Where I share my love of books with reviews, features, giveaways and memes. Family and needlepoint are thrown in from time to time.

Monday, January 9, 2012

Reading Challenges - Specifics Based on Title or Cover

All of these challenges have something specific that they are looking for in either the title of the book, or the cover.  I like these kind of challenges because sometimes you have to hunt for just the right book!




Challenge Details:
  • Timeline: Jan 1, 2012 - Dec 31, 2012
  • Read one book from each of the following categories: (books are just examples)
    • A book with a topographical feature (land formation) in the title: Black Hills, Purgatory Ridge, Emily of Deep Valley
    • A book with something you'd see in the sky in the title: Moon Called, Seeing Stars, Cloud Atlas
    • A book with a creepy crawly in the title: Little Bee, Spider Bones, The Witches of Worm
    • A book with a type of house in the title: The Glass Castle, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, Ape House
    • A book with something you'd carry in your pocket, purse, or backpack in the title: Sarah's Key, The Scarlet Letter, Devlin Diary
    • A book with a something you'd find on a calendar in the title: Day of the Jackal, Elegy for April, Freaky Friday, Year of Magical Thinking
  • Books can be any format
  • Crossovers are allowed
  • Must be a different book for each category
  • List not needed ahead of time
  • Blog not necessary and reviews are mandatory
  • There is a different post for each category with a link up for reviews
Books:
  1. Something you'd find on a calendar - "One" - One for the Money by Janet Evanovich









Challenge Details:
  • Timeline: Jan 1, 2012 - Dec 31, 2012
  • For every letter in the word "2012" (two thousand twelve) you should find something on the cover that starts with that letter.
  • Books can be from all genres
  • Crossovers are allowed
  • Can read in any order
Books:
  1.  "U"
  2.  "D"





Challenge Details:
  • Timeline: Jan 1, 2012 - Dec 31, 2012
  • Levels:
    • Diploma: 6-10 books (My Level)
    • Bachelors: 12-20 books
    • Masters: 22-30 books
    • Doctorate: 32+
  • Read books by matching antonyms in the title (i.e. Hot Ice by Nora Roberts and Cold Fire by Dean Koontz)
  • Any genre and any format allowed
  • Rereads and crossovers allowed
  • Do not need to list books in advance
  • Blog not necessary to participate - see host site for details
Books:





  1.  





Challenge Details:
  • Timeline: Jan 1, 2012 - Dec 31, 2012
  • Sign up until Nov 30, 2012
  • Read nine books in the following categories:
    • A book with "Blue" in the title.
    • A book with "Red" in the title.
    • A book with "Yellow" in the title.
    • A book with "Green" in the title.
    • A book with "Brown" in the title.
    • A book with "Black" in the title.
    • A book with "White" in the title.
    • A book with any other color in the title (Purple, Orange, Turquoise, Pink, Magneta, etc.).
    • A book with a word that implies color (Rainbow, Polka-dot, Plaid, Paisley, Stripe, etc.).
  • Crossovers are okay
  • There is a review page to post links to reviews
  • Blog not necessary
  • Prize drawing for those completing the challenge

Books:












Challenge Details:
  • Timeline: Jan 1, 2012 - Dec 31, 2011
  • Spell out your name in book title first letters.
  • You can use your whole name, your first name, blogger name, nickname, pet's name, favorite literary character's name, etc.
  • Blog not necessary
  • If you do review, link your review to host site
  • Must use names only
  • Any book format okay
  • Crossovers are okay
  • Should read books in the order to spell out your name.

Books: My real name is Kristina, but I go by Kristi - so I am committing to Kristi and will add the "na" as a bonus.
  1. "K"
  2. "R"
  3. "I"
  4. "S"
  5. "T"
  6. "I"
  7. Bonus books:
  8. "N"
  9. "A"




A to Z Reading Challenge hosted by Strawberry Splash Reviews

Challenge Details:
  • Timeline: Jan 1, 2012 - Dec 31, 2012
  • Sign ups through May 31, 2012
  • Levels:
    • Authors: A-Z by last names (26 books)
    • Titles: A-Z by Titles (26 books)
    • Double Whammy: Do both authors and titles (52 books)
  • Crossovers are okay
  • Must review - books must be read by Dec 31, reviews completed by Jan 31, 2013.
  • Probably will be mini challenges and giveaways
  • X is tough so if you can't find an author or title beginning with X, having an X in the author's name or title is okay

Books:
D
E
K
Q
R
U
X
Y
Z




Rainbow Reading Challenge hosted by Books Make Me Happy

Challenge Details:
  • Timeline: Jan 1, 2012 - Dec 31, 2012
  • Colors per month:
    • January - Red (burgundy, claret, crimson, fuschia, garnet, magenta, maroon, ruby, scarlet, rose, cherry)
    • February - Purple (violet, lavendar, amethyst, lilac, plum, periwinkle)
    • March - Aquamarine (teal, turquoise)
    • April - Clear (transparent, translucent, crystal, diamond)
    • May - Green (emerald, jade, malachite, lime, pine, sage)
    • June - Black
    • July - Pink (blush, carnation, mauve)
    • August - Brown (chocolate, tan, bronze)
    • September - Blue (cobalt, cerulean, navy, indigo, sapphire)
    • October - white (snowy)
    • November - Orange (peach, salmon, coral, tangerine, copper)
    • December - Silver (sterling, platinum, chrome, gray)
  • Read a book each month with the assigned color in the title. 
  • There will be a prize for EVERYONE who posts EACH MONTH and completes ALL COLORS.
  • One grand prize winner
  • Books must be at least 200 pages or ebook equivalent.
  1. April - Didn't read "Clear" book
  2. May - 
  3. June -
  4. July -
  5. August -
  6. September -
  7. October -
  8. November -
  9. December -

Reading Challenges - Books from Lists or Prizewinners

I am hoping that these challenges will add a little more "depth" to my reading.



Challenge Details:
  • Timeline:  Jan 1, 2012 - Dec 31, 2012
  • Levels:
    • Go to trials: 5 books from list (My level)
    • Made the Olympic team: 6-10 books from the list
    • Bronze Medal: 11-15 books from the list
    • Silver Medal: 16-20 books from the list
    • Gold Medal: 21+ books from the list
  • Must choose your level, but don't need to make a list ahead of time
  • Crossovers are acceptable
  • Do not need a blog to participate - see host site for details
  • Reviews not mandatory
  • Even if you don't own the book - can find a list here.
  • There will be a link up for those writing reviews
  • Prize for one participant at the end
Books:






Challenge Details:
  • Timeline: Jan 1, 2012 - Dec 31, 2012
  • Levels:
    • 1 - read 1-3 books (My Level)
    • 2 - read 4-6 books
    • 3 - read 7-9 books
    • 4 - read 10+ books
  • Alex Awards - The Alex Awards are given each year to books written/marketed to adults that have special appeal to young adults (age 12-18).  They often feature teen protagonists.  You can find lists here.

Books:
  1.  






Challenge Details:
  • Timeline: Jan 1, 2011 - Dec 31, 2012
  • Levels:
    • Bronze - Read 1-5 books (My Level)
    • Silver - Read 6-9 books
    • Gold - Read 10+ books
  • Read books that won a book award IN 2011.
  • Not necessary to list books in advance
  • Do not need blog to participate
  • Note that this challenge started Jan 1, 2011 - so books can have been read and reviewed in 2011 also.
  • Host site has links to list of major awards

Books:
  1.  
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Challenge Details:
  • Timeline: ??  Jan 1, 2012 - Dec 31, 2012
  • From the host site: You may remember a few years ago that the BBC published a list of 100 books that they believed the majority of us have only read 6 off - personally I think that the list is a little off as there are whole collections (e.g. The Complete Works of Shakespeare) listed and then individual works from the collection listed (obviously Hamlet isn't part of the Complete Works of Shakespeare :/). I for 1 hate being told what is expected of me (when it comes to this kind of thing) and slotted into a nice little box.
  • Read more than six books on the list which can be found at the host site.
  • There will be a monthly link up for reviews.
I have read all the books bold in purple prior to this challenge.  The underlined ones have been completed and reviewed for this challenge.

Books:

  1. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
  2. The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
  3. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
  4. Harry Potter series
  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
  15. Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
  16. The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
  17. Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
  18. Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
  19. The Time Traveler'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 - CS Lewis
  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 Meany - 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 Golding
  50. 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 Seth
  56. 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' 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 Mitchel
  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


Sunday, January 8, 2012

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (Jan 9, 2012)



What are you reading on Mondays is hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey - You can hook up with the Mr. Linky there with your own post - but be sure and let me know what you are reading too! 


Currently reading:
Family Storms by V.C. Andrews  - Still reading this one.
Airel by Aaron Patterson  - I like this one, but was only in it about 20 pages and then took a little hiatus from reading - so started over and now about 1/4 of the way through - interested to see where this one will go!
More Than Words Can Say by Robert Barclay - This one grabbed me with the prologue! 


 
Books up this week:

 

Bathroom Book:


 
Books finished since last post:


 
Books reviewed since last post:




Until next week ----  Ready - Set - Read!


