Have a great weekend {plus a recipe!}

Oh my goodness, it's Friday. Did you realize that? (If you didn't, you're welcome) On top of that, it's the last day of the month. Bye, bye September!

I think I did the month justice...

For one thing I kept up with my Project 365 posts the entire month. Which is quite a feat.

I hosted a super fun Kate Spade giveaway (which you can still enter until the end of today!) in celebration of my blog's 1 year anniversary ♥

And I baked the most amazing, sweet, colorful pie ever. (Which I can cross off my 2011 To-Do List)

Sweetie Pie

from Culinary Concoctions

1 recipe pie crust (that will fit one 9-inch pie)
1 cup granulated Sugar
¾ cup all-purpose flour
3 TBSP peanut butter (creamy or chunky)
½ cup unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup Peanut Butter M&M’s
2/3 cup milk chocolate morsels

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2.On a lightly floured surface, roll pie crust to ¼ -inch thickness.
Transfer and press into a 9-inch pie plate.

3. In a medium bowl, combine sugar, flour, peanut butter, and butter, mixing well.

4. Add eggs, vanilla, Peanut Butter M&M’s, and chocolate morsels. T
ransfer filling to prepared pie crust.

5. Bake until firm in the middle, approximately 45 minutes.

Some things I didn't do well...

I didn't read my 2 books this month. I only read half of one book. But I'm going to try to finish it!

I didn't lose as much weight as I wanted on the Slow-Carb diet, but I'm still losing (just at a slower pace) and I realize should be proud of that.

I also shopped a LOT. But I got some cute things I hope to show you guys soon! My favorite purchase may have been this dress.... from AX Paris:

This weekend... 

I'm looking forward to the Southwest Classic at Cowboys Stadium. It'll be Texas A&M vs. Arkansas. It's the first game we'll play against one of our future SEC conference teams (since we officially got the invitation to move!). So it'll be fun to see how we hold up! We had a lot of fun last year at it ♥

{Happy Friday!}

What do you have planned for the weekend?

Who are you? 10 things...

What a week it's been! I had the pleasure of receiving a few blog awards from some lovely ladies ♥

Rule #1 - Thank the person who gave you the award...

So thank you to, Jessica from The Landlady, A @ Pink, Pearls and Polka Dots, Babygirl at Love in a (not) so perfect world, and Felicity at Pursuit of Felicity for these two awards!

Rule #2 - Share 7 facts about yourself
{I cheated and put 10}

Here's some things you may not know about me...

1. I love taking pictures but hate being in them.


2. I love sending notes, but always forget! I actually had my Christmas thank-you notes written & waiting to be mailed until March when I finally just threw them away!


3. I notice who in the room is wearing a ring on their left hand... Boy or girl. Crowded bar or small office meeting. Doesn't matter. C & I make a game out of it.


4. I used to hate eggs but am trying to teach myself to like them.


5. I always have chapped lips. No matter how much water I drink or chapstick/lipgloss I use. Got any tips for me?





bonus: I love taking pictures of my feet :)

6. I am awful at styling hair, and super envious of all you "hair tutorial" people.


7. Until I started this blog, I kept it a secret that I liked to write.


8. I take everything personally, because I'm unfortunately very egocentric.


9. I grew up traveling the country with my family, because my dad played on the PGA tour.


10. I married my high school sweetheart ♥

Rule #3 - Pass this along to 15 bloggers

I'm just going to pass it on to you. My faithful readers.

Tell me something about yourself...

I'd love to know ♥

What I'm Loving...

Hello Wednesday!! I swear the time is just flying by! Here's what caught my eye this week....

• Fashion. Lots & lots of fashion! I want a sparkly dress!

Source: elle.com via Amy on Pinterest

Source: karenzambos.com via Amy on Pinterest

• Rustic, yet charming home decor...

Source: heritagebarns.com via Amy on Pinterest

Source: houzz.com via Amy on Pinterest

• And some things to indulge in on the weekend!

