Men in Uniform Reading Challenge

The Men in Uniform Challenge is hosted by The Book Vixen. Pretty self-explanatory - read books that feature men in uniform.

Basic Details

Jan 1, 2014 - Dec 31, 2014

Books can be any genre and any format.  Novellas allowed if at least 100 pages in length. Rereads and crossovers allowed. You do not have to be a blogger to participate but need to have somewhere that you can track your progress. 

Levels:

     Sergeant – Read 1–5 men in uniform novels
     Lieutenant – Read 6–10 men in uniform novels
     Captain – Read 11–15 men in uniform novels 
     Chief – Read 16+ men in uniform novels 

Not sure where to begin? Check out Uniform Book Lists and Military Book Lists for some suggestions.

We are shooting for the lowest level here of Sergeant.

1. A SEAL's Salvation

2. Her Secret Cowboy

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2014 Meet the Protagonist Reading Challenge

The Meet the Protagonist Reading Challenge is hosted by Littlequeen Rules. 

What is a protagonist? The leading character or one of the major characters in a drama, movie, novel, or other fictional text.

Basic Details:

Jan 1, 2014 - Dec 31, 2014

Rereads and crossovers are allowed.  Books can be any format and genre as long as the protagonist fulfills one of the categories below. Reviews are not required, but there is a review linky if you so desire.

The Protagonist Categories:

• A woman who is a mother. - Her Secret Cowboy
• A real life person who written into a fictional story.
• A person that changes forms.
• A person who is from a country different than the one you currently live in.
• A person who lived before WW1.
• A person who lives by a body of water.
• A person younger than 18. - First Love
• A character that is in a book series. 

Lucky No.14 Reading Challenge

The Lucky No.14 Reading Challenge is hosted by Books to Share. For this challenge you have to read 14 books from 14 different categories found below.

Basic details:

Jan 1, 2014 - Dec 31, 2014

Crossovers are allowed.  Reviews are required. 

See if you can't find a book for each category in your TBR pile.

You must read one book for each category to complete the challenge.

There will be a linky for each category for your review.

If you complete the challenge and write a wrap up post you will be eligible for a prize. 

The 14 categories are:

1. Visit The Country: Read a book that has setting in a country that you really want to visit in real life. Make sure the setting has a big role in the book and it can make you know a little bit more about your dream destination.

2. Cover Lust: Pick a book from your shelf that you bought because you fell in love with the cover. Is the content as good as the cover?

3. Blame it on Bloggers: Read a book because you’ve read the sparkling reviews from other bloggers. Don’t forget to mention the blogger’s names too!

4. Bargain All The Way: Ever buying a book because it’s so cheap you don’t really care about the content? Now it’s time to open the book and find out whether it’s really worth your cents.

5. (Not So) Fresh From the Oven: Do you remember you bought/got a new released book last year but never had a chance to read it? Dig it from your pile and bring back the 2013.

6. First Letter’s Rule: Read a book which title begins with the same letter as your name (for me, Astrid means A, and I can read anything that started with the letter A). Remember: Articles like “a”, “an” or “the” doesn’t count 

7. Once Upon a Time: Choose a book that’s been published for the first time before you were born (not necessarily has to be a classic book, just something a little bit older than you is okay. You can read the most recent edition if you want to) The Witch of Blackbird Pond - published in 1958

8. Chunky Brick: Take a deep breath, and read a book that has more than 500 pages. Yep, the one that you’ve always been afraid of!

9.  Favorite Author: You like their books, but there are too many titles. This is your chance, choose a book that’s been written by your fave author but you haven’t got time to read it before.

10. It’s Been There Forever: Pick up a book that has been there on your shelf for more than a year, clean up the dust and start to read it now 

11. Movies vs Books: You’ve seen the movie adaptation (or planned to see it soon) but never had time to read the book. It’s time to read it now, so you can compare the book vs the movie.

12. Freebies Time: What’s the LAST free book you’ve got? Whether it’s from giveaway, a birthday gift or a surprise from someone special, don’t hold back any longer. Open the book and start reading it now 

13. Not My Cup of Tea: Reach out to a genre that you’ve never tried (or probably just disliked) before. Whether it’s a romance, horror or non fiction, maybe you will find a hidden gem!

