian historical)
2 Death at Wentwater Court. Carola Dunn. 1994. Kensington. 254 pages. (Historical mystery)
3 To Say Nothing of the Dog. Connie Willis. 1998. Bantam (Random House). 495 pages. (Historical science-fiction)
4 A Diamond in the Desert. Kathryn Fitzmaurice. 2012. February 2012. Penguin. 256 pages.
5 The Cheshire Cheese Cat: A Dickens of a Tale. Carmen Agra Deedy and Randall Wright. Illustrated by Barry Moser. 2011. Peachtree Publishers. 228 pages. 
6 His Steadfast Love. Golden Keyes Parson. 2011. Thomas Nelson. 336 pages.
7 And The Soldiers Sang. J. Patrick Lewis. Illustrated by Gary Kelley. 2011. Creative Editions. 32 pages.
8 The Healer's Apprentice. Melanie Dickerson. 2010. Zondervan. 272 pages.
9 Crow. Barbara Wright.
10 Cleopatra Confesses. Carolyn Meyer.
11 The Friendship Doll. Kirby Larson.
12 Sylvia & Aki. Winifred Conkling.
13 Bud, Not Buddy. Christopher Paul Curtis
14 The Mighty Miss Malone. Christopher Paul Curtis
15 Catherine, Called Birdy. Karen Cushman
16 The Mistress of Nothing. Kate Pullinger.
17 The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt. A Novel in Pictures. Full-Color Vintage Memorabilia On Every Page. Caroline Preston.
18 A Suitor for Jenny. Margaret Brownley
19 The Kingmaker's Daughter. Philippa Gregory. 2012. 423 pages. 
20  The Lady of the Rivers. Philippa Gregory. 2011. Touchstone. 464 pages.
21. The Red Queen. Philippa Gregory. 2010. Touchstone. 432 pages.
22. Dear Mr. Darcy. Amanda Grange. 2012. Berkley Trade. 400 pages. 
23. The Lions of Little Rock. Kristin Levine. 2012. Penguin. 304 pages.
24. Jump Into the Sky. Shelley Pearsall. 2012. Random House. 352 pages.
25. Dear America: Christmas After All. Kathryn Lasky. 2001/2012. Scholastic. 192 pages.



© 2013 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

2012 Completed Challenge: New to Me Authors

I signed up for Literary Escapism's New Author challenge. I love discovering new-to-me authors. I  signed up to read twenty-five new-to-me authors. I stopped keeping track once I reached 52.

