The Ladybug's Top Reads of 2011

I actually read more books than I thought I would this year.  While I tend to gravitate toward young adult fantasy, many of the books I read were from different genres (or for different age groups)... including some of my top-rated reads for the year.  Overall, I finished 34 books.  There were only 3 DNFs.

These books made the top of my list (there are 11 because the last two were tied in rating):

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
My Review
Buy The Art of Racing in the Rain from Kobo

Room by Emma Donoghue
My Review
Buy Room from Kobo

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
My Review
Buy Ship Breaker from Kobo

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
My Review
Buy The Adoration Of Jenna Fox from Kobo

The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder
My Review
Buy The Day Before from Indigo

Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai
My Review
Buy Inside Out and Back Again from Kobo

The Lost Crown by Sarah Miller
My Review
Buy The Lost Crown from Indigo

The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo
My Review
Buy The Magician's Elephant from Indigo

Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
My Review
Buy Peter and the Starcatchers from Indigo

God Went to Beauty School by Cynthia Rylant
My Review
Buy God Went To Beauty School from Kobo

Wrapped by Jennifer Bradbury
My Review
Buy Wrapped from Indigo

Honourable mentions (all rated 4 ladybugs or above):

I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder
My Review
Buy I Heart You You Haunt Me from Kobo

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
My Review
Buy Shiver from Kobo

Eli the Good by Silas House
My Review
Buy Eli the Good from Kobo

Charlotte Sometimes by Penelope Farmer
My Review
Buy Charlotte Sometimes from Kobo

E-Book Reading Challenge 2012 - Looking for New Host!

As interesting as hosting the 2011 E-Book Reading Challenge has been, I think I'm going to pass the torch to someone else for next year.

It's not an awful lot of work.  You'll need a Mister Linky account and some free time, but that's about it.  If you decide you're up to the task, I can provide more details about what's involved.

If you're interested in hosting, e-mail me and let me know!

Need some e-books?

I've just been contacted by Untreed Reads with an exciting offer for everyone who's participating in the 2011 E-Book Reading Challenge!  Untreed Reads Publishing offers novels, novellas, and short stories in a variety of digital formats at great prices.

And now you can get 25% off your order by doing the following:

1. Visit http://store.untreedreads.com and select from any of their 100+ titles, as many as you'd like.
2. Add titles to your cart.
3. Enter coupon code EBOOKCHALLENGE
4. Update your cart.

The coupon is good for the entire year. Since the company is continually releasing new titles, be sure to check the site regularly to see what's new.

25% off e-books and some potentially great new reads. What are you waiting for?

Update to the 2011 E-Book Reading Challenge!

Don't worry... it's nothing major.  But for those who were lamenting that reading 20 e-books wasn't much of a challenge, you're in luck!  I've created three new categories for those who really love their e-readers:

-- Possessed – Read 50 e-books.

-- Fanatical – Read 75 e-books.

-- Monomaniacal – Read 100 e-books.

All seven categories (including the three new ones) are now listed on the main sign-up page.

Book Blogging Resolutions for 2011

1. I will try to cut back on buying books.  I've already got a crazy TBR pile, and I really don't need any more books until I get through what I have.  I am going to make exceptions for two books, though: Tempestuous by Lesley Livingston (because I love the series and I was going to buy it anyway) and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (which I had from the library and couldn't finish before it was due).

2. I will give myself permission to stop reading a book if I'm just not loving it.  I'm not sure what rule I'm going to impose for myself yet (a 50-page rule?  a 1/3 rule?), but I think I need to do this so I don't end up completely hating books by the end of 2011.  If I do give up on a book, I will still review it, but it will be clearly marked as a DNF and I'll explain why I couldn't finish.

3. I will try to expand my reading horizons a little bit and choose some different books to read.  This may be a little difficult to do (see resolution #1), but I'm hoping that the library and NetGalley can provide some interesting reads to help me branch out a bit.  I'm still going to read mostly YA, but maybe not so much YA fantasy (I could try some YA contemporary stuff, for example).

Just a reminder...

... that you can still sign up for the 2011 E-Book Reading Challenge!

Don't have an e-reader?  You can still join if you're willing to read books on your computer or other device.  There are plenty of apps that make this possible.

To get started, why not sign up at Kobobooks.com? You can get 35% off your first e-book purchase! That sounds like a pretty good deal. Just click on the coupon below to get started:

2011 Young Adult Reading Challenge

I was wondering if anyone was going to host this challenge this year (it was previously hosted by J. Kaye).  Jamie at For The Love of YA has taken over hosting duties for 2011.  Since I read mostly YA fiction anyway, I thought I might as well join this challenge.

