Starting September 22 and finishing on December 21, I am hosting my Autumn Reading Challenge for anybody and everybody interested in joining me!

The challenge is in two levels, Level 1 being a four book challenge and Level 2 being a six book challenge. The goal is to choose a level, pick the books you want to read provided that they fit into the categories provided, and be the first to read them all before the end of the season. Winner of the Level 2 challenge will be awarded a point from me (unless, of course, I win!). The books chosen have to be at least 150 pages long, to keep the challenge fair for everybody. To participate, just post a list of the books you want to read, matching them to the corrosponding numbers of the categories they fit into (see my entry below), and then keep us updated as you read each one.

This isn't just any old challenge, though. There's a twist. We are also a kind of book group, and we discuss the books and our opinions of them as we read them. While discussing the books isn't required for participation, feel free to join us. It's fun, and you might even make some new friends (I know I did)!

Hope to see you in the challenge, and happy reading! :-D

1. Read a book by author Michael Crichton.
2. Read a book with the first letter of the title being "G".
3. Read a book written during the Victorian period (1837 to 1901).
4. Read a book taking place in the Middle Ages (usually dated as A.D. 476 to A.D. 1453).
5. Read a book that was a "#1 New York Times Bestseller" (it usually says this on the cover if it is).
6. Read a newer book that is based off of a classic book. (There are so many of these I've seen, from rewrites of Jane Austen's novels to all of the new Sherlock Holmes books coming out. This one will be pretty easy to find a book for, and I can give suggestions if you'd like.)

My choices:

1. Jurassic Park, by Michael Crichton
2. Golden Buddha, by Clive Cussler and Craig Dirgo
3. Far From the Maddening Crowd, by Thomas Hardy
4. The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights, by John Steinbeck
5. The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak
6. The Last Sherlock Holmes Story, by Michael Dibdin

My choices are:
2. Read a book with the first letter of the title being "G". - "Gulp" by Mary Roach
3. Read a book written during the Victorian period (1837 to 1901) - "Pudd'n Head Wilson" by Mark Twain originally published in 1849.
4. Read a book taking place in the Middle Ages (usually dated as A.D. 476 to A.D. 1453). - "Lionheart" by Connie Mason taking place in AD 1248.
5. Read a book that was a "#1 New York Times Bestseller" (it usually says this on the cover if it is). - "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak.

Daisy, I have had, "The Book Thief," on my to read list for a little while. Should be fun to read the same book on this challenge!

Good luck and see you after 9/22 :)

Lionheart sounds good! Is it about King Richard the Lionhearted?

That's awesome that we're both reading The Book Thief, it should be fun to compare notes! :-D I wonder if Stacy would like to read that one, too, when she comes back on? If so, a threesome would be even awesomer! (Don't you just love butchering the King's English, haha? ;-P)

Lionheart is a historical romance. I am pretty sure from the description that the title is just paying homage to the era and a most popular character of the age.

What? Awesomer isn't a word??? LOL

Lionheart definitely sounds interesting. I'll have to add that one to my TBR if you read it and it turns out to be good. :-)

Hey, on the bright side, maybe if enough people use the un-word "Awesomer" it will become a word!

Wow, great choices! Men of Iron is a really good book, I've read that one. But some of those others you mentioned are definitely going on my TBR, haha!

Which one are you starting on first? I'm going to start on Jurassic Park pretty soon.

How about you, Honibabi? Which book are you starting first?

Glad you're liking the book, Lyn! I, too, like stories about King Arthur. And I generally like Steinbeck's books, too, so that's a double bonus! What is Shelters of Stone about?

I am still finishing the summer challenge. It is my M.O. LOL I should finish by next weekend. I have family in town this weekend, so won't get much reading done.
Not exactly sure which book I will start with. Leaning toward, "Lionheart."

Daisy, glad you like Jurassic Park.You know it is a good book when you keep telling yourself, "just one more chapter." Then it is tomorrow and you have to get up in a half an hour. LOL

Honibabi, I'd love to hear what you think of Lionheart when you read it, it sounds wonderful! No, none of the previous challenges were deleted. It's right here: Summer Book Challenge

I'm planning on starting Far from the Maddening Crowd next. Not sure how well I'll like that one, but I'll give it a try... have either of you ever read it? Is it good?

Honibabi, how are you coming along? How about you, Lyn?

Lionhart is Prince Edward's most trusted and loyal knight during the civil war between his Father Henry III and Sir Simon de Monfort. He ends up challenged by The White Knight and falling in love with Vanora (love the name). There is the usual sexual tension but Vanora is a strong female character, which I love. It is not deep at all but just a fun read.

Daisy- unless I click on your link I don't automatically see the previous challenges any more. I wonder why?

Lyn, I usually (not this time) like to start with the longest and/or more complicated books first too. I trick myself mentally into thinking I can make up time with the shorter easier books at the end. I am not usually right..LOL

Honibabi, that book sounds very good. Glad to hear that you like it so much! And to take precedence over your Cleveland Indians...wow. LOL ;-)

I'm not sure why it isn't coming up for you. Did you try clicking on the menu bar near the top of the page that says "Read message menu", and then clicking on "Go to previous message"? That should bring it up.

