Extreme Book Nerd Reading Challenge 2017

I did not quite finish the reading challenge from the Idaho Falls Public Library this year. They offer 50 categories, with a challenge to read a book in each category this year. I read 50 books, but not quite in 50 weeks (it took me one more week to complete my 50^th), and in some categories I did not finish the book (marked with an asterisk).

I wanted to put together a list of the books I read, as well as some brief comments on some of my favorites. I’ll start with the books that I read more than any other genre (Regency romance and historical romance, of course) then move on to the categories that were more challenging for me to complete. The category is in parentheses afterwards.

Regencies:

1.      Lord John’s Dilemma, by G.G. Vandergriff (A book you’ve been meaning to read)
2.      Miss Whitaker Opens her Heart, by Jennifer Moore (A book with a verb in the title)
3.      A Place for Miss Snow, by Jennifer Moore (A book by an author whose name ends with a vowel) Jennifer Moore’s books are always a treat, bringing me the Regency stories but not always in the typical London/England setting.
4.      Miss Armistead Makes her Choice, by Heidi Ashworth (A book with the military in it)
5.      An Inconvenient Romance, by Charlise Linton (A book written in the first person)

6-8. Whispers on the Moore collection by Sarah E. Ladd

·         The Heiress of Winterwood     (A book you love — read it again)

·         The Headmistress of Rosemere (A book that makes you happy)

·         A Lady at Willowgrove Hall (A book with an illness in it)

9.      One Love, Two Heart, Three Stories, by J. Dawn King (A book chosen because of the title) Three Pride and Prejudice variations
10.  The Abominable Mr. Darcy, by J. Dawn King (no category, I missed recording this one!) Another Pride and Prejudice variation
11.  Romancing Daphne, Sarah Eden (A book recommended by someone you just met). Thank you, kind librarian, for recommending this book so I could fit it in this category!
12.  A Fine Gentleman, Sarah Eden (A book by an author with your name)
13.  For Love and Honor, Sarah Eden (no category—finished this after Christmas so it didn’t count, but it’s sooo good!)
14.  Mrs. McVinnie’s London Season, Carla Kelly (A book with an ugly cover)
15.  A Season in London, by Heather B Moore, Elizabeth Johns, and Rebecca Connolly. (A book that feeds your wanderlust) I would love to visit England just to see all the Jane Austen sites and the museums that feature Regency time period.
16.  An Arrangement of Sorts, Rebecca Connolly (A book you can finish in a day) I read this one because of her short novella in the previous one. She does a good job with Regencies.
17.  The Darkest Summer, Rebecca Greenwood (A book with music in it, very little music, but I had to put it somewhere!) So this was a new release I was excited to read, but the poor editing drove me nuts! It wasn’t self-published, either. The author has incorrectly used commas in almost EVERY sentence. It was supposed to be a retelling of the story of Persephone. Other than that, the plot is driven by “how many things can go wrong on a two-day carriage ride.” A good attempt by a first-time author.
18.  The Fall of Lord Drayson, by Rachael Anderson (A book you own but have never read). So I got dozens of books this year free, or for .99, via Bookbub. I have many more books I haven’t yet read. This just happened to fit this category.
19.  Fairchild, by Jaima Fixsen, (a book set in Europe)
20.  The Silent Governess, by Julie Klassen (no category) Julie Klassen is one of my favorite authors. She writes Christian historical/Regency romance. I’ve read about six of her books, most by checking them out from the library through the Overdrive reading app. They are long, deep, and well-researched books. I always learn something from the epigraphs at each chapter heading, too.

Historical Fiction:

21.  The Lady of the Lakes, by Josi Kilpack (A book published this year)

22.  The Uninvited, by Cat Winters. (A ghost story) This story has a twist to it! I didn’t even guess…

23.  My Lady Jane, by Cynthia Hand, Jodi Meadows, Brodi Ashton (A book with magic in it). I’ve read Cynthia Hand’s angel YA books a few years ago. I have Brodi Ashton’s Everneath (still need to finish it). And this book was a favorite recommended by my friends, the Sher family. So it came highly recommended and I just need to make time to finish it. I loved it! The humor is great and the magical twist on English history is wonderful.

24.  Dead, Mr. Mozart, by Bernard Bastable (a cozy mystery). This story tells of an alternate history for Mozart, who is a struggling composer in England, tasked with solving a murder before his new opera celebrating the coronation of Prinny can debut. It’s set just after the Regency period so I liked the familiar setting and the mystery is pretty tame but intriguing.

25.  The World Within: A Novel of Emily Bronte, by Jane Eagland (A book with a natural disaster in it). I enjoyed this YA fictionalized account of Emily Bronte’s childhood. The story was true to most of the details of her upbringing, and I understand better how odd those Bronte sisters were. (There is a minor natural disaster in the story—an earthquake/landslide, but Reverend Bronte thought it foretold the end of the world.)

26.  Shores of Bountiful by Loralee Evans (A book with death in it). I don’t typically read Book of Mormon fiction, but this story was very compelling and the author does a great job conveying emotion in her story.