Source: bakersroyale.com via Amy on Pinterest

Source: userealbutter.com via Amy on Pinterest

I hope you had an excellent week! Be sure to drop by The Vintage Apple & This Kind of Love to see what others are loving today ♥

&

If you haven't already, check out my Kate Spade giveaway, ending Friday!

Ok, let's talk Fall TV

There are 2 things on television that get me so excited every year that I freak even myself out. One is the Academy Awards. The other is fall TV premiers. (We're lucky the Olympics aren't every year!)

I'm watching 14 shows this fall. And over the next few weeks, I'll be going through each one, keeping on top of the latest "big happenings", etc. I hope you enjoy ♥

Up first I'm talking about my "regulars"... shows I've watched for years, and have already fallen head over heels for. Here's what I thought about their season premiers...

Community

Source: collider.com via Emmanuel on Pinterest

Grade: B+

What I'm looking forward to: Stories! Epic battles! Paintball! I want to see the writers get credit for how awesome they are. Last year's theme episodes were epic. And while I don't think it's going to shoot to main-stream stardom with D&D episodes, I love how creative the show is.

What I enjoy: Everything. Every time I watch Community there's something else that makes me fall in love with the series even more. I'm never left with a straight face. It's comedy done my way. There's nothing about this show that I don't like... except for...

Concern: Repeated jokes, and the usual formula. They need to get over the group "breaking up"... which happens every other episode. While I think creativity is the show's strong suit, it's also prone to using the same types of jokes over and over. It doesn't help how strong the characters are written. I just have to hope it'll stay fresh. 

Parks & Recreation

Source: google.com via Molli on Pinterest

Grade: A+

What I'm looking forward to: The show came back with such a success after almost being cancelled, and I think they're still on an upward trend. I think this season has a chance to be the next 30 Rock, the year that 30 Rock won basically everything in the comedy section at the Emmy's. I want Amy Poehler to win something. She's amazing. As is the entire cast. (If you watch it, is there really one character you couldn't watch talk for forever?)

What I enjoy: How quirky everything is. And how well the characters have been developed. I really, truly believe the character development is the best part of this show. Who hasn't fallen in complete love with Ron Swanson? Adorable Anne. Ridiculous Tom Haverford. Donna (no last name). Poor Jerry. And sweet April & Andy! See? Every character is epic in their own right. 

Concern: None. I think this will be a great season! Probably the best one yet.

The Office

Source: hulu.com via Meagan on Pinterest

Grade: C+

What I'm looking forward to: The end. Seriously. I want it to end. Period.

What I enjoy: I'm still really enjoying everyone's relationships. Since the show has been on forever, there's no more "getting to know" a character. We know them already. So it's seeing the characters develop and change that is really fun. I love how Jim & Pam's relationship keeps getting cuter, and I love how Angela keeps getting even more annoying and prissy.

Concern: It's not going to go anywhere. I didn't really enjoy this season's premier. It had funny moments, but the spark is gone. It's been gone for awhile. I really want them to go out with a bang, and not with a simmer a la Scrubs. 

Glee

Source: None via Megan on Pinterest

Grade: C+

What I'm looking forward to: Anything. I want something to happen. Also, I decided this year to not read all the gossip before the show airs. That kind of ruined the episodes for me last year. I'm just going to sit back and enjoy.

What I enjoy: The songs, the costumes, and how funny the "serious" situations are. I'm looking forward to what this season has to bring! I love how goofy it can be, yet still honest.

Concern: I'm afraid the show has peaked. Graduating the seniors at the end of this season is a good idea, but I'm not sure where it's going to go from there? I know ratings are still strong, but they're already down from last year, and I fear they are not going to go up again. But we'll see. In Ryan Murphy we trust, right?

So... What do you think? Do you disagree or agree with me? I've found my views aren't the norm. What shows are you watching this fall?


