Sunday Salon: 2010 Challenge Edition, Part One

I say Part One, because if I listed ALL of the challenges I'd like to join for 2010, I think Blogger would probably crash on me!! Sorry this is posted so late. Almost Monday. Oh well. Better late than not at all!

Isn't it funny how you can plan an entire year's worth of reading in one sitting, right here in front of the computer?? Actually, it's not all that difficult for me. I don't read nearly as many books in a year as a lot of you do. In fact, I actually think I read LESS books now that I've started blogging that I did before. BUT the quality of book has gone up, if that makes any sense. I was trying to figure out why the other day, and I finally realized that blogging/twitter time and reading time takes up the same allotment!! I only have so many free hours in a week. If I'm on the computer, I'm not reading. And vise versa. Probably why I've been offline so much lately. I've been immersed in The Ask and the Answer. OMG. I don't know if I can possibly wait for the next book!! SO GOOD!!

But....on to the topic at hand. 2010 Challenges and Group Reads. Oh my. There are SO MANY fun ones out there, it's just a matter of where start!! I know, I know. I rarely finish. But I like the JOINING. And the LISTS. If I actually finish, then I can bask in the glow of accomplishment. Otherwise, I meet cool people, read great reviews, increase my TBR and have fun. Nothing wrong with all that!! So, I've been keeping a list over the last few months of all the great challenges that are coming out for 2010. Thought I would make one post for all. WRONG! I went back to my list tonight, and realized that 24 challenges and 2 read-a-longs. And that's not even including the Once Upon a Time or the RIP challenge that Carl hosts yearly. So, I'll make a couple of posts and weed out the ones that I'm really looking forward to joining:

2009 marked the year that I read my first Graphic Novel. And my second...and third. You get the picture?? So, I knew that the first thing I would do in 2010 would be to join the GN Challenge. Hosted this year by my friends, Nymeth and Chris, the Graphic Novels Challenge 2010 is here.

Rules:

• The challenge starts on January 1st 2010 and ends on December 31st (but we don't mind you starting early.)
• you don't have to make a list beforehand (but you can, of course! Lists are great because they give ideas to people who aren't sure what to read. And if you do make one, don't feel forced to stick to it!)
• We simplified the levels of participation: you can be a Beginner (3 Comics or Graphic Novels), Intermediate (3-10) or an Expert (10+). You're more than free to adjust your level of participation after the challenge has begun.
• There will be mini-challenges! Look for a post with more info on that soon.
• Overlaps with other challenges are totally fine.

I don't have a set reading list yet, but my brother sent me some suggestions, so I'm definitely going to be reading a lot of Graphic Novels this year!! Among them:

• Rest of the Fables Series.
• Rest of the Sandman Series.
• Rest of the Preacher Series.
• Transmetropolitan by Warren Ellis.
• Locke and Key by Joe Hill
• The Walking Dead Series by Robert Kirkman
• Y the Last Man by Brian Vaughn
• Ex Machina by Brian Vaughn
• DMZ by Brian Wood.
• Scalped by Jason Aaron.
• Bone by Jeff Smith
• Girl Genius by Kaja and Phil Foglio

Like I said, my brother recommended a LOT of these series. Since most are not available in the library, my reading them will be based on my ability to BUY them. So, we'll see how that goes!!!

Marg, my wonderful friend, from Reading Adventures is hosting the Terry Pratchett 2010 Challenge. Now, I know this actually started this month, but I'm hoping Marg will still let me join!! The challenge will start from 1 December 2009 and run through to 30 November 2010. There are several different levels of participation for you to choose from:
1-3 books - Cashier at Ankh-Morpork Mint
4-5 books - Guard of the City Watch
6-8 books - Academic at the Unseen University
9-10 books - Member of Granny Weatherwax's Coven
10-12 books - Death's Apprentice

You can either be reading the books for the first time, rereading, or even watching the TV adaptations if you like! As long as everyone has fun I will be happy! Please also do not feel limited to only reading the Discworld books as any books by Terry Pratchett will count for this challenge.For a full list of the Discworld books in publication order, check out this page on the author's website for his page at Fantastic Fiction. The number of books either written by Terry Pratchett or about his work is a bit mind boggling really.

I'm hoping to read the entire Discworld Series in the next year or two. Hopefully, I'll be able to slip in one or two or twelve this year! On the list of books I must read are:

• Nation (not Discworld, but a gift this Christmas)
• A Hat Full of Sky
• Wintersmith
• The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents
• The Colour of Magic
• The Light Fantastic
• Sourcery
• Eric
• Interesting Times
• The Last Continent
• The Last Hero
  

Natasha at Maw Books, Amy at My Friend Amy, and Hannah at Word Lily are hosting the 2010 Social Justice Challenge. They have created a dedicated blog for the challenge and write:

Reading opens new worlds to us and can sometimes expose the injustice in our own. We have all been powerfully moved by the injustice we have learned about in books and decided we wanted to host a reading project that would encourage us to learn more about these issues in the world.

The details of the challenge are as follows:

We will focus each month on a different area of social injustice in the world. During that month, we are asking that you read something from the list of resources or watch something suggested by that month’s host. That will complete step one of this challenge: Learn.

Throughout the month we will also be posting ways you can make a difference in this area. Don’t worry, we will provide several different options at many different levels of commitment. The important thing is to take an action step towards doing something to change things! That fulfills step 2–Take Action.

The hosts of this challenge have created several levels of participation for EACH MONTH of the challenge (participants agree to participate each month, but can customize that participation depending on their own individual needs):

Activist–At this level you are agreeing to participate fully in the activities of the month. You will read at least one full length book as well as choosing something from the other media list. You will also complete an action step. By signing up for the challenge, you agree to do a minimum of 3 months at this level. You do not have to decide which months in advance.

