Lynsay Sands/Argeneau Family Reading Challenge

November 1, 2009-January 1, 2009

Amy of My Overstuffed Bookself is hosting the Lynsay Sands/Argeneau Family Reading Challenge.

Here's how she describes it:

I just love author Lynsay Sands. I love her Argeneau series. So I decided I wanted to re-read the series just for fun. THEN I thought since no one has this challenge going on that I would host it as a reading challenge for everyone. If you haven't read any of these books, you are in for a real treat. Love, vampires and humor all in a book! If you have read the series, go ahead and re-read them and review them for your blog! This is my first time hosting a reading challenge, so I hope I am doing this correctly!

This challenge is just for the first 9 books in the series. We aren't going to include the Hunter series. I might do that after this challenge.

Here are the titles of the books in order:
1. A Quick Bite
2. Love Bites
3. Single White Vampire
4. Tall, Dark and Hungry
5. A Bite to Remember
6. Bite Me
7. Accidental Vampire
8. Vampires are Forever
9. Vampire Interrupted

To find out more or to join, go to Lynsay Sands/Argeneau Family Reading Challenge.

Chunkster Challenge - Anticipating 2010

This is just an announcement regarding the very popular Chunkster Challenge. Dana has decided to step down from book blogging for now...and will not be hosting this challenge after it ends on November 15th. I have been in touch with Dana and she gave me her blessing to host it for 2010. Don't look for it starting until February as I am just too busy right now to host a new challenge...watch this blog for more information after the first of the year.

WWW Wednesdays - EVENT

Hosted by Jenn at Should Be Reading

Jenn at Should be Reading is hosting a weekly event on Wednesdays. W.W.W. Wednesdays asks readers to answer three questions:
answers to 3 questions:

1. What are you currently reading?
   
2. What did you recently finish?
   
3. What do you think you’ll read next?

To play, visit Jenn every Wednesday.

Weekend Cooking - EVENT

Hosted by Beth at Beth Fish Reads

Beth at Beth Fish Reads is starting a new weekly event on weekends. Designed to appeal to those readers who are also "foodies," Weekend Cooking invites you to share your reviews of cookbooks, food writing, foodie novels, and movies that make you hungry. Beth writes:

Weekend Cooking is a chance to share the food love. On Saturday mornings, I'll publish my post -- perhaps a cookbook review or maybe just some favorite food-related quotes.

At anytime during the weekend, if you care to share a similar post, please come on back and hook up with Mr. Linky, so we can read what you have to say.

The first installation is October 31st - see you there!

Persephone Secret Santa - EVENT

Hosted by Book Psmith

November 11 - December 15, 2009

It's that time of year again! Book Psmith is hosting a fun Secret Santa event to exchange Persephone books with other readers. She writes:

• Email me at slaven614@gmail.com on or before November 10th with your name, address (all personal information will be destroyed after completion of gift exchange), a list of Persephone titles you have read and/or own and specify whether or not you are willing to ship your gift internationally.
• On November 11, names will be randomly drawn and participants will be notified as to who they are playing Santa to.
• Using the list of Persephone titles provided by your recipient, go back through your assigned blogger's posts looking for favored authors or subject matter and choose a title you know the blogger will enjoy.
• At this point, it is up to you as Santa how creative you wish to be in the workshop. You can order the book, have it gift wrapped and sent straight on to the recipient...or you can have the book sent to you first and go a step further by including a small gift that is homemade, bookish in nature or related to how you celebrate Christmas, then wrap it all up and send it on its way. Either way make sure you include a card revealing your identity. (Please indicate in your email if you will be including an additional gift.)
• With the increase of packages being sent during the holidays, please aim to have your package delivered before or during the first week of December. Take into account the extra time needed if shipping internationally or if you are going on vacation.
• On December 15th, let's get together by posting who your Secret Santa is and sharing what he (or she) brought you.

Learn more by visiting the post about the event.

Astronomy Challenge 2009

January 1 - December 31, 2009

UPDATE: October 30, 2009: This challenge has moved to a new site. All links in this post have been changed to reflect this!

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Sylvia from Classical Bookworm is hosting the Astronomy 2009 Challenge. She writes:

Welcome to the International Year of Astronomy! This year is dedicated to celebrating the beauty and wonder of our universe and appreciating the benefits and knowledge that come from astronomy and space exploration. What better way for bibliophiles to participate than with a reading challenge?

Our species has always been fascinated by celestial bodies so there is no shortage of reading material for this challenge. To keep it simple I've divided astronomical literature into three categories—History & Astronomers, Cosmology & Astrophysics, and Sci-Fi—and your mission will be to read one book from each group.

Sylvia has a resource list for possible reads. The challenge is not just about reading, but includes some "field work" as well.

To read more and to sign up, visit the post about the challenge. Sylvia also has some cool badges for your blog...here is one:

Women Unbound Reading Challenge

November 1, 2009 - November 30, 2010

Eva at A Striped Armchair, Aarti from Booklust, and Care from Care's Online Book Club are hosting a challenge dedicated to women which has its own challenge site. Women Unbound Reading Challenge encourages participants to read nonfiction and fiction books related to the rather broad idea of ‘women’s studies.’ Eva gives a definition of this on the page about the challenge. You don’t have to have a blog (if you don’t have one, e-mail Eva your reviews and she'll post them on the challenge site) or choose which books you want to read ahead of time. There is a great reading list provided on the challenge blog to give you some ideas.

There are three levels you can choose as a reader:

• Philogynist: read at least two books, including at least one nonfiction one.
• Bluestocking: read at least five books, including at least two nonfiction ones.
• Suffragette: read at least eight books, including at least three nonfiction ones.

Learn more and sign up on the ABOUT page.

Awesome Author Challenge

January 1, 2010- December 31, 2010

Alyce of At Home With Books is hosting the Awesome Author Challenge.

Here's how she explains it:

The idea behind this challenge is to read works by authors who have been recommended to you time and again, yet somehow you haven't managed to read any books by those authors. These are the authors that everyone else tells you are awesome, thus the "Awesome Author Challenge" title.

The Levels:

Easy: Choose three authors and read at least one title from each author.

Moderate: Choose six authors and read at least one title from each author.

Challenging: Choose ten authors and read at least one title from each author.

Over-Achieving: Anything over ten authors.

To join, go to, Awesome Author Challenge .

Reading Western Europe Challenge

January 1, 2010- December 31, 2010

Samantha is hosting the Reading Western Europe Challenge

Here's what she says:

Most of you will be familiar with the Book Around the World challenge, which basically challenges you to read the best books from all around the world. Now is that a challenge that's hard for several reasons. For one, what is the best book? Sometimes, you're lucky to find a book that just fits that country, never mind it being a good book or not. Secondly, it's a big challenge, and can be very overwhelming. And last, but certainly not least for me, it's a perpetual challenge, so procrastination is so very easy! Therefore, I'm setting myself a challenge for 2010: read 1 book a month set in a country in Western Europe. Which means that at the end of 2010, I'll have read a book set in every country of Western Europe. Now that's what I call progres!
Want to join me? Here's how:

1. Sign up in the comments (on the post about the challenge)

2. Read 12 books in 2010, one book for each of the following countries:

1. Belgium
2. France
3. Ireland
4. Luxembourg
5. Monaco
6. The Netherlands
7. Switzerland
8. Northern Ireland (part of the UK, which I split up)
9. England (part of the UK, which I split up)
10. Wales (part of the UK, which I split up)
11. Scotland
12. Channel Islands

3. Post your review each month in the comments of the post I'll set up for that.

To join, go to the Reading Western Europe Challenge

Christmas Reading Challenge

November 26, 2009-December 31, 2009

Michelle of The True Book Addict is hosting the Christmas Reading Challenge.

Here is what she says:

In honor of the release of The Christmas List by Richard Paul Evans today, I am announcing my first reading challenge ever...and it's a Christmas Reading Challenge! I know it may seem early (for people who are not Christmas fanatics, like me), but I want people to have plenty of time to decide what they want to read.

• you can choose 1 - 3 books...I know it seems a small amount, but it's a busy time of year and the challenge is only a little over a month.

