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Reading Challenge 2017

Devoted readers and aspiring readers: want to get more out of your reading life in 2017? We’ve got a challenge just for you, and a free kit to help you see it through.

Here on Modern Mrs Darcy, we love reading, but don’t believe it’s a competitive sport. We care about quality way more than we care about quantity. Reading well doesn’t necessarily mean reading more. We know reading is a very personal thing, and your reading list should reflect that.

So this year, we present our choose-your-own-adventure reading challenge. Here’s what to do:

The Modern Mrs Darcy 2017 Reading Challenge. Get more out of your reading life in 2017 with this choose-your-own-bookish-adventure challenge!

1. Choose your list.

Dear reader, what do you want to be different in your reading life in 2017? What do you want more of?

Do you want your books to bring you more fun, or to challenge you more deeply? Are you reading fluff but craving substance, or does your steady diet of Serious Literature have you yearning to lighten up a bit? Has 2016 left you searching for an enjoyable escape, or has it pushed you to get serious about how you spend your downtime?

Choose the path that helps you get where you want to go, whether that means finding the fun in reading again, or stretching yourself with titles of depth and breadth.

For some of you, that path will look like the deluxe plan of all 24 categories. Maybe that’s the path for you.

The Modern Mrs Darcy 2017 Reading Challenge. Get more out of your reading life in 2017 with this choose-your-own-bookish-adventure challenge!

2. Make a plan.

“Plans are worthless, but planning is everything.” Maybe Eisenhower didn’t have your reading life in mind when he said this, but it absolutely applies. This challenge is simple and doable, but it provides the structure you need to approach your reading list with intention in 2017.

As soon as you sign up, start thinking about what you want to read, and when you’re going to do it. What do you want your reading life to look like next year? What do you want more of? Planning is everything, even though your plan will likely evolve as the year goes on.

3. Track your reading.

This is big: make a way to record what you read and what you thought of it. Make it as simple or complex as you’d like. We’re providing simple printables to track your progress, and I’d recommend taking it a step further and tracking all your reading in the coming year.

If you don’t use a reading journal, now’s the time to start. I use my bullet journal to track my reading these days (and if that interests you, I’m teaching a course on how to do it in January for book club members). I used to use the MMD printable reading journal, free for subscribers. I still update my Goodreads account occasionally because I love to search and sort my titles.

Pin your challenge graphic of choice for inspiration and share it with your fellow book-lovers. We’ll revisit the challenge periodically to share what we’re reading. And we’ll be talking all about our titles and encouraging each other in the MMD Book Club.

Browse the book list archives here for reading ideas, and start making your lists. Share this with your fellow book lovers (I’ll be using the hashtags #MMDchallenge and #MMDreading on twitter and instagram @annebogel). But most of all, enjoy the challenge.

I’m looking forward to reading with you all through 2017. This is gonna be fun.

P.S. For ideas on what books to read, check out my picks for the 2017 Reading Challenge. Don’t miss the hundreds of great suggestions in comments!

P.P.S. Come join us in the 2018 Reading Challenge! 

The Modern Mrs Darcy 2017 Reading Challenge. Get more out of your reading life in 2017 with this choose-your-own-bookish-adventure challenge!

382 comments

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  1. Donna says:

    Thanks Anne, I like the split of the 2 paths Fun and Growth (I bet a lot of us bookworms are up for doing both). I’m wondering if there’s a way to see what other people pick throughout the year-maybe in the book club site it can be a topic each month.

  2. Leanne Sowul says:

    I love that you created two paths. We all read for such different reasons. I did a lot of reading for fun this year, to distract myself through pregnancy and late-night feedings, so I’m going to commit to the “growth” path for 2017. I can’t wait to start my list! Thank you!

  3. Christine says:

    So excited to see these lists, Anne! Now I’m trying to decide if I should tackle one (which one?!) or both. 🙂 Looking forward to chatting about it in the Book Club too.

  4. Jamie says:

    Um, BEST NEWS EVER!!! It’s like Christmas came early. I LOVE the idea of two separate lists…smart gal, you are. Now…do we get bonus points if we completely BOTH lists? haha!!! 🙂

  5. Sarah says:

    Yesss! Thank you! I spent the past year just getting back into a reading groove, so I’m definitely taking the Reading for Fun path! I’m not quite ready to stretch yet, lol!

