Perpetual Challenges

 MY PERPETUAL AND LONG TERM READING CHALLENGE LISTS


A Non-Fiction Adventure 
(click the link above for full details and sign-up info)

Time frame/Goal Dates: January 3, 2016 - January 3, 2026
Revised list and new timeline: January 2022 - January 2032

The List
Categorized, but in no particular order. I own every book on this list.

Biography/Memoir
1. Finding Atlantis: A True Story of Genius, Madness, and an Extraordinary Quest for a Lost World by David King
2. David Bowie: Starman by Paul Trynka
3. Benjamin Franklin by Edmund S. Morgan
4. Catherine the Great by Robert K. Massie
5. John Adams by David McCullough
6. King Arthur by Norma Lorre Goodrich
7. Louisa May Alcott: The Woman Behind Little Women by Harriet Riesen Read 2015 - not reviewed
8. Lucrezia Borgia by Sarah Bradford
Alison Weir
9. Mary Boleyn: The Mistress of Kings (Weir)
10. Queen Isabella (Weir)
11. The Princes in the Tower (Weir)  Read February 17
12. Marie Antoinette by Evelyne Lever
13. Poe: A Life Cut Short by Peter Ackroyd
14. Vincent Price by Victoria Price
15. Eleanor of Aquitaine: A Biography by Marion Meade Read February 2019
16. Will in the World by Stephen Greenblatt
17. The Brothers Grimm: Two Lives, One Legacy by Donald R. Hettinga Read 2015 - not reviewed
18. Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire by Amanda Foreman
19. The Girl Who Walked Home Alone: Bette Davis-A Personal Biography by Charlotte Chandler
20. Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
21. A Rip in Heaven: A Memoir of Murder and Its Aftermath by Jeanine Cummins
22. Madame de Pompadour by Nancy Mitford
23. Tolstoy and the Purple Chair by Nina Sankovitch
24. Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup
25. American Jezebel: The Uncommon Life of Anne Hutchinson, the Woman Who Defied the Puritans by Eve LaPlante
26. Jane's Fame: How Jane Austen Conquered the World by Claire Harman
27. Winter King: Henry VII and the Dawn of Tudor England by Thomas Penn
28. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

Customs/Folklore/Mythology
29. Sagas of Icelanders
30. In Search of Dracula: History of Dracula and Vampires by Raymond T. McNally and Radu Florescu
31. Mythology by Edith Hamilton

History
32. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown
33. The Burning of Bridget Cleary by Angela Bourke
34. Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
35. In the Footsteps of Alexander by Michael Wood May 2019
36. The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston
37. The Murder of Helen Jewitt by Patricia Cline Cohen
38. The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester
39. The Queen's Necklace by Frances Mossiker
40. Starvation Heights by Gregg Olsen Read 2015 - not reviewed
41. The Earth Shall Weep: A History of Native America by James Wilson
42. The Vikings by Robert Ferguson
43. The Last Duel by Eric Jager
44. Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick  Feb 2024
45. The Gangs of New York by Herbert Asbury
46. Royal Panoply: Brief Lives of the English Monarchs by Carolly Erickson
47. The Ancient Celts by Barry Cunliffe
48. Chronicle of the Roman Republic by Philip Matyszak
49. Chronicle of the Pharaohs by Peter A. Clayton
50. Imagining Atlantis by Richard Ellis
51. Good Wives: Image and Reality in the Lives of Women in Northern New England, 1650-1750 by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
52. The Vanished Library: A Wonder of the Ancient World by Luciano Canfora
53. The Year 1000: What Life Was Like at the Turn of the First Millennium by Robert Lacey and Danny Danziger  May 2021
54. How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill
55. Fingerprints of the Gods by Graham Hancock
56. The Enemy Within: 2000 Years of Witch Hunting in the Western World by John Demos
57. The Salem Witch Trials: A Day by Day Chronicle of a Community Under Siege by Marilynne K. Roach
58. The Devil in Massachusetts: A Modern Enquiry Into the Salem Witch Trials by Marion L. Starkey
59. The Witches: Salem, 1692 by Stacy Schiff
60. The Histories by Herodotus  Finished April 2020
61. Frozen in Time: An Epic Story of Survival and a Modern Quest for Lost Heroes of World War II by Mitchell Zuckoff
62. Lost in Shangri-la: A True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War II by Mitchell Zuckoff
63. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari

Parapsychology
64. A History of Ghosts by Peter Ackroyd
65. On Haunted Ground: The Green Ghost and Other Spirits of Cemetery Road by Lisa Rogers
66. Grave's End by Elaine Mercado

