Reading Challenges for 2015 (Jan - Dec)

I have decided to create one page for my reading challenges this year.  I hope that by doing this, I will be more inclined to keep them updated!

Clocks, Cogs and Mechanisms Reading Challenge 2015

In case you couldn't tell by the name of the challenge, this one will be for Steampunk books.  (Click Steampunk, for more information) It is being hosted by Writing Our Fairy Tale and has the following levels: 

Brass Gears:          1-3 books
Flight goggles:       4-6 books
Button-up boots:   7-12 books
Clockwork Corset: 13+ books

i am going to try for Brass Gears:

1.

2.

3.

Fur and Fangs Reading Challenge 2015

This challenge will cover werewolf (or other shifter that has fur) and vampire books.  It is being hosted by Phantasmic Reads and Novel Heartbeat.  There will be a review linky every three months at one of these two blogs. For more information, go to Phantasmic Reads. You can set your own goal for this one.

1. The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black
2.
3.

Women Reading Challenge 2015

This challenge is for books written by women. It is being hosted by Peekabook. You can post a link to reviews here. The levels are as follows: 

BABY GIRL:            5 books
GIRLS POWER:       6 - 15 books
SUPER GIRL:          16 - 20 books
WONDER WOMAN: 20+ books 

I am going to try Baby Girl.

1. Stealing Home by Sherryl Woods (January)

2. The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon (January)

3. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

4. The Snowglobe by Judith Kinghorn

5. The Liar by Nora Roberts
6. Blood Red Road by Moira Young
7. Rebel Heart by Moira Young
8. Raging Star by Moira Young
9. The Secret Life of Violet Grant by Beatriz Williams
10. The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black
11. The Ark by Laura Nolen
12. Worthy by Catherine Ryan Hyde

What's in a Name?

 Reading Challenge 2015

The challenge runs from January to December. During this time you choose a book to read from each of the following categories (examples of books you could choose are in brackets):

• A word including ‘ing’ in it (The Time Of Singing, Dancing To The Flute, Lex Trent Fighting With Fire) My examples are verbs but you can of course use other words.  Stealing Home by Sherryl Woods (January)
• A colour (The Red Queen, White Truffles In Winter, On Gold Mountain)  Blood Red Road by Moira Young
• A familial relation (Daughter Of Smoke And Bone, Dombey And Son, My Cousin Rachel) By all means include in-laws, step, and halves.
• A body of water (The River Of No Return, Black Lake, Beside The Sea)
• A city (Barcelona Shadows, Shanghai Girls, Under The Tripoli Sky) The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black
• An animal (Black Swan Rising, The Leopard Unleashed, The Horse And His Boy)

This reading challenge is hosted by The Worm Hole. For more information and to sign-up, please see this post.

Full House

 Reading Challenge 2015

Complete the card below.  You can do it in any order you wish.  You are allowed "one free exchange", if there is something on the square you really dislike you may change it to something of your choice. Once you have played this free choice that is it. Mention the exchange in the final summary post.

This reading challenge is hosted by Book Date. For more information and to sign-up, please see this post.

Library Book - Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
Novella
Author outside your own country
Won or borrowed
2nd Book in a series - Rebel Heart by Moira Young
A top book of 2015 for you - NIL
Setting that you now want to visit
Book by author you really like
Book set in the northern hemisphere - Arcady's Goal by Eugene Yelchin (January) - set in Russia 
Been on your TBR 'forever' - A Really Awesome Mess
You heard about the book online - Undertow by Michael Buckley
Award winning
Free choice
Debut novel by author
Published in 2014 - Uncaged by John Sandford and Michele Cook
Set in Southern Hemisphere
First in a series - Stealing Home by Sherryl Woods (January)
Published 2000-2013 - A Really Awesome Mess
Published Pre-2000 - Dragons of Autumn Twilight by Margret Weis and Tracy Hickman
Type of book you rarely or never read
Published in 2015
A Keeper
Outstanding Hero or Heroine
Author New to You - Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer
You Love the Cover

Fairytale

 Reading Challenge 2015

This challenge is for fairytale retellings.  It's up to the reader to decide what you count as a fairytale.  

There are 6 different levels

-Prince Charming: 1 – 4 books.

-Magic mirror: 5 - 9 books.

-Big bad wolf: 10 – 15 books.

-The wise princess: 16 – 20 books.

-Wicked fairy Godmother: 21 – 25 books.

-Bluebeard: you are killing it! 26+ books.

At the beginning of the month there will be a link-up post where to put all the reviews in and they will have fun/informative introductions.

There might also be challenges.  

I am only going for Prince Charming:

1. 

2.

3.

4.

This reading challenge is hosted by The Daily Prophecy. For more information and to sign-up, please see this post.

Books to Movies

 Reading Challenge 2015

This challenge is for books that have been made into movies or a TV show that is as long as a movie or has at least two episodes. There will also be a Read-along portion that you can participate in with four 2015 movie adaptions. 

Dragons of Autumn Twilight by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman
Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer
Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald

READ-ALONG SCHEDULE

March 2015 – Serena by Ron Rash to tie-in with the movie starring Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper

June 2015 – Paper Towns by John Green to tie-in with the movie starring Nat Wolff and Cara Delevingne

September 2015 – To Reach The Clouds by Philippe Petit to tie-in with the movie The Walk starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt

November 2015 – The Martian by Andy Weir to tie-in with the movie starring Matt Damon

This reading challenge event is hosted by E Book Classics. For more information and to sign-up, please see this post.

Horror

 Reading Challenge 2015

As the title states, this challenge is for horror books.  There are four challenge levels:

Running Scared: 1-5 books
Brave Reader: 6-10 books
Fearless: 11-15 books
Horror Hound 16+ books

I will be doing Running Scared.
1. The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon
2.
3.
4.
5.

Challenge Update Schedule

March 26th - First Quarter Update
June 25th - Second Quarter Update & Giveaway
September 24th - Third Quarter Update
December 24th - Challenge Wrap-Up & Giveaway

Lists To Get You Started

Best Horror Novels
Best Teen Horror/Suspense/Thrillers
Ghost Stories

This reading challenge is hosted by Cornerfolds. For more information and to sign-up, please see this post.

Southern Literature

Reading Challenge 2015

This challenge is to read books set in the South or by authors who are from the South.  For this challenge - the states would include: South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, Texas, Arkansas, Florida. It should have the "southern literature" feel as well. There are 4 levels:
C'mon in the house: 1-2 books
Pull up a seat and stay awhile: 3-4 books
Have a glass of sweet iced tea, honey: 5-6 books
Y'all come back now, y'hear! 7-8 books

I will be going for Have a glass of sweet iced tea, honey.
1. Stealing Home by Sherryl Woods (January) - Set in Serenity, SC.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

This reading challenge event is hosted by The Introverted Reader. For more information and to sign-up, please see this post.

Graphic Novels

Reading Challenge 2015

This challenge is to read graphic novels, manga, comic books, etc.  I read my first graphic novel last month and actually enjoyed it, so thought I would give this a try.  There are three levels:
Modern Age: 12 books
Bronze Age: 24 books
Silver Age: 52 books

I am going for the Modern Age:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.

This reading challenge is hosted by Graphic Novel & Manga Challenge. For more information and to sign-up, please see this post.

Snagged @ the Library

Reading Challenge 2015

This challenge is to read books that you have gotten from your library.  There are four levels:

Dewey Decimal: 12 books

Thrifty Reader: 24 books

Overdrive Junkie: 36 books

Stalking the Bookstacks: 50+ books

I will be doing the Overdrive Junkie for this challenge:

1. Stealing Home by Sherryl Woods (January)

2. Arcady's Goal by Eugene Yelchin (January)

3. Uncaged by John Sandford and Michele Cook (January)

4. Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer

5. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

6. Please ignore Vera Deitz by A.S. King

7. Blood Red Road by Moira Young

8. Rebel Heart by Moira Young

9. Raging Star by Moira Young

10. Mosquitoland by David Arnold
11. The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black
12. Undertow by Michael Buckley
13. Nil by Lynne Matson
14. A Really Awesome Mess by Trish Cook, Brendan Halpin

This reading challenge is hosted by Geeky Bloggers Book Blog and The Book Nympho. For more information and to sign-up, please see this post.

