I love taking on new challenges, new projects, and I’ve been happy to be introduced to many new-to-me books and authors. The best part of taking part in challenges, however, is the book people you meet. I have read all the books listed in my challenges, but did not review all of them. Click on the highlighted links to read my reviews. Reading is a journey for me, and I’m really enjoying my travels!

Challenges 2022:

My GOODREADS Challenge for 2022

Japanese Literature Challenge #15  hosted by Meredith (@Dolce Bellezza)

• A Man and His Cat, (volume 1) by Umi Sakurai
• A Man and His Cat, (volume 2) by Umi Sakurai
• A Man and His Cat, (volume 3) by Umi Sakurai
• A Man and His Cat, (volume 4) by Umi Sakurai
• The Cat Who Saved Books, by Sosuke Natsukawa
• Descending Stories, Volume 1, by Haruko Kumota

The Official TBR Pile Challenge 2022 hosted by Adam (@roofbeamreader.com)

• Call It Courage, by Armstrong Sperry
• Changes at Fairacre, by Miss Read
• The Enchantress of Florence, by Salman Rushdie
• Round the Bend, by Nevil Shute

My Ongoing Personal Reading Projects

Challenges 2021:

My GOODREADS Challenge for 2021

Readers Imbibing Peril, XVI

1. Mrs. Pollifax and the Second Thief, by Dorothy Gilman
2. Devil in a Blue Dress, by Walter Mosley
3. Pietr the Latvian, by George Simenon
4. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, by Washington Irving
5. Bury Your Dead, by Louise Penny
6. The Amethyst Box, by Anna Katharine Green
7. Hero, by Susan Hill
8. A Christmas Tragedy, by Baroness Orczy
9. One More Body in the Pool, by Ray Bradbury
10. An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, by Ambrose Bierce

1. Tale of the Nine-Tailed
2. Perry Mason, the series
3. Train to Busan

My Ongoing Personal Reading Projects

Challenges 2020:

My GOODREADS Challenge for 2020

Readers Imbibing Peril, XV

My Ongoing Personal Reading Projects

Challenges 2019:

My GOODREADS Challenge for 2019

Embracing Seventy (my self-challenge for 2019, in celebration of turning 70 years old)

• At Seventy, by May Sarton
• I’m Too Young to be Seventy: And Other Delusions, by Judith Viorst
• A book published in 1949 by a favorite author: Here is New York, by E.B. White
• Book by a male author born in 1949:  Eye of the Needle, by Ken Follett
• Book by a female author born in 1949: A Small Place, by Jamaica Kincaid
• Newbery Medal winner for 1949: King of the Wind, by Marguerite Henry
• Caldecott Award winner for 1949:  The Big Snow, by Berta and Elmer Hader
• American mystery book from 1949:  The Little Sister, by Raymond Chandler
• British classic mystery from 1949: The Case of the Famished Parson, by George Bellairs
• A Book to Movie from 1949:  The Red Pony, by John Steinbeck
• A Dr. Seuss book from 1949: Bartholomew and the Oobleck
• A Fiction book from 1949: Vittoria Cottage, by D.E. Stevenson
• A book by an artist born in 1949: WOMEN, by Annie Leibovitz

The Official TBR Pile Challenge 2019 hosted by Adam (@roofbeamreader.com)

1. Lonely Road, by Nevil Shute
2. Cider with Rosie, Laurie Lee
3. The Book of Dragons, Edith Nesbit
4. The Lost Garden, Helen Humphreys

Japanese Literature Challenge #12  hosted by Meredith (@Dolce Bellezza)

1. Sweet Bean Paste, Durian Sukegawa
2. Ikiru (film)
3. Miss Hokusai (film)
4. Ugetsu (film

Readers Imbibing Peril, XIV hosted by Andi (@Estella’s Revenge) and Heather (@Capricious Reader)

1. The Lost One, by Mary Stewart
2. The Little Sister, by Raymond Chandler
3. Christmas in Absaroka County, by Craig Johnson
4. Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte
5. The Religious Body, by Catherine Aird
6. An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good, by Helene Tursten
7. The Case of the Famished Parson, by George Bellairs
8. Rose Cottage, by Mary Stewart
9. The House on the Strand, by Daphne du Maurier
10. Trouble in Nuala, by Harriet Steel
11. Whiteout, by Ken Follett
12. 4:50 From Paddington (film)
13. Murder at the Gallop  (film)
14. The Mirror Crack’d (film)
15. Murder Most Foul (film)

