Freedom Fighters Reading Challenge 2013

Freedom Fighters Reading Challenge 2013



I Love Reading Challenge group exclusive! (4th year for this challenge)
Nearly every country at some point has had people who were bold and brave enough to stand up and fight for their freedom as well as the freedom of others.
The challenge is to read at least 4 books about 4 different Freedom Fighters.

Challenge runs Jan 1st 13 to Dec 31st 13
overlapping with other challenges is ok
*again this year fictional freedom fighter will count as well - just indicate next to the title that it is fictional
fictional examples:
HP and the Order of the Phoenix - Dumbledore's Army
Matched - Cassia and her grandfather

Finishing the Series Reading Challenge 2013

It's a challenge for all those series books you started at some point and haven't finished. I know I'll start a series and read the first book, then get distracted with other books and never get back to the series. Before I know it, the series has 10 books - I get overwhelmed and don't go back to it. Now, I want to finish a couple.




Here are the rules guidelines.



1) All books that are part of a continuing series qualify (i.e. Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove, Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum, James Patterson's Alex Cross, etc. etc.)



2) It doesn't matter if you have 1 or 10 books in a series to complete it, it qualifies (i.e. if you only need to read one more Sookie Stackhouse book to complete the goal, that's fine) The goal is to complete a series from wherever you are up to until the last published book.



3) The qualification period is January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2013. Books must be read during this time frame to count.



4) Take the button above and post about it. Use the Mr. Linky below to sign up and make sure you link it directly to your post about this challenge. (Note: I'm not going to be using the Finishing the Series Blog I created last year. I'm going to keep everything here.)



5) If you don't have a blog, that's fine. Just leave a comment to sign up and tell us what you are reading.



IF YOU WANT TO LINK UP YOUR REVIEWS OR, FOR THOSE WITHOUT A BLOG, LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW.



6) Any format of book counts - audio, ebook, etc.



7) You should choose the series you want to finish before the challenge begins, but it isn't necessary. It's fine to change series during the year - as long as you complete whichever series it is.



8) Choose a level....



Level 1 - Complete 1 series.

Level 2 - Complete 2 series.

Level 3 - Complete 3 or more series.

My Level: Level 2 - Complete 2 series.

2013 Nerdy Non-Fiction Challenge

Welcome to the 2013 Nerdy Non-Fiction Challenge!!
Last year I got the urge to read more non-fiction books after all that dystopian and fantasy I read, so I created this challenge to help motivate me to do just that in 2013.



If you want to participate, feel free. If there's another non-fiction challenge going on that you would rather do, then go for it! My goal here is really just to encourage you all to read more non-fiction this year. I'm hoping to pick at least 10 of the categories and read both an adult and a children's book in each category. We'll see how it goes.



GUIDELINES



Levels:
Geek: 4-6 books in at least 2-3 different categories

Dork: 7-10 books in at least 4-5 different categories

Dweeb: 11- 14 books in at least 6-7 different categories

Nerd: 15+ books in at least 8+ different categories



Categories:



* Health, Medicine, Fitness, Wellness

* History- US, World, European, etc

* Religion, Spirituality, Philosophy

* Technology, Engineering, Computers, etc

* Business, Finance, Management

* Sports, Adventure

* Food- Cookbooks, Cooks, Vegan Vegetarianism, etc

* Autobiography, Biography, Memoir

* Art, Photography, Architecture

* Music, Film, TV

* Self Improvement, Self Help, How To

* Home, Garden

* Science-Nature, Weather, Biology, Geology

* Anthropology, Archaeology

* Animals-Insects, Mammals, Dinosaurs, etc

* Family, Relationships, Parenting, Dating, Love

* Crime, Law

* Poetry, Theatre

* Politics, Government, Current Affairs

* Literary Criticism/Theory

* Cultural Studies

* Travel

* Crafts



* It is not necessary to pick your categories ahead of time, but try not to read more than two books in each category so you can broaden your horizons.



* The categories I listed are just suggestions. If you have a different category you'd like to add, let me know!



* When you write about the challenge or read/review a book, come back here and link up or leave a comment and tell me what you read and what you thought of it.



* If you're participating in a different non-fiction challenge, please feel free to still link up. It's always fun to see what other people have read in the different non-fiction categories.



Happy reading (and learning)!

My Level:
Geek: 4-6 books in at least 2-3 different categories

2013 Ebook Reading Challenge

The 2013 Ebook Challenge. Encouraging readers to expand past just physical books to embrace ebooks in all forms, whether on Kindle, Kobo, computer, or any other reader.



Challenge Guidelines:



1.This challenge will run from Jan 1, 2013 – Dec 31, 2013.

2.Anyone can join, you don’t need to be a blogger. If you don’t have a blog, feel free to sign-up in the comments. You can post reviews to any book site (i.e. Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, Goodreads, etc).

3.Any genre or length of book counts, as long as it is in ebook format.

4.You can plan your books in advance or as you read them.

5.When you sign up in the linky, put the direct link to your post about joining the E-Book Reading Challenge.

6.You can move up levels, but no moving down.

7.Sign-ups will be open until Dec 15, 2013, so feel free to join at any time throughout the year.