1. Carola Dunn. Death at Wentwater Court. (Daisy Dalrymple #1)
2. Jeanne Cavelos. The Shadow Within
3. Peter David. In the Beginning
4. Golden Keyes Parsons. His Steadfast Love
5. Carmen Agra Deedy. The Cheshire Cheese Cat.
6. Anne C. Voorhoeve. My Family for the War.
7. Kimberly Derting. The Pledge.
8. Mike Mullin. Ashfall.
9. Christine Seifert. The Predicteds.
10. Irene Nemirovsky. All Our Worldly Goods.
11. Erik Larson. In the Garden of Beasts
12. Kyle Idleman. Not a Fan: Becoming a Completely Committed Follower of Jesus.
13. Denise Hunter. The Accidental Bride.
14. Barbara Wright. Crow.
15. Sylvia Louise Engdahl. Enchantress from the Stars
16. William Steig. Dominic.
17. Megan Crewe. The Way We Fall.
18. Karen Sandler. Tankborn.
19. Catherine Austen. All Good Children.
20. Marissa Meyer. Cinder.
21. Winifred Conkling. Sylvia & Aki.
22. Alfred Bester. The Demolished Man.
23. George R. Stewart. Earth Abides.
24. Kate Pullinger. The Mistress of Nothing.
25. Yevgeny Zamyatin. We.
26. Pete Nelson. Left for Dead: A Young Man's Search for Justice for the USS Indianapolis.
27. Mei-Ling Hopgood. How Eskimos Keep Their Babies Warm: Child-Raising Discoveries from Around the World.
28. Robert Jordan. The Eye of the World
29. Clifford D. Simak. City.
30. James Blish. The Star Trek Reader. Twenty-one Novelized Episodes Based on the Exciting Television Series Created by Gene Roddenberry.
31. Sheila Turnage. Three Times Lucky.
32. Sophie Littlefield. Hanging By A Thread.
33. Robin Wasserman. The Book of Blood and Shadow.
34. Sarah Reese Brennan. Unspoken.
35. Jessica Khoury. Origin.
36. Emmy Laybourne. Monument 14.
37. Chris Howard. Rootless.
38. Jeff Hirsch. The Eleventh Plague.
39. Pat Bourke. Yesterday's Dead.
40. Serena B. Miller. A Promise to Love.
41. Mindy Warshaw Skolsky. Hannah Is a Palindrome.
42. Leigh Bardugo. Shadow and Bone.
43. William Alexander. Goblin Secrets.
44. Dave Shelton. A Boy and a Bear In a Boat.
45. Johnny O'Brien. Day of the Assassins.
46. Jessica Warman. Beautiful Lies.
47. Erle Stanley Gardner.  The Case of the Runaway Corpse.
48. Jane Myers Perrine. The Welcome Committee of Butternut Creek.
49. Sandra Byrd. The Secret Keeper.
50. Elizabeth Wein. Code Name Verity.
51. Lisa M. Stasse. The Forsaken.
52. Patrice Sarath. The Unexpected Miss Bennet.
© 2013 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

2012 Challenge Completed: Fall Into Reading

I have completed Callapidder Days Fall into Reading challenge. I liked having categories! And having a list of potential reads did help me, I think. I read some AMAZING BOOKS. I'd especially recommend Kristin Levine's The Lions of Little Rock and Lois Lowry's Son. Here are the books I read:

Historical Fiction

1. Dear America: Christmas After All. Kathryn Lasky.
2. Dear Mr. Darcy. Amanda Grange.
3. The Red Queen. Philippa Gregory.
4.  The Lady of the Rivers. Philippa Gregory.
5. The Kingmaker's Daughter. Philippa Gregory. 
6. Jump Into the Sky. Shelley Pearsall.
7. Yesterday's Dead. Pat Bourke.
8. Hannah Is a Palindrome. Mindy Warshaw Skolsky.
9. Hannah and the Best Father of Route 9W. Mindy Warshaw Skolsky.
10. Dear America: The Diary of Lydia Amelia Pierce, Like the Willow Tree, Portland Maine, 1918. Lois Lowry.

Science Fiction and Fantasy Series Books

1. The Giver. Lois Lowry.
2. Gathering Blue. Lois Lowry.
3. Messenger. Lois Lowry.
4. Son. Lois Lowry.
5. The Broken Lands. Kate Milford. 
6. Unwholly. Neal Shusterman.
7. The Eye of the World (Wheel of Time #1) Robert Jordan.
8.  The Great Hunt. (Wheel of Time #2) Robert Jordan.
9. The Dragon Reborn. (Wheel of Time #3) Robert Jordan. 1991. Tor. 624 pages.   
10.  The Shadow Rising. (Wheel of Time #4) Robert Jordan.
11. The Fires of Heaven. (Wheel of Time #5) Robert Jordan.
12. Lord of Chaos. (Wheel of Time #6) Robert Jordan.
13. Catching Fire. Suzanne Collins.
14. Mockingjay. Suzanne Collins. 
15. Caught. (Missing #5) Margaret Peterson Haddix. 

Middle Grade Books with Newbery Potential (or Mock Newbery Potential)

1. The Lions of Little Rock. Kristin Levine.
2. No Crystal Stair: A Documentary Novel of the Life and Work of Lewis Michaux, Harlem Bookseller. Vaunda Micheaux Nelson.
3. Splendors and Glooms. Laura Amy Schlitz.
4. Three Times Lucky. Sheila Turnage.
5. Liar & Spy. Rebecca Stead.
© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Challenge Completed: European Reading Challenge

I signed up for the five star (deluxe entourage) level of Rose City Reader's European Reading Challenge. I read twelve books.

