2013 Reading Challenge Wrap-Up

Well, it is the end of another reading year and time to wrap up my 2013 reading challenges.  Each year, I try to be a little less overly enthusiastic in the number of challengers I chose to participate in.  Interestingly, this year was almost a complete repeat of last year.

I always like to join in the challenge hosted by War Through the Generations and this year's choice was  the American Revolution.  I committed to reading 4-10 books/films and actually completed 4.  They are

1- Sophia's War: A Tale of the Revolution by Avi
2- Felicity, An American Girl 1775 (Film)
3- Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson
4- Friends of Liberty by Beatrice Gormley

The second challenge I participated in was the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge hosted by Historical Tapestry.  Now, this should have been easy peasy, but I keep forgetting to count the books I have read, so I committed to reading 15 and actually remembered to count the following 15:

1- A Parachute in the Lime Tree by Annemarie Neary
2- The Long Way Home by Margot Benary-Isbert
3- Sophia's War by Avi
4- Tamar, a Novel of Espionage, Passion and Betrayal by Mal Peet
5- Passing through Havana by Felicia Rosshandler
6- His Majesty's Hope by Susan Elia MacNeal
7- Auslander by Paul Dowswell
8- Rising Sun, Falling Star by Vickie Hall
9- The Bear Makers by Andrea Cheng
10- Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson
11- The War Within These Walls by Aline Sax
12- N or M? by Agatha Christie
13- The Midnight Zoo by Sonya Hartmett
14- I Go by Sea, I Go by Land by P.L. Travers
15- Leaving China by James McMullan

I again participated in Rose City Reader's European Reading Challenge.  I chose to read 5 or more books and 6:

1- A Parachute in the Lime Tree by Annemarie Neary (Ireland)
2- Tamar, a Novel of Espionage, Passion and Betrayal by Mal Peet (Holland)
3- His Majesty's Hope by Susan Elia MacNeal (Germany)
4- Code Name Pauline: Memoirs of a World War II Special Agent by Pearl Witherington Cornioley edited by Kathryn J. Atwood (France)
5- The Bear Makers by Andrea Cheng (Hungary)
6- The War Within These Walls by Aline Sax (Poland)

I signed up to read 6 or more mysteries at Crusin' with the Cozies hosted by Socrates Book Reviews but only managed to remember to list 3:

1- His Majesty's Hope by Susan Elia MacNeal
2- Nancy Drew: The Quest of the Missing Map by Carolyn Keene
3- N or M? by Agatha Christie

And last but not least is the Pre-1960 Classic Children's Books Reading Challenge hosted by Turning the Pages for any amount of books desired:

1- The Long Way Home by Margot Benary-Isbert
2- Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories by Dr. Seuss
3- Biggles Defies the Swastika by Captain W.E. Johns (1941)
4- The Quest of the Missing Map by Carolyn Keene

I see I had lots of crossovers on these challenges, something I try not to do, but end up doing nevertheless.  I did lose a lot of reading time this December.  I had a bad case of bronchitis and it was also the one year anniversary of the Sandy Hook shooting, which you may know touched my family in a  very personal way and it was a difficult time for us, especially because Christmas here was so tied to Daniel and his brother and sister.  

I haven't made a decision on reading challenges for 2014, but I am leaning towards a few.  I only wish there were more challenges geared towards kids and YA literature.  Maybe I should think about that.