14. Walking Down The Memory Lane: Ever had a book that you loved so much as a kid? Or a book that you wish you could read when you were just a child? Grab it now and prepare for a wonderful journey to the past  Comic books or graphic novels are allowed!

2014 Kristin Hannah Reading Challenge

The Kristin Hannah Reading Challenge is being hosted by Rachael Turns Pages. I have quite a few Kristin Hannah books on my TBR shelf so thought this would be a great challenge to maybe read some of them!

Basic details:

Jan 1, 2014 - Dec 31, 2014

Read as many Kristin Hannah books as possible in any format.

Rereads and crossovers are allowed. Reviews not required but there must be somewhere that you keep track of your books.

Levels:

Walk Down the Road: 1-2 books

Evening Stroll: 3-4 books

The books that I own by Kristin Hannah:

Distant Shores

Firefly Lane

Home Again

If you Believe

Night Road

On Mystic Lake

Summer Island

Other books by Kristin Hannah

Fly Away

A Handful of Heaven

The Enchantment

Once in Every Life

When Lightning Strikes

Waiting for the Moon

Angel Falls

Between Sisters

The Things We Do For Love

Comfort and Joy

Magic Hour

True Colors

Winter Garden

Home Front

2014 Jumble Your Genres Reading Challenge

Jumble Your Genres Reading Challenge is hosted by Readers Live a Thousand Lives; Lovin' Los Libros; Corrie The Book Crazed Girl. The Link to sign up is located here. The goal of this challenge is to mix up the Genres that you usually read. Each month will feature a different genre and the goal is to read and write a review on a book from that genre. 

There will be giveaways along the way.  There will be a post each month on the hosting blogs with a review linky.  The list of genres per month is below:

January- Young Adult

February- Contemporary

March- Urban Fantasy

April- Middle Grade

May- Dystopian

June- High Fantasy

July- Adult

August- Paranormal

September- Romance

October- Sci-Fi

November- Historical Fiction

December- New Adult

"I've Always Meant to Read That!" Challenge

This challenge is hosted by Books and Movies.

Here is how this challenge works:

1. There will be one book for each month of the year.
2. January's book will be The Complete Stories by Flannery O'Connor. (I have requested this one from our Interlibrary Loan, but have not heard anything yet.)
3. Each month, you will read that month's pick.  There will be a review linky on the last day of the month or you can just join the discussion in the comments section.
4. You don't have to read all books - just the months that you want.

Here is the list - 

~ January – The Complete Stories by Flannery O’Connor
~ February – The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
~ March – State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
~ April – The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
~ May – The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins
~ June – A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
~ July – American Gods by Neil Gaiman
~ August – The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
~ September – Watership Down by Richard Adams
~ October – Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
~ November – A Passage to India by E.M. Forster
~ December – Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

2014 In the Middle Reading Challenge

The In the Middle Reading Challenge is hosted by Rachael Turns Pages.

Basic details:

Jan 1, 2014 - Dec 31, 2014

Books between 300 - 450 pages count.  All genres, all formats.

Reviews are not required - but having a shelf or somewhere that you list the books is appreciated. 

Levels:

Leafing through the pages - 5 books

Cruising through the pages - 10 books

Fly through the pages - 15 books

Never stop reading - 20 books

I am going for Never Stop Reading as it seems like most of the books that I read fall in this page limit requirement.

1. The One and Only Ivan

2. First Love

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2014 Full House Reading Challenge

The Full House Reading Challenge is hosted by Book Date.  For this challenge there is a challenge card (see below) that you work on filling up.

Basic details:

Jan 1, 2014 - Dec 31, 2014

Crossovers allowed, reviews are required.  There is a review linky and every two months there will be a prize.

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 card that is it. Mention the exchange in the final summary post.