1) His Name Was Raoul Wallenberg: Courage, Rescue, and Mystery During World War II. Louise Borden. (Sweden OR Hungary; NONFICTION)
2) My Family for the War. Anne C. Voorhoeve. (England OR Germany)
3) All Our Worldly Goods. Irene Nemirovsky. (France)
4) In the Garden of Beasts. Erik Larson. (Germany; NONFICTION)
5) Between Shades of Gray. Ruta Sepetys. (Lithuania)
6) Breaking Stalin's Nose. Eugene Yelchin. (Russia--Soviet Union)
7) Mascot: Unraveling the Mystery of My Jewish Father's Nazi Boyhood. Mark Kurzem. (Latvia/Belarus; NONFICTION)
8)  Smuggled by Christina Shea. (Romania/Hungary)
9) The Lost Wife by Alyson Richman (Czech Republic)
10) The Gathering Storm by Robin Bridges (Russia and Montenegro)
11) Gods and Warriors. Michelle Paver. (Greece)
12)  The Flight of Gemma Hardy. Margot Livesey. (Scotland/Iceland)

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

2012 Completed Challenges: Classic Bribe

I am late in posting what I read for The Classic Bribe challenge/event.

1. Othello. William Shakespeare. 1603.
2. Martian Chronicles. Ray Bradbury. (1950)
3. Man in the Brown Suit. Agatha Christie (1924)
4. The Light Princess. George MacDonald. (1864)
5. The Secret Adversary. Agatha Christie (1922)
6. The Princess and the Goblin. George MacDonald.
7. Cousin Henry. Anthony Trollope. 1879. 336 pages.
8. Mrs. McGinty's Dead. Agatha Christie. 1952/2011. HarperCollins. 272 pages.
9. Much Ado About Nothing. William Shakespeare. 1599.
10. Fahrenheit 451. Ray Bradbury. 1953/2003. Random House. 190 pages.
11. Dombey and Son by Charles Dickens.
12. Lin McLean by Owen Wister
13. Diary of a Pilgrimage by Jerome K. Jerome
14. Mystery of the Blue Train by Agatha Christie
15.  Idle Thoughts for an Idle Fellow by Jerome K. Jerome
16. The Princess and the Curdie by George MacDonald
17. Lorna Doone. R.D. Blackmore.
18. Lady Audley's Secret. Mary Elizabeth Braddon.
19. Black Beauty. Anna Sewell.
20. After Dark. Wilkie Collins.
21. Lady Susan. Jane Austen 1794?/1871. 64 pages.
22. The Story of the Trapp Family Singers. Maria Augusta Trapp. 1949/2001. HarperCollins. 320 pages.


© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

2012 Challenge Completed: Victorian Celebration

A Literary Odyssey hosted this two-month celebration of all things Victorian!

1. Becoming Queen Victoria: The Tragic Death of Princess Charlotte and the Unexpected Rise of Britain's Greatest Monarch. Kate Williams.
2. The Princess and the Goblin. George MacDonald. 1872. 259 pages.
3. The Light Princess. George MacDonald. 1864. 110 pages.
4. Cousin Henry. Anthony Trollope. 1879. 336 pages.
5. Magnificent Obsession: Victoria, Albert, and the Death that Changed the British Monarchy. Helen Rappaport. 2012. St. Martin's Press. 352 pages.
6. Dombey and Son. Charles Dickens. 1846-1848. 880 pages.
7. Diary of a Pilgrimage by Jerome K. Jerome
8. A Book of Cheerful Cats and Other Animated Animals
9. Murder in the First Class Carriage by Kate Colquhoun
10. Lin McLean by Owen Wister
11. The Yard by Alex Grecian
12. The Gathering Storm by Robin Bridges
13. Wild Romance by Chloe Schama
14. Suspicions of Mr. Whicher by Kate Summerscale
15. Idle Thoughts for an Idle Fellow by Jerome K. Jerome
16. The Princess and the Curdie by George MacDonald
17. Mrs. Robinson's Disgrace: The Private Diary of A Victorian Lady. Kate Summerscale.
18. Lorna Doone. R.D. Blackmore.
19. Lady Audley's Secret. Mary Elizabeth Braddon.
20. Clocks. Jerome K. Jerome.
21. Black Beauty. Anna Sewell.
22. After Dark. Wilkie Collins.
23. The Dead Witness: A Connoisseur's Collection of Victorian Detective Stories. Edited by Michael Sims

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

2012 Challenge Finished: Back To the Classics 2012

This 'classics' challenge is hosted at Sarah Reads Too Much. (Note to self: REMEMBER to share links to what I read. There'll be a place to link up for each category.)

There are nine categories:

19th century classic: David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

20th century classic: Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank

classic reread: North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

classic play: Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare

classic mystery/horror/crime fiction: Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie

classic romance: Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare

translated classic: We by Yevgeny Zamyatin.

award-winning classic: Earth Abides by George R. Stewart

classic set in a country I'll never visit: Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

2012 Finished Challenge: Once Upon A Time

Books completed for this challenge:

1. Bless This Mouse. Lois Lowry. Illustrated by Eric Rohmann. 2011. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 160 pages.
2. The Bone Magician. F.E. Higgins. 2008. Feiwel and Friends. 274 pages.
3. The Eyeball Collector. F.E. Higgins. 2009. Feiwel and Friends. 250 pages.
4. Wisdom's Kiss. Catherine Gilbert Murdock. 2011. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 304 pages.
5. The Light Princess. George MacDonald. 1864. 110 pages.
6. Enchanted. Alethea Kontis. 2012. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 320 pages.
7. The Lunatic's Curse. F.E. Higgins. 2011. Feiwel & Friends. 352 pages.
8. Glamour in Glass. Mary Robinette Kowal. 2012. Tor. 336 pages.
9. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again. Frank Cottrell Boyce. 2012. Candlewick Press. 192 pages. 
10. A Cat of a Different Color. Steven Bauer. Illustrated by Tim Raglin. 2000. Random House. 200 pages.
11. Young Fredle. Cynthia Voigt. Illustrated by Louise Yates. 2011. Random House. 240 pages.
12. Over Sea, Under Stone (Dark Is Rising, #1) Susan Cooper. 1965. 208 pages. 

© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

2012 Finished Challenge: Spring Reading Thing

The Books I Finished

1) Becoming Queen Victoria: The Tragic Death of Princess Charlotte and the Unexpected Rise of Britain's Greatest Monarch. Kate Williams.
2) Light Princess by George MacDonald
3) North and South. Elizabeth Gaskell. 1855/1998. 454 pages. 
4) Magnificent Obsession: Victoria, Albert, and the Death that Changed the British Monarchy. Helen Rappaport.
5) Mr. Darcy's Diary. Amanda Grange. Sourcebooks. 2007. 320 pages.
6) Henry Tilney's Diary. Amanda Grange. 2011. [December 2011] Penguin. 288 pages.
7) Midnight in Austenland. Shannon Hale. 2012. Bloomsbury. 288 pages.
8) The Selection. Kiera Cass. 2012. HarperCollins. 327 pages
9) Enchanted. Alethea Kontis. 2012. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 320 pages.
10) Miracle. Elizabeth Scott. 2012. Simon & Schuster. 224 pages.
11) Looking for Me. Betsy R. Rosenthal. 2012. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 176 pages.
12) Out of Sight, Out of Time. Ally Carter. 2012. Hyperion. 304 pages.
13) Article 5. Kristen Simmons. 2012 Tor. 368 pages.
14) Partials. Dan Wells. 2012. HarperCollins. 480 pages.
15) Pandemonium. Lauren Oliver. 2012. HarperCollins. 384 pages.
16) The List. Siobhan Vivian. 2012. Scholastic. 336 pages.
17) Wonder. R. J. Palacio. 2012. Random House. 320 pages.
18) Fever. (Chemical Garden Series #2). Lauren DeStefano. 2012. Simon & Schuster. 352 pages.
19) Irises. Francisco X. Stork. 2012. Scholastic. 304 pages.
20) Unbreak My Heart. Melissa Walker. 2012. Bloomsbury. 240 pages.
21) Insurgent. Veronica Roth. 2012. HarperCollins. 525 pages.
22) Henrietta's War: News from the Home Front, 1939-1942. Joyce Dennys. 1985/2010. Bloomsbury. 176 pages.
23) Henrietta Sees It Through. Joyce Dennys. 1987/2011. Bloomsbury. 208 pages.
24) The Flight of Gemma Hardy. Margot Livesey. 2012. HarperCollins. 447 pages.
25) Mascot: Unraveling the Mystery of My Jewish Father's Nazi Boyhood. Mark Kurzem. 2007. Penguin. 432 pages.
26) Kisses From Katie: A Story of Relentless Love and Redemption. Katie Davis. 2011. October 2011. Howard Books. 288 pages.
27) The Great Influenza. The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History. John M. Barry. 2004. Penguin. 546 pages. 
28) Dreamers of the Day. Mary Doria Russell. 2008. Random House. 254 pages. 
29) Glamour in Glass. Mary Robinette Kowal. 2012. Tor. 336 pages.
30) The Lost Wife. Alyson Richman. 2011. Penguin. 352 pages.
31) The Seven Dials Mystery. Agatha Christie. 1929/2012. HarperCollins. 304 pages.
32)  Mrs. McGinty's Dead. Agatha Christie. 1952/2011. HarperCollins. 272 pages. 

• Did you finish reading all the books on your spring reading list? If not, why not?

Well, yes and no. I had designated themes and a vague notion of specific books. But I did stick with the themes, for the most part. My themes were: "V is for Victoria," "All About Austen," "New and Mostly New YA Releases," and "Miscellaneous Musts from the Library." With themes such as "Miscellaneous Musts" it's hard not to meet the requirements! There were books that I thought I'd get to by now--We Two: Victoria and Albert: Rulers, Partners, Rivals by Gillian Gill, All Roads Lead to Austen: A Year Long Journey with Jane by Amy Elizabeth Smith--but they just didn't get read.

• Did you stick to your original goals or did you change your list as you went along?

See above. I had fixed goals (themes) but a very, very flexible list of books. 

• What was your favorite book that you read this spring? Least favorite? Why?

My favorite book from this list? Well, I'm not sure I could do that. But I could do a top three! 1) Kisses From Katie: A Story of Relentless Love and Redemption by Katie Davis; 2) Becoming Queen Victoria: The Tragic Death of Princess Charlotte and the Unexpected Rise of Britain's Greatest Monarch by Kate Williams; 3) Wonder by R.J. Palacio.

My least favorite book from this list is Dreamers of the Day by Mary Doria Russell. I hated the condescending tone taken towards Christianity and the ending did not work for me at all.

• Did you discover a new author or genre this spring? Did you love them? Not love them?

I read a few new-to-me authors this spring. For example, the two Henrietta books by Joyce Dennys. And I believe some of the YA authors I read this time: Kiera Cass, Alethea Kontis, Kristen Simmons, Dan Wells, R. J. Palacio. I didn't really try any new genres. But I did read a lot more nonfiction than typical! 

• Did you learn something new because of Spring Reading Thing 2012 – something about reading, about yourself, or about a topic you read about?

I read quite a bit nonfiction for this challenge! And I always learn something when I read nonfiction. I read several books about Queen Victoria and the Victorian period, for example.

• What was your favorite thing about the challenge?

 The reading.


© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews