So...how are you doing?  Linda just reported that she has FINISHED all four challenges!  Amazing!  I am doing not so good.  Overall, I've read only about half as many books this year as I had this time last year.  I've just had a busy life this year! So I've read I think 5 for It's About Time and 3 for It's Up to You and nothing for the other two. I think I will create a new achievement just for me....The Under Achiever - Most Challenges Started by a Challenge Leader and Not Finished!  LOL!

Out of the 37 books on my list for the challenges, I have finished 11 so that puts me at roughly 30%.  I had every intention of being much farther than that but have been contacted for review requests for my blog much more frequently than I had anticipated.  That coupled with the fact that I keep choosing to read doorstoppers like The Passage and the Count of Monte Cristo have slowed me down to a snails pace for completing the challenge.

Of the 11 I have read, 10 of them I have really enjoyed.  My evil plan is to read through all my review books in the next 3 weeks and then spend the rest of the summer working on challenge books.

Hope everyone else is kicking butt!  At least I am making progress on this challenge.  I don't even want to talk about the Biggest Loser Challenge.......

Geez, I'm not doing so hot either! It's already the half-way point? How did it get to June already? LOL!

*sigh* Out of the 17 books total for the two challenges I chose, I've read just 6 of them. I just need to stay off the dang internet in my spare time and maybe I'd get more reading done! :)

I have read 27 out of 33 books read.   But I added and extra 12  for the it's all relative category  I have 4 of the new 12 read.  So I have 14 books to finish.

I went into this with no real plans to finish, if I found a book I was reading that fit, great, but I didn't want to force myself into a book I didn't want to read just to fill a category. That said, I've only got these left to fill,

In the Name of Love

This Means War

On this Day in History 

Deflowering 

500 BC - 0 BC

0 AD - 500 AD 

I used old OOP books on Amazon with no reviews for my relative category and stopped counting after the required six, I didn't realize we could do more than six. I suspect I could add to that list. I have one book that will fit the 500-0 BC category, but nothing yet on the authors. I have little hope for finding anything centered around my birthdate

I've finished 15 books, and am currently reading the last book in the Time Traveler section (1900's).  

I honestly am peeved with how little I've read so far this year....

I just crossed the 50 books read for the year mark, but clearly that wasn't all Historical Fiction.  I've completed Challenge #3, and am working (slowly) through the Time Traveler and Six on one topic. 

I honestly am peeved with how little I've read so far this year....

I feel the same way, Carolyn.  I've just been so dang busy!  Can't all these people just go away and leave me alone?!?!?!

I'm not as far along as I expected to be.  I’ve read fewer books overall and fewer challenge books than I expected.  I’m only at 41 books, total, and 24 for the challenge.  I have 39 books in my challenge (I added Antarctica) and I expected to be in the home stretch by now. A lot of doorstoppers, which slow things down. 

I’ve finished the “It’s all Relative” challenge with 6 Rosemary Sutcliff books (adore her!)  I’ve got the 1600-1700s category left in “It’s About Time” but my selection is another doorstopper (Through a Glass Darkly) and I haven’t been up for it.  I’m about half done with “It’s Your Choice”.  I’m reading “I, Claudius” now for the literary selection.  I haven’t started the Around the World in 80 Days, because it’s got doorstoppers, too, and once I start it, I’m going to go right through it.

We're heading off for vacation in a couple days, so hopefully I'll have a bit of time to read.  But probably less than usual without that commute time.  But we'll probably finish (reading aloud) A Clash of Kings.  Finally. 

Hi, guys!  I'm not doing so well either.  I started off fully intending to finish all the challenges but was realistic and was going for a silver medal as I knew I'd have to have some overlap.  Well, add me to the Under Achiever list, Christa!  I did finish the It's A Small World Challenge, but I'm not really doing anything with the others.  I mean I haven't read a lot, and I could probably fit the books I've read into some of the other categories, but I doubt I will.  I'll never finish anyway.  LOL!  With my other hobbies, reading has been relegated to only being done for 30-45 min. or so in the evening right before bed.  Gone are the days of reading in the car, reading on my lunch break, etc.  Now I KNIT!  LOL!  If summer every really FULLY arrives in MN, though, I'll be reading while I lay in the sun, so maybe I'll pick up the pace. Somehow sitting on a raft in the lake, slathered in tanning oil doesn't seem like ideal knitting conditions.  LOL!  Congrats to you guys who are kicking a$$ with this though!  Maybe next year I'll get off my duff and fully participate.

Well, let's see....Of the 38 books, I've finished 27.  

#1 It's about time: 4 of 11 (but they are in chronological order, so I haven't screwed up the Time Traveler achievement)

#2 It's a small world: 6/6 (Yeehaw) and I did it in 80 days.

#3 It's up to you:  12/15 (I'm doing all 12 categories for the Over Achiever, and I did finish the Follow the Leader achievement)

#4 It's all relative:  5/6 (Elizabeth Chadwick novels..such a hardship!)

Christa, you did a great job on this challenge!  Thank you for making me read from my TBR pile!  

ETA: I've read a total of 73 books so far, and only 27 for the challenge.  Here I thought I was reading nothing BUT challenge books..LOL

I was going along pretty well - had completed 20 out of 31 books by the end of May - then I got onto a science fiction/fantasy kick and my HF challenge reading has come to a screeching halt!  I hope to get back to it as soon as I read two more Jo Walton books and an Asimov trilogy. 

I think I am doing pretty well for the mid-point of the year:

Challenge 1  It's About Time  8/11

Haven't read these in order so the Time Traveler award doesn't apply

Challenge 2   It's a Small World 3/6  No Around the World in 80 Days award here either

Challenge 3  It's Up to You   I am doing all 12 plus the 4 Trendsetter choices so with 16 total I have  8/16

Challenge 4 It's All Relative  This one I completed on 4/27/11 so it is my first completed challenge of this year

Well.

21 books to read total across all of the Challenges I chose; 12 read. Barely half. 

Of the remaining ones I have to read, several I do not possess yet--they are either WL'd and I am creeeeeeeppppping up the line or they duplicate reads my IRL book group will be reading later in the year and so I will wait to read them along w/ that group.

I have completed Challenge #4, reading all Pippa Gregory books for the It's all Relative challenge, and I believe I have also earned the Extreme Explorere award for reading The Birthday Boys about Antarctica...but I am confused if one just has to read a book about Antarctica to earn that challenge or if one has to read a book about all the other continents as well to earn it. Challenge #3, It's Up to You, is the remaining challenge I am working on, along w/ the Trendseter Achievement Award.

So, I guess at the half year mark, I am on pace.

Just putzing along here. I opted to do 2 challenges - 3 and 4. I've more than completed challenge #4 and working slowly on the other. Too many books to read that intrigue me and that don't fit into the challenge.....

I opted not to do the challenges this year -- and I am succeeding marvelously!!

I feel the same way, Carolyn.  I've just been so dang busy!  Can't all these people just go away and leave me alone?!?!?!

Christa - 

My solution  - go on strike!  

I started out the year doing pretty good, finished Challenge #1 and the Time Traveler achievement by the end of March. But then I moved on to a lot of mysteries and non challenge books. I have 14 books left to finish the challenge so I'm pretty sure I'll be done by the end of the year, just have to make sure I get some challenge books in every so often.

With 19 read & 19 left to go, I'm 50%! I thought I would have more accomplished by this time, but at least I do feel confident that I will be able to complete all the challenges I set for myself (going for the Gold) by the end of the year.

I echo someone else's remarks - hats off to Christa. While there have been moments when I have (momentarily) rebelled at needing to stick with a reading plan, these challenges have moved some books off my TBR and there has been enough flexibility among the challenges that I am able to skip around quite a bit depending on the mood or whim at the time.

Of the 19 books I've read so far, only two have been disappointments - Tears of the Pearl by Tasha Alexander (and 'disappointed' isn't a strong enough word by a da*n sight) and Antony & Cleopatra by Colleen McCullough. The rest have been very worth my time. 

Kelly P

I've read 16 books and need to read 19 to complete the challenge. I got sidetracked last month and read a 1500 page classic and a fantasy series with the kids. If I don't get my read on I'm going to be relegated to the Under Achiever status. 

My only true disappointment so far has been The New From Paraguay.

Sharla - I'm a Sutcliff fan also :-)

Linda - Congrats on that fast finish!

Christa - I'm with you on the Underachiever award.

I finished #2 and have 1/2 of #4 done.

Those were the two I signed up for, but I added the other two just to see what I could get done.  Only 3 books on #3 and a big fat ZERO for #1.

I have faith though that I'll at least get about 5 more read by the end of the year.  That's my goal at least! :D

I signed up to read 16 books, and have finished 11 of them.  My biggest achievement, though, was finishing my "Play it Again Sam" book (War and Peace) -- I thought that book would NEVER end!  I ended up ordering so many books based on the authors and titles I saw on this discussion board that I might add the "It's all Relative" challenge to the two I signed up for earlier this year.

I am completely on track -- signed up for zero challenges and have succeeded at zero challenges.

Good for you Deb! lol!