Semi-Charmed Winter 2012 Book Challenge

This challenge is hosted by Megan at Semi-Charmed Kind of Life.  I'm a little late to the party, but I can't resist! (Click above or the button to sign up)

Here are the details copied from Megan's blog:

Rules:

• The challenge will run from November 1, 2012, to January 31, 2013. (I know this should technically be the Semi-Charmed Winter 2012-2013 Book Challenge, but that is just too long and doesn't make as nice of a hashtag.) No books that are started before 12 a.m. on November 1 or finished after 11:59 p.m. on January 31 will count.
• No re-reads (unless specifically stated)! I want you to experience new books with this challenge.
• Each book must be at least 200 pages long. Audiobooks are fine, as long as the print versions meet the page requirements.
• A book can only be used for one category. If you want to switch the category later, that's fine, just be sure to account for that in your point total.
• The highest possible total is 200 points, and the first five people who finish the challenge will win a featured/guest post on Semi-Charmed Kind of Life. Good luck!

The Challenge:
5 points: Read a book written by an author you have never read before.
5: Read a book you already have at home but haven’t gotten around to yet (from the library, from a bookstore, borrowed from a friend, on your e-reader, whatever).
10: Read a book written in the decade that you were born. Submitted by Summer Book Challenge finisher Hannah.
10: Read a book that takes place in the state/province where you were born. If you were born outside the U.S. and Canada, read a book that takes place in the country you were born.
15: Read a book titled The _______'s Daughter or The _______'s Wife. (There are a ton, I promise!)
15: Read a book that was originally written in a language other than English.
20: Read a book with a number in the title. This could be an actual digit or a number like “hundred” or “thousand.” No arbitrary numbers are allowed (e.g. several, few, many, couple).
20: Read a book set during Christmas or another winter holiday.Submitted by Jessica of Sweet Green Tangerine via Twitter.
20: Read a book written by an author who shares your initials.Submitted by Sarah of The Roaring Twenties via Twitter.
25: Read a Pulitzer Prize winner or finalist for fiction.
25: Re-read a book. (Personally, I’m going to re-read a book from my childhood that I don’t remember well, like Narnia or The Phantom Tollbooth, but you can re-read any book you’d like.)
30: Read three books from three different genres (e.g. romance, historical fiction, horror, biography, etc.). Remember, the books used for this category cannot count for any other category. Submitted bySummer Book Challenge winner Momma Sunshine.

My list (semi-tentative):

-Author I've never read--The Taker by Alma Katsu

-Book I already have at home--The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

-Book from decade I was born--Dune by Frank Herbert

-Book that takes place in the state I was born--Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

-book titled The _______'s Daughter or The _______'s Wife--

• Ahab's Wife, or the Stargazer by Sena Jeter Naslund

-Book originally written in language other than English--Under the Snow by Kerstin Ekman

-Book with a number in the title--Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut

-Book set during Christmas--North Pole High by Candace Jane Kringle 

-Book where author shares my initials--Nefertiti by Michelle Moran

-Pulitzer Prize winner--Gilead by Marilynne Robinson (currently reading-started 11/5-GR)

-Re-Read--The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (currently reading-started 11/13-GR)

-3 books/3 different categories:

• historical fiction--The Arrow Chest by Robert Parry
• horror/mystery--Sherlock Holmes: The Army of Dr. Moreau by Guy Adams
• Classic--Persuasion by Jane Austen

R.I.P. VII Wrap-Up

Yes! I read my four books!

The Gunslinger by Stephen King  REVIEW  (more of a read-a-long wrap-up than a review really)
The Lurking Man by Keith Rommel  REVIEW
Breed by Chase Novak  REVIEW
The Passage by Justin Cronin  REVIEW

I watched a TON of scary movies and TV shows (can anyone say The Walking Dead and American Horror Story!) this season.  Among the highlights on the big screen were Sinister (my new favorite), The Possession, and The Apparition.  You can read my review of those films HERE.

Thanks to Carl for hosting again! Can't wait until next year.  I'm even considering joining him for his SciFi (non) challenge this winter to catch up on some languishing titles on my shelves, like The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Stranger in a Strange Land, to name a couple.

Let's Read Plays

A fun year with classic plays--November 2012 - October 2012
Hosted by Fanda Classiclit and Ngidam Buku
Click the button to sign up

Details (from Fanda's blog)
We will read plays from Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde, other authors and also Greek plays. As the host, Dessy and I have created a schedule with themes to read for every month (scroll down to the end of this post). For example, for the first month we will read Shakespeare’s tragedy, you can pick as many titles as you wish (at least 1) from Shakespeare’s tragedy collections, read and post the review(s). One or two of the months will be freebie month, when you can read any theme you want. Here is the complete list of the plays, we are gathering as many as possible titles for our reference, but you are free to add your own titles if it’s not included in the list, as long as it fits the theme.

There will be giveaway(s) along or at the end of the event, and there would also meme(s) related to plays or Shakespeare we will have during the event (might come with giveaways too!). If you are interested to participate in any ways (games, quizzes, giveaways, guest posts or anything) please let me know by filling this form. so that we can discuss it. We are looking forward to your active participation because this would be a yearlong event, and it will be good if we can have many different activities and hosts to bring more fun to the event!

My List

Nov '12 Shakespeare's Tragedy--Coriolanus

Dec '12 Shakespeare's Comedy--The Tempest

Jan '13 freebie--Richard III

Feb '13 Shakespeare's History--Henry V

Mar '13 Greek--Antigone

Apr '13 Shakespeare's Comedy--Merry Wives of Windsor

May '13 Shakespeare's Tragedy--Troilus and Cressida

Jun '13 Oscar Wilde--Salome

Jul '13 Other author--Saint Joan

Aug '13 Shakespeare's Comedy--Measure for Measure

Sep '13 freebie--Macbeth

Oct '13 Shakespeare's Tragedy--Titus Andronicus

R.I.P. VII...It's scary time again!

It's that time again! The incomparable Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings is once again hosting the most excellent R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril.  This is version VII and I'm telling you, I look forward to this every year.  The challenge dates are officially September 1st through October 31st, but Carl says, "Let's start today!"  Yes...let's!!!