Philosophy
George Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
Lectures on the History of Philosophy
67. Greek Philosophy to Plato (Hegel)
68. Plato and the Platonists (Hegel)
69. Medieval and Modern Philosophy (Hegel)
70. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
71. Writings by Thomas Jefferson

Religion
72. Living the Secular Life by Phil Zuckerman
73. Forged: Writing in the Name of God by Bart D. Ehrman
74. God's Problem by Bart D. Ehrman
75. Holy Blood, Holy Grail by Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh, and Harry Lincoln
76. The Jesus Mysteries by Tim Freke and Peter Gandy
77. The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins
78. Jesus for the Non-Religious by John Shelby Spong
79. Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism: A Bishop Rethinks the Meaning of Scripture by John Shelby Spong
80. Hostage to the Devil: The Possession and Exorcism of Five Contemporary Americans by Malachi Martin

Archaeology/Paleontology
81. Gods, Graves, and Scholars: The Story of Archaeology by C.W. Ceram
82. The Lost Tomb by Kent R. Weeks, Ph.D.
83. Temples, Tombs & Hieroglyphs: A Popular History of Ancient Egypt by Barbara Mertz
84. Neanderthal: Neanderthal Man and the Story of Human Origins by Paul Jordan
85. Dinosaur Hunters: Eccentric Amateurs and Obsessed Professionals by David A.E. Spalding

Travel/Geography
86. Venice: Pure City by Peter Ackroyd

Women's Studies
87. A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft
88. A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf
89. Women Who Run with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype by Clarissa Pinkola Estes

Miscellaneous
90. 13 Ways of Looking at the Novel by Jane Smiley
91. The Secret History of the World by Mark Booth
92. History of American Literature by Reuben Post Halleck, MA (my edition was printed in 1911! It's a wonderful old book.)
93. Strange Piece of Paradise: A Return to the American West to Investigate My Attempted Murder - And Solve the Riddle of Myself by Terri Jentz

Witchcraft
94. The Occult Book: A Chronological Journey from Alchemy to Wicca by John Michael Greer
95. Mastering Witchcraft: A Practical Guide for Witches, Warlocks, and Covens by Paul Huson
96. Power of the Witch: The Earth, the Moon, and the Magical Path to Enlightenment by Laurie Cabot

Additions or Alternates
97. Werewolf by Montague Summers
98. Vampires and Vampirism by Montague Summers
99. The Twelve Caesars by Suetonius  April 2019
100. Gospel Fictions by Randall Helms
101. The Last Witch of Langenburg: Murder in a German Village by Thomas Robisheaux

The Fantasy Project: 101 Books in 10 Years
(click the link above for full details and sign-up info)

Time frame/Goal Dates: August 15, 2013 - August 15, 2023 Starting over with a revised list and new dates - January 15, 2019 - January 15, 2029

Titles in red are rereads.