Levels:
1.Floppy disk – 5 ebooks

2.CD – 10 ebooks

3.DVD – 25 ebooks

4.Memory stick – 50 ebooks

5.Hard drive – 75 ebooks

6.Server – 100 ebooks

7.Human brain – 150 ebooks

At the beginning of each month there will be a roundup post for you to add your reviews for that month. The linky will remain open for the remainder of the year, so if you forget, feel free go back and add them when you remember.



There will be a giveaway at the end of the year for eveyone who achieves their goal level (or higher). If you are an author or publisher and want to contribute to the prize, please contact me.


My Level:
Floppy disk – 5 ebooks
Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich 
Delirium by Lauren Oliver
Against Nature by John G. Nelson

2013 WHERE Are You Reading Challenge

3rd year running and OH I love this challenge! As the host of the weekly What Are you reading meme, I find it awesome that I get to host the WHERE Are You Reading Challenge each year. What is the point of this challenge? It is to try to read in each of the 50 States between January 1 2013 – December 31, 2013.


How do you decide what state a book is categorized under?

1. In a fiction read it would be the State or Country that the book spends the most time in. (Ie. If your main character is from Wisconsin but the book is all about his/her time in college in California – the books should categorize under California….)
2. Non fiction reads categorize in whatever State or Country it is about (Ie…. a book about fly fishing in Colorado is a Colorado point, and a book about women in Afghanistan is an Afghanistan point.
3. If the book goes from one state to another… go with the state that most of the time is spent.
How to get started

Set up a map under Google Maps. It is easy to do! Every time you read a book in 2012, upload a cover picture to Picasa Web Albums (there may be other sites to use, feel free to use what works best for you).
Grab the challenge button here for your posts and sidebar

Questions?

Do you have to have a blog to participate? No. You can do everything on the map above without linking the book to a review.
Do I have to have my post up by January 1st, 2012? No, but I would think you would want to get started right away at the beginning of the year. However, you will be able to sign up throughout January as well.
How will people see my map? There are a couple of possibilities. On your original challenge post you should have a link to your map. You could also put it on your side bar to draw interest to it (see mine on my left side bar) I will be linking my map to every review I will also set up a monthly link here to post updates if you wish.
I dont get it – I cant figure out how to use Google maps but I really want to participate! No worries! You are welcome to create a challenge post that lists the 50 states (as well as bonus out of USA spots) and then fill them in as you read in the areas.
Do audio books count? ABSOLUTELY!
Once you are ready and have your map set up please create a blog post (those who have blogs) using the Challenge picture of the map I provided above as well as link to this post so others may join in. Then come back and link that post here to Mr Linky (below) so I as well as other participants know that you are participating and we can pop in throughout the year to check out your map and how we are all doing. I will post a linky at the end of each month so participants can check in with their own post of how they are doing. I will offer a $10 amazon gift card to one lucky participant who does a check in post at the end of each month and links it.
This is actually a fun and easy challenge as all books you read qualify and it will be fun to see where you generally read books from as well as searching out books to fill in areas that you need.
For those who have covered the 50 states by the end of 2013, they will go into a drawing for a $25 gift card to Barnes and Noble or to Amazon. ** All other areas beyond the 50 states are bonus points and we will have a drawing using random.org for those who read 10 or more books throughout 2013 in that category.
You can see my map I worked on in 2011 here to see what the map looks like and how the pictures link to the reviews. (If you zoom in you will see the individual areas I read in and clicking on the blue pins will show you what book it was and clicking on the picture will take you to the post!
That’s it! Here is a link to tips on how to do it. Any other questions – please leave them in the comments section below.

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks (North Carolina)

50 States Reading Challenge 2013

50 States Reading Challenge
1Jan13-31Dec13

January 1, 2013 - December 31, 2013

Are you ready to take the challenge!?!

The goal of this challenge is to read books that are set in each of the fifty states. Your books can be of any genre and any format (ie. paperback, ebook, audiobook, etc.). No short stories. Re-reads and crossovers from other reading challenges are fine. (Re-read reviews must be written within the year 2013; you can not use old reviews.)

You can list your books in advance or list them as you read them. The idea of this challenge came from a Goodreads group.


**Anyone can join. You don't need a blog to participate.
**Non-Bloggers: Sign up in the comments section. Post your reviews with other book sites (ie. Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads, Shelfari, etc.) and post the link in the comments section of the 50 States Reading Challenge. (will post January 1).

When you sign up on Mr. Linky, put the direct link to your blog post about this challenge. Include a link to this post, so that your followers can sign up too! You can either list your books on your challenge post, sidebar, or a page dedicated to your challenges.

Feel free to sign the Mister Linky with your name and blog name. (ie. Tasha (Book Obsessed)) or just your blog name (ie. Book Obsessed) You are welcome to sign up now, but please check back on January 1, 2013 for the 50 States Reading Challenge Review Link! (You will be able to link your review of the book for others to read and drive traffic to your blog.)