Intern–You agree to either read something from the reading resources (it can be an essay or children’s book) or choose to do something from the other media list. You will complete an action step. You do not have to decide which months in advance.

Volunteer– You agree to read at least one of the recommended blog posts, essays or shorter novels. You will complete an action step. You do not have to decide in advance which months they will be.Observer — Need a break? Just follow along with the blog for the month. This month has no commitment level. You can only do a maximum of three months at this level.At the beginning of every month there will be a mister linky where you can link to reviews of what you’ve read and where you share what you’ve learned. The host for the month will recap everyone’s posts and reviews. The resource lists will be continuously updated throughout the year and there will be a weekly recap to let you know what has been added.

The Monthly topics are as follows:

Religious Freedom
Water
Domestic Violence and Child Abuse
Hunger
AIDS crisis
Genocide
Poverty
Illiteracy and Education
Modern Day Slavery
Homelessness & Refugees
Women’s Rights
Child Soldiers and Children in War

SO looking forward to this challenge!!

Amazingly, as much fantasy as I like to read now, I've never read the "Classics". So, one night on Twitter I found out about The Lord of the Rings Readalong.

Starting January 1, 2010, we’ll be reading one book from the series (including The Hobbit) each month with a goal of finishing all four books in April. We’ll be taking turns hosting the readalong, so you can follow our intrepid fellowship of readers around the blogosphere. Here’s where you’ll find us each month:

January: The Hobbit at A Striped Armchair
February: The Fellowship of the Ring at The Literary Omnivore
March: The Two Towers here at Shelf Love
April: The Return of the King at Just Add Books

To join, go to The Lord of the Rings Readalong

Hosted by Darren of Bart's Bookshelf, the TwentyTen Challenge:

The aim is to read a total 20 books, over ten categories, in 2010. (Was this challenge based solely around the name? I’ll let you decide!)
So, on with the categories:

Young Adult Any book classified as young adult or featuring a teenage protagonist counts for this category.

T.B.R. **Intended to help reduce the old T.B.R. pile. Books for this category must be already residents of your bookshelves as of 1/11/09.

Shiny & New Bought a book NEW during 2010 from a bookstore, online, or a supermarket? Then it counts for this category. Second-hand books do not count for this one, but, for those on book-buying bans, books bought for you as gifts or won in a giveaway also count! \

Bad Blogger’s ***Books in this category, should be ones you’ve picked up purely on the recommendation of another blogger count for this category (any reviews you post should also link to the post that convinced you give the book ago).***

Charity Support your local charity shops with this category, by picking up books from one of their shops. Again, for those on book-buying bans, books bought for you as gifts also count, as long as they were bought from a charity shop.

New in 2010 This category is for those books newly published in 2010 (whether it be the first time it is has been released, or you had to wait for it to be published in your country, it counts for this one!)

Older Than You Read two books that were published before you were born, whether that be the day before or 100 years prior!

Win! Win! Have a couple of books you need to read for another challenge? Then this is the category to use, as long that is, you don’t break the rules of the other challenge by doing so!

Who Are You Again? This one isn’t just for authors you’ve never read before, this is for those authors you have never even heard of before!

Up to You!The requirements for this category are up to you! Want to challenge yourself to read some graphic novels? A genre outside your comfort zone? Something completely wild and wacky? Then this is the category to you. The only requirement is that you state it in your sign-up post.

The Rules:
Read 2 books from each category, making a requirement of 20 books total.
The categories are intended to be loose guidelines only, if you decide it fits, then it fits. (Apart from those marked **)
Categories marked with ** have tighter rules, and these must be followed.
Each book can only qualify for one category.
Crossovers with other challenges are allowed. To sign up, go to TwentyTen Reading Challenge

LIST TO FOLLOW!!

Finally, a new challenge I just found tonight!!

Hosted by Catherine from On the Nightstand and Pam from Bookalicio.us, is the new Vampire Reading Challenge: Fangtastic Fiction (seriously, who can resist a challenge with a name like that?)

Challenge Levels/Goals

The base challenge here (“Newly Turned”) is to read four books, one from each of the four categories below: classic, horror, romance and young adult. If a book can fit into two categories (or more), simply pick one category and then read another.
Once you have completed that, you can go wild with what books you read for your challenge list, so long as they have vampires in some form as a prominent part. For every additional four books you read, you go up a level. Where the base challenge is the equivalent of the first stages of a vampire, think of each four books as a century added onto their existence.
How old can you go?

First Blood
This is the category for vampire tales that were written prior to 1900. Examples of such books would be:
Dracula – Bram Stoker
Carmilla – Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

Things That Go Bite In The Night
This is the category for works firmly entrenched in the horror genre. Examples of such books would be:
Salem’s Lot – Steven King
Let The Right One In – John Ajvide Lindqvist

Kiss Of The Vampire
This is the category for all books that have romance as one of its main genres/focusses. Examples of such books would be:
Dead Until Dark (etc) – Charlaine Harris
Jessica’s Guide To Dating On The Dark Side – Beth Fantaskey

High School Is Hell
This is the category for all vampire books that fit in the young adult category. Examples of such books would be:
The Vampire Diaries – L.J. Smith
The Morganville Vampires – Rachel Caine

Bonus Challenge/Activity: Screams On Screen
As a bonus challenge/activity, why not take in vampires on the large and small screens as well? Keep track of how many movies or TV seasons you watch, whether it’s Buffy, True Blood or The Vampire Diaries on your TV, or Lost Boys, Underworld or any film adaptation of a vampire novel, and see how many you can total up during the year!
Other Information:

This challenge runs the entire length of 2010, so from January 1 to December 31.