I'm getting fairly close to finishing Far from the Maddening Crowd. It is a great story so far. It's got the strong female character, romance, and historical background that you usually like, Honibabi, so you'd probably enjoy it. I just wish I had the unabridged edition. It would be more enjoyable. Some of the things in here were oversimplified to the point that it makes you think "Hardy must have phrased that so much better", haha. Still a good read, though.

I finished Lionheart. I enjoyed it but it wrapped up a little too neatly for me. Too perfect of an ending. Then again it is fantasy.

I started Pudd'nhead Wilson. Just a few chapters in but really like it so far.

Thanks for the recommendation for Far From the Madding Crowd, Daisy. I will add to my reading list. I wasn't sure I would like it from the description on goodreads.

It's great that you enjoyed Lionheart. I guess some people like perfection in stories... personally, I like all of the characters to be human, haha. Perfection makes stories mundane and predictable, in my mind. What's y'all's opinions?

I finished up Far from the Maddening Crowd a few days ago. Great book. I felt bad for the poor gentleman farmer, though...

Glad ol' Pudd'nhead Wilson is enjoyable for you!

I'm starting on The Book Thief next.

How are you coming along, Lyn?

Don't write any spoilers on The Book Thief, Daisy. I think I am reading that one last. :)

Loolat, welcome to the challenge! Glad that you're interested, we'd love to have you! If you ever have any questions, just ask, and I'll try to help you out if you need it. :-D

Welcome, Loolat!

I finished Puddn'head Wilson. I like it but I have to say Puddin'head's calendar quotes saved the book for me. I think it was a good view into society in 1894, as Mark Twain is well known for, but the plot barely held my interest.

My favorite calendar quote is: "Why is it that we rejoice at birth and grieve at a funeral? It is because we are not the person involved". I am a fan of Twain's philosophical writings, and this quote is a good representation of his views. I agree!

I will be starting Gulp by Mary Roach next.

What is Gulp about?

“America’s funniest science writer” (Washington Post) takes us down the hatch on an unforgettable tour of our insides. The alimentary canal is classic Mary Roach terrain: the questions inspired by our insides are as taboo, in their way, as the cadavers in Stiff and every bit as surreal as the universe of zero gravity explored in Packing for Mars. Why is crunchy food so appealing? Why is it so hard to find names for flavors and smells? Why doesn’t the stomach digest itself? How much can you eat before your stomach bursts? Can constipation kill you? Did it kill Elvis? We meet scientists who tackle the questions no one else thinks—or has the courage—to ask. And we go on location to a pet-food taste-test lab, a bacteria transplant, and into a live stomach to observe the fate of a meal.

Like all of Roach’s books, Gulp is as much about human beings as it is about human bodies"

I am about 30 pages in and so far it is interesting. Nothing we all don't already know: smell is the sense which most influences what we taste and if we like it more than our taste buds. Complex flavor descriptions are often more for marketing than quality. She throws in some humor to keep it light. I have wanted to read this for a while. Just sounded so different and bizarre of a book. The author, Mary Roach, gets pretty good reviews and has several similar books as well such as, Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers. I have high hopes for this one :)

By the way... did it kill Elvis? ;-)

Lyn, so glad you liked Men of Iron! I really enjoyed that book, too. No matter the audience it was originally written for, I think that it is one of those books that could appeal to anybody.

I'd love to hear about the Crichton book when you read it, I'm thinking about trying out some of his others and would love to know which ones are his best. :-)

I have not read Men of Iron, but reading both your reviews, I think I need to add it to my TBR list. I think our TBR lists qualify for their own zip codes. HA.

Hope you like Men of Iron if you read it, Honibabi! :-D

I'll start on the King Arthur book next. My last one! Yay!

Lyn, glad the book was a pretty good introduction to the author. I, too, am more interested in reading Crichton's other works now that I've read Jurassic Park. Thanks for sharing what you thought of that book, that's interesting. :-) I'd be interested in knowing what you think of the Memoirs book when you finish it, as I am a big fan of Shelley's original Frankenstein.

Honibabi, that is so sweet, thank you so much and I hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful as well! :-D

Happy Thanksgiving to all, and to all a good night, as the saying goes! ;-p

Actually, I'm done the challenge now. Woo-hoo! *Puts on party hat and starts dancin' to the music* I just finished King Arthur. The book itself, like I said, wasn't too good, but it had in the back a really interesting collection of letters from Steinbeck about the writing of it and the history behind the legends, which I found to be actually very intriguing reading material. It actually made the book, for me.

Honibabi, how are you enjoying Gulp?

Congratulations Daisy!! You did it again and with a month to go :) I am raising the roof for you. LOL

I finished Gulp and enjoyed it. It is not exactly what I expected. I think I expected more of a fictional story delivering actual facts about the Alimentary Canal. It is actually a biology lesson written in plain English with some humorous thoughts, stories and crazy medical history thrown in. I Learned a lot about all the functions from the nose to the stomach to the anus.

