Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge 2015

What a surprise! Another challenge. This time it's the Book Riot 2015 Read Harder Challenge. I've included some of the links that Book Riot provides for descriptions and suggestions of each category.

A book written by someone when they were under the age of 25: The DUFF: Designated Ugly Fat Friend by Kody Keplinger

Kody wrote this book when she was 18, which makes me feel extremely unaccomplished! I'm currently halfway through and I'm liking it so far. This book has been made into a movie and I'll be interested in seeing it.

A book written by someone when they were over the age of 65
A collection of short stories (either by one person or an anthology by many people): My True Love Gave to Me edited by Stephanie Perkins

This was one of my book club readings for December. It had a wide variety of different YA authors and it was a quick read!

A book published by an indie press: The Boring Patient by R. David Lankes

So this book was actually written by a professor of mine from grad school. He has published several books before this about library science. This book is about his experiences with cancer and he self-publishes! The name of the self-publishing group is called CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. I'd say that book is very indie. Also, I recommend this text to my fellow graduates and those that work in the medical field.

A book by or about someone that identifies as LGBTQ: Lord John and the Succubus by Diana Gabaldon

The main character is Lord John and he is gay, but keeps it a secret since the story takes place in the 18th century, I think. He is also in the military and has a secret attraction to a main character in the Outlander series (sorry if this is a spoiler!).

A book by a person whose gender is different from your own: A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin

This is the second book in the Game of Thrones series. I'm still trucking through it so I can be caught up when I watch the second season. 

A book that takes place in Asia
A book by an author from Africa
A book that is by or about someone from an indigenous culture (Native Americans, Aboriginals, etc.)
A microhistory
A young adult novel: Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King

It's interesting and kind of reminds me of Thirteen Reasons Why which is FANTASTIC on audio and very sad, but I highly recommend it. Ah, I just love YA.

A sci-fi novel
A romance novel: A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon

One day I will finish her series! I took a hiatus from continuing the series since each book is at least 600 pages long. But I can't stay away too long! If you've read her books or have watched the TV miniseries - this series has multiple genres, but I would definitely consider them romance novels (with lots of historical fiction, time travel, action, and mystery). 

A National Book Award, Man Booker Prize or Pulitzer Prize winner from the last decade: Late Wife by Claudia Emerson

This book is dear to my heart because it was written from a poetry professor of mine in undergrad. She was a Pulitzer Prize winning poet and I was lucky enough to take a creative writing class with her. Unfortunately, she passed away last year from cancer so I purchased some of her poetry in her remembrance. This book  of poetry received the Pulitzer Prize in 2005.

A book that is a retelling of a classic story (fairytale, Shakespearian play, classic novel, etc.)
An audiobook: Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn

I am always listening to audiobooks, whether it's a book on CD in my car or on my phone when I'm walking the dog. This was definitely a good choice to listen to with audio. I wasn't as impressed with the movie, however...

A collection of poetry: Pinion: An Elegy by Claudia Emerson

This is also another book of poetry written from my late poetry professor. This was one of her first published books. All of her work is beautiful and haunting!

A book that someone else has recommended to you
A book that was originally published in another language
A graphic novel, a graphic memoir or a collection of comics of any kind: This One Summer by Jillian Tamaki

This one was really quick read but it covered a depth of characterization!

A book that you would consider a guilty pleasure (Read, and then realize that good entertainment is nothing to feel guilty over): Dancing in My Nuddy Pants by Louise Rennison

I'm still getting through this series because it's hilarious. The main character is goofy and kind of boy crazy but I love it all the same. I guess I see it as a guilty pleasure because of the title!

A book published before 1850
A book published this year: George by Alex Gino

This is a middle grade children's book, that I purchased for our library, and it is about a 4th grade girl who is in the body of boy. It's one of the few children's books that discusses transgender, which is a step in the right direction!

A self-improvement book (can be traditionally or non-traditionally considered “self-improvement”)

Pop Sugar Reading Challenge 2015

I saw this reading challenge floating around social media, and being the challenge nut that I am, I decided to give it a try. I've already filled up about a third of it but I wanted to share my progress with you all! I encourage you all to do a reading challenge; you'd be amazed how it pushes you to read books that are out of your comfort zone.

1. A book with more than 500 pages: The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon

If you've read any books by this author, you know that most of her books have at least 700 pages. I was already halfway through this book when the New Year arrived so this worked out perfectly!

2. A classic romance: I'm thinking of reading either Sense and Sensibility, Madame Bovary, Lolita, or Passage to India since I already have these books on my reading list(s).

3. A book that became a movie: Babe: The Gallant Pig by Dick King-Smith

This book was already on my Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge so I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone. Not to mention it's a precious story and if you haven't seen the movie - what are you waiting for?

4. A book published this year: I'm on the waiting for my library's copy of Lauren Oliver's Vanishing Girls  that comes out March 2015!

5. A book with a number in the title: Not really sure what to do with this one. Any suggestions?

6. A book written by someone under 30: Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat

This book was written when the author was 25. It was on the Oprah Book List too! This book was haunting and is a great global read.

7. A book with nonhuman characters: Here Be Monsters by Alan Snow

This is the perfect book for this category. The movie The Boxtrolls is based on this book!

8. A funny book: I Work at a Public Library: A Collection of Crazy Stories from the Stack by Gina Sheridan

This book has hilarious and real stories about people that come to the library from the point of view of library staff. Even if you don't work at library, read this for lots of laughs.

9. A book by a female author: Crash Course in Children's Services by Penny Peck

I didn't have a better category to put this book in, but it's an important one since I read this right before my job interview!

10.  A mystery or thriller: Tunnel Vision by Susan Shaw

This is a YA book that was on my original reading list. Despite poor reviews, it still had an interesting "thriller" aspect.

11. A book with a one word title:  Sweethearts  by Sara Zarr

This was a book I had to read for my book club! I highly recommend it.

12. A book with short stories: Prom Nights from Hell by Meg Cabot and other authors

Eh, I would not recommend this book. I love Meg Cabot, but her short story was kinda awful.

13. A book set in a different country: On the Bright Side, I'm Now the Girlfriend of a Sex God

Ok, now before you judge me on this title, this book is part of a British series by Louise Rennison that I started when I was probably 13 and now I'm just curious how it ends.

14. A non-fiction book: Compost: A Family Guide to Making Soil from Scraps by Ben Raskin

My new hobby/fascination is composting and this book really drew me in because of it's unique construction and features (like pop-up pages!).

15. A popular author's first book: I haven't done my research for this just yet.

16. A book from an author you love that you haven't read yet: Lord John and the Private Matter by Diana Gabaldon

I'm working through her Outlander series and the Lord John series is a spin-off series.

17. A book a friend recommended: This will be an easy one to fill out. Most of my friends are book nerds too!

18. A Pulitzer Prize winning novel: Again, I haven't done my research yet.

19. A book based on a true story: Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

This is a book club selection and it's pretty awesome. The premise of the book is about a duchess in Brittany who is being forced to marry someone and her political advisers are not looking out for her best interests. The author uses real names and sticks with a basic accurate historical event. The assassin nuns...not so accurate! 

20. A book at the bottom of your TBR list:  The problem with this one is that I don't follow my list by any certain order. Not to mention, I have multiple TBR lists! I guess I'll just choose one I've been avoiding.

21. A book your mom loves: Not sure. It's either Scarlet Pimpernel or a Stephen King book. I'll have to ask her!

22. A book that scares you: Probably a Stephen King book, haha!!!

23. A book more than a 100 years old: That should be easy to find. I do love classics!

24. A book based entirely on its cover: I will have to browse when I'm at work!

25. A book you were supposed to read in school and didn't: There's a few, but not a lot. I was one of those kids who always did the assigned reading. I'll probably pull something from my college syllabi.

26. A memoir: Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham

It was definitely an interesting read, but it was hard for me to feel bad or empathize with someone who grew up in a privileged lifestyle. I also don't get the hipster hype. Nevertheless it was an interesting read.

27. A book with antonyms in the title: The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski

Well, I don't know if this counts towards antonyms but the book brings up the theme about how winners can even be cursed by what they win/receive. This was a book that I read for my book club and it's got a sequel in the near future. Another great YA read.

28. A book you can finish in a day: Lord John and the Hellfire Club by Diana Gabaldon

This was a novella that goes before Lord John and the Private Matter. I listened to it on audiobook on one of my day's off.

29.  A book set somewhere you've always wanted to visit: I'm thinking it would have to be set in Europe. That shouldn't be too difficult.

