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 Centered Around the Library

For me, the majority of these books will be found at my local library, so that is why I am putting them together.




Challenge Details:
  • Timeline: Jan 1, 2012 - Dec 31, 2012
  • Levels:
    • Dilettante: 1-5 non-fiction books (My level)
    • Explorer: 6-10 non-fiction books
    • Seeker: 11-15 non-fiction books
    • Master: 16-20 non-fiction books
  • Any non-fiction book, adult or young adult, counts
  • Do not need to be a blogger to join.

Books:
  1.  You're Already Amazing by Holley Gerth
  2. Samplers and Samplermaking
  3.  
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Challenge Details:
  • Timeline: Jan 1, 2012 - Dec 31,2012
  • Sign-ups until Nov 30, 2012
  • Levels:
    • Elementary: 5 non-fiction books (My Level)
    • Diploma: 10 non-fiction books
    • Bachelor's Degree: 15 non-fiction books
    • Master's Degree: 25 non-fiction books
  • Following books DO NOT count: Reference books, cookbooks and instruction manuals that are not meant to be read cover to cover; Essays and articles; How-to, self-help or travel books that are not read cover to cover; Memoirs, journals and autobiographies;  Books written for children; Re-reads don't count since the point is to learn something new
  • Books can be any format
  • Crossovers are okay
  • Not necessary to list books ahead of time
  • Reviews are not required, but there will be quarterly link-up for those who do
  • A wrap-up post at year end is required to be considered for the giveaway
Books:
  1. You're Already Amazing by Holley Gerth
  2. Samplers and Samplermaking





Challenge Details:
  • Timeline: Jan 1, 2012 - Dec 31, 2012
  • Goal is to read 1 book per month
  • There will be main challenges and mini challenges each month (these are to push you out of your comfort zone)
  • Books will be fiction and non-fiction
  • Crossovers are allowed
  • Must complete main monthly challenge; mini challenges are optional
  • Rereads are okay
Books:
  1. Jan challenge - New to you author - Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink
  2.  Feb challenge - Crime novel - One for the Money by Janet Evanovich
  3. Mar challenge - Book about a hobby -  Samplers and Samplermaking
  4. April challenge - Comedy book - 






Challenge Details:
  • Timeline: Jan 1, 2012 - Dec 31, 2012
  • Levels:
    • Hiker: Read 5 genres
    • Backpacker: Read 5-10 genres (My Level)
    • Traveler: Read 10-15 genres
    • Palin-esque: Read 20+ genres
  • Read as many different genres as you can - list of genres can be found at host site.
  • Review copies are okay to use
  • Crossovers are okay
  • Blog not required
Books:
  1. Gothic - Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink
  2. Crime/Mystery - Shore Excursion by Marie Moore
  3. Thriller - Gods and Fathers by James LePore
  4. Drama - Aquamarine by Carol Anshaw
  5. Kids - Bubba to the Rescue by Jennifer Walker
  6. Fantasy - Until Next Time by Amy Lignor
  7. YA - Night Sky by Jolene Perry
  8. Horror/Ghost Story - Paskagankee by Allan Leverone
  9.  

Location Specific Reading Challenges



Challenge Details:
  • Timeline: Jan 1, 2012 - Dec 31, 2012
  • Must set up a Map under Google Maps - see host site for details
  • Blog not necessary to participate
  • You can just list the states if you don't want to/can't figure out how to use Google Maps
  • Goal is to read a book set in each of the 50 states.  Anyone who does will go in a drawing at the end of the year.  Locations outside the 50 states are bonus and anyone reading from 10 or more locations will also go into a drawing.
  • Here is a link to my map.
Books:
  1.  Come Back to Me by Melissa Foster - Maryland/Iraq
  2.  Airel by Aaron Patterson, Chris White - Idaho/Arabia
  3.  More than Words Can Say by Robert Barclay - New York
  4. In Search of the Rose Notes by Emily Arsenault - Connecticutt
  5.  Lovesick by Spencer Seidel - Maine
  6. The Jerk Magnet by Melody Carlson - California
  7. The Legacy of Eden by Nelle Davy - Iowa
  8. What Happened to Hannah  by Mary Kay McComas - Virginia
  9. Not in the Heart by Chris Fabry - Florida
  10. The Color Purple by Alice Walker - Georgia
  11.  Sykosa by Justin Ordonez - Washington
  12. Banana Split by Josi Kilpack - Hawaii
  13. A Grand Murder by Stacy Verdick Case - Minnesota
  14. Night Sky by Jolene Perry - Nevada








Challenge Details:
  • Timeline: Jan 1, 2012 - Dec 31, 2012
  • Levels:
    • C'mon in the house - 1 book
    • Pull up a seat and stay awhile - 2 books
    • Have a glass of sweet iced tea, honey - 3 books
    • Y'all come back now, y'hear? - 4 books (My Level)
  • Books can be any genre, but must be set in the South and written by a southern author
    • South Carolina
    • Georgia
    • Alabama
    • North Carolina
    • Virginia
    • Tennessee
    • Mississippi
    • Louisiana
    • Kentucky
    • West Virginia
    • Texas
    • Arkansas
    • Florida - as long as you find a book by a Florida author and/or set in Florida that feels Southern
  • Do not need a blog to participate
  • Host has listed some Reading suggestions - Goodreads - Best Southern Literature 
  • Each review linked will get one entry into prize drawing
Books:
  1. What Happened to Hannah by Mary Kay McComas
  2. The Color Purple by Alice Walker









Challenge Details:
  • Timeline: March 1, 2010 - Feb 6, 2014
  • Levels:
    • Gold - Read a book from every country that won a medal
    • Silver - Read a book from every country that won a Gold medal
    • Bronze - Read a book from every country that won Gold, Silver and Bronze medals (My Level - this would be 15 books)
  • Book lists for other countries - BiblioTravel - Books Set In
  • Below is a List of the 26 Countries with Medals from the 2010 Winter Olympics(* means the country got gold, silver and bronze medals).
    • Australia - Gold & Silver (no Bronze)
    • Austria *
    • Belarus *
    • Canada *
    • China *
    • Croatia - Silver & Bronze (no Gold)
    • Czech Republic - Gold & Bronze (no Silver)
    • Estonia - Silver (no Gold or Bronze)
    • Finland - Silver & Bronze (no Gold)
    • France *
    • Germany *
    • Great Britain - Gold (no Silver or Bronze)
    • Italy *
    • Japan - Silver & Bronze (no Gold)
    • Kazakhstan - Silver (no Gold or Bronze)
    • Latvia - Silver (no Gold or Bronze)
    • Netherlands *
    • Norway *
    • Poland *
    • Russia *
    • Slovakia *
    • Slovenia - Silver & Bronze (no Gold)
    • South Korea *
    • Sweden *
    • Switzerland - Gold & Bronze (no Silver)
    • United States *
Books:
  1.  Voices of the Dead by Peter Leonard - Germany
  2.  A Place to Die by Dorothy James - Austria
  3.  Aquamarine by Carol Anshaw - United States
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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:
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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
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