Yikes! More Reading Challenges!

Just when I thought I was all done with reading challenges, I found some more. One of the ones I enjoyed last year started up again, and my daughter decided to host two herself.

14. 2013 Why Buy The Cow Reading Challenge (Jan 1 through Dec 31 2013)
   Free downloadable ebooks
       Coupon Clipper: 12 books

15. Clocks, Cogs and Mechanisms Reading Challenge 2013 (Jan 1 through Dec 31 2013)
   Steampunk novels
      Brass Gears: 1-3 books

16. What Would Jane Do? Reading Challenge (Jan 1 through Dec 31 2013)
   Books written by Jane Austin, derivative works and movies
      Jane's Wisdom: 3-5 books and 3-5 movies

I'm not going to say that's all, because as sure as I do, someone will post a fabulous challenge I can't resist! I will just say, that's all for now. :D

Reading Challenges 2013

It's that time of year again! Of course I'm referring to time to sign up for new reading challenges. I promised myself, as I do every year that I wasn't going to go crazy and sign up for a bunch of challenges, but I looked over the new crop and just couldn't help myself. So here are the newest batch:

1. Embarrassment of Riches TBR Reading Challenge 2013 (Jan 1 through Dec 31 2013)
   Books you already own
      Copper:  Read 6 TBR books
2. Library Books Reading Challenge 2013 (Jan 1 through Dec 31 2013)
   Books checked out from the library 
      Board Book: 3 books
3. 2013 Mystery/Crime Reading Challenge (Jan 1 through Dec 31 2013)
   Mystery or crime novels or short stories
      5 books: Detective
4. New Year's Resolution Reading Challenge (Jan 1 through Jan 31 2013)
   Books to help with resolutions (mine is getting organized)
      Resolved: 1 book
5. Wishlist Challenge 2013 (Jan 1 through Dec 31 2013)
   Books from your online wishlist
      12 books (one per month)
6. 2013 Fairy Tales Retold Reading Challenge (Jan 1 through Dec 31 2013)
   Young adult or middle grade fairy tale retellings
      Cobbler: 1-3 books
7. 2013 Mount TBR Reading Challenge (Jan 1 through Dec 31 2013)
   Books from the TBR mountain
      Pike's Peak: 12 Books
8. Foodies Read 2013 Challenge (Jan 1 through Dec 31 2013)
   Any book, fiction or non-fiction about food, cooking or chefs
      Short-Order Cook: 1-3 books
9. Cruisin' Through the Cozies Reading Challenge 2013 (Jan 1 through Dec 31 2013)
   Cozy mysteries at defined by cozy-mystery.com
   Level 1 Snoop: Read at least 6 books
10. Nerdy Non-fiction Reading Challenge 2013 (Jan 1 through Dec 31 2013)
   Any non-fiction books
      Geek: 4-6 books in at least 2-3 different categories
11. 2013 Operation Deepen Faith (Jan 1 through Dec 31 2013)
   I. Wonderful Words of Life: Read one book of the bible each day for 30 days
   II. Going Deep: Study one book for the year 
   VI. Christian Nonfiction: 4 books
12. Operation Actually Read the Bible (Jan 1 through Dec 31 2013)
   Read the bible all the way through--actually a perpetual challenge, but I'm putting it down for this year
13. 2013 Ebook Challenge (Jan 1 through Dec 31 2013)
   Any ebook of any length or genre
      Floppy disk: 5 ebooks

And last but not least...
This isn't really a reading challenge per say, but more a reflection of the ones I signed up for already.
Reading Challenge Addicts
   Hi, my name is Terri and I am a reading challenge addict. LOL
      In Flight: 13 reading challenges (so far!)

That's it. Or at least, that's it until I run across something else that looks like fun.


         

Christmas Reading Challenge Update

Just a quick update on the Christmas reading challenge. It's not going as well as I had hoped but it's not too bad either. So far I've read the following:

The Birds' Christmas Carol by Kate Douglas Wiggins
The Christmas Mystery: The Story of Three Wise Men by William John Locke
Touching Wonder: Recapturing the Awe of Christmas by John Blase
Too Much Holly, Not Enough Holy by Patricia Wilson

I'm in the process of reading The Purse Driven Christmas by Anita Renfroe

On the Christmas movie front, I've seen the following:

The Holiday
Borrowed Hearts
Christmas in Connecticut
Martin the Cobbler
Shop Around the Corner

