Challenge Review

Well, the month of October has gone bye-bye, and in just a couple of months 2009 will be history, too. So I think it's time to take a brief look at all the reading challenges I'm still trying to finish this year, and admit defeat in a couple of them. It's boring, I know, but I love list-making, so . . . .

• First of all, the R.I.P. IV Challenge ended October 31. I did manage to complete that one, but haven't written my wrap-up post yet. Will try to get that done later tonight, or tomorrow. So at least that's one successful closure.


• I'm just one book away from wrapping up the Lost in Translation Challenge, so I think I'll be able to complete that one – although I still haven't decided on what that last book will be. Milan Kundera's Ignorance is high on my list of possibilities. Or maybe Italo Calvino's If on a winter's night a traveler. Both of those are pretty short works – definitely something to consider, this late in the game.
  
  
• And for J. Kaye's 2nds Challenge 2009 (which ends December 31), I just have to finish one of two of the several books I've got going at the moment – either Homer & Langley by E.L. Doctorow, or The Inn at Lake Devine by Elinor Lipman. That will give me my twelve books. I don't really expect any problems there.
  



• Another of J. Kaye's challenges, the two-year-long Suspense-Thriller Challenge, also ends in December, and I've managed to read all twelve of the books I needed. (Although I had to cheat just a bit – didn't actually read six in 2008 and six in 2009, as planned.) Haven't written the wrap-up for that one either, but it's in the works.



• The 42 (Sci-Fi) Challenge, hosted by Becky's Book Reviews, also ends in December. And although I haven't been keeping really close track of all the books/films/TV shows I've read/watched during the year, I'm pretty sure I'll have my list of 42 by December.

But now the bad news.

• It looks pretty obvious that I'm not going to finish the Romance Reading Challenge. Actually, when I signed up for that one, I had doubts about whether I'd ever make it to the end. So far, I've only read one book that really qualifies as romance – Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence. I suppose it's still possible I might get another romance novel read before year's end, but certainly not the four I'd need to complete the challenge. I'm not declaring defeat just yet, but it's probably coming soon.


• And then there's the Herding Cats II Challenge (or non-challenge, since the rules state "read or not"!) – another one that I'm clearly not going to finish because I haven't even begun it yet. Not the fault of the challenge itself – it's a great idea. Just sloth and forgetfulness on my part. (Shame on me!)

So, besides the November Novella Challenge (which only runs through this month), I think that's just about it. I do still have two other challenges going, but they both continue on into the new year, and I'll report on those a little later. But at the moment, I'm afraid it doesn't look good, folks. Still, I love reading challenges – even the ones I don't manage to complete. Even the ones I don't manage to start! So I'll undoubtedly be signing up for more in 2010.