Reading Challenges 2018 - Update 1

Hi everyone!
By now you're probably wondering what's happened to me and where I am in the progress on my reading challenges.

Well, by the end of January I had started a new full time job (YAY!! - it's been something I'd wanted for a while)! So I haven't had as much time for reading. I've also read more non-fiction books this year, and they take me longer to read.

For this reason, I have dropped my Goodreads goal to 100 books for the year. My current total says 25, but I have actually read 2 more than that - one that I mentioned in my last post that doesn't appear on Goodreads and another that I finished this morning, but haven't added to my Goodreads total.

As for the Bethany House Challenge, I'm actually doing extremely well, with 3/4 of the books read for the challenge.

So here's what I've read for each one:

• With a car on the cover - A New Name by Grace Livingston Hill
• Whose protagonist has a fascinating career - True Honor by Dee Henderson
• Set in a place you've visited - Life's Adventures by Arthur Barton (this is the one that doesn't appear on Goodreads) - There is a photo in the book of the author in almost exactly the same spot as a photo of me was taken!
• Inspired by a literary classic - Possibilities by Debra White Smith (based on Persuasion by Jane Austen)
• With a child as a narrator - Once Upon a Summer by Janette Oke
• Written by an author with your initials - A Girl to Love by Betty Neels (I had a struggle finding a book by an author with my initials and even more trouble finding one that I was actually willing to read. There was another book I initially tried by couldn't even finish the 1st chapter because of the swearing.)
• Containing letters or diary entries - True Valor by Dee Henderson
• A librarian recommends to you - From Desk to Dugout by Robyn Youl & Keith Hallett
• That shares a title with a song - Sweet Home Alabama by Paige Winship Dooly, Pamela Griffin, Lisa Harris & Pamela Kaye Tracy

Christmas Reading Wrap-Up

So, Christmas is over and so is my Christmas reading - the last book was finished this morning.

Following on from my last update (you can see it here):

A couple of compilations came next, the first was That Christmas Feeling by Catherine Palmer and Gail Gaymer Martin. Followed by A Victorian Christmas Tea by Catherine Palmer, Dianna Crawford, Peggy Stoks and Katherine Chute.

Then came my favourite Christmas book - I've read it every year since it came out in 2010.

Two Tickets to the Christmas Ball by Donita K Paul.

My last Christmas book for this year is not strictly a Christmas story although most of the book does take place at Christmas time. The Substitute Guest by Grace Livingston Hill.

So what books did you read over this Christmas season?

Are there any that you read every year?

Contentment Reading Challenge 2013 - Final Update

It is now time for the final post of this challenge!
The total number you've all been waiting for!

But first, these are the books I read in December.

• Christmas in the Country by Christine Lynxwiler and Jeanie Smith Cash
• On the Anvil by Max Lucado
• Marcia Schuyler by Grace Livingston Hill
• Christmas at Harrington's by Melody Carlson
• The Christmas Shoppe by Melody Carlson
• The Christmas Pony by Melody Carlson
• Patchwork Holiday by Wanda E Brunstetter, DiAnn Mills, Renee De Marco and Colleen L Reece
• A Victorian Christmas Quilt by Catherine Palmer, Peggy Stoks, Debra White Smith and Ginny Aiken
• Two Tickets to the Christmas Ball by Donita K Paul
• Moments of Peace for the Evening (Anonymous)
• Listen by Rene Gutteridge
• A Gown of Spanish Lace by Janette Oke

So that was 12 for the month!!

Which takes me to ... drum roll please ...

84 for the year!!!

Now for one last thing ...

I also did this challenge in 2011 (only 48 books that time), and I was curious to know if there were any books that I read for both challenges. In fact, there were 10!

• Marcia Schuyler by Grace Livingston Hill
• A Gown of Spanish Lace by Janette Oke
• Every Storm by Lori Wick
• Sophie's Heart by Lori Wick
• Never the Bride by Cheryl McKay and Rene Gutteridge
• Two Tickets to the Christmas Ball by Donita K Paul
• Yuletide in Ireland and Wales by Ginny Aiken and Tamela Hancock Murray
• English Carols and Scottish Bagpipes by Pamela Griffin and Jill Stengl
• True Devotion by Dee Henderson
• True Valor by Dee Henderson

While I won't be doing a challenge in 2014, there are sure to be some books that I read again - probably even from the books I've read during these challenges!

Happy reading and have a safe and Happy New Year!