  6. Susan says:

    I’m tackling both the fun and growth challenge. While what I read is important to me, and I’ve seriously challenged myself with WHAT I have read this past year, I like the idea of setting a goal for how much I read, also. In 2016 I set a goal to read 52 new books and happily surpassed that by reading 75 new books, plus the MMD 2016 Reading Challenge. So this year, in addition to the MMD 2017 Reading challenge I hope to read 100 new books. I’m pretty stoked.

  7. Laura says:

    I am excited to start this! I’ve signed up for a Litsy reading challenge, and now this one. I’m sure I will have lots of books to choose from being as I listen to your podcast every week!

    • Anne says:

      I’m leaving the pinterest board as is. (As in, I’m not adding new people—it’s just so time-consuming—but I won’t take it down, either.)

  8. Liz Ekstrom says:

    Yes! I am so excited. This year is going to be “The Year of the Reading Challenge” for me. I’m trying to do several but allowing myself to overlap some of the categories. I can’t wait to start planning! Thanks for getting this out nice and early for us.

  9. BJ says:

    This is genius, Anne. I know from postings on the MMD Book Club site that many of the members there read for growth. I, on the other hand, read for enjoyment and tend to get bogged down in classics and beautiful writings. I want to read into the early morning hours, books that I just can’t put down. So, I’m going to read for fun since the books we have been reading in book club are more literary minded and I’m leaving the window open to maybe read a few prize winners and classics along the way also. My TBR list has exploded since I found this web site and pod cast. Thanks Anne and happy reading!

  10. Lindsay says:

    I really liked the choice of this year’s challenge (it make the inquiry-model teacher in me very happy) and I loved how much emphasis the Growth Reading Challenge puts on asking readers to explore outside their own perspectives, especially with books by immigrants and diverse authors. What a hopeful tone to set for 2017! Thanks for putting this together!

  11. Heather B. says:

    Anne, I’m so excited. Thanks for putting together another great reading challenge. Thanks to your podcasts, I am well-armed to begin… I think I will Read for Fun, but also take some from the Growth list. I have always read a lot, but you have given me direction and opened up so many doors in my eternal hunt for more books to read. Yay!

  12. Jill K says:

    I love this! Plus it reminded me I still need to read “A book chosen for you by your spouse, partner, sibling, child, or BFF” before the end of the month.

  13. Jane Fischer says:

    So excited to begin this challenge! Ever since I’ve been following your podcast and lurking on the site I’ve wanted to be in your next book challenge. I’m doing 2 challenges on GoodReads and will fold them all together. I’ve committed to 30 books for one challenge (in 2016 I surpassed my 30 by 22! I can’t believe I read that many in ONE year!) so will use your suggestions for both of your challenges as well. Thanks for doing this!

  14. Colleen says:

    Just signed up. I am excited to start. I am not sure which path that I will take. I might mix it up. Do 6 for fun and 6 for growth. Or read more books in each track as the year goes by. Maybe I will get all categories filled. The sky is the limit!

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  16. Donna says:

    I am so excited, Anne! I think I’m gonna take both paths.?
    This year has been an outstanding read in year for me. I am currently on book #82 and I read widely thanks to the 2016 reading challenge.
    Thanks for all you do!

  17. Barbara says:

    Still trying to finish this year’s Reading Challenge!! :). Which okay, honest. Have like five left. Reading Ariel by Plath took longer than I thought it would. And the Prince by Machiavelli is way more dense than I thought it would be. Your reading challenge is a possible one for me.

  18. Rachel says:

    I love the two path options! I have a feeling I’ll end up picking and choosing from both, and end up with quite a hodge podge. I love your challenges; this will be my 3rd year participating!

  19. Mary says:

    I love this! I am drawn to the growth path and am excited to start reading.

    Just adding another layer of complexity to this, but I’m trying to fill my reading list of books that are in my library but have not yet read. I embarrassingly can almost fill up the list!

  20. Felicity says:

    I’m so excited this came out before the end of the year! I share the same thoughts as others – both paths are appealing. I’ll probably do both or a mix of the 2. I discovered this blog at the beginning of this year and have grown so much in my reading. My goal this year was to read 52 books and I am at 71 right now. I am finishing up my last book for the 2016 Challenge – hope to have it done by the 31st. I am in 2 Book Clubs right now so the MMD Book Club is not for me right now. Anne- please keep the good ideas coming on the blog and podcast!