My List:

AL = ALABAMA
AK = ALASKA
AZ = ARIZONA
AR = ARKANSAS
CA = CALIFORNIA
CO = COLORADO
CT = CONNECTICUT
DE = DELAWARE
FL = FLORIDA
GA = GEORGIA
HI = HAWAII
ID = IDAHO
IL = ILLINOIS
IN = INDIANA
IA = IOWA
KS = KANSAS
KY = KENTUCKY
LA = LOUISIANA
ME = MAINE
MD = MARYLAND
MA = MASSACHUSETTS
MI = MICHIGAN
MN = MINNESOTA
MS = MISSISSIPPI
MO = MISSOURI
MT = MONTANA
NE = NEBRASKA
NV = NEVADA
NH = NEW HAMPSHIRE
NJ = NEW JERSEY
NM = NEW MEXICO
NY = NEW YORK
NC = NORTH CAROLINA - The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
ND = NORTH DAKOTA
OH = OHIO
OK = OKLAHOMA
OR = OREGON
PA = PENNSYLVANIA
RI = RHODE ISLAND
SC = SOUTH CAROLINA
SD = SOUTH DAKOTA
TN = TENNESSEE
TX = TEXAS
UT = UTAH
VT = VERMONT
VA = VIRGINIA
WA = WASHINGTON
WV = WEST VIRGINIA
WI = WISCONSIN
WY = WYOMING
DC = DISTRICT of COLUMBIA

Let Me Count The Way 2013

Let Me Count The Way
1Jan13-31Dec13

I know there are many of us out there with goals to read 1 million pages in our lifetime, and some people with lesser goals. I decided to create a challenge for those of us with a page count goal and for others to start one. I'm excited about this!

The challenge goes from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2013

There are levels for you to choose from. You can always move up a level but you can't go down. The levels are:
Living with the parents: 0 - 2000 pages
College Dorm: 2,001 - 4,000 pages
Off Campus Apartment: 4,001 - 6,000 pages
My First Place: 6,001 - 8,000 pages
Condominium: 8,001 - 10,000 pages
Mansion: 10,001 + pages


There is also an audio version for those of you who like to listen to audio books!!!

Just like the book version, you can always move up a level but you can't go down. The levels are:
Living with the parents: 0 - 75 hours (0-4,500 minutes)
College Dorm: 76 - 150 hours (4,501-9,000 minutes)
Off campus Apartment: 151 - 225 hours (9,001-13,500 minutes)
My First Place: 226 - 300 hours (13,501-18,000 minutes)
Condominium: 301 - 375 hours (18,001-22,500 minutes)
Mansion: 376+ hours (22,501+ minutes)

To participate all you have to do is create a post announcing your participation with a link to the challenge in and sign up with the link below. You should also specify which version you're doing on your post, you can also do both if you would like. If you don't have a blog you can make a post on Goodreads or Shelfari. If you use audible.com or another audio book site you can track your progress on there as well so others can see it.

Happy reading & listening!

My Level:

College Dorm: 76 - 150 hours (4,501-9,000 minutes)

Killing Rain by Barry Eisler ________________9hrs 55min
Company by Max Barry __________________10hrs 17min___
Chasing Lincoln's Killer by James L. Swanson___4hrs
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins______________11hrs 41minn
The Litigators by John Grisham______________11hrs 30min_______r/t 47hrs 38min


My Level:

College Dorm: 2,001 - 4,000 pages
Against Nature by John G. Nelson ______________215pgs

2013 Audio Book Challenge

2013 Audio Book Challenge 
1Jan13-31Dec13

Welcome to the Original Audio Book Challenge. This challenge is for Audio Book lovers as well as those who are brand new to them.

There are five levels to the challenge

Flirting-Listen to 6 Audio Books
Going Steady- Listen to 12 Audio Books
Lover- Listen to 25 Audio Books
Married-Listen to more than 25 Audio Books
You Define the Relationship- Create your own challenge (choose your own name and level starting as low or going as high as you’d like)
This is a fairly laid back challenge and I want it to be as enjoyable as possible.
Audio Books can be any genre
You can cross challenges
You don’t have to be a blogger to participate. You can tell us about what you are listening to in the comments of the monthly link up.
There will be a monthly link up so that we can share what we’ve listened to and make suggestions to each other.

I hope I’ve enticed you to join in the 2013 Audio Book Challenge. I’m really looking forward to reading your reviews and experiences over the next year.

Official Challenge dates: 1/1/2013-12/31/2013

My Level:
Married-Listen to more than 25 Audio Books

1. Killing Rain by Barry Eisler
2. Company by Max Barry
3. Chasing Lincoln's Killer by James L. Swanson
4. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
5. The Litigators by John Grisham

2013 Paranormal Reading Challenge

Paranormal Reading Challenge
1Jan13-31Dec13

Welcome to the 2013 Paranormal Reading Challenge hosted by Megan Likes Books and Auntie Spinelli Reads! This is my first time EVER hosting anything, so I'm quite excited! The lovely Megan came up with the idea for this, so all credit goes to her (well, I made the purty button!).

[Megan] There are so many awesome sub-genres of paranormal books, that it's easy to find one you like and stick with it. So that's why I decided to make a reading challenge with the goal of reading about all kinds of paranormal creatures.


