Saturday, November 17, 2012

Outdo Yourself Challenge 2013

I've been lamenting the fact that I don't seem to be reading at quite my usual pace this year.  In fact, I'm down about 70 books from last year.  My plan is to sign up for fewer challenges (don't tell Cheryl at CMash Reads, she'll just snort and say, "Right, Bev.") and to make those challenges work better for my reading goals.  One goal is to read more than I have in 2012.  I had too many weeks where I seemed to struggle just to get one or two books read.  So, I think the Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge for 2013 sponsored by The Book Vixen is just the sort of challenge that can work for me. For the full details, click on the link, but here's the scoop in a nut shell: Sign up to read more books than you finish in 2012. That's it. There are several levels and since I'm wanting to get back on track, I'm going all in and signing up for

I'm on fire! --Read 16+ more books

Currently, I'm sitting on 148...and I hope to read about 15 more books this year, so I'm going to be looking at something in the 180-190-range. I better have a book in hand on New Year's Eve and be ready to take off when January 1 rolls around!


To Fill in When 2012 comes to a close:
Well, I finished 2012 with 165  books that means that in order to meet this challenge, I will need to read 181 or more books in 2013. 

LINK REVIEWS HERE

Books read:
1. A Dark & Stormy Night by Jeanne M. Dams (1/4/13) [183 pages]
2. The Man Who Went Up in Smoke by Maj Sjöwall & Per Wahlöö (1/8/13) [153]
3. The Evil That Men Do by Jeanne M. Dams (1/11/13) [215 pages] 
4. The White Dragon by Anne McCaffrey (1/13/13) [445 pages] 
5. The Corpse of St. James's by Jeanne M. Dams (1/13/13) [212 pages] 
6. The Puzzle of the Silver Persian by Stuart Palmer (1/15/13) [159 pages] 
7. Slippage by Harlan Ellison (1/19/13) [361 pages] 
8. The Web Between the Worlds by Charles Sheffield (1/21/13) [274 pages] 
9. Four Lost Ladies by Stuart Palmer (1/23/13) [174 pages] 
10. The Case of the Negligent Nymph by Erle Stanley Gardner (1/24/13) [182 pages] 
11. Murder at Markham by Patricia Sprinkle (1/26/13) [218 pages] 
12. Veiled Murder by Alice Campbell (1/28/19) [174 pages]
13. India Black & the Shadows of Anarchy by Carol K. Carr (1/29/13) [314 pages] 
14. Zima Blue & Other Stories by Alastair Reynolds (2/3/13) [280 pages]
15. The Cavalier's Cup by Carter Dickson (2/5/13) [302 pages] 
16. Corpses at Indian Stones by Philip Wylie (2/7/13) [142 pages] 
17. Whip Smart: Lola Montez Conquers the Spaniards by Kit Brennan (2/8/13) [251 page
18. Unnatural Habits by Kerry Greenwood (2/11/13) [293 pages]
19. Man in the Empty Suit by Sean Ferrell (2/15/13) [306 pages]
20. Parlor Games by Maryka Biaggio (2/18/13) [338 pages] 
21. The Desert Moon Mystery by Kay Cleaver Strahan (2/19/13) [314 pages] 
22. Aaron's Serpent by Emily Thorn (2/22/13) [221 pages] 
23. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (2/24/13) [374 pages]
24. The World's 100 Best Short Stories, Vol. III: Mystery by Grant Overton, ed (2/24/13) [272 pages] 
25. His Last Bow by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (2/25/13) [191 pages]
26. Three English Comedies by A. B. De Mille, ed (2/27/13) [479 pages]
27. The Other Side of Tomorrow by Roger Elwood, ed (2/28/13) [192 pages] 
28. The Green Plaid Pants by Margaret Scherf (3/3/13) [158 pages] 
29. The Vicar of Wakefield by Oliver Goldsmith (3/6/13) [192 pages]
30. A Cold & Lonely Place by Sara J. Henry (3/9/13) [287 pages]
31. The Lady in the Morgue by Jonathan Latimer (3/10/13) [242 pages}
32. Mary Poppins by P. L. Travers (3/11/13) [191 pages]
33. The Perfect Landscape by Ragna Sigurdardottir (3/12/13) [213 pages]
34. The Diplomat & the Gold Piano by Margaret Scherf (3/16/13) [128 pages]
35. The Lady Vanishes (aka The Wheel Spins) by Ethel Lina White (3/17/13) [250 pages]
36. Down the Rabbit Hole by Peter Abrahams (3/19/13) [407 pages] 
37. 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff (3/20/13) [97 pages]
38. A Perfect Red by Amy Butler Greenfield (3/22/13) [338 pages]
39. Unhappy Hooligan by Stuart Palmer (3/24/13) [182 pages]
40. Sally's in the Alley by Norbert Davis (3/25/13) [122 pages]
41. The Mystery of Hunting's End by Mignon G. Eberhart (3/29/13) [341 pages] 
42. Hammett Unwritten by Owen Fitzstephen [Gordon McAlpine] (3/30/13) [176 pages] 
43. A Spoonful of Sugar: A Nanny's Story by Brenda Ashford (4/2/13) [304 pages]
44. Black Widow by Patrick Quentin (4/3/13) [186 pages]
45. The African Queen by C. S. Forester (4/6/13) [246 pages] 
46. In the Shadow of Gotham by Stefanie Pintoff (4/9/13) [385 pages] 
47. The Ivy League Chronicles: 9 Squares by E. K. Prescott (410/13) [296 pages] 
48. The Frozen Shroud by Martin Edwards (4/14/13) [278 pages]
49. The Mountains Have a Secret by Arthur W. Upfield (4/16/13) [192 pages]
50. The Devil's Stronghold by Leslie Ford (4/21/13) [192 pages] 
51. The Silence of Herondale by Joan Aiken (4/21/13) [172 pages] 
52. Holiday Homicide by Rufus King (4/23/13) [238 pages] 
53. The Private History of Awe by Scott Russell Sanders (4/27/13) [322 pages] 
54. Death Has Green Fingers by Lionel Black (4/30/13) [192 pages]
55. Blood Makes Noise by Gregory Widen (4/30/13) [442 pages]
56. Inland Passage by George Harmon Coxe (5/2/13) [246 pages]
57. Choice of Evils by E. X. Ferrars (5/4/13) [175 pages] 
58. The Talking Sparrow Murders by Darwin L. Teilhet (5/6/13) [301 pages] 
59. Murder as a Fine Art by David Morrell (5/8/13) [358 pages] {Review due for virtual tour 5/28/13}
60. Finding Camlann by Sean Pidgeon (5/18/13) [350 pages] 
61. Sleep No More by Margaret Erskine (5/21/13) [190 pages] 
62. Death at Crane's Court by Eilis Dillon (5/23/13) [236 pages]
63. Cocaine Blues by Kerry Greenwood (5/24/13) [175 pages]
64. The Curse of the Bronze Lamp by Carter Dickson (5/27/13) [192 pages]
65. Miss Silver Deals With Death by Patricia Wentworth (finished 5/28/13) [231 pages]
66. The Secret History by Donna Tartt (6/4/13) [592 pages]
67. How Not to Murder Your Grumpy by Carol E. Wyer (6/5/13) [100 pages]
68. The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes (6/7/13) [163 pages]
69. Murder on Safari by Elspeth Huxley (6/8/13) [203 pages]
70. The Girl in the Green Raincoat by Laura Lippman (6/10/13) [176 pages]
71. The Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers (6/12/13) [284 pages]
72. Murder Within Murder by Frances & Richard Lockridge (6/14/13) [240 pages]
73. Break Any Woman Down by Dana Johnson (6/17/13) [168 pages]
74. The Chinese Parrot by Earl Derr Biggers (6/18/13) [222 pages]
75. The Father's Day Murder by Lee Harris (6/18/13) [258 pages]
76. Tragedy at Law by Cyril Hare (6/21/13) [250 pages] 
77. Devoured by D. E. Meredith (6/22/13) [291 pages]
78. Heart of a Dog by Mikhail Bulgakov (6/23/13) [123 pages]
79. Death in Zanzibar by M. M. Kaye (6/24/13) [270 pages]
80. Jack on the Gallows Tree by Leo Bruce (6/26/13) [189 pages] 
81. The Listening by Kyle Dargan (6/28/13) [83 pages]
82. Mystery Train by David Wojahn (6/28/13) [85 pages]
83. Death & the Gentle Bull by Frances & Richard Lockridge (6/29/13) [224 pages]
84. The Mummy Case Mystery by Dermot Morrah (7/3/13) [292 pages]
85. Dead Man Control by Helen Reilly (7/6/13) [159 pages]
86. Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons (7/8/13) [233 pages]
87. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (7/10/13) [540 pages] 
