This all started back in 2007 when Alivicwil and I set out to read 50 books in a year. I ended up reading 54 in total.  So in 2008 I decided I would try and read 60 books.  I didn’t make it.  I again set the challenge in 2009 and once again I didn’t reach the magical number.

I love the challenge (and I love reading) so I’m determined to get to 60.  Hopefully 2010 will be the year.

Goal: In 2010 I will read 60 books throughout the year.

Here’s the list so far:

1. New Moon, Stephanie Meyer – January 2 2010
2. Eclipse, Stephanie Meyer – January 2 2010
3. Breaking Dawn, Stephanie Meyer – January 5 2010
4. Taronga, Victor Keller – January 11 2010
5. The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupery – January 13 2010
6. The Beach House, Jane Green – January 18 2010
7. What She Wants, Cathy Kelly – January 30 2010
8. Bending the Rules, Susan Andersen – February 26 2010
9. Skintight, Susan Andersen – February 28 2010
10. How to Lose an Extraterrestrial in Ten Days, Susan Grant – March 4 2010 10 completed – 50 to go
11. Vampire Academy, Richelle Mead – March 10 2010
12. Frostbite, Richelle Mead – March 12 2010
13. Shadow Kiss, Richelle Mead – March 14 2010
14. yet to be read…
15. yet to be read…
16. yet to be read…
17. yet to be read…
18. yet to be read…
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20. yet to be read… 20 completed – 40 to go
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30. yet to be read… 30 completed – 30 to go – HALF WAY THERE!
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40. yet to be read… 40 completed – 20 to go
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50. yet to be read…50 completed – 10 to go
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59. yet to be read…59 completed – 1 to go
60. yet to be read…

• that’s 60 folks!

Number of books read in a month:

7 x January

2 x February

? x March

? x April

? x May

? x June

? x July

? x August

? x September

? x October

? x November

? x December

Wonder where I find these literary masterpieces? Wonder no more…. clicky

Well with the end of 2009 it’s time to do a final count and see whether I hit my target of 60 books in 2009.  Unfortunately I managed to read 49 books instead of the 60 I was aiming for.  I seem to lose some steam towards the middle of the year and it’s been hard to get that back in the final months of the year, despite the large amount of time I spent in bed or hospital.  Oh well, it’s just given me something to aim towards in 2010.

In 2007 I set myself a challenge to read 50 books in a year. I ended up reading 54 in total.

In 2008 I set myself a challenge to read 60 books in a year. I ended up reading 50 in total.

I love the challenge and I’m determined to get to 60 so I’ve set the goal again.

Goal: In 2009 I will read 60 books in the year.

Here’s the list so far:

1. The Kitchen Witch, Annette Blair – January 14 2009
2. My Favourite Witch, Annette Blair – January 17 2009
3. An Undeniable Rogue, Annette Blair – January 22 2009
4. The Girl Most Likely To…, Susan Donovan – January 27 2009
5. Drop Dead, Gorgeous, Mary Janice Davidson – January 31 2009
6. A Veiled Deception, Annette Blair – February 1 2009
7. Slippery When Wet, Kimberly Raye – February 8 2009
8. Highlander in Her Bed, Allie McKay – February 12 2009
9. Fish Out of Water, Mary Janice Davidson – February 22 2009
10. Your Planet or Mine?, Susan Grant – February 23 200910 completed – 50 to go
11. The Dream Hunter, Sherrilyn Kenyon – February 26 2009
12. Undead and Unworthy, Mary Janice Davidson – March 5 2009
13. Slave to Sensation, Nalini Singh – March 7 2009
14. Night’s Cold Kiss, Tracel O’Hara – March 10 2009
15. Crimson City, Liz Maverick – March 16 2009
16. Fantasy Lover, Sherrilyn Kenyon – March 21 2009
17. Dragonswan, Sherrilyn Kenyon – March 22 2009 & Angel’s Pawn, Nalini Singh – March 5 2009
18. Bad Boys in Kilts, Donna Kauffman – April 2 2009
19. Real Murders, Charlaine Harris – April 4 2009
20. Night Pleasures, Sherrilyn Kenyon – April 20 200920 completed – 40 to go
21. The Big Bad Wolf Tells All, Donna Kauffman – April 20 2009
22. Night Embrace, Sherrilyn Kenyon – May 11 2009
23. Visions of Heat, Nalini Singh – May 15 2009
24. Caressed by Ice, Nalini Singh – May 25 2009
25. Mine to Possess, Nalini Singh – May 29 2009
26. Hostage to Pleasure, Nalini Singh – June 1 2009
27. Angel’s Blood, Nalini Singh – June 7 2009
28. My Favourite Earthling, Susan Grant – June 9 2009
29. Dance with the Devil, Sherrilyn Kenyon – July 25 2009
30. Kiss of the Night, Sherrilyn Kenyon – July 29 200930 completed – 30 to go – HALF WAY THERE!
31. Night Play, Sherrilyn Kenyon – August 2 2009
32. Seize the Night, Sherrilyn Kenyon – August 14 2009
33. Sins of the Night, Sherrilyn Kenyon – August 28 2009
34. Acheron, Sherrilyn Kenyon – September 12 2009
35. Twilight, Stephanie Meyers – September 16 2009
36. Sucker for Love, Kimberly Raye – September 18 2009
37. Branded by Fire, Nalini Singh – September 22 2009
38. Devil May Cry, Sherrilyn Kenyon – October 4 2009
39. Stuck, Elisabeth Rose – October 27 2009
40. Friday Night Knitting Club, Kate Jacobs – October 28 200940 completed – 20 to go
41. The Time Travelers Wife, Audrey Niffenegger – November 12 2009
42. Fanged & Fabulous, Michelle Rowan – November 15 2009
43. The Memory Keepers Daughter, Kim Edwards – November 22 2009
44. Dream Chaser, Sherrilyn Kenyon – December 1 2009
45. Dark Side of the Moon, Sherrilyn Kenyon – December 7 2009
46. The Wife’s Tale, Lori Lansens – December 9 2009
47. Upon the Midnight Clear, Sherrilyn Kenyon – December 10 2009
48. Under the Dome, Stephen King – December 26 2009
49. Blaze of Memory, Nalini Singh – December 29 2009
50. yet to be read…50 completed – 10 to go
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59. yet to be read…59 completed – 1 to go
60. yet to be read…

• that’s 60 folks!

Number of books read in a month:

5 x January

6 x February

6 x March

4 x April

4 x May

3 x June

2 x July

3 x August

4 x September

3 x October

3 x November

6 x December

Wonder where I find these literary masterpieces? Wonder no more…. clicky

A few weeks ago we finally took delivery of the shelving we ordered from Ikea and had delivered by Bring It Home.  The lads from Bring It Home were awesome.  Kept us in the loop about delivery times, moved all of the packages into the house for us and were just really lovely lads.  When they delivered the shelving they laugh and said “That’ll keep you busy for the next few weeks.”  To which I cavalierly replied “Not likely, they’ll be up by the end of the day!”  It was 4:00pm.

I was true to my word though, by 9pm that night we had everything built, installed and stacked with our stuff bar the one Billy that wouldn’t fit.  (My measurements were out by 6cm.  Whoops!)

I’ve been waiting for a sunny day to take some pictures of the completed project for posting, but I’ve come to the conclusion that the lounge will never be flooded with sunshine so I’d best just take the photos and be done with it.  (Plus I was inspired by the topic post at Meet Me at Mikes) So today I took some happy snaps.  I apologise for the quality, I really need to invest in a tripod because the natural light would have been good enough but I’m too shaky.  So here they are.

