Thursday, January 1, 2015

New Years Resolution’s

I am not going to make any resolutions about getting fit or eating healthier because, though we are doing that anyway, I don’t want to set myself up for failure. If I eat cake for Jared’s birthday in 4 weeks, I don’t want to feel guilty about it. So rather than restricting myself from something, I am challenging myself instead. Last years recipe challenge was fun and helpful for our family. This year I want to come up with more original recipes so I am going to attempt 1 a month. 12 original recipes sounds easy until I actually start thinking about it. I will need to stretch my imagination and be more adventurous but I think that is exactly what I need. It would be really easy for me to get back into a cooking slump after last year. Look for new blog posts chronicling my adventures in cooking.
Along with cooking, I love reading! It is another area that I tend to get very narrow minded about so this next challenge will help me expand my horizons.
This is a list of 52 books (50 categories, but one of the categories is a trilogy) to be read over the next 52 weeks. My Mom and I are attempting this challenge.

 
Here's the list and the books I have chosen:
• A book with more than 500 pages—Eragon by Christopher Paolini
• A classic romance—Emily of New Moon by L. M. Montgomery
• A book that became a movie—The Princess Bride by William Goldman
• A book published this year—Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
• A book with a number in the title—1984 by George Orwell
• A book written by someone under 30—The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon
• A book with nonhuman characters—Stardust by Neil Gaiman
• A funny book—Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
• A book by a female author—The Kings Curse by Phillippa Gregory
• A mystery or thriller—California Scheming by Kate George
• A book with a one-word title—Katherine by Anya Seton
• A book of short stories—A Few Quick Ones by PG Wodehouse
• A book set in a different country—People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
• A nonfiction book—The Wilder Life by Wendy McClure
• A popular author’s first book—The Thomas Berryman Number by James Patterson
• A book from an author you love that you haven’t read yet—Cuckoos Calling by JK Rowling under a pseudonym
• A book a friend recommended—Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
• A Pulitzer Price-winning book—Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
• A book based on a true story—The Second Empress by Michelle Moran
• A book at the bottom of your to-read list—On A Pale Horse by Piers Anthony
• A book your mom loves—Persuasion by Jane Austen
• A book that scares you--The Stand by Stephen King
• A book more than 100 years old—Little Women by Louisa Mae Alcott
• A book based entirely on its cover—Black Out by John Lawton
• A book you were supposed to read in school but didn’t—The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien
• A memoir—Bossypants by Tina Fey
• A book you can finish in a day—A Date To Die For by Kathryn Long
• A book with antonyms in the title—Up The Down Staircase by Bel Kaufman
• A book set somewhere you’ve always wanted to visit—The Constantine Codex by Paul L Maier
• A book that came out the year you were born—Fried Green Tomatoes by Fannie Flagg
• A book with bad reviews—Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
• A trilogy—The Tea Rose Trilogy by Jennifer Donnelly
• A book from your childhood—Redwall by Brian Jaques
• A book with a love triangle—The Host by Stephenie Meyer
• A book set in the future—The Giver by Lois Lowry
• A book set in high school—The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot
• A book with a color in the title—Crimson Liberty by George Morrison
• A book that made you cry—The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
• A book with magic—The Realm by Conrad Powell
• A graphic novel—TBD once I have found the box that holds Jared’s comic books.
• A book by an author you’ve never read before—The Intercept by Dick Wolf
• A book you own but have never read—Broken Days by Ann Rinaldi
• A book that takes place in your home town—This one is going to take some research. There is an awesome thriller set in Paxton, Nebraska called Cornstalked that I wouldn’t mind rereading.
• A book that was originally written in a different language—Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
• A book set during Christmas—Blue Christmas by Diane Moody
• A book written by an author with your same initials—In this case I am going to have to check the libraries shelves.
• A play—Taming of the Shrew by Shakespeare
• A banned book—Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
• A book based on or turned into a TV show—Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
• A book you started but never finished—Rebecca by Daphne de Maurier
While the "rules" for this challenge are fluid, nothing says you can't re-read a book you've read before. Here are the unofficial rules, which include:
• All books are acceptable except children's books (i.e. Run Spot Run) (young adult books are fine).
• All forms of books are acceptable including e-books, audio books, etc.