Tafadhali's 2015 Challenge

Hi everyone! I'm back for another round. Last year, I experimented with doing a pyramid style challenge (with one book in a stretch category and fourteen in my favorite) and I liked it, but I think I'm going for something more flexible this year -- trying to hit at least four books in each category and letting myself go over that limit in the categories I like best. I've also decided to drop the YA and Children's categories and just integrate them into all my other categories. I read so many of those books for work (and fun) that they always end up spilling over into Sci Fi, and Mysteries, and LGBTQ, etc., etc.

Just for fun, I've themed my categories around songs I like from the 1980s, but they're pretty broad categories!

I. TOM SAWYER - Novels from before WWII
II. BACK IN TIME - Historical fiction
III. ALL AROUND THE WORLD (THE MYTH OF FINGERPRINTS) - Books by authors from outside the U.S. and U.K.
IV. A NEW ENGLAND - Books set in and around Boston
V. IT'S A KIND OF MAGIC - Fantasy
VI. SHE BLINDED ME WITH SCIENCE - Science fiction
VII. (SHE WAS A) HOTEL DETECTIVE - Mysteries and suspense novels
VIII. TAKE ON ME - Graphic novels
IX. JOHNNY ARE YOU QUEER? - LGBTQ fiction and non-fiction
X. SISTERS ARE DOING IT FOR THEMSELVES - Books about women and gender
XI. LULLABY OF BROADWAY - Plays and books about theatre
XII. BETTE DAVIS EYES - Books about film and TV
XIII. HITSVILLE U.K. - Highly circulated books in my department at the library
XIV. NO MYTH - Other non-fiction
XV. BABY PLAYS AROUND - Other fiction

I. Tom Sawyer by Rush (1981)
Novels from before WWII

1. Le dernier jour d'un condamne by Victor Hugo DONE, 5/10/15
2. Emma by Jane Austen DONE, 4/7/15
3. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo DONE, 6/9/15
4. The Awakening by Kate Chopin DONE, 12/29/15

II. Back in Time by Huey Lewis and the News (1985)
Historical fiction

A little sci fi for historical fiction, but I can't do a 2015 challenge with no nod to Back to the Future.

1. A Civil Contract by Georgette Heyer DONE, 1/27/15
2. Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis DONE, 2/15/15
3. Gone Crazy in Alabama by Rita Williams-Garcia DONE, 6/13/15
4. The Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett DONE, 8/31/15

BONUS
5. Mississippi Bridge by Mildred D. Taylor DONE, 9/27/15
6. The Well by Mildred D. Taylor DONE, 9/27/15

III. All Around the World (The Myth of Fingerprints) by Paul Simon (1986)
Books by authors from outside the U.S. and U.K.

1. Without You, There Is No Us by Suki Kim (KOREA) DONE, 5/19/15
2. East, West by Salman Rushdie (INDIA) DONE, 8/16/15
3. The Alienist by Machado de Assis (BRAZIL) DONE, 11/14/15
4. Entre les murs by Francois Begaudeau (FRANCE) DONE, 12/6/15

IV. A New England by Billy Bragg (1983)
Books set in and around Boston

A bit of a cheat, but I just like Billy Bragg so much more than any 1980s bands from Boston.

1. The Penderwicks in Spring by Jeanne Birdsall DONE, 3/24/15
2. Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel by Sara Farizan DONE, 5/14/15
3. Vanished by Sheela Chari DONE, 12/12/15
4. The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl DONE, 12/31/15

V. A Kind of Magic by Queen (1986)
Fantasy

1. The Realms of the Gods by Tamora Pierce DONE, 1/21/15
2. Clariel by Garth Nix DONE, 4/11/15
3. Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman DONE, 5/5/15
4. Uprooted by Naomi Novik DONE, 7/31/15

