Semi-Charmed Summer 2015 Book Challenge

Sunny balcony, peanut butter on toast and a couple of good books - #livingthedream

I don't know how it happened, but I somehow missed the sign-up for the Semi-Charmed Summer 2015 Book Challenge!  I stumbled across it last week and was horrified to discover it had already been running for a good three weeks.  Given that one of my main goals in life is to finish fast enough to choose a category for the next challenge, I was a little upset.  And I ain't a fast reader at the best of times.  But undaunted, I set to choosing books.  Luckily I was able to count one I'd already read in May towards one of the categories, and the one I was currently reading towards another.  Sadly, A Pale View of Hills by Kazuo Ishiguro wasn't long enough to fit the general rules, although, in trying to make sense of it, I must have reread enough of it to bring the total number of pages read to at least 300.  I've since passed it onto a friend to see if she can explain what it was all about.

Here are the books I've chosen for the categories:

5 points: Freebie! Read any book that fits the general rules. - The L-Shaped Room by Lynne Reid Banks (272 pages)

10 points: Read a book you have never heard of before. (Just go to a shelf and pick a book based on the cover, the title, whatever you want!) - Hex and the Single Girl by Valerie Frankel (320 pages)

10 points: Read a book that has been on your TBR list for at least two years. (If you've had a Goodreads account for 2+ years, this will be easy to figure out. If you don’t, do your best to pick a book you’re pretty sure you’ve been wanting to read for years.) - I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith (408 pages)

10 points: Read a book that won a Goodreads “Best Book” award in 2014. - Landline by Rainbow Rowell (308 pages)

15 points: Read a book by an author who is completely new to you. - Silver Bay by Jojo Moyes (392 pages)

15 points: Read a book by an author you have read before. (No re-reads for this one.) - My Lover's Lover by Maggie O'Farrell (288 pages)

15 points: Read a book with "light" or "dark" in the title. (Or "lightness" or "darkness.") - Dark Matter by Michelle Paver (243 pages)

20 points: Read a book with the name of a city, state or country in the title. Edited to add: The place must be real, either current or historical, but not fictional. - Baking Cakes in Kigali by Gaile Parkin (361 pages)

20 points: Read a book with an animal on the cover. - Sea Otters Gambolling in the Wild, Wild Surf by John Bennett (272 pages)

25 points: Read a book that is part of a series with at least four books. - The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory (501 pages)

25 points: Read a book that is longer than 500 pages long. — Submitted by winter finisher Kristen from See You in a Porridge. - The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters (576 pages)

30 points: Read a book with an alliterative title. (All words in the title must begin with the same letter; no exceptions for articles or prepositions. Examples: Gone Girl or Nicholas Nickleby. Yes, this is tough, which is why it's worth the most points!) - Ursula, Under by Ingrid Hill (512 pages)