  21. Annette Silveira says:

    I had already set myself a number of books to read in 2017, so I’m excited to see this list as a direction to take in reaching my number. I’m a newbie volume-reader so I’m choosing the “for fun” list.

  22. Mary Kate says:

    I really just want another book that will blow me away. I read some good books this year, but compared to last year (when I discovered Patrick Ness and Jandy Nelson) nothing was quite *epic*. Suggestions for epicness welcome!

  23. Amy Patton says:

    I’m not sure what happened this year… well A LOT happened. What didn’t happen was reading (or reading much- I think I logged 7 books). That’s a sure sign self care was not happening. Getting back in the groove isn’t always easy. Especially when A LOT is still happening. So, in this coming year, self care is moving back on the list of musts. Journaling, calendaring, reading, and bubble baths. For that reason, I’m going to join the Read for Fun challenge. I think a little fun is in order. Thanks for the inspiration and encouragement.

  24. Christa says:

    Could we please get more details on #ownvoices and #diversebooks authors? Where can I find lists that pertain to those tags? Thank you 🙂

  25. Jackie says:

    I’m going to do the reading for Growth. I want to read more and I think this challenge will help with that. Also, I have a stack of `15-20 books I own that I want to read so I’m going to see how many of them will fit these categories. I have the book over 600 pages – Anna Karenina. Now I need to create a plan for when I want to read it, how many pages per day, etc. I’m excited about 2017!

  26. Dawn says:

    Do you have any tips on picking books? I have tried doing something similar last year but failed because I couldn’t get into the books I picked. Do you pick out a couple for each category just in case the first one doesn’t work out? Or do you start with just picking the 12-24 books and hope for the best?

    • Anne says:

      I find that for 2/3 of the categories, I end up checking that box without deliberately doing so. That is, what I naturally pick up to read fulfills the majority of the categories. And with the remaining categories I try to get good recommendations from people with great taste (in real life, in the Book Club, in the comments here) and go from there. I don’t mind changing titles midstream either. 🙂

  27. Sue Smith says:

    Anne-
    For my book-ish sister who is 14 years older than me, I tried to pull together a 12-days-of-Christmas themed package to send her with a book to go with each day of the 12 days of Christmas. I should have thought of this earlier, because I was down to crunch time, so I supplemented with some of her other favorite things, like a jigsaw puzzle, some chocolate, and a board game for 3 of the days. Would you consider doing something like this in the future to help me out? I think it would be fun to do for her each year. For example, on the 3rd days of Christmas, I wrapped up 3 books by either a French author or about France for the 3 French Hens theme. For the 4 Calling Birds day, I wrapped up “Bird by Bird” by Anne Lamott. You would be so good at this–HELP!
    Thanks for the podcast and all your resources. I’m a huge fan in Des Moines, IA!

  28. Amy says:

    I only made it through 10 1/2 books this year because of real-life challenges. I did enjoy reading books I wouldn’t have picked out without the challenge. Since I’m still dealing with those real-life challenges, I’m picking the fun list. I already know my sister will be my great taste resource – when I was a kid she introduced me to Anne of Green Gables and The Book of Three, so she has a great track record.

  29. Claire says:

    1. The Wednesday Wars (Schmidt)
    2. The Brothers Karamozov (Dostoevsky)
    3. Our Mutual Friend (Dickens)
    4. Letters and Life (Bret Lott)
    5. Onward (Russell Moore)
    6. The Namesake (Lahiri)
    7. Persuasion (Austen)
    8. Louise Penny series
    9. Just Mercy (Bryan Stevenson)
    10. Never Let Me Go (Ishiguro)
    11. TBD
    12. The Orphan Master’s Son (Adam Johnson)

    So excited to be stretched through this challenge in 2017!

  30. Barbara says:

    Am leaning towards the fun one. I would do the growth one except for the three books by the same author one. I can’t binge read.

  31. Margaret says:

    Do you have a hashtag for the 2017 Reading Challenge – I’m trying to start doing mini book reviews on my instagram to log my books (similar to how @nerdettepodcast does) and wondered if there’s a way to link with other people doing the challenge?