Pages Read

Reading Challenge 2015

This is a challenge to just keep track of the number of pages read (or listened to). 

Level 1: 13,000

Level 2: 26,000

Level 3: 52,000

Level 4: 78,000

Level 5: 104,000

Let's start with Level 1 on this one.

This reading challenge is hosted by Book Dragon's Lair. For more information and to sign-up, please see this post.

Stealing Home by Sherryl Woods (January) - 400 pages
Arcady's Goal by Eugene Yelchin (January) - 240 pages
Uncaged by John Sandford and Michele Cook (January) - 416 pages
Dragons of Autumn Twilight by Margaret Weis/Tracy Hickman (January) - 444 pages
The Time of the Fireflies by Kimberley Little 368 pages
Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer - 195 pages
The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon  - 317 pages
The Ambassadors by Henry James - 528 pages
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell - 445 pages
The Snow Globe by  Judith Kinghorn - 315 pages
Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald - 315 pages
Dragons of Winter by Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman - 176 pages
The Liar by Nora Roberts - 501 pages
Mosquitoland by David Arnold - 336 pages
The Secret Life of Violet Grant by Beatriz Williams - 448 pages
Undertow by Michael Buckley - 384 pages
The Ark by Laura Nolen - 239 pages
Worthy by Catherine Ryan Hyde - 321 pages
Nil by Lynne Matson - 384 pages
A Really Awesome Mess by Trish Cook, Brendan Halpin - 288 pages 

Total - 7193 (July 1, 2015)

Witches and Witchcraft

Reading Challenge 2015

This challenge is to read full length books that have a witch as a main character or includes major witchcraft elements. There are 4 levels:

Initiate: 1-5 books

Maiden: 6-10 books

Mother: 11-15 books

Crone: 16-20 books

I will be doing the Initiate level:

1. 

2.

3.

4.

5.

This reading challenge is hosted by Melissa's Eclectic Bookshelf. For more information and to sign-up, please see this post.

Around the World

Reading Challenge 2015

This challenge is to keep track of where you are reading on a google map.  There are also mini challenges that you can participate in. 

• Read one book for each continent
• Read one book for each state in the US
• Read one book for each ocean (the character travels across the ocean, no matter how)
• The mountaineering challenge: climb the Seven Summits
• Three Poles Challenge: visit North Pole, South Pole and Mount Everest
• Visit a certain number of extreme points of Earth
• Read a certain number of books set in capital cities 
• Read a certain number of books set in at least 5 different places (e.g. road trip books)
• Read a certain number of books that are set in two places from different continents
• Read a certain number of books within a 100km/1.5 Mile radius of where you live
• Visit a certain number of the most famous landmarks in the world
• A to Z challenge: Find a place for each letter in the alphabet
• Visit a certain number of countries.
• Read books from authors from a certain number of different countries.
• Read a certain number of books set in places you’ve visited yourself.

How to create  and work with a google map:

• login with your google account
• go to http://maps.google.com
• click into the empty! search field and then click “my maps” 
• click the “create” button
• Adding places: search for a place, then click on it on the map. The pop-up provides the option to add it to your map
  Tip: you can use different colors and symbols! (e.g. for different mini-challenges)
• Connecting places: use the “draw lines” option under the search box
• Embed your map: click the folder in the box on the left and then choose “embed on my website”
  Important! For this to work, the map must be public (via “share” in the top right corner)

Useful links to find books with diverse settings:

• Edinburgh Reads
• 12 YA Books For The Open Road
• Planet YA
• Geography Book Lists
• GR: Places

This reading challenge is hosted by All About Books. For more information and to sign-up, please see this post.

