Reflections on Challenges (otherwise titled: WHAT HAVE I DONE?!)

So I was trying (mostly unsuccessfully, to the enjoyment of Tim) to work out the math for my challenge--specifically related to the amount of books I have to read.  I have on my list to read 26 biographies (#8 on my list), 26 classics (#16), and write 26 books reviews (#20, other note - these ones can't overlap with the previous two).  If my math is correct, that is a total of 78 books I need to read during the year, which, honestly, shouldn't really be a problem for me.  But upon returning from the library today and looking at my selections, I realized that because of my challenge I'm going to have very little time to ready what I normally do.  

In other words, challenge #24 is to listen to 26 books on CD while I drive.  I was just doing the math out loud and realized that it is probably going to be impossible to actually finish that one.  I have about half an hour commute to/from work for the day, which means that in two weeks I get about 5 hours of listening time in for my books on CD.  I think the average book on CD is probably going to be 9+ hours.  In order to complete this challenge, I'm going to need to go through about 2 1/2 books every month....um, yeah, I may not be good at math, but Tim tells me it's not gonna work...unless I go on a few road trips. (That being said - roadtrip, anyone?!)

Speaking of books on CD, I was at the library and had about 30 seconds to choose a book on CD.  I figured I need to get this challenge started, so I grabbed the first YA Book I saw.  If I wasn't careful, I was going to end up with "Hank the Cowdog"--which might actually be preferable to what I did end up with.  It's called "Romiette and Julio" by Sharon M. Draper and apparently I should have read the back cover before I checked it out, because it is totally not my thing.   Tim told me I should just return it, but I panicked and NEED TO GET STARTED ON THIS CHALLENGE. RIGHT! NOW!

Anyway, in case anyone is interested, here is my reading list for the next few weeks: 

Biographies:

"Maud: the Life of L.M. Montgomery" by Harry Bruce

"In Spite of Myself: A Memoir" by Christopher Plummer (which happens to be 650 pages, so it had better be good).

Classics:

"The Wind in the Willows" by Kenneth Grahame (which I'm hoping is actually good.  I got the one with lots of pictures in the hopes that it might enhance the story...)

For Book Reviews:

"The Man who Loved Books too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession" by Allison Hoover Bartlett.

I've been reading the biography of Apolo Anton Ohno (U.S. Olympian in speed skating) and it reads like a 12 year old wrote it.  Turns out the biography is aimed for that age group, so that's probably why.

Anyway, there's my update! It's mostly for me to keep track of things, but at least I can look back on it to remind myself...