  32. Barbara Kiester says:

    Thanks for presenting the challenge again. I plan to do the growth track. Will you have a Pinterest page set up like last year? I don’t participate in either Twitter or Instagram.

  33. T says:

    I’ve signed up with the additional challenge of only reading from books I already own, but haven’t got around to reading. Did surprisingly well for a number of options for most categories (switching the award prizes for UK based ones and needing to look for something more up to date on current books and a nominee in 2017). Feeling super motivated about the challenge after a year of non reading very much which is great.

  34. Guest says:

    If I may make two suggestions…Louisa: The Extraordinary Life of Mrs. Adams was a fantastic, not put-down-able book about our only foreign born First Lady. I learned so much and really enjoyed the adventure of it all. I hesitate to point out we’ll have our second foreign born First Lady next month given the strong emotions there BUT…it does make it a somewhat timely book.

    Also, Against Empathy: The Case for Rational Compassion is a thought provoking non-fiction read. Maybe if someone is interested in empathy or compassion it could be their “topic” book. 🙂

  35. Jennifer says:

    Although I’ll probably fulfill many of the Reading for Fun requirements, I am much more excited to work on the Reading for Growth challenge. I’ll probably double- or triple-up on the #ownvoices and #diversevoices authors, as well as current events–neither of these are usually a big part of my list but I’m trying to get myself out of my sociological bubble that extends to my reading.

  36. Dana says:

    Hi! Are we allowed to pick and choose between the two? I’d like to mix my fun reading and my reading for growth, but I don’t think I’ll be able to complete both lists. Thanks!

  37. Tana Henry says:

    I participated in the PopSugar Reading Challenge in 2016 and loved how a reading challenge expanded and directed my reading. But in 2017, I’m going to do the MMD Reading Challenges, because I’ve grown to really love your blog and podcast. I’m really excited to knock both of these out in 2017 and read really good books, rather than just a lot of books. Thanks for putting the challenge together!

  38. Debbi Faust says:

    I am participating this year…..my third year to do so. Because if these challenges
    I am challenged to read other genres that I don’t usually read. That’s a good thing.

  39. Krys says:

    I’m super tempted to participate in the “reading for fun” challenge, which would probably nestle nicely in my wanting to get through my TBR pile and the other little piles I’ve created this past year. We’ll see — I just want to reeeeaaad!!
    – Krys

  40. Leslie says:

    I am excited to participate this year! Where can we participate in dialogue about it? Have you considered a special Goodreads discussion thread or a forum type thing on this blog?

    • Anne says:

      Leslie, we’ll have regular updates here on the blog and for those who are interested there will be lots of Reading Challenge action in the MMD Book Club forums.

  41. kaye wyly says:

    Is it possible to copy and paste your reading challenge list for 2017? Or do you have a spreadsheet that could be printed and used for the challenge?

  42. Would Mama’s Bank Account by Kathryn Forbes count for the category “An Immigrant Story”? It’s a fiction novel/memoir about an immigrant Norwegian family living in San Francisco in the 1920s. The story mainly centers around the mother. Or are you wanting a non-fiction title for this?

    Also, this may be a silly question….but could you explain more about the category “a book with an unreliable narrator or ambiguous ending”? 🙂
    Thanks!

    • Barbara says:

      I can’t think why Bachman’s books wouldn’t count for a book in translation. It’s written in Swedish. So, unless you read it in the original Swedish, it’s translated. Loved Man Called Ove. So poignant and sad and nailed the Swedish mentality well.

      • I was thinking Backman’s books would fit for that category. 🙂 And I also saw just a little bit ago in Anne’s post for her potential picks for the reading challenges that she has a Backman book listed as one of her potential choices for this category as well. 🙂

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  44. Alan says:

    Question: Is the book on the backlist of a new favorite author a book that was published by them before they became popular/you discovered them? If so, Warp by Lev Grossman is my pick!

  45. Catherine says:

    I’m wondering if Love Warrior would count as a juicy memoir? It is certainly a memoir, but I don’t know that juicy is the right word for it. Maybe I’ll use it as a Book with a Reputation for Being Unputdownable. Thoughts anyone?

  46. Kelli Bullock says:

    Is there a list of book suggestions for each category yet? I’m having trouble finding some choices for all the categories. I’m crazy and doing both lists.