This is the view from our front door.   This is the view that I love to come home to.  That brown blur is George.  If you’re wondering why we have the bottom couple of shelves empty, do you see that brown blur – that’s George, she likes to chew and she especially loves to chew books.  The side with the board games is non-fiction.  All the “boring” books.  The picture beside the court jester rabbit is the 100+ year old map of Cambridge that I purchased while I was in London last year.  If you look closely you can see the first soft toy I’ve ever made adorning the Lonely Planet and Dictionary shelf.

HUBBY’s massive television has pride of place.  I’m ashamed to say it but we only ordered four of the Benno DVD shelves and they’re completely full.  We could probably do with two more and then we could probably do with stopping buying DVDs.    The two framed prints above the television are from Yumi Yumi – they are this and this.  Both are stunning and they never fail to get noticed.  I also have two Zukzuk prints, this and this, off to the side of the games shelf.  They greet guests as they come in and bring a smile to my face every time I see them.   (And they’re made by an Aussie!!! Ok, she’s a Kiwi, but in the true spirit of ANZAC I shall claim her just like we did Russell Crowe and Crowded House!)

On the other side of the television is “fiction”.

These shelves hold some of my favourite treasures.  There’s my rubber duck collection.  One day the shall go all the way across the top.  There’s my little sock monkey from Maribel Made, Ali Star.  There’s the gnome my Mum gave me when I was in Mount Isa – he’s hand made and he’s a miner!  There’s my Andrea Joseph print which I adore.  There’s my gnome from Brooklyn Rehab.  All the books I love to read and have read as part of my yearly reading challenge.  There’s my collection of vintage purple bottles.  My Belle and Boo print which makes my heart swell.  The little Bambi figurine that I found on a trip to Braidwood.  My tie died piggy bank.  There’s a photo with HUBBY and his mother who passed away last year.  There’s a photo of us together from our wedding.  HEAPS of things.  It gives me so much pleasure to have them all out on display.  Just little bits and pieces of our lives together.

There’s also this….

IT’S A MOOSE!!! Miss Alivicwil brought him back from Canada for me.  I love him!  He makes me giggle on the inside every time I see him.  Did I mention, IT’S A MOOSE!!!

So that’s the shelving situation in our house.  One of these days I’ll take better photos of all the little collections of things that we have going on.  It’ll have to be once I get a tripod though…

I’ve been at home for the past week dealing with some health issues. To keep my mind off things that are going on I’ve been doing some little bits and pieces around the house.  I thought you might like to know what keeps me out of trouble, so here’s a top five list of things to do when you find yourself with some unexpected free time on your hands.

1. Craft – One of my 101 in 1001 tasks is to finish all the cross-stitch that I currently have in the house either half done or not started.  So I’ve spent the last few days working on the Antique Linen Rose Sampler from DMC.  I love this pattern as it appeals to the old fashion streak I have and I dream of it being one of those things that gets passed down the family line.  The only thing I have discovered is that counted cross-stitch probably isn’t that great a thing to do when you’re under the influence of a lot of pain medication.  Needless to say I’ve had to unpick a fair chunk of work that I did yesterday as I’d managed to get the stitching out of alignment.  Whoops!

2. Cooking – I had the biggest craving for potato bake on Thursday, so HUBBY was wonderful enough to take me to Woolworths so I could do some shopping for ingriedents.  I found a potato bake recipe on Exclusively Food.  It’s really simple, which appeals to my current state of mind and delicious which appeals to my tummy!  (Images from Exclusively Food.)

3. Reading – I picked up a copy of The Time Traveler’s Wife and I’ve been slowly knocking it over.  It’s not something I would normally pick up to read, but I’ve had a lot of people recommend it so I thought, “what they heck try something new”.  I’ll finish it, but I don’t think it will be in my top five books of all time.

