2000’s Completed Reading Lists

    2009 Books Read

    1. Harpist in the Wind – Patricia A. McKillip
    2. Heir of Sea and Fire – Patricia A. McKillip
    3. Obernewtyn – Isobelle Carmody
    4. Labyrinth – Kate Mosse
    5. The Rest Falls Away – Colleen Gleason
    6. The Gates of Sleep – Mercedes Lackey
    7. Mirrormask – Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean
    8. Blood Debt – Tanya Huff
    9. Daughter of Venice – Donna Jo Napoli
    10. Jane Austen Ruined My Life – Beth Pattillo
    11. The Lives of Christopher Chant – Dianna Wynne Jones
    12. Charmed Life – Dianne Wynne Jones
    13. Magic and the Modern Girl – Mindy Klasky
    14. Slam – Nick Hornby
    15. Hanging out with the Dream King – Joseph McCabe
    16. Dead as a Doornail – Charlaine Harris
    17. Blood Pact – Tanya Huff
    18. Tamsin – Peter Beagle
    19. Mistress of the Art of Death – Ariana Franklin
    20. Mister Monday – Garth Nix
    21. The Bloody Chamber – Angela Carter
    22. Night Shift – Lilith Saintcrow
    23. The Privilege of the Sword – Ellen Kushner
    24. Something Rich and Strange – Patricia A. McKillip
    25. The Professor and the Madman – Simon Winchester
    26. Dead to the World – Charlaine Harris
    27. Elvenblood – Andre Norton and Mercedes Lackey
    28. Off the Tourist Trail – Eyewitness Travel
    29. Coraline – Neil Gaiman
    30. Winter Rose – Patricia A. McKillip
    31. Cloud Atlas – David Mitchell
    32. The Writer’s Journey – Christopher Vogler
    33. The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse – Robert Rankin
    34. The Crow – Alison Croggon
    35. M is for Magic – Neil Gaiman
    36. Fingersmith – Sarah Waters
    37. A Killer Stitch Maggie Sefton
    38. Maui – Robert Nilsen
    39. 101 Things You Didn’t Know About Jane Austen – Patrice Hannon
    40. A Canticle for Leibowitz – Walter M. Miller Jr.
    41. The Private Diary of Mr. Darcy – Maya Slater
    42. Blood Lines – Tanya Huff
    43. Bound – Donna Jo Napoli
    44. The Elvenbane – Andre Norton and Mercedes Lackey
    45. Harlequin Valentine – Neil Gaiman
    46. Earth Abides – George A. Stewart
    47. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies – Seth Grahame-Smith
    48. The City of Ember – Jeanne DuPrau
    49. Spiral Hunt -Margaret Ronald
    50. The Nibelungenlied
    51. The Historian – Elizabeth Kostova
    52. Fortune’s Fool – Mercedes Lackey
    53. The Forgotten Beasts of Eld – Patricia A. McKillip
    54. Elegant Enigmas: The Art of Edward Gorey – Karen Wilkin
    55. Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse – John Joseph Adams, ed.
    56. Reserved for the Cat – Mercedes Lackey
    57. Princess Academy – Shannon Hale
    58. The Snow Queen – Mercedes Lackey
    59. The Dreaming Place – Charles de Lint
    60. Atonement – Ian McEwan
    61. Reading the OED – Ammon Shea
    62. Inkspell – Cornelia Funke
    63. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader – C S Lewis
    64. The Yiddish Policemen’s Union – Michael Chabon
    65. The Birchbark House – Louise Erdrich
    66. Breaking Dawn – Stephenie Meyer
    67. Boston Curiosities – Ted Clarke
    68. Club Dead – Charlaine Harris
    69. At Death’s Door – Jill Thompson
    70. The Riddle-Master of Hed – Patricia A. McKillip
    71. Sorcery & Cecilia or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot – Patricia A. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer
    72. Eclipse – Stephanie Meyer
    73. Sword and Sorceress XII – Marion Zimmer Bradley

