2009: The Sunday Salon – The been-a-while Edition

I started writing this post on Wednesday, because if I try to put off all my thoughts until Sunday, it just never gets written!

Challenges update

Now that we’ve hit the mid-point of the year, I realized that I needed to weed out some of my challenges.  Here’s what’s going on with them:

• The Naming Conventions Challenge – My deadline for this actually passed back in February, and I continue to hover at 80% completed.  So it’s time to call this one done.
• Book Awards II Challenge – This one finished June 1, and I only got 4 of the 10 read, and I have too many review books to read to expect that I’m going to get to the other 6 anytime soon.  Another one done.
• Spring Reading Thing 2009 – I’m a little torn about this one.  Technically, I’ve read more than enough books to read my goal for this challenge, but I haven’t read the specific books I picked out. So, do I substitute? I don’t know that it’s really in the spirit of the challenge.
• The Countdown Challenge – I’m right on track here! I only have three books left, and I have until September to read them.
• The Genre Challenge – 2 books and about 4 months left.  No problem!
• 9 for 09 Challenge – I’ve probably technically completed this one, I just need to decide what books to assign to the last three categories.
• 100+ Reading Challenge, 1st in a Series Challenge, 2nds Challenge , The 999 Challenge, A-Z 2009 Challenge, Read Your Own Books Challenge, Support Your Local Library Challenge & What’s in a Name Challenge  – On track!
• 2009 ARC Reading Challenge, 2009 Audiobook Challenge, 2009 eBook Challenge & 2009 Pub Challenge – All finished! I just need to write my wrap-up posts.
• Daring Book Challenge – I’ve found that I’ve grown kinda bored with this one.  I’ve enjoyed going back and reading these great children’s books, but I’m just not going to get them all read.  I’m removing this from the active challenge list, but I’ll probably continue to pick up one of these books from time to time. 

Did not finishes

Unusually, I had a couple of books I didn’t finish recently.  It’s not very often that I give one up, but it’s getting easier and easier as my TBR pile grows.  The first book I didn’t finish was Jacob by Jacquelyn Frank. The ebook had been languishing on my phone for more than a couple of weeks, and I just wasn’t getting into it. It’s the first book in a series, but there’s a lot of stuff in the first couple of chapters that made me feel like I was missing a lot of back story. So, that’s one paranormal series I won’t be pursuing.

The second book I didn’t finish was Playing Dead by Allison Brennan.  I went into this book knowing it was the third of a trilogy and I would probably be missing some back story, so I tried to cut it a little more slack.  But Brennan just doesn’t work for me.  I find her leading ladies to be cold and unemotional and I just can’t connect with them.  I gave a very lukewarm review to the first in her Prey series, so I think this is my last shot at reading her.

Reading overload

Have I mentioned that I’m trying to read 6 or 7 books at the same time?  I think I’m really losing my mind.  I’ve got my regular 3 read rotation… book-phone-audio… but in addition to those I’m trying to squeeze in On Writing, Doomed Queens (I’m reading a couple of queens a night before bed), and The Ultimate Weight Loss Solution (yes, Dr. Phil).  Oh yeah, and Plot & Structure. It’s all a leeeeeeeeetle bit much.  I need fewer hobbies.