4.  Movies – The obvious boredom buster – movies!  I loaded up on painkillers and met a friend to see Julie & Julia on “Family and Community Day”.  (It’s the ACT’s holiday for the Melbourne Cup.)  I had previously tried and failed to read the book.  The movie was much better than the book.  I really empathized with both characters, for surprisingly different reasons.  Of course the movie made me long for being able to cook and to live in Paris.

5.  Blogsites -  I’ve been so grateful to all the wonderful people out there on the internet that devote their time to maintaining blogs.  I’ve spent hours surfing the internet and daydreaming about all the amazing homes, places, projects and humorous things that are out there in the world.  If you’re looking for somewhere to start just check out my links on the right hand side of the site.  I highly recommend them all!

In 2007 I set myself a challenge to read 50 books in a year. I ended up reading 54 in total. I loved the challenge so much I decided to repeat it. In 2008 I set myself the challenge of reading 60 books. I managed to read 50 books in the year, which I’m happy with, so I’ve reset the challenge to read 60 in 2009.

Here’s the 2008 list:

1. dead sexy kathy lette. 1 January 2008
2. swimming without a net mary janice davidson. 5 January 2008
3. forget about it caprice crane. 11 January 2008
4. high stakes erin mccarthy. 16 January 2008
5. bit the jackpot erin mccarthy. 18 January 2008
6. bled dry erin mccarthy. 21 January 2008
7. date me, baby, one more time stephanie rowe. 30 January 2008
8. must love dragons stephanie rowe. 3 February 2008
9. he loves me, he loves me hot stephanie rowe. 7 February 2008
10. sex & the immortal bad boy stephanie rowe. 19 February 2008
11. heiress for hire erin mccarthy. 28 February 2008
12. the last of the red-hot vampires katie macalister. 13 March 2008
13. spirited away cindy miles. 27 March 2008
14. the corset diaries katie macalister. 28 March 2008
15. hard day’s knight katie macalister. 31 March 2008
16. blow me down katie macalister. 9 April 2008
17. sex and the psychic witch annette blair. 11 April 2008
18. the scot, the witch and the wardrobe annette blair. 20 April 2008
19. a date with the other side erin mccarthy. 22 April 2008
20. the unfortunate miss fortunes jennifer crusie, eileen dreyer, anne stuart. 1 May 2008
    
21. be my baby susan andersen. 2 May 2008
22. baby don’t go susan andersen. 6 May 2008
23. playing with fire katie macalister. 10 May 2008
24. my immortal erin mccarthy. 14 May 2008
25. lady & the vamp michelle rowen. ?? June 2008
26. bitten & smitten michelle rowen. ?? June 2008
27. kiss me once, kiss me twice kimberly raye. 15 July 2008
28. sometimes naughty, sometimes nice kimberly raye. 24 July 2008
29. head over heels susan andersen. 2 August 2008
30. getting lucky susan andersen. 2 August 2008
    
31. hot and bothered susan andersen. 18 August 2008
32. coming undone susan andersen. 24 August 2008
33. real vampires have curves gerry bartlett. 31 August 2008
34. real vampires live large gerry bartlett. 2 September 2008
35. the kept woman susan donovan. 7 September 2008
36. i’m in no mood for love rachel gibson. 9 September 2008
37. just one bite kimberly raye. 13 September 2008
38. the accidental demon slayer angie fox. 17 September 2008
39. knock me off my feet susan donovan. 25 September 2008
40. sweet as sugar; hot as spice kimberly raye. 30 September 2008
    
41. mounting desire nina killham. 5 October 2008 (Wouldn’t recommend it!)
42. gone with the witch annette blair. 9 October 2008
43. up in smoke katie macalister. 14 October 2008
44. all together dead charlaine harris. 20 October 2008
45. from dead to worse charlaine harris. 24 October 2008
46. public display of affection susan donovan. 27 October 2008
47. take a chance on me susan donovan. 1 November 2008
48. cutting loose susan andersen. 22 November 2008
49. just for kicks susan andersen. 1 December 2008
50. all shook up susan andersen. 22 December 2008

