2015 Reading Challenges Attempted
Happy New Year, everyone!
2015 wasn’t the greatest of years for me, reading-wise. In my personal life it was pretty fantastic, since I had a new baby. But that doesn’t allow for a lot of free time, so I didn’t get as much reading done as I would have liked. But that’s okay. There’s always 2016!
So anyway, this is a post I do at the beginning of every year where I just list each reading challenge I participated in for the previous year, and show how well (or how badly) I fared with them. So let’s get to it!
2015 READING CHALLENGES ATTEMPTED
Goodreads Challenge
Hosted by: Goodreads
My Goal: 60 books
Challenge Progress: FAILED. 45/60 books
I wish I had been able to read more, but like I said, I had a baby this year and that just didn’t allow for me to read as much as I usually do.
Pages Read: 12,178 pages
(I didn’t participate in a challenge for number of pages read this year but I kept track of my pages read anyway.)
Books Read
1. Oryx and Crake (MaddAddam Trilogy #1) by Margaret Atwood (REREAD) – Pages Read: 248 (I read 126 pages in 2014) – Finished on 01/06/15
2. The Year of the Flood (MaddAddam Trilogy #2) by Margaret Atwood (REREAD) – Pages Read: 431 – Finished on 01/11/15
3. MaddAddam (MaddAddam Trilogy #3) by Margaret Atwood – Pages Read: 390 – Finished on 01/18/15
4. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Harry Potter #1) by J.K. Rowling (REREAD) – Pages Read: 309 – Finished on 01/23/15
5. Extraction (Extraction #1) by Stephanie Diaz – Pages Read: 403 – Finished on 02/03/15
6. Rebellion (Extraction #2) by Stephanie Diaz – Pages Read: 324 – Finished on 02/15/15
7. Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway – Pages Read: 313 – Finished on 02/20/15
8. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart – Pages Read: 342 – Finished on 04/08/15
9. Hit (Hit #1) by Delilah S. Dawson – Pages Read: 324 – Finished on 04/22/15
10. The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman – Pages Read: 15 – Finished on 04/25/15
11. The Girl Who Owned a City graphic novel by O.T. Nelson, Dan Jolley, Joelle Jones, and Jenn Manley Lee – Pages Read: 126 – Finished on 04/25/15
12. In Real Life by Cory Doctorow and Jen Wang – Pages Read: 175 – Finished on 04/25/15
13. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli – Pages Read: 303 – Finished on 04/28/15
14. A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab – Pages Read: 398 – Finished on 05/23/15
15. This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales – Pages Read: 274 – Finished on 05/31/15
16. We Were Liars by E. Lockhart – Pages Read: 225 – Finished on 06/03/15
17. Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout – DID NOT FINISH – Pages Read: 84 – Stopped reading on 06/04/15
18. Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley – Pages Read: 309 – Finished on 06/20/15
19. Fairest (The Lunar Chronicles #3.5) by Marissa Meyer – Pages Read: 220 – Finished on 07/07/15
20. The Thief (The Queen’s Thief #1) by Megan Whalen Turner – Pages Read: 280 – Finished on 07/31/15
21. The Guild (The Guild, vol. 1) by Felicia Day, et al – Pages Read: 83 – Finished on 08/01/15
22. Pride & Prejudice graphic novel by Nancy Butler, Hugo Petrus, and Jane Austen – Pages Read: 114 – Finished on 08/10/15
23. Maus, I: A Survivor’s Tale: My Father Bleeds History (Maus #1) by Art Spiegelman – Pages Read: 159 – Finished on 08/13/15
24. Maus, II: And Here My Troubles Began (Maus #2) by Art Spiegelman – Pages Read: 136 – Finished on 08/15/15
25. The Guild: Knights of Good (The Guild #2) by Felicia Day, et al – Pages Read: 128 – Finished on 08/18/15
26. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium: The Graphic Novels #1.1) by Denise Mina, et al – Pages Read: 146 – Finished on 08/18/15
27. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium: The Graphic Novels #1.2) by Denise Mina, et al – Pages Read: 160 – Finished on 08/18/15
28. Better Days (Serenity #2.1) by Joss Whedon, et al – Pages Read: 79 – Finished on 08/19/15
29. The Night Bookmobile by Audrey Niffenegger – Pages Read: 40 – Finished on 08/19/15
30. Black Orchid by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean – Pages Read: 160 – Finished on 08/20/15
31. Saga, Volume 1 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples – Pages Read: 160 – Finished on 08/21/15
32. Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood (Persepolis #1-2) by Marjane Satrapi – Pages Read: 160 – Finished on 08/25/15
33. The One (The Selection #3) by Kiera Cass – Pages Read: 323 – Finished on 09/04/15
34. The Martian by Andy Weir – Pages Read: 369 – Finished on 09/10/15
35. More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera – Pages Read: 293 – Finished on 09/28/15
36. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle – Pages Read: 202 – Finished on 10/03/15
37. The Monk by Matthew Lewis (REREAD) – Pages Read: 442 – Finished on 10/14/15
38. Diary of a Haunting by M. Verano – Pages Read: 313 – Finished on 10/18/15
39. Just Visiting by Dahlia Adler – Pages Read: 348 – Finished on 10/25/15
40. Wonder by R.J Palacio – Pages Read: 310 – Finished on 11/03/15
41. The Map to Everywhere by Carrie Ryan and John Parke Davis – Pages Read: 423 – Finished on 11/19/15
42. Winter (The Lunar Chronicles #4) by Marissa Meyer – Pages Read: 823 – Finished on 11/30/15
43. Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes – Pages Read: 314 – Finished on 12/04/15
44. Revenge and the Wild by Michelle Modesto – Pages Read: 384 – Finished on 12/26/15
45. Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin – Pages Read: 352 – Finished on 12/30/15
46. A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin – Pages Read: 264 – Didn’t Finish in 2015, Will Continue in 2016
Hosted by: My Reader’s Block
My Goal: 24 books (Mount Blanc level)
Challenge Progress: FAILED. 8/24 books
There are SO MANY books on my shelves that I really need to read so hopefully in 2016 I can succeed at this challenge!
Books Read
1. MaddAddam (MaddAddam Trilogy #3) by Margaret Atwood – Finished on 01/18/15 (Purchased in December 2013)
2. Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway – Finished on 02/20/15 (Purchased in April 2013)
3. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart – Finished on 04/08/15 (Purchased in December 2012)
4. This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales – Finished on 05/31/15 (Purchased in September 2013)
5. Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout – Stopped reading on 06/04/15 (DNF but hey, I got it off my TBR shelves!) (Gifted in December 2012)
6. The Thief (The Queen’s Thief #1) by Megan Whalen Turner – Finished on 07/31/15 (Bought in February 2012)
7. The One (The Selection #3) by Kiera Cass – Finished on 09/04/15 (Bought in May 2014)
8. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle – Finished on 10/03/15 (Given to me as a gift in January or February of 2011)
Hosted by: Novel Hearbeat & Writer Grrl Reads
My Goal: 10-25 points (Newbie level)
Challenge Progress: Complete! 31/10-25 points
(I obviously should have aspired to a higher level for this challenge, but I’m glad I succeeded in at least one challenge in 2015!)
Books Read
1. The Year of the Flood (MaddAddam Trilogy #2) by Margaret Atwood – Finished on 01/11/15 (worth 2 points)
2. MaddAddam (MaddAddam Trilogy #3) by Margaret Atwood – Finished on 01/18/15 (worth 2 points + 10 points for finishing series)
3. Rebellion (Extraction #2) by Stephanie Diaz – Finished on 02/15/14 (worth 2 points)
4. Fairest (The Lunar Chronicles #3.5) by Marissa Meyer – Finished on 07/07/15 (Worth 1 point)
5. The One (The Selection #3) by Kiera Cass – Finished on 09/04/15 (worth 2 points)
6. Winter (The Lunar Chronicles #4) by Marissa Meyer – Finished on 11/30/15 (worth 2 points + 10 points for finishing the series!)
Hosted by: PopSugar
My Goal: Complete All
Challenge Progress: FAILED 37/50
I did get pretty far in this challenge, so I’m pretty proud of myself with this one.
Books Read
1. A book with nonhuman characters: Oryx and Crake (MaddAddam Trilogy #1) by Margaret Atwood – Those pigoons, man! They’re a major character in this book! Plus you’ve also got Killer the rakunk and other animal characters, and also the Crakers, who are human but not…
2. A book based on or turned into a TV show: The Year of the Flood (MaddAddam Trilogy #2) by Margaret Atwood – This whole trilogy is being turned into an HBO series soon, and I can’t wait!
3. A trilogy: MaddAddam (MaddAddam Trilogy #3) by Margaret Atwood – Yes, I had previously read the first two books before this year, but I re-read them this year and also finally finished the trilogy by reading MaddAddam.
4. A popular author’s first book: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Harry Potter #1) by J.K. Rowling. Yes, I’ve read this many times before, but it still counts!
5. A book written by someone under 30: Extraction (Extraction #1) by Stephanie Diaz. Stephanie Diaz was just 21 when Extraction was published (in 2014)!
6. A book published this year: Rebellion (Extraction #2) by Stephanie Diaz. Rebellion was published on February 10, 2015.
7. A book by an author you’ve never read before: Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway. This is the first book I’ve read by Robin Benway, and it will definitely not be the last!
8. A book set in high school: The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart. This book is almost entirely set at a boarding school, and is all about that school’s secret society.
9. A book with a one-word title: Hit by Delilah S. Dawson.
10. A book more than 100 years old: The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. This short story was originally published in 1892!
11. A graphic novel: The Girl Who Owned a City graphic novel by O.T. Nelson, Dan Jolley, Joelle Jones, and Jenn Manley Lee. This is a graphic novel adapted from one of my all-time favorite novels.