88. The Hollow Chest by Alice Tilton [Phoebe Atwood Taylor] (7/12/13) [284 pages] 
89. Twenty First Century Blues by Richard Cecil (7/13/13) [98 pages] 
90. Photo by Sammy Davis, Jr. [text by Burt Boyar] (7/13/13) [338 pages]
91. The Call of the Wild by Jack London (7/14/13) [210 pages]
92. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (7/16/13) [387 pages]
93. Spotted Hemlock by Gladys Mitchell (7/18/13) [239 pages]
94. Heirs & Spares by J. L. Spohr (7/19/13) [258 pages] 
95. If You Ask Me (And of Course You Won't) by Betty White (7/19/13) [259 pages] 
96. London Particular (aka Fog of Doubt) by Christianna Brand (7/22/13) [198 pages] 
97. Dead Old by Maureen Carter (7/22/13) [289 pages]
98. The Case of the Careless Kitten by Erle Stanley Gardner (7/23/13) [243 pages]
99. Capacity for Murder by Bernadette Pajer (7/24/13) [256 pages] 
100. Mist on the Saltings by Henry Wade (7/26/13) [340 pages] 
101. The Black Stage by Anthony Gilbert (7/27/13) [215 pages] 
102. Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne (7/28/13) [161 pages]
103. The House at Pooh Corner by A. A. Milne (7/28/13) [192 pages]
104. The World of Christopher Robin by A. A. Milne (7/28/13) [256 pages]
105. The Mind of the Maker by Dorothy L. Sayers (7/31/13) [229 pages]
106. A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (8/1/13) [112 pages]
107. Till Death Do Us Part by John Dickson Carr (8/2/13) [152 pages]
108. The Long Farewell by Michael Innes (8/3/13) [216 pages] 
109. Death in the Air (aka Death in the Clouds) by Agatha Christie (8/5/13) [189 pages] 
110. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton (8/6/13) [265 pages] 
111. The Scarlet Macaw by S. P. Hozy (8/10/13) [384 pages] 
112. Age of Desire by Jennie Fields (8/14/13) [352 pages] 
113 The Monster of Florence by Magdalen Nabb (8/17/13) [343 pages]
114. Andersen's Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen (8/20/13) [343 pages] 
115. The Door by Mary Roberts Rinehart (8/22/13) [381 pages]
116. Poems & Prose by Christina Rossetti (8/27/13) [488 pages] 
117. Death at the Bar by Ngaio Marsh (8/28/13) [288 pages] 
118. A Bullet in the Ballet by Caryl Brahms & S. J. Simon (8/28/13) [159 pages] 
119. Rules of Murder by Julianna Deering (8/31/13) [331 pages]
120. This New & Poisonous Air by Adam McOmber (9/3/13) [200 pages]
121. Murder & Blueberry Pie by Frances & Richard Lockridge (9/3/13) [192 pages]
122. The Croquet Player by H. G. Wells (9/4/13) [82 pages]
123. Elephants Can Remember by Agatha Christie (9/6/13) [198 pages]
124. Malcolm Sage, Detective by Herbert Jenkins (9/8/13) [315 pages]
125. The Yard by Alex Grecian (9/9/13) [422 pages]
126. The End of the Alphabet by C. S. Richardson (9/10/13) [119 pages]
127. Famous Ghost Stories edited by Bennett Cerf (9/13/13) [361 pages] 
128. The Temple of Death by A. C. & R. H. Benson (9/16/13) [226 pages] 
129. The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene (9/17/13) [210 pages] 
130. The Dreadful Hollow by Nicholas Blake (9/19/13) [256 pages]
131. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson (9/24/13) [246 pages] 
132. Death Knocks Three Times by Anthony Gilbert (9/27/13) [155 pages] 
133. The Mystery Lovers' Book of Quotations by Jane Horning (9/27/13) [231 pages]
134. The Yellow Violet by Frances Crane (9/30/13) [159 pages]
135. The Prayer of Jabez by Bruce Wilkinson (10/1/13) [93 pages]
136. Foundation by Isaac Asimov (10/4/13) [236 pages] 
137. The Measure of a Man by Sidney Poitier (10/6/13) [255 pages] 
138. The Haunted Dolls' House by M. R. James (10/9/13) [203 pages]
139. Unthinkable by Richard Cibrano (10/12/13) [400 pages] 
140. Murder at Cambridge by Q. Patrick (10/15/13) [188 pages]