1. The Smoke Thief, Shana Abe
2. The Dream Thief, Shana Abe
3. Queen of Dragons, Shana Abe
4. The Treasure Keeper, Shana Abe
5. The Darkness That Comes Before, R. Scott Bakker
6. The Elfstones of Shannara, Terry Brooks
7. The Wishsong of Shannara, Terry Brooks
8. Magic Kingdom for Sale...Sold, Terry Brooks
9. The Black Unicorn, Terry Brooks
10. Wizard at Large, Terry Brooks
11. The Tangle Box, Terry Brooks
12. Witches' Brew, Terry Brooks
13. A Princess of Landover, Terry Brooks
14. The Mirror of her Dreams, Stephen R. Donaldson
15. A Man Rides Through, Stephen R. Donaldson
16. Pawn of Prophecy, David Eddings
17. Magician's Gambit, David Eddings
18. Queen of Sorcery, David Eddings
19. Guardians of the West, David Eddings
20. King of the Murgos, David Eddings
21. Demon Lord of Karanda, David Eddings
22. Stardust, Neil Gaiman
23. Neverwhere, Neil Gaiman
24. The Graveyard Book, Neil Gaiman
25. Anansi Boys, Neil Gaiman
26. Good Omens, Neil Gaiman/Terry Pratchett  May 2019
27. Mr. Darcy, Vampyre, Amanda Grange
28. Dead Until Dark, Charlaine Harris
29. Dead to the World, Charlaine Harris
30. Living Dead in Dallas, Charlaine Harris
31. Club Dead, Charlaine Harris
32. The Briar King, Greg Keyes
33. The Historian, Elizabeth Kostova
34. A Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula K. LeGuin
35. The Tombs of Atuan, Ursula K. LeGuin
36. The Farthest Shore, Ursula K. LeGuin
37. Voices, Ursula K. LeGuin
38. Lavinia, Ursula K. LeGuin  September 2019
39. Child of the Prophecy, Juliet Marillier
40. Son of the Shadows, Juliet Marillier
41. Heir to the Sevenwaters, Juliet Marillier
42. A Storm of Swords, George R.R. Martin
43. A Feast for Crows, George R.R. Martin
44. A Dance with Dragons, George R.R. Martin
45. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, George R.R. Martin
46. Fevre Dream, George R.R. Martin
47. Beauty, Robin McKinley
48. Sunshine, Robin McKinley
49. Spindle's End, Robin McKinley
50. Deerskin, Robin McKinley
51. Dragonhaven, Robin McKinley
52. The Wiseman's Fear, Patrick Rothfuss
53. The Doors of Stone, Patrick Rothfuss
54. Slaughterhouse Five, Kurt Vonnegut
55. Dealing with Dragons, Patricia Wrede
56. Searching for Dragons, Patricia Wrede
57. Calling on Dragons, Patricia Wrede
58. Talking to Dragons, Patricia Wrede
59. Prophecy of the Sisters, Michelle Zink
60. Song for the Basilisk, Patricia McKillip
61. The Book of Atrix Wolfe, Patricia McKillip
62. The Tower at Stony Wood, Patricia McKillip
63. Winter Rose, Patricia McKillip 
64. Geist, Philippa Ballantine
65. Spectyr, Philippa Ballantine
66. Wrayth, Philippa Ballantine
67. Childhood's End, Arthur C. Clarke  June 2019
68. Grendel's Mother, Diana Stout
69. Seventh Son/The Last Apprentice (Book 1, Revenge of the Witch, and Book 2, Curse of the Bane), Joseph Delaney
70. Red Queen, Victoria Aveyard
71. The Greyfriar, Clay/Susan Griffith
72. The Riftwalker, Clay/Susan Griffith
73. The King Makers, Clay/Susan Griffith
74. The Twelve, Justin Cronin
75. Ragnarok: The End of the Gods, A.S. Byatt
76. The Magicians, Lev Grossman
77. The Magician King, Lev Grossman
78. The Fall, Bethany Griffin
79. The King of Bones and Ashes, J.D. Horn  April 2019
80. Prospero Lost, L. Jagi Lamplighter
81. Prospero in Hell, L. Jagi Lamplighter
82. Prospero Regained, L. Jagi Lamplighter
83. Circe, Madeline Miller
84. The Bone Clocks, David Mitchell
85. Slade House, David Mitchell
86. The Bone Season, Samantha Shannon
87. The White Mare, Jules Watson
88. The Dawn Stag, Jules Watson
89. The Swan Maiden, Jules Watson
90. Hotel Transylvania, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
91. The Map of Time, Felix J. Palma
92. The Map of the Sky, Felix J. Palma
93. The Giver, Lois Lowry  April 2019
94. Frankenstein, Mary Shelley  February 2019
95. Necroscope, Brian Lumley  April 2019
96. Arthur the King, Allan Massie
97. The Lives of the Monster Dogs, Kirsten Bakis
98. Ice, Sarah Beth Durst
99. Dragonlance Chronicles (1-3 omnibus), Margaret Weis/Tracy Hickman
100. The River of No Return, Bee Ridgway
101. Something Red, Douglas Nicholas

The Never-Ending Anne Rice Challenge (perpetual challenge)
(click the link above for full details and sign-up info)

Read all the Anne Rice books! Books I've read are in red. (Shocking that I have not read them all since she's my favorite author.)

Vampire Chronicles
Interview with the Vampire (1976)
The Vampire Lestat (1985)
The Queen of the Damned (1988)
The Tale of the Body Thief (1992)
Memnoch the Devil (1995)

The Vampire Armand (1998)
Merrick (2000)
Blood and Gold (2001)
Blackwood Farm (2002)
Blood Canticle (2003)
Prince Lestat (2014)
Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis (2016)
Blood Communion (2018)

New Tales of the Vampires
Pandora (1998)
Vittorio the Vampire (1999)

The Mayfair Witches
The Witching Hour (1990)
Lasher (1993)
Taltos (1994)


The Life of Christ Books
Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt (2005)
Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana (2008)

Songs of the Seraphim
Angel Time (2009)
Of Love and Evil (2010)

Wolf Gift Chronicles
The Wolf Gift (2012)
The Wolves of Midwinter (2013)