The goal is to read at least one book featuring each of the following paranormal creatures:
Vampires
Werewolves/Shifters
Fey
Angels/Nephilim
Mermaids
Dragons
Zombies
Demons
Witches/Wizards
Ghosts
Aliens
Other (ie: sirens, unicorns, centaurs, timetravel etc.)



Guidelines:
This challenge runs from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2013.
You must have a blog to able to participate, since reviews must be added to the linky.
When you sign up with the linky, please put the link to your post about joining the Paranormal Reading Challenge.
You're welcome to list your books beforehand or just add as you go.
Sign-ups are open until December 1, 2013
At the beginning of each month, I will post a kick-start post, each month featuring a different category of paranormal creature. This post will also include a linky to include your reviews from that month.
Each review you link will qualify you for an entry into the monthy giveaway and if your review includes the feature paranormal creature of that month, you get a bonus entry.
Each book can only count for one category, even if it contains more than one paranormal creature. For example, Twilight contains both vampires and werewolves, but you can't use it for both the vampires and werewolves/shifters categories.
Everyone who completes the challenge will be entered into a grand prize giveaway at the end of the year.
If you read multiple books from one category, feel free to add them to the linkies. Don't stop at just one!
Book can count for other challenges.


Each month, we'll be featuring one of the creatures on the list at both Megan Likes Books and Auntie Spinelli Reads.
January - Vampires
February - Angels/Nephilim
March - Fey
April - Demons
May - Aliens
June - Zombies
July - Witches and Wizards
August - Mermaids
September - Dragons
October - Ghosts
November - Werewolves/Shape-shifters
December - Other

If you're having trouble finding books for one of the categories, you can try these lists:
Vampires - Adult or YA
Werewolves/Shifters
Fey
Angels/Nephilim
Mermaids
Dragons
Zombies
Demons
Witches/Wizards
Ghosts
Aliens
Other (ie: unicorns, centaurs, timetravelers, seers etc.)

My books:

Vampires - Adult or YA
Werewolves/Shifters
Fey
Angels/Nephilim
Mermaids
Dragons
Zombies
Demons
Witches/Wizards
Ghosts
Aliens
Other (ie: unicorns, centaurs, timetravelers, seers etc.)

Standalone Reading Challenge 2013

1Jan13-31Dec13

The Challenge
Read 15 Young Adult or Middle Grade standalone novels in 2013 that are released in the United States between January 1s - December 31, 2013.


Eligible Books

YA & Middle Grade standalone novels. This means that the book can not have an announced (sometimes sequels happen unexpectedly) sequel, prequel, follow up, etc. Adult novels and picture books do not count.
This year companion novels count towards the challenge. Companion novels take place in the same world and time as a novel but usually follow a different character. It can be read independently from the book that came before it.
Released between January 1 - Decemeber 31, 2013 in the United States. If a book was previously released in another country but is being releasing in the US for the first time, it is eligible. At the same time, if you live in a country where it was previously released, but it is being released in the states for the first time - lucky you- it counts.
Must be read in 2013 (If you have an ARC and read it in 2012, it does not count)
Can be read in any (legally) readable format: ARC, Paperback, Hardcover or e-book
Audio books do not count towards the challenge.

Hafsah and I will be creating a list of eligible challenge titles to get you started towards your goal. It will be available soon.

Participation Perks
There will be a prize pack given away each month to a random participant. You gain entries into that month's prize pack by linking up to your challenge eligible reviews (Unfortunately, prize packs are US only). There will also be giveaways on the hosts' blogs to go along with special posts with authors. That's not even mentioning the random giveaways that we may throw in here and there! People who complete the challenge and fill out an easy form will be entered into another prize pack drawing.

How to Sign Up
Just link to the place where you will be posting your english reviews.

This can be a blog, Goodreads profile (a SARC 2013 list would be better), Shelfari profile, Librarything profile, or Youtube channel.

My books:
Company by Max Barry

2013 Fairy Tales Retold Reading Challenge

2013 Fairy Tales Retold Reading Challenge

Have you heard the news? The Fairy Tales Retold Challenge is coming back! And this year it's gonna be a whole lot better! Last year I was a horrible host, but I had fun nonetheless. This year I'm hoping to be a whole lot more involved, with mini-challenges, discussion posts, giveaways, and much more!

Here are the deets:

• The challenge starts on January 1st, and ends December 31st
• The goal of the read-a-thon is to read as many fairy tale retellings as possible. These are the different levels:
  • Cobbler: 1-3 books
  • Lady in Waiting: 4-6 books
  • Fierce Ogre: 7-9 books
  • Damsel in Distress: 10-12 books
  • Evil Enchantress: 13-15 books
  • Great and Terrible Beast: 16+ books
• This challenge is only for Young Adult and Middle Grade retellings. No adult or picture books count towards this challenge.
• Both straight retellings and “original” fairy tales count. As long as you think it counts as an “original” fairy tale, then it counts!
• Have fun and spread the word!

And since I love you so much, here’s a premade post you just need to copy, paste and tweak to fit your individual goals. 

My Level and Books:

Cobbler: 1-3 books

Duckling Ugly (Dark Fusion #3) by Neal Shusterman 

The Ugly Duckling by Iris Johansen

Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce

2013 Sea Haven Reading Challenge

2013 Sea Haven Reading Challenge

Welcome to the 2013 Sea Haven Reading Challenge hosted by Darlene's Book Nook!

Although I hosted this challenge for 2012, I did not make much headway in this series. So, I'm going to host it again for 2013! 

The books in the Sea Haven Reading Challenge are comprised of two different series: the Drake Sisters and the Sisters of the Heart. Since the Sisters of the Heart series appears to be a spin-off of the Drake Sisters series, it would probably be best to start with that one first.

The Sea Haven novels by Christine Feehan are:

1. Magic in the Wind (Drake Sisters, Book #1)
2. The Twilight Before Christmas (Drake Sisters, Book #2)
3. Oceans of Fire (Drake Sisters, Book #3)
4. Dangerous Tides (Drake Sisters, Book #4)
5. Safe Harbor (Drake Sisters, Book #5)
6. Turbulent Sea (Drake Sisters, Book #6)
7. Hidden Currents (Drake Sisters, Book #7)
8. Water Bound (Sisters of the Heart, Book #1)
9. Spirit Bound (Sisters of the Heart, Book #2)

Please read below for the challenge guidelines.

2013 Sea Haven Reading Challenge

Here are the challenge details:

1. The challenge will run fromJanuary 1, 2013 to December 31, 2013.

2. You can join the challenge at any time, whether you haven't yet started the series or are already halfway through. All books read in 2013 count for the challenge, regardless of when you sign up. As the challenge host, I reserve the right to extend the challenge period!

3. This challenge can cross-over to your other reading challenges.

4. You do not need a blog to participate! If you are not a blogger, you can post your reviews at Goodreads, Shelfari, or LibraryThing and link them up here.

5. All formats of books are acceptable: Bound copies, e-books, and audiobooks (as long as they are unabridged).


6. There are three levels for the challenge:

a. Level 1 "Just a taste": Read 1-3 books in the series.

b. Level 2 "Can't get enough":Read 4-6 books in the series.

c. Level 3 "Wanting more":Read 7-9 books in the series.


7. When you write your sign-up post, you must choose your level. You can go up, but you cannot go down!

8. There will be a linky for your reviews, which will be posted onTHIS page at the beginning of the year.

9. There will be a linky for your wrap-up post at the end of the year.

10. Create a sign-up post and link back to this post. Sign up with Mister Linky below! Be sure to use the direct url to your sign-up post and not the url to your blog.

11. Grab the challenge button and post it in your sidebar. Paste this HTML code into an HTML gadget for your sidebar:  

I'm doing Level 3 "Wanting more": Read 7-9 books in the series.

The Sea Haven novels by Christine Feehan are:
Magic in the Wind (Drake Sisters, Book #1)
The Twilight Before Christmas (Drake Sisters, Book #2)
Oceans of Fire (Drake Sisters, Book #3)
Dangerous Tides (Drake Sisters, Book #4)
Safe Harbor (Drake Sisters, Book #5)
Turbulent Sea (Drake Sisters, Book #6)
Hidden Currents (Drake Sisters, Book #7)
Water Bound (Sisters of the Heart, Book #1)
Spirit Bound (Sisters of the Heart, Book #2)

2013 TBR Pile Challenge

About:

Yahoo!  That special time of year has come around again!  It’s the time when we’re all frantically scanning the book blog-o-sphere for challenges that we might want to compete in next year.  

This is my fourth year hosting and participating in the annual “TBR Pile Challenge.”  It started after I realized I had such an issue buying books but never reading them (not because I don’t read – but because I have so many!).  So, year after year, books would sit on my shelf, untouched, and I would end up reading newer ones first.  I realized I was missing out on a lot of great books because I let them sit there gathering dust instead of reading them as I bought them.

The Goal: To finally read 12 books from your “to be read” pile (within 12 months).

Specifics:

1. Each of these 12 books must have been on your bookshelf or “To Be Read” list for AT LEAST one full year. This means the book cannot have a publication date of 1/1/2012 or later (any book published in the year 2011 or earlier qualifies, as long as it has been on your TBR pile – I WILL be checking publication dates). Caveat: Two (2) alternates are allowed, just in case one or two of the books end up in the “can’t get through” pile.

2.  To be eligible, you must sign-up with Mr. Linky below – link to your list (so create it ahead of time!) and add updated links to each book’s review.  Every listed book must be completed and must be reviewed (doesn’t have to be too fancy) in order to count as completed.

3.  The link you post in the Mr. Linky below must be to your “master list” (see mine below).  This is where you will keep track of your books completed, crossing them out and/or dating them as you go along, and updating the list with the links to each review (so there’s one easy, convenient way to find your list and all your reviews for the challenge).  See THIS LINK for an idea of what I mean.  Your list must be completed by December 31st, 2012.

4. Leave comments on this post as you go along, to update us on your status. Come back here if/when you complete this challenge and leave a comment indicating that you CONQUERED YOUR 2013 TBR LIST!  Every person who successfully reads his/her 12 books and/or alternates (and who provides a working link to their list, which has links to the review locations) will be entered to win a $50 gift card from Amazon.com or The Book Depository!

5. Crossovers from other challenges are totally acceptable, as long as you have never read the book before and it was published pre-2012!

*Note – You can read the books on your list in any order; they do not need to be read in the order you have them listed. As you complete a book – review it, and go back to your original list and turn that title into a link to the review - that will keep the comments section here from getting ridiculously cluttered.  For an example of what I mean, Click Here.

UPDATE:  I’ve decided to make a small change/addition to this year’s challenge.  On the 15th of each month, I’m going to post a “TBR Pile Check-In.”  This will allow participants to link-up their reviews from the past month and get some recognition for their progress.  There will also be small mini-challenges and giveaways to go along with these posts (Such As: Read 6 books by the June Check-in and be entered to win a book of your choice!).  I’m hoping this will help to keep us all on track and make the challenge a bit more engaging/interactive. If it goes well, maybe I’ll keep this format for future years.

1. Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown 
2. P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern 
3. Northern Lights by Nora Roberts 
4. Wild Rain by Christine Feehan
5. Glass Houses by Rachel Caine
6. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
7. The Dead Girls’ Dance by Rachel Caine
8. Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
9. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
10. 2 Chance by James Patterson
11. The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson
12. Honeymoon by James Patterson

Dystopia Reading Challenge 2013

Dystopia Reading Challenge 2013

I decided to host a Dystopia Reading Challenge 2013!

http://blogoferised.blogspot.com/2012/11/dystopia-reading-challenge-2013.html

Love Dystopian books? Then this is just the right thing for you! If you're as big of a fan as I am of post-apocalyptic dystopia books (and even if your are not) you are welcome to join the challenge!

We will try to read 24 Dystopian books in 2013 as the challenge goal, which means 2 per month, if you would like to read them monthly. You can of course make your own schedule. 2 per month is plenty because it still gives you time to explore and love books from other genres. 

At the end of the year there will also be a giveaway with great prizes!

Rules

> The challenge will run from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2013. Each month will have its own link form so you will be able to share your book reviews. You do not have to review the books you read to participate, but only those who read/reviewed at least one dystopian book will be able to participate in the giveaway (you can track your reading without the reviews with Goodreads, Shelfari etc.).

> Books that count in this challenge must include any form of post-apocalyptic theme (book sites like Goodreads are good sources of genre information). The books must befull-length.

> All formats allowed.

> Rereads allowed.

> It does not matter whether it's a series or a stand-alone book.

> If you are participating, grab the challenge button from below and post it on you blog. You can also make a post with the header (the code is also below). Please include the link back to this post so others will be able to participate as well.

> If you will participate, put the sign-up link to your blog post (about the challenge) or blog (for the button) directly into the linky below. Sign-ups will be open until December 20, 2013.

> You do not have to list your books in advance, go and do as you please. Read as many as you want (you can read more than 24!) and whenever you want, as long as you have fun!

> Info about the giveaway will be available in December 2013.

Levels

Level 1: Recruit (1 to 6 books)

Level 2: Rebel (7 to 12 books)

Level 3: Revolutionist (13 to 18 books)

Level 4: Leader (19+ books)

Each time you reach a new level, you will receive a badge.

If you have any book suggestions you can leave them in the comment sections for me as well as for others or blog about them in you challenge post. Here are some ideas to get you started:

> The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins

> Divergent Trilogy by Veronica Roth

> Delirium series by Lauren Oliver

> Matched series by Ally Condie

> Legend series by Marie Lu

> Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

> ... more 

I am doing Level 1: Recruit (1 to 6 books)

Divergent by Veronica Roth 

Insurgent by Veronica Roth 

3book by Veronica Roth 

Delirium by Lauren Oliver 

Pandermonium by Lauren Oliver 

Bumped by Megan McCafferty
Against Nature by John G. Nelson

2013 Reading Challenge

I love making goals and working towards them, and for 2013 I want to work on my biggest reading problem:the backlog of books I own but haven’t read. Because they don’t have the threat of due dates and fines behind them, I don’t feel the same urgency to read them, and they continually get pushed to the bottom of my reading stack.

To make some progress towards reading the mountain of books I own instead of always reading the books I’ve borrowed, I’m making a challenge. 12 months, 24 books from my own bookshelves. My rules:

• They have to be books I already owned. No buying a new book just to read it and consider it part of the challenge.
• They have to be physical books. Despite a plethora of ebooks and kindle freebies, I want to get through the physical books that are overflowing from every bookcase I own.
• They have to be books. No magazines, even if reading and tossing would clear shelf space.

If you want to participate in a book challenge for 2013, please sign up below. You don’t need to follow the same challenge I’ve got – if you want to read 12 fiction books, or 24 nonfiction, or whatever you want, it’s fine. Your challenge, your rules. And if you don’t have a blog, you’re still welcome to join in – just leave a comment!

Link Up Guidelines:

1. The link-up will stay up through the end of January. Each month will have it’s own monthly link-up post to share progress throughout the year.
2. Link the unique URL of your post, not your blog’s home page. Readers may peruse link-ups months after the fact and you want to make it easy for them to find the relevant post.
3. Please include the 2013 Reading Challenge Button (unedited) or mention you’re linking up to the 2013 Reading Challenge at The Deliberate Reader.
4. Share your post and read and comment on those who link up.

I love making goals and working towards them, and for 2013 I want to work on my biggest reading problem:the backlog of books I own but haven’t read. Because they don’t have the threat of due dates and fines behind them, I don’t feel the same urgency to read them, and they continually get pushed to the bottom of my reading stack.

To make some progress towards reading the mountain of books I own instead of always reading the books I’ve borrowed, I’m making a challenge. 12 months, 24 books from my own bookshelves. My rules:

• They have to be books I already owned. No buying a new book just to read it and consider it part of the challenge.
• They have to be physical books. Despite a plethora of ebooks and kindle freebies, I want to get through the physical books that are overflowing from every bookcase I own.
• They have to be books. No magazines, even if reading and tossing would clear shelf space.

If you want to participate in a book challenge for 2013, please sign up below. You don’t need to follow the same challenge I’ve got – if you want to read 12 fiction books, or 24 nonfiction, or whatever you want, it’s fine. Your challenge, your rules. And if you don’t have a blog, you’re still welcome to join in – just leave a comment!

Link Up Guidelines:

1. The link-up will stay up through the end of January. Each month will have it’s own monthly link-up post to share progress throughout the year.
2. Link the unique URL of your post, not your blog’s home page. Readers may peruse link-ups months after the fact and you want to make it easy for them to find the relevant post.
3. Please include the 2013 Reading Challenge Button (unedited) or mention you’re linking up to the 2013 Reading Challenge at The Deliberate Reader.
4. Share your post and read and comment on those who link up.

I am reading 12 book from my TBR from my own bookcase.

1. Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown 
2. P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern 
3. Northern Lights by Nora Roberts 
4. Wild Rain by Christine Feehan
5. Divergent by Veronica Roth 
6. 2 Chance by James Patterson 
7.Midnight Bayou by Nora Roberts 
8. Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
9. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
10. 2 Chance by James Patterson
11. The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson
12. Honeymoon by James Patterson

Telling Tales Challenge 2013

Announcing: The Telling Tales Challenge 2013!!



Hello fellow lovers of all things fairytales! I've loved hosting this challenge in 2012, so I'm proud to announce that the Telling Tales Challenge will be back in 2013! If you participated in 2012 and want to again, we'll be glad to have you, ditto if you didn't, or if (like me) you signed up and then spectacularly failed in your aims!

Here are the rules:
The challenge runs from January 1st, 2013 to December 31st, 2013. You can sign up at any point throughout the year.
Again, any genre counts as long as it is in some way related to fairytale and/or mythology. Once again, if you are unsure, as long as you can make an argument for its' inclusion, it counts!
Re-reads count, and you are more than welcome to overlap books with other challenges.
Please leave me your email address in the comments if you want to participate (I promise not to harrass you, it's just so that people get a reminder every now and again about the monthly link ups, and also so I can contact you for competitions etc).
Please link up your reviews every month in the posts which will go up on this blog.
In your sign up post, please indicate the level you aim to complete. You are entirely welcome to change this as the year progresses. You can make your lists beforehand, or as you go. Whichever you prefer!
When you sign up, please leave the link to your sign up post, rather than just to your blog in general.
You don't have to have a blog to participate - you can review on Goodreads, Amazon, wherever, just let me know where you will be reviewing!
That's it!

The levels are as follows:

Pixie - read 2 books
Troll under the Bridge - read 5 books
Princess - read 10 books
Prince Charming - read 15 books
Evil Queen - read 20 books
Dragon - read 30 books
King/Queen of the Silver Screen - read any number of books and watch the film adaptations.

It would also be great to spread the word a little about other fairytale challenges and blogs or website based around the theme, so if you have any feel free to let me know and I'll add them in here. So far the only challenge I've found is the Fairytales Retold Challenge. Then there's Sur la Lune Fairytales Blog which is great for upcoming releases of books and movies. That's pretty much it for now!

If you'd like some inspiration on where to begin, the list of books read for the challenge in 2012 is here.

My Level and books
Pixie - read 2 books

Duckling Ugly (Dark Fusion #3) by Neal Shusterman

The Ugly Duckling by Iris Johansen

13 in 13 Reading Challenge

13 in 13

Welcome to the 2013 Category Challenge!

The idea is to read books from different categories. Tradition dictates that it should be 13 categories this year, but that is in no way a requirement (hence the group name change). They can be any categories you want and you can read as many books as you want from each category. Or you can do something completely different - the parameters are intentionally very wide.

The challenge officially begins on January 1, 2013, but starting early or late is welcomed. 

NOTE: This challenge (and its participants) will wreak havoc on your wishlist. Consider yourself warned.

If you want to participate in the Sandman Group Read, click here. It is in a separate group since all the threads needed would inundate the 13-in-13.

Since many of our members are also in the 75-group, there is a Wiki-page for our combined group reads over here: Group Reads of 2013

Most importantly, have FUN!

Here's my list. I also overlap with no more than 3 challenges to a book. This not include games that maybe played in other groups or clubs.