Number of books read in a month:

• 7 x January
• 4 x February
• 4 x March
• 4 x April
• 5 x May
• 2 x June
• 2 x July
• 5 x August
• 7 x September
• 6 x October
• 2 x November
• 2 x December

Wonder where I find these literary masterpieces? Wonder no more…. clicky

In 2007 I have set myself the challenge to read 50 books.  This is the list of the books I read:

1. the fourth bear jasper fforde. 21 january 2007
2. serendipity melanie la’brooy. 10 february 2007
3. blind submission debra ginsberg. 21 february 2007
4. getting rid of matthew jane fallon. 28 february 2007
5. the undomestic goddess sophie kinsella. 8 march 2007
6. the infertility handbook: a guide to making babies jacqueline tomlins 30 march 2007
7. confessions of a shopaholic sophie kinsella 31 march 2007
8. shopaholic abroad sophie kinsella 29 april 2007
9. shopaholic ties the knot sophie kinsella 29 april 2007
10. shopaholic & sister sophie kinsella 29 april 2007
11. shopaholic & baby sophie kinsella 11 may 2007
12. fashionistas lynn messina 6 june 2007
13. summer psychic jessica adams 15 june 2007
14. never have your dog stuffed alan alda 6 july 2007
15. the gatecrasher madeleine wickham 13 july 2007
16. cocktails for three madeleine wickham 16 july 2007
17. for one more day mitch albom 17 july 2007
18. hex and the single girl valerie frankel 3 august 2007
19. daisy’s back in town rachel gibson 9 august 2007
20. singletini amanda trimble 11 august 2007
21. getting pregnant: the complete guide to fertility and infertility professor robert winston 23 august 2007
22. the men’s guide to the woman’s bathroom jo barret 7 september 2007
23. pick me up zoe rice 10 september 2007
24. sleeping with the fishes mary janice davidson 12 september 2007
25. decent exposure phillipa ashley 14 september 2007
26. aphrodite’s kiss julie kenner 29 september 2007
27. aphrodite’s passion julie kenner 3 october 2007
28. dead end dating kimberly raye 8 october 2007
29. dead and dateless kimberly raye 10 october 2007
30. tangled up in you rachel gibson 12 october 2007
31. sex, lies and online dating rachel gibson 12 october 2007
32. your coffin or mine? kimberly raye 25 october 2007
33. undead and unpopular mary janice davidson 25 october 2007
34. first among sequels jasper fforde. 26 october 2007
35. simply irresistable rachel gibson 29 october 2007
36. garden spells sarah addison allen 2 november 2007
37. undead and uneasy mary janice davidson 3 november 2007
38. dead until dark charlaine harris 6 november 2007
39. living dead in dallas charlaine harris 14 november 2007
40. club dead charlaine harris 17 november 2007
41. dead to the world charlaine harris 20 november 2007
42. dead as a doornail charlaine harris 25 november 2007
43. spirit willing; flesh weak julie cohen 26 november 2007
44. second chance jane green 2 december 2007
45. you slay me katie macalister 4 december 2007
46. fire me up katie macalister 4 december 2007
47. light my fire katie macalister 6 december 2007
48. holy smoke katie macalister 7 december 2007
49. wish you were here phillipa ashley 11 december 2007
50. definitely dead charlaine harris 13 december 2007
51. grave sight charlaine harris 16 december 2007
52. grave surprise charlaine harris 21 december 2007
53. confessions of an air hostess marisa mackle 24 december 2007
54. he loves lucy susan donovan 30 december 2007

Number of books read in a month:

• 1 x january
• 3 x february
• 3 x march
• 3 x april
• 1 x may
• 2 x june
• 4 x july
• 4 x august
• 5 x september
• 9 x october
• 8 x november
• 11 x december

Ever wondered where I find these literary masterpieces? Wonder no more…. clicky