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In 2015, I finished a 24 book challenge with hours to spare. It was not the number of books that made the challenge difficult, for I read a grand total of 71 books last year, but rather the focus a predetermined reading list required.

This same Hey, look! There's a book I just have to read! attitude also wreaks havoc with my To-Be-Read list. It is impossibly long, 471 titles, therefore I now am taking my attention deficit into consideration and only adding one predetermined title after successfully finishing an earlier one. In order to eliminate acquisition issues, however, I am listing my first month of established choices.

It is my sincerest hope that a bigger challenge will help to improve my focus and tame my TBR list. We shall see!

THE 2016 LIST

50/52 TASKS COMPLETED

� 1. A book you meant to read in 2015, but didn't

Tenth of December

�2. A book set in a different continent

The Tin Drum

âœ� 3. A book from the Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ Choice Awards 2015 (winner or nominated)

Welcome to Night Vale

� 4. A book by an author you discovered in 2015

The Philosopher Kings

� 5. A book with a title beginning with the 1st letter of your name

American Psycho

�6. The highest rated on your TBR

The Way of Kings

�7. A book about books

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry

� 8. A classic book with less than 200 pages

The Prince and Other Writings

� 9. A book that was mentioned in another book

Orsinian Tales

� 10. A book by an author you feel you should have read by now

Faust

� 11. A book from the Rory Gilmore challenge

A Confederacy of Dunces

� 12. A childhood classic

The Book of Three

� 13. Reader’s Choice

The Rook

� 14. A book with one of the five W’s -or H in the title (Who/What/Where/When/Why/How)

What the Dog Knows: The Science and Wonder of Working Dogs

� 15. A book set in the past (more than 100 years ago)

Eugene Onegin: A Novel in Verse

� 16. A book from the top 100 mystery novels

Red Dragon

� 17. A book with a beautiful cover

Furthermore

� 18. A book on a summer/beach reading list

The Loney

� 19. A non-fiction book

Between You & Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen

� 20. A book with a first name in the title

Riddley Walker

âœ� 21. A book from the Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ Recommendations page

Death: A Life

� 22. The first book in a new to you series

A Darker Shade of Magic

� 23. The next book in a series you are reading

Golden Son

� 24. A "between the numbers" book of a series (0.5, 1,5, 2.5, etc.)

The Ring of Solomon

� 25. A book whose main character is in a profession that interests you

The Bone Collector

� 26. A book everyone is talking about

Fates and Furies

� 27. A book with a beautiful title (in your own opinion)

The Dust That Falls from Dreams

� 28. A biography, autobiography, or memoir

Lab Girl

� 29. A book by an author who writes under more than one name

The Chronicles of Clovis (The Works of "Saki"

� 30. A fairytale from a culture other than your own

The Glass Mountain: Tales from Poland

� 31. A work of young adult fiction

The Raven Boys

� 32. A historical fiction book

The Moor's Account

33. The 16th book on your TBR
Children of Earth and Sky

� 34. A book about mental illness

The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry

� 35. An award winning book

The Sympathizer

� 36. An identity book - a book about a different culture, religion or sexual orientation

Homegoing

� 37. A book that you've seen the movie of but haven't read

The Princess Bride

� 38. A book about an antihero

Elric of Melniboné

� 39. A previous suggestion that did not make it into the list
(21. A book with an element in the title)

City on Fire

� 40. A novella from your favorite genre

The Alchemist

� 41. A book about a major world event (fiction or non-fiction)

When the Dancing Stopped: The Real Story of the Morro Castle Disaster and Its Deadly Wake

42. A top 100 fantasy novel
Pawn of Prophecy

� 43. A book about a thing that goes bump in the night

This Book Is Full of Spiders: Seriously, Dude, Don't Touch It

� 44. A book you're embarrassed to read in public

The Practical Pyromaniac: Build Fire Tornadoes, One-Candlepower Engines, Great Balls of Fire, and More Incendiary Devices

� 45. A book related to a hobby or passion you have

Pennsylvania Getting Started Garden Guide: Grow the Best Flowers, Shrubs, Trees, Vines & Groundcovers

� 46. A crime story

The Girl on the Train

� 47. A book with a type of food/drink in the title

Thyme of Death

� 48. A dystopia

Ready Player One

� 49. A book with a great opening line

The Stranger

� 50. A book originally written in a language other than English

The Island of the Day Before

� 51. A short story from a well-known author

The Happy Prince and Other Tales

� 52. A book published in 2016

A Doubter's Almanac

So much for good intentions! I could not stick to my read one/add one regimen, and my TBR list is growing!

On a more positive note, I finished choosing my challenge selections and enjoyed the ones read so far. Perhaps the larger challenge will increase the total number of books that I read in 2016!

So close! Unexpected life events stalled my reading during the last third of 2016, so I did not finish the challenge within the year. I do plan to complete the list and hope to do so by February.

I have not peeked at the final 2017 challenge yet, and the suspense is killing me :)

Maybe you can use your last books also for the 2017 list? :)

I feel like it's beyond cheating, Zaz, but since I only finished with 30 some books I am also using them in both challenges. Obviously the 2016 one, unofficially lol

Hopefully I can do better this year and keep on track even when my life goes crazy.

You did a great job here though! You only missed a few!

Zaz, I might just do that! I did, however, recently "receive" many new books, so I have quite a selection to add to the 2017 list. (Many of my holiday gift purchases were books, and I kind of gifted myself nearly as frequently as I gifted others. Whoops. It was a crazy year.)

Amy, we can do it!