Winter 2015 Book Challenge: Month 2

photo via @megtristao

Happy New Year, readers! I hope you all had a wonderful time celebrating the last day of 2015 and get to spend today doing something that reflects what you intend to do more of in 2016 (like reading, perhaps!). Today marks the end of the second month of the winter challenge, which means there is only one month left to finish! If you are new to the challenge, feel free to review the general rules and categories here, and record any books you've read back to November 1 in your check-in.

Below is the scoreboard as of the first check-in (which was available from December 1-7). I tend to be pretty lax with these challenges, as my main goal is for everyone to just have fun, but because I had so many questions about some of the categories this year and posted clarified categories with the month 1 check-in, I had to be a little stricter this time. Therefore, if you didn't receive points for a category you think you completed, it's probably because the books didn't quite match the category (in my humble opinion), or because you counted half points for the two-book categories (you must complete the entire category to earn points). If you disagree or are confused about your total below, please feel free to email me and we can clear it up before the final check-in on February 1! I definitely don't want anyone to feel cheated of points, but I also want to be fair to those who followed the rules. :)

Also, if you would like me to add/remove/change the blog link I have associated with your name, please let me know in the comments with your check-in, and I will be sure to update the next scoreboard!

1. Jamie G. @ Whatever I Think Of! — 180
2. Kathie — 160
3. Ericka @ A Quiet Girl's Musings of a World that Talks Too Much — 145
4. bevchen @ Confuzzledom — 115
5. Kelly — 95
6. Andi @ Just Another Smith — 80
7. Chrissy @ Sunset Runnings — 80
8. Erin — 80
9. Kasi — 80
10. Daire @ Open Way Designs — 75
11. Heather @ Heather's Hurrah — 70
12. Katie H. — 65
13. Kayla — 65
14. Kerry — 65
15. TexErin @ TexErin in SydneyLand — 65
16. Jenn @ Lost in the Right Direction — 65
17. Jenna @ The Everything Life — 60
18. Harlow — 60
19. Kaity @ (Bee)autiful Blessings — 55
20. Megan M. — 55
21. Regina @ A Journaled Life — 55
22. Kirsten — 55
23. Emma @ Ever Emma — 50
24. Jenn @ Optimization Actually — 50
25. Sarah @ Midwest Darling — 50
26. Sarah @ Sarah Reads Too Much — 50
27. Christy M. — 50
28. Christa — 45
29. Ashley @ Wandering Weekenders — 45
30. Kristen @ Divulge and Indulge — 45
31. Hannah @ Hannah Geiger — 35
32. Kimberly @ Love YA Books — 35
33. Meredith @ Ponder the Irrelevant — 35
34. Brandy — 35
35. Tara — 30
36. Megan @ Semi-Charmed Kind of Life (host) — 25
37. Missy — 25
38. Moony — 25
39. Noelle-Susanne — 25
40. Caitlin — 25
41. Jackie @ My Sort of Adult Life — 25
42. Carly @ Carly Blogs Here — 20
43. Julia — 20
44. MegRose @ The Inky Scroll — 20
45. Donna V. @ The Turning of Pages — 15
46. Erika @ A Quiet Girl in a Noisy City — 15
47. Kaitlin — 15
48. Hannah @ Hannah Lee Banana Bee — 15
49. Sanna — 15
50. Nicole @ Treasure Tromp — 15
51. Lauren — 15
52. Rachel — 5
53. Audrey @ Life as Louise — 0
54. Karen @ A Peek at Karen's World — 0

Please comment on this post in the following format to check in. Please do not forget page numbers! Remember all books must be at least 200 pages long unless otherwise specified. You may also link to your reviews or own check-in post if you wish, but that is not required. We operate on the honor code here, but I would love to read your posts and/or reviews if you have them! I also ask that you put a simple rating next to each book in your check-in post (on a scale of 1 to 5). Past participants have requested this feature to help them decide what to read next. :)

10 points: Read a debut book by any author: The Bees, Laline Paull (338 pages, 4 stars)
10 points: Read a book that does not take place in your current country of residence: The Things They Carried, Tim O'Brien (Vietnam, 233 pages, 3 stars)
10 points: Read a book that someone else has already used for the challenge: The Martian, Andy Weir (read by Andi, 435 pages, 5 stars)
20 points: Read a book with a first and last name in the title: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot (370 pages, 4 stars)
20 points: Read a food-themed book: Kitchens of the Great Midwest, J. Ryan Stradal (310 pages, 3.5 stars)
30 points: Read two books with the same title: The Devil You Know, Trish Doller (256 pages, 3 stars) & The Devil You Know, Elisabeth de Mariaffi (320 pages, 1 star)

PREVIOUS POINTS: 25 points
TOTAL POINTS: 125 points

I also just finished Missoula and plan to pair it with Asking for It for my nonfiction/fiction pairing (two books about sexual assault).

Please record your progress thus far by January 7 in order to be included in the next scoreboard, which will be posted with the final check-in on February 1. Good luck!

P.S. — Don't forget to share your books on Twitter and Instagram with the hashtag #SCWBC15!