Book Club reads:

27.  Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, by Jamie Ford (An author’s debut novel). I’ve read this book before, several years ago, but enjoyed it so much I was excited to read it again with our book club.

28.  The Rosie Effect, by Graeme Simsion (A humorous or satirical book). The first chapter of this book was the funniest. Coming from someone who has an austistic/Aspie child, I found his “lecture” to the Asperger’s group hilarious. The rest of the book was basically how a guy who runs his life via routine can adapt when love compels him too (though the swearing and loose morals were not pleasant to read).

29.  The Optimist’s Daughter, by Eudora Welty (A book with an unreliable narrator). Good writing, interesting people, but certainly an odd narrator.

30.  The Boys in the Boat, by Daniel James Brown (YA edition) (A book set in New England). Okay, so most of the book is in Washington, but the races to qualify for the Olympics are in New England. I was running out of categories… I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and even though it was the shorter YA version I learned a lot and have great respect for the athletes who row competitively.

31.  A Man Called Ove, by Fredrik Backman (A book translated from another language). This is one of the rare books in which I laugh and cry in the SAME paragraph! My heart just really went out to this grumpy man who finally let others into his life.

32.  Maisie Dobbs, by Jacqueline Winspear (A book by a British author). Loved this book and plan to read more in the series.

33.  The Natural Laws of Good Luck, by Ellen Graf (a book of essays). Well, they are sort of essays… close enough. A memoir of a Chinese/American marriage and interesting look at class of cultures.

34.  An Unfinished Life, Mark Spragg (A book you would never read). So without the book club selecting this from the few available at the library at the time, I would not have read it. Language, violence, yucky stuff. Yet a look at how a plucky girl manages in a world where the adults are loving but dysfunctional.

35.  *Founding Mothers, by Cokie Roberts (A history book). I didn’t finish this book because time ran out and I didn’t make it to the book club discussion, and the book had to go back to the library. So I can’t technically count it, but the half I read was informational and readable for nonfiction.

36.  *The Girls of Atomic City by Denise Kiernan. Another book I only half read so I couldn’t count it.

37.  The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini (A book about a culture you’re unfamiliar with). I would have to rank this as the best book I read last year. The story of the clash of cultures, both within Afghanistan and in the U.S., was eye opening. And “For you, a thousand times.” Ah, good tears.

Serious books:

38.  Learning Theories (Schunk, 2016). (A book with a government agency in it). Yeah, it was my textbook, and I’ve cited in in APA style…

39.  Wolf Willow, by Wallace Stegner (published before I was born). Such a great writer. Glad I could take part in the IHC Summer Institute and study Stegner’s writings.

40.  Angle of Repose, by Wallace Stegner (A book that intimidates you). I’ve read it before, so it was not necessarily the book that was intimidating but the fact that I had to meet with 30 other teachers and discuss our thoughts with professors. Stegner’s writings were some of the most impactful for me last year.

41.  *The Making of Jane Austen (a book from a library display). I didn’t finish it. It’s on my “try again later” list.

42.  The Smartest Kids in the World (and how they got that way) by Amanda Ripley (A nonfiction book). Read it for Learning Theories 6602. Great analysis of how our educational system lacks rigor.

43.  Beyond Blue (a color in the title). Great view of how depression feels and helped me understand my husband and children.

44.  The Book of Mormon. Finished it Dec. 30! (I put this in the “book made into a movie” category, though it was too late to count it.)

45.  Tuesdays with Morrie, by Mitch Albom (book with a day in the title). Another book I’d put at the top of my list for impactful thoughts, moving writing, and lessons that stay with the reader long afterward.

46.  *The Sea, The Sea, by Iris Murdoch (Man Booker award winner). The prose is beautiful but the book was so slow moving, I never finished it.

Young Adult novels:

47.  Steelheart, Brandon Sanderson (a famous author’s lesser known work). Great YA adventure, and I’ll be reading more Brandon Sanderson. His writing measures up to the renown.

48.  Two Roads, Chris Crowe (an addicted character).

49.  Heartstone, by Elle Katherine White (bottom shelf of the library). A Pride and Prejudice variation with dragons? Yes, yes! I would not have discovered it had I not been scouring bottom shelves of the library.

50.  Book of a Thousand Days, by Shannon Hale (a YA book).

51.  The Bear and the Nightingale, by Katherine Arden. Started this one in October but didn’t finish until after Christmas. A Russian fable retelling; will be reading the next book once it comes out.

“Fluff” books:

52.  Second Chance Ranch, by Liz Isaacson (author never read before)

53.  How to get over your Ex in 90 days, by Jennifer Peel (relation in the title)

54.  Pride and Politics, by Brittany Larsen (book with a US president)

55.  Finding Love in Sun Valley, by Angela Ruth Strong (book with a wedding in it).

So that’s 51 books completely finished, though not by the Dec. 21 deadline, and several more given a good attempt. Now I’m moving on to my giant TBR pile and going forward with 2018’s challenge.