30. A book published the year you were born: Ahh, readers, you'll have to wait until I find one before you can figure out my age!

31. A book with bad reviews: I'll have to do my research. Usually it's easy to find books with good reviews, but bad ones are a little harder. I'm going to look to Goodreads to help me out.

32. A Trilogy: Not sure. This category is weird because it means 3 separate books, unless I can find one that all three books are condensed into one. I will probably ask on Facebook for suggestions.

33. A book from your childhood: Not sure about this one. But now that I work in children's, this shouldn't be to hard to find.

34. A book with a love triangle: Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith

This was a weird story and a weird love triangle. But I mainly read it for my book club.

35. A book set in the future: I know this won't be hard to find, though I'm not a HUGE fan of science fiction.

36. A book set in high school: Every Day by David Leviathan

I read this book and this was really the only category available. Of course, it's not hard to fit any YA fiction in this category...and I read a lot of YA!

37. A book with a color in the title: Nothing yet. 

38. A book that made you cry: Say What You Will by Cammie McGovern

This is another book club selection and reviewers say it's a mix between John Green and Rainbow Rowell - and I agree. Both authors have made me cry and so this book definitely did. If you read this book and like it, I recommend reading Me Before You  by JoJo Moyes. Another book, though not YA that made me cry.
 
39. A book with magic: Hell Week by Rosemary Clement-Moore

It's the second book in the series where the main character fights off demons and other supernatural creatures.

40. A graphic novel: My co-worker who reads graphic novels suggested Same Difference or Fables.
 
41. A book by an author you've never read before: I'll Be There by Holly Goldberg Sloan

This was another book club selection. It was really good and I can't wait to read the sequel (if our library orders it)!

42.  A book you own but never read: Oh lordy, there's so many to choose from - we'll see.

43. A book that takes place in your hometown: This one's difficult. Anyone know of any books that take place in Woodbridge, VA? Or Northern Virginia? Maybe I'll cheat and just use Washington, D.C.

44. A book that was originally written in another language: I was thinking Art of War.

45. A book set during Christmas: I'm going to wait until Christmas, but that shouldn't be hard to find, especially since my library has Christmas genre stickers on the book spines.

46. A book by an author who had your same initials: I was thinking something by Elizabeth Berg. But I'll scan the B section in Fiction again for other ideas.

47. A play: That should be easy to pick.

48.  A banned book: I'll be sure to look one up.

49. A book based on or turned into a tv show: A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

I just finished this - oh man - way too long for my liking. I also do not recommend listening to it on audiobook. I couldn't remember who was related to whom and there were far too many names. In this situation, my strength lies with vision and actually seeing the character names. But I wanted to read this before I started watching the show!. 

 50.  A book you started but never finished: Oh, there's so so many!

The Rory Gilmore Book Challenge

Readers, this is a post from one of my older blogs. I am a huge Gilmore Girls fan, and if you've watched the show, Rory reads A LOT. Also, the show is famous for their cultural references, including a ton of literary references. So someone really smart compiled this list and I borrowed it and tweaked it. I began the challenge in 2011 and as you can see, I haven't dedicated my time to this list. But I'm slowly but surely working on it.

I found a site (ok I lied, I can't find the original source that I borrowed from, but Buzzfeed helped me out) that has compiled this list of books that Rory from Gilmore Girls has read on the show. I plan on taking on this challenge!  I'm starting today: 12/8/11 - wish me luck!!!

1984 by George Orwell
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon
An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser
Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
Archidamian War by Donald Kagan
The Art of Fiction by Henry James
The Art of War by Sun Tzu
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
Atonement by Ian McEwan
Autobiography of a Face by Lucy Grealy
The Awakening by Kate Chopin
Babe by Dick King-Smith
Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women by Susan Faludi
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
Beloved by Toni Morrison
Beowulf: A New Verse Translation by Seamus Heaney
The Bhagava Gita
The Bielski Brothers: The True Story of Three Men Who Defied the Nazis, Built a Village in the Forest, and Saved 1,200 Jews by Peter Duffy
Bitch in Praise of Difficult Women by Elizabeth Wurtzel
A Bolt from the Blue and Other Essays by Mary McCarthy
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Brick Lane by Monica Ali
Bridgadoon by Alan Jay Lerner
Candide by Voltaire
The Canterbury Tales by Chaucer
Carrie by Stephen King
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White
The Children’s Hour by Lillian Hellman
Christine by Stephen King
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
The Code of the Woosters by P.G. Wodehouse
The Collected Short Stories by Eudora Welty
The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty by Eudora Welty
A Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare
Complete Novels by Dawn Powell
The Complete Poems by Anne Sexton
Complete Stories by Dorothy Parker
A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
Cousin Bette by Honor’e de Balzac
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber
The Crucible by Arthur Miller
Cujo by Stephen King