Here are a few guidelines as told by Carl:

Books and movies/television that could be classified as:

Mystery.
Suspense.
Thriller.
Dark Fantasy.
Gothic.
Horror.
Supernatural.
Or anything sufficiently moody that shares a kinship with the above.

There are two simple goals for R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril VII

1. Have fun reading.
2. Share that fun with others.

As I do each and every year, there are multiple levels of participation (Perils) that allow you to be a part of R.I.P. VII without adding the burden of another commitment to your already busy lives. There is even a one book only option for those who feel that this sort of reading is not their cup of tea (or who have many other commitments) but want to participate all the same.

Multiple perils await you. You can participate in just one, or participate in them all.  To read full details on all of the perils available, visit the info and sign-up POST HERE.

********

My plans:

I've got big stuff going on in the scary category this Fall so choosing my Perils will not be difficult.  I'm hosting the EPIC Dark Tower Read-a-Long (Stephen King's entire Dark Tower series) from September through next July at my Stephen King Challenge blog.  We are reading Book One in September and Book Two in October.  We are reading The Passage by Justin Cronin as our Fall scary read for TuesBookTalk Read-a-Longs.  I'm participating in the It-along (a read-a-long of It by Stephen King) in September through October.  I'm also hosting my FrightFall Read-a-Thon the first week in October that focuses on the scary and my October event at my horror blog, Castle Macabre, Season of the Witch during which I will focus on reading everything witchy.  Movies...no problem...as horror is my favorite movie genre and I love the scary on TV as well.  I'm going to see "The Possession" this weekend so there's one film under my belt already! 

So, my Perils are:

Read four books, any length, that you feel fit (the very broad definitions) of R.I.P. literature. It could be King or Conan Doyle, Penny or Poe, Chandler or Collins, Lovecraft or Leroux…or anyone in between.

It by Stephen King

The Gunslinger by Stephen King

The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King

The Passage by Justin Cronin

Pick and Choose list:

Witches--

A Mirror for Witches by Esther Forbes
The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent
The Last Witchfinder by James K. Morrow
The Witch's Trinity by Erika Mailman
The Witching Time by Jean Stubbs
The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe
Daughters of the Witching Hill by Mary Sharratt

and whatever else might strike my fancy!

This is for those of us that like to watch suitably scary, eerie, mysterious gothic fare during this time of year. It may be something on the small screen or large. It might be a television show, like "Dark Shadows" or "Midsomer Murders", or your favorite film. If you are so inclined, please post links to any R.I.P.-related viewing you do on to the Review Site as well.

Films:

The Possession

TV:
Supernatural
Vampire Diaries
Elementary (new series)
Dexter

Summer Chills Reading Challenge

***Scroll down for wrap-up***

The Summer Chills Reading Challenge is hosted by Kai at Fiction State of Mind.

(Click the image or link above to sign-up)

Here are the details from Kai's blog:

Here is how it works:

1) To the Linky! Link up your intent to join and share your reading list below. Also add this great button the wonderful Michelle of TRUE BOOK ADDICT made for me to your posts. (yup, I created the button)

2) READ! Anything that is thrilling , chilling, horrifying and macabre!

3) Come back on June 22nd to see my reading list and enter for a mystery prize pack. It's a mystery because it will be swag from ALA Annual which I will be at that weekend! I also will have prize packs in July and August! I'm putting together some guest posts and some challenges as well.

4) LINK UP ! Share your reviews. Winners will be picked from linked reviews. I hope you guys join me and if you have any suggestions let me know :) 

Challenge runs from June 22 through August 31.

So, what delicious scariness will I be reading?  I'm not committing to all of these, but I will be choosing from this list:

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith 

Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay

Dead in Dixie...Sookie Stackhouse Omnibus-Books 1-3 by Charlaine Harris

The Wolf Gift by Anne Rice

Salem's Lot by Stephen King

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

The Secret of a Spicy Jalapeno by Charlie Courtland

Wrap-Up

I ended up reading only one book from this list and still have not finished Abraham Lincoln: VH! UGH! However, I did finish several scary books that were not on this list.  A great zombie book and a thriller.

From the list
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson review
White Lies by Jeremy Bates review
The Hallowed Ones by Laura Bickle review

Once Upon a Time VI--Wrap-Up

Well, this lovely challenge has once again come to an end and I didn't do too bad this time, except for the short story part, which I did not do.  Here are my final stats:

I committed to read at least one book.  I read:

The Dragon's Harp by Rachael Pruitt
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland 
Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll


(linked titles are reviews)

Movies, etc.:
Snow White and the Huntsman--I really liked it.  I know all the Kristin haters out there judged it by her performance (honestly, I don't think she's a bad actress.  Her performance in The Runaways showed me that she can act), but I thought it was a great retelling of the classic fairy tale.  And Charlize Theron was phenomenal in her role.  Definitely worth a watch, in my opinion.

Grimm and Once Upon a Time TV series:
I love both of these shows for different reasons.  Grimm is like a fairy tale XFiles (I LOVED that show).  For those who watched XF, that should be explanation enough.  Once Upon a Time is just a lot of fun  and more close to the classic fairy tales...with a twist.  And the evil queen, bitch that she is, is endlessly entertaining.

Thanks again to Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings for hosting.  Now to look forward to R.I.P. VII in the Fall.  Can't wait!

The Margaret Atwood Project

Dog Ear Discs is hosting Project Read all of Atwood.  One of her books per month, fiction and story anthologies only, starting from the earliest published book.  I'm going to try to keep up with this one, as I've always wanted to read her books and I own quite a few titles already.  Time to watch for more of her books at library sales. =O)  Note:  I'm not a big fan of short stories outside the realm of horror so I may skip the months with short stories.

