2011 Challenges Completed: Fall Into Reading

My goal was to read six to eight books.

The original list:

The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Kay Penman.
The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan. 
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.
And Be A Villain by Rex Stout.
Murder Must Advertise by Dorothy Sayers.
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
Wonderland Creek by Lynn Austin.
Agatha Christie: An Autobiography.
Claudius the God by Robert Graves.

What I actually read:

The Son of Neptune (Heroes of Olympus #2). Rick Riordan
The Sunne in Splendour: "A fascinating portrait of the controversial King Richard III--a monarch betrayed in life by his allies and betrayed in death by history." by Sharon Kay Penman.
Murder Must Advertise. Dorothy L. Sayers.
The Woman in White. Wilkie Collins. 
Wonderland Creek. Lynn Austin.
Frankenstein. Mary Shelley.
The Nine Tailors. Dorothy L. Sayers. 
Busman's Holiday by Dorothy L. Sayers
Hercule Poirot's Christmas. Agatha Christie.  
Doomsday Book. Connie Willis.

The Fellowship of the Ring. J.R.R. Tolkien.
The Two Towers. J.R.R. Tolkien.
The Return of the King. J.R.R. Tolkien.


My thoughts: I didn't exactly stick with my list. (Six are from the original list; seven are not). But I am pleased with what I was able to read. Some of these books were just wonderful like Woman in White and Sunne in Splendour! And it was so WONDERFUL to finish the Lord Peter Wimsey series by Dorothy Sayers!!!! That was a big goal of mine. And I've been meaning to read The Lord of the Rings since 2007-2008. So it was so satisfying to read those!!!! 


© 2011 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Challenge Completed: RIP

Here's what I read for the challenge:

1. A Pocket Full of Rye. Agatha Christie.
2. A Murder on the Links. Agatha Christie.
3. Human.4 Mike A. Lancaster.
4. The Five Red Herrings. Dorothy L. Sayers.
5. Mister Creecher by Chris Priestly
6. This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel
7. The Wikkeling. Steven Arntson.
8. Jake Ransom and the Skull King's Shadow. James Rollins.
9. Jake Ransom and the Howling Sphinx. James Rollins.
10. The Woman in White. Wilkie Collins.
11. Frankenstein. Mary Shelley.

© 2011 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

2011 Challenges: Fall Into Reading

Fall Into Reading hosted at Callapidder Days. The info post is here. The sign up post goes up September 23rd. (I'll link to it when I can). 
The challenge is from 9/23 to 12/21.

My goal is to read six to eight books. I'll probably list twice that much! But I hope to read at least six of the following:

The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Kay Penman. I've been reading this one since August--I think it's been that long--but it's a LONG, LONG book, close to a thousand pages. And you do have to be in the right mood for it. I definitely want to finish it up this fall!

The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan. I admit I obsessively checked my library's catalog just to make sure I got a good spot on the waiting list. (It worked!) So I definitely plan on reading the second in Riordan's Heroes of Olympus series.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. This is not a new read to me, though I do try to read it "new" each time. I have signed up to read this one for the Classics Circuit tour. But I was planning on reading it anyway. I just love it so.

And Be A Villain by Rex Stout. I discovered Rex Stout last spring, and I'd love to spend some time this fall reading more of his Nero Wolfe mysteries. There are three books that go together--And Be A Villain, Second Confession, and In The Best Families. I don't know if I'll get to all three for this challenge. But I would love to get a good start on it!!!

Murder Must Advertise by Dorothy Sayers. My goal is to read all the Lord Peter books in order. The next to come--for me--is Murder Must Advertise. Then if I'm feeling ambitious, I need to read The Nine Tailors and Busman's Honeymoon. Sayers is another discovery new to me in 2011! I discovered her and Agatha Christie in January, and, well, things have DEFINITELY changed around here.

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins. I've wanted to read this one for a few years now. I have really enjoyed almost all of Collins' novels, so I'm looking forward to this one!

Wonderland Creek by Lynn Austin. I am a big fan of Lynn Austin! And this one is about a librarian!

Agatha Christie: An Autobiography. I discovered Agatha Christie this year and I would love to read her autobiography.

Claudius the God by Robert Graves. I'd love to read the sequel to I, Claudius.

© 2011 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews