New for October

 After killing my computer (don't ask me what I did, I'm only ok with computers) and not finishing my summer challenge, I have regrouped to start posting again. My reading funk is mostly gone, for now at least, and I am looking forward to new things. First, let me catch up on things that have happened.

• I ended the Semi-Charmed Life Summer Reading Challenge with 55 points. I managed to stick with it for 2 months which is sadly a record for me. I'm not sure if it was my funk or my lack of commitment that sabotaged me, but I think it was a step in the right direction. And it let me finally give up on trying to read Atonement.
• I read Shadow of the Night which was completely disappointing. That's all I'm going to say on that.
• The new Jasper Fforde book came out last week in the US. Hurray! Side note: The sleuthing contests that go along with the releases of all his books are always fun, but hard as I try I usually only get like half the questions right. Doesn't stop me from trying. 
• Read many more books that maybe I will finally get around to reviewing. We will see.

That is about the most of it. Now I'm just looking forward to this awesome fall weather with these beautiful leaves changing colors and the Read-a-thon coming up on Saturday. More on that in a separate post.

Summer Reading

The Semi-Charmed Kind of Life Summer Challenge starts tomorrow! Not 100% sure of what I will be reading, but here is an idea.

5 points: Read a book chosen for the 2012 World Book Night.

-Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

10: Read a book you were supposed to read in school, but either bailed on or Cliff-Noted. (If you were super studious and never did this, then read a book most people were assigned to read in high school but you weren’t.)

-Haven't picked yet

10: Read a memoir or narrative nonfiction book. (Examples: Friday Night Lights, When the Game Stands Tall, The Devil in the White City, etc.)

-A Jane Austen Education by William Deresiewicz or

London Under

15: Read a book in one day. (Must be at least 150 pages long.)

-will pick this one probably spur of the moment

15: Read a book that you've always wanted to read but haven't gotten around to yet.

-I have lots of things on my to-do list so I will pick one of those

20: Read a pair of books that have antonyms in the titles.

-A Grown-up Kind of Pretty and Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

20: Read a book that is set in a place you've never been but want to visit.

-Haven't picked actual book but will be in Ireland or the UK

25: Find a book written the year you were born that was later made into a movie. Read the book and watch the movie; compare. Or find a movie released the year you were born that was based on a book. Do the same thing.

-Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg. Book was published the year I was born, 1987

25: Go into a bookstore or library. Pick any bookshelf. Read the third book from the left on the fourth shelf from the top. (If it's not at least 200 pages, pick the next book to the right.)

-will get this one later

25: Read a book about which you’ve heard bad things. (Hey, you can’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried it, right? And I’m upping the points to make it worth your while.)

-I'm thinking Atonement

30: Read a trilogy. Total page count for all three books together must be at least 500 pages. (Remember, you can’t have read any of the books before! Suggestions: The Robert Langdon series, The Hunger Games, Twilight...)

-lots of choices for this one. I will read a bunch of books in the start of the series and see which one I want to continue with.

Challenges

I decided to give the whole reading challenges thing another go. I know in the past I was never good on following through but this challenge seems like tons of fun and it's only a few months. A nice start before I try a year-long one. To the details!

Rules:
The challenge will run from May 1, 2012, to September 1, 2012. No books that are started before May 1 or finished after September 1 will count. (That's why I'm posting this early, so you can plan your next books!)
No re-reads! I want you to experience new books with this challenge.
Each book must be at least 200 pages long, unless otherwise noted.
A book can only be used for one category. If you want to switch the category later, that's fine, just be sure to account for that in your point total.
Each category may only be completed once, so the highest possible total is 200 points.
The first three people who finish the challenge will win a featured/guest post on my blog. If less than three people finish, the participants with the three highest scores will "win." Good luck!

The Challenge:

5 points: Read a book chosen for the 2012 World Book Night.
10: Read a book you were supposed to read in school, but either bailed on or Cliff-Noted. (If you were super studious and never did this, then read a book most people were assigned to read in high school but you weren’t.)
10: Read a memoir or narrative nonfiction book. (Examples: Friday Night Lights, When the Game Stands Tall, The Devil in the White City, etc.)
15: Read a book in one day. (Must be at least 150 pages long.)
15: Read a book that you've always wanted to read but haven't gotten around to yet.
20: Read a pair of books that have antonyms in the titles. (For example: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Boy in the Suitcase, or The Unbearable Lightness of Being and Heart of Darkness, etc..)
20: Read a book that is set in a place you've never been but want to visit.
25: Find a book written the year you were born that was later made into a movie. Read the book and watch the movie; compare. Or find a movie released the year you were born that was based on a book. Do the same thing.
25: Go into a bookstore or library. Pick any bookshelf. Read the third book from the left on the fourth shelf from the top. (If it's not at least 200 pages, pick the next book to the right.)
25: Read a book about which you’ve heard bad things. (Hey, you can’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried it, right? And I’m upping the points to make it worth your while.)
30: Read a trilogy. Total page count for all three books together must be at least 500 pages. (Remember, you can’t have read any of the books before! Suggestions: The Robert Langdon series, The Hunger Games, Twilight...)

Now I have to work on the list of books. Always the hardest part.