Stealing Home by Sherryl Woods (January) - South Carolina
Arcady's Goal by Eugene Yelchin (January) - Russia
Uncaged by John Sandford and Michele Cook (January) - California

Literary Pickers

Reading Challenge 2015

How keen of an observer are you?  Good at finding important stuff?  Or maybe not, but you just want to participate anyway?  This challenge is just a fun way to see if you can find a list of items as you read no matter what romance style you pick up.  The reader picks and chooses how many books and what list itmes they want to find.  It can be a commitment to ten reads a year or a hundred.  Everyone is welcome to participate. 

Level One – Treasure Hunter in Training- 10 items/10 places

Level Two – Garage Sale Guru- 25 items/ 25 places

Level Three -Professional Picker- 50 items/50 places

I am going to be a Garage Sale Guru and try for 25 items/25 places. 

The books must be romance or have a strong romantic element. You can only count one item per book. Scavenger Hunt participants must work off the specified list, but if you found an object that is in the same spirit of the one on the list you can count it. Most of all just have fun and encourage each other on in reading and chatting about books.

Here is a list of the items:

OBJECTS                     TRANSPORTATION                       CLOTHING

Rose(s)                          Saddle                                             Corset

Frying Pan                      Carriage                                          Thong

Lamp                             Motorcycle                                      Jeans 

Guitar                            Sports Car                                      Uniform

Picture                           Airplane                                         Bonnet/Lady's Hat

Hand Gun/Laser             Boat/Ship                                          Suit of Armor - 
                                                                                          Dragons of                                                                                                     Autumn Twilight

Porch Light                     Spaceship - The Ark by Nolen           Beard

Painting - Uncaged          Truck/Jeep                                       High Heels

Beach Towel                    Bicycle                                             Body Piercing

Eye Glasses                    Skis/Skates                                       Fan

Child's Toy                                                                             Lingerie 

Lip Stick(Mosquitoland by Arnold) PLACES                         Ball cap

House Plant                    Balcony                                           Tattoo

CD                                Clouds                                             Cowboy Boots

Animal-skinned Rug         Tent                                                 Fangs

Coffee Maker                  Concert                                           Mittens/Gloves

Map                               Mountain                                        Garters   

Alarm                            Private Club                                    Crown/Tiara

Fireplace                         Garden                                              Claws 

Picnic Basket               Swimming Pool                               Cane/Walking Stick 

Toothbrush                      Mall                                                 Tuxedo

Microwave                        Jungle (Nil by Matson)                   Kilt

Tea Tray/Cart                   Lake                                                 Gown 

Library Card/Book           Mansion/Estate

Whip                             Another Planet/Dimension                FOOD

King-sized Bed                                                                   Chocolate        

Kiss                               PERSONAGES/ANIMALS             Omelet/Quiche

Sports Equipment             Bird                                             Popcorn

Window                            Best Friend                                  Hotdog (A                                                                                                  Really Awesome                                                                                        Mess by Cook,Halpin)

Shovel                             Prince/Duke (Undertow by Buckley)Sushi

Bar Stool                          Lawyer

Hair Dryer                        Geek

Drums                             Secretary

Condom                             Cop (Worthy by Hyde)

Barn Door                        Neighbor(s)

Card Game                          Dragon

Couch                                   Alien

handcuffs (Blood Red Road by Young)  Superhero

Shopping Cart/Basket/Bag    Firefighter

Rope                                    Doctor/Nurse - Stealing Home by Sherryl Woods

Purse/Wallet                          Military Personnel

Pool Table                              Big Cat

Laptop Computer (Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell)  Mer Person

Pencil

Mirror

This reading challenge is hosted by Delighted Reader. For more information and to sign-up, please see this post.

Cloak and Dagger

Reading Challenge 2015

This challenge is to read any novel as long as the genre is mystery/crime/thriller. The novel must be over 100 pages. The levels are as follows:

Inspector Lestrade: 5 books

Amelia Peabody: 10 books

Flavia de Luce: 15 books

Inspector Ian Rutledge: 20 books

Detective Simon Ziele: 25 books

Miss Marple: 30 books

Hercule Poirot: 35 books

Sherlock Holmes: 40+ books

This reading challenge is hosted by A Bookish Girl. For more information and to sign-up, please see this post.

