New Home for COSTA BOOK AWARD PROJECT

Please note, this challenge has moved.

Visit THIS POST for more information.

The Costa Book Award Project

Ongoing Challenge
No Time Limit

 UPDATE SEPTEMBER 26, 2009:

PLEASE NOTE...there is a new host and site for this challenge effective immediately. Wendy at Caribousmom will now be hosting this perpetual challenge here. Please make note of this new address! If you wish to join the challenge, you may contact me at caribousmom (at) gmail (dot) com

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For those of you addicted to reading from the book award lists, here is another perpetual challenge hosted by Sharon. The Costa Book Award Project encourages participants to read all the Costa Book Award Winners. Sharon has set up a dedicated blog for the challenge where progress and reviews may be posted.

To sign up, go to the post about guidelines...all the rules and "how tos" are there!

Chill Baby Chill Challenge

December 21, 2009 to March 19, 2010

The Book Dragon's Lair is hosting a winter challenge. Chill Baby Chill is all about chillin' out and reading what you like.

Rules:

• Comment on the post about the challenge with a link to your POST about the challenge
• Read at least six books
• Leave comment with links to your reviews (if you review)
• Just relax - read whatever you'd like or use this time to catch up on challenge books.
• Do a wrap-up post at the end of March

Want to play? Visit the post about the challenge to learn more or sign up.

Pretty Little Liars Challenge

September 24, 2009 - December 31, 2010

Trisha at Trisha's Book Blog is hosting the Pretty Little Liars Challenge which encourages participants to read the Pretty Little Liars series by Sara Shepard. Here are the guidelines for the challenge:

• Read all of the Pretty Little Liars series.
• You can not count books that you have read prior to the start of this challenge.
• You must have some form of a blog.
• You must create a blog post with links back to the post about the challenge.
• eBooks and Audio Books count towards this challenge.
• You can join anytime. As long as you will have time to finish all of the books.

There is a prize!!! Check out Trisha's post to learn more.

To learn more and to sign up, visit the post about the challenge.

Honored with Awards

From time to time, A Novel Challenge gets honored with an award ... I am not always so good at posting these (I'll admit to being mostly overwhelmed of late), so today I wanted to share with you some of the more recent awards that have come our way.

The True Fairy Tale Award

Tina at Tutu's Two Cents passed on the True Fairy Tale Award and wrote:

A Novel Challenge is the place to go for a sprinkling of encouragement to start a new book challenge. Whenever you're feeling a bit blase about reading check out Wendy's latest- she's always coming up with new ones.

Thank you, Tina! I also want to thank Teddy for helping me in this never-ending quest to find all the reading challenges out there!!

Heart of the Dragon Award

J. Kaye at J. Kaye's Book Blog recently acknowledged A Novel Challenge for The Heart of the Dragon Award which goes to bloggers "who inspire you." J. Kaye wrote:

A Novel Challenge and Win-a-Book are two blogs who help the blogging community, but don't get enough recognition in my opinion.

Thank you so much, J. Kaye! And I totally agree with your nomination of Win-A-Book as well!!

The Vampire Diaries Challenge

UPDATE: This challenge has been canceled. If you are interested in reading L.J. Smith books, please see a similar challenge at My Friend Amy's blog (The L. J. Smith Reading Challenge)

L. J. Smith Reading Challenge

September 1, 2009 - August 31, 2010

No matter how hard I try, I seem to miss a challenge from time to time. This one just came to my attention. Hosted by Amy at My Friend Amy, the L. J. Smith Reading Challenge is all about reading the series authored by L. J. Smith. Amy is a huge vampire fan and writes:

I read everything I could by L.J. Smith, and I loved it all. And then I became an older high schooler and thought I was too old for YA fiction and started reading classics and literature and stuff. (I'm not kidding, I was the biggest book snob!! Well, except for a little bit of Elizabeth George and Anne Rice)

And I traded in my L.J. Smith books. And then HORROR! They went out of print!!!

And then along came Stephanie Meyers and L. J. Smith's books came back into print...and now there is a television series of The Vampire Diaries on the CW (premier of September 10th). And so Amy's challenge was born. She is planning on phases for this challenge...and this first phase will last one year and involve reading the Vampire Diaries Series. In addition, Amy will be recapping the t.v. show every Friday on her blog...and you are invited to do so as well.

Here are the details:

What are we reading? L.J. Smith's The Vampire Diaries!
What are we watching? The Vampire Diaries on the CW!
When do we start? September 1st!
When do we have to finish? August 31st, 2010

To get more information on the challenge and sign up, visit the post on the challenge. To post your reviews of the books, visit the review post.

**PLEASE note, there is a similar challenge (The Vampire Diaries Challenge) being offered at Trisha's Book Blog.

Clear Off Your Shelves Challenge

October 1 - November 30, 2009

Swapna at S. Krishna's Books is hosting a challenge to encourage participants to clear off some books from their TBR stacks. The Clear Off Your Shelves Challenge is designed for readers to read from books that have 'been sitting on your shelves for months, even years!'