  47. Colleen says:

    My choice for the category “A Book about Books or Reading” is “The Bad Ass Librarians for Timbuktu” by Joshua Hammer. It’s about librarians protecting ancient books and manuscripts from ISIS. It could also fill the category “A Book about Current Events.

  48. Claire says:

    Not sure how this works. Do I pick a book for every category or just pick ones that I would like? I’m looking forward to this. Thanks.

  49. Lisa B says:

    So excited for this! But I need a little help remembering a title to add to my list…in an early(ish) podcast episode, I remember you recommending a book (series?) about a “literary detective” who solves mysteries through (inside?) books. I wish I had written it down! Any ideas?

    • Barbara says:

      Lisa,
      It’s probably this one. The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde. Definitely fits the bill and is utterly delightful. It’s a series. The Big Over Easy also by Fforde is pretty good. Happy reading!!

  50. Elodie says:

    Oh great!
    I would like to participate… but in french…
    Thanks for this challenge!
    Perhaps i will try to read in English!!! I hope to succeed in!

  51. Amanda says:

    Thanks for the great challenge! I followed the 2016 one, and it really made me step out of my comfort zone and choose books I was putting off or would have never read otherwise. Your guidance is really appreciated.
    I have a blog – I don’t keep up with enough! – where I log my reading challenge. I look forward to seeing what others are reading as inspiration as I start my challenge.
    Thanks again!

  52. Colleen says:

    I am not sure about the category #diverse books or #own voices author. I am not into hashtags or twitter or anything like that. I was thinking of reading Hidden Figures by Margo Lee Shetterly for this category. Would that work? It is about African American women and mathematicians who help get a man to space. It is written by an African American woman. But I am not sure if it has this hashtag attached to it.

  53. Cynthia Whitlock says:

    I have had a hard time reading for the last several years… as a high school librarian, I have burned out on YA and have NO IDEA what is good in adult lit anymore! My goal for 2017 is to get back to one of my greatest loves… what better way to get going than with a good challenge?!?!?!

    I have invited my students and fellow teachers to join in the challenge and have had a handful of takers. I am looking forward to reading and sharing books for the first time in a LONG time!

  54. Jocele says:

    Just had to share this…was working on my reading journal and adding pages for the reading challenge tonight. My 11 year old daughter was moved to start her own reading journal (complete with pages to write down definitions of new words) and complete her own kid-friendly version of the reading challenge. I just can’t stop grinning. Thanks for the inspiration, Anne!!

  55. Reema says:

    Hello! Thank you so much for sharing this – I absolutely love this challenge. It’s so unique and I really enjoy the themes you’ve chosen. I am hoping to read more this year so I think these prompts will come in very handy when I’m looking for new books to read.

    I wanted to let you know that I shared the challenges and credited you over on a blog post I did today, you can find it here if you’re interested: https://aumsome.wordpress.com/2017/01/25/read-more/?preview=true I hope that’s okay.

    Thanks for sharing!

    Reema

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  57. Taras says:

    Hi! This is a great idea to organize such a challenge. I head the PR Department of the city Central library in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine.

    It is possible to do a translation of this document into Ukrainian language and distributed in our libraries?

    Thanks for the idea!

  58. Colleen says:

    I just finished “Hidden Figures” for my #diverse voices book. Amazing story. I remember those days of space travel and moon shots. I just never knew the story behind those TV images. Thank you, Ladies, you did a great job!!

    My next book is called “Knit Lit edited by Linda Roghaar and Moly Wolf” Short stories and essays about knitting. I can decide the category; either a book of an essay collection or a book about a topic that I love. I will decide as I read it.

  59. Colleen says:

    I read “Hidden Figures” by Margot Lee Shetterly for that category. I now wish to see the movie. Last year, for the category about reading a book before the year that the reader was born, I read “Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neale Hurston. I would recommend the latter book as that is a major book in the black history studies and women’s studies. It is a seminal piece of work in black female culture.

  60. Colleen says:

    I was at cancer treatments today and picked up a book out of their library. I think this will be for the categories of “selecting a book for the cover” or “unputdownable.” But I think it would also count for diversity and own voices category. It is called “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lack. It is a story of woman with an aggressive form of cervical cancer (which is ironic; I have cervical cancer, but slow growing). Her doctors took some cells from her, and these cells contributed to many advancements in medicine, such as the polio vaccines, gene mapping, cloning, cancer research. In the science world, the cells are called HeLa and still used in research. Sadly, Henrietta died and her family never knew that her cells were taken and used. They were tobacco farmers living in Jim Crow South. It is the story of Henrietta, her family as well as the history of medicine and ethics and racism. I’ve read about 20 pages and can’t put it down. I was so excited about this book that I had to write and tell someone.