Here's the list of her works, in order:

2012
MAY--The Edible Woman (1969)
JUNE--Surfacing (1972)
JULY--Lady Oracle (1976)
AUGUST--Dancing Girls (1977) [Short Stories]
SEPT--Life Before Man (1979)
OCT--Bodily Harm (1981)
NOV--Murder in the Dark (1983) [Short Stories]
DEC--Bluebeard’s Egg (1983) [Short Stories]

2013
JAN--The Handmaid’s Tale (1985)
FEB--Cat’s Eye (1988)
MARCH--Wilderness Tips (1991) [Short Stories]
APRIL--Good Bones (1992) [Short Stories]
MAY--The Robber Bride (1993)
JUNE--Good Bones and Simple Murders (1994) [Short Stories]
JULY--Alias Grace (1996)
AUGUST--The Labrador Fiasco (1996) [Short Stories]
SEPT--The Blind Assassin (2000)
OCT--Oryx and Crake (2003)
NOV--The Penelopiad (2005)
DEC--The Tent (2006) [Short Stories]

2014

JAN--Moral Disorder (2006) [Short Stories]
FEB--The Year of the Flood (2009)

Semi-Charmed Summer 2012 Book Challenge

 

***Final Update:  I ended up tanking and only completing one book for this.  #4 = 15 points  Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson REVIEW***

Megan at Semi-Charmed Kind of Life is hosting the Semi-Charmed Summer 2012 Book Challenge.  How could I resist this great challenge!

If you would like to sign up, click the link or image above.

Details from Megan:
How to keep track: I’ll post a check-in every Sunday on which you can comment with your progress. I will also include the scoreboard from the previous week on each check-in post. (Sorry if that doesn’t make sense; just check back on Sunday, May 6, for the first check-in.)

Rules:

• The challenge will run from May 1, 2012, to September 1, 2012. No books that are started before May 1 or finished after September 1 will count.(That's why I'm posting this early, so you can plan your next books!)
• No re-reads! I want you to experience new books with this challenge.
• Each book must be at least 200 pages long, unless otherwise noted.
• A book can only be used for one category. If you want to switch the category later, that's fine, just be sure to account for that in your point total.
• Each category may only be completed once, so the highest possible total is 200 points.
• The first three people who finish the challenge will win a featured/guest post on my blog. If less than three people finish, the participants with the three highest scores will "win." Good luck!

The Challenge:

1. 5 points: Read a book chosen for the U.S. 2012 World Book Night.
2. 10: Read a book you were supposed to read in school, but either bailed on or Cliff-Noted. (If you were super studious and never did this, then read a book most people were assigned to read in high school but you weren’t.)
3. 10: Read a memoir or narrative nonfiction book. (Examples: Friday Night Lights, When the Game Stands Tall, The Devil in the White City, etc.)
4. 15: Read a book in one calendar day. (Must be at least 150 pages long.)
5. 15: Read a book that you've always wanted to read but haven't gotten around to yet.
6. 20: Read a pair of books that have antonyms in the titles. (For example: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Boy in the Suitcase, or The Unbearable Lightness of Being and Heart of Darkness, etc..)
7. 20: Read a book that is set in a place you've never been but want to visit.
8. 25: Find a book written the year you were born that was later made into a movie. Read the book and watch the movie; compare. Or find a movie released the year you were born that was based on a book. Do the same thing.
9. 25: Go into a bookstore or library. Pick any bookshelf. Read the third book from the left on the fourth shelf from the top. (If it's not at least 200 pages, pick the next book to the right.)
10. 25: Read a book about which you’ve heard bad things. (Hey, you can’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried it, right? And I’m upping the points to make it worth your while.)
11. 30: Read a trilogy (or any three consecutive books in a series). Total page count for all three books together must be at least 500 pages. (Remember, you can’t have read any of the books before! Suggestions: The Robert Langdon series, The Hunger Games, Twilight...)

My list:

1. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
2. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley or The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy (I read all required reading in high school so I browsed high school lists online)
3. The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson (taking Megan's suggestion...I've been wanting to read this one for a long time!)
4. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Stories by Robert Louis Stevenson
5. The Once and Future King by T.H. White
6. To Serve a King by Donna Russo Morin and To Be Queen by Christy English
7. The Arrow Chest by Robert Parry
8. A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
9. The Visitant by Kathleen O'Neal Gear and W. Michael Gear
10. Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger
11. Dead Until Dark, Living Dead in Dallas, and Club Dead by Charlaine Harris

*I reserve the right to make changes to this list at any time.

A Non-Fiction Adventure

This challenge is hosted by me.  Visit the dedicated blog HERE to sign up.

Taking the lead from the awesome creators of the Fill in the Gaps: 100 Project and The Classics Club, I have decided to create a similar challenge focusing on non-fiction books.  The fruition of this idea came to me yesterday as I was looking at my shelves of non-fiction books.  In my library of 3000+ books, non-fiction makes up about 1000+ of that total.  I focus so heavily on fiction I never take the time to squeeze in some non-fiction reads which I do love to read.  So I thought, why not follow the lead of those I mentioned above and create this challenge for the non-fiction genre.

Here are the guidelines:

• choose 50+ non-fiction books; the number is up to you.  Choose 50, 75, 100, 200.  It's entirely your choice
• Books must be non-fiction--biography, autobiography, history, memoir, cooking, travel, science, etc.
• list them at your blog (or on Goodreads or another social media site, if you do not have a blog)
• choose your completion goal date five years in the future and make note of it with your list of titles (like this:  reading goal--50 books  goal dates--March 20, 2012 - March 20, 2017)
• come back here and post the link to your list in the linky below
• write a review (or a short summary) on the book when finished and link it to the title in your list (or link to your review on Goodreads, again, if you don't have a blog)
• there will be pages posted at the top of the blog for you to link your reviews
• when you have completed the challenge, come add your link to the Completed Challenges page
• there will be a blog roll in the sidebar where I will list you/your blog linked to your lists
• grab the button in the right sidebar and link it back to this blog
• check out this PAGE which contains links to various online sources with lists of reading ideas
• I might host a read-a-long from time to time.  If you are hosting one, or an event or challenge surrounding a non-fiction title, post about it at this PAGE

A couple more important details:

• this challenge can be crossed over with any other challenges
• your link in the linky below must lead to your list, not just your main blog address.  Any links that are blog links only will be deleted

Updates:
*I was asked if the list has to be made in advance.  The idea is to work toward reading non-fiction that you've been wanting to read so the list is mandatory. However, the list does not have to be set in stone. You can change out titles as the mood suits you.

I hope I haven't forgotten anything.  If you think I missed something, please let me know.  I'm aiming to make this challenge as low maintenance as possible.  There will be no mini-challenges or prizes.  This challenge is all about challenging ourselves to read more and to expand our horizons.  I truly hope you will join me on this adventure.