Swapna explains what books are eligible:

Any non-review books that are on your shelves and/or review copies that have been on your shelves for over six months. This means that recent review copies and library books are not eligible for this challenge! However, that doesn’t mean the book has to have been out for six months in order for the review copy to be eligible.

For example, say a book came out in July, but you received the review copy in January. That review copy would be eligible for the challenge since it’s been on your shelves for over six months.

Crossover with other challenges is welcomed, even encouraged!

There are no lists for this challenge - instead readers will be choosing a percentage of the books they'll read:

This means that a certain percentage of the books you read during these two months will have to qualify for this challenge. For example, let’s say you pick 40% and you end up reading 10 books in October and November. 4 of those books would have to qualify for this challenge in order for you to complete it. I am setting a minimum percentage of 20%.

Read more about the challenge on the post about the challenge, or go to the sign up page to sign up using Mr. Linky.

Fall Into Reading 2009

September 22, 2009 - December 20, 2009

UPDATE: September 19, 2009 - Katrina has posted MORE information about this challenge on THIS POST at her blog. Go check it out!

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Katrina at Callipidder Days is once again hosting Fall Into Reading. Katrina writes:

Why: Because reading rocks. And we can all enjoy a little community and accountability every now and then.

How: Watch for more details next week. But if you want to get a head-start, begin making a list of books you want to read (and/or finish) this fall. And get ready to share that list with all of us.

To sign up and learn more, make sure you visit Katrina's blog next week!

Countdown Challenge 2010

September 9, 2009 - September 10, 2010

Michelle at 1More Chapter is hosting the Countdown Challenge for 2010. She writes:

Anyone up for a 55 book commitment? I actually wasn’t sure I was going to be able to complete this challenge last year, but if you’re already doing the Pub Challenge, it’s actually not too difficult. Why not join?!

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. Crossovers with other challenges are allowed and your lists may change at any time.

To sign up visit the sign up page at Michelle's blog.

Wilkie Collins Mini-Challenge

October 1, 2009- December 1, 2010

Becky of Mini Challenges hosted by Becky is hosting this challenge.

All you need to do is "Read and/or watch two works by Wilkie Collins."

To find out more or to sign up, go to Wilkie Collins Mini-Challenge

French Revolution Mini-Challenge

October 1, 2009-December 31, 2010

Becky of Mini Challenges hosted by Becky is hosting this challenge.

All you need to do is "Read two books (or watch two movies) set during the French Revolution. These can be nonfiction or fiction. "
To find out more or to sign up, go to French Revolution Mini-Challenge

Banned Books Challenge

September 26 through October 3, 2009

Bibliobrat is hosting the Banned Books Challenge to read banned and challenged books during Banned Books week (sponsored by the ALA).

The challenge is to read at least ONE book.

To learn more and to sign up, visit the post about the challenge.

Back to School Reading Challenge

September 1 - December 31, 2009

Hosted by Kari at Five Borough Book Review, the Back to School Reading Challenge encourages readers to at least FOUR books from the school reading lists. Kari writes:

The geeky side of me always gets jealous this time of year as I browse the tables of Barnes & Noble. Why am I jealous? High school reading lists. Unlike 95% of high school students, I waited for our school year reading assignments with anticipation and excitement. And also unlike 95% of my fellow students, I actually read the books. Get graded for something I did in my free-time anyway? Perfect!

Here are the guidelines for the challenge:

1. Choose! Any four reading-list books [ones you never got around to reading or ones you want to re-read].
2. Sign up! (go to the post about the challenge to do this)
   
3. Read! Between September 1, 2009, and December 31, 2009 [only one book a month!].
4. Post! Your comments/reviews on your blog or in the comment section of the post about the challenge
   
5. Check back! Read other blogs and discover what others have to say.

Sound like fun? Check out the links to suggested reading and learn more at the post about the challenge.

Fall '09 Challenge

September 1 - November 30, 2009

Isn't this a gorgeous button? Cindy at Readers of Romance Challenges is hosting this seasonal challenge. Some of the guidelines:

• Readers can select ANY number of books to read that fit the category.
• It is not required, but if you could post your review on the Reader's Romance blog that would be great.
• Audio books are okay
• Rereads are okay
• You can change your list at anytime

THE CHALLENGE:

1. Read a Beta Hero
2. Read a debut author OR an author that has LESS than 4 books published
3. Read a book that was read in the Summer Challenge
4. Read a book with an “F” word for Fall
5. Read a book you’ve borrowed from a friend or the library
6. Read a book by Lori Foster
7. Read a book that less than 300 pages
8. Read an author that has a pseudonym (Sherrilyn Kenyon/Kinley MacGregor)
9. Read a book to catch up on a series you are reading
10. Reader’s Choice
11. Read a book set in Ireland
12. Read a Romantic Suspense
13. read a book by an author you've "given up" on (call it one more try)
14. Read a book with "Dream" in the title
15. Read a book from the backlist of an author you enjoy!

Interested? Want to learn more or sign up? Visit the post about the challenge.