A Year of Shakespeare 2019 hosted by Rachel (@Hibernator’s Library)

1. The Winter’s Tale

• Retelling of “The Winter’s Tale” in The Best of Shakespeare, by Edith Nesbit.
• Retelling of “The Winter’s Tale” in Shakespeare Stories II, by Leon Garfield.
• The Winter’s Tale, retold by Bruce Coville, illustrated by LeUyen Pham
• Short retelling of “The Winter’s Tale” in A Shakespeare Sketchbook, by Renwick St. James, illustrated by James C. Christensen.
• Retelling of “The Winter’s Tale” in Tales From Shakespeare, by Charles and Mary Lamb

Challenges 2018:

My GOODREADS Challenge for 2018

Readers Imbibing Peril, XIII (hosted by Andi (@Estella’s Revenge) and Heather (@Capricious Reader)

1. The Whispering Statue, by Carolyn Keene
2. The Silkworm, by Robert Galbraith
3. The Eyes of the Amaryllis, by Natalie Babbitt
4. This Rough Magic, by Mary Stewart
5. The Seer of Shadows, Avi
6. Death in the Castle, Pearl S. Buck
7. The Keeper of Lost Causes, Jussi Adler-Olsen
8. The Witches, Ronald Dahl
9. The Coroner’s Lunch, Colin Cotterill
10. The Seventh Seal, Ingmar Bergman

The Official 2018 TBR Pile Challenge Adam (@roofbeamreader.com)

1. A Very Easy Death, by Simone de Beauvoir
2. Death in the Castle, by Pearl S. Buck
3. Dipper of Copper Creek, by Jean Craighead George
4. Being Mortal, Atul Gawande

Challenges 2017:

My GOODREADS Challenge for 2017

Challenges 2016:

My GOODREADS Challenge for 2016

Challenges 2015:

My GOODREADS Challenge for 2015

Travel the World in Books Challenge (hosted by Mom’s Small Victories, I’m Lost in Books and Savvy Working Gal)

1. The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver (DNF)
2. The Far Country, by Nevil Shute

Challenges 2014:

My GOODREADS Challenge for 2014

Japanese Literature Challenge 8  (hosted by Dolce Bellezza)

1. The Crane Wife, by Sumiko Yagawa
2. The Housekeeper and the Professor, by Yoko Ogawa

Once Upon a Time VIII  (hosted by Carl V)

1. The Once and Future King, by T.H. White (Books 1 and Book 2)
2. The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien
3. The Minpins, by Roald Dahl
4. Matilda, by Roald Dahl
5. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson
6. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, by J.K. Rowling
7. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, by J.K. Rowling
8. The Crane Wife, by Sumiko Yagawa
9. The River at Green Knowe, by L.M. Boston

Sci Fi Experience Challenge (hosted by Carl V)

1. The Martian Chronicles, by Ray Bradbury

Long-Awaited Reads Month Challenge (hosted by Ana and Iris)

1. One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel García Márquez (Did not finish! Will I try again? We’ll see…)

Challenges 2013:

My GOODREADS Challenge for 2013

Challenges 2012:

 Japanese Literature Challenge 6 (hosted by Dolce Bellezza)

1. Kusamakura, by Natsume Soseki

Challenges 2010:

Once Upon a Time IV Challenge (hosted by Carl V)

1. Growing Wings, by Laurel Winter
2. Sleeping Beauty, by Adèle Geras
3. Graceling, by Kristin Cashore
4. Jamaica Inn, by Daphne Du Maurier

2010 Global Reading Challenge (hosted by Dorte and Kellie)

1. A Cup of Light, by Nicole Mones (Asia)
2. Jamaica Inn, by Daphne Du Maurier (Europe)

Jewish Literature Challenge, 2010 (hosted by Callista)

1. The Adventures of Rabbi Harvey, by Steve Sheinkin
2. The Endless Steppe, by Esther Hautzig

Graphic Novels Reading Challenge, 2010 (hosted by Nymeth and Chris)

1. The Adventures of Rabbi Harvey, by Steve Sheinkin

Art History Reading Challenge, 2010 (hosted by Nomadreader)

1. A Cup of Light, by Nicole Mones

Women Unbound Challenge (hosted by Aarti, Care, and Eva)

1. Breaking Tradition: The Story of Louise Nevelson, by Natalie S. Bober

Support Your Local Library Challenge, 2010 (hosted by J. Kaye)