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende
David and Lisa by Dr Theodore Issac Rubin M.D
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol
Demons by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
Deenie by Judy Blume
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson
The Dirt: Confessions of the World’s Most Notorious Rock Band by Tommy Lee, Vince Neil, Mick Mars and Nikki Sixx
The Divine Comedy by Dante
The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells
Don Quijote by Cervantes
Driving Miss Daisy by Alfred Uhrv
Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
Edgar Allan Poe: Complete Tales & Poems by Edgar Allan Poe
Eleanor Roosevelt by Blanche Wiesen Cook
The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe
Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters by Mark Dunn

Eloise by Kay Thompson

Emily the Strange by Roger Reger
Emma by Jane Austen
Empire Falls by Richard Russo

Encyclopedia Brown: Boy Detective by Donald J. Sobol

Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
Ethics by Spinoza
Europe through the Back Door, 2003 by Rick Steves
Eva Luna by Isabel Allende
Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer
Extravagance by Gary Krist
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Fahrenheit 9/11 by Michael Moore
The Fall of the Athenian Empire by Donald Kagan
Fat Land: How Americans Became the Fattest People in the World by Greg Critser
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson
The Fellowship of the Ring: Book 1 of The Lord of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien
Fiddler on the Roof by Joseph Stein
The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
Finnegan’s Wake by James Joyce
Fletch by Gregory McDonald
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
The Fortress of Solitude by Jonathan Lethem
The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Franny and Zooey by J. D. Salinger
Freaky Friday by Mary Rodgers
Galapagos by Kurt Vonnegut
Gender Trouble by Judith Butler
George W. Bushism: The Slate Book of the Accidental Wit and Wisdom of our 43rd President by Jacob Weisberg
Gidget by Fredrick Kohner
Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen
The Gnostic Gospels by Elaine Pagels
The Godfather: Book 1 by Mario Puzo
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
Goldilocks and the Three Bears by Alvin Granowsky
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
The Good Soldier by Ford Maddox Ford
The Gospel According to Judy Bloom
The Graduate by Charles Webb
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
The Group by Mary McCarthy
Hamlet by William Shakespeare
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J. K. Rowling
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders by Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry
Henry IV, part I by William Shakespeare
Henry IV, part II by William Shakespeare
Henry V by William Shakespeare
High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon
Holidays on Ice: Stories by David Sedaris
The Holy Barbarians by Lawrence Lipton
House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III (Lpr)
The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende
How to Breathe Underwater by Julie Orringer
How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
How the Light Gets in by M. J. Hyland
Howl by Allen Gingsburg
The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo
The Iliad by Homer
I’m with the Band by Pamela des Barres
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
Inferno by Dante
Inherit the Wind by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee
Iron Weed by William J. Kennedy
It Takes a Village by Hillary Clinton
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare
The Jumping Frog by Mark Twain
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
Just a Couple of Days by Tony Vigorito
The Kitchen Boy: A Novel of the Last Tsar by Robert Alexander
Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Anthony Bourdain
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Lady Chatterleys’ Lover by D. H. Lawrence
The Last Empire: Essays 1992-2000 by Gore Vidal
Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman
The Legend of Bagger Vance by Steven Pressfield
Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis
Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke
Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them by Al Franken

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens
The Little Locksmith by Katharine Butler Hathaway
The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Andersen
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Living History by Hillary Rodham Clinton
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
The Lottery: And Other Stories by Shirley Jackson
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
The Love Story by Erich Segal