1. TBR (1yr-)

    Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

2. Book to Movie

    P.S. I Love You

3. Male Author

4. Female Author

5. Dystopian

    Veronica Roth 3rd book

6. African American

7. Urban/Street Lit

8. Romance

9. Color

10. Fairytale

11. Holiday

12. NYT bestseller list last yr

      The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

13. Reaper

2013 Book Bingo Reading Challenge

Anne from Creativity’s Corner and I LOVE a good challenge. So when we saw the dates dwindling down for 2012, we KNEW we had to come up with something awesome for the new year. Thus, the 2013 Book Bingo Reading Challenge was born!

When we thought about all the things we wanted to include in this challenge, we ended up making a list:

• Reading the books in our TBR pile
• Re-reading some books
• Reading some new books
• Reading books that EVERYONE but us has read
• Reading books from series that we have started & have been neglecting

In order to keep track of everything, we came up with a fancy, schmancy scoreboard:

Of course, a challenge isn’t really a challenge unless there are some rules and guidelines:

1. Be awesome. If you’re not, this isn’t going to work.
2. The challenge runs from January 1 to December 31, 2013.
3. If you want to participate, you can join in any time of the year! Feel free to write up a blog post with the rules linking back to my and Anne’s blog in your sign-up post.
4. If you read one book for the “1 book” in any category, you can’t change it later on when you read another book to “2 books.” Once a square is crossed off, it’s crossed off for good! (Feel free to print off the scoreboard to keep track!)
5. Books read for one square are for that square ONLY and cannot be counted towards another category. This is all about reading ALL THE BOOKS.
6. The FREE SQUARE isn’t really a free square. In order to cross it off, you must read a book by either:
   1. Reading a book picked by another participant, or
   2. Reading a book in a genre picked by another participant.
7. You can start your board over again, but ONLY if you receive the stamp of awesome by completing a blackout. The “winners” of the challenge will be the ones who achieve the most winning combinations by the end of 2013.
8. You can feel free to post your reading list for each category, though it’s not a requirement.
9. Having a blog or writing reviews for books read is not required. So long as you want to have fun, you can participate!
10. This isn’t a race, but don’t be afraid to rub your reads in the other player’s face. This will be seen as encouragement. Feel free to use the hashtag #2013BookBingo on Twitter!

While you can definitely “win” by the boring ol’ vertical or horizontal (or diagonal!) lines, the best ways to win are as follows:

Like it says in the guidelines, the ONLY way to start a new board is to become the SUPER READER! The goal is to read ALL THE BOOKS! To be a winner (thus, to become the awesomest reader around), you’ll want to accomplish as many wins as possible!

I am not sure how I am going to go about this challenge. I doubt I'll do a blackout though.

This is my scorecard so far.

Books Completed
2nd Chance by James Patterson (tbr)
Payment in Kind by J.A. Janice (reread)

Immortals Reading Challenge 2013

Vampires, angels, demons, werewolves and fae. If you can’t pick a favourite, then that’s okay!


At UTC, we love them all! So let’s celebrate our love for all things immortal with 2013’s Immortal Reading Challenge.



Here’s the rundown:

1. The Immortals Reading Challenge runs from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2013. You can join at anytime from now and throughout the year. This is a 2013 challenge, so books read before January 1 will not count to your progress.

2. You pick your goal! Read as many books as you’d like for each species. This means that you can do just one category or all five or a combination of. The choice depends on you and your reading pace.

*We have chosen to have a three book per species standard. However, if this is a breeze for you, then feel free to tackle on the additional bonus entries of two more books of the same level.

3. Re-reads are acceptable.

4. Books chosen can be of any genre.

5. To participate, copy and paste this post on your blog along with the challenge button. We ask that you provide a link back to the sign-up page in case others wish to participate.

6. Readers without blogs can still participate! Keep track of your progress with Goodreads, Shelfari or LibraryThing.



To sign up:

1. Make a sign up post announcement, listing the level you’ve chosen and a list of books you plan to read. If you don’t have a blog, post on GoodReads or another site as a thread where we can access your list of books. Be sure to take the image code above.

2. Come back here and using the list below, add your entry with a link directly to that post so we can see what you’ll be reading.

You’re done! Every month during 2013 we will make a challenge update post where you can come and updates us on how you’re doing with your challenge.



Category 1: Vampires

Some ideas for Vampire books

Read any THREE books with vampires as the main characters.

Bonus Entries: Additional TWO books with vampires



Category 2: Angels and Demons

Some ideas for Angels and Demons books

Read any THREE books with angels and/or demons as the main characters.

Bonus Entries: Additional TWO books with angels and/or demons



Category 3: Fae and Magic

Some ideas for Fae books

Read any THREE books with Fae/Witches as the main characters

Bonus Entries: Additional TWO books on Fae/Witches.



Category 4: Shifters/Werewolves

Some ideas for Shifter books

Read any THREE books with shifters or werewolves as the main characters.

Bonus Entries: Additional TWO books on shifters or werewolves.

Happy Reading Maidens!


My Level and Books:

Category 1: Vampires (3 books)

Glass Houses by Rachel Caine (Morganville Vampires 1)
Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris (Soockie Stackhouse 1)
The Dead Girls' Dance by Rachel Caine (Morganville Vampires 2)

Category 2: Angels and Demons (1 book)
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Category 4: Shifters/Werewolves (1 book)
Wild Rain By Christine Feehan