    2009 Completed Reading Challenges

    ya challenge 2009

    YA Challenge 2009 (1/1/09-12/31/09) – Finished 11/12/2009

    Daughter of Venice – Donna Jo Napoli – finished 11/12/2009
    The Chronicles of Chrestomanci Vol. 1 – Dianne Wynne Jones – finished 11/6/2009
    Mister Monday – Garth Nix – finished 9/23/09
    The Crow – Alison Croggon – finished 7/21/09
    The City of Ember – Jeanne DuPrau – finished 5/11/09
    Princess Academy – Shannon Hale – finished 3/27/09
    The Dreaming Place – Charles de Lint – finished 3/13/09
    The Birchbark House – Louise Erdrich – finished 2/2/09
    Bound – Donna Jo Napoli – finished 6/9/09
    Inkspell – Cornelia Funke – finished 2/23/09
    Slam – Nick Hornby – finished 10/28/09
    Sorcery & Cecilia or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot – Patricia A. Wrede & Caroline Stevermer – finished 1/10/09

    TBR Lite Reading Challenge 2009

    TBR Lite 2009 Reading Challenge 1/1/09-12/31/09 – Finished 9/2/2009

    Cloud Atlas – David Mitchell – finished 8/7/09
    The Nibelungunlied – finished 5/1/09
    Atonement – Ian McEwan – finished 3/10/09
    The Professor and the Madman – Simon Winchester – finished 9/2/09
    The Yiddish Policemen’s Union – Michael Chabon – finished 2/11/09
    The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse – Robert Rankin – finished 7/28/09

    rip iv reading challenge

    RIP IV Reading Challenge 9/1/2009 – 10/31/2009 – Finished 10/24/2009

    Dead as a Doornail – Charlaine Harris – finished 10/24/2009
    Mistress of the Art of Death – Ariana Franklin – finished 10/1/09
    Night Shift – Lilith Saintcrow – finished 9/15/09
    The Bloody Chamber – Angela Carter – finished 9/20/09
    Something Rich and Strange – Patricia A. McKillip – finished 9/6/09
    Tamsin – Peter Beagle – finished 10/16/2009
    Blood Pact – Tanya Huff – finished 10/21/2009

    Once Upon a Time III Reading Challenge

    Once Upon a Time III Reading Challenge 3/21/09 – 6/20/09 – finished 6/9/09

    Bound – Donna Jo Napoli – finished 6/9/09
    Spiral Hunt – Margaret Ronald – finished 5/7/09
    Reserved for the Cat – Mercedes Lackey – finished 4/2/09
    The Forgotten Beasts of Eld – Patricia A. McKillip – finished 4/18/09
    The Nibelungenlied – finished 5/1/09

    Vampire Reading Challenge 1/1/09-12/31/09 – Finished 12/6/09

    The Rest Falls Away – Colleen Gleason – finished 12/6/2009
    Blood Debt – Tanya Huff – finished 11/16/2009
    Dead as a Doornail – Charlaine Harris – finished 10/24/09
    Blood Pact – Tanya Huff – finished 10/21/09
    Dead to the World – Charlaine Harris – finished 8/28/09
    Blood Lines – Tanya Huff – finished 6/12/09
    Breaking Dawn – Stephenie Meyer – finished 1/30/09
    Club Dead – Charlaine Harris – finished 1/20/09
    Eclipse – Stephenie Meyer – Finished 1/8/09
    The Historian – Elizabeth Kostova – finished 4/27/09

    Patricia McKillip Reading Challenge

    The Patricia A McKillip Challenge 1/1/09-12/31/09 – Finished 9/6/09

    Something Rich and Strange – finished 9/6/09
    Winter Rose – finished 8/11/09
    The Forgotten Beasts of Eld – finished 4/18/09
    The Riddle-Master of Hed – finished 1/15/09

    End of the World Reading Challenge

    It’s the End of the World Reading Challenge II – 3/10/09 – 10/9/09 – finished 6/25/09

    A Canticle for Leibowitz – Walter M. Miller Jr. – finished 6/25/09
    The City of Ember – Jeanne DuPrau – finished 5/11/09
    Earth Abides – George R. Stewart – finished 5/22/09
    Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse – John Joseph Adams, ed – finished 4/15/09

    The Dream King Challenge

    Dream King Challenge 1/1/09 – 12/31/09 – finished 11/19/2009

    Harlequin Valentine – finished 6/4/09 – Graphic Novel
    At Death’s Door – Jill Thompson – finished 1/17/09 – Neil-inspired
    Mirrormask Illustrated Script – Finished 11/19/2009 – Script
    Hanging out with the Dream King – Joseph McCabe – finished 10/25/2009 – Nonfiction
    M is for Magic – finished 7/18/09 – Short Stories
    Coraline (Book) – finished 8/13/09 – YA
    Coraline (Movie) – seen 2/28/09 – Movie