If you're interested in reading the classics or filling in the gaps in your regular reading, why not check out the two challenges I mentioned above.  I'm participating in both and they are both great concepts in challenges.

My list:

Okay, so my original plan was to make a list of 50 to read over the 5 years, but...well, you know...once I started listing, I was like a kid in a candy store.  ;O)  My intent:


Revised list below. New additions marked with an *

Read the 97 Non-Fiction books listed 
Time frame:  April 2, 2012 - April 2, 2017  January 3, 2016 - January 3, 2026

The List 
Categorized, but in no particular order. As in the Classics Club, I own every book on this list.

Biography/Memoir
1.   Art and Madness: A Memoir of Lust without Reason by Anne Roiphe
2.   David Bowie: Starman by Paul Trynka
3.   Benjamin Franklin by Edmund S. Morgan
4.   Catherine the Great by Robert K. Massie
5.   John Adams by David McCullough
6.   King Arthur by Norma Lorre Goodrich
7.   Louisa May Alcott: The Woman Behind Little Women by Harriet Riesen Read 2015 - not reviewed
8.   Lucrezia Borgia by Sarah Bradford
Alison Weir
9.   Mary Boleyn: The Mistress of Kings (Weir)
10. Queen Isabella (Weir)
11. The Princes in the Tower (Weir)
12. Marie Antoinette by Evelyne Lever
13. Poe: A Life Cut Short by Peter Ackroyd
15. Vincent Price by Victoria Price
16. Eleanor of Aquitaine: A Biography by Marion Meade
17. Will in the World by Stephen Greenblatt
18. The Brothers Grimm: Two Lives, One Legacy by Donald R. Hettinga  Read 2015 - not reviewed
19. Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire by Amanda Foreman
20. The Girl Who Walked Home Alone: Bette Davis-A Personal Biography by Charlotte Chandler
21. Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
22. A Rip in Heaven: A Memoir of Murder and Its Aftermath by Jeanine Cummins
23. Madame de Pompadour by Nancy Mitford*
24. Tolstoy and the Purple Chair by Nina Sankovitch*
25. Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup*
26. All Roads Lead to Austen: A Yearlong Journey with Jane by Amy Elizabeth Smith*
27. Jane's Fame: How Jane Austen Conquered the World by Claire Harman*
28. The Opposite of Fate: Memories of a Writing Life by Amy Tan*
29. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand*

Customs/Folklore/Mythology
30. Sagas of Icelanders
31. In Search of Dracula: History of Dracula and Vampires by Raymond T. McNally and Radu Florescu
32. Mythology by Edith Hamilton*

History
33. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown
34. The Burning of Bridget Cleary by Angela Bourke
35. Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
36. In the Footsteps of Alexander by Michael Wood
37. The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston
38. The Murder of Helen Jewitt by Patricia Cline Cohen
39. The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester
40. The Queen's Necklace by Frances Mossiker
41. Starvation Heights by Gregg Olsen  Read 2015 -  not reviewed
42. She-Wolves by Helen Castor
43. The Vikings by Robert Ferguson
44. The Life and Death of a Druid Prince by Anne Ross and Don Robins
45. Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick
46. The Gangs of New York by Herbert Asbury
47. Royal Panoply: Brief Lives of the English Monarchs by Carolly Erickson
48. The Ancient Celts by Barry Cunliffe
49. Chronicle of the Roman Republic by Philip Matyszak
50. Chronicle of the Pharaohs by Peter A. Clayton
51. Imagining Atlantis by Richard Ellis
52. Finding Atlantis: A True Story of Genius, Madness, and an Extraordinary Quest for a Lost World by David King
53. The Vanished Library: A Wonder of the Ancient World by Luciano Canfora
54. The Year 1000: What Life Was Like at the Turn of the First Millennium by Robert Lacey and Danny Danziger
55. How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill
56. Fingerprints of the Gods by Graham Hancock
57. The Enemy Within: 2000 Years of Witch Hunting in the Western World by John Demos
58. The Salem Witch Trials: A Day by Day Chronicle of a Community Under Siege by Marilynne K. Roach
59. The Great Mortality: An Intimate History of the Black Death, the Most Devastating Plague of All Time by John Kelly*
60. The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann*
61. The Histories by Herodotus*
62. Frozen in Time: An Epic Story of Survival and a Modern Quest for Lost Heroes of World War II by Mitchell Zuckoff*
63. Lost in Shangri-la: A True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War II by Mitchell Zuckoff*
64. In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick*

Parapsychology/Occultism
65. A History of Ghosts by Peter Ackroyd
66. On Haunted Ground: The Green Ghost and Other Spirits of Cemetery Road by Lisa Rogers
67.

Philosophy
George Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
Lectures on the History of Philosophy
68. Greek Philosophy to Plato (Hegel)
69. Plato and the Platonists (Hegel)
70. Medieval and Modern Philosophy (Hegel)
71. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
72. Writings by Thomas Jefferson

Religion
73. Living the Secular Life by Phil Zuckerman
74. Forged: Writing in the Name of God by Bart D. Ehrman
75. God's Problem by Bart D. Ehrman
76. Holy Blood, Holy Grail by Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh, and Harry Lincoln
77. The Jesus Mysteries by Tim Freke and Peter Gandy
78. The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins
79. Hostage to the Devil: The Possession and Exorcism of Five Contemporary Americans by Malachi Martin
80. Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism: A Bishop Rethinks the Meaning of Scripture by John Shelby Spong*
81. Jesus for the Non-Religious by John Shelby Spong*

Science
82. Blood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder by Holly Tucker
83. Gods, Graves, and Scholars: The Story of Archaeology by C.W. Ceram
84. The Future of Life by Edward O. Wilson
85. The Illustrated Origin of Species by Charles Darwin--Abridged and Introduced by Richard E. Leakey (will read in conjunction with the original Origin of Species)
86. Only a Theory: Evolution and the Battle for America's Soul by Kenneth R. Miller
87. The Lost Tomb by Kent R. Weeks, Ph.D.
88. The Ancestor's Tale by Richard Dawkins
89. Neanderthal: Neanderthal Man and the Story of Human Origins by Paul Jordan
90. Dinosaur Hunters: Eccentric Amateurs and Obsessed Professionals by David A.E. Spalding

Travel/Geography
91. Venice: Pure City by Peter Ackroyd

Women's Studies 
92. A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft
93. A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf
94. Women Who Run with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype by Clarissa Pinkola Estes

Miscellaneous
95. 13 Ways of Looking at the Novel by Jane Smiley
96. The Secret History of the World by Mark Booth
97. History of American Literature by Reuben Post Halleck, MA (my edition was printed in 1911! It's a wonderful old book.)

