Reading Challenge Update for 2015 (part 1 of 2)

I really didn't think I was going to finish the PopSugar 2015 Reading Challenge, but by the end of December, I was so close that I couldn't stand the thought of giving up. So here are the final books I read to complete this challenge (previously read books are in blue and newly listed books are pink).

1. A book with more than 500 pages (The Art of Fielding—Chad Harbach, 512 p.)

2. A classic romance (Wuthering Heights—Emily Brontë)

3. A book that became a movie (Cold Mountain)

4. A book published this year (The Sculptor—Scott McCloud)

5. A book with a number in the title (Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1: No Normal)

6. A book written by someone under 30 (Relish)

7. A book with nonhuman characters (Bone: The Great Cow Race)

8. A funny book (Hyperbole and a Half—Allie Brosh)

9. A book by a female author (Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1: No Normal—G. Willow Wilson)

10. A mystery or thriller (The Yiddish Policemen’s Union)

11. A book with a one-word title (Trillium—Jeff Lemire)

12. A book of short stories (Africa39)

13. A book set in a different country (Behind the Beautiful Forevers)

14. A nonfiction book (Watch for the Light: Readings for Advent and Christmas)

15. A popular author’s first book (Cinder—Marissa Meyer)

16. A book from an author you love that you haven’t read yet (Shadow Hero—Gene Luen Yang)

17. A book a friend recommended (In the Open)

18. A Pulitzer-Prize winning book (Delights and Shadows—Ted Kooser)

I actually read this earlier in the year, but I forgot it had won the 2004 Pulitzer for Poetry.

19. A book based on a true story (Gaijin: American Prisoner of War)

20. A book at the bottom of your to-read list (At Home—Bill Bryson)

21. A book your mom loves (Boundaries—Henry Cloud and John Townsend)

A long-time favorite. She also recommended A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd, but I haven't gotten around to that one yet.

22. A book that scares you (Through the Woods)

23. A book more than 100 years old (Wuthering Heights—first published in 1847)

24. A book based entirely on its cover (Mister Orange)

25. A book you were supposed to read in school but didn’t (The Diary of a Young Girl—Anne Frank)

It sat on a shelf in my parents' house for years. And I always intended to read it, but I never got to it until now. Waiting didn't make it any less heart-shattering.

26. A memoir (Relish)

27. A book you can finish in a day (Return of the Dapper Men)

28. A book with antonyms in the title (Alpha Zulu—Gary Copeland Lilley) 

29. A book set somewhere you’ve always wanted to visit (Griffin and Sabine Trilogy)

Portions of the trilogy take place in Dublin, as well as other locations I'd like to visit.

30. A book that came out the year you were born (American Primitive—Mary Oliver)

It feels like an accomplishment to share a year with this book.

31. A book with bad reviews (Wuthering Heights)

32. A trilogy (Griffin and Sabine Trilogy: Griffin & Sabine, Sabine’s Journal, and The Golden Mean—Nick Bancock)

It's almost like I did Google search for "really short trilogies. . . ."

33. A book from your childhood (Frog and Toad Together—Arnold Lobel)

Frog and Toad friendship = life goals.

34. A book with a love triangle (Wuthering Heights)

35. A book set in the future (Trillium—Jeff Lemire)

36. A book set in high school (Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1: No Normal)

37. A book with a color in the title (Little White Duck)

38. A book that made you cry (The Secret Remedy Book—Karin Cates and Wendy Anderson Halperin)

The only solution I could think of to the whole "Bethany doesn't normally cry when she reads" problem was to re-read a book that had made me tear up in the past. And yes, I was an adult when I first read this.

39. A book with magic (How Mirka Met a Meteorite—magic not explicitly mentioned, but a witch turns a meteorite into a person)

40. A graphic novel (Relish)

41. A book by an author you’ve never read before (Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1: No Normal—G. Willow Wilson)

42. A book you own but have never read (The Yiddish Policemen’s Union)

43. A book that takes place in your hometown (Gemini—Carol Cassella)

Parts of this book take place on the Olympic Peninsula and include familiar locations like Port Townsend.

44. A book that was originally written in a different language (Mister Orange—Dutch)

45. A book set during Christmas (Watch for the Light: Readings for Advent and Christmas)

46. A book written by an author with your same initials (At Home—Bill Bryson)

Since I gave up on finding an author with same middle initial, it's been much easier to meet this challenge.

47. A play (The Winter’s Tale—William Shakespeare)

Famous for the stage direction "exit, pursued by bear."

48. A banned book (July’s People—Nadine Gordimer)

Banned in South Africa during apartheid.

49. A book based on or turned into a TV show (Frog and Toad Together)

Does anyone else remember the Long Ago and Far Away television series? It was hosted by James Earl Jones. The Frog and Toad stories were claymation. 

50. A book you started but never finished (Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner)

It had been unfinished for at least a year and a half. Most books are bit confusing if you wait that long to pick them up again, but I almost think Faulkner made more sense this way.

In my next post, I'll list all the books I read for 2015 and my new reading goals for 2016. But what are your goals (reading or otherwise) for 2016?

Images from Copper Canyon Press, Boundaries Books, Penguin Random House, Amazon.com, Hatchette Book Group, Amazon.com, Scholastic, Scholastic, Simon and Schuster, BillBryson.co, Penguin Books Australia, Bloomsbury, Scholastic, and Collecting the Modern Library.