Contentment Reading Challenge 2013 - November update

November has just flown by, and yes, I do have a bunch more books to add to my list!

• Australian Outback by Mary Hawkins
• Aloha by Colleen Coble, Carol Cox, Denise Hunter and Gail Sattler
• On Assignment by Marilyn Kok
• Embrace Grace by Liz Curtis Higgs
• My Life as a Doormat by Rene Gutteridge
• The Substitute Guest by Grace Livingston Hill
• The Christmas Bride by Grace Livingston Hill
• Yuletide in Ireland and Wales by Ginny Aiken and Tamela Hancock Murray
• English Carols and Scottish Bagpipes by Pamela Griffin and Jill Stengl
• That Christmas Feeling by Catherine Palmer and Gail Gaymer Martin
• Mountains, Memories and Mistletoe by Janet Lee Barton and Kathleen Y'Barbo

Well, it really is a bunch!! I hadn't actually counted them until I made this list. And most of them actually have more than one novella in them, so if you added them all up ...

Anyway, the official count for the month is 11!!

And for the year, that makes 72!!

One more post and this challenge will be over!

Contentment Reading Challenge 2011 - September

During September, I read a total of 6 books for this challenge. They were:

1. Dead as a Scone by Ron and Janet Benrey
2. The Final Crumpet by Ron and Janet Benry
3. A New Name by Grace Livingston Hill
4. The Best Gift by Irene Hannon
5. A Grift from the Heart by Irene Hannon
6. The Best Gift by Irene Hannon

So that now takes me to 36 books for the challenge.

Contentment Reading Challenge 2011 - April, May, June

It's been a while since I did any blogging - almost a month! But it's been much longer since I updated you on how I am going with this reading challenge.

My last update was at the end of March and I had read a total of 18 books. That left me just two book to get to the 20 suggested for the "Diving in" level of the challenge that I selected. Of course, that didn't mean I was limited to only reading 20 books, and I can say that I have now read more than that.

For April, May and June, I read a total of 6 books for this challenge. They were:

1. The Quilt by T. Davis Bunn
   
2. In Grandma's Attic by Arleta Richardson
   
3. More Stories from Grandma's Attic by Arleta Richardson
   
4. All Through the Night by Grace Livingston Hill
5. Sophie's Heart by Lori Wick
6. Exit Betty by Grace Livingston Hill
   

So that now takes me to 24 books for the challenge.
The Grandma's Attic books were actually new to my shelves because I got reprinted copies (see FIRST post), but I had read them before, so I'm including them. They're the kind of books that it doesn't matter how many times you read them, you still get a good laugh.

Contenment Reading Challenge 2011 - January

Well, the first month of 2011 is now history, and that means it's time for my first update on how I'm going with the Contentment Reading Challenge 2011.

Of the 19 books I read for the month, 10 of those were for this challenge.

I really am 'diving' in, but that's because I don't have the financial resources to add to my library.

The books I read were:

1. A Penny for Your Thoughts by Mindy Starns Clark (#1 Million Dollar Mystery series)
2. Don't Take Any Wooden Nickels by Mindy Starns Clark (#2 Million Dollar Mystery series)
3. A Dime a Dozen by Mindy Starns Clark (#3 Million Dollar Mystery series)
4. A Quarter for a Kiss by Mindy Starns Clark (#4 Million Dollar Mystery series)
5. The Buck Stops Here by Mindy Starns Clark (#5 Million Dollar Mystery series)
6. Dawn of the Morning by Grace Livingston Hill
7. Marcia Schuyler by Grace Livingston Hill (#1 Miranda Trilogy)
8. Pheobe Deane by Grace Livingston Hill (#2 Miranda Trilogy)
9. Miranda by Grace Livingston Hill (#3 Miranda Trilogy)
10. A Gown of Spanish Lace by Janette Oke
    

Teaser Tuesdays - 25 Jan 2011

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Marcia Schuyler by Grace Livingston Hill

'It was a lovely evening. The twilight was not yet over as she stepped from the low piazza that ran the length of the house bearing another above it on great white pillars. A drapery of wisteria in full bloom festooned across one end and half over the front. Marcia stepped back across the stone flagging and driveway to look up the purple clusters of graceful fairy-like shape tha embowered the house, and thought how beautiful it would look when the wedding guests should arrive the day after the morrow.'

I guess you might think this was an unusual teaser, but I just loved the description, particularly about the wisteria.