Additions or Alternates 
98. Werewolf by Montague Summers
99. Vampires and Vampirism by Montague Summers
100. The Twelve Caesars by Suetonius
101. Gospel Fictions by Randall Helms
102. Temples, Tombs & Hieroglyphs: A Popular History of Ancient Egypt by Barbara Mertz
103. Good Wives: Image and Reality in the Lives of Women in Northern New England, 1650-1750 by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

Agatha Christie Book Club

Organized by Vicky at Books, Biscuits, and Tea, the Agatha Christie Book Club involves the reading of AC's works in order of original publication date, one book per month.  Here are the details as outlined by Vicky:

How it works:

• I know how busy everyone is with work, school, blogging, and well… life in general, so we will only read one book each month, which is I think a fairly manageable amount. 
• We’ll read the books in order of the original publication date, i.e. we’ll start with Christie’s first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles. If you’d like to see the whole list of works in order, click here.
• At the end of each month, we’ll do an online “tea party” where we discuss the book in question and have some fun
• As for the discussion, we’ll always try to find a date which suits everyone but ideally, it should be sometime at the end of the month.
• If you’re on Twitter, feel free to use the #ACBC hashtag for your Agatha Christie related updates or simply in order to communicate with fellow book club members.

Requirements:

• A passion for mysteries 
• You do not have to be a blogger in order to participate – everyone is welcome!
• Books! Please note that we will not send you the reading material – everyone is responsible for purchasing or borrowing their own copy of the book.
• Skype. This is where the discussion will be held at the end of each month. Don’t worry if you don’t have a camera or a microphone, that’s not necessary. (If you don’t have Skype yet, you can download it by clicking here)

Schedule:

• May: The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920) – download the ebook for free here
• June: The Secret Adversary (1922)
• July: The Murder on the Links (1923)
• August: The Man in the Brown Suit (1924)
• September: Poirot Investigates (1924)
• October: The Secret of Chimneys (1925)
• November: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (1926)
• December: The Big Four (1927)

To sign up, click HERE.

A Victorian Celebration

I just couldn't pass this up, especially considering that it goes along so well with The Classics Club and the Fill in the Gaps: 100 Project which I'm participating in.  Allie at A Literary Odyssey is hosting this reading event and it will run throughout June and July.  Here are some of the details as outlined by Allie:

The Victorian era in literature refers to the time that Queen Victoria was ruling in Britain (1837-1901). It was a time period of great peace and prosperity for Britain and allowed for a lot of artistic and literary expression. Generally speaking, Victorians are only the British authors who published during this time period. However, some like to group American writers and others into the mix since their work can be closely tied together.

To give you an idea of what writers I am talking about, some of the most well-known Victorian writers include: Charles Dickens, George Eliot, Wilkie Collins, William Makepeace Thackeray, Anthony Trollope, and the Bronte sisters. Others include Lewis Carroll, Robert Louis Stevenson, Anna Sewell, and the Brownings. There are countless more, but these are the big hitters and those most commonly referred to as Victorians.

For this event, the goal is to read as many Victorian pieces as you wish during the months of June and July. I will have posts going up throughout the event on different authors, as well as my own reviews on Victorian pieces and biographies of writers. There will also be prizes (lots of them) that will go up throughout the two month event. If you are going to participate, you can read a novel from the era, a biography on a writer or Queen Victoria herself, or anything else pertaining to the era. All posts will help you qualify for prizes, which I'll explain as we get closer to the event's starting line!

To sign up, click HERE or click the button at the top of the post.

A list of books I will consider reading for the event.  I know I will not get to all, but I will choose from this list:


North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
Middlemarch by George Eliot (currently reading)
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte
Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
Uncle Silas by Sheridan Le Fanu
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

I may add to or subtract from this list at my own discretion.

Once Upon a Time VI...It's Time!

COMPLETED!

Of course, I was SO looking forward to this 'challenge' (I even bugged Carl about it..."When is Once Upon a Time?"...whine, whine, whine...LOL) and then I promptly didn't have time to make my list until the last day to sign up.  Stupid busy-ness!

So, if you haven't heard of the wonderful Once Upon a Time (What?  Really!?!), it is a wonderful reading 'challenge' (event) hosted by the awesome Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings.  Here are some details as outlined at Carl's blog:

“Once upon a time…”

Perhaps you too have heard that voice whispering on the spring wind, or perhaps Old Man Winter continues to drown out the sound; either way that time has come: Once Upon a Time is here!

Wednesday, March 21st begins the sixth annual Once Upon a Time Challenge. This is a reading and viewing event that encompasses four broad categories: Fairy Tale, Folklore, Fantasyand Mythology, including the seemingly countless sub-genres and blending of genres that fall within this spectrum. The challenge continues through Tuesday, June 19th and allows for very minor (1 book only) participation as well as more immersion depending on your reading/viewing whims.

(Dates:  March 21 - June 19)

Come away, and I’ll tell you more…

The Once Upon a Time VI Challenge has a few rules:

Rule #1: Have fun.

Rule #2: HAVE FUN.

Rule #3: Don’t keep the fun to yourself, share it with us, please!

Rule #4: Do not be put off by the word “challenge”.

While this event retains the word “challenge” from its earliest days, the entire goal is to read good books, watch good television shows and movies, and most importantly, visit old friends and make new ones. There are several ways to participate, and I hope you can find at least one to your liking:
To read about the various levels, visit the post HERE.

I have decided to participate in the following levels:

This is really as simple as the name implies. It means you are participating, but not committing yourself to any specific number of books. By signing up for The Journey you are agreeing to read at least one book within one of the four categories during March 21st to June 19th period.Just one book. If you choose to read more, fantastic! If not, then we have still had the pleasure of your company during this three month reading journey and hopefully you have read a great book, met some interesting people, and enjoyed the various activities that occur during the challenge. It has always been of utmost importance to me that the challenges that I host be all about experiencing enjoyable literature and sharing it with others. I want you to participate. Hence, The Journey.