Stay tuned for next time... I'll be talking about New Girl, Parenthood, Top Chef: Just Desserts and a few more ♥

30 Days (or more) of Creativity

Happy Monday! How was your weekend? I spent mine mourning a loss to Oklahoma State University and then relaxing the entire rest of the day Saturday and all day Sunday.

C & me at the game ♥

We're always so busy during the week, I've begun craving time away from the computer and "the world" and have been very fortunate to use the weekends for just that.

I also took a big step this weekend in my personal life/career goals. More on that later. Let's just say I'm taking a jump in the deep end of the pool. But... I have to share what motivated me to jump in!

I ran into this video over at Katie's blog a while ago. It totally spoke to me and was exactly the advice that I needed at the time {and still need right now}. Take a look:

Ira Glass on Storytelling from David Shiyang Liu on Vimeo.

So here's to beginners! I know I'm one. And to get over that initial "beginner" hump: I'm writing.... actively.

This week I'm starting a journaling project which I've dubbed the "5 Days a Week Challenge" (Creative, no?). I've basically assigned myself 5 stories a week to write, on my own, away from the computer & from comments & outsiders. It's just me, pen and paper. Old school, baby!

It's my creative challenge to myself. Very similar to the 30 Days of Creativity challenge, but on my own time line. Though I doubt they'd disapprove!

I'm hoping through this exercise I'll learn how to find a story inside a story; to pursue topics that intrigue me; to ask myself questions I never took the time to ask. I want to get creative and be creative.

So here's to a creative, productive & awesome week ♥

{Have a wonderful Monday!}

Have a Great Weekend!

What I loved about this week...

Playing the Stick Man game.

Seriously, if you haven't played it yet, you need to!

Watching Fall TV premiers.

Believe me. You will see a first week of TV review next week!

Meeting a bunch of new blogger friends!

My favorite part of hosting a giveaway is meeting new people. (HELLO!)

Getting pumped up for the awesomest of awesome football games this weekend!

Texas A&M vs. Oklahoma State. I'll be there. It's a top-10 showdown & 

our first conference game of the season. Whoop!

I hope you all had a great week!

{ Have a wonderful weekend ♥ }

FITB + Fashion Friday: Late Afternoon Tea

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of venturing out and seeing a high school friend's wedding. And while the wedding was beautiful and I'm happy for him, I was more ecstatic about this dress. I found this flowered beauty in about 5 minutes of looking around, it was on sale, plus I had a $10 off coupon. It was a steal. And paired with the gold/silver belt and blue cardigan, I felt like I was going to a late afternoon tea party.

I'm hoping to be brave enough to start posting Fashion Friday every once in a while. Probably not every week, because I think C will get frustrated with me before too long!, but it was a lot of fun posing. And it was a very different new feeling to be proud of something I was wearing!

And while I'm talking, why not play a little Fill in the Blank with Lauren from the little things we do?

1.   The best thing I did all week was see Lion King 3D. It made me SO happy!

2. Cookie dough and Fall TV make me super happy.

3.  Pets are great for some people but not me .

4. My husband + our life together is the best thing about my life.

5.  With the cooler weather I am looking forward to wearing boots! I just started wearing some last year & I'm ready to expand my collection more.

6.  Something that's on my "wish list" right now is (ha) a pretty pair of boots & a new messenger-bag-style purse.

7.  This weekend I am going to watch Texas A&M play OSU, and then relax. It's a perfect fall weekend ♥

Dress: Lauren Conrad, Kohls

Belt: Croft & Barrow, Kohls

Cardigan: AB Studio, Kohls

Shoes: Croft & Barrow, Kohls

Necklace: Kate Spade (win one for yourself!)

Who are you? From A to Z

I saw this around at Katie's Pencil Box last week, and then again at Sometimes Sweet and Crowley Party this week, and I thought it was the perfect continuation of last Thursday's Who are you? post. It's another little get to know you game.... from A to Z!!