Macbeth by William Shakespeare

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
The Manticore by Robertson Davies
Marathon Man by William Goldman
The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
Memoirs of a Dutiful Daughter by Simone de Beauvoir
Memoirs of General W. T. Sherman by William Tecumseh Sherman
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
The Meaning of Consuelo by Judith Ortiz Cofer
Mencken’s Chrestomathy by H. R. Mencken
The Merry Wives of Windsor by William Shakespeare
The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
The Miracle Worker by William Gibson
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
The Mojo Collection: The Ultimate Music Companion by Jim Irvin
Moliere: A Biography by Hobart Chatfield Taylor
A Monetary History of the United States by Milton Friedman
Monsieur Proust by Celeste Albaret
A Month Of Sundays: Searching For The Spirit And My Sister by Julie Mars
A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
Mutiny on the Bounty by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall
My Lai 4: A Report on the Massacre and It’s Aftermath by Seymour M. Hersh
My Life as Author and Editor by H. R. Mencken
My Life in Orange: Growing Up with the Guru by Tim Guest
Myra Waldo’s Travel and Motoring Guide to Europe, 1978 by Myra Waldo
My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult
The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer
The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin
Nervous System: Or, Losing My Mind in Literature by Jan Lars Jensen
New Poems of Emily Dickinson by Emily Dickinson
The New Way Things Work by David Macaulay
Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich
Night by Elie Wiesel
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism by William E. Cain, Laurie A. Finke, Barbara E. Johnson, John P. McGowan
Novels 1930-1942: Dance Night/Come Back to Sorrento, Turn, Magic Wheel/Angels on Toast/A Time to be Born by Dawn Powell
Notes of a Dirty Old Man by Charles Bukowski
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Old School by Tobias Wolff
On the Road by Jack Kerouac
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
The Opposite of Fate: Memories of a Writing Life by Amy Tan
Oracle Night by Paul Auster
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
Othello by Shakespeare
Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens
The Outbreak of the Peloponnesian War by Donald Kagan
Out of Africa by Isac Dineson
The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton
A Passage to India by E.M. Forster
The Peace of Nicias and the Sicilian Expedition by Donald Kagan
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Peyton Place by Grace Metalious
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Pigs at the Trough by Arianna Huffington
Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi
Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain
The Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby
The Portable Dorothy Parker by Dorothy Parker
The Portable Nietzche by Fredrich Nietzche
The Price of Loyalty: George W. Bush, the White House, and the Education of Paul O’Neill by Ron Suskind
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Property by Valerie Martin
Pushkin: A Biography by T. J. Binyon

Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw

Quattrocento by James Mckean
A Quiet Storm by Rachel Howzell Hall
Rapunzel by Grimm Brothers
The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe
The Razor’s Edge by W. Somerset Maugham
Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books by Azar Nafisi
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglas Wiggin
The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
Rescuing Patty Hearst: Memories From a Decade Gone Mad by Virginia Holman
The Return of the King: The Lord of the Rings Book 3 by J. R. R. Tolkien
R Is for Ricochet by Sue Grafton
Rita Hayworth by Stephen King
Robert’s Rules of Order by Henry Robert
Roman Holiday by Edith Wharton
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf
A Room with a View by E. M. Forster
Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin
The Rough Guide to Europe, 2003 Edition
Sacred Time by Ursula Hegi
Sanctuary by William Faulkner
Savage Beauty: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay by Nancy Milford
Say Goodbye to Daisy Miller by Henry James
The Scarecrow of Oz by Frank L. Baum
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand
The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
Secrets of the Flesh: A Life of Colette by Judith Thurman
Selected Letters of Dawn Powell: 1913-1965 by Dawn Powell
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
A Separate Peace by John Knowles
Several Biographies of Winston Churchill
Sexus by Henry Miller
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Shane by Jack Shaefer
The Shining by Stephen King
Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse
S Is for Silence by Sue Grafton
Slaughter-house Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Small Island by Andrea Levy
Snows of Kilimanjaro by Ernest Hemingway
Snow White and Rose Red by Grimm Brothers
Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy: Lord and Peasant in the Making of the Modern World by Barrington Moore
The Song of Names by Norman Lebrecht
Song of the Simple Truth: The Complete Poems of Julia de Burgos by Julia de Burgos
The Song Reader by Lisa Tucker
Songbook by Nick Hornby
The Sonnets by William Shakespeare
Sonnets from the Portuegese by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Sophie’s Choice by William Styron
The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
Speak, Memory by Vladimir Nabokov
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach
The Story of My Life by Helen Keller