BONUS

5. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling (re-read, because I just got the illustrated edition!) DONE, 10/7/15
6. The First Bite is the Deepest by Elisa Catrina DONE, 11/2/15
7. First Test by Tamora Pierce DONE, 12/5/15
8. Page by Tamora Pierce DONE, 12/8/15
9. Squire by Tamora Pierce DONE, 12/8/15
10. Lady Knight by Tamora Pierce DONE, 12/18/15

VI. She Blinded Me with Science by Thomas Dolby (1982)
Science fiction

1. The Warrior's Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold (re-read) DONE, 3/22/15
2. Love is the Drug by Aliya Dawn Johnson DONE, 5/16/15
3. Labyrinth by Lois McMaster Bujold (re-read) DONE, 8/20/15
4. Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen by Lois McMaster Bujold DONE, 10/25/15

BONUS
5. The Martian by Andy Weir DONE, 11/10/15

VII. (She Was A) Hotel Detective by They Might Be Giants (1988)
Mysteries and suspense

1. A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley DONE, 1/5/15
2. Speaking from Among the Bones by Alan Bradley DONE, 3/28/15
3. The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place by Julie Berry DONE, 6/28/15
4. The Fifth Elephant by Terry Pratchett DONE, 7/11/15

BONUS
5. The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches by Alan Bradley DONE, 12/10/15

VIII. Take on Me by A-Ha (1985)
Graphic novels

1. Above the Dreamless Dead by Chris Duffy DONE, 1/28/15
2. Lumberjanes, Vol. 1 by Noelle Stevenson DONE, 4/14/15
3. Ultimate Comics Spider-Man Vol. 2 by Brian Michael Bendis DONE, 5/1/15
4. El Deafo by Cece Bell DONE, 6/30/15

BONUS
5. Hawkeye vs. Deadpool by Gerry Duggan DONE, 8/14/15
6. Black Canary and Zatanna: Bloodspell by Paul Dini DONE, 8/14/15
7. The Wicked + the Divine: The Faust Act by Kieron Gillen DONE, 8/15/15
8. The Wicked + the Divine: Fandemonium by Kieron Gillen DONE, 8/15/15
9. Ms. Marvel, vol. 4: Last Days by G. Willow Wilson DONE, 11/20/15

IX. Johnny, Are You Queer? by Josie Cotton (1982)
LGBTQ books

1. Alice and Freda Forever by Alexis Coe DONE, 1/24/15
2. The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters DONE, 2/13/15
3. Carry On by Rainbow Rowell DONE, 10/28/15
4. I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson DONE, 12/11/15

X. Sisters Are Doin' It For Themselves by Aretha Franklin and Eurythmics (1985)
Books about women and gender

1. Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit DONE, 1/26/15
2. I Am Not a Slut by Leora Tanenbaum DONE, 3/15/15
3. Tomboy by Liz Prince DONE, 8/23/15
4. Bitch Planet by Kelly Sue DeConnick DONE, 11/24/15

XI. The Lullaby of Broadway from the original Broadway cast of 42nd Street (1980)
Plays and books about theatre

1. I read every word of the Hamilton libretto plus hundreds of annotations and it took me six hours, so I think that belongs here DONE, 10/10/15
2. George by Alex Gino DONE, 9/14/15
3. Think on My Words: Exploring Shakespeare's Language by David Crystal DONE, 12/20/15
4. Assassins by Stephen Sondheim DONE, 12/21/15

XII. Bette Davis Eyes by Kim Carnes (1981)
Books about film and TV

1. I Hated, Hated, Hated This Movie by Roger Ebert (re-read) DONE, 2/17/15
2. We Don't Need Roads by Caseen Gaines DONE, 10/28/15
3. Hitchcock by Francois Truffaut DONE, 12/14/15
4. Vampires and Violets by Andrea Weiss DONE, 12/27/15