Books Read:

From the Local Library: First Love

Theme/Issue You Think is Important:

Reread:

Won or Borrowed:

Book from a Series:

Best Read so Far in 2014:

Setting You'd Like to Visit:

Review Persuaded You to Read It:

Historical Fiction:

Free or Bought Very Cheaply:

From Your Wish List:

Suspense or Crime:

Free Choice:

Less than 200 Pages:

Published in 2013:

Set in a Different Country Than You:

Contemporary: Her Secret Cowboy

Published Before 2013:

Non-fiction:

Paranormal, SF or Dystopian:

Published in 2014: A SEAL's Salvation

More than 400 pages:

Book with an Animal in It: The One and Only Ivan

Author New to You:

You Love the Cover: 

2014 Everything YA Reading Challenge

The Everything YA Reading Challenge is hosted by Books & Iced Coffee.

Basic details:

Jan 1, 2014 - Dec 31, 2014

Books must be YA and longer than 100 pages. All formats are acceptable.

Reviews are not required, but you must at least have a shelf or page where the books are listed.

There will be periodic giveaways.

1. The Witch of Blackbird Pond

2. The One and Only Ivan

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The Eclectic Reader Challenge

The 2014 Eclectic Reader Challenge is hosted by Book'd Out.  The goal of this challenge is to push you outside of your comfort zone by reading 12 books during the year from 12 different genres.

Basic details:

Jan 1, 2014 - Dec 31, 2014

Select, read and review a book from each genre below.  A book may be any format and crossovers are allowed.

Categories: 

1. Award Winning - The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

2. True Crime (Non-fiction) - 

3. Romantic Comedy - 

4. Alternate History Fiction - 

5. Graphic Novel - 

6. Cozy Mystery Fiction - 

7. Gothic Fiction - 

8. War/Military Fiction - 

9. Anthology

10. Medical Thriller Fiction - 

11. Travel (Non-fiction) - 

12. Published in 2014 - Her Secret Cowboy by Marin Thomas

You can search Listopia at Goodreads for some ideas for the above genres.

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

There is a review Linky.

2014 Dystopia Reading Challenge

The 2014 Dystopia Reading Challenge is hosted by Blog of Erised. I don't think that I will be reading the 24 that is the challenge goal, but I think I can reach one of the lower levels.

Basic details:

Jan 1, 2014 - Dec 31, 2014

Books that count must be full-length, any format, post-apocalyptic theme books.

Levels

Level 1: Recruit - 1-6 books

Level 2: Rebel - 7-12 books

Level 3: Revolutionist - 13-18 books

Level 4: Leader - 19+ books

You will receive a badge each time you read a new level.

Reviews not required, but must review at least one to participate in the giveaway.

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Cruisin' Thru the Cozies Reading Challenge 2014

Cruisin' Thru the Cozies is hosted by Socrates Book Review. To see what a Cozy is, check out Cozy-Mystery.com. 

Basic Details:

Jan 1, 2014 - Dec 31, 2014

Chose your level:

Level 1 - Snoop - Read at least 6 books

Level 2 - Investigator - Read 7-12 books

Level 3 - Super Sleuth - Read 13-20 books

Level 4 - Sleuth Extraordinaire - Read 20+ books

Books can by any type and can overlap with other challenges. 

Reviews not required, but if you do review, there will be a review link up.  

I am going to do the Snoop Level.

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2014 Contemporary Romance Reading Challenge

The Contemporary Romance Reading Challenge is hosted by The Book Vixen.

Reading Challenge Details:

Jan 1, 2014 - Dec 31, 2014

Books that qualify for this challenge must be Adult, New Adult, or Young Adult and must be fiction. Novellas at least 100 pages long also qualify. They can be any type.   Romances with the following elements do not qualify for this reading challenge: paranormal, historical, time-travel, fantasy, science fiction, or mystery/suspense/thriller.

The goal is to read 10 comtemporary romance novels. 

Crossovers are allowed - Reviews not required.  If you do not have a book blog, you can track your books on a dedicated shelf at GoodReads, Library Thing, etc. 

1. First Love by James Patterson

2. Her Secret Cowboy by Marin Thomas

3. A SEAL's Salvation by Tawny Weber

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2014 Color Coded Reading Challenge

For the Color Coded Reading Challenge you must read 9 books in 9 different color categories. 

 It is being hosted by My Reader's Block. 