    • Jennifer N. says:

      I just read the HBO movie for the book is being released April 22! I just picked up a copy at the thrift store – I’m going to have to move this up a ways on my TBR list.

  61. Carol says:

    This is an ambitious list and it may change as I go along.
    A BOOK YOU CHOOSE FOR THE COVER: Gilded Cage by Vic James
    A BOOK WITH A REPULATION FOR BEGIN UN-PU-DOWN-ABLE; Everything I Never Told You by Celest Ng OR Defending Jacob by William Landay
    A BOOK SET SOMEWHERE YOU’VE NEVER BEEN BUT WOULD LIKE TO VISIT: Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarity (set in Sydney, Australia, the place I most want to go)
    A BOOK YOU’VE ALREADY READ: Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
    A JUICY MEMOIR: Lab Girl by Hope Jahren (That’s as juicy as I get.)
    A BOOK ABOUT BOOKS OR READING: The Reading Promise: My Father and the Books We Shared by Alice Ozma
    A BOOK IN A GENRE YOU USUALLY AVOID: Sensible Shoes by Sharon Garlough Brown (I usually avoid Christian fiction like the plague :))
    A BOOK YOU DON’T WANT TO ADMIT YOU’RE DYING TO READ: Bird Box by Josh Malereman
    A BOOK IN THE BACKLIST OF A NEW FAVORITE AUTHOR: The Lola Quartet by Emily St. John Mandel
    A BOOK RECOMMENDED BY SOMEONE WITH GREAT TASTE: All the Winters After by Sere Prince Halverson
    A BOOK YOU WERE EXCITED TO BUY OR BORROW BUT HAVEN’T READ YET: Everything I Never Told You by Celest Ng OR Defending Jacob by William Landay
    A BOOK ABOUT A TOPIC OR SUBJECT YOU ALREADY LOVE: Take This Bread: A Radical Conversion by Sara Miles
    A NEWBERRY AWARD WINNER OR HONOR BOOK: The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly OR Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine OR Hoot by Carl Hiaasen
    A BOOK IN TRANSLATION: Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Luiz Zafon
    A BOOK THAT’S MORE THAN 600 PAGES: A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving OR Middlemarch by George Eliot
    A BOOK OF POETRY, A PLAY, OR AN ESSAY COLLECTION: Thirst by Mary Oliver
    A BOOK OF ANY GENRE THAT ADDRESSES CURRENT EVENTS: The Drone Eats Me: A Gaza Diary by Atif Abu Saif
    AN IMMIGRANT STORY: The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez
    A BOOK PUBLISHED BEFORE YOU WERE BORN: Middlemarch by George Eliot OR Animal Farm by George Orwell OR Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison OR The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald OR Wuthering Height by Emily Bronte
    THREE BOOKS BY THE SAME AUHOR: A Rule Against Murder; The Brutal Telling; and Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny
    A BOOK BY AN #OWNVOICES OR #DIVERSEBOOKS AUTHOR: I Am Malala by Malala by Malala Yousafzai
    A BOOK WITH AN UNRELIABLE NARRATOR OR AMBIGUOUS ENDING: Life of Pi by Yann Martel
    A BOOK NOMINATED FOR AN AWARD IN 2017: Don’t know yet
    A PULITZER PRIZE OR NATIONAL BOOK AWARD WINNER: The Shipping News by Annie Proulx

    • Jennifer N. says:

      I am reading Louise Penny for my “three books – one author” category, too. I had never read any of the Chief Inspector Gamache series previously. I’ve now read two and I really enjoy them!

      “Life of Pi” is probably one of my favorite books of all time, I really hope you enjoy it (if you haven’t already read it.) I’m thinking “Rebecca” for my unreliable narrator – but I’m hoping I find out a book I’m already reading has an unreliable narrator sometime this year. I feel like it’s more fun to discover that while you’re reading (like I did with Life of Pi.)