A Streetcar Named Desiree by Tennessee Williams

Stuart Little by E. B. White
Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
Swann’s Way by Marcel Proust
Swimming with Giants: My Encounters with Whales, Dolphins and Seals by Anne Collett
Sybil by Flora Rheta Schreiber
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Tender Is The Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Term of Endearment by Larry McMurtry
Time and Again by Jack Finney
The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
To Have and Have Not by Ernest Hemingway
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
The Tragedy of Richard III by William Shakespeare
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
The Trial by Franz Kafka
The True and Outstanding Adventures of the Hunt Sisters by Elisabeth Robinson
Truth & Beauty: A Friendship by Ann Patchett
Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
Ulysses by James Joyce
The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath 1950-1962 by Sylvia Plath
Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
Unless by Carol Shields
Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann
The Vanishing Newspaper by Philip Meyers
Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray
Velvet Underground’s The Velvet Underground and Nico (Thirty Three and a Third series) by Joe Harvard
The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett
Walden by Henry David Thoreau
Walt Disney’s Bambi by Felix Salten
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
We Owe You Nothing – Punk Planet: The Collected Interviews edited by Daniel Sinker
What Colour is Your Parachute? 2005 by Richard Nelson Bolles
What Happened to Baby Jane by Henry Farrell
When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka
Who Moved My Cheese? Spencer Johnson
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf by Edward Albee
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire
The Wizard of Oz by Frank L. Baum
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion

Number of books I have read before I began this challenge: 63
Number of books read between 12/8/11 - 7/29/13: 7
Number of books read between 7/30/13 - 2/5/15: 8

A Lengthy but Weird Explanation of Why You Should Follow My Blog!

For some reason, since I was in middle school, I have had a fascination with writing lists and because I have always been an avid reader,  I decided to create a book list. I wrote down every book I owned and hadn't read yet, and then went around the house and wrote down the titles of my sister's and my parent's book collection. I was obsessed and determined to read as many book as possible. After I made an inventory of my family's library, I went to my parent's and asked them for their recommendations of books that I should read -- especially the classics. When I would get my monthly magazine subscriptions, I would even write down new titles that they reviewed and recommended. I did not read the summaries on any of these books. I assumed I would like them all! If I finished a book, I would look in the back (or the front) of the book to see what other books the author had written, or what other books the publishing company had published. I think I started this list in the 6th or 7th grade and eventually, when the list got to extraordinary lengths, around 8th grade, I stopped adding on, and then started working on making the list smaller. I believe the list got up to the 800s and I'm embarrassed to say that I still have the list and it's in the 520s!

Now that you know how much of book nerd I am, (not that it's a bad thing...), I will share with you some of my book lists. Yes, reader, I have more than one. I was not satisfied with my one list. I now have about 4 different lists. I have my original list, the Rory Gilmore Reading List, which you will find in another post, a list of recommended books, and a list I've created while at work, looking through the shelves and all the library. And, of course, I have a GoodReads account and with that I have a TBR (To Be Read) shelf/list.

So my lengthy but weird explanation of why you should follow my blog can actually be shortened to this: I read a lot of books, and I LOVE talking about books, and on this blog I will talk about my work experience (pretty much working with books and kids who love books), the books I've read, my reading challenges, and other book-related things!

I love comments, book recommendations, and questions! Hope you enjoy reading my blog!

*TEENY librarian

Introduction and Welcome

Hello and welcome to my blog!

I am not new to the blog world; in fact I now have about 5 blogs floating around the blogosphere. I am going to attempt to merge some of my blogs, but that's another project for another day.

A little (pun intended) introduction about me, the TEENY librarian:

I am a new Children's Librarian at a public library in Southwest Georgia. I recently received my Master's degree in Library Science, and since then I've worked as a library assistant in circulation and in the Reference department. This is my first real "librarian" position. I'm so happy to start on my career and pursue my passion, which is helping kids develop a love of reading!

I also have my undergraduate degree in English. During my time at college, I developed a serious love for British Literature and poetry. I have dappled in creative writing and have a blog dedicated to my writing.

As much as I love reading, I am a HUGE TV addict. I watch so so much and it really conflicts with my reading time but I can't help it. My other hobbies include being a Girl Scout, kayaking, music (marching band, represent!), cooking, and obsessing over my dog.

With this blog, you will find an assortment of things. I will mostly talk about books and libraries, but I am going to include some fun and random stuff in between.

Hope you all stick around! Thanks for reading!

*TEENY librarian