• These must be Christmas novels, books about Christmas lore or a book of Christmas short stories (sorry, no children's books, but YA novel is okay).

To find out more or to join, go to the Christmas Reading Challenge.

SHELF DISCOVERY CHALLENGE

November 1, 2009 - April 30, 2010

Julie of Booking Mama is hosting the Shelf Discovery Challenge.

Here is what Julie says:

I have been searching for the "perfect" challenge for months now, and I think I finally found it -- the Shelf Discovery Challenge! I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am to host my first challenge, and I think it's just a perfect fit for me and my blog.

SHELF DISCOVERY is a "reading memoir" which features over 70 MG and YA classics with Ms. Skurnick's unique impressions. There are also essays about these classics written by current women writers including Meg Cabot, Laura Lippman, Cecily von Ziegesar, and Jennifer Weiner.

As I read this book, I fondly remembered many of the books that I read years ago -- often times, over and over again. I also realized that there were a lot of books that I missed out on and would love to read now -- like a WRINKLE IN TIME. There are just so many wonderful classics for teens that are featured in the pages of this book -- I hardly know where to start!

By participating in this challenge, you can revisit some of your childhood favorites while also having the chance to read some of these classics for the very first time. And even if you've read some of these books over and over again as a young girl (like me), I think that by re-reading them now we will appreciate th

em for entirely different reasons.

To find out more or to join, go to the Shelf Discovery Challenge.

Winter Holiday Reading Challenge #2

November 1, 2009 to January 31, 2010

Diane from Book In Hand is hosting the Winter Holiday Reading Challenge again this year. She writes:

The theme for this challenge is Winter Holidays. The books that you choose to read must have a storyline that includes celebrating a winter holiday, such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Year's, etc. (However the holidays are not limited to just these examples.) You may choose the number of books you wish to read and a reading list is optional.

To learn more or to join, go to the Winter Holiday Reading Challenge.

Four Month Challenge, Part Two

November 1, 2009-February 28, 2010

Hosted again by Virginie Says...

Virginie Says…

I had so much fun doing my last challenge – the first one I ever did or hosted. November 1st will be the beginning of twenty all new challenges and I hope that everyone will join me again. I’m posting this now so everyone can start going through their libraries to find books for each cate

gory. Rules/guidelines will be posted November 1st when the challenge starts.

5 Point Challenges
Read a book with a proper name in the title
Read a book about a queen or king
Read a book by a Bronte
Read a book about Vampires
Read a book by V.C. Andrews

10 Point Challenges
Read a book by Canadian author
Read a book by Charles Dickens
Read a book set in France
Read a book by Georgette Heyer
Read an ‘art’ themed book.

15 Point Challenges
Read a book with a Civil War theme (any country)
Read a book with characters inspired by King Arthur or about King Arthur/Camelot
Read a biography/autobiography
Read a book related to or something by Shakespeare
Read a book by an author born in November, December, January or February

20 Point Challenges
Read a book with a wintery theme (Christmas, snow, ice, freezing etc.)
Read a book that was a winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
Read a book that begins with A and one that begins with Z
Read a book from The Modern Library Top 100
Read a book and then write a review

To find out more or to sign up, go to:Virginie Says...

Really Old Classics Challenge

November 1, 2009- February 28, 2010

Heather J. at Age 30+ A Lifetime of Books and Rebecca of Rebecca Reads are hosting this new challenge.

About the challenge:

The purpose is to celebrate really old works, particularly those written before 1600.

We love the really old classics we’ve read and we’d love to encourage others to read them too. We hope that your experience will be a good one, and that you’ll decide to give other really old classics a try. Maybe seeing what others read can help you decide which to read next!

What is a really old classic? We’re defining it as pre-1600 A.D. Obviously, most translations have been done after that date. Nevertheless, if the original work was written before 1600, it counts for this challenge.

Successfully finishing the challenge is really easy, since it requires you to read one work. There is extra credit, if you are feeling ambitious.

To find out more or to join click on, Really Old Classics Challenge

National Book Award Project - 2009

This perpetual challenge to read from the list of winners and finalist of the National Book Award is no longer being hosted by Sharon of Ex Libris.