    2008 Books Read

    1. Snow Crash – Neal Stephenson
    2. New Moon – Stephenie Meyer
    3. Silver on the Tree – Susan Cooper
    4. The Histories – Herodotus
    5. The Grey King – Susan Cooper
    6. Greenwitch – Susan Cooper
    7. The Dark is Rising – Susan Cooper
    8. On Writing – Stephen King
    9. Abhorsen – Garth Nix
    10. Clockwork – Philip Pullman
    11. Dead Until Dark – Charlaine Harris
    12. Kushiel’s Dart – Jacqueline Carey
    13. The Fairy Godmother – Mercedes Lackey
    14. Nocturnes – John Connolly
    15. Page – Tamora Pierce
    16. Chalice – Robin McKinley
    17. Living Dead in Dallas – Charlaine Harris
    18. Lirael – Garth Nix
    19. Lord of Light – Roger Zelazny
    20. Twilight – Stephenie Meyer
    21. The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories – Susanna Clarke
    22. Sabriel – Garth Nix
    23. Touchmark – Mildred Lawrence
    24. Blood and Chocolate – Annette Curtis Klause
    25. Tam Lin – Pamela Dean
    26. The Riddle – Alison Croggon
    27. Coyote Blue – Christopher Moore
    28. Austenland – Shannon Hale
    29. Moonheart – Charles de Lint
    30. First Test – Tamora Pierce
    31. Cordelia Underwood – Van Reid
    32. Terrier – Tamora Pierce
    33. The Time Traveler’s Wife – Audrey Niffenegger
    34. Inkheart – Cornelia Funke
    35. American Gods – Neil Gaiman
    36. The Alton Gift – Marion Zimmer Bradley/Deborah J. Ross
    37. Odd and the Frost Giants – Neil Gaiman
    38. Idylls of the King – Alfred, Lord Tennyson
    39. The Museum of Kitschy Stitches – Stitchy McYarnpants
    40. Howl’s Moving Castle – Dianne Wynne Jones
    41. The Bestiary – Nicholas Christopher
    42. Beginnings, Middles & Ends – Nancy Kress
    43. The Sorceress and the Cygnet – Patricia A. McKillip
    44. Polgara the Sorceress – David and Leigh Eddings
    45. The Road – Cormac McCarthy
    46. Skellig – David Almond
    47. Dragonhaven – Robin McKinley
    48. North by Northanger – Carrie Bebris
    49. The Knitter’s Book of Yarn – Clara Parkes
    50. The Naming – Alison Croggon
    51. Pride and Prescience – Carrie Bebris
    52. The Line Between – Peter S. Beagle
    53. Belgarath the Sorcerer – David and Leigh Eddings
    54. Anansi Boys – Neil Gaiman
    55. The Seeress of Kell – David Eddings
    56. Beast – Donna Jo Napoli
    57. Sorceress of Darshiva – David Eddings
    58. Food 2.0 Secrets from the Chef Who Fed Google – Charlies Ayers
    59. Demon Lord of Karanda – David Eddings
    60. The Thirteenth Tale – Diane Setterfield
    61. The Goose Girl – Shannon Hale
    62. King of the Murgos – David Eddings
    63. Guardians of the West – David Eddings
    64. Enchanter’s Endgame – David Eddings
    65. Castle of Wizardry – David Eddings
    66. Magician’s Gambit – David Eddings
    67. Queen of Sorcery – David Eddings
    68. Pawn of Prophecy – David Eddings
    69. Eat Cake – Jeanne Ray
    70. The Winter Oak – James Hetley
    71. V for Vendetta – Alan Moore
    72. In the Forest of the Night – Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
    73. Sunshine – Robin McKinley
    74. The Stolen Child – Keith Donohue
    75. The World Without Us – Alan Weisman
    76. The Diamond Age – Neal Stephenson

    Seventy-six is a pretty respectable number, but I still want to reach 100. I think about the only way I could do that is to reread a few more books, and not read anything that takes any amount of time and concentration, and where would the fun in that be?

    I did do a little more re-reading this year than I have in recent years (21 books), but about half of those were books I hadn’t read very recently, so it was fun to revisit them. It looks like I also did 33 challenge books (that includes some overlaps). I did manage to add some non-fiction in the list, but I think that’s definitely something I need to work on reading more of for this year, which is the closest to a reading resolution I’ll come to. I’ve learned I’m much happier if I keep the door open to interesting books that come my way and don’t limit myself to what I “have” to read.