Cozies, Mysteries and Suspense Reading Challenges

Believe it or not, I am getting choosier in my reading challenges - I originally had 8 challenges that fell into this category and I ended up with only these 3! 



Challenge Details:
  • Timeline: Jan 1, 2012 - Dec 31, 2012
  • Levels:
    • Level 1 - Read 12 Mystery/Suspense Novels (My Level)
    • Level 2 - Read 24 Mystery/Suspense Novels
  • Can join at anytime
  • Monthly links at host site for reviews - but reviews are not mandatory
  • All formats EXCEPT audiobooks count
  • Crossovers are okay
  • Blog not necessary - see host site for details
  • You can choose from the numerous sub-genres of mystery and suspense, from cozies to hard-boiled, or romantic suspense to forensic crime.  Paranormal/supernatural suspense are also eligible.  Host has provided a sub-genre list here.
  • Not necessary to list books ahead of time.
Books:
  1.  Lovesick by Spencer Seidel
  2.  Voices of the Dead by Peter Leonard
  3.  Not in the Heart by Chris Fabry
  4.  A Place to Die by Dorothy James
  5.  Frantic by Mike Dellosso
  6.  One for the Money by Janet Evanovich
  7.  How to eat a Cupcake by Meg Donahue
  8.  Shore Excursion by Marie Moore
  9.  The Thirteen by Susie Moloney
  10.  Gods and Fathers by James LePore
  11.  A Grand Murder by Stacy Verdick Case
  12. Banana Split by Josi Kilpack
  13. Titanic 2012 by Bill Walker
  14. Paskagankee by Allan Leverone







Challenge Details:
  • Timeline: Jan 1, 2012 - Dec 31, 2012
  • Levels:
    • Snooper - 1-3 Cozy Mysteries
    • Gumshoe - 4-6 Cozy Mysteries (My Level)
    • Private-Eye - 7-9 Cozy Mysteries
    • Super Sleuth - 10-12 Cozy Mysteries
  • Definition of a cozy can be found at host site
  • Can sign up until Feb 4, 2012
  • You do not have to be a blogger, but must post reviews somewhere
  • Any and all book formats count
  • Bi-monthly post for reviews at host site
  • Six mini-giveaways throughout the year - your review link will gain you entry
  • Other mini challenges throughout the year
  • One grand prize at year end for participants who meet the guidelines.
Books:
  1. Shore Excursion by Marie Moore
  2. A Grand Murder by Stacy Verdick Case
  3. Banana Split by Josi Kilpack







Challenge Details:
  • Timeline: Jan 1, 2012 - Dec 31, 2012
  • Levels:
    • Snoop - Read 6 Cozies (My Level)
    • Investigator - Read 7-12 Cozies
    • Super Sleuth - Read 13+ Cozies
  • Books can be in any format
  • Crossovers are okay
  • No need to create a list of books in advance
  • Reviews are not mandatory
  • Don't need a blog to participate - see host site for details
  • Check out cozy-mystery.com for defintion of a cozy. There is also a great list of books/authors there!
Books:

  1.  A Place to Die by Dorothy James
  2.  One for the Money by Janet Evanovich
  3.  Shore Excursion by Marie Moore
  4.  A Grand Murder by Stacy Verdick Case
  5.  Banana Split by Josi Kilpack
  6.  


YA Reading Challenges (Some of my favorites!)

YA books have turned into some of my favorite books - they are entertaining and quick to read - and ones that I can share with my daughters.


YA Contemporary Challenge hosted by Katies Book Blog and Reading Angel


Challenge Details:
  • Timeline: Jan 1, 2012 - Dec 31, 2012
  • Sign up until May 1, 2012
  • Read any Contemporary YA novel PUBLISHED between Jan 1, 2012 - Dec 31, 2012
  • All formats are accepted
  • Your challenge hosts created a spreadsheet of acceptable books that will be published this year.  They will add books to it if they meet the criteria.
  • Anyone with a blog, or a member of Goodreads can join.
  • There will be giveaways throughout the year and a grand prize at the end
  • List of books not required ahead of time
Books:
  1.  The Jerk Magnet by Melody Carlson
  2.  Night Sky by Jolene Perry
  3.  
  4.  
  5.  
  6.  