1. Uncaged by John Sandford and Michele Cook
2. The Liar by Nora Roberts

The Eclectic Reader

Reading Challenge 2015

This challenge is to select, read and review a book from each category listed below: 

1. Retellings (of fairytale, legends or myth)
2. A book set in a country starting with the letter S (e.g.. Sweden, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Slovakia)
3. PI Crime (fiction featuring a private investigator)
4. A novel published before you were born - The Ambassadors by Henry James
5. Contemporary romance - Stealing Home by Sherryl Woods (January)
6. Fiction for foodies (fiction featuring food/food related business)
7. Microhistory (Non Fiction)
8. Science Fiction set in space - The Ark by Laura Nolen
9. Sports (Fiction or Non fiction)
10. Featuring diversity - Undertow by Michael Buckley
11. Epistolary Fiction (fiction written in the format of letters/emails/diary entries) - Mosquitoland by David Arnold
12. Middle Grade/YA Adventure - The Time of the Fireflies by Kimberley Little

If you need some ideas for what to read in the above categories I suggest you search Library Booklists or Listopia at Goodreads

 - Each time you read and review a book as part of this challenge, make sure you identify it by adding either a direct statement and/or the challenge image badge to the post.  If you tweet use the tag #eclecticreader or #bookdout.

This reading challenge is hosted by Book'd Out. For more information and to sign-up, please see this post.

Alphabet Soup

Reading Challenge 2015

This challenge is to read one book that starts with each letter of the alphabet.  You can drop the A’s and The’s from the book titles as shown below. For those pesky Q, X AND Z titles the word with the challenge letter can be anywhere in the title.

A. Arcady's Goal by Eugene Yelchin (January)

B. Blood Red Road by Moira Young

C.

D. Dragons of Autumn Twilight by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman (January)

E. Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer

F. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

G. 

H.

I.

J.

K.

L. The Liar by Nora Roberts

M.

N. Nil by Lynne Matson

O.

P. Please Ignore Vera Deitz by A.S. King

Q.

R. A Really Awesome Mess by Trish Cook, Brendan Halpin

S. Stealing Home by Sherryl Woods (January)

T. Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald

U. Uncaged by John Sandford and Michele Cook (January)

V.

W. Worthy by Catherine Ryan Hyde

X.

Y.

Z.

This reading challenge is hosted by Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book. For more information and to sign-up, please see this post.

Monthly Key Word

Reading Challenge 2015

The challenge is to read one book each month with one of the key words for that month in the title. The word in the title can be a variation of the key word - like snowing for snow; cinder or ashes for fire; sister or mother for family; cake for food. 

MONTHLY KEY WORDS:

JAN- Bird, Girl, Ever, Silence, Bad, Truth, End (The Coldest Girl in Coldtown - Black) 

FEB- Now, Water, Lie, Chase, And, Once     

MAR- KInd, Face, Power, City, Blue, Night, To

APR- Dream, Prince, Long, Wind, Rose, The, Rock

MAY- Ash, Road, Thief, Bend, In, Far (Blood Red Road - Young)

JUN- My, Together, Whisper, Win, Soul, Sleep

JUL- Sun, Unto, Energy, Fate, High, Look

AUG- Fall, Boy, Glass, Heart, Lost, Now

SEP- Color, Touch, Life, Day, How, Sweet

OCT- Ghost, Home, Beach, Away, Test, Number

NOV- Rise, Holiday, And, Little, Call, Dark

DEC- Space, Mirror, Over, Flower, Trap, Cold

Have fun!!! (For an extra challenge try pairing this with the 2015 Monthly Motif Reading Challenge)

This reading challenge is hosted by Bookmark To Blog. For more information and to sign-up, please see this post.

Monthly Motif 

Reading Challenge 2015

For this challenge you need to read one book each month that fits into a certain motif or theme. 