Source: projectthirtythree.com via cortney on Pinterest

Here's the A-Z's of me ♥

A. Age: 23
B. Bed size: King. We had a full for the first 6 months of marriage & it was awful. Way too small! Especially since I can't sleep still and I always sleep in the middle of the bed.
C. Chore that you hate: Cleaning the bathroom and vacuuming. Luckily, C doesn't hate doing that!
D. Dogs: Nope. And we're not getting any anytime soon.
E. Essential start to your day: A good breakfast & a shower.
F. Favorite color: Purple, pink & gray in various shades.
G. Gold or Silver: Gold accessories. Silver wedding band. (Mine's white gold, ha!)
H. Height: 5' 6" - just tall enough to be "tall" but short enough to wear heels when I want
I. Instruments you play: I used to play the piano really well.
J. Job title: Business Assistant III. Riveting, I know.
K. Kids: None. And none coming soon.
L. Live: Bryan, TX
M. Mother’s name: Sharon. (Who's twin's name is Karon)
N. Nicknames: Ams - but only by 1 person. Rosehose - from middle school. And "Director of the Universe" - from my dad who liked to embarrass me in middle school.
O. Overnight hospital stays: None for me since I was a baby!
P. Pet peeves: Being a fan of everything. You can't like everything... especially music. That's probably my biggest pet peeve!
Q. Quote from a movie: "Empire Records, open 'til midnight..... [pause to listen to person on phone].... MIDNIGHT!!"
R. Right or left handed: Right
S. Siblings: 3. Jess is 14 months younger than me, then Dana & Clark. My mom had 4 kids in 5 years so we're all pretty close.
T. Time you wake up: {Added in later! Wasn't on my first list. Thanks, Krystle!} Around 6:30 every day. And 8 on weekends.
U. Underwear: Private!! Actually, depends on the day. I hate panty lines, though. And that's all I'll say there.
V. Vegetable you hate: Okra & mushrooms. I hate mushrooms!!
W. What makes you run late: Everything. I'm never on time. I just dawdle. My dad used to call me & my sister "dilly" and "dally"... and it still applies to both of us!
X. X-Rays you’ve had: my wrist & dental
Y. Yummy food that you make: everything. you can see my recipes here.
Z. Zoo animal: Okapi! They're the cutest!! See...

Source: flickr.com via Kristen on Pinterest

I'd love for you to play along too! Simply copy & paste the answers in the comments... Or do it over at your blog & link back in the comments ♥

A. Age:

B. Bed size:

C. Chore that you hate:

D. Dogs:

E. Essential start to your day:

F. Favorite color:

G. Gold or Silver:

H. Height:

I. Instruments you play:

J. Job title:

K. Kids:

L. Live:

M. Mother’s name:

N. Nicknames:

O. Overnight hospital stays:

P. Pet peeves:

Q. Quote from a movie:

R. Right or left handed:

S. Siblings:
T. Time you wake up:

U. Underwear:

V. Vegetable you hate:

W. What makes you run late:

X. X-Rays you’ve had:

Y. Yummy food that you make:

Z. Zoo animal:

I can't wait to see what you guys come up with!!

What I'm Loving Today....

Happy Wednesday everyone! It came so fast, but Wednesdays are always welcome around here, because I get to join with This Kind of Love and The Vintage Apple for the weekly "How Pinteresting" and "What I'm Loving" link-ups!

So, here's what I'm loving this week...

• That I celebrated my blog's 1st birthday yesterday - and started a Kate Spade giveaway in its honor. You can enter now if you'd like ♥

Source: amyrenepowell.blogspot.com via Amy on Pinterest

• Fall is here. And I celebrated by painting a ceramic pumpkin that then got fired by U-Paint-It. (Love those types of stores!!) I think it turned out pretty cute...

Source: amyrenepowell2011.tumblr.com via Amy on Pinterest

• And speaking of cute... Brad Pitt is on the cover of Sports Illustrated, and I'm almost tempted to buy the thing just to have the chance to see him as a baseball player. (Though I guess I could just go see his new movie too!)