1. The Water-Buffalo Children, by Pearl S. Buck
2. Breaking Tradition: The Story of Louise Nevelson, by Natalie S. Bober
3. Journey Between Worlds, by Sylvia Louise Engdahl
4. Moon-Flash, by Patricia A. McKillip
5. The Moon and the Face, by Patricia A. McKillip
6. The Empty House, by Rosamunde Pilcher
7. Sitti’s Secrets, by Naomi Shihab Nye
8. The Adventures of Rabbi Harvey, by Steve Sheinkin
9. Growing Wings, by Laurel Winter
10. Sleeping Beauty, by Adèle Geras
11. Jamaica Inn, by Daphne Du Maurier

Sci Fi Experience, 2010 (hosted by Carl V.)  COMPLETED

1. Journey Between Worlds, by Sylvia Louise Engdahl
2. Moon-Flash, by Patricia A. McKillip
3. The Moon and the Face, by Patricia A. McKillip
4. Doctor Who: Blink (a Sci Fi DVD experience)
5. 9  (the animated movie)
6. District 9 (wow!)
7. Star Trek (J.J. Abrahms.  Loved it!)
8. Life on Mars (the British TV series)
9. Flash Forward (haven’t finished it yet)

Challenges 2009:

Independent Bookstore Reader’s Challenge, 2009

1. The Snow Goose Bookstore, Stanwood, Washington, USA
2. Murder By The Book: A Bookshop, Portland, Oregon, USA

Dewey’s Books Reading Challenge, 2009 (hosted by Chris and me!)

1. A Wizard of Earthsea, by Ursula K. Le Guin
2. The Uncommon Reader, by Alan Bennett
3. The Book of Lost Things, by John Connolly
4. American Born Chinese, by Gene Luen Yang
5. The Higher Power of Lucky, by Susan Patron

Shakespeare Challenge, 2009

1. An Introduction to Shakespeare, by Marchette Chute
2. Manga Shakespeare: Macbeth
3. Manga Shakespeare: The Tempest

Rhinoa’s Manga Challenge, 2009

1. Manga Shakespeare: Macbeth
2. Manga Shakespeare: The Tempest
3. Return to Labyrinth, Vol I, by Jake T. Forbes
4. Return to Labyrinth, Vol II
5. Return to Labyrinth, Vol III

November Novella Challenge, 2009(hosted by J.T. Oldfield)

1. Pedro Páramo, by Juan Rulfo
2. The Ballad of the Sad Café, by Carson McCullers
3. Memories of My Melancholy Whores, by Gabriel García Márquez

Japanese Literature Challenge 3, 2009 (hosted by Dolce Bellezza)

1. The Revenge of the Forty-Seven Samuari, by Erik Christian Haugaard
2. Kira-Kira, by Cynthia Kadohata
3. Summer of the Big Bachi, by Naomi Hirahara

Art History Challenge, 2009 (hosted by Sarah)

1. The Forest Lover, by Susan Vreeland
2. The Madonnas of Leningrad, by Donna Dean
3. The Lost Painting: The Quest for a Caravaggio Masterpiece, by Jonathan Harr
4. Still Life, by Louise Penny
5. “Monet Refuses the Operation“, a poem by Lisel Mueller
6. The Matisse Stories, by A.S. Byatt
7. Marc Chagall, Painter of Dreams, by Natalie S. Bober
8. Breaking Tradition: The Story of Louise Nevelson, by Natalie S. Bober

Readers Imbibing Peril-4, 2009 (hosted by Carl V.)

1. Summer of the Big Bachi, by Naomi Hirahara
2. The Crime at Black Dudley, by Margery Allingham

Arthurian Challenge, 2009 (hosted by Becky)

1. Over Sea Under Stone, by Susan Cooper (audiobook)
2. The Dark is Rising, by Susan Cooper (audiobook)
3. Greenwitch, by Susan Cooper (audiobook)
4. The Grey King, by Susan Cooper (audiobook)
5. Silver on the Tree, by Susan Cooper (audiobook)

Once Upon a Time III, 2009 (hosted by Carl V.)