  62. Colleen says:

    I am taking on a real challenge. For the category “3 books by the same author,” I am reading “The Raj Quartet” by Paul Scott. It is the story of India from 1942 – 1947. It is really 4 books: The Jewel in the Crown, The Day of the Scorpion, The Towers of Silence, and A Division of the Spoils. The last book turns out to be 600 pages long so that will fill the category of “a book over 600 pages.” Looking forward to this challenge.

  63. Amanda` says:

    Hi, I just signed up for the 2017 book challenge about 30 minutes ago and haven’t received an email containing the materials yet. I was wondering if it actually is suppose to take awhile, or if I am really suppose to get it right away.

    Thanks!

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  65. Lindsay Herndon says:

    So excited that I finished the challenge I set for myself of both lists! And on December 30th, to boot!

    Reading for fun:
    – for the cover: Cinder (Marissa Meyer)
    – un-put-down-able: Room (Emma Donoghue)
    -set somewhere I would like to visit: A Man Called Ove (Fredrik Backman)
    – a book you’ve already read: The Heist (Janet Evanovich)
    -juicy memoir: Scrappy Little Nobody (Anna Kendrick)
    -book about books or reading: The Reading Promise: My Father and the Books We Shared (Alice Ozma)
    -genre I usually avoid: For Better or for Kids: A Vow to Love Your Spouse with Kids in the House (Patrick and Ruth Schwenk)
    -a book you don’t want to admit you’re dying to read: The Read Aloud Handbook (Jim Trelease)
    -backlist of a new favorite author: Parners in Crime (Agatha Christie)
    -book recommended by someone with great taste: Eleanor and Park (Rainbow Rowell)
    -a book I was excited to get hut hadn’t read yet: Chalkdust: Prayers of Engouragement for Teachers (Elspeth Campbell Murphy)
    -a book about a topic/subject I already love: Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness (Jon Kabat-Zin)

    Reading for Growth:
    -Newbery book: The Graveyard Book (Neil Gaiman)
    – in translation: The Death of Ivan Ilych (Dostoevsky)
    – more than 600 pages: The Bible
    – book of poetry/play/essays: Milk and Honey (Rupi Kaur)
    -book on current events: Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging (Sebastian Junger)
    – immigrant story: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (Junot Diaz)
    – published before born: And Then There Were None (Agatha Christie)
    – three books by same author: Marissa Meyer — Scarlet, Cress, Fairest
    -ownvoices/diverse books: If I Was Your Girl (Meredith Russo)
    -unreliable narrator/ambiguous ending: The Girl Before (J.P. Delaney)
    -book up for an award in 2017: The Girl Who Drank the Moon (Kelly Barnhill)
    -Pulitzer Prize/National Book Award: A Visit From the Goon Squad (Jenny Egan)

  66. Tori S says:

    Finished the Reading for Fun Challenge:
    For cover: Perfect Horse (Elizabeth Letts)
    Un-put-downable Rep: Man Drought (Rachael Johns)
    Set where want to visit: Secret Ways of Perfume Christina Caboni)
    Already read: Captain Wentworth’s Diary (Amanda Grange)
    Juicy memoir: Princess Diarist (Carrie Fisher)
    About books or reading: Little Paris Bookshop (Nina George)
    Genre usually avoid: Feed (Mira Grant)
    Don’t want to admit I’m dying to read: Crimson Death (Laurell K Hamilton)
    Back list: Joy for Beginners (Erica Bauermeister)
    Recommended by someone with great taste: Opening Atlantis (Harry Turtledove)
    Excited to buy: A Season of Spells Sylvia Izzo Hunter)
    Topic I already love: Pancakes in Paris (Craig Carlson)

    Got through most of the Reading for Growth:

    Newberry: Flora and Ulysses (which I loved!) (Kate DiCamillo)
    Book in translation: Ignorance (Milan Kundera)
    600+ pages: Kushiel’s Dart (Jaqueline Cary)
    Poetry: Citizen (Claudia Rankine)
    Immigrant story: Winter Garden (Kristin Hannah)
    3 books by same author: Touched by an Alien | Alien Tango | Alien in the Family (Gini Koch)
    ownvoices/diverse books: The Christmas Mansion Hollis Shiloh)
    book up for award in 2017: The Girl in the Blue Coat (Monica Hess)

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