Wendy of Caribousmom is now hosting the challenge and it has a new home.

Those readers wishing to join the challenge or learn more, should visit the challenge blog for more information.

CLOSED Challenges

This is a notification that:

• The Modern Library's 100 Best Novels perpetual challenge has closed.
• The Political History Challenge has ended early (was scheduled to close December 31, 2009).

If you were involved in either of these challenges, the blog hosting them no longer exists.

Dewey's 24 Hour Read-A-Thon - October 2009

October 24 - 25, 2009

Just a reminder re: this event - sign ups have begun!

To sign up to host a mini-challenge - visit THIS post.
To sign up to be either a reader OR cheerleader - vis9t THIS post.

For more information visit the official blog.

Hope to see you there!!!

November Novella Challenge

October 11 - November 30, 2009

J.T. of Bibliofreak is hosting her first challenge. J.T. writes:

The novella is, I feel, a marginalized type of fiction. Longer than a short story, shorter than a novel, sometimes called a novelette, it’s tough to define. In general, I consider it to be somewhere between 70 and 120 pages. Perhaps it’s better to say what it is not? It is not a play. It is not epic poetry. It is not a slim book of short stories. It is not any sort of tract or treatise or manifesto or other such nonfiction. But it IS perfect for a few things: curling up in front of a fire on a windy night, you can finish it off in one sitting.

There are four levels of participation to choose from for the challenge:

• Level I: Read one (just one!) novella by November 30, 2009
• Level II: Read four novellas (one each week, mayhaps?) by November 30, 2009
• Level III: Read eight novellas (two a week?) by November 30, 2009
• Level IV: AKA, the As Many As You Freakin’ Can level: Read as many novellas as you freakin’ can by November 30, 2009

Guidelines:

• Cross-overs with other challenges are fine
• Audiobooks are fine
• Reading (and reviewing) before November starts (especially if you’re taking part in the 24 hour read-a-thon on October 24th!) is totally cool.
• J.T. asks that you make a list in advance, but swapping out books on your list as you go is no problem.
• If you don’t have a blog, that’s O.K.! You can still participate by writing a short review in the comments section of the review page. (When signing up, just leave the URL in the Mr. Linky blank.)

To get more information (including links to resources to find novellas) and to sign up, visit the post about the challenge.

Surfing Saturdays

UPDATE: October 11, 2009: This event is now CLOSED.

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Meg of Literary Menagerie has come up with this new event Surfing Saturdays.

Each Saturday morning, I'll list any links of interest I came across during the past week of surfing and give an update on my reading progress. Play along with me!

To read more and to sign up, visit the post about this event.

The Re-Read Challenge

September 1, 2009 - November 30, 2009

UPDATE October 10, 2009: Challenge suspended. Kristen writes:

Folks, I hate to do this but I am going to suspend the Re-Read Challenge. There just isn't enough participation right now and we're already half-way through the time frame. I am going to re-run it in the spring or summer next year. I will give credit to those who have already signed up and re-read a book so your time wasn't wasted! Please comment here if you did a re-read in the past 6 weeks.

I really want this to be an annual challenge but I think that the end of the year is the wrong time to run it. Thanks for your understanding!

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Kristen at We Be Reading is hosting The Re-Read Challenge which encourages readers to:

Read at least one book from your shelves (or the library if you don't keep books) that you have read at least once before. For each book that you re-read and write about, you will get one entry into the prize drawing. All books are acceptable for this challenge except picture books. Collections of short stories or poetry will count as one book and must be read in their entirety to count.

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

Books to Read Before I Die Challenge

January 1 - December 31, 2010

Diane at Bibliophile By the Sea is hosting the Books to Read Before I Die Challenge. She writes:

In 2010, I've decided I'm only going to read the books that I've really wanted to read for a quite a while. I no longer will not feel guilty, or pressured to read any book that I really have no interest in. I know this topic has surfaced before, but I thought what better way to start off 2010, than with a Challenge that encourages us to "Read the Best Books First".

Here are the guidelines for the challenge:

1. Between now and December 31, 2009, make a list of between 10 and 20 Books to Read Before You Die. (depending on interest, this may be an annual event challenge).
2. The books on your list can come from your stacks or the library, and be in print or audio format.
   