Challenge Details:
  • Timeline: Jan 1, 2012 - Dec 31, 2012
  • Levels:
    • You must choose a number of books (between 1-99) to read from each of the years - 2010, 2011, 2012 (I am choosing 1 book from each year)
  • Anyone can join - do not need to have a blog
  • Any YA contemporary book published in 2010, 2011, 2012 qualifies.  Challenge host has provided some lists to get you started:
  • Crossovers are okay
Books
  1.  2010 -
  2.  2011 -







Challenge Details:
  • Timeline: Jan 1, 2012 - Dec 31, 2012
  • Can set your own goals and levels
  • Monthly updates and mini-challenges at the beginning of each month
  • Weekly link-up for reviews
  • Reviews are not mandatory, but will get you extra entries in giveaways
  • Do not need to be a blogger to participate
I am hoping to just add more contemps to my reading - so I will go for 6 this year.
  1.  The Jerk Magnet by Melody Carlson
  2.  Night Sky by Jolene Perry
  3.  
  4.  
  5.  
  6.  











Challenge Details:
  • Timeline: Jan 1, 2012 - Dec 31, 2012
  • Listen to at least 12 YA Audiobooks
  • Review the audiobooks on your blog or goodreads and link back to host site
    • Reviews should include the length of the audiobook and name of narrator(s) at minimum, and also include your opinion of the narrator(s)/production.
    • There will be a linky open here each month to link up your reviews. You don't have to link a review each month, however to complete the challenge you must link a total of 12 by the end of 2012.
  • There will be at least one giveaway
Books:
  1.  
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Mailbox Monday (Jan 9, 2012)


 Mailbox Monday will be hosted in December by Alyce at At Home With Books.  In My Mailbox is hosted Sundays at The Story Siren. Please visit these posts and take a look at what packages everybody else got this week! 

I have had a slow start to the new year, but have received one book for review and three that I have won from giveaways.

The Jerk Magnet
by Melody Carlson

When Chelsea Martin's future stepmother helps her transform from gawky and geeky into the hottest girl at her new school, Chelsea is pretty sure it's the best thing that ever happened to her.  But her hot new look has a downside.  She's attracting lots of guys who all have one thing in common:  they're jerks.  Oh, and stealing the attention of all the guys in school doesn't exactly make her BFF material for the girls.

Finally a great guy catches her eye.  But he's the only one around who doesn't give her a second glance.  Can Chelsea come up with a plan to get his attention?  Or will her new image ruin everything?



Pregnant Pause
by Han Nolan
 
Okay, I'm pregnant, and so here's what I'm scared about.  What if my kid turns out to be a mass murderer?  You know, one of those kids who shoots half the school, then shoots himself?  Or maybe a drug dealer, or really, just -- just what if my kid lies to me, or sneaks out a window to go see her boyfriend, or gets pregnant at sixteen like me?  I'd hate to have me for a kid.
 
Eleanor Crowe has a mind of her own, and nobody gets away with bossing her around.  She usually makes decisions based on who she can piss off most, although that hasn't always worked out so well.  Now she's pregnant and sixteen -- and her opinion doesn't seem to matter to everyone who's trying to tell her what to do.
 
But as Elly's delivery date approaches, she has more questions than answers.  Is she being punished for being such a rotten daughter?  Does she really love this boy she married?  And what's she going to do with this baby?  Being headstrong got her into this mess. . .maybe now it can get her out of it.  But is that what she really wants?
 

I won these next 2 books plus a Book Lover's 2012 Calendar from Mary at Bookhounds
 
Season for Temptation
by Theresa Romain

Two sisters. . .
Julia Herington is overjoyed when her stepsister, Louisa, becomes engaged -- to a viscount, no less.  Louisa's only hesitation is living a life under the ton's critical gaze.  But with his wry wit and unconventional ideas, Julia feels James is perfect for Louisa.  She can only hope to find a man like him for herself.  Exactly like him, in fact. . .

One choice. . .
As the new Viscount Matheson, James wished to marry quickly and secure his title.  Kind, intelligent Louisa seemed a suitable bride. . .until he met her stepsister.  Julia is impetuous -- and irresistible.  Pledged to one sister, yet captivated by another, what is he to do?  As Christmas and the whirl of the London season approach, James may be caught in a most scandalous conundrum, one that only true love, a bit of spiritous punch -- and a twist of fate -- will solve. . .




Tis the Season to be Sinful
by Adrienne Basso

The season for surprises. . .
Juliet Wentworth knew what she was getting into:  a marriage of convenience that will save her estate and protect her family long into the future.  But she wasn't expecting to find the passion of a lifetime in her new husband's arms.  After just one night, Juliet knows a marriage in name only will never be enough. . .

The season for seduction. . .
Richard Harper's beautiful new bride has him reeling with desire -- and running for cover.  After all, falling in love was never part of the bargain.  Yet when Christmastime celebrations bring him back to their country manor and back into Juliet's arms, Richard finds his wife is determined -- and all too able -- to win over his heart, one kiss at a time. . .

What books came home to you this week?

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