Source: twitter.com via Amy on Pinterest

• I found the kitchen I want. It has the ceilings and counter tops that my heart longs for. Though, I don't think I'd have built-in dog bowls. But that's just me!

Source: houzz.com via Amy on Pinterest

• Finally, this made me laugh a whole bunch when I saw it. Total dork joke.

Source: darthambiguous.tumblr.com via Amy on Pinterest

{Final frontier = space. Ha ha ha}

Thanks for stopping by! Make sure to check out my giveaway... 

there's Kate Spade with your name on it ♥

I've waited a year to say this: Happy Blog Birthday to me! Plus, a giveaway.

My blog began like so many others: with a few posts over several months that were lost and neglected followed by long gaps of nothing. I like to think of this time as my "cyber-pregnancy" all building up to my first for-real post.

Perhaps that's the craziest analogy you've ever heard... but it's really what my blog life has felt like. A slow start of inspiration, with a sudden burst on to the "scene," followed by a year of growth & development into what I now consider Crazy Random Happenstances.

I've gone through many changes and finally like where I'm at. And I wanted to celebrate my designated 1-year blog birthday with you all! With a giveaway, of course.

What's a birthday 
without presents?

I decided to give you guys my favorite thing I've received this year....

Kate Spade's

"Here's Looking At You" binoculars necklace

I wear this necklace everywhere. And, I'm not kidding, receive a compliment 9 out of every 10 times I wear it. It's an eye catcher and a good conversation starter.

Plus it's Kate Spade. And who doesn't like that?

So it's simple to enter:

Be a follower** of my blog & leave me a comment telling me you are!

But of course that's not the only way to enter! Here's a few more...

• "Like" Crazy Random Happenstances on Facebook


• Follow me on Twitter 


• Tweet: Catch the Kate Spade giveaway over at @amyrenepowell's blog! amyreneonline.com #CRHgiveaway


• Follow Crazy Random Happenstances, Express! on Tumblr


• Follow me on Pinterest


• Blog about the giveaway

Just leave a comment for each one of these. That's 7 ways to enter ♥

And, because this is a PARTY, if I reach 300 followers, I'll be giving away a 2nd prize!!

Before you go, let me just say one last time - Thank you for reading. This year wouldn't have been as awesome if it hadn't been for you guys. I really mean that from the bottom of my heart. I love this blog and I love sharing my thoughts with you. And I love reading your thoughts.

Now, good luck! Winner will be announced on October 1.

PS - this is open to international entries. Anyone can enter.

**Google Friend Connect keeps having problems... 

but you can still hit "Follow" on the navigation 

bar in the top/left or follow me here ♥

TV Land, Where I Love to Live...

Last night was TV's "biggest night"... also known as the Emmy Awards. I'll just start off by giving the whole thing a B+

{via}

Jane Lynch did a respectable job as an award show host (which is definitely not an easy gig), but you could tell they were playing it a little safe after poor Ricky Gervais freaked out TV Land at the Golden Globes. But overall, she was enjoyable, funny, and it was refreshing to not want to fast-forward through any of the pre-recorded "filler" videos.

As for the winners. It was a Modern Family night. The one comedy show I don't watch. But oh, well. Congratulations to that cast and crew for working hard. Better luck next time Steve Carrel Alec Baldwin! I still think Parks and Recreation is the funniest show out there, but I guess that's my humor & I don't pick the winners. And yay! Mad Men. Glad I started watching you!

My favorite part of every Emmy's to watch is the made for TV Movies category. Or as I like to call it, the "what you missed by not subscribing to HBO, you idiot" category. We always find a few movies that sticks out, and put them on our Netflix queue, as we did last year with Temple Grandin and You Don't Know Jack.

But really, what we all care about are the dresses anyway, right? I was bummed I had to miss the red carpet, but luckily that's what pictures are for on the internet (all of these pics are from here). Why don't we have a look?