3. Once you've created your post with tentative titles, THEN sign up using Mr. Linky (on the post about the challenge), by pasting the link to your post, along with your name/blog name. This is how you will be registered. Finalize your list by 12/31/09 (no changes to the list after 12/31/09).
4. NOTE: If you don't have a blog, you can still sign up and join in the fun.
5. All bloggers who complete the challenge will be entered in giveaway to win an Amazon Gift Card.

To learn more and for sign ups, visit the post about the challenge.

Confessions of a Reader - EVENT

Hosted by Ti at Book Chatter and Other Stuff

Ti at Book Chatter and Other Stuff is hosting a weekly event on Saturdays. Confessions of a Reader encourages readers to post about things you might normally keep to yourself. Ti writes:

An example might be a rant about a book that I am reading or I may decide to share a deep, dark secret regarding my reading habits, etc. Anything related to book or blog reading.

Ti is providing a Mr. Linky for your links every week...so stop by her blog on Saturdays to play along and learn the secrets of other book bloggers!

Saturday Shout-Out - EVENT

Hosted by Kristen at BookNAround

Kristen at BookNAround hosts a weekly event on Saturdays called Saturday Shout-Out. Kristen writes:

On my travels through the blogging world, I find many books that pique my interest. I always add them to my wish list immediately but I tend to forget who deserves the blame credit for inspiring me to add them to my list (and to whom my husband would like to send the bill when I get around to actually buying them). So each Saturday I'm going to try and keep better track, link to my fellow book ferreter-outers (I know, not a word but useful nonetheless), and hopefully add to some of your wish lists too.

To participate in this event, simply create YOUR shout-out post and then link back to Kristen. Make sure you visit Kristen every Saturday to add your link in her comments!

Wise Up Mini Challenge

October 1 - November 21, 2009

Becky at Operation Actually Read Bible is hosting a mini challenge in October/November. The Wise Up Mini Challenge encourages participants to read at least one of the wisdom books from the Bible.

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

Maud Hart Lovelace Challenge

October 1 -31, 2009

A Library is a Hospital for the Mind is hosting the Maud Hart Lovelace Reading Challenge for the month of October.

[...]I am a long time fan of Mrs. Lovelace's writing, particularly the Betsy-Tacy series. I was introduced to the Betsy Ray by my mother, who, had herself, read the books as a teenager. I immediately fell in love with the stories and over the years have reread them several times, but I've never had the chance to share how great these books are to more than a few readers and only then by word of mouth. Until now!

Thanks to Harper CollinsPublishers, who have chosen to republish the last six novels in the Betsy-Tacy series, readers everywhere can now have easy and affordable access to some of Mrs. Lovelace's best stories. And so I ask you, what better time is there to launch a reading challenge then the week the books are released after being out of print for the last decade?

There is no set number of books to read. But if you want to join, you have to hurry. Sign ups are just through Saturday! Visit the post about the challenge to learn more and sign up!

DystopYA Reading Challenge

October 5 - December 31, 2009

Books on the Nightstand is hosting the DystopYA Reading Challenge which encourages participants to read Dystopic Young Adult fiction. The goal is to read 3 works of dystopic fiction that were written or published primarily for young adults.

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

**PLEASE NOTE: There is a similar challenge to read Dystopic YA fiction. The YA Dystopian Reading Challenge is hosted by Bart's Bookshelf and begins October 15th.

Dracula Read-A-Long - EVENT

October 1 -31, 2009

I'm a little late posting on this one...but I just discovered it today! Jill at Fizzy Thoughts and Heather at Age 30+...A Lifetime of Books are hosting a Dracula Read-a-Long. Jill writes:

If you’ve ever thought about reading either (or both) books, now’s the time. Reading about monsters is always safer when you’re amongst friends. And rumor has it they’re spooktacular, oops, I mean spectacular, reads. Please join us…it’ll be fun!

Here's the schedule for the event:

• 10/1 – we begin with a list of questions to consider as you read – I’ll post mine here later today
• 10/15 – we’ll do an update post to see how everyone is coming along
• 10/31 – we’ll post a recap of the read-a-long with links to each participants review

It's not too late to join the fun...check out the post about the event to learn more.