The details:

Jan 1, 2012 - Dec 31, 2014

Any and all genres and types.

Crossovers allowed - Reviews not required.  If you do have a review blog, there will be a page to link up your reviews. 

There will be a prize for everyone who completes all nine categories.

The nine color categories are as follows: 

1. A book with "Blue" or any shade of Blue (Turquoise, Aquamarine, Navy, etc) in the title.

2. A book with "Red" or any shade of Red (Scarlet, Crimson, Burgandy, etc) in the title.

3. A book with "Yellow" or any shade of Yellow (Gold, Lemon, Maize, etc.)in the title.

4. A book with "Green" or any shade of Green (Emerald, Lime, Jade, etc) in the title.

5. A book with "Brown" or any shade of Brown (Tan, Chocolate, Beige, etc) in the title.

6. A book with "Black" or any shade of Black (Jet, Ebony, Charcoal, etc) in the title.
    - The Witch of Blackbird Pond

7. A book with "White" or any shade of White (Ivory, Eggshell, Cream, etc)in the title.

8. A book with any other color in the title (Purple, Orange, Silver, Pink, Magneta, etc.).

9. A book with a word that implies color (Rainbow, Polka-dot, Plaid, Paisley, Stripe, etc.).

2014 Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge

The Alphabet Soup Challenge means that by December 31, 2014
your bowls must be full of one book for each letter of the Alphabet.

Each Letter Counts As 1 Spoonful. 

It is being hosted by Escape with Dollycas Into a Good Book. 

The basic details are as follows:

Jan 1, 2014 - Dec 31, 2014

Any and all genres and types (print, ebooks, audio).  

Crossovers allowed - Reviews not required.  If you do not have a review blog, you can make a  GoodReads shelf where you will keep track of your spoonfuls. Dollycas keeps track of hers on her Challenge Page.

It’s an alphabet challenge!!! The challenge is to read one book that has a title starting with every letter of the alphabet.

You can drop the A’s and The’s from the book titles as shown below.

So there are two different ways you can set up your own A-Z Reading Challenge.

A – Make a list on your blog from A-Z. Throughout the year, as you go along, add the books you are reading to the list. Towards the end of the year, you can check and see which letters you are missing and find books to fit.

OR

B – Make a list now of 26 books, picking one for each letter of the alphabet. For example: A – Assaulted Pretzel by Laura Bradford B- Buried in a Bog by Sheila ConnollyC – Cat Trick by Sofie Kelly D – A Deal to Die For by Josie Belle etc.

Below is my A-Z list where I will be adding my books as they are read. 

A - 
B - 
C -
D - 
E - 
F - First Love
G -
H - Her Secret Cowboy
I - 
J - 
K - 
L - 
M - 
N - 
O - (The) One and Only Ivan
P -
Q -
R -
S - (A) SEAL's Salvation
T - 
U - 
V - 
W - (The) Witch of Blackbird Pond
X - 
Y -
Z - 

Happy Holidays

Well, it has been two months since I posted my Goodbye For Now post.  Honestly, I didn't think I would last a week without the urge to come back and post again.  Time has just flown by and I can't believe it has really been two months.

I have been reading - I finished The Witches of East End series by Melissa de la Cruz, am starting the second book in the Under the Never Sky series, Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi and am reading the Secrets of Droon series by Tony Abbott with my son as well as The Vengekeep Prophecies by Brian Farrey. I still have a bathroom book - it is currently Agent of Influence by David Aaron.  I also got in a Christmas read this year  - The Christmas List by Richard Paul Evans.  This one put me at my goal of 100 books for the year.

While I haven't missed the pace that I had set for myself in reviewing ARCs, I have missed posting and being part of the book blogging community.  So where does that leave me?  CHALLENGES!   Now don't laugh.  I know, I know - every year I sign up for challenges - start out going fairly well, then fall off the map.  The difference this year is that I am not reviewing ARCs.  I am reading books that only I choose for me.  So this should let me do pretty good.  So, I think that I have highlighted 30 challenges that I am interested in signing up for.  So now I just need to decide how I am going to categorize them and post about them.

Happy New Year and Happy Reading!