This quest involves the reading of one or more short stories that fit within at least one of the four genres during the course of any weekend, or weekends, during the challenge. Ideally you would post about your short story readings on Sundays or Mondays, but this is not strictly necessary.

Stories are not just limited to the printed page. Many entertaining, moving, profound or simply fun stories are told in the realm of television and film. To participate in this quest simply let us know about the films and/or television shows that you feel fit into the definitions of fantasy, fairy tales, folklore or mythology that you are enjoying during the challenge. 

The Journey--I know it seems odd that I'm only committing to one book, yet I have a whole list below.  Well, as Carl said, at least one, but if you read more...great! So, one for sure, but hopefully more from this list. =O)

• The Dragon's Harp by Rachel Pruitt
• A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin (partial read)
• Graceling by Kristin Cashore
• Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
• Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
• Wicked by Gregory Maguire
• The Once and Future King by T.H. White

Short Story Quest--I've been wanting to read this book of short stories (fairy tales retold) for over a year:

• My Mother She Killed Me, My Father He Ate Me: Forty New Fairy Tales edited by Kate Bernheimer

Quest on Screen--I plan on seeing Snow White and the Huntsman on the weekend of June 1st so this one is a no brainer! Might just pull out Ever After and watch it too (love that movie)! Oh, and I watch Once Upon a Time and Grimm on TV every week so those qualify too.  Cool!

Snow White and the Huntsman

I love this because it's three months so it gives me more wiggle room. =O)  What fun!

The Classics Club

The Classics Club is the brainchild of Jillian at A Room of One's Own.  It's not only a reading challenge, but a kind of book club for like minds to share (and perhaps discuss) a certain amount of classics over a certain amount of time (participants discretion).  Listed below are the club basics, as outlined by Jillian.  Visit this POST for complete details on how everything works.  Dedicated blog here.

The club basics:

• choose 50+ classics
• list them at your blog
• choose a reading completion goal date up to five years in the future and note that date on your classics list of 50+ titles
• come back here and link your classics list to this blog according to these instructions
• write about each title on your list as you finish reading it, and link it to your main list
• when you’ve written about every single title, come back here and reply to your initial comment when you joined, to let us know you won (instructions when you achieve your challenge)!

My plan:

I will read 100  101 classics in five years time.  I am also participating in the Fill in the Gaps: 100 Project, which is also 100 books in five years time, but these can be any books from your to-be-read list (or in my case, shelves) that you've been wanting to read.  My FITG list consists of some classics so I did not include them on my Classics Club list.  I figure I can easily manage 200 books over five years for both challenges.  My Classics Club list is mostly culled from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (Peter Boxall) book, the three editions combined, 2006, 2008, and 2010.  I will be including modern classics as well from the 1001 lists and the remainder are classics (books written more than 50 years ago or modern, prize winning/nominated books) that are not on the 1001 list.  I already own every book on my list so I do not have to buy or borrow any books for this challenge.  Woot! Also, my good friend Heather at Between the Covers (and my loyal TuesBookTalk buddy) is doing this challenge as well and I told her I would pick some of the books from her list so we can discuss the books from time to time.  It turns out that a lot of the ones I wanted to pick were on her list so there are a lot of shared titles on our lists.

My start date:  March 11, 2012

Finish date goal:  March 11, 2017
My Prize: I'll treat myself to a nice lunch by myself at 50 and 100 books read.

Books in red are re-reads

Books in blue are not on the 1001 lists

Books marked with an (H) are shared titles with Heather

All reviews on books I read for this challenge will be posted on The True Book Addict (or on Castle Macabre in the case of horror or speculative fiction titles).  All challenge progress (titles crossed off) will be tracked here on this blog.  Completed titles will have the month completed beside them and will be linked to my review.

My List:

Peter Ackroyd

1. The Lambs of London

Jane Austen (H)

2. Emma

3. Mansfield Park

4. Northanger Abbey

5. Persuasion  (completed January 2013 review)

Louisa May Alcott

6. Little Women  (H)

Isabel Allende

7. The House of the Spirits

Maya Angelou

8. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Anne Bronte

9. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall  (H)

Charlotte Bronte

10. Jane Eyre

11. Villette  (H)

Emily Bronte

12. Wuthering Heights

Anthony Burgess

13. A Clockwork Orange

Albert Camus

14. The Plague 

Truman Capote

15. Breakfast at Tiffany's  (H)

16. In Cold Blood

Lewis Carroll  (H)
Dual Review Here

17. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (read in 2012)

18. Through the Looking Glass (read in 2012)

Blaise Cendrars

19. Moravagine

Paulo Coelho

20. The Devil and Miss Prym

Wilkie Collins

21. The Woman in White

Thomas B. Costain

22. The Silver Chalice

Honore de Balzac

23. Cousin Bette

Charles Dickens

24. David Copperfield  (H)

25. Great Expectations  (H)

26. The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby

27. Little Dorritt

28. A Tale of Two Cities  (H)

Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen)

29. Out of Africa

Fyodor Dostoevsky

30. Crime and Punishment  (H)  (read in 2013)

Margaret Drabble

31. The Red Queen

Daphne du Maurier

32. Rebecca  (H)  (Read)

Alexandre Dumas

33. The Count of Monte-Cristo  (H)

34. Queen Margot

George Eliot  (H)

35. Middlemarch  (read in 2012 review)

36. The Mill on the Floss

37. Silas Marner

Bret Easton Ellis

38. American Psycho

Henry Fielding

39. Tom Jones

Gustave Flaubert

40. Madame Bovary  (H)

E.M. Forster

41. Howard's End  (H) (Read 2014)

John Fowles

42. The Collector

43. The French Lieutenant's Woman

Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire
44. The Sylph

Stella Gibbons
45. Cold Comfort Farm (Read)

H. Rider Haggard
46. She

Thomas Hardy
47. The Mayor of Casterbridge

Nathaniel Hawthorne
48. The House of Seven Gables  (H)  2014 - did not finish
49. The Marble Faun