The Classics Circuit

A Blog Tour Site to celebrate Classic Authors

I don't normally post specific blogs to A Novel Challenge..but this one caught my eye and I wanted to share it with my readers. This from the About page:

The purpose of The Classics Circuit is to encourage the reading of classic works by celebrating them through book blogs. We’re currently focusing on the older classics written by authors who are now deceased. This site is a gathering place for links to reviews of classics on blogs throughout the blogosphere. Reviews will not appear on this site, but rather on the sites of participant bloggers.

Their current tour is of Wilkie Collins books...but you have to hurry if you want to join that one. Sign ups close on Saturday.

Interested in being involved in this fun concept? Check out The Classics Circuit blog.

Revist Your Childhood Favorites Challenge 2009/10

October 2, 2009 - June 30, 2010

Debbie at Debbie's World of Books is hosting a challenge all about nostalgia. The Revisit Your Childhood Favorites Challenge encourages participants to read 5 books that were favorites while growing up.

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

31 Shots of Shock Challenge

October 1 -31, 2009

Rob from Rob Around Books is hosting a short story challenge. 31 Shots of Shock encourages readers to read a horror related short story every day throughout the month of October. If you've missed the first few days, I don't think it would be considered cheating if you read MORE than one short story a day to catch up!

Rob hasn't really officially made this a public challenge...but he is open to the idea.

Interested? Drop by the first post about the challenge and let Rob know!

Kristin Lavransdatter Read-Along - EVENT

Hosted by Emily at Evening All Afternoon and Richard at Caravana de Recuerdos

October 1 - December 31, 2009

Emily and Richard are hosting a read along of Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset. They write:

Starting in October and continuing through December, we'll be tackling the three volumes of Sigrid Undset's classic Kristin Lavransdatter trilogy, one volume per month.

AND:

We'll be reading the Tina Nunnally translation, which won the PEN/Book-of-the-Month-Club Translation Prize in 2001 and apparently restored a number of the more experimental passages, which had been excised from the original English translation. It's available from Penguin in both omnibus and three individual editions.

Here is the schedule:

• October: The Wreath (pages 1-291)


• November: The Wife (pages 295-697)


• December: The Cross (pages 703-1124)

To learn more or join in visit either Emily or Richard's blog and leave a comment.

The Alphabet in Crime Fiction - EVENT

Hosted by Kerrie at Mysteries in Paradise

Kerrie at Mysteries in Paradise is hosting a weekly event on Mondays called The Alphabet in Crime Fiction. Kerrie writes:

Each week you have to write a blog post about crime fiction related to the letter of the week.
Your post MUST be related to either the first letter of a book's title, the first letter of an author's first name, or the first letter of the author's surname.

So you see you have lots of choice. You could write a review, or a bio of an author, so long as it fits the rules somehow.

To play, visit Kerrie's blog each Monday.

101 Fantasy Reading Challenge

October 10, 2009 - October 10, 2010

Aimee at My Fluttering Heart is hosting the 101 Fantasy Reading Challenge to read from the list of the top 101 Fantasy books. Here are the guidelines:

1. Pick the number of books you want to read. It can be a mixture of the top 101, and/or the whole list. For example, you might want to aim to read 5 from the top 101 and 5 from the rest of the list.

2. Create a list of the books you want to tackle. You can create a list now, or add them as you go. Completely up to you.

The list to choose from can be found HERE.

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

Hidden In Plain View - EVENT

Hosted by Tina at Tutu's Two Cents

Tina at Tutu's Two Cents is hosting a new Thursday event called Hidden in Plain View. She writes:

This is a chance to dig a little deeper into our personal libraries to find books that may be languishing on the shelves and bring them out for a better look. I plan to do this weekly onThursdays. To join in:

1. Pick a random book from your library (I used random.org to pick mine from my LT catalog).
2. Tell us

• title, author, #of pages, edition, (tags, and collections if LT)
• why that book is in your library
• whether you've read it or not
• if so did you like it and why;
• if not, do you plan to read it?
• how and when you acquired the book

To play visit Tina each Thursday.