XIII. Hitsville U.K. by The Clash (1980)
Books my students check out a lot/Other books for work

1. Goodbye Stranger by Rebecca Stead DONE, 9/24/15
2. Fourth Grade Rats by Jerry Spinelli DONE, 9/25/15
3. Sammy Keyes and the Skeleton Man by Wendelin Van Draanen DONE, 11/24/15
4. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness DONE, 12/20/15

XIV. No Myth by Michael Penn (1989)
Other non-fiction

1. The Power of Reading: Insights from the Research by Stephen D. Krashen DONE, 2/25/15
2. Sybil by Flora Rheta Schreiber (re-read) DONE, 5/8/15
3. Why Does He Do That? by Lundy Bancroft DONE, 9/12/15
4. Hallucinations by Oliver Sacks DONE, 12/23/15

XV. Baby Plays Around by Elvis Costello (1989)
Other fiction

1. Where'd You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple DONE, 3/23/15
2. Counting by 7s by Holly Sloan DONE, 6/19/15
3. The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman by Meg Wolitzer DONE, 7/27/15
4. Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King DONE, 9/13/15

BONUS
5. Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman DONE, 12/5/15

Loving that Rush and Queen are represented in your categories! :)

I really like your Hitsville category. I've never thought of doing a category like that. Hmmm! I just sent the Lore book to another library so it's one that would be on my list. The Maze Runner series is very popular here at the moment but I've read all those already.

Hee, I really like the cover of the Queen single! Great setup. :)

> 18

I've never done a category like it before either, but I thought, "Hey, I'm always trying to read more deeply in my collection. Maybe I should try reading the stuff that's most checked out by my students!" (I've already read a lot of it, like The Fault in Our Stars and The Hunger Games, but there's a lot that isn't my usual thing and that I feel I should know more about if I'm supposed to be the YA expert.)

Flexible is never a bad thing! Liking your category illustrations!

Welcome back! I love song themes... I always like to see how many songs I recognize. Seven is not a shabby number. ;-) I love that you have created a category for books your students check out!

STATUS UPDATE, AS OF MAY 1ST

19/60 books read (32%) -- so, I am about on track for the challenge, though I usually read more like 75-80 books a year. I'm looking forward to doing a lot of reading over the summer.

I - 25%
II - 50%
III - 25%
IV - 25%
V - 50%
VI - 25%
VII - 50%
VIII - 50%
IX - 50%
X - 50%
XI - 0%
XII - 25%
XIII - 0%
XIV - 25%
XV - 25%

STATUS UPDATE, AS OF JULY 1ST

30/60 books read (50%) -- on track, still reading less than usual. I should work less and read more.

I - 75%
II - 75%
III - 25%
IV - 25%
V - 75%
VI - 50%
VII - 75%
VIII - 100%
IX - 75%
X - 50%
XI - 0%
XII - 25%
XIII - 0%
XIV - 50%
XV - 50%

I should work less and read more.
So say we all!

>25 mamzel: So say we all!

STATUS UPDATE, AS OF DECEMBER 11TH

I - 75%
II - 100%
III - 100%
IV - 50%
V - 100%
VI - 100%
VII - 100%
VIII - 100%
IX - 75%
X - 100%
XI - 50%
XII - 50%
XIII - 75%
XIV - 75%
XV - 100%

I am still woefully behind on my reading for the year, but I'm getting closer than usual to hitting my goals for this challenge. Over in my 75 Book Challenge thread, I still have 11 to go (NOT typical, ugggggggh grad school), which if I power through means I could hit all my goals here and still hvae one book left over so that I can finish reading the Protector of the Small series. Let's see how I do with 20 days left in the year!

I see 8 completed categories which deserve congrats!

And now I've done it! This is the first year I've actually managed to complete the category goal I set for myself (though as I only did 4 books per category, it was quite a bit less ambitious than some goals I've set in the past) and I did it right at the last moment.

Great timing! Congrats!

>29 Tafadhali: Congratulations!

Thanks!

Congratulations on completing your category challenge!