Later, I'll post more challenges, like the Gilmore Girls, GLBT, Flashback, What's in a Name and Essay's Challenges!!

A Few New Challenges

Goodness, it's been WEEKS since I've signed up for a challenge!! I didn't honestly realize how many challenges take place everyday in the book blogging world. When I first started blogging, I signed up for EVERYTHING. But with the influx of book bloggers and the subsequent increase in challenges, as well as my final realization that I would never be able to complete them all, I've kind of taken a break from them. But every great while a good one comes along, and I'm in. For better or worse!

Hosted by Bart's Bookshelf, the YA Dystopian Reading Challenge just kind of jumped out at me!! YA and Dystopian/speculative fiction are two of my very favorite genres. Put them both together: even better. The challenge takes place from October 15 to the end of the year (shhhhhh, I already started my book!)

"Dystopia (from the Greek δυσ- and τόπος, alternatively, cacotopia, kakotopia, cackotopia, or anti-utopia) is the vision of a society in which conditions of life are miserable and characterized by poverty, oppression, war, violence, disease, pollution, nuclear fallout and/or the abridgement of human rights, resulting in widespread unhappiness, suffering, and other kinds of pain. (Source: Wikipedia)"

The idea is to have fun with this, and as I know with the year-end rapidly approaching, thoughts will be turning to completing all the other challenges we are all signed up to! So your level of participation is up to you, simply pick a target of between 1 & 4 books to read during the two and a half months of the challenge.


It’s that easy.


Those are the rules. That's it. 1 - 4 books by the end of the year is something I can accomplish. Although you don't have to make a list, I usually do. It's easier for me to keep track, although I always reserve the right to change my mind and change books!!

• The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness (I'm reading this right now. Oh it is SO Good!)
• The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness (I have a feeling, I will HAVE to read this book after I finish the first!)
• The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer
• Uglies, Pretties, Specials, Extras by Scott Westerfeld (doubt I can get through all of them, but I'd love to get a start on the series! )
• Feed by M. T. Anderson
• Exodus by Julie Bertanga

Oh, yeah. I'll be able to get some great books out of that list!!

The Countdown 2010 Challenge is hosted by Michelle from 1 More Chapter. I haven't participated in this one before, but I like the idea! It's a countdown through the decade. 10 from 10, 9 from '09, 8 from '08....you get the picture.

The goal of this challenge is to read the number of books first published in a given year that corresponds to the last digit of each year in the 2000s — 10 books from 2010, 9 books from 2009, 8 books from 2008, etc. The total number of books required, therefore, is 55.
This challenge lasts from 9/9/09 through 10/10/10.
Crossovers with other challenges are allowed and your lists may change at any time.
Sign up using Mr. Linky.
Have fun reading!

So far, I don't have a list. That will be forthcoming. I need to do a lot of research on this one. But the lists are the best part of the challenges!

Finally, the Childhood Favorite reads 2009 - 10 is hosted by Deb from Debbie's World of Books. It's a chance to go back and read some of your favorites from your youth! I'm a little late in starting this one. It started on the 2nd, but hey. Who cares, right?

Guidelines:
Read 5 books that were favorites while growing up
If you would also just like to write a post high lighting your favorite book or series feel free to
Post your reviews or book/series highlight here
Challenge starts today and will end June 30, 2010.
I will do summary posts periodically highlighting the reviews added so far.

My list will look something like this:

• Nancy Drew Mysteries by Carolyne Keene
• Trixie Belden Mysteries by Julie Campbell
• The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
• The Time Quartet by Madeleine L'Engle

OK, dear Readers. Let's get started!!

The Sunday Salon - July in Review

Can you believe July is over already?? This summer is slipping by so fast, I can hardly believe it. This month we survived basketball camp, the end of softball season, a softball tournament, and Bella's birthday. Now, it's time to get ready for school. Am I the only weird one that loves shopping for school supplies?? I can't help myself....I just love to. On top of that, Chad has his last JFL season starting. This year, he will be a Senior (in JFL terms anyway.) My little wide receiver/line backer packed on over 20 lbs and 5 inches since last year! Practice starts tomorrow.

Now...my reading July in review. I pale in comparison to most of you, I realize that. But for me, I've had a decent month reading. I read 7 books, 2 of which were graphic novels. 2144 pages in all. Not too bad.

• The Sandman, Vol.2: The Doll's House by Neil Gaiman
• Fables, Vol.2: Animal Farm by Bill Willingham
• Two Years, No Rain by Shawn Klomparens
• The Latent Powers of Dylan Fontaine by April Lurie
• City in the Lake by Rachel Neumeier
• Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan
• Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Although I loved a couple of the books I read, I'd have to say Catching Fire was my favorite read this month. It's hard to beat that one!!

I bought 8 books, and checked out more than I can count from the library. I think my total check-outs is still somewhere in the 30's!! Every time I take back a bunch, I always end up with more in my hands. Again, I just can't help myself. I also joined 3 challenges: The Canadian Book Challenge 3, The Harry Potter Reading Challenge, and the GLBT Reading Challenge (or The Challenge That Dare Not Speak it's Name!)

For August, I have 1 scheduled Book Tour: Everything Sucks: Losing My Mind and Finding Myself in a High School Quest for Cool by Hannah Friedman. It's a YA Memoir and looks fantastic. I'm also starting the Discworld Series with the Tiffany Aching trilogy. There are also a couple other challenges I'm sure I'll be joining....especially the Japanese Reading Challenge. I'm also challenging myself to post more often this month. I've been rather lax, sometimes taking long breaks. But starting this month, I'm vowing to do better!

I think that's it for July. Time to put it in the books. Happy Sunday and Happy Reading!!!

The Sunday Salon: A Little Bit of Randomness and a Couple of Challenges

I know. I know. I haven't posted a Sunday Salon in awhile. Not sure why. Probably because I really didn't have all that much to say! It's been one of those weeks. Back to work after nearly a week off. Spending some quality time with Bella as she "recovers" from her nasty little fall. Library days for the kids. (They finished their reading for the summer reading program and each earned a pass to the pool party sponsored by the library). Mike's been gone since Friday morning....left for a Racquetball tournament in Chicago. Amazing how quiet life is when he is gone!!

I am making a baby quilt for one of my friends. She isn't due till January, which is a good thing. It may take me even longer than that to finish it. It's really cute. Cross-stitch pattern with Noah's Arc. But SO much work. To top it all off, the girls have been hounding me to teach them. And I started to, but it is just too difficult for them. But I felt really bad, and they were so discouraged. So, off to Hobby Lobby we went, and I got each of them a Latch Hook project. Man. I haven't seen those for YEARS. But they are easy to learn and it's a nice beginning for my little crafters. We are going to make pillows out of the finished product.

Quite a few books entered my house this week, but I think I will save that for a different post. But I do want to send out a HUGE thanks to Chris for passing on a copy of Catching Fire to me!! If you were awake Thursday morning, you probably heard my squeal of delight when I went to the mailbox and found it!! I'm sure it was loud enough to hear around the world!

As far as challenges go, there are a couple I've been meaning to join for ages now. I just haven't gotten around to posting them. So here in my all-inclusive Challenge post:

The GLBT Challenge post went up a few months ago over at The Zen Leaf, although the challenge didn't actually start until the 1st of July. I've been meaning to sign up for months, but I never did. Well...better late than never is my old fall-back...so here is my "official" post. You know me. I'm all about diversity in life and besides. Oscar Wilde is on the button!! Here are the rules:

• Read 6 books in 6 months in any genre. Books must deal with GLBT themes OR be written by GLBT authors. No X-rated stuff, nothing that purposely attacks the GLBT community.


• The challenge runs from July 1, 2009 to December 31, 2009. You may join at any time.


• Sign up using Mr. Linky below (please link directly to your post). If you don't have a blog, you can still participate. Just enter your name and leave the URL blank.


• Each time you read a book, please link to your reviews on this blog. I will put up a post for you to do that on July 1st.


• You don't need to choose your books right away, and they can change at any time. Overlaps with other challenges are fine.


• Audiobooks are also fine.

I will be reading books from the following list:

• Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown
• The House you Pass on the Way by Jacqueline Woodson
• Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters
• Suicide Notes by Michael Thomas Ford
• Sex Talks to Girls: A Memoir by Maureen Seaton
• We Disappear by Scott Heim
• Weetzie Bat, Baby Be-Bop or Missing Juan Angel by Francesca Lia Block.

(of course, I reserve the right to change the books on this list if I find something that sounds better!)

For the 3rd year in a row, the fantastic John Mutford from The Book Mine Set is hosting the Canadian Book Challenge. Year 1, I completed just 1 book. Year 2, I made it through 3. For Year 3, I'm going for at least half of the 13 books!!

The rules are the same as before, and the goal is to read 13 books in 12 months from Canadian authors or about Canada/Canadians. Here is my list (a lot of carry over from this past year:)

• The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson
• Eleanor Rigby by Douglas Coupland
• Angel of Darkness by Charles de Lint
• Green Grass, Running Water by Thomas King
• Bitten by Kelley Armstrong
• Lullabies for Little Criminals by Heather O'Neill
• Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood
• The Time in Between by David Bergen
• Runaway by Alice Munroe
• The Summer Tree by Guy Gavriel Kay
• Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
• The Colony of Unrequited Dreams by Wayne Johnston
• Fall on Your Knees by Anne-Marie MacDonald
• Clara Callan by Richard B. Wright
  

Finally, Michelle from Galleysmith is hosting the Harry Potter Reading Challenge. Can't pass this one up. Isn't it time for a reread?

What: Read or listen to all seven books in the Harry Potter series:

• Sorcerer’s Stone
• Chamber of Secrets
• Prisoner of Azkaban
• Goblet of Fire
• Order of the Pheonix
• Half-Blood Prince
• Deathly Hallows
  

When: The challenge will run from August 1, 2009 to July 31, 2010. I know we’re all busy with life and work and other such fun things so join up whenever you want, there are no deadlines to the challenge besides the end date above.

Where: E-to the Everywhere! Post reviews on your blog, chat about it on messageboards, post vlogs or podcasts, comment on and converse about it in the monthly post I create here on Galleysmith. It’s entirely up to you, as long as there is some evidence of your having completed each book along the way you are good to go.

How: Get thee to Mr. Linky below. Sign up to join in and play, cause you know….Harry would want you to and all! Go Here to sign up!

(AND she has cool prizes!!)

Well....that's it for me. Happy Reading and Happy Sunday!!

The Printz Project

Oh yeah....like you didn't know this was coming!! Suey, from It's All About the Books and Jessica, from The Bluestocking Society have come together to host the perpetual challenge - The Printz Project. It even has it's own blog!!

Like unto other book award projects, the Printz Project is a perpetual challenge to read the winners of the Michael L. Printz Award (and perhaps the honor books if you’re brave).


Since the Printz Award is a relatively new award, we’re structuring this site a little differently. Each Printz Award-winning book and honor book has its own post. When you read one of the books, head on over to its post and leave either a link to your review on your own blog or go ahead and post your thoughts right there in the comments. This format is designed to keep reviews on the same book together. Each book’s post has a picture of the cover and the synopsis from the publisher. Feel free to browse about.

Seriously...I love YA books!! And out of the entire list of books, I've read 4 of them. And LOVED all 4: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, I am the Messenger by Mark Zuzak, The Book Thief by Mark Zuzak, and Looking for Alaska by John Green. So, yes, I'm IN!!

Challenges for the New Year

OK. I admit it. I'm addicted to challenges. Not so much the finishing, because I haven't really done that well in actually finishing the challenges. Nope. I'm addicted to signing up for them!! I told myself last year that I would be good and stop joining them. But one look at A Novel Challenge, and all that went straight out the window! I knew there were a few I would join...I just didn't realize the sheer amount of challenges out there right now!! So here is my official Challenge post. Don't let it fool you.....I'm sure there are a lot more challenges that will end up with my name in a Mr. Linky somewhere!

Dewey's Books Reading Challenge is one that I knew I would join. Hosted by my friend Chris at Stuff Dreams are Made On and Robin at A Fondness for Reading, this challenge seemed like a nice way to honor Dewey, whose loss was felt across the blogging world last month. This challenge has it's own blog, and runs from Jan. 1st through the end of the year. The main point in this challenge is to read books that Dewey read and reviewed. I think the official number is 5 from any year, so we'll run with that option. Here's my list. And just for the record, I reserve the right to change this list!!

• Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Adichu
• Looking for Alaska by John Green
• The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett
• Mr. Pip by Lloyd Jones
• Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer
• When You are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris

There is an extra one on the list, but this is as far as I could make cuts in my original list!!

Since Annie announced this challenge so many months ago, I've been planning on joining. But work and life has kept me from posting a lot, and it just kind of slipped my mind...until now. This is Part II of the What's in a Name? Reading Challenge (I think for part one, I only read 1/2. I'm definitely going to try to finish this one in 2009!)

Beginning January 1st and running through Dec. 31st of 2009, the challenge is to read one book from each of the 6 categories that Annie has chosen. There is a blog also dedicated for this challenge. Cool new categories for the New Year:

A book with a "profession" in its title: The Abstinence Teacher by Tom Perotta or The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon
A book with a "time of day" in its title: Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
A book with a "relative" in its title: American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld
A book with a "body part" in its title: Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood or Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill
A book with a "building" in its title: I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith or House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewsi
A book with a "medical condition" in its title: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (ok...that might be pushing a medical condition. This one was tough!!) or Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier


Holy Cow. A NEIL GAIMAN Challenge??? Ok. I can NOT resist that one!! I mean, come on. My newest favorite author?? I've read most of his novels, but this will give me a chance to expand my Gaiman horizons. The Dream King Challenge is hosted by Jessi from Casual Dread. The challenge will run from January 1 to December 31st 2009. There is even a challenge blog! You can choose your level of participation:

Neophyte: Read one work and watch one movie
Acolyte: Read three works (from three different categories) and watch one movie
Devotee: Read six works (from six different categories) and watch one movie
Zealot: Read twelve works (from at least six different categories) and watch one movie

This will be ongoing for me. I'm not setting a reading list. I'd love to hit the Zealot level, but a lot will do with the availability of The Sandman books. I can't afford to buy them all....so we'll see where this leads us.


Next, is the 2009 ARC Reading Challenge. Hosted by the lovely Teddy Rose from So Many Precious Books, So Little Time, this challenge is to read ARC's. And yes, I have a stack to finish right now! The challenge is to read 12, but you have to keep adding the ARC's you receive throughout the year. I have a feeling, I will have way more than 12 to get through before the year is up!!

Here is a partial list right now:

• Eclipse by Richard North Patterson
• Wicked Game by Lisa Jackson and Nancy Bush
• North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Hedley
• The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death by Charlie Huston
• Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
• A Fortunate Age by Joanna Smith Rakoff

The World Citizen Challenge 2009 is hosted by Eva at A Striped Armchair.

"There are a ton of challenges focused on almost every aspect of fiction imaginable, but not very many on non-fiction. So, hopefully all of
those with ‘inner bookworms’ (as Bybee calls it)guilt-tripping you for not reading enough non-fiction will be interested. And, of course, all of you who
love non-fiction should be perking up too! I struggled with what to call this challenge, but I finally decided on World Citizen. That’s because, in this day and age, it’s important for all of us to know something about the world around us"

There are several levels of participation:

The Prospie Level - This is for those of you with no time to read another book, but who still want to do something. There will be a different mini-challenge each month of the challenge, and all you have to do to be a prospie is say you want to participate in at least one of them. There will be prizes!

The Auditor Level - For this level, you just need to declare your interest in the challenge. Anything else you might want to do: the mini-challenges, making a list of potential books, participating in the discussions, etc. is completely up to you. Maybe you want to commit to reading a newspaper or magazine instead of a book-go for it.

The World Citizenship 101 Level - For this level, you need to commit to one book.

The Minor Level - For this level, you need to commit to three books, from at least two different categories (listed on the post about the challenge).

The Major Level - For this level, you need to commit to five books, from at least three different categories.

The Postgraduate Level - For this level, you need to commit to seven books, including one book from each category.

Categories include politics, history, economics, culture or
anthropology/sociology, Worldwide issues, memoirs/autobiographies. My list for this will be sometime this weekend!!

Not so much a challenge as an experience, is Carl's Sci-Fi Experience 2009. It runs for January and February of 2009. No level of commitment or lists needed. Just a chance to enjoy a little science fiction. Personally, there are some short stories I really want to read for this one. Besides, the button is rather righteous, don't you think?? Lots of fun to be had whenever Carl hosts anything!!

That's it for now. There are still a few others I want to join....The Year of Reading Dangerously, The 2009 TBR Challenge, 2009 YA Challenge, The Diversity Rocks Challenge, Graphic Novels Challenge and the Orbis Terrarum 2009 Challenge. I'm just saving them for another post!!

Later!

Weekly Geeks # 9 - Challenges

So...I've been putting off this post for the whole week. Basically, because I was scared to see IN WRITING how many challenges I'm involved in. And how many I'm failing miserably! But who cares, right? I enjoy signing up for the challenges, I enjoy making lists for the challenges....and I enjoy the camaraderie of reading along with others. So, as long as you keep putting them out there, I will be joining the challenges!!

Here is the Weekly Geek post for Week # 9:

And this week’s theme is Challenges.

1. If you participate in any challenges, get organized! Update your lists, post about any you haven’t mentioned, add links of reviews to your lists if you do that, go to the challenge blog if there is one and post there, etc.

2. If you don’t participate in any challenges, then join one! There’s a good selection of possibilities over on my right hand sidebar (scroll down) where I list those I participate in. There’s also A Novel Challenge, a blog that keeps track of all sorts of reading challenges.

3. Towards the end of the week, write a wrap-up post about getting your challenges organized OR if you’re joining your first challenge, post about that any time during the week. Once you have your post up, come back and sign Mr Linky with the link to the specific post, not just to your blog.

I think I have posted every time I've joined a challenge. So, really all this is going to be is kind of a summary/wrap-up/point check.

Once Upon a Time Challenge - I recently completed this challenge!! Yeah!! I read 7 books plus Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. My wrap-up post can be found here.

The Pub '08 Challenge - Read 8 books that were/will be published in '08. So far, I have read 3 of the 8. Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah, Change of Heart by Jodi Picout, and The Host by Stephenie Meyer. I also just started This Charming Man by Marian Keyes. 5 books by the end of '08. I think I can handle this one!

The End of the World as We Know it Challenge - Read 3 books from May to September 15th that deal with the end of the world or are dystopian in nature. So far, I've only read one: The Host by Stephenie Meyer (FANTASTIC - READ THIS BOOK!). And I already have another one started. I would like to read more than 3 books for this challenge. But I will definitely be able to complete this one!

What's in a Name Challenge - Read 6 books by the end of the year. Each book has to come from 6 categories. Sadly, I haven't even read one book for this challenge. But I will.

2008 TBR Challenge - Read 12 books from your TBR list. I've read 3 books for this challenge: Fool Moon by Jim Butcher, Moon Called by Patricia Briggs, and High Five by Janet Evanovich. Hmmmm....9 more books by the end of the year. Don't know whether I will make this, but I can try.

Non-Fiction Five Challenge - Read 5 non-fiction books between May and September. Nope. Haven't started this one either. But I have a couple here just waiting to be cracked open.

1% Well-Read Challenge - Read 10 books from the "1001 Books to Read Before you Die" list. 10 books in 10 months. This challenge will end in February 2009. Haven't read one yet!

Southern Reading Challenge - Read 3 books by August by Southern Authors. I have one book here to start.

Chick Lit Reading Challenge - Read 3 Chick Lit books. This will be easy to do, especially when I need something light to read.

Graphic Novels Challenge - Read 6 Graphic Novels by the end of the year. For some reason, I'm having a hard time starting this one. I've never been a big reader of Graphic Novels. MUST get started on this one.

Mythopoeic Challenge - Read 7 books from the list of Mythopoeic Award winner. Runs through 2008. So far, I've only read one: Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. 6 more may be pushing it for the rest of this year. But we will see.

Young Adult Challenge 2008 - Read 12 YA books. Runs all of 2008. I've read 5 of the 12 so far: Chosen by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast, Coraline by Neil Gaiman, Tithe by Holly Black, Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, and Freaks by Annette Curtis Klause. 7 more books is totally doable!

Decades Challenge 2008. Pick a time span and read a book from each decade. I may have over-extended myself on this one. I choose 15 books, and I haven't read one yet!! This may be one I just have to forget about finishing!!

Cardithon 2008 - Read books by Orson Scott Card, or books he has recommended. So far, I've only read one: Enchantment. We will see how many more I finish by the end of the year.

I failed miserably at last year's Canadian Reading Challenge. I only finished one book (and will have one more done by the end of the week.) Hopefully I will do better the next time.

I have a few other small or mini-challenges that I would like to finish. And a couple of other lists I have made just to keep me reading. And there are a couple of more challenges I'm chomping at the bit to join. I'm actually reading a lot more now that I was at the beginning of the year. So hopefully, I will be able to accomplish a few Completions!! Only time will tell!

Another Challenge....342,745 Ways to Herd Cats

OK. I know what you are thinking. What in the world is going through her head?? You weren't thinking that? Maybe it was just me.....but I'll tell you. Peer Pressure is a bitch! I caved!! So much for finishing the challenges I already started before signing up for a new one!!

But this one has a fun title, a cute picture, and to be honest.....a really cool idea!! It feels very reminiscent of the Something About Me Challenge I participated in last year.

Anyhoo, here's the deal:

Renay from Bottle of Shine is hosting this fun challenge!! (the tl;dr stands for Too Long, Didn't Read, in case you are wondering!) Here are the "Rules".

1. Make a list of ten books you love. That's the only qualification; you had to love (or at least like it) the books on the list. Ten books, a list full of ♥
2. Share the list. (Renay is on LJ, so I suggest going to the Challenge post and reading her instructions on how to sign up)
3. Browse the lists created by our other members, collected here: reading lists! There will also be a master list of books available when people actually makes their lists.
4. Read at least three books recommended by others between May 1st - November 30th, 20082. Of course, more is fine! Encouraged, even!
5. Write reviews of the books you read! As long as folks are reading from our collection of lists, I'll continue collecting those reviews in our account, until the very last second of November 30th. 6. Share the links to your reviews for the challenge by using one of the steps listed in #2.

So....I've thought about the ten books I'm choosing. They are probably already on the master list, but I don't care!!

• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (my very favorite of all books!)
• The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (probably my next favorite book!)
• American Gods by Neil Gaiman (My introduction to the Wonderful World of Gaiman)
• The Stand by Stephen King (This is my very favorite King and it wouldn't be a favorites list with him)
• The Book Thief by Markus Zuzak (such a wonderful book. Of course, I can't imagine anyone out there that HASN'T read it yet!)
• Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathon Safran Foer (such a strange book, but I loved it!)
• The Little Country by Charles de Lint (this is the book that started me down that long road of fantasy reading)
• Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog by John Grogan (I dare you not to love this book!)
• Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli (one of the best YA books I've ever read)
• Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk (such a weird, but uber-cool book!)

That's my list....and I'm sticking to it!! No wonderful I'm so weird. Just look at my favorite books!! Of course, I could have added 10 more without batting an eye.

Now...I'm not picking the books I'm actually READING yet. Not a chance. Because once I do, someone else will just add more books to the list. Then I'll just keeping adding more books, and the endless cycle will never stop!!

How about you guys? Game for another challenge?

Finally!!

Well....since I seem to live my life in perpetual lateness, it seems rather fitting that I'm just now posting this. I've been literally waiting months for Carl's Once Upon a Time II Challenge. When he FINALLY posts that the time has come, I'm late getting to it!! So is my life.....

But better late than never, I always say. And I'm very excited about it!! I love Fantasy, especially the way the whole genre can be broken into numerous sub-genres. It rather fascinates me. But more about that later. For now, let's get to the Challenge at hand:

from Carl's post:

The Journey
This is really as simple as the name implies and is to Once Upon a Time as the experience was to The Sci~Fi Experience. It means you are participating but not committing yourself to any specific number of books. All reading is a journey, perhaps none more so than reading fantastical fiction. By signing up for The Journey you are agreeing to at least read one book within the four categories during March 21st to June 20th period. Just one book. It has always been of utmost importance to me that the challenges that I host be all about experiencing enjoyable literature and sharing it with others. I want you to participate. Hence, The Journey.

Quest the First
Read at least 5 books that fit somewhere within the Once Upon a Time II criteria. They might all be fantasy, or folklore, or fairy tales, or mythology…or your five books might be a combination from the four genres.

Quest the Second
Read at least one book from each of the four categories. In this quest you will be reading 4 books total: one fantasy, one folklore, one fairy tale, and one mythology. This proved to be one of the more difficult quests last year merely because of the need to classify each read and determine which books fit into which category. I am not a stickler, fear not, but I was fascinated watching how folks worked to find books for each category.

Quest the Third
Fulfill the requirements for Quest the First or Quest the Second AND top it off with a June reading of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Love the story, love the films, love the idea of that magical night of the year and so this is my chance to promote the reading of this farcical love story.

Three is a magical number, a number of portent in fantastical tales, and so three quests seems about right.

Since I already stated how much I love the idea of the sub-genres within fantasy, I'm opting for Quest the Third (this year I actually want to read A Midsummer Night's Dream!) Mind you, I'm kind of flying by the seat of my pants with this. I always tend to choose far more books that I can actually hope to read in the time frame given. But to me, choosing the reading list itself is almost as much fun as actually READING the books!

Here is my list. I am definitely reading at least one for each category, and hope to finish more than that:

Fairy Tale Fantasy:

• Enchantment by Orson Scott Card
• White as Snow by Tanith Lee
• The Fire Rose by Mercedes Lackey

Mythic Fantasy:

• The Wood Wife by Terri Windling
• Memory and Dream by Charles de Lint
• Trader by Charles de Lint

Folklore Fantasy:

• 20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill (ok....so this is kind of a loose interpretation of folklore. But I'm throwing down that Ghosts Stories are a type of folklore!)

Fantasy (of any sub-genre):

• Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman (didn't think I'd let a fantasy challenge go without a little Gaiman, did you??)
• Fool Moon: The Dresden Files Book 2 by Jim Butcher
• Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb

And finally:

• A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare

The Challenge has already started. It is to run from March 21st until June 21st (Midsummer Night's Eve. And as always, Carl has created a review site, so you can read about all the wonderful books the many participants have read.

Carl is a wonderful host. So.....many thanks, Carl. I'm super excited to get started!!

Challenges, Challenges.....

Yeah, I know. It's crazy to think of joining more challenges. But last year's Non-Fiction 5 Challenge hosted by Joy from Thought's of Joy was one of my favorites. It was a chance for me to break out of the norm, and really CHALLENGE myself. Non-fiction literature has always been difficult for me to read. But I found some incredible books last year, one's that I would have missed if it hadn't been for the challenge.

This year, Joy is hosting again! All you have to do is read 5 non-fiction books between May and September. At least 1 book has to be a different from the other choices. Visit Joy's blog to sign up! As with last year, I had a horrible time trying to narrow down my list. So I've included the 5 I would like to read and some alternates. Without further adieu, here is my list:

• A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson
• The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star by Nikki Sixx (this has a FANTASTIC soundtrack that goes with the book!)
• The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair that Changed the World by Erik Larson
• Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six MIT Students Who Took Vegas for Millions by Ben Mezrich
• Hope's Boy: A Memoir by Andrew Bridge
• Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

Alternatives:

• Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi
• Kabul Beauty School: An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil by Deborah Rodriguez
• Thunderstruck by Erik Larson
• Bush At War by Bob Woodward (Book 1 of a Three Part Series)
• Infidel by Ayaan Hirisi Ali
• Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through his Son's Meth Addiction by David Sheff
• A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

Sheesh. I just couldn't decide!! We'll see how many I get through!!

Katrina from Callapidder Days is hosting a Spring Reading Thing 2008. Sign-ups begin on March 20th. I had so much fun with this one last year, that I can't resist trying it again!! The challenge runs from March 20 - June 19th. No set amount of books. Read as many or as few as you want!! This is a chance for me to get some books off the pile!!

• The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly
• Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult
• Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay
• School's Out by Christophe Dufosse
• Psyche in a Dress by Francesca Lia Block
• Fool Moon by Jim Butcher
• Better Than Running at Night by Hillary Frank
• Moon Called by Patricia Briggs
• The Translator: A Tribesman's Memoir of Darfur by Daoud Hari
• Divorcing Dwayne by J. L. Miles

These books have been sitting around for months!! I need to make a dent in my piles somehow!!

Any other challenges I'm missing?? I'm still waiting not-so-patiently for Carl's Once Upon a Time Challenge II.

My Year of Reading Dangerously

See all the fun things blog hopping brings? More challenges. Like I said in an earlier post, I think I already have my 2008 reads lined up!! Why not add a few more??

The lovely ladies from Estella's Revenge came up with this really cool challenge. They are hosting "My Year of Reading Dangerously". The idea is to read authors of genres that are intimidating! They even have their own "official Dangerous" reading list. You can join in with the official list, or make up one of your own. The challenge starts on January 1, 2008 and runs throughout the year.

Here is the Official list:

January: Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens (since Estella is our namesake)
February: The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison (African American)
March: Cat's Eye, by Margaret Atwood (Atwood for Atwood's sake)
April: Transformations, by Anne Sexton (Poetry)
May: Other Voices, Other Rooms, by Truman Capote (Southern)
June: Lolita, by Vladimir Nabokov (Russian)
July: The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier (adolescent)
August: Maus I and II, by Art Spiegelman (Graphic Novel, Pulitzer winner)
September: The Secret Lives of People in Love, by Simon Van Booy (Independent)
October: The Human Stain, by Philip Roth (Contemporary/Jewish)November: A Month of Classic Short Stories, Various - watch for a list
December: The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck (Dusty)


Since I've already read Great Expectations...twice....I will probably be reading another Dickens in January....to go along with the theme. Otherwise, I think I will just stick with their list. There will be discussions about the monthly books....as well as great prizes!! Andi and Heather have even set up a blogsite for this challenge!!

Yes....it's crazy, but I'm adding this challenge to my list!

Oh WHY can't I resist?????

Challenges, challenges, challenges.....why is it that I just can't seem to resist?? I just seem to love signing up for challenges. On the positive side, I have met some wonderful people and have added so many new books to my TBR list (or is that a negative?) I have experienced reading books that I know I wouldn't have ever picked up without the little "push" that a challenge will give. On the downside, I seem to have added so many challenges that I can't possibly finish all of them!!

But I think it seems to be the fun in trying new things. New books, new authors, new genres. And being able to actually check something off a list seems to be a big pull for me. Yes, I know that I'm weird!! But right now, there is an onslaught of new challenges, and I just can't seem to stop!!

First is the Cardathon Challenge. Sponsored by Becky from Becky's Book Reviews, this is a challenge honoring her favorite author, Orson Scott Card. But you don't have to read only Card books. Oh no. You can read any books that he's written, edited or REVIEWED!! The reviewed part is what opens up realms of opportunity! Now, I ask you....is it crazy to join in a challenge honoring an author you have never read before??? Probably. But I'm going on faith (and the word of my blogging friend Chris, who also counts Card as a favorite and hasn't steered me wrong so far). So indeed I joined. The challenge is for 2008 and has it's own blog!! So...with all the great books that can be picked for this challenge, I added a HUGE amount to my list!! I reserve the right to pick and choose at least 12, if not many more, from this list:

• Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
• Seventh Son by Orson Scott Card
• The Memory of Earth by Orson Scott Card
• Sarah by OSC
• Lost Boys by OSC
• Enchantment by OSC
• A Planet Called Treason by OSC
• Capitol by OSC
• Hot Sleep by OSC
• Eye for and Eye by OSC
• Treasure Box by OSC
• Wyrms by OSC
  Then comes the reviews and recommendations:


• Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb
• The Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov
• Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
• Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbit
• Murder of Roger Ackroid by Agatha Christie
• The Black Echo by Michael Connelly
• Widdershins by Charles de Lint
• The Bone Doll's Twin by Lynn Flewelling
• The Puppet Masters (or Farmer in the Sky) by Robert Heinlein
• The Kite Runner by Khalid Hosseini
• Fablehaven by Brandon Mull
• Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz
• Holes by Louis Sacher
• Digging to America by Anne Tyler
  

Sheesh...that's a lot of books!!

Next up is the Index Librorum Liberorum, hosted by Imani, from The Books of my Numberless Dreams. This is a chance to read some classics that have been on the Vatican's banned list for centuries. Figured I could "culture" myself a little with this challenge! You can choose any work by any author on the list. I've decided to stick mainly with works of fiction. This challenge runs for a full year and could be quite interesting.

The books that I have chosen to read are:

• Candide by Voltaire
• The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo
• Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert (re-read)
• Nana (or The Ladies' Paradise) by Emile Zola
• Paradise Lost by John Milton
• Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift
• Indiana by George Sand
• The Black Tulip by Alexandre Dumas
• The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene
• History of My Life by Giacomo Casanova
• Justine by Marquis de Sade

See...that's some heavy reading!

Finally, and I haven't signed up for this one.....yet! But Michelle from 1 More Chapter, has a new blog for her new challenge 888. This is 8 books from 8 Categories in 08. It sounds like so much fun, but so many books!! Who knows? I will probably have to throw my name in the hat for this one too!!

Anyone going to join me?