Book Boxes with Dog Bed

I signed up for three challenges in 2013 and, like everyone else who takes on book challenges, looked forward to all the great reading I’d do. In the end I completed only one challenge this year.

The Big Excuse: Looking back, I was clueless about how time consuming selling our house, buying a house, and then moving across the country would be. I’ve moved a lot in my life: North Carolina (twice), Illinois (twice), Missouri, Nebraska, and Nevada. However, during those moves I was in the Marines/college/graduate school and most of my possessions easily fit in my car or, at most, in a small moving van. This was my first move from a house I’d owned and lived in for close to ten years. It’s amazing how much stuff two people can accumulate in that time. It’s also amazing how much stuff they still have to move after months of purging and weeding. And my books have been in boxes since mid October, oh my!

Anyway, my point is that I did not complete all the challenges that I’d signed up to do, but they did turn me on to some really fantastic reads. The links below go to reviews I’ve posted here on WildmooBooks.

Challenge #1

I signed up at the Dip Level: read 1-3 books. I ended up reading three, so yay for me! 100% completion rate.
Books read:

1. George Washington: The Crossing by Jack E. Levin
2. Revolutionary Summer by Joseph Ellis 
3. Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson (YA novel, good read, sorry I didn’t review it)
4. I also read a good chunk of Henry Knox: Visionary General of the American Revolution by Mark Puls, but didn’t finish it. 

Challenge #2

For this challenge you choose 12 books that have been on your to read list for at least a year. I read three, which gives me a 25% completion rate. These were three excellent reads and I highly recommend them all.
Books read:

1. Max Perkins: Editor of Genius by A. Scott Berg–favorite nonfiction read of the year!
2. My Life in France by Julia Child
3. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

Challenge #3

This is the challenge that I feel the worst about. I did much better in 2012 and hope to redeem myself in 2014. I signed up at the Stella Level: read 4, review 3. I ended up reading only one. Boo for me! Another 25% completion rate. However, that one book was one of my favorite novels of the year.
Book read:

1. The Spare Room by Helen Garner (not yet reviewed)

To sum up: All things considered, I guess I didn’t do that horribly. It could have been worse. I could have not read anything. I could have died. Life is good!