100 Book Challenge... Check

I posted in June about the goal I set to read 100 books in 2008.  I did it!  I actually finished back in November, and I'm very proud of myself for finishing.  I don't know if I should be, since I probably spent a lot of hours reading that should been directed toward more practical pursuits.  Regardless, I did it and I'm glad I did.  There's something delicious about devouring a book and jumping right into the next one-- and even when I didn't have the time to read a book in one sitting, it was good to have an excuse to read a few chapters before bed.  It was a good way to keep up the momentum.

I won't be reading quite so many in 2009, but I'm still going to try not to let that part of my life slip away into the busyness.  One of the best things about my new school is that they have made a priority of teaching children to enjoy reading.  Outside every classroom is a sign that says 'This week my teacher read ____ minutes.'  What a great way to lead by example!  It will be great motivation to keep up personal reading.

Without further ado, the first 100 books I read in 2008:

1. Sovereign Ladies, by Maureen Waller

2. Under the Tuscan Sun, by Frances Mayes

3. The Queen of Attolia, by Megan Whalen Turner

4. The King of Attolia, by Megan Whalen Turner

5. Having a Baby Naturally, by Mothering Magazine

6. Chronoliths

7. March, by Geraldine Brooks

8. The Watsons Go to Birmingham

9. Linda Brown, You Are Not Alone

10. The Fellowship of the Ring, by JRR Tolkien

11. Year of Wonders, Geraldine Brooks (love this author)

12. Calculating God, Robert Sawyer

13. Family Tree, Barbara Delinsky

14. Starplex, Robert Sawyer

15. The Rumpelstiltskin Problem

16. Into the Wild

17. The Tightwad Gazette I

18. The Tightwad Gazette II

19. The Tightwad Gazette III

20. Poison Study, Maria K. Snyder

21. Magic Study, Maria K. Snyder

22. Ysabel

• 23. The Sweet Far Thing, Libba Bray

  24. Myst: Book of Atrus

• 25. State of Fear, by Michael Crichton

  26. London, by Edward Rutherfurd

  27. Ender's Shadow, Orson Scott Card

• 28. Bound On Earth

  29. One Perfect Day: the Selling of the American Wedding

  30. Rainbow's End

• 31. Frindle

  32. Unveiled

  33. Shattered Dreams: My Life as a Polygamist's Wife

  34. A Poisoned Season

• 35. Fire Study, Maria K Snyder

  36. Wicked Lovely

  37. Julie & Julia, Julie Powell

  38. Escape, Carolyn Jessop

  39. Penderwicks on Gardam Street

  40. Suite Scarlett, Maureen Johnson

• 41. Pushed

  42. The Invention of Hugo Cabret

  43. Farthing

  45. Bewitching Season

• 46. Bella at Midnight

  47. His Favorite Wife: Trapped in Polygamy

  48. The Luxe

  49. Blue Bloods

• 50. America' Hidden History

• 51. The Princess and the Hound

  52. Well Behaved Women Seldom Make History

  53. Masquerade

  54. Gorgeously Green

  55. Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

  56. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks

  57. I, Coriander

  58. All the Lovely Bad Ones

  59. The Eyre Affair

  60. Animal, Vegetable, Mineral

• 61. The Red Necklace, Sally Gardner

  62. Things I learned about my dad in therapy, Heather Armstrong

  63. Keeper of Dreams, Orson Scott Card

  64. Empire, Orson Scott Card

  65. The Moneypenny Diaries, Kate Westbrook

  66. Lost in a Good Book, Jasper Fforde

  67. The Well of Lost Plots, Jasper Fforde

  68. House of the Scorpion

  69. A Curse Dark As Gold

  70. Something Rotten, Jasper Fforde

  71. Thursday Next: First Among Sequels

• 72. Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict, Laurie Viera Rigler

  73. The Explosionist, Jenny Davidson

  74. The Green Glass Sea, Ellen Klages

  75. Bonk, Mary Roach

  76. Breaking Dawn, Stephenie Meyer

• 77. Out of the Wild, Sarah Beth Durst

  78. Rumors, Anna Godberson

  79. Dragon Flight, Jessica Day George

  80. The Jane Austen Handbook, Margaret Sullivan

  81. Beauty Sleep, Cameron Dokey

  82. His Majesty's Dragon, Naomi Novik

  83. Throne of Jade, Naomi Novik

  84. Black Powder War, Naomi Novik

• 85. Empire of Ivory, Naomi Novik

  86. Steal Away Home, Lois Ruby

  87. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl

  88. The Witch of Blackbird Pond

• 89. The Victory of Eagles, Naomi Novik

  90. Female Chauvinist Pigs: The Rise of Raunch Culture, Ariel Levy

  91. Eragon, Christopher Paolini

  92. Eldest, Christopher Paolini

• 93. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH

  94. Dealing with Dragons

  95. Calling on Dragons

• 96. The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood

• 97. The Other Side of the Island, Allegra Goodman

• 98. Ten Cents A Dance, Christine Fletcher

  99. Chalice, Robin McKinley

  100. Brisingr, Christopher Paolini

I think it's probably a good idea to keep a record of the hobby that takes up so much of my time.  I think I'll be doing that part next year, at least.