Interesting facts that I learned that you may or may not have already known:
1) Colds and flus are not spread by drinking from a sick person's glass but by touching it. The person who picks up the glass transfers the virus particles to their respiratory system by rubbing their eyes or picking their nose.
2) Saliva is a pretty powerful wound healer even in humans and renders HIV noninfective in most cases thus why we can drink after our HIV/AIDS infected friends safely. I knew this to be true but not why.
3) An adult has a new stomach lining every 3 days. Gastric acids are constantly eating through our lining which is reproduced quickly to keep it in our stomachs.
4) Stomachs do not burst from overeating. It actually gets so big that is pushes on the diaphragm and people die from asphyxia.
5) It is impossible to throw up feces despite medical claims from the past
6) This one is for Daisy - Elvis did suffer severely from constipation and YES it killed him. Not the drugs (only small traces were actually found in his blood at death). Actually, constipation and a weak heart. When people with what is called Hirschsprung's can't go coupled with a bad heart, it can kill them. Elvis was not diagnosed with Hirschsprung's but his medical history supports that he had it. It is usually diagnosed at an early age and his mother just forced him to go with her fingers as a child to relieve him when blocked. Elivis' autopsy revealed a colon 2 to 3 times the normal size called a mega colon. It happens when a chronic constipation sufferer cannot go and the colon just gets bigger. Pushing on the toilet has people usually holding their breath and causing a pulmonary event if you already have a weak heart, which Elvis did. It is called a Cardio-vascular event at defecation. His constipation was a big secret because it was so embarrassing but his doctor wrote about it.
7) And finally fecal transplant cure C. Diff infections with the potential to also cure colitus, IBS and Crohn's as other people's feces is introduced into a colon lacking certain good bacteria. The feces plants new good bacteria which in 116 of 124 case completely cures it. Drug companies are fighting this research as it clearly means a loss in drug income.

PHEW! That is only a little. Some parts had me laughing, cringing and dry heaving BUT I have a new appreciation for the not so sung hero, the Alimentary Canal.

I am starting, The Book Thief next :)

Wow, thanks so much for sharing all of that with us! Very interesting stuff. That kind of information has always intrigued me. I actually already knew about numbers 1, 2, 4, and 5, but the rest is completely new to me! And thanks for the Elvis info. I've read like four biographies about Elvis and many shorter pieces about him, and have heard of what you're saying there, but there were a lot of contradictory theories and even quote unquote "evidence" to support those theories, so even though what that book is saying sounds very likely, I'm not really sure what to believe there. But the different theories are always very intriguing to me, thanks again for sharing about that! :-D

I hope you enjoy The Book Thief! I know I did. I'd love to hear about your impression of the book as you read it.

Good luck finishing, Lyn. If you don't, you can join my pitty party. LOL. I actually may finish this one, but that is not my M.O. I will crash your party. :)

Daisy, I do need to clarify the HIV and saliva thing. The saliva also does not carry enough of the virus in addition to the saliva protection to actually pass on the virus.

The Book Thief had me from page 1. I was intrigued by the writing style immediately. I figured out pretty quickly who the narrator was which made the perspective even more interesting. I am looking forward to reading this one.

Lyn, I really think you'll make it. I think you both will, actually. You're so close!

Honibabi, congrats again on completing the Goodreads challenge, that's awesome. Thanks for the clarification, I figured that was probably how it was. :-) I'm so glad you're liking The Book Thief! And I have to tell you, your new avatar on here is so cute... Awwwww... :-D

I am assuming Liesel is Jewish although that is only implied at this point. I am reminded of the book, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Despite the grown up turmoil and challenges of the social environments of the times, childhood experiences and memories are so unique to each generation. The times don't seem to really repeat themselves and no one but our fellows from the same generation will have them. Childhood is a part of and in some ways removed from the realities and horrors of the social environments of any time period, at least for some part of it.

Rosa reminds me of my grandmother! I was having flashbacks. That Eastern European women persona is strong, scary and influential. I do believe I will finish on time. I hope :)

Daisy, we are getting close to getting the next challenge book list. Looking forward to what you come up with!

I'm glad you're enjoying The Book Thief so much! Isn't it so wonderful? I love the writing style! Very original. I'm rather glad that I don't know your grandmother, though... LOL, just joking.

Lyn, glad to see you are moving right along! You'll totally make it! :-D And you stay warm as well. :-)

And yes, I'm writing up the next challenge right now. I hope to post it in a day or two. And category suggestions, anybody?

Almost half way through the book thief and it is getting better every page.

Lyn, almost there....

Off to check out the new challenge. I am sure it will be a good one.

Isn't it though? It grew on me, page by page, also. One of the best books I've read this year!

Glad you like the challenge, Honibabi! Thanks for joining it again this season, you're my longest lasting member!

Lyn, by the way, what breed dog do you have in mind? I love animals. I hope the adoption goes well for you!

Lyn, I am glad you enjoyed The Glass Castle! And I'm SUPER happy that the challenge helped spread your reading horizons, and that you enjoyed it enough to come back and join it again for the Winter Challenge.

Happy New Year to y'all, as well! Hope you have a great, special time! :-D

See you all in the new challenge.