Victor Hugo  (H)
50. The Hunchback of Notre Dame
51. Les Miserables  

Aldous Huxley
52. Brave New World

John Irving
53. The World According to Garp

Kazuo Ishiguro
54. Never Let Me Go (Read)

Henry James
55. The Portrait of a Lady  (H)
56. The Golden Bowl
57. What Maisie Knew

Barbara Kingsolver
58. The Poisonwood Bible

D.H. Lawrence
59. Sons and Lovers  (H)

Sheridan Le Fanu
60. Uncle Silas

Gaston Leroux
61. The Phantom of the Opera

Doris Lessing 
62. The Golden Notebook

M.G. Lewis
63. The Monk

Cormac McCarthy
64. All the Pretty Horses

Ann-Marie MacDonald
65. Fall on Your Knees (Read 2014)

Thomas Mann
66. Buddenbrooks

Rohinton Mistry
67. A Fine Balance

Iris Murdoch
68. The Bell

Joyce Carol Oates 
69. Blonde

Michael Ondaatje
70. The English Patient

George Orwell
71. 1984

Boris Pasternak
72. Doctor Zhivago

Sylvia Plath
73. The Bell Jar

E. Annie Proulx
74. The Shipping News

Ann Radcliffe
75. The Mysteries of Udolpho  (H)

Jean Rhys
76. Wide Sargasso Sea  (Read 2014)

Marilynne Robinson
77. Gilead  (read in 2012- not reviewed)

Carl Sagan
78. Contact

J.D. Salinger
79. The Catcher in the Rye  (read April 2012 review)

Sir Walter Scott
80. Rob Roy

Mary Shelley
81. Frankenstein  (H)

Carol Shields

82. The Stone Diaries  (Read 2014)

Robert Louis Stevenson
83. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (read in 2012 review)

Patrick Suskind
84. Perfume

Booth Tarkington
85. The Magnificent Ambersons

Donna Tartt
86. The Secret History

William Makepeace Thackeray
87. Vanity Fair  (H)

Colm Toibin
88. The Master

J.R.R. Tolkien
89. The Hobbit  (H)  (read December 2012 review)

Leo Tolstoy
90. War and Peace  (H)

Sigrid Undset
91. Kristin Lavransdatter

Kurt Vonnegut
92. Slaughterhouse Five

Lew Wallace
93. Ben-Hur

Sarah Waters
94. Fingersmith

Evelyn Waugh
95. Brideshead Revisited

Edith Wharton
96. The Age of Innocence
97. Ethan Frome  (H)
98. The House of Mirth  (H)

T.H. White
99. The Once and Future King

Virginia Woolf
100. Mrs. Dalloway  (H)
101. Orlando

Magical March Reading Challenge

The Magical March event is being hosted by Roof Beam Reader.

*Click the links or the image above to sign-up (before March 4)*

From Roof Beam Reader's blog:

Purpose:
To read and review works of Fantasy, Science-Fiction, or Magical Realism (for my literary folks).

Details:
From now until March 4th, the Mister Linky widget below will be available so people can sign-up to participate in the Magical March Reading Challenge.

Throughout the month of March, a Mister Linky will be available for pre-registered challengers to link-up their qualifying reviews. There are different “classes” of magician, outlined below, and completion of the various levels could earn you a prize!

Rules:

1. You must register with the Mister Linky below prior to March 5th in order to be eligible to participate.
2. You must read only “new” books – meaning, no re-reads are allowed. Books for other challenges can be cross-used for this one, but you must read the book and review it in the month of March (previously completed books for other challenges do not qualify).
3. You must link up each book review to a separate Mister Linky, which will be available on March 5th (once registrations close).
4. Challengers must post on their blog an “Announcement” post, indicating they are participating in this challenge and which level they hope to attain. One completer from each “Class” will be randomly selected to win the corresponding prize for that level.
5. You do not need to meet your level in order to win a prize. If you aim for “Grand Merlin Class” but only achieve “Magician’s Class,” you will still be entered into the Magician’s Prize Pool!
6. You do not need to list your books in advance, but I plan on doing so (to keep me motivated and to help me stay organized).
7. Any Fantasy, Science Fiction, or Magical Realism books will qualify. This means you can read Young Adult, Dystopian, Steampunk, or Alternative Histories.

Other:

*There will be “Weekly Wand Mini-Challenges” posted on each Saturday of the month. These could be trivia challenges, random tasks, blogger treasure hunts, etc. Winners of each challenge will earn a Wand, and those Wands will be tracked to be entered to win another magical prize!

**Ebooks & Audiobooks are acceptable.

The Levels:
Magician’s Class: 1-2 Books Read & Reviewed 1 Book $10 or Less
Sorcerer’s Class: 3-5 Books Read & Reviewed 1 Book $12 or Less
Wizard’s Class: 6-7 Books Read & Reviewed 1 Book $15 or Less
Grand Merlin Class: 8+ Books Read & Reviewed 1+ Book(s) $20 or Less

**All participants who complete the challenge will also receive a button for their highest completed class, to post pridefully on their blogs!


I'm going for the Sorcerer's Class: 3-5 books--For sure, I'll be reading:


A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin 
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke


will add more once I decide. =O)

What an Animal Reading Challenge V

Did not complete

The What an Animal Reading Challenge is hosted by Yvonne at Socrates' Book Reviews at its dedicated blog.

*click the links above, or the image, to sign up*

Details:
1. Read at least 6 books that have any of the following requirements:


a. there is an animal in the title of the book

b. there is an animal on the cover of the book

c. an animal plays a major role in the book

d. a main character is (or turns into) an animal (define that however you'd like).

2. The animal can be any type of animal (real or fictitious)--dog, cat, monkey, wolf, snake, insect, hedgehog, aardvark...dragon, mermaid, centaur, vampire, werewolf...you get the idea...


3. Challenge runs from March 1, 2012 to February 28, 2013. That’s a full year to read at least 6 books (you can read more if you’d like). You can still sign up after March 1st as long as you can get 6 books read by February 28, 2013).


4. Books can be fiction or nonfiction.


5. You may make a list of books at the beginning of the challenge or you can just list them as you find them.


6. Book titles may be swapped out at anytime (assuming you made a list to begin with).


7. Crossovers with other challenges are permitted and encouraged.


8. You don't have to have a blog or write a review, but you can if you want to.
 If you don't have a blog, just post in the comment section that you'd like to join. You can post your books in there.

