Challenge Report 2014

On this the eve of the final day of 2014, I come to you, my readers, in abject humility because I have roundly failed most of my reading challenges for the year. Here is how I stand:

Book to Movie Challenge

After successfully reading six books and watching their film adaptations in 2013, I leveled up for 2014 and signed on to read nine books and watch their corresponding movies.

1. Argo based on the memoir by Antonio Mendez

2. The Pillars of the Earth miniseries based on the novel by Ken Follett

3. Saving Mr. Banks based on the biography Mary Poppins, She Wrote by Valerie Lawson

As you can see, that is only three of nine. To be fair, did also read The Fault in Our Stars and Divergent and watch the films, but since I never reviewed them, I can’t take any challenge credit for those titles.

3/9=33%

The Eclectic Reader Challenge

In 2014 I once again signed up for this challenge, which I successfully completed in 2013. The goal is to read one book from each of twelve genre categories. Here’s what I read:

1. True Crime – Tinseltown by William J. Mann

2. Graphic Novel – Marbles by Ellen Forney

3. Published in 2014 – Blues for Zoey by Robert Paul Weston

I did not read any: Award Winning, Romantic Comedy, Alternate History, Cozy Mystery, Gothic, War/Military, Anthology, Medical Thriller or Travel books to fulfill the other nine categories.

3/12=25%

TBR Pile Challenge

Heady from my success at completing all my challenges in 2013, I decided to add a new challenge to my schedule. The purpose of the TBR Pile Challenge is to catch up on those books that have been sitting on your shelf unread for at least a year. Here’s what I read:

1. Adaptation by Malinda Lo

2. Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Yes, that’s it. Only two of  the twelve I signed up for. Shameful, I know. To be fair, I started Alif the Unseen, but just couldn’t get into it. And, as noted above, while I read The Fault in Our Stars, I can’t take any challenge credit for it because I didn’t write a review.

2/12=17%

2014 Goodreads Challenge

None of the above failures are in any way due to reading less this year. Indeed, I met and exceeded my goal of reading 125 books, finally clocking in at 130. Still, I can take some small comfort in having at least succeeded at one of my four challenges.

130/125=104%

OVERALL SCORE: 45% (Wow that 104% really skews the numbers!)

Tune in on Thursday, when I will unveil my much humbler reading resolutions for 2015. How did you do on your 2014 reading challenges?