We've also watched the following movies, that while not strictly traditional, do take place at Christmas or have large sections that take place at Christmas:

An Affair to Remember (the girls watch this before the older kids and adults watch the next movie)
Sleepless in Seattle (Horsecrazy loves the part where Annie is listening to the radio and Jingle Bells is playing and she's singing "horses, horses, horses, horses".)
Kate & Leopold
Die Hard

In case you're wondering, most the second batch were watched on our Clearplay DVD player. I don't like to have to deal with the foul language and nudity and graphic violence. If you don't like dealing with it either, or get aggravated when a cute movie is spoiled by one or two bad elements that prevent you from letting your kids watch it, this is a great option. For more information, click the (non-sponsored) link above or email me with questions.

Part of the challenge is reading Christmas stories to the kids too, so here's what we've done so far:

Emma's Christmas Wish by Sallyann J. Murphy
The 24 Days Before Christmas by Madeleine L'Engle

We are also in the midst of Advent, so I will have a couple of other books to add when that's over. We are currently reading:

Christmas Stories From the Heart compiled by Alice Gray
Bartholomew's Passage by Arnold Ytreeide

I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season. I don't know about you, but in the midst of all the Christmas hustle and bustle, I can't help but think about the upcoming year. This has been a very challenging year on many fronts, but has also carried with it, its share of blessings. What will the year ahead hold? What do I want to do to improve my life. What left behind things do I want to pick back up and what new things do I want to add? What do I need to lay down or change? Hmm.

Reading Challenge Update

Don't worry. I didn't join any more reading challenges, although I will admit I was tempted by a couple of late entries. However, I held fast and stuck with the already overwhelming number I had. Anyway, here's what I've read so far:

The Sane Woman's Guide to Raising a Large Family by Mary Ostyn
     This is a terrific book I had languishing on my bedside table waiting for me to get around to finishing it. Now I wish I'd read it a year ago when I bought it. I picked up so many great tips and got a ton of ideas that I will be using in the near future.

The Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
The Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare
     This is my first foray into steampunk. These are the first and second books in the Infernal Devices series, a series of supernatural steampunk books aimed at young adults. I'm still trying to decide if I really like this genre, but these stories are very interesting.  I can't recommend them for young adults, because there is some profanity and a scene or two of sensuality (the one in the second book made me blush0. You have been warned. Oh, and one last warning: if you get sucked into this series, you should know that according to the website, book three isn't expected until September 2013.

The Disciplined Life by Calvin Miller
     This is one a of multitude of books I have downloaded for free since I got my Kindle several a few years ago. There are many such books available at various times. Check any of the multitude of Kindle blogs for listings of free books on Amazon. Many are free for a limited time, so if you see something that looks interesting, jump on it.
     I really liked this book and will probably re-read it before the year is out. There are lots of nuggets to chew on in this one.

Unfriend Yourself by Kyle Tennant
     Another free e-book. The author issues a challenge to unplug from social media for three days to consider the proper use of it and it's place in your life. Lots of food for thought here as well.

A Thousand Times More by W.S Gray
     Subtitled "A prayer plan to receive all that God wants for you." 'Nuff said.

The Best Gift by Wendy Markham
     I picked this one up last year at a library fundraiser sale. It's a book about a young lady that keeps time-traveling when she least expects it. It was an interesting story. My only real issue with it was that the plot presumes a belief in reincarnation.

That's it for now. Fortunately, some of these crossed over from one challenge to another and counted more than once. I'll post another update when I have another clump of books to report.

Oh, and while I didn't join any more reading challenges, I did get into a challenge with my eldest daughter to make 25 recipes and do 25 projects off of our Pinterest boards before the year is out. Yikes! I'll let you know how that goes.

2012 Reading Challenges

Well, here we are at the beginning of a new year and the old familiar madness has set in. I'm speaking, of course, of the urge to sign up for reading challenges. I am cutting back this year, after last year got so out of hand. I'm attempting to limit myself(!) to the 15 challenges listed below:

1. Foodies Read 2
Short-Order Cook: 1 to 3 books
I'm one of those weird people who loves reading cookbooks and other books about food. This should be fun.

2. Greek Classics Challenge 2012
Sophocles: read 1-4 works
This is a little something to stretch the old brain cells.

3. What Would Jame Do Reading Challenge 2012
A Touch of Pride: Read 1-3 books
I'm not sure what all I'm reading for this one, but I'm pretty sure Mansfield Park is on the list.