9. Books can be in any format of your choice (print, audio, ebooks)

******

1. The Dragon's Harp by Rachael Pruitt (April)

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

The Stephen King Challenge: A Perpetual Reading Challenge

I recently announced a new reading challenge which I am co-hosting with Kate from Read 2 Review.  The Stephen King Challenge is a perpetual reading challenge and will start on February 1, 2012.  To encourage regular reading of the books (because, let's face it, we all tend to procrastinate when there is no eminent deadline), there will be periodic mini-challenges with prizes and we will have occasional read-a-longs.  Of course, I will be participating, as well as Kate, but we will be excluded from winning any prizes, of course.  For more information about the challenge and to sign up (I hope you will), please visit the dedicated blog.

2012 Tudor Reading Challenge

Challenge complete! See what I read at the bottom of the post.



The 2012 Tudor Reading Challenge is hosted by The Musings of ALMYBNENR.

*Click the above links or the image to sign up

Details/Rules (from Amber):
The challenge runs from 1 January 2012 to 31 December 2012.

All book formats are allowed for this challenge as long as they have an ISBN number or the equivalent. Both fiction and non-fiction are allowed as well. Re-reads ARE allowed but your review must be a new one.

All the books read for this challenge must be Tudor related. Books that feature any Tudor from Henry VII to Elizabeth I and any spouses, lovers, close family members, or themes count. There are a lot out there, so no worries!

Each month, I will create a new post dedicated to the challenge where you can link your Tudor reviews for that particular month. You do not need a blog to participate! Posting on Goodreads or wherever you post your reviews is fine.

There is no need to list the books you will read for this challenge in advance. Feel free to list them as you go. Join the challenge at any time before 31 December 2012. Crossovers from other reading challenges do count.

Now, for the levels!
Henry VII (Creator of a dynasty): 5 books
Henry VIII (Larger than life): 10 books
Mary I (The first queen of England): 15 books
Elizabeth I (Gloriana & the Golden Age): 20 books

Of course, I couldn't resist this challenge! So one more for the docket.  I'm signing up for the Henry VII (5 books) level, to be safe since I've already signed up for so many others!

1.  The Crown by Nancy Bilyeau (completed 2/20/2012)

2.  At the Mercy of the Queen by Anne Clinard Barnhill (completed March)

3.  The Sumerton Women by D. L. Bogday (completed May)

4.  The Queen's Pleasure by Brandy Purdy (completed June)

5.  Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (completed September)

All books were reviewed at http://thetruebookaddict.blogspot.com/

The Fill in the Gaps: 100 Project

The Fill in the Gaps project is a five year project of reading a handpicked list of 100 books we've been meaning to read over the course of five years.  You can find out all the details (and join in, if you like) HERE.

My start date is today, January 17, 2012, and my goal completion date is January 17, 2017.  Here's my list:

1. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
2. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
3. People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
4. Running with the Demon by Terry Brooks
5. The Last Days of Pompeii by Edgar George Bulwer-Lytton
6. Possession by A.S. Byatt
7. The Angel of Darkness by Caleb Carr
8. The Love Knot by Elizabeth Chadwick
9. The Lady and the Unicorn by Tracy Chevalier
10. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
11. The Blood Countess by Andrei Codrescu
12. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
13. The Winter King by Bernard Cornwell
14. Enemy of God by Bernard Cornwell
15. Excalibur by Bernard Cornwell
16. The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell
17. Graceling by Kristin Cashore
18. The Passage by Justin Cronin
19. House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski MARCH 2012
20. The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson
21. Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow
22. The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan
23. The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
24. Queenmaker by India Edghill
25. Under the Snow by Kerstin Ekman
26. Lady of Hay by Barbara Erskine
27. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
28. The Invisible Circus by Jennifer Egan
29. In the Woods by Tana French
30. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
31. Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
32. Grendel by John Gardner
33. Helen of Troy by Margaret George
34. The Princess Bride by William Goldman
35. The White Queen by Philippa Gregory
36. The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory
37. The Many Lives and Secret Sorrows of Josephine B. by Sandra Gulland
38. Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell
39. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
40. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
41. Roots by Alex Haley
42. Forever by Pete Hamill
43. Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
44. Tess of the D'urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
45. Chocolat by Joanne Harris
46. Lake of Sorrows by Erin Hart
47. Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein
48. Dune by Frank Herbert
49. The Widow of the South by Robert Hicks
50. Lord of the Dead by Tom Holland
51. The Society of S by Susan Hubbard
52. Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
53. The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
54. Ahab's Wife, or the Star-Gazer by Sena Jeter Naslund
55. Enemy Women by Paulette Jiles
56. The Burning Times by Jeanne Kalogridis
57. The Last Temptation of Christ by Nikos Kazantzakis
58. The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent
59. Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz
60. The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
61. The Bottoms by Joe R. Lansdale
62. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
63. Wicked by Gregory Maguire
64. Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier
65. The Covenant by James Michener
66. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
67. Nefertiti by Michelle Moran
68. The Green Knight by Iris Murdoch
69. The Eight by Katherine Neville
70. Anno-Dracula by Kim Newman
71. The Red Church by Scott Nicholson
72. The Falls by Joyce Carol Oates
73. Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
74. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
75. An Instance of the Fingerpost by Iain Pears
76. The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Kay Penman
77. Here Be Dragons by Sharon Kay Penman
78. Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield
79. Hotel Transylvania by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
80. Fire from Heaven by Mary Renault
81. The Vampire Armand by Anne Rice
82. Christ the Lord by Anne Rice
83. Angel Time by Anne Rice
84. A Density of Souls by Christopher Rice
85. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
86. The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
87. Dance Upon the Air by Nora Roberts
88. Dreaming the Eagle by Manda Scott
89. Snowflower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
90. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
91. The Terror by Dan Simmons
92. A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley
93. The Seventh Scroll by Wilbur Smith
94. Ghost Story by Peter Straub  APRIL 2012
95. Sacred Hunger by Barry Unsworth
96. The Passion of Artemesia by Susan Vreeland
97. The Religion by Tim Willocks
98. The Keep by F. Paul Wilson
99. Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross
100. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski