2013 Reading Challenge

So I read a lot of books this year.

Before the end of 2012 I hadn't really read for about two years. I'd always read really regularly as a child but I fell out of routine with it and started reading 10 books a year, max. I read Looking for Alaska at the end of November last year and I started reading regularly again which was really nice and comforting in an odd way. My new years resolution for 2013 (and the only one I've ever kept) was to read 52 books in the course of a year, one book a week.

I read 108 books.

So, I made a list on numbers (because that's what mega-dorks do) ranking every single book I read this year. And I'm sharing this with you.
Oh and if you want to read reviews I wrote they're linked apart from the top 10.

108 The Red Headed League by Arthur Conan Doyle
107 The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F Scott Fitzgerald (I didn't like Gatsby why did I optionally decide to read more Fitzgerald?)
106 You & I by Padgett Powell (never optionally read a book of pure dialogue)
105 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (controversial)
104 Divergent by Veronica Roth (controversial)
103 Composition No. 1 by Marc Saporta (proof that artsy books are not always good books) 102 Mr Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore
101 The Thorn and the Blossom by Theodora Goss


100 Revenge Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger  (worst ARC ever)
99 The Flame Alphabet by Ben Marcus 
98 A Scandal in Bohemia by Arthur Conan Doyle (proof that the BBC drama is sometimes better than the book)
97 The Weight of Water by Sarah Crossan
96 The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid
95 We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo  (controversial as this has since won 50 billion awards)
94 The Official Highway Code by Department for Transport (dork)
93 Ten Billion by Stephen Emmott
92 Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers
91 The Hanging Garden by Patrick White


90 The Road by Cormac McCarthy
89 Slam by Nick Hornby
88 The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien (controversial)
87 The Periodic Table by Primo Levi
86 Make Good Art by Neil Gaiman
85 The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
84 Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
83 Strong Woman: Ambition, Grit and a Great Pair of Heels by Karren Brady
82 Bar Balto by Faïza Guène
81 Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce


80 The Geek's Guide to Dating by Eric Smith
79 The Good Fairies of New York by Martin Millar
78 Lolito by Ben Brooks
77 The Extincts by Veronica Cossanteli (I know, I know but I got an ARC)
76 The Drugs Don't Work - A Global Threat by Sally C. Davies (a book on GCSE level Biology)
75 Maybe Tonight? by Bridie Clark
74 Player One by Douglas Coupland
73 The Last Letter from your Lover by Jojo Moyes
72 The End Games by T. Michael Martin
71 Picture Me Gone by Meg Rosoff


70 1984 by George Orwell (controversial)
69 Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin
68 Ketchup Clouds by Annabel Pitcher
67 Miss Penegrine's Home for Perculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
66 The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan
65 I Am Legend by Richard Matheson
64 North of Beautiful by Justina Chen
63 The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
62 Zombicorns (Zombicorns, #1) by John Green
61 The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World by Susan Veness (dork)


60 Harry Potter: The Prequel by J.K. Rowling
59 The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
58 Oranges are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson
57 The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark
56 Wide Awake by David Levithan
55 Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
54 The Vincent Boys by Abbi Glines
53 A Working Theory of Love by Scott Hutchins
52 An Object of Beauty by Steve Martin (I loved the bits on art)
51 Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde


(nb. this is 4 stars upwards at this point so I really enjoyed everything from here)

50 The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
49 Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson
48 Loteria by Mario Alberto
47 Bakuman, Volume 2: Chocolate and Akamaru by Tsugumi Ohba
46 The Key to the Golden Firebird by Maureen Johnson
45 Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
44 A is for Angelica by Iain Broome
43 The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
42 Across the Universe by Beth Revis
41 More Than This by Patrick Ness


40 Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan
39 Attachments by Rainbow Rowell
38 The Hive by Gill Hornby
37 The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling
36 The Dinner by Herman Koch
35 The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
34 How The Light Gets In by M.J. Hyland
33 Cinder by Marissa Meyer
32 About a Girl by Lindsey Kelk (ARC)
31 The Program (The Program, #1) by Suzanne Young


30 Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
29 Beastly by Alex Flynn
28 The Name of the Star (Shades of London, #1) by Maureen Johnson (don't read at night if you like sleep)
27 Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell (more of a Fangirl girl)
(nb. this is five stars upwards so these are all highly highly recommended)
26 Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
25 The Red House by Mark Haddon
24 Bakuman, Volume 1: Dreams and Reality by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata  
23 Wish You Were Dead (Thrillogy, #1) by Todd Strasser
22 Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King
21 Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler  (buy it just for the illustrations)


20 Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan
19 Let it Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle
18 Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
17 Abstract and Brief Chronicles of the Time by Rosianna Halse Rojas  (gorgeous)
16 The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith  (much better than the casual vacancy)
15 The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides
14 Every Seventh Wave by Daniel Glattauer
13 The Circle by Dave Eggers
12 The House of Hades (The Heroes of Olympus, #4) by Rick Riordan
11 Brooklyn Girls by Gemma Burgess  (best ARC ever)


TOP 10 HERE WE COME

10 Every Day by David Levithan
9 Tree of Codes by Jonathan Safran Foer
8 The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human by Jonathan Gottschall (only non-fiction I enjoyed this year) 
7 Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz  (oh so gorgeous)
6 Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
5 Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass, #2) by Sarah J. Maas

4 Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass, #1) by Sarah J. Maas (Team Chaol)
3 Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
2 Ready Player One by Earnest Cline
1 The Wave by Todd Strasser 


To buy books from the book depository click here

2013

So I wrote a blog post about resolutions and sticking to them and my 2014 resolutions but I didn't feel that 2013 got a proper send off. 

Also I found my 2013 resolutions which was both hilarious and embarrassing. 

1. Read a book a week
I read 108 books in 2013 which is a massive 56 books more than I'd planned. I was so so so pleased with this because I've missed reading and my writing and analysis has become so much better as a result and I think that this lead to my really good English GCSE results.

2. Move School
I did this and I'm quite proud of myself for this. I'm so happy I got in and I like to think I'm doing well now.

3. Raise £1000 
Did not happen. Way to ambitious. 

4. Be in Paris for New Years 2013-14
Didn't happen. I wanted to go to Disney for New Years (Paris, of course, because I'm not mega-super-rich) but in the end I went in the summer to Orlando and it was wonderful. I love WDW so much.

5. Get more Youtube Subscribers.
I gained like 80 in 2013 which YEY success but I'm now not dependant on my Youtube channel and I mainly post DYL only now. Maybe I'll do some stuff in 2014 I don't know. I hit 100 subscribers.

6. Revise 20 minutes a day
Did not happen. I revised a lot but not consistently.

7. Document my year
Major success. I started DYL and I have a blog now. ALL THE DOCUMENTING.

Other things I did in 2013

• I performed in front of 250 people with my band which was absolutely amazing and I met some really amazing people there.

• I started this blog and I now have had over 4000 views which feels amazing. I've got so much better at writing since I got it and graphic design and just being totally comfortable with myself.
• I started Document Your Life.
• I met John and Hank Green and John told me and Chitra we dressed well.
• I got to a really good standard at skiing, up to the point where I was almost at french black runs.
• I moved house and my bedroom is so gorgeous.
• I saw Imagine Dragons twice.
• I bought a really nice camera which I earned myself (not a single penny was from my parents).
• I saw Watsky with Maiya and Dylan Saunders was in the band.
• I got three work experience placements in the hardest field (medicine) without any contacts. I literally cold-called 30 different practices.
• I got all excellents on my Work Experience feedback.
• I went on a London Bookshop Tour with my mum in the summer and discovered lovely shops.
• I got ARCs from publishers and Waterstones to review.
• I became a Book Depository Affiliate.
• I went to Cornbury and saw Keane.
• I went to Oxfest.
• I went on an Oxford Bookshop Tour with my friend Sophie.
• I visited New York and Orlando.
• I became much braver with roller coasters.
• I started pin trading and overcame my shyness with shop assistants.
• I got fantastic GCSE's.
• I got 100 subscribers.
• I moved school to a college in my local city.
• I saw my friend Julia from America.
• I finally met Neelam who is the sweetest.
• I met Sanne from Youtube which was awesome.
• I met Maureen Johnson, David Levithan and Sarah J Maas.
• I passed my theory test first time with a really high score on hazard perception.
• I made lots of new friends.
• I carved my first pumpkin.
• I performed as a chorus member in the school musical.
• I read 108 books.
• I have been completely meat free which feels fantastic. 
• I went to London at least once a month.
• I've become comfortable with myself.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

My 2014 Resolutions
1. I want to do well academically.
2. I want to get interviews for medicine.
3. I want to start writing a novel.
4. I want to get well enough to go to South Africa with Biology. 
5. I want to write more.
6. I want to write more reviews.
7. I want to blog more consistently. 
8. I want to do more for my future.
9. I want to take more photos. 
10. I want to keep my room tidy.
11. I want to be more productive. 
12. I want to stop being terrified of growing up.