    2008 Completed Reading Challenges

    once upon a time ii reading challenge

    Once Upon a Time Challenge II (3/21/08-6/20/08) – Finished 6/15/08

    Beast – Donna Jo Napoli – finished 3/26/08
    Anansi Boys – Neil Gaiman – finished 4/8/08
    The Line Between – Peter Beagle – finished 4/21/08
    The Naming – Alison Croggon – finished 5/2/08
    The Sorceress and the Cygnet – Patricia A. McKillip – finished 5/31/08
    Howl’s Moving Castle – Dianne Wynne Jones – finished 6/15/08

    rip iii reading challenge

    R.I.P III Reading Challenge 9/1/08 – 10/31/08 – Finished 10/26/08

    Blood and Chocolate – Annette Curtis Klause – finished 9/13/08
    Living Dead in Dallas – Charlaine Harris – finished 10/10/08
    Nocturnes – John Connolly – finished 10/26/08
    Twilight – Stephenie Meyer – finished 9/29/08
    The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories – Susanna Clarke – finished 9/26/08

    mythopeoic awards challenge

    Mythopoeic Award Challenge 1/1/08-12/31/08 – Finished 9/9/08

    The Line Between – Peter S. Beagle – finished 4/21/08
    Tam Lin – Pamela Dean – finished 9/9/08
    Moonheart – Charles de Lint – Finished 8/19/08
    The Sorceress and the Cygnet – Patricia McKillip – finished 5/31/08
    American Gods – Neil Gaiman – finished 7/9/08
    Inkheart – Cornelia Funke – finished 7/20/08
    The Stolen Child – Keith Donohue – finished 1/31/08

    young adult reading challenge 2008

    YA Challange 2008 (1/1/08-12/31/08) – Finished 12/9/08

    The Dark is Rising – Susan Cooper – finished 12/9/08
    Twilight – Stephenie Meyer – Finished 9/29/08
    Inkheart – Cornelia Funke – finished 7/20/08
    Skellig – David Almond – finished 5/14/08
    The Goose Girl – Shannon Hale – finished 3/11/08
    Terrier – Tamora Pierce – finished 7/29/08
    First Test – Tamora Pierce – finished 8/9/08
    Beast – Donna Jo Napoli – finished 3/26/08
    The Naming – Alison Croggon – finished 5/2/08
    Blood and Chocolate – Annette Curtis Klause – finished 9/13/08
    Touchmark – Mildred Lawrence – finished 9/16/08
    In the Forests of the Night – Amelia Atwater-Rhodes – finished 2/10/08

    2008 TBR Reading Challenge

    TBR 2008 Challenge 1/1/08-12/31/08 – Finished 12/19/08

    American Gods – Neil Gaiman – finished 7/9/08
    Cordelia Underwood – Van Reid – finished 8/6/08
    Coyote Blue – Christopher Moore – finished 8/28/08
    The Stolen Child – Keith Donohue – Finished 1/31/08
    Lord of Light – Roger Zelazny – finished 10/2/08
    Idylls of the King – Alfred, Lord Tennyson – finished 6/23/08
    Herodotus – The Histories – finished 12/19/08

    Alternates:
    Tam Lin – Pamela Dean – finished 9/9/08
    The Thirteenth Tale – Diane Setterfield – Finished 3/21/08
    The Time Traveler’s Wife – Audrey Niffenegger – finished 7/26/08
    Austenland – Shannon Hale – finished 8/21/08
    On Writing – Stephen King – finished 11/29/08

    I also started and abandoned the Graphic Novels Challenge and the Soup’s On Challenge. Soup’s On doesn’t actually end until next March, but I haven’t been in much of a cooking phase this year, so I’m just going to be honest with myself and give that one up now, and start 2009 with a clean slate.

    One thing I did learn was to be careful with the number of 12 month/12 books challenges I did. While I won’t completely rule out 12 month challenges for next year, I’m going to try to do ones that don’t involve quite so many books, in order to preserve my sanity. I think I like the smaller theme challenges that I can do in a short burst of time better than the longer ones.

    I already have a number of interesting looking 2009 challenges bookmarked for consideration, so I’m sure once I get back from the Christmas festivities, those will be showing up here in the sidebar.