2010 Reading Challenge - the final count!

So, 2010 is almost over and it's time for the final book count for the 2010 Reading Challenge!

First things first.

This week I read 10 books!!

They were:

• A Victorian Christmas Tea by Catherine Palmer, Dianna Crawford, Peggy Stocks, and Katherine Chute
• Virtually Eliminated by Jefferson Scott
• Forever Christmas by Christine Lynxwiler
• Wrangler in Petticoats by Mary Connealy (Sophie's Daughters #2)
• For Better or Worse by Jennifer Johnson
• A Treasure Reborn by Pamela Griffin
• Aunt Crete's Emancipation by Grace Livingston Hill
• Rise and Shine by Liz Curtis Higgs
• More Precious Than Silver by Joni Eareckson Tada
• Love from Ashes by Yvonne Lehman

I didn't get Becoming a Woman of Simplicity by Cynthia Heald finished.

Now, for the grand total. For the 2010 Reading Challenge I read

182 books!

That was 22 books more than my target.

I really enjoyed this challenge and most of the books I read were really good.

2010 Reading Challenge - week 48

I finished 3 books this week.

I have now read 165 for the year (5 above my target).

They were:

• Dominion by Randy Alcorn
• Deception by Randy Alcorn
• The Substitute Guest by Grace Livingston Hill

I'm still reading:

• More Precious Than Silver by Joni Eareckson Tada (year-long devotional)
• Rise and Shine by Liz Curtis Higgs
• Becoming a Woman of Simplicity by Cynthia Heald
• Whisper on the Wind by Maureen Lang (The Great War #2)

And don't forget my giveaway! You only have a couple more days to comment on the post to be in the draw.

2010 Reading Challenge - weeks 26 & 27

Ok, so I have 2 weeks of books to include this time, since I wasn't able to post last week.

For the past 2 weeks I finished 6 books. One I have been reading for a while.

And they were:

• Found Treasure by Grace Livingston Hill
• Beyond the Picket Fence by Lori Wick (a collection of her short stories)
• Sisterchicks Do the Hula by Robin Jones Gunn (audio book, and one of my favourites)
• Outlaw Marshall by Al and Joanna Lacy (Return of the Stranger #1)
• Did I Kiss Marriage Goodbye by Carolyn McCulley (the one I've been reading for a while)
• Pretense by Lori Wick (one of the longest books I've ever read)

I'm currently reading:

• More Precious Than Silver by Joni Eareckson Tada (year-long devotional)
• Finding God In Hidden Places by Joni Eareckson Tada
• Possibilities by Debra White Smith (a modern twist on the Jane Austen novel, Persuasion)

2010 Reading Challenge - week 25

Only 2 books for me again this week. I've been busy getting ready for the youth camp that I will be a leader at next week. Which reminds me, I probably won't be posting about this next week.

However, this does mean I've read 100 books for this challenge and only have 60 to go!! Which puts me at 62.5%.

So those two books were:

• Never Say Never by Lisa Wingate
• A Case for Love by Kaye Dacus

Both of these were the 3rd book in their series.

I'm currently reading:

• More Precious Than Silver by Joni Eareckson Tada (a year-long devotional)
• Did I Kiss Marriage Goodbye by Carolyn McCulley (2 chapters to go)
• Found Treasure by Grace Livingston Hill

2010 Reading Challenge - week 16

4 books finished this week.

They are:

• Where Two Ways Met by Grace Livingston Hill
• Only Nuns Change Habit Overnight by Karen Scalf Linamen
• The Centurion's Wife by Davis Bunn & Janette Oke
• In All These Things by Marjorie Buckingham

I'm currently reading:

• More Precious Than Silver by Joni Eareckson Tada
• Get Married by Candice Watters
• The Witness by Dee Henderson (by the way, when are you having another book published Dee? I want to know what happens to the people in 'Before I Wake'. They haven't caught the bad guy yet.)

2010 Reading Challenge - week 15

Only 3 books this week, although I actually read 4, but one can't be included in the challenge.

They are:

• Veiled Joy by Colleen L. Reece
• Midnight Sea by Colleen Coble
• In Tune With Wedding Bells by Grace Livingston Hill

I'm currently reading:

• More Precious Than Silver by Joni Eareckson Tada
• Only Nuns Change Habit Overnight by Karen Scalf Linamen (1 chapter to go)
• Get Married by Candice Watters
• Where Two Ways Met by Grace Livingston Hill