4. The 2012 Graham Greene Reading Challenge
Dangling your toes: 1 book
I read The Comedians years ago, and haven't gotten around to reading anything else by this author.

5. Time Travel Reading Challenge 2012
Surprise Trip: 1 to 3 time travel books
I actually bought a time-travel book at the last library sale that I just found again the other day.

6. Fairy Tales Retold Challenge
3 books - Peasant
One of my daughters is a huge fan of fairy tale retellings. She has recommended some to me for this challenge.

7. All the Books of Pern Challenge 2012
Green– The original trilogy (or any 3)
I plan to read at least the original trilogy and if I have time, the Harper Hall trilogy. I was saddened my Anne McCaffrey's passing in November because I have many happy memories of reading her books in my younger years.

8. Clocks, Cogs and Mechanisms Challenge 2012
Brass Gears: Read 1-3 steampunk books
This is a new area for me. I'm usually a mystery buff, so steampunk is a little out of my usual purview. I'm looking forward to the challenge!

9. The 2012 Medieval Reading Challenge
Inferno – at least 4 books
More brain stretching going on here. The books have to be from 4 different genres and have to be written during the middle ages. Should be interesting.

10. The 2012 “Books I started but didn’t finish” Reading Challenge
4 books
1. The Sane Woman's Guide to Raising a Large Family
2. Bringing Up Geeks
3. Courageous for Women
4. Loving Our Kids on Purpose
These are all books I started last year and for one reason or another, never got around to finishing.

11. 2012 Operation Deepen Faith
II. Going Deep - I plan to read the book of James in 12 different translations as well as read 6 additional books written about the book of James (bible studies, commentaries, etc. In addition, I will be reading various study notes and additional resources on the book of James.
IV.Christian Nonfiction
10 books (in addition to the ones mentioned in the entry above)
I love this challenge. I have been meaning to take some time out and really study the book of James because it's my favorite.

12. Mount TBR Reading Challenge
Pike's Peak: Read 12 books from your TBR pile/s
My TBR piles are definitely in mountain range territory. I'll be posting my list of books I plan to read in a couple of days, if I can narrow down which ones I'm going to focus on. :D

13. Why Buy the Cow? Reading Challenge 2012
at least twelve (12) legally obtained FREE e-books
My Kindle is filling up fast with free books. I think I've purchased one book so far for it, but have managed to accumulate over a thousand books. I'd like to see how big a dent I can make in the mostly unread portion of them.

14. Wishlist Challenge 2012
12 books from your current wishlist
True confession time here. I have 56 Amazon wishlists. Hey, but only 48 of them are actually book lists. Sigh. Let's just say it's not going to be too much of a challenge to find 12 books to read off my wishlists.

15. 2012 Support Your Local Library Challenge
Level 1 - Read 12 library books
I'm a big fan of libraries and mine constantly amazes me with what pops up there. I'm signing up for the minimum level, but I suspect the final total will be much higher.

Well, that's the extent of the madness for this year. Um, that is unless someone does a Christmas reading challenge again or a Lenten one or a summer one or...

Book Challenge Update

I've been taking stock of where I am in terms of book challenges. The bad news is that I'm way, way behind. The good news is that I'm having fun and reading a lot of good books and I think I can get caught up. This is how things are stacking up so far:

Total books read so far: 30
Library challenge: 17 of 100
Nancy Drew challenge: 11 of 56
E-book: 8 of 20
Twenty Ten: 5 of 20
Thriller/Suspense: 4 of 10
Christian Non-Fiction: 4 of 12
Colorful Reading: 2 of 9
Marple/Poirot/Holmes: 0 of 6
What's In A Name 3: 3 0f 6
Theme Quest: 0 of 5
Revisit Your Childhood Favorites: 3 of 5
Mystery Cafe Challenge: 2 of 4
Aussie Author Challenge: 0 of 3
Time Travel: 3 of 3 (complete)
Clover, Bee, and Reverie Poetry Challenge: 0 of 2

OK. I obviously have a lot of work to do. I hope I can get in some quality reading time this summer. By the way, I have some more reviews coming soon!

It's a Sickness, Really

I have caught a bug. I am thoroughly infected with the challenge bug, reading challenges in particular.  I have already joined a few, but I just found a whole new batch that I want to join, so here goes.