    2007 Books Read

    1. The Greener Shore – Morgan Llywelyn
    2. Sahara – Michael Palin
    3. Frontiers of Heaven – Stanley Stewart
    4. King Arthur – Frank Thompson
    5. The Djinn in the Nightingale’s Eye – A.S. Byatt
    6. Strange Candy – Laurell K. Hamilton
    7. Fluke – Christopher Moore
    8. Watership Down – Richard Adams
    9. Sorcery and the Single Girl – Mindy Klasky
    10. Titus Groan – Mervyn Peake
    11. Northanger Abbey – Jane Austen
    12. A Good Year– Peter Mayle
    13. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell – Susanna Clarke
    14. Shopgirl – Steve Martin
    15. Arthurian Romances – Chretien de Troyes
    16. A Year in Provence – Peter Mayle
    17. The Violet Keystone – Garth Nix (YA)
    18. Into Battle – Garth Nix (YA)
    19. Above the Veil – Garth Nix (YA)
    20. In a Sunburned Country – Bill Bryson
    21. A Knot in the Grain and Other Stories – Robin McKinley (YA)
    22. No god but God – Reza Aslan
    23. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – J. K. Rowling (YA)
    24. Aenir – Garth Nix (YA)
    25. Castle – Garth Nix (YA)
    26. The Fall – Garth Nix (YA)
    27. The Last Green Tree – Jim Grimsley
    28. Four Queens – Nancy Goldstone
    29. Fortune’s Fool – Mercedes Lackey
    30. Beggars in Spain – Nancy Cress
    31. Yemen: The Unknown Arabia – Tim MacKintosh-Smith
    32. Along the Inca Trail – Karin Muller
    33. Sea of Faith: Islam and Christianity in the Medieval Mediterranean World – Stephen O’Shea
    34. The Summer Country – James A. Hetley
    35. Blood Trail – Tanya Huff
    36. Blood Price – Tanya Huff
    37. Ella Enchanted – Gail Carson Levine (YA)
    38. Deerskin- Robin McKinley
    39. Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Ancestors of Avalon – Diana L. Paxson
    40. The First Five Pages – Noah Lukeman
    41. Wolf Tower – Tanith Lee (YA)
    42. Dreams Underfoot – Charles De Lint
    43. Dialogue (Write Great Fiction Series) – Gloria Kempton
    44. The Outlaws of Sherwood- Robin McKinley
    45. Changes in the Land: Indians, Colonists, and the Ecology of New England – William Cronon
    46. A Taxonomy of Barnacles – Galt Niederhoffer
    47. Snobbery – the American Version – Joseph Epstein
    48. The Frog Prince – Jane Porter
    49. You Suck: A Love Story – Christopher Moore
    50. A Dirty Job – Christopher Moore
    51. Abhorsen – Garth Nix (reread)
    52. Lireal – Garth Nix (reread)
    53. Sabriel – Garth Nix (reread)
    54. It Must’ve Been Something I Ate – Jeffrey Steingarten
    55. The Man Who Loved Jane Austen – Sally Smith O’Rourke
    56. Eleanor of Aquitaine – Alison Weir
    57. Native Tongues – Charles Berlitz
    58. Girl’s Guide to Witchcraft – Mindy Klasky
    59. The Will of the Empress – Tamora Pierce (YA)
    60. Seasons of the Witch- Gail Duff
    61. The Book of Lost Things – John Connolly
    62. The Man Who Ate Everything – Jeffrey Steingarten
    63. Rick Steve’s Europe Through the Back Door
    64. One Good Knight – Mercedes Lackey

    2007 Completed Reading Challenges

    Arm Chair Traveler Reading Challenge 2007

    The Armchair Traveler’s Reading Challenge, July 1, 2007 – December 31, 2007

    Frontiers of Heaven – Stanley Stewart – Finished 12/2/07
    Along the Inca Trail – Karin Muller – Finished 7/10/07
    Yemen: The Unknown Arabia – Tim MacKintosh-Smith – Finished 7/16/07
    Sahara – Michael Palin – Finished 12/16/07
    In a Sunburned Country – Bill Bryson – Finished 8/15/07
    A Year in Provence – Peter Mayle Finished 8/26/07

    books to movie challenge

    The Book to Movie Challenge, September 1, 2007 – December 1, 2007

    Watership Down – Richard Adams – Finished 11/10/07
    Shopgirl – Steve Martin – Finished 9/8/07
    A Good Year – Peter Mayle – Finished 9/22/07

    rip ii reading challenge

    The R.I.P. II Reading Challenge, September 1, 2007 – October 31, 2007

    The Gormenghast Novels – Titus Groan – Mervyn Peake – Finished 10/20/07
    Northanger Abbey – Jane Austen – Finished 9/27/07
    Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell – Susanna Clarke – Finished 9/19/07