1. The Book of Lost Things, by John Connolly
2. The Raven Steals the Light, by Bill Reid
3. Zel, by Donna Jo Napoli
4. Rapunzel’s Revenge, by Shannon and Dean Hale
5. The Fairy Rebel, by Lynne Reid Banks
6. The Nightingale, by Kara Dalkey
7. The Ice Queen, by Alice Hoffman
8. Jack the Giant-Killer, by Charles de Lint
9. The One-Eyed Giant, by Mary Pope Osborne
10. Over Sea, Under Stone, by Susan Cooper
11. The Dark is Rising, by Susan Cooper
12. Greenwitch, by Susan Cooper
13. The Grey King, by Susan Cooper
14. Silver on the Tree, by Susan Cooper
15. A Fine and Private Place, by Peter S. Beagle
16. Half Magic, by Edward Eager

Audiobook Challenge, 2009 (hosted by J. Kaye)

1. A Wizard of Earthsea, by Ursula K. Le Guin (narrated by Rob Inglis)
2. The Audacity of Hope, by Barack Obama (narrated by himself)
3. Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Mystery, by John Mortimer (narrated by Bill Wallis)
4. The Devil’s Arithmetic, by Jane Yolen (Narrated by Barbara Rosenblat)
5. The Uncommon Reader, by Alan Bennett (narrated by himself)
6. The Lost Painting: The Quest for a Caravaggio Masterpiece, by Jonathan Harr (narrated by Campbell Scott)
7. Zel, by Donna Jo Napoli (narrated by Alexandra O’Karma)
8. The Ice Queen, by Alice Hoffman (narrated by Nancy Travis)
9. Over Sea, Under Stone, by Susan Cooper (narrated by Alex Jennings)
10. The Dark is Rising, by Susan Cooper (narrated by Alex Jennings)
11. Greenwitch, by Susan Cooper (narrated by Alex Jennings)
12. The Grey King, by Susan Cooper (narrated by Richard Mitchley)

Dewey’s Knit-a-Long, 2009 (hosted by myself and Chris)

1. Scarf and hat
2. Lacy scarf
3. Book: Two Sweaters for my Father, by Perri Klass

Jewish Literature Challenge, 2009 (hosted by Callista)

1. In the Name of Sorrow and Hope, by Noa Ben Artzi-Pelossof
2. The Devil’s Arithmetic, by Jane Yolen
3. My Grandmother’s Stories, by Adele Geras

Support Your Local Library Challenge, 2009 (hosted by J. Kaye)

1. Two Sweaters For My Father, Perri Klass
2. The Forest Lover, Susan Vreeland
3. A Wizard of Earthsea, by Ursula K. Le Guin
4. Mars Needs Moms!, by Berkeley Breathed
5. The Audacity of Hope, by Barack Obama
6. Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Mystery, by John Mortimer
7. The Devil’s Arithmetic, by Jane Yolen
8. The Uncommon Reader, by Alan Bennett
9. The Lost Painting: The Quest for a Caravaggio Masterpiece, by Jonathan Harr
10. Enchantress From the Stars, by Sylvia Louise Engdahl
11. Return to Labyrinth, Vol. 1, by Jake T. Forbes
12. The Book of Lost Things, by John Connolly

Sci Fi Experience, 2009 (hosted by Carl V.)

1. A Fisherman from the Inland Sea, Ursula le Guin
2. Mars Needs Moms!, by Brian Breathed
3. The Devil’s Arithmetic, by Jane Yolen (time travel)
4. Manga Shakespeare: Macbeth, by William Shakespeare (set in a post-apocalyptic world)
5. Enchantress from the Stars, by Sylvia Louis Engdahl

Challenges 2008:

Readers Imbibing Peril-3, 2008

1. A Murder of Quality, John le Carré
2. The Unstrung Harp, Edward Gorey
3. The Eye of Jade: A Mei Wang Mystery, by Diane Wei Liang
4. Varjak Paw, S.F. Said
5. Gossamer, Lois Lowry
6. Our Man in Havana, Graham Greene
7. Tales of Moonlight and Rain, by Ueda Akinari
8. The Outlaw Varjak Paw, by S.F. Said

Book-to-Movie Challenge, 2008

1. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, by Jean-Dominique Bauby
2. Our Man in Havana, by Graham Greene
3. Tales of Moonlight and Rain, by Ueda Akinari

Japanese Literature-2, 2008

1. After the Quake, Haruki Murakami
2. Twenty-Four Eyes, by Sakae Tsuboi
3. Tales of Moonlight and Rain, by Akinari Ueda
4. Knit Kimono, by Vicki Square

