OMP 2010 Halfway Checkpoint

What do you know, it’s July! It’s the second half of 2010 — I echo everyone with what they’re saying: where did time go?

I thought I’d take a break from the scheduled Sample Fridays and instead, do the (obligatory) halfway checkpoint for my 2010 challenges, things that happened (as far as my reading habits and books are concerned) and plans for the next half of the year. I originally planned to post this Wednesday, but alas, I have no access to Internet or even a linksys router anywhere.

BUT FIRST! Time to announce the winner of my Feed book giveaway! Thanks to everyone who joined this first giveaway — I had so much fun reading your answers! I was kind of worried that I wouldn’t be able to get people to join this (but come on, who doesn’t want a free book?), and I even got…well, questioned with my choice of a giveaway. :o But nevertheless, I’m just happy to be able to share one of my favorite books to someone.

So, using Random.org List Randomizer, I put the names, and the extra entries, and the winner of Feed is…*drumroll*

HONEY

Congratulations! She did not only leave a comment, but she tweeted this contest too — so multiple entries do count. :D Her weapon of choice in case of a zombie apocalypse: shotgun with unlimited ammo. That’s a good choice — just make sure to aim for the head to kill them fast!

I’ll be sending you an email about shipping and stuff I make this post. :D

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Now onto the 2010 halfway checkpoint. Here are my 2010 statistics as of June 30:

  • 50 out of 100 books in 2010
  • 26 out of 20 (!) fantasy books
  • 2 out of 10 classic novel
  • 7 out of 20 for Project 20:10
  • 2 out of 12 in TBR challenge
  • 43 books reviewed

Continue Reading →

2010 TBR Challenge

January is the best time to set goals and join challenges, so even if I already have a personal reading challenge for 2010, I thought of joining another one. I figure it’s got no harm to join a reading challenge on top of what I have because it just adds to the books on the first one.

So here is my list for the 2010 To Be Read (TBR) Challenge. Here are the instructions for this challenge, taken from the link above:

** Pick 12 books – one for each month of the year – that you’ve been wanting to read (that have been on your “To Be Read” list) for 6 months or longer, but haven’t gotten around to.

** OPTIONAL: Create a list of 12 “Alternates” (books you could substitute for your challenge books, given that a particular one doesn’t grab you at the time)

** Then, starting January 1, read one of these books from your list each month, ending December 31. )

(Click the link above for more details and an FAQ)

This should put some structure in my picking of books, kind of like how using a posguys barcode scanner has specific instructions. :) Here’s my list:

  1. Persuasion by Jane Austen
  2. What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami
  3. The Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare
  4. Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray
  5. Wicked by Gregory Maguire
  6. Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light by Mother Teresa, edited by Brian Kolodjiechuk
  7. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
  8. Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
  9. Peter Pan by JM Barrie
  10. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
  11. A Room With a View by EM Forster
  12. Where Angels Fear to Tread by EM Forster

If you’ll notice, most of them are classics — how else would I get myself to read classics if I don’t put them in a challenge like this, right? ;) I haven’t got an alternate list for this one yet, but I have a feeling I’ll do the same — put classics in, if only to force myself to read them. :P

Let’s see how this will go, shall we? I’ve just started on Persuasion — I should start reading a couple of pages a day to really get into the story. :P