MONTHLY MOTIFS:

JAN- Book to Movie or Audio
Read a book that has a movie based off of it. For an extra challenge, see the movie or listen to the audio book as well.

Dragons of Autumn Twilight by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

FEB- Award Winner
Read a book that has won recognition or a literary award.  Here's a list of literary awards to help you get started on your search: Literary Awards.

MAR-  Genre Jumble Read a book in a genre that you've never tried or that you're least familiar with. For example, if you typically reach for romance novels, try a mystery this time. Ask your local librarian for great suggestions on the genre your least familiar with.

APR- Mystery, Murder, and Mayhem

Read a murder/mystery book, a book in which someone dies of mysterious causes, or a book in which the truth must come out.

MAY- Library Love

Show your library some love and visit your local branch. Choose a book to read that they have on display.  Mosquitoland by David Arnold

JUN-  Take A Trip

Choose a book to read that takes place in a country different than the one you live in or choose a book written by an author that is from a country different than your own.

JUL- Standing Up

Read a book in which the main character stands up for themselves, stands against an enemy, or stands up for something they believe in. Undertow by Buckley

AUG- Alternate Reality

Read a book that's set in the future, on another planet, in another dimension, or in an unknown world. A Dystopian book will count this month as well. Nil by Matson

SEP- Furry Friends

Read a book that includes an animal either as a main character or supporting character. Horses, cats, dogs, insects, bird, etc. The book doesn't have to be about the animal but the animal needs to play some sort of role in the story or be mentioned several times throughout the book.

OCT- Goblins, and Ghost, and Ghouls, Oh My!

Cozy mystery ghost stories, paranormal creeptastic, funky fantasy creatures- it's up to you!

NOV- An Oldie but a Goodie

Pick a book published before 2000 that you've always wanted to read, but just never got to. Or pick a book set in the past (before 2000).

DEC- That's a Wrap

Finish a series you've been meaning to finish or read the next book in a series you started but never finished.

Have fun!!! (For an extra challenge, try pairing this with the Monthly Key Word Reading Challenge.)

This reading challenge is hosted by Bookmark To Blog. For more information and to sign-up, please see this post.

Newbery 

Reading Challenge 2015

The challenge is to read a Newbery Medal or Honor book or Caldecott Medal Winner. You will receive points for the different books that you read.

• 3 points for a Newbery Medal Winner
• 2 points for a Newbery Honor Book
• 1 point for a Caldecott Medal Winner (Gotta give the picture books some love, too.)

There are 5 levels:

L'Engle: 15 - 29 points

Spinelli: 30-44 points

Avi: 45 - 59 points

Lowry: 60-74 points

Konigsburg: 75+ points

List of Newbery Medal Winners & Honor Books
List of Caldecott Medal Winners

I am going to try for the Spinelli Level. 

This reading challenge is hosted by Smiling Shelves. For more information and to sign-up, please see this post.

Audiobook

Reading Challenge 2015

The challenge is to listen to audiobooks. 

Levels:

• Newbie (I’ll give it a try) 1-5
• Weekend Warrior (I’m getting the hang of this) 5-10
• Stenographer (can listen while multi-tasking) 10-15
• Socially Awkward (Don’t talk to me) 15-20
• Binge Listener (Why read when someone can do it for you) 20-30
• My Precious (I had my earbuds surgically implanted) 30-50
• Marathoner (Look Ma no hands) 50+

I am going to try for Newbie as I usually only listen to these in my car. 

1. Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer

2. Please Ignore Vera Deitz by A.S. King

3. Blood Red Road by Moira Young

4. Rebel Heart by Moira Young

5. Raging Star by Moira Young

6. The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

Update Schedule:

• March 27th: 1st Quarter Update
• June 19th: 2nd Quarter Update – Giveaway included
• September 25th: 3rd Quarter Update
• December 18th: 4th Quarter Update and Wrap – Giveaway included

This reading challenge is hosted by The Book Nympho and Hot Listens. For more information and to sign-up, please see this post.