Casual Reading Challenge

This is a casual challenge (ha ha). Anyways, basically you make a list of books and read from it. The list can change and you don't have to finish all of the books on the list. Easy, right? I thought so. The books that I chose go along with the casual reading theme. Nothing too heavy. I chose twenty books so we will see how much I accomplish with the goal being the entire list. Let's get started!

My list includes:

• Last Known Victim by Erica Spindler
• See No Evil by Allison Brennan
• Creation In Death by J.D. Robb
• Fool Moon by Jim Butcher
• The Laughing Corpse by Laurell K. Hamilton
• Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison
• Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
• Postmortem by Patricia Cornwell
• And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
• Montmorency: Thief, Liar, Gentleman? by Eleanor Updale
• Something Wicked Comes This Way by Ray Bradbury
• Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay
• Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk
• Rebecca by Daphne duMaurier
• Forever Odd by Dean Koontz
• Two For The Dough by Janet Evanovich
• The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman
• Why Moms Are Weird by Pamela Ribon
• The Rainmaker by John Grisham
• Waiting To Exhale by Terry McMillan

Whitcoulls Challenge

I found this challenge and couldn't resist. The best part is that I can get started on it since all of my other challenges don't begin until January. I'm getting impatient if you can't tell. I've got tons of great books to read so it's hard to wait. There are twelve books to read for this challenge so here is my list with a couple of extras/alternates.

• The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis (also for young adult challenge)
• Bridget Jone's Diary by Helen Fielding
• Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
• The Firm by John Grisham
• Chocolat by Joanne Harris
• I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb
• Salem Falls by Jodi Piccoult
• Holes by Louis Sachar
• The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
• The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
• The Tenth Circle by Jodi Piccoult

Alternates:

• The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Grerory
• The Lord of the Rings by J.R. Tolkien

Themed Reading Challenge

This challenge is the perfect way to knock some books off my TBR list. Hooray! The challenge requires a minimum of four books...I can do this. My theme is books with a color in the title. Challenge number four, here I come.

My picks for this challenge are:

• The Color Purple by Alice Walker
• The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
• Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland
• The Red Tent by Anita Diamant

Alternates:

• Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
• The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman

Numbers Challenge

I joined my third challenge which is the numbers challenge. It's pretty easy and just requires me to read five books with a number in the title. I picked five books that are on my TBR list so that helps knock a few off. Yay! Of course, after reading reviews of what the other participants read for this challenge I'll probably end up adding ten more books to my list.. ;)

Here is my list:

• Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Piccoult
• Three by Ted Dekker
• Thirteen Reasons Why (also young adult challenge)
• I Have Lived A Thousand Years by Livia Bitton-Jackson
• The Hundred Secret Senses by Amy Tan

Alternates:

• Two For The Dough by Janet Evanovich
• Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis

Young Adult Challenge

Here is the second challenge I've decided to join for 2008. It lasts all year long and consists of reading twelve books. I don't usually read young adult books so this will be fun and interesting for me.

Here is what I decided on:

• I Am The Messenger by Marcus Zusak
• Crank by Ellen Hopkins
• 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher
• Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brasheres
• Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly
• The Third Eye by Lois Duncan
• Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
• The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
• Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
• Uglies by Scott Westerfield (also 1st in series challenge)
• The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
• Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone by J.K. Rowling (1st in a series challenge)

First in a Series Challenge

I've joined my 1st official challenge. Yikes! I thought I would post my list here and then try adding it to the side later. These are all books that I'm excited to try and maybe I'll continue on with the series..we'll have to see. It lasts a whole year so I will have plenty of time to finish this one.

Here is my list:

• Booked To Die by John Dunning
• No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
• The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger by Stephen King
• Latte Trouble: A Coffeehouse Mystery by Cleo Coyle
• Death By Darjeeling by Laura Childs
• Them Bones by Caroly Haines
• Morrigan's Cross by Nora Roberts
• Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone by J.K. Rowling
• Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
• The Eyre Affair by Jasper Forde
• Uglies by Scott Westerfield
• Deal Breaker by Harlan Coben

UPDATE: I'm going to add Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs and put it in place of Deal Breaker by Harlan Coben...if I have extra time I will read the Coben book also.

Challenge and Reading Blog

I've decided to take the plunge and create a blog for the books I read and challenges. I'm blog-illiterate so we'll see how it goes. Patience is key... :) I have decided to try and join a few challenges as well but none of them will start until January and I haven't joined any officially yet. Another thing for me to figure out. If you haven't already figured it out, I love to read. I've got a TBR list that is pages long. And I keep adding more! I love any type of book but mysteries always have a special place. Hoping to keep track of my reading through challenges while reading all types of books. Now I'm off to get started.