First, there's the Clover, Bee and Reverie Poetry Reading Challenge. There are 4 levels of participation. I plan to do the Couplet level which is only two books.

Next up is the Time Travel Reading Challenge. I'm planning to read three time travel books to fulfill this one. I'll be doing my own time traveling as I do the Revisit Your Childhood Favorites Challenge. I will be reading five of my faves from childhood. Another form of traveling I'm doing is a bit of globe hopping via The Aussie Author Challenge. I am doing the Tourist level and reading three books written by authors from the Land Down Under.

I'm also planning to do some mystery challenges. First, there's the MysteryReaderCafe Reading Challenge. For this one you have to join the Yahoo group. It requires reading four books that fit within specific parameters. Another mystery reading challenge is The Marple Poirot Holmes Challenge. For this one, the participant must read two Miss Marple mysteries, two Hercule Poirot mysteries, and two Sherlock Holmes mysteries.

A non-fiction challenge is in the mix too. I'm reading ten books for the Christian Non-Fiction Challenge 2010.  I have plenty of books in my TBR (To Be Read) stack that qualify. I'll also sneak a few in on a couple of other challenges, like the E-Book Reading Challenge 2010. I'm trying the highest level, 20 e-books, ironically enough known as "Obsessed".

Just for even more fun, I have a couple of challenges that are on the quirky side. The first one is the ThemeQuest Reading Challenge. I'm jumping in on the lowest level, Theme Thing. I'll be reading 5 books, on the theme of my choosing, which is Peace. Last year was very un-peaceful, so I thought this would be an appropriate theme for the year.

Next up is the What's In A Name 3. For this challenge you read one book in each of the following categories: 1. A book with a food in the title, 2. A book with a body of water in the title, 3. A book with a title (queen, president) in the title, 4. A book with a plant in the title, 5. A book with a place name (city, country) in the title, 6. A book with a music term in the title.

To brighten things up, there's the Colorful Reading Challenge. This one requires that you read nine books with a different color in each book's title. A really fun challenge is the TwentyTen Challenge, reading twenty books in ten categories in 2010. Check it out.

Whew. That's a lot. On the other hand, many of the books required for these challenges overlap the ones I'm already in. There are also some cool challenges coming soon, you might be interested in. A few of the ones on the horizon:


March 20-June 20  Spring Reading Thing 2010 at Calapidder Days. (I love this blog!)
April 2010 to March 2011  World Party Reading Challenge
April 10th  The 24 Hour Readathon
May1- September 30 Non-Fiction Five Challenge

A great place to find new challenges (and a major cause of my current affliction) is A Novel Challenge. It's a blog totally devoted to...you guessed it...reading challenges. Take a look and you'll see that in spite of all the challenges I'm doing, I'm hardly scratching the surface of all the challenges out there.

If you are a reader, there's probably a reading challenge out there for you. Jump on board one of more of these or some other one and be sure and leave a comment and tell me which one or ones you're doing!

I'm Up For A Challenge (Or Two or Three or...)

The other day while surfing around on the web, I stumbled across a blog where the author was discussing the reading challenge she had joined. Googling revealed a large number of reading challenges out there. Most of them started January 1st and continue until the end of the year. I've had a large number of books stacked up that I've been meaning to read, so I'm throwing caution to the wind and jumping into several reading challenges. Fortunately, you can overlap some of them.

The first one is the 100+ Reading Challenge in which you read at least one hundred books before December 31st. I love this challenge because it includes all types of books, so all the ebooks I have stacking up on my computer will count as well.

The next one I found is the Support Your Local Library Reading Challenge. This one is all about reading library books. Lots of them. You actually have 4 levels to choose from but I am going for the Super Size Me challenge, checking out and reading at least 100 books.

Another fun, but much smaller challenge, is the Thriller & Suspense Challenge, in which you read 12 thriller or suspense books this year. They can be from any sub-genre of thrillers, so I will most likely be reading mysteries, probably from the library to help out on that challenge.

After I had signed up for all these, I found the Nancy Drew Reading Challenge. This one is all about reading the original 56 Nancy Drew Mysteries. These books are the ones you find in bookstores and libraries in hardcover sporting bright yellow spines. I'm hoping to score several of these from the library so I can count them for the library challenge as well.

I'm hoping these challenges will not only be a lot of fun, but will encourage me to catch up with reading some of the books stacked up on my shelves unread and ebooks stacking up on my hard drive unread. This is a step toward the productive year I'm hoping to have.