12. A book based entirely on its cover: In Real Life by Cory Doctorow and Jen Wang. I had been wanting to read more graphic novels and when I saw this book’s cover I knew I wanted to read it!
13. A book with a love triangle: Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli. This book doesn’t have the typical type of love triangle, but it seems like all the characters kind of like someone and that someone likes someone else, but another person likes the first person… In other words, typical high school. And also a realistic kind of love triangle/quadrangle/whatever.
14. A book with magic: A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab. This book has a really cool take on magic!
15. A book by a female author: This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales.
16. A mystery or thriller: We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. There’s a mystery going on throughout this book.
17. A book a friend recommended: Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout. Basically all my blogger friends love this series, and recommended it to the world.
18. A book with bad reviews: Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley. Out of my friends on Goodreads, there have been lots of people who DNFed Magonia, and some who really didn’t like it, but then there have been some who LOVED it. I personally didn’t love it, but, hey, you can’t all love every book.
19. A book from an author you love that you haven’t read yet: Fairest by Marissa Meyer. I LOVE The Lunar Chronicles, and Marissa Meyer is definitely an author I will read anything by!
20. A book you own but have never read: The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner. Technically, MANY of the books I’ve read this year would qualify as a book I own but had never read.
21. A book you can finish in a day: The Guild (The Guild, vol 1) by Felicia Day, et al. I can read lots of graphic novels in a day, but this one I read super quickly because I love the webseries!
22. A classic romance: Pride & Prejudice graphic novel by Nancy Butler, et al. I know I’m kind of pushing it because this is a graphic novel adaptation and not the original, classic work, but I think it counts, so I’m going to count it!
23. A nonfiction book: Maus I: A Survivor’s Tale: My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman. Sure, in this graphic novel the Jewish people are mice and the Nazis are cats, but in it, the author recounts his father’s personal story during the holocaust. I’m pretty sure this book is completely nonfiction.
24. A memoir: Maus II: And Here My Troubles Began by Art Spiegelman. Again, in these graphic novels, Art and his father take the form of mice, but this is still a memoir.
25. A funny book: The Guild: Knights of Good by Felicia Day, et al. The webseries cracked me up, and the graphic novels did, too!
26. A book set in a different country: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium: The Graphic Novels #1.1) by Denise Mina, et al. The original series and the graphic novels all take place in Sweden.
27. A book your mom loves: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium: The Graphic Novels #1.2) by Denise Mina, et al. Technically, my mom loves the original series. I don’t think she’s read the graphic novels, and I don’t know if she’d ever want to. But she does love the originals, so I’m counting it. So there. ;)
28. A book set in the future: Better Days (Serenity #2.1) by Joss Whedon, et al. I’m pretty sure the Firefly timeline is in the future. I don’t think it’s like Star Wars (which is set “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…”).
29. A book that made you cry: The Night Bookmobile by Audrey Niffenegger. So, okay, this book did’t actually make me cry. But I hardly ever cry at books and this one made me SUPER sad so I think that counts.
30. A book with a color in the title: Black Orchid by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean.
31. A Pulitzer Prize-winning book: Saga, Volume 1 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples. Okay, so I know I keep stretching the rules with this challenge and with this one, I’m outright breaking the rules. Saga hasn’t won a Pulitzer Prize. But it HAS won at least 7 awards, including a Hugo, and has been nominated for several more. So I say that counts.
32. A book that was originally written in a different language: Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi, translated by Mattias Ripa. Author Marjane Satrapi is originally from Iran, but now lives in France, and Persepolis was originally published in French.
33. A book with a number in the title: The One by Kiera Cass. Yay! I was worried I wouldn’t be able to find a book with a number in the title, but then I read The One and then realized, hey! I actually read a book for that category without even realizing it!
34. A book that became a movie: The Martian by Andy Weir. I think the movie looks really good!
35. A banned book: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle has been banned or challenged many times. So many times, in fact, that it’s on the American Library Association’s list of 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books: 1990-1999 at number 23.
36. A book that scares you: Diary of a Haunting by M. Verano. I wasn’t extremely scared, but it was pretty creepy and I read a lot of it at night, which made me pretty jumpy.
37. A book with more than 500 pages: Winter by Marissa Meyer. It has a whopping 823 pages!
So how did you guys do with your reading challenges this past year? Hopefully we’ll all do fantastic with our 2016 challenges! But even if we don’t, I hope you all have a wonderful 2016, full of books and happiness!
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Kimberly @ On the Wings of Books
January 1, 2016 at 1:43 pmThe Mount TBR Challenge was an epic fail for me. I only hit 10. :( My goal this year though is to cut my TBR in half, through reading or weeding. Somehow it's got to go!
Micheline D
January 1, 2016 at 2:44 pmI always fail my GR reading goal recently. I used to meet it every year but lately I don't…which makes me weary of joining other challenges LOL! Good luck with your goals and challenges for the new year and happy 2016!!