2017 Reading Challenge

In January, a friend challenged everyone she knew on Facebook to a 2017 reading challenge.  It began as 12 books; since then she has talked me in to 3 different lists.  My goal is to complete the challenge of all three lists - some of the categories repeat, so it won't be 36 books, but here is my list of categories.  As I fulfill the requirements, I'll add book titles and rate them on a 1-5 scale.

The bolded categories are the books I still have to read - some have planned titles, some do not.  It's quite a list, but I refuse to back down.  ;-)

Update: It is December 19 and all the bold books are still to be read - not much has changed.  I fear I will not complete this challenge.  But I will still work on it until December 31.  Then I will continue to attack this same challenge every year until I do make it.

Update: It's December 28, my birthday, and I am still 7 books short.  I probably won't make it, but I'm enjoying the reading in an attempt to get there.

• a book with a title that is a character's name - Stella by Starlight by Sharon Draper (3+ - it was really easy to read; I think it's a little young for my kids though)
• a book involving travel - Interference by Kay Honeyman (3 - pretty good; a little predictable; easy read)
• a book of any genre that addresses current events - The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (4 - really like this one; it is intense, so I only recommend it to those who are willing to consider an opposite viewpoint than their own; I think kids in this time period would love it)
• a book published before I was born - The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery (4 - really like this one - I'll have to read it again to really break down the secondary meanings and explore all the symbols.  Glad I read it)
• three books by the same author, Jo Knowles - Read Between the Lines (2 - could see its appeal for teenagers but not my favorite), Jumping Off Swings (2 - sad, too sad for me, but reality for some girls), Lessons from a Dead Girl (2 - yup, as a writer, I'm not a fan.  I'm sure this writer has a place for some people, just not me)
• a bestseller from 2015 - Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard (5 - this book is my favorite kind of book; girl struggling to make the right choices while boys cloud her judgement)
• a book that was banned at some point - To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee (5 - this is a brilliant novel - I can't believe I forgot I read it in June, but I did.  It's beautifully written, except for the chapters toward the beginning about the history of Maycomb.  Those were really unnecessary)
• a classic I've been meaning to read - Lord of the Flies by William Golding (3 - it certainly didn't live up to the hype, but it was good, especially for literary merit, an easy read)
• a book with a family-member term in the title - I'm Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika Sanchez (3 - this rating is probably temporary, as it was very different than what I expected.  It's well-written and makes understanding the problem Julia faces really easy to grasp/live through)
• a book that covers a character's lifespan - The Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust (4+ - This is a play off Snow White, BUT everyone who deserves to lose loses and everyone else lives happily ever after.  I love that).
• a book with a month or a day of the week in the title - A Million Junes (5-my favorite book of the year - so much hit home.  I feel relieved and relaxed. I am so glad I read it last)
• a book that was made into a movie - Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon (5 - love the organization; so surprising)
• a book I've been meaning to read - Daring Greatly by Brenne Brown (4 - very inspirational; changed my life)
• a book published this year - The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner (4 - this turned out to be what I would call a "girly book": love story and a life struggle; loved it)
• a book I can finish in a day - Raymie Nightengale by Kate DiCamillo (3 - pretty good; complex for a middle grade book)
• a book recommend by a librarian or a bookseller - We Should Hang Out Sometime (3 - pretty good; like it more than most non-fiction; funny)
• a book I have to read for school - Reading Nonfiction: Notice and Note Signposts, Stances, and Strategies by Beers and Probst (3 - while this book is useful, it's not necessarily entertaining, which is what this scale is for)
• a book chosen by a friend or teacher - We Were Liars by E. Lockhart (4 - like this one a lot; I think my kids will like it too)
• a book I have previously abandoned - The Hobbit by JRR Tolkein (3 - this one wasn't as bad as I remember it, so that was good.  But still not my jam.)
• a book I own but have never read - Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling and Jack Thorne (4 - it wasn't my favorite HP book, but it gave me the look into the future I desperately wanted and gave me some of the same frustrations I got with the other books)
• a book I've already read at least once - Hamlet by Shakespeare (5 - I've read this so many times and still I'm surprised.  It's my favorite of his tragedies for sure)
• a book I chose for the cover - Gabi: A Girl in Pieces (5 - this one was a good look at a life I don't see often; great read)
• a memoir - A Long Way Home by Saroo Brierly (4 - one of the best memoirs I have read; his journey is amazing)
• a book about books or reading - Book Love by Penny Kittle (4 - inspiring and impressive; a little bit of preaching to the choir in the last chapter)
• a book in a genre I usually avoid - Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (5 - totally love it.  Out of my regular reading genre, but fabulous)
• a book about a topic or subject I already love - Mr. Darcy, Vampyre (4 - totally fun and trashy; pretty well written but no Jane Austen)
• a book of poetry or a play - Flowers for Algernon by David Rogers (3+ - plays are hard to read, but as this one goes it's pretty good; enjoyed the way it made me examine my own opinions about medical experimentation)
• a Pulitzer Prize or National Book award winner - The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon (5+ - I LOVE this book!  organization is phenomenal; every emotion experienced)
• a book with one of the four seasons in the title - Someone Else's Summer by Rachel Bateman (4 - so this one is perfect surprise.  I bought it because it had summer in the title, and I'm so glad I did.  It was well done with a predictable but well-written plot.  And it ended happy.)
• a book with a subtitle - Disrupting Thinking: Why How We Read by Kylene Beers and Robert Probst (4+ - very few books have changed my teaching.  This is one of them.  So glad I read it, especially early)
• a book with pictures - Challenger Deep by Neil Shusterman (3+ - this was hard to follow and get wrapped up in, but it's well-written, and it needed to be written; so impressed by Shusterman's ability to make that life real)
• a book where the main character is a different ethnicity than me - Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson (3 - it's a beautiful book, but I had trouble getting into the actual plot, as I was distracted by the poetry)
• a best seller from 2016 - Rani Patel in Full Effect by Sonia Patel (4 - really like this book; it's a different look at several cultures and is something my kids can relate to)

Extras: 

Lay That Trumpet in Our Hands by Susan Carol McCarthy (4 - this one was good and kept me guessing until about halfway through; it was nice to see the plot line resolve)
Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley (3 - this one gave me trouble but I appreciate the story line)
Kill The Boy Band by Goldy Moldavsky (3 - meh.  Thought it was going to be great but it was okay; quick read though)
More of Me by Kathryn Evans (3 - meh.  It was good until the end which was a total let down.  The premise was good, but the ending was a serious let down)
The Tudor Conspiracy - by C.W. Gortner (3+ - it was good, just not as good as Phillipa Gregory's writing.  I am interested in the other books in the series though).
Forever, Again by Victoria Laurie (4 - this one was pretty well done; I was surprised at the end, which is pretty hard to do)
Turtles All The Way Down by John Green (2+ - this is only the second John Green novel I've read and it's really not impressive.  But, it's good for all the JG lovers in the world)
How to Grade for Learning by Ken O'Conner (3 - very good and I'm a better teacher for having read it, but it's definitely a professional development book.  Not something one would read for entertainment)

Not yet read:

• a book that intimidates me - The Bible - I got through Judges and will continue this through 2018 until I finish it.  I will not lose this battle.