Words Behind the Pictures Challenge

September 1, 2009 - August 31, 2010

Michael at A Few Minutes With Michael is hosting Words Behind The Pictures Challenge. He writes:

The first Saturday of every month, from September, 2009, through to August, 2010, an electronic copy of one screenplay will be made available through this blog.

The goal is to read the screenplay and then watch the movie before the end of that month and comment on what you’ve experienced.

The more screenplays you get through, the stronger you are as a reading challenger, but you only need to do one month to consider yourself to have completed this challenge.

Of course, the more months you complete, the more chances you’ll have for winning a collection of screenplays I’ll be awarding to one random participant in August, 2010.

To get links to the screenplays and sign up for the challenge through Mr. Linky, visit the post about the challenge.

Hello Japan - EVENT

A monthly Event hosted by Tanabata at In The Spring It Is The Dawn

Tanabata is hosting a monthly event called Hello Japan - a mini challenge of sorts for all things Japanese. Tanabata writes:

Each month there will be a topic and/or activity relating to some aspect of Japanese literature or culture. Each task shouldn't take more than a couple of hours, unless you opt to do more, and is meant to be a fun way to let you experience a little taste of Japan no matter where you live. A new topic will be posted at the beginning of each month and you'll have the full month to complete it and post about it on your blog. Once you've done so be sure to come back and submit your link into the Mr. Linky for the appropriate month. At the end of the month I'll compile a post to highlight some of the contributions from participants that month.

Tanabata also plans on giving monthly small prizes.

Visit THIS POST to see the topic and task for October.

For future months, visit Tanabata's blog on the first of each month, or click on the tab link at the top of her blog under Hello Japan.

Japanese Literature Book Group and Read-Along - EVENT

Hosted by Tanabata at In Spring It Is The Dawn

Tanabata at In Spring It Is The Dawn has started a new Book Group which is a bi-monthly event. Participants will discuss the current selection every two months (January, March, May, July, September, and November) on the last Monday of the month.

The first book for the book group is The Old Capital by Yasunari Kawabata.
The second book for the reading group will be The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa.

The discussion for The Old Capital will begin on Monday, November 30th, 2009.
The discussion for The Housekeeper and the Professor will begin on Monday, January 25th, 2010.

Future reads will be decided through a nomination process.

Tanabata writes:

Of course you're welcome to post your reviews and/or thoughts on your own blog any time. You can also join in the discussion any time after it has been posted. The comments will remain open and even if you couldn't read the book in the allotted time, we'd still love to hear your thoughts. I will try to post some questions or information about the book to kick start the conversation, but please feel free to discuss any aspect of the book you'd like, or to ask any questions you may have. Also, if you have any questions while you are reading, feel free to email me so I can bring them up in the discussion post.

Hosted by Tanabata at In Spring It Is The Dawn

Tanabata is also hosting a Read-Along group. She writes:

The Read-along is for those selected titles that are perhaps longer, for which we could all use some mutual cheer-leading, or that would benefit from a closer reading. The schedule will vary depending on the length of the books. The updates will typically be posted here on the 15th (and sometimes the 30th) of the months in which a read-along is scheduled, and will run concurrently with the book group. You can post about each section on your own blog according to the schedule or any time that is convenient. I'll include any links on the updates so we can compare thoughts.

The first read-along is I Am a Cat by Natsume Soseki and will run from November to January.
The second read-along book is tentatively set as The Wind-up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami.

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FOR BOTH the Book Group and Read Along, you can easily find the information about current (and past reads) fby clicking on the "Book Group" or "Read-along" tabs in Tanabata's linkbar on her blog. Please go there for any questions and to join in!

Centuries Reading Challenge 2010

January 1 - December 31, 2010

Becky at Becky's Book Reviews is hosting the 2010 Centuries Reading Challenge. She writes:

Your challenge is to read three (to six) books from at least three different centuries. The challenge is to read books written in different centuries, not just to read books set during different centuries. (If you choose to read more than three books, then you can double up on centuries. You can read as many as you like.) The centuries do not need to be consecutive like the decades challenge.

