At the beginning of 2016, I read a blog post about a woman who challenged herself to read 100 books in a year. She succeeded, and she wasn't the only one. The 100-Book Challenge is a thing, and it sounded a lot less annoying than the Water Bottle or Mannequin Challenge. But it made me feel like a slacker. According to Goodreads, I had been averaging about sixteen books a year.
I decided to create my own challenge, Becky's Twenty-Book Challenge. Also, I was 95.8% certain that most of the people involved in the 100-Book Challenge weren't performing on stage in musical theater productions for a quarter of the year.
I did "read" a few audiobooks to complete my quota. (I'm a fiction girl, but I do enjoy the occasional humor memoir which I often listen to via audiobook.) My husband, Dan, thinks that doesn’t count. It totally counts though. My made-up challenge, my made-up rules.
Becky's 2016 Twenty-Book Challenge
(Finished Part 1 of The Mists of Avalon)
1. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling: Hilarious eulogy by Michael Schur at end of book. Favorite quotation: “Marriage is work. Why not pick a job you like?”
FEBRUARY
(Finished Part 2 of The Mists of Avalon)
MARCH
2. Neil Patrick Harris: Choose Your Own Autobiography by Neil Patrick Harris: Innovative style, fake stories alongside memoir anecdotes. He really is into magic in a totally nerdy way like Barney Stinson.
3. Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling: Interesting commentary on body image and where confidence comes from, parents hovering and worrying about girls, telling them how difficult it is for them as they grow up does more harm than good.
4. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett: Third reading of this book, research for a show I was in, Christian Science and New Thought. In the musical, the librettists add the interesting addition of hauntings not in the source material, manifestations of Mary's trauma.
APRIL
5. A Woman Trapped in a Woman's Body by Lauren Weedman: Funny storyteller. I was turned on to her memoirs after seeing her one woman shows at Boise Contemporary Theater.
MAY
6. The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley: Feminist retelling of the Arthurian legends, Wow!
7. Miss Fortune by Lauren Weedman: Another memoir of hers, now as a divorced woman and mother
JUNE
8. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood: A chilling account of what could happen, fair warning this election, people (I took these notes prior to November, obviously.)
9. Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie: Research for the play we're doing at school, beautiful story about children growing up. Peter Pan is more ominous in the book than he is portrayed in the Disney version or the musical.
JULY
10. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins: Cried through the first few chapters and at the end. Dan: There's no crying in the Hunger Games! Careful or it could be prophetic! (Again, notes taken before the November election.)
11. Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee: Some parts well-written but . . . Sigh . . . I miss my Atticus.
12. The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin: I enjoyed it just as much as an adult as I did when I first read it as a preteen.
13. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins: More about the rebellion, revolt! Lots of action and solidarity in the arena.
AUGUST
14. Wonder by R.J. Palacio: WOW!
15. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins: Great conclusion to the trilogy.
16. A Separate Peace by John Knowles: Still loved it as an adult, but I picked up more on the darkness of the themes this time.
SEPTEMBER
17. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins: Good suspense thriller, had to read it before the movie came out.
OCTOBER
18. It Ain’t So Awful Falafel by Firoozeh Dumas: Semi-autobiographical young adult novel, funny as usual, great insight into Iranian families living in the US during the overthrow of the Shah and the Iran Hostage Crisis under Ayatollah Khomeini.
19. In Between by Shannon Foy: Local author and friend. This was a vampire novel but way more fun and adult than the first couple of pages I've only been able to make it through in the stupid Twilight series.
NOVEMBER
20. Til We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis: Retelling of Cupid and Psyche myth through the eyes of Psyche's sister. Starts out with a complaint against the gods, but mercy is found in the end. Best female character C.S. Lewis ever wrote.
21. Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions by Gloria Steinem: Inspired to read this after hearing her speak in Boise. Unfortunately, the essays are still relevant (in some cases, highly) today.
DECEMBER
I started Freedom by Jonathan Franzen. It will have to wait until my 2017 challenge.
You may have noticed I read twenty-one books this year, and started a twenty-second. Yay, me! I also read a total of 6,595 pages, the shortest book being 176 pages, the longest being 876 pages. I may not have read 100 books, but I feel like I accomplished something.
Until next year, happy reading, everyone!
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