Word 2: Two Thousand and Ten and Seven Harry Potters

I have been writing this post for six months now ...

I was going to make 2017 a year of simple Book Challenges. I would read what I have, and read what I have said I wanted to. I would re-read the Potters in celebration of twenty years of the first being published and I would start on reading all the Agatha Christies (I hadn't read even one!) I would count the books I read and just do one or two official challenges while also playing along with the Goodreads Seasonal Challenges in the terribly inefficient manner I usually do. It seemed a simple task; I have, instead, had to make a spreadsheet. With colours. And stuff.

Following are the Challenges I am doing this year. I won't tell you the results of last year's challenges—besides 'unfinished'. It doesn't bother me. I read books I may ordinarily have not, I made lists, I enjoyed. I'm happy with journeys and endeavours instead of destinations in all this. Aim for the moon and hit the stars, as they say. For everyone doing a challenge this year—casually, systematically or obsessively—good luck. But mostly—have fun!

Goodreads (GR): Whereby I read books of any nature, topic, genre or style and add it to the tally.

Goal: 110 books

So far: 51 (although GRs says 51 but I know it's lying, I just don't know why?)


My Re-Read the Potters Challenge: Whereby I re-read (6th? time) the entire original Potter oeuvre in celebration of the 20th year anniversary of the first.

(20th Anniversary Edition. I've ordered my new copy, and although numerous quizzes have me in Gryffindor, my love for yellow aligns me with Hufflepuff for my anniversary hardcover collection-to-be.)

Goal: 7 books

So far: 3 and a teeny bit


My Finish my Series' Challenge: Whereby I try to finish what I started and hope to not start too much more in the meantime.

Goal: 81 (that translates to 418 actual books At time of starting; impossible task?)

So far: Finished one series (unless the author writes more), finished twenty books that belong to series', and added fourteen more series' to the list.


My GRs TBR Challenge: Whereby I read the books I said I wanted to read.

Goal: 414 (at time of publishing)

So far: 21 books from the TBR are on the currently reading list, eight finished, and despite and because of added desires and a tidy up, the list is currently at 419 books. Mmm, moving in the right direction? Um, no.


My GRs Best Books of the Year 2016 Via The Library Challenge: Whereby I read the books voted by the interested public as the GRs books of the year for 2016 by borrowing them with my new library card rather than getting a second mortgage.

Goal: 300 books (as you can tell, I'm not doing all the categories—I've left off cookbooks and poetry for example. (Although I may reconsider poetry.)

So far: Started 22, finished seven.


Four by GRs Seasonal Reading Challenges: Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn (Fall): Whereby I read books from all the other challenges and try to make them fit into categories in this challenge. Basically.

Goal: As much as possible

So far:

Winter - 60 out of 1075 points (Would 'pathetic' cover that effort?).

Spring - 130 out of 875 points but I wasn't somewhere near a computer to actually post about it when the time came, so does it exist?


My Readers Block's Follow the Clues Mystery Challenge: Whereby you read a number of mystery books which can be proven, in court if necessary, to link one to the next in an evidentiary manner of your choosing.

Goal: Capitol Offence - 12 books in a single chain of evidence

So far: The first clue was The Thousand Dollar Tan Line by Rob Thomas. I found it suspicious that Veronica MARS lives in NEPTUNE. I summised this pointed to a possible science fiction/crime mash-up having occurred and that led to China Miéville's The City and The City. I quickly realised that when you talk a tale of two cities, that can only mean one thing: London and Paris (or really Bezel and Ul Qoma, but that won't get me far so I'm pleading 'metaphor'). My obvious suspect had to be Behind Closed Doors - a novel set in London and written by BA Paris. I'm a long way off solving this challenge, but I feel we are definitely moving in the right direction. Three books down.


My Soul Called Life Keyword Challenge: Whereby I start a new book at the beginning of every month whose title contains a key word from that month.

Goal: 12

So far: Started six (keywords: thousand, deception, her, his, all and know), finished one.


GRs Around the Year in 52 Books: Whereby I read books chosen weekly from (sometimes) boundary-busting categories.

Goal: 52

So far: Started 19, finished eight


My Agatha Christie Challenge: Whereby I read the Christie oeuvre.

Goal: Somewhere in the late 70s, early 80s

So far: Started two, finished two


I'm not even sure why I do this to myself. I would probably read more books if I didn't have to spend so much time on my spreadsheet, hard copy lists, pie graphs and calculator. But maybe I wouldn't. Maybe when it came time to have a break from reading, I might end up doing housework, or sewing, or writing this blog. Mmm. And no, I can't explain why sometimes I write the numbers and sometimes I write the words for the number. I prefer the latter but 6 out of 1075 versus six out of one thousand and seventy five keeps me a little less wordy. Ha, ha, ha, *rolls on floor*, less wordy! As if!