Other guidelines:

• Books can be fiction, nonfiction, poetry, short stories, essays, plays, etc.
• Books do not have to be a required length. (Though poetry and short stories should be within a larger collection. For example, a book of short stories as opposed to one solitary short story.)
• Overlaps with other challenges are fine. In fact they're encouraged!!!
• Audio books are welcome.
• E-books are welcome.
• What about adaptations and abridged novels? At least one counts towards the challenge.

Becky gives links to some reading suggestions on the post about the challenge.

To learn more and to sign up, visit that same post.

YA Dystopian Challenge

October 15 - December 31, 2009

Bart's Bookshelf is hosting the YA Dystopian Challenge which encourages readers to read 1 to 4 books in this genre.

There’s no need to list your selected books upfront and there are plenty of ideas linked from the post about the challenge.

Sound like fun? To learn more and to sign up, visit the post about the challenge.

**PLEASE NOTE: There is a similar challenge being hosted at Books on the Nightstand. The DystopYA Challenge began October 5th.

New Zealand Mini Challenge

October 1 - 31, 2009

Maree at Just Add Books is hosting the New Zealand Mini Challenge. October 1st marks the start of NZ Book month so Maree thought this would be a fun challenge.

During October choose one, two, or all of the options listed below:

• Read one (1) book by a Kiwi author.
• Watch a Kiwi film, or a film by a Kiwi writer/director.
• Listen to some Kiwi music.

And there is a giveaway too!

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

Unlock Worlds Banned Books Challenge

September 27, 2009 - September 30, 2010

Trisha is hosting a year long banned books challenge. The Unlock Worlds Banned Books Challenge encourages readers to read and review books from the top 100 challenged books list from the '90s. Trisha writes:

I thought it would be fun if we could compile reviews for these books. So if you've reviewed one of the books from the list, leave your link in the comments section of the post that includes the book you reviewed. If you haven't, go out, read a book, review it, and come back.

AND:

If you want to read a challenged or banned book that isn't on the list, feel free.

AND:

For every review you submit, your name will be entered into a drawing to receive one book of your choice from my BookMooch list or some other super-cool-fun-awesome-book-related prize. I will have giveaways periodically during the challenge which will run through September 2010.

To learn more and to sign up, visit the dedicated blog for this challenge.

Garth Nix Mini Challenge

September 28, 2009 - April 30, 2010

Andrea at The Little Bookworm is hosting the Garth Nix Mini-Challenge. She writes:

One of my favorite series of all time is the Keys to the Kingdom series. The last book, Lord Sunday, is out in March so I thought now is a good time to do a Garth Nix mini-challenge. The challenge is to read any 3 Garth Nix books by April 30, 2010. Easy, right?

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

Fall-Winter Mystery Reading Challenge 2009/2010

October 1, 2009 - February 28, 2010

Ariel from Mysteries and My Musings is hosting her first reading challenge. The Fall-Winter Mystery Reading Challenge requires readers to read 7 books within the 5 month challenge period. Ariel writes:

Suspense or police procedures and the entire menagerie under the mystery genre are all available for the challenge.

The 7 books should be split up as follows:

(1) Paranormal or gothic mystery for Halloween (level of spookiness up to you)
(2) Autumn/harvest/Thanksgiving related mystery
(2) Winter/snow/Xmas//Hanukah etc related mystery
(1) resolutions/new begininngs related mystery
(1) Romantic mystery/Valentine's related (chocolate, February...) (level of romantic up to you)

Guidelines as follows:

• Crossovers with other challenges allowed
• You do not have to have a blog to participate
• If you have given the book you chose a good chance and you just can't finish it, feel free to pick a new one.
• Those who complete the challenge get a Badge of Completion that can be posted on their blog or website and entered for a random drawing for one of ten Challenge winners bookmarks to be given away!! (Prize restrictions - bookmarks will only mailed within the U.S).

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

My Apologies...

I have been sick as a dog since Tuesday night, so there are several new challenges I have not yet posted to this blog. My apologies to those people who have given me links to their challenges and not yet had them posted. I'm feeling a wee bit better today, and I hope to get everything up on the blog by the end of the weekend. Thanks for your patience!! Flu season is a bummer.