Sleeping Beauty Stories (since these are erotica, I may never read them)
The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty (1983)
Beauty's Punishment (1984)
Beauty's Release (1985)
Beauty's Kingdom (2015)

Standalone Novels
The Feast of All Saints (1979)
Cry to Heaven (1982)
Exit to Eden (1985)
Belinda (1986)
The Mummy or Ramses the Damned (1989)
Servant of the Bones (1996)
Violin (1997)
The Passion of Cleopatra (2017)

Non-Fiction
Called Out of Darkness: A Spiritual Confession (2008)

The Stephen King Challenge (perpetual challenge)
(click the link above for full details and sign-up info)

Books I plan to read (have read) for this challenge. Titles in red are books I have read.

Novels
Billy Summers - 2021
Later - 2021
If It Bleeds - 2020
The Institute - 2019
Elevation - 2018
The Outsider - 2018
Sleeping Beauties (w/ Owen King) 2017
Gwendy's Button Box (novella written w/ Richard Chizmar) February, 2017
End of Watch - June, 2016
Finders Keepers - June, 2015
Revival - November, 2014
Mr. Mercedes - June, 2014
A Good Marriage - 2014
Joyland - June, 2013
Doctor Sleep - 2013
The Dark Tower: The Wind Through the Keyhole - April, 2012
11/22/63 - November, 2011
Under the Dome - November, 2009
Duma Key - January, 2008
Lisey's Story - October, 2006
Cell - January, 2006
The Colorado Kid - October, 2005
The Dark Tower - September, 2004
The Dark Tower: Song of Susannah - June, 2004
The Dark Tower: Wolves of the Calla - November, 2003
The Dark Tower: The Drawing of the Three - June, 2003
The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger - June, 2003
The Dark Tower: The Waste Lands - June, 2003
The Dark Tower: Wizard and Glass - June, 2003
From A Buick 8 - 2002
Black House - September, 2001
Dreamcatcher - March, 2001
The Green Mile: The Complete Serial Novel - 2000
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon - April, 1999
Bag of Bones - September, 1998

Desperation - 1996
Rose Madder - 1995 (I marked this as read, but I never finished so will go back to it)
Insomnia - 1994
Dolores Claiborne - 1993
Gerald's Game - 1992
Needful Things - 1991
The Stand: The Complete & Uncut Edition - May, 1990
The Dark Half - November, 1989
The Tommyknockers - November, 1987
Misery - June, 1987
The Eyes of the Dragon - February, 1987 (currently reading)
IT - September, 1986
Cycle of the Werewolf - April, 1985
The Talisman - November, 1984
Christine - April, 1983
Pet Sematary - 1983
Cujo - September, 1981

Firestarter - September, 1980
The Dead Zone - August, 1979
The Shining - 1977
'Salem's Lot - October, 1975
Carrie - April, 1974


Bachman Novels
The Bachman Books - October, 1985
Blaze - 2007
The Long Walk - 1979
Rage - 1977

The Regulators - 1996
Roadwork - 1981
The Running Man -1982
Thinner - November, 1984


Short Story CollectionsFlight or Fright - 2018
The Bazaar of Bad Dreams - November, 2015
Different Seasons - August, 1982
Everything's Eventual - March, 2002
Four Past Midnight - September, 1990
Full Dark, No Stars - November, 2010
Hearts in Atlantis - September, 1999
Just After Sunset - November, 2008
Night Shift - 1978
Nightmares & Dreamscapes - October, 1993
Skeleton Crew - June, 1985
Stephen King Goes to the Movies - January, 2009
Creepshow (graphic novel/short stories) 1982

Non-FictionDanse Macabre - 1981
GUNS - January, 2013
Nightmares in the Sky - 1988
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft - 2000
Secret Windows: Essays and Fiction on the Craft of Writing - 2000

Screenplays
Sorry, Right Number - October, 1993
Storm of the Century - February, 1999

The Michener Challenge (perpetual challenge)
(click the link above for full details and sign-up info)

Books I plan to read (have read) for this challenge. Titles in red are books I have read.

Hawaii (1959)
The Source (1965)
Centennial (1974)
Chesapeake (1978)
The Covenant (1980)
 (attempted - will return to it at a later date)
Poland (1983)
Texas (1986)
Legacy (1987)
Alaska (1988)
Journey (1988)
Caribbean (1989)
Mexico (1992)
Miracle in Seville (1995)

Non-Fiction
The Novel (1991)
James A Michener's Writers Handbook (1992)
The World is My Home (1992)
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