I mentioned that I didn't exactly finish the Spring Reading Thing 2008 Challenge. As of today, I only have one book left to read; of course, the challenge ended on June 19, but who's keeping track, right?

Katrina asked all the participants to write a wrap-up post about the challenge, so here goes:

Did you finish all the books you had planned to read? If not, why? Uh, no. Mostly because I bit off more than I could chew.

Do you think the challenge helped you read more? Or maybe helped you read books you otherwise wouldn't have? No, I don't think it helped me read more, but it did help me clear some books off my TBR mountain that I may not have gotten to so quickly otherwise.

What was your favorite book you read this spring? Least favorite? My favorites were Specials by Scott Westerfield and Ida B. by Katherine Hannigan. My least favorite was Pretties by Scott Westerfield.

Did you discover any new authors or genres that you now love? Two of the books I read were by authors new to me - Katherine Hannigan and Michelle Richmond. I don't think Hannigan has written more than one book, but I definitely plan to read Richmond's others.

What did you learn about your reading habits or interests? One thing I've discovered is that having a deadline helps me to read books faster, but it also makes them less appealing somehow. A lot of times, I find I have to force myself to read challenge books. Is that weird?

Are you interested in another "Fall Into Reading" challenge this fall? Absolutely. I love your challenges, Katrina. Thanks for hosting!

I have so many challenges going right now, that it feels good to get another one behind me. The Unread Authors Challenge was a nice, easy one that helped me broaden my horizons. I have so many favorite authors that I often get stuck reading only their books, so this one helped me travel outside my comfort zone a little.

My challenge list is here (sorry, I'm too lazy to retype it). My favorite books were The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig and The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket. I also learned a lot from my two non-fiction picks. I guess my least favorite read was The Bookseller of Kabul, although I still found it really interesting.

Thanks so much to Pour of Tor for hosting this one!

Whew! I finished the Fall Into Reading challenge, reading all six books on my list. They were:

The Giver by Lois Lowry
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman
Uglies by Scott Westerfield
Sarah's Quilt by Nancy E. Turner
Woman in Red by Eileen Goudge

The only book I really did not enjoy was Woman in Red. It was poorly written, poorly edited and poorly constructed. I wasn't really wowed by The Zookeeper's Wife either, but at least it was a well-written account. The Giver, The Lightning Thief and Sarah's Quilt were my favorites.

Thanks for hosting, Katrina. It was fun!

Phew! I finished the R.I.P. II Challenge. I saved the longest books on my list for last, which wasn't a very smart idea, so I ended up having to sprint to the finish line. My eyes are bleary and red from my frenzied final stretch!

I really enjoyed this challenge, although I found myself steering away from the horror genre and focusing more on magical stories. My least favorite pick was Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill (my review), and I really can't pick my most favorite. It's a toss-up between Lord of the Rings, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, Stardust and A Series of Unfortunate Events. Really, the only book I read for this challenge that I didn't care much for was Heart-Shaped Box. Well, there was also Glass Books of the Dream-Eaters, which was just too erotic for me (I read Lord of the Rings in its place).

Thanks so much, Carl, for hosting this one. It was a lot of fun!