Friday, June 20, 2014

Reading Challenge Wrap-Up: Spring Reading Thing 2014 and Spring Into a Good Book 2014

Summer is upon us, so it's time to wind down these two Spring reading challenges.  Spring Reading Thing was hosted by The Musing of a Book Addict and Spring Into a Good Book was hosted by Book Dragon.

I didn't quite make it through the entire list, thanks to some additions I got along the way, but I came very close.  The advantage of being unemployed all Spring (new job starts on Monday).  Anyway, here is my list with links to my reviews.

Books on my original list read:
Let the Storm Break by Shannon Messenger
I Even Funnier by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein
Inherit the Word by Daryl Wood Gerber
Clammed Up by Barbara Ross
Ghost of a Gamble by Sue Ann Jaffarian
Poached by Stuart Gibbs
Veronica Mars: The Thousand Dollar Tan Line by Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham
Blue Sea Burning by Geoff Rodkey
Gluten for Punishment by Nancy J. Parra
Death Runs Adrift by Karen MacInerney
Unlucky 13 by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
Death of a Mad Hatter by Jenn McKinlay
'Til Dirt Do Us Part by Edith Maxwell
Cover of Snow by Jenny Milchman
A Sense of Entitlement by Anna Loan-Wilsey
Clobbered by Camembert by Avery Aames
Mr. Monk is Open for Business by Hy Conrad
Melissa Explains It All by Melissa Joan Hart
Kingdom Keepers VII: The Insider by Ridley Pearson
Dead Man's Switch by Tammy Kaehler
Bran New Death by Victoria Hamilton

Books not on my original list read:
Murder on Bamboo Lane by Naomi Hirahara
Nick and Tesla's Secret Agent Gadget Battle by "Science Bob" Pflugfelder and Steve Hockensmith
The Pickled Piper by Mary Ellen Hughes
Boiled Over by Barbara Ross

Books from Fall 2013 not read:
NONE!!!!!  (although two of them were read this week)

Books from Spring 2014 not read:
Basil Instinct by Shelley Costa (in progress)
Death in Four Courses by Lucy Burdette

So as you can see, if I had stuck to my original list, I would have finished it.  That's pretty impressive to me, and a major step up from what I normally do.  Furthermore, I am almost half way through one of those not read books, and the other will be read by the beginning of July if not the end of June.

Of course, I put off some books I got this spring that I am dying to read because they weren't on my list.  Now I've got to get cracking on all of them.  Somehow, I've got to figure out how to read more books without cutting back on everything else in my life and working full time.  How do I get a longer day again?

10 comments:

  1. That's quite a list. I see you've read several Patterson books. Do you think they are as good now that he always has a co-author?

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    1. I'm actually the wrong person to ask. I've read Patterson's Women's Murder Club series and the two I Funny books, and that's it, so I'm not familiar with his before co-author books. I will say I find his books hit and miss. Like Unlucky 13 but hated 12th of Never.

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  2. PS Good luck with the new job.

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  3. I saw a definite food theme here. As a middle school teacher I often don't get around to reading many adult books. I took several from your list and added them to mine. Going to check my local library to see if they have them. If you find a way to add more reading time while working full time let me know. It seems to always be a problem. thank you for participating in the challenge.

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    1. Yes, I seem to have fallen into the culinary cozy sub-genre even more than before. As to reading time, I find my best reading time is lunch time while I'm working, but I bet you don't have that as a teacher.

      Thanks for hosting the challenge again.

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  4. Very nice list Mark. Thank you so much for joining my challenge.

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  5. Congrats on the new job! You did great on your list -- I was much more haphazard on my list

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    1. Not working really helped. So did sticking very closely to my list. Those others were all books I agreed after the fact to read and review.

      Still, I'm looking forward to having more freedom of choice in my reading this summer.

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