141. Cold Earth by Sarah Moss (10/18/13) [280 pages] 
142. Dead of a Counterplot by Simon Nash (10/20/13) [223 pages] 
143. Laddie: A True Blue Story by Gene Stratton-Porter (10/22/13) [401 pages] 
144. The Water Room by Christopher Fowler (10/25/13) [356 pages] 
145. Gently Go Man by Alan Hunter (10/27/13) [209 pages] 
146. Once Upon a Crime by M. D. Lake (10/28/13) [275 pages] 
147. Through a Glass, Darkly by Helen McCloy (10/29/13) [192 pages] 
148. Mystery & Crime: NYPL Book of Answers by Jay Pearsall (10/30/13) [176 pages] 
149. By a Woman's Hand by Jean Swanson & Dean James (11/2/13) [254 pages] 
150. Maid to Murder by Roy Vickers (11/3/13) [173 pages]
151. Shell Game by Richard Powell (11/4/13) [154 pages] 
152. Kemp's Last Case by M. R. D. Meek (11/4/13) [186 pages]
153. Good-Bye to All That by Robert Graves (11/7/13) [347 pages]
154. The Murder Stone by Charles Todd (11/8/13) [377 pages]
155. Death Is in the Air by Kate Kingsbury (11/10/13) [199 pages]
156. Evidence of Things Seen by Elizabeth Daly (11/12/13) [167 pages]
157. Check-Out Time by Kate Kingsbury (11/13/13) [217 pages] 
158. The Small Hours of the Morning by Margaret Yorke (11/15/13) [221 pages] 
159. The Dorothy Parker Murder Case by George Baxt (11/19/13) [284 pages] 
160. The Patient in Room 18 by Mignon G. Eberhart (11/20/13) [302 pages] 
161. The Tragedy of X by Barnaby Ross [Ellery Queen] (11/25/13) [216 pages]
162. Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne (11/27/13) [248 pages]
163. The Tragedy of Y by Barnaby Ross [Ellery Queen] (11/30/13) [200 pages] 
164. The Birds' Christmas Carol by Kate Douglas Wiggin (12/1/13) [69 pages] 
165. The Tragedy of Z by Barnaby Ross [Ellery Queen] (12/3/13) [154 pages] 
166. Murder Your Darlings by J. J. Murphy (12/4/13) [324 pages] 
167. The Quiet Road to Death by Sheila Radley (12/8/13) [190 pages]
168. Maigret's Christmas by Georges Simenon (12/12/13) [326 pages] 
169. A Habit for Death by Chuck Zito (12/17/13) [279 pages] 
170. Commodore by Simon Sobo (12/18/13) [348 pages] 
171. A Christmas Promise by Anne Perry (12/20/13) [193 pages]
172. Wycliffe & the Guilt Edged Alibi by W. J. Burley (12/21/13) [222 pages]
173. Ransom Game by John Buxton Hilton (12/23/13) [184 pages] 
174. Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence: The First Encounter by James L. Christian (12/26/13) [303 pages] 
175. The Big Eye by Max Ehrlich (12/26/13) [221 pages]
176. The Wit & Humor of Oscar Wilde by Alvin Redman, ed (12/29/13) [258 pages] 
177. The Armchair Detective Book of Lists by Kate Stine, ed (12/29/13) [267 pages]
178. Crime & Mystery: The 100 Best Books by H. R. F. Keating (12/31/13) [219 pages]
179. Braid by Roger Mitchell (12/31/13) [59 pages]
180. Tales of the Supernatural by Maura Stanton (12/31/13) [83 pages]
181. The Bamboo Blonde by Dorothy B. Hughes (12/31/13) [251 pages]


5 comments:

fredamans said...

I'm also behind my usual pace this year, so will join you in this challenge!

Bev Hankins said...

We can cheerlead for each other!

Laurel-Rain Snow said...

Actually, I read more this year than last already...and the year before exceeded my 2010 totals.

But I like the idea of competing against myself. I might have to add this one.

Yvette said...

I'll be happy if I reach 50 this year. I have really REALLY slowed down from the previous two years. No excuses. I'm just not the reader I used to be, I guess.

Maybe next year I'll do better. Couldn't do worse...

148 - That's great, Bev. You're a speedy reader. I used to be....sigh.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for participating! Good luck and I hope you reach your goal :) I, too, wasn't reading at my usual pace this year. Hopefully next year I'll be able to read more.