The ladies - and gent - of Glee. Diana Agron takes home my "best dressed of Glee" award. Though Naya Rivera comes in a close second. I was happy Lea Michele played it down a bit. The back of her dress was stunning, and I like that she left it at that.

Ladies of Comedy. It's always hard to dress up all pretty-like when you're used to having stuff thrown at you, or falling on purpose just for a laugh. But I think these ladies pulled it off nicely. I loved the "best lead actress in a comedy" section. They litterally crowned Melissa McCarthy with a tiara when she won. It was hilarious. And can I just say, Tina Fey looked amazing for just having a kid!!

Moving on to my least favorite of the night. And if this is my least favorite, you know there weren't many flubs. Gwyneth - you're skinny dear, but I don't need to see your stomach freckles. Katie - you have a normal smile and a hair stylist. Use them. Heidi - I know you're a super model and own your own fashion empire - and thank you for not wearing the mini dress you did last year - but this year all I see is poofy. POOFY. I'd still kill to be you, though, even if I could only ever wear that dress.

And my favorites. Kate Winslet and Julia "where did she come from!??!" Siles. Such pretty ladies. Sofia Vergara and Christina Hendricks are ties for 3rd. But I could have told you they'd be on my favorites list even before I turned on the TV last night.

So that's my re-cap on my 3rd favorite award show of the year. It's was all I was hoping for ♥

A letter to you... Happy Friday!

Source: dailydoseofstuf.tumblr.com via Terri on Pinterest

Dear reader,

This week was a really tough one for me, but I got through it just fine, partly because of a great shopping trip, and partly because of your kindness! I was really blessed this week with great conversation on my blog. I loved reading your answers to yesterday's questions! I love how different you are from everyone else. I also love all the different passions everyone has. It's inspiring to see dreams written in black and white.

Among the dream jobs were...

• NY Times best selling author
• Homesteader
• Tour guide at Disney (this was my fav!)
• Litigation Attorney at a large firm
• Travel/Vacation Package Critic

Some of those I would have never thought up!

I can't believe another weekend is here! Like I said, the week really beat me up. I'm actually taking the afternoon off to just collect my thoughts before heading into the eventful weekend we have planned. We've found ourselves able to do anything we want on the weekends for the first time ever. Of course we've kept super busy with football, food and friends. But really, isn't that what weekends are for?

We will be missing the Aggie football game, though. It'll be my 3rd to miss in 5 years. But it's for a wedding of a good high school friend, so it's worth it. I'm a little nervous getting to see old friends, but also excited! I'm hoping I'll be brave enough to take a fashion picture of this incredible dress I bought for the occasion. It's Lauren Conrad and I got it on sale for $10!

I hope you have a great weekend! Remember to rest and to have fun. ♥

Have a happy weekend!

Love, Amy

PS - Don't forget to come back soon. I've got a Kate Spade box with your name on it!

Who Are You?

I'm always at a loss for what to post on Thursdays. I'm not sure why, but it seems like the red-headed step child of the blog week!

So, I thought, why not make Thursdays my official "get to know my readers" day? I want to interact with you guys! I try super hard to respond to every comment and visit all of your blogs - and let me say, you all have wonderful blogs. I love reading them!

Source: unicornseatrainbow-xo.tumblr.com via Wendy on Pinterest

I saw this list over at Design Darling today & thought why not transfer it over here? Just copy & paste the questions into the comments & answer them yourself. I think it'll be fun!!

Current location:

Day job:

Dream job:

How you'd describe your style:

Favorite clothing company:

Favorite TV show:

Favorite way to procrastinate:

Something you're looking forward to this week:

Something on your bucket list:

And, so you're not alone, here are my answers...

