Winter is officially upon us, a fact that seems laughable when we’ve had a foot of snow outside for a few weeks now. But the end of Fall also means the end of the Fall Into Reading challenge hosted by Kat @ Callapidder Days. If you aren’t hip to Kat’s reading challenges, you should be – it’s the epitome of open ended challenges – you design your own rules – how many books do you want to read and which ones? I’ve never successfully finished a challenge of mine as my eyes are always too big for my “reading stomach” but it’s always fun to challenge myself and then look back and see what my reading pattern was really like. In September I challenged myself to read – eleven – books because I am absolutely crazy.

Here are the books I successfully read this fall from my FIR challenge:

1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins – Finished December 5, 2009 – This is the new “it book” going around the reading blogs. Post apocalyptic of sorts, it chronicles a very disutopian society and their annual hunger games which are sort of like the Olympics except it’s a fight to the death. I really, really enjoyed this book – it definitely lived up to it’s hype. – full review –
2. Finger Lickin’ Fifteeen by Janet Evanovich – Finished November 20, 2009 – This series has had some ups and downs, not all books as good as the others but Evanovich has definitely still got it. I really enjoyed the fifteenth installment of the Stephanie Plum series. There was a lot of good food, a lot of romance and a lot of cars totaled. All the things I love in a good Plum book basically.
3. Queste by Angie Sage – Finished October 23, 2009 – I always enjoy the Septimus Heap series and this one was definitely no different. I love how the story is progressing and it’s always fun to read about magyk and physik especially how the two fields cannot get along at all. I thought the whole “place where all times do meet” thing was very cool and of course now I’m really looking forward to reading Book 5, Syren.

Non-challenge books that I read (it’s my own fault for not just adding these to my list – which is allowed – but I’m not very organized apparently:

1. Close Encounters of a Third Grade Kind by Phillip Done – Finished November 8, 2009 – I really enjoyed this book. While I am neither a teacher nor do I have plans of becoming one, I found Done’s musings from 25 years of teaching in Elementary to be something a lot of people can relate to. It brought back memories of my own childhood and had me looking forward to the future with my own children. – full review –
2. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins – Finished December 15, 2009 – I devoured this second installment in the new Hunger Games series. I don’t want to say too much for fear of giving anything away, but Book 2 is very fast paced and what you think you know, is rarely true. Collins has written a very intricately deceptive book where the rules seem to constantly change and nothing is all that it seems. I am, like all fans of Katniss and the Games, now anxiously awaiting Book Three.

And for the past week or so I have been reading Odd Mom Out by Jane Porter which I won in a giveaway on the Mom Lit Facebook Group. I have never read any of Jane Porter’s books before but OMG they are good – they are a classic example of why chick lit books became popular and I am anxiously looking forward to reading all of her books now.

So while I didn’t finish reading all eleven books on my list (let’s be honest, we all knew that wasn’t going to happen) I still enjoy participating – I might have read more this Fall because of the challenge than I would have otherwise and I always find it interesting to look back over my reading habits from time to time.

To wrap up my Wrap Up of the Fall Into Reading Challenge, I thought I’d announce my favorite book of Fall 2009. The winner is:

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I think this might be the best book I read in 2009 period. I know this book is being collectively applauded all over the internet and I want to put it out there and agree – this book really is that good and you really should read it immediately if you haven’t yet.