Book Awards-2, 2008

1. PULITZER: The Optimist’s Daughter, Eudora Welty
2. SASQUATCH: The Ghost’s Grave, Peg Kehret
3. PULITZER Special Award: Maus I: A Survivor’s Tale, by Art Spiegelman
4. PURA BELPRÉ: Esperanza Rising, Pam Muñoz Ryan
5. NESTLÉ SMARTIES BOOK PRIZE: Varjak Paw, by S.F. Said
6. MASSACHUSETTS CHILDREN’S BOOK AWARD: Charlotte’s Web, by E.B. White
7. PULITZER: The Bridge of San Luis Rey, Thornton Wilder
8. THE ALA’S SCHNEIDER FAMILY BOOK AWARD: Becoming Naomi León, by Pam Muñoz Ryan
9. THE MAUD HART LOVELACE BOOK AWARD: The Devil’s Arithmetic, by Jane Yolen
10. THE ROBERT F. SIEBERT HONOR AWARD: To Dance: A Ballerina’s Graphic Novel, by Siena Cherson Siegel and Mark Siegel

Southern Reading Challenge-2, 2008

1. Remembering, by Wendell Berry
2. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, by John Berendt
3. The Watermelon King, by Daniel Wallace

Non-Fiction Five Challenge, 2008

1. Looking Back: A Book of Memories, by Lois Lowry
2. Renoir’s Garden, by Derek Fell
3. Old Friend From Far Away, by Natalie Goldberg
4. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, by John Berendt
5. Maus I: A Survivor’s Tale, by Art Spiegelman

Once Upon a Time-2, 2008

1. The Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum
2. Brian Froud’s Faerieland project: The Wild Wood, by Charles de Lint;
3. The Wood Wife, by Terri Windling;
4. Something Rich and Strange, by Patricia A. McKillip; and
5. Hannah’s Garden, by Midory Snyder
6. Book of a Thousand Days, by Shannon Hale
7. Briar Rose, by Jane Yolen
8. Snugglepot and Cuddlepie, by May Gibbs
9. Seven Wild Sisters, by Charles de Lint
10. Smith of Wootton Major and Farmer Giles of Ham, by J.R.R Tolkien
11. Solstice Wood, by Patricia A. McKillip

Sci Fi Experience, 2008

1. First Meetings in Ender’s Universe, by Orson Scott Card
2. The Green Book, by Jill Paton Walsh
3. Wolf of Shadows, by Whitley Streiber

Expanding Horizons Challenge, 2008

1. My Invented Country: A Memoir, by Isabel Allende  (Chile)
2. Far Away and Long Ago, by W. H. Hudson  (Argentina)
3. Short Stories by Latin American Women: The Magic and the Real, edited by Celia Correas de Zapata.  (Argentina)
4. Where the Flame Trees Bloom, by Alma Flor Ada  (Cuba)
5. Under the Royal Palms, by Alma Flor Ada  (Cuba)
6. Tales Our Abuelitas Told: A Hispanic Folktale Collection, by Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy

Challenges 2007:

Japanese Literature Challenge, 2007

1. The Big Wave, by Pearl S. Buck
2. Thousand Cranes, by Yasunari Kawabata
3. The Bells of Nagasaki, by Takashi Nagai

Hometown Challenge, 2007

1. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
2. The Goose Girl, by Shannon Hale

Books-to-Movie Challenge, 2007

1. The African Queen, by C. S. Forster
2. The Namesake, by Jhumpa Lahiri
3. The Tale of Despereaux, by Kate Dicamillo

Readers Imbibing Peril-2, 2007

1. A Study in Scarlet, by Arthur Conan Doyle
2. The Woman in Black, by Susan Hill
3. The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy, by Tim Burton
4. The Red House Mystery, by A.A. Milne

Southern Reading Challenge, 2007

1. Big Fish, by Daniel Wallace
2. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
3. Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston
4. Miss Julia Strikes Back, by Ann B. Ross

Once Upon a Time, 2007

1. The Moorchild, by Eloise McGraw
2. The Arthurian Trilogy by Rosemary Sutcliff (The Sword and The Circle, The Light Beyond the Forest, The Road to Camlann)
3. Warriors, Gods & Spirits from Central and South American Mythology, text by Douglas Gifford
4. Stardust, by Neil Gaiman
5. The Eyre Affair, by Jasper Fforde
6. A Midsummer Night’s Dream, by William Shakespeare

Virtual Advent Tours

• December 14, 2007
• December 4, 2009
• December 8, 2012
• December 18, 2013