Current location: Bryan, TX

Day job:  Business Assistant at Texas A&M University

Dream job: Freelance writer & social media consultant

How you'd describe your style: Modern chic with a bit of lazy thrown in

Favorite clothing company: Gap, Express & Ann Taylor

Favorite TV show: NBC comedies, most notably Community & Parks and Rec

Favorite way to procrastinate: Duh! Blogger/Twitter

Something you're looking forward to this week: Seeing my family this weekend

Something on your bucket list: Get published in a "real" magazine

I'm really looking forward to getting to know 

you guys a little bit more ♥

Celebrities in candid

I found a really awesome Tumblr account last week called Polaroid Stars. It's a collection of polaroid-like pictures (some real, some edited) of celebrities....

I just love how candid even the posed pictures look.

Happy Thursday ♥

PS - Thanks, Courtney, for putting up your 100 book list!

Go check hers out :-)

What I'm Loving...

Woo hoo! Wednesday is here! Here's what I'm loving this week (courtesy of Pinterest)...

• Danielle from Sometimes Sweet posted this pic via Twitter the other day & I just love Adele's honesty, even if I don't completely agree with her entire life-view

Source: twitter.com via Amy on Pinterest

• If you haven't been over to Eat, Drink, Chic then you're missing out. Pretty scarves like these await you!

Source: eatdrinkchic.com via Amy on Pinterest

• I figured since I pinned this twice last week (hah!) I really liked these shoes ♥

Source: flickr.com via Amy on Pinterest

• Maybe it's the Mad Men I've been watching, but I want this vintage bow skirt!!

Source: sayyestohoboken.com via Amy on Pinterest

Make sure to head on over to The Vingate Apple and This Kind of Love to see what others are loving this week!

**********

AND.... just a little teaser...

but look what came in the mail yesterday!!

Make sure to look for the giveaway coming up soon ♥

{and just to clarify... the Kate Spade is for YOU guys. 

Come back next week to find out what it is!}

100 books... Have you read them?

Source: natashabailie.tumblr.com via Rachelle on Pinterest

The BBC put together a list of 100 books they believe the average person has only read 6 of. I found it interesting how it combined both traditional classics as well as a few modern pieces.

Naturally, I couldn't resist going through the list & putting the books I've read in bold... (partially read is in Italics)

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen 2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien 3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte 4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling 5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee 6 The Bible 7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte 8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell 9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman 10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens 11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott 12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy 13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller 14 Complete Works of Shakespeare - read some, but not others... 15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier 16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien 17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk 18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger 19 The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger 20 Middlemarch - George Eliot 21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell 22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald 23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens 24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy 25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams 26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh 27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky 28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck 29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll 30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame 31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy 32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens 33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis 34 Emma - Jane Austen 35 Persuasion - Jane Austen 36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe 37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini 38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres 39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden 40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne 41 Animal Farm - George Orwell 42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown 43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez 44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving 45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins 46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery

47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy. 48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood 49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding50 Atonement - Ian McEwan 51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel 52 Dune - Frank Herbert 53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons 54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen 55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon 57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens 58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley 59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon 60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez 61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck 62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov 63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt 64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold 65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas 66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac 67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy 68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding 69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie 70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville 71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens 72 Dracula - Bram Stoker 73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett 74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson 75 Ulysses - James Joyce 76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath 77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome 78 Germinal - Emile Zola 79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray 80 Possession - AS Byatt. 81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens 82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell 83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker 84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro 85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert 86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry 87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White 88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom 89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton 91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad 92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery 93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks 94 Watership Down - Richard Adams 95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole 96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute 97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas 98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare 99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl 100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

So I've read a total of 13. Les Miserables is by far one of my biggest literary accomplishments. It was definitely a beast! But I can say, it's one of my favorite books I've ever read.

It makes me sad, that even sucessfully reading 2 books a month, it would take me almost 4 years to read through the whole list!

I'm curious, what's your number? Of this list, what's your favorite? 

PS - Thanks to Vicki  and Steph for 
playing along on their blogs!