I think I'm going to start with the Mini YA Reading Challenge for now and read 12 books.  I might eventually upgrade to the Fun Size YA Reading Challenge (20 books), depending on how things go in the first few months of 2011.  Here are the books:

1. The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening by L. J. Smith
2. Breathless by Lurlene McDaniel
3. Eli the Good by Silas House
4. One Night With The Fae by Claire Farrell
5. God Went to Beauty School by Cynthia Rylant
6. Wrapped by Jennifer Bradbury
7. The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder
8. The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
9. Evil? by Timothy Carter
10. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
11. Tempestuous by Lesley Livingston
12. Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi

13. Salt by Maurice Gee
14. The Lost Crown by Sarah Miller
15. The Other Side of the Island by Allegra Goodman
16. The Always War by Margaret Peterson Haddix
17. The Poison Eaters: and Other Stories by Holly Black
18. Ice by Sarah Beth Durst
19. Dreamhunter by Elizabeth Knox
20. I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder

Updated December 9, 2011: I guess I've hit the "Fun Size" level, without really trying!  I'll have to change my progress bars to reflect this...

20 / 20 books. 100% done!

2011 E-Book Challenge

This challenge is hosted by La Coccinelle (me!)

at The Ladybug Reads... (sign up here!).

I'm going to choose the Addicted level and read 12 e-books in 2011:

1. The Diamond Tree by Michael Matson
2. The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening by L. J. Smith
3. Breathless by Lurlene McDaniel
4. The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo
5. Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai
6. Heat Wave by Richard Castle
7. Eli the Good by Silas House
8. One Night With The Fae by Claire Farrell
9. Naked Heat by Richard Castle
10. God Went to Beauty School by Cynthia Rylant
11. Wrapped by Jennifer Bradbury
12. The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder

13. A Tale of Two Castles by Gail Carson Levine
14. Room by Emma Donoghue
15. Go the F**k to Sleep by Adam Mansbach
16. Charlotte Sometimes by Penelope Farmer
17. The Always War by Margaret Peterson Haddix
18. Tashi and the Tibetan Flower Cure by Naomi C. Rose
19. A Christmas Story by Jean Shepherd

12 / 12 books. 100% done!

2011 E-Book Reading Challenge

Ladies and gentlemen! Start your engines e-readers!

This challenge was previously hosted by Alaine at Queen of Happy Endings.  When she started looking for new homes for the 2011 challenges, I jumped at the chance to host this one.  Since getting a Kobo eReader this past year, I've started reading more e-books.  Since e-readers are now available internationally, a lot more people are going to be reading books in digital format.  So why not challenge yourself and read even more?

Challenge Guidelines:
1. Anyone can join. You don't need a blog to participate.

--Non-bloggers: Include your information in the comment section.

2. There are seven levels:

-- Curious – Read 3 e-books.

-- Fascinated – Read 6 e-books.

-- Addicted – Read 12 e-books.

-- Obsessed – Read 20 e-books.

-- Possessed – Read 50 e-books.

-- Fanatical – Read 75 e-books.

-- Monomaniacal – Read 100 e-books.

3. Any genre counts.

4. You can list your books in advance or just put them in a wrap-up post. If you list them, feel free to change them as the mood takes you.

5. Challenge begins January 1, 2011 and lasts until December 31, 2011.

6. When you sign up under Mr. Linky, put the direct link to your post about the E-Book Reading Challenge. Include the URL so that other participants can join in and read your reviews and post.

If you'd like some progress bars for your challenge post, you can find the instructions for making them here.

Off The Shelf Challenge

 

The Off The Shelf Challenge is hosted at BA Reading Challenges.

Are your books multiplying like rabbits before you even get a chance to read them? Trying to keep up with them, but can't stop buying new ones?


Maybe this challenge is for you. I know what it's like. There's so many titles and so many beautiful books out there sometimes it's hard to keep that TBR shelf under control, but if you really want to try why not challenge yourself?

Challenge Levels

   1. Tempted –  Choose 5 books to read
   2. Trying – Choose 15 books to read
   3. Making A Dint – Choose 30 books to read
   4. On A Roll – Choose 50 books to read
   5. Flying Off – Choose 75 books to read

For extra hard challenges

   1. Hoarder – Choose 75 - 125 books to read
   2. Buried – Choose 125 - 200 books to read

Well, since I don't have that big of a TBR pile, I think I'm going to go with Trying.  Here are the 15 books that I read for the challenge:

1. Room by Emma Donoghue
2. The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
3. Evil? by Timothy Carter
4. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
5. Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
6. Salt by Maurice Gee
7. Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson
8. The Other Side of the Island by Allegra Goodman
9. Ice by Sarah Beth Durst
10. Dreamhunter by Elizabeth Knox
11. A Christmas Story by Jean Shepherd
12. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
13.
14.
15.

12 / 15 books. 80% done!

YA Historical Fiction Challenge 2011

This interesting challenge is being hosted here at Books Are A Girl's Best Friend.

I'm going to do the Inquisitive level and read 1-3 young adult historical fiction books in 2011.

Here are the books I read for this challenge:

1. Eli the Good by Silas House
2. Wrapped by Jennifer Bradbury
3. The Lost Crown by Sarah Miller

3 / 3 books. 100% done!

Get ready for the 2011 E-Book Reading Challenge!

I'm going to be taking over the E-Book Reading Challenge for 2011.  It was previously hosted by Alaine at Queen of Happy Endings.

The sign-up sheet will go up on December 1st (two weeks from today), so watch for it!

I hope you'll participate in this fun challenge.  Break out your e-reader (or computer) and get ready to read...