I am starting to catch up. I am still behind my usual reading pace for the year, but at least now I think that I will be able to finish my challenges.
I have completed the Mystery and Suspense challenge, which I knew would be my easy one. I may have even missed a couple that could be on that list. My two favorites from this list thus far--two,because hey are so different--are The Shadow of the Wind and The Forgotten Garden.
When I last wrote, I had only finished two of the five to nine books that I need to read by Victorian authors. I have now read four, and am reading a fifth right now. This challenge has done what I like reading challenges to do. It has stretched me to read things that I might not have read, just to finish the challenge. My favorite so far from this challenge is East Lynne, which is one of two works of Victorian sensation fiction that I have read.
For the Gothic Reading challenge I am at eight out of ten completed.
I have read 70 of the 100 books that I need to read this year, so that may still be a challenge, unless my pace picks back up. I am trying not to think about the fact that I may not complete this challenge for the first time since I started keeping track, because I don't want the length of books to influence what I choose to read.
I have also read 15 of the 100 books that I need to read in five years for the Filling in the Gaps Challenge.