24 Hour Challenge Completed

Post-Event Survey:

1. Which hour was most daunting for you? The wee morning hours (2-3) are always going to be the most daunting for me because as soon as I finish the current book, the book of the moment, choosing the next book, getting started, getting hooked requires a bit too much energy.

2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? Frozen Fire was great, is great, I should say. The Stephenie Meyer books would probably work great. And Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer. Adoration of Jenna Fox would be a great choice too.

3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? I think things went relatively mostly smoothly. I don’t know if the mini-challenges ever got ironed out or not. There were one or maybe two missing there for a while. But those weren’t biggies for me.

4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon? I think things worked well. I think Darcie did a great time with the cheerleaders. And I think Renay did really really well in organizing those two feeds and creating that one page that listed all the participants. Those were *super* helpful.

5. How many books did you read? 7 books; 1, 926 pages

6. What were the names of the books you read? Frozen Fire by Tim Bowler, The Trials of Kate Hope by Wick Downing, The Sherlock Files by Tracy Barrett, In the Company of Whispers by Sallie Lowenstein, Artichoke’s Heart by Suzanne Supplee, Coraline the Graphic Novel by Neil Gaiman and P. Craig Russell, Skin Deep by E.M. Crane.

7. Which book did you enjoy most? Artichoke’s Heart by Suzanne Supplee

8. Which did you enjoy least? I liked them all. I did. Sherlock Files was probably the least sophisticated of the bunch so I’ll go with that.

9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders? I didn’t cheer.

10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time? Yes. Definitely a reader. I might one day consider being a cheerleader. But I like the reading too much to really want to give that up or try to balance it.

© Becky Laney of Becky’s Book Reviews

Back to History Challenge Completed

Laura Ingalls Wilder: Little House in the Big Woods; Little House on the Prairie; On the Banks of Plum Creek; By the Shores of Silver Lake; The Long Winter; Little Town on the Prairie; These Happy Golden Years; The First Four Years.

Carolyn Meyer: White Lilacs,

Anne Frank. Diary of a Young Girl.

Laura Hillman: I Will Plant You A Lilac Tree.

Ruth Minsky Sender: The Cage.

I Have Lived A Thousand Years by Livia Bitton-Jackson
My Bridges of Hope by Livia Bitton-Jackson

Edward Rutherfurd: London.

Karen Hesse: Out of the Dust.

The Duke and I by Julia Quinn
The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn
An Offer From A Gentleman by Julia Quinn
Romancing Mister Bridgerton by Julia Quinn
To Sir Phillip, With Love by Julia Quinn.
When He Was Wicked by Julia Quinn

Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell

I, Claudius by Robert Graves.
The King’s Arrow by Michael Cadnum
Crispin by Avi
A Long Way From Chicago by Richard Peck
A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck

Christy by Catherine Marshall

In Mozart’s Shadow by Carolyn Meyer

Austen Challenge Completed

Persuasion by Jane Austen
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

Just to clarify, the challenge is ON and OPEN throughout the rest of 2008. I’m just done with my share of the reviews

I reviewed Pride & Prejudice last year, and really don’t feel the need to revisit quite this soon. And Mansfeld Park, I started but chose to exercise my Readers’ Bill of Rights on. And Emma isn’t one of my priorities at the moment.

© Becky Laney of Becky’s Book Reviews

Historical Fiction Reading Challenge Completed

Historical Fiction Reading Challenge
host: Reading, Writing, and Ranting
dates: 1 April to 1 October
books required: 6

Camilla by Fanny Burney
Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell
The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt
Primavera by Mary Jane Beaufrand
A Countess Below Stairs by Eva Ibbotson
Christy by Catherine Marshall
Before Green Gables by Budge Wilson
In Mozart’s Shadow by Carolyn Meyer

© Becky Laney of Becky’s Book Reviews

Heart Of A Child Challenge Completed

Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder
By the Shores of Silver Lake by Laura Ingalls Wilder
The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Little Town on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
These Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder
First Four Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis
The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis
Kristy’s Great Idea by Ann Martin
Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary
Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary
Ramona the Brave by Beverly Cleary
Ramona and Her Father by Beverly Cleary
Ramona and Her Mother by Beverly Cleary
Ramona Quimby Age 8 by Beverly Cleary
Ramona Forever by Beverly Cleary
Ramona’s World by Beverly Cleary
Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Mandy by Julie Edwards
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
Christy by Catherine Marshall

© Becky Laney of Becky’s Book Reviews

Southern Reading Challenge Completed

1. The Underneath by Kathi Appelt (East Texas/Louisiana; Texan author)
2. Jessie’s Mountain by Kerry Madden (North Carolina?)
3. Christy by Catherine Marshall
4. I Am Scout by Charles J. Shields

© Becky Laney of Becky’s Book Reviews

Graphic Novel Challenge Completed

Graphic Novel Challenge
host: Dewey on Graphic Challenge Blog
dates: all of 2008
books required 6?

1. Kristy’s Great Idea by Ann M. Martin
2. Manga Shakespeare: Romeo & Juliet
3. Manga Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
4. Manga Shakespeare: Hamlet
5. Twilight Zone: Walking Distance
6. Twilight Zone: After Hours

Themed Reading Challenge Completed

My theme was Beverly Cleary;

Beezus and Ramona
Ramona the Pest
Ramona the Brave
Ramona and Her Father
Ramona and Her Mother
Ramona Quimby Age 8
Ramona Forever
Ramona’s World

© Becky Laney of Becky’s Book Reviews

July Book Blowout

Another challenge! This one hosted by Blue Archipelago. The goal? Try to read a certain number of books (each participant decides their own target goal) within the month of July. You must post a wrap-up post listing what you’ve read in July by August 7th, 2008.

My goal? 31 books.

0 / 31 books. 0% done!

© Becky Laney of Becky’s Book Reviews

Here Be Dragons Challenge Completed

Here Be Dragons a 2008 Book Challenge was hosted by Stray Talk.

This is what I read for the challenge:

Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George
Dragon Flight by Jessica Day George
Fablehaven: Grip Of The Shadow Plague by Brandon Mull
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Sisters Grimm: Magic and Other Misdemeanors by Michael Buckley
Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis
Three Tales of My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett: My Father’s Dragon; Elmer and the Dragon; Dragons of Blueland.
On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson
© Becky Laney of Becky’s Book Reviews