Autism Awareness Challenge

April 1 - April 30, 2010

Tokemise of By Hook or by Book is hosting the Autism Awareness Challenge.  Here's what she said:

My four (almost five) year old daughter has Autism. I've read almost every non-fiction book out there by now. I started thinking about the goal of Autism "awareness" and realized something. There are alot of fiction books out there now which feature characters with Autism, as well as several written by people with ASD. Alot of these books are what would be called "young adult" books and that I think is wonderful. In order to bring about a large scale change of any lasting sort one needs to involve and teach the young people so as they grow up it is all second nature to them. So it can be with Autism awareness. If today's young people grow up accepting and understanding Autism then we will have come a long way.

With all that in mind I am hosting the Autism Awareness Reading Challenge.

I'll need to keep it simple for me and you so...

Read at least one book fiction or non-fiction with Autism as the subject or with a character who has it or a book written by someone with ASD.

 

Thanks for caring and wanting to learn more about Autism. Here is a list of Fiction books that you could read. I haven't read any of these so I can't vouch for how good or accurate they are. There are many non-fiction books written by parents, family members and people with autism. Temple Grandin being the most famous. Just do a google or library catalog search to find some. Share these with you're children and help build awareness.

 

To join, go to Autism Awareness Challenge.

Once Upon a Time IV

March 20- June 20, 2010

Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings is again hosting the Once Upon a Time IV Challenge.

For the past four years I have hosted the Once Upon a Time Challenge, an opportunity to band together as a community to celebrate story, in this case the kind that fits roughly under one’s own personal definition of four categories: fantasy, folklore, fairy tale and mythology. As spring rapidly approaches in the Northern Hemisphere, the desire for these stories threatens to overwhelm, and with that, it is time to make the fourth annual Once Upon a Time Challenge official.

But first, please follow the jump and allow me to tell you about a wonderful sponsor for this year’s challenge:

Melissa Nucera is an artist whose Etsy Site has long been among my favorites. As I contemplated banner images for this year’s challenge I remembered how much I enjoyed having an artist sponsor for last year’s R.I.P. IV Challenge (Thank you Jennifer Gordon!). Jennifer and I are already scheming for this year’s R.I.P. V Challenge and as I poured over my Etsy favorites list Melissa’s art leaped out at me. She graciously accepted my invitation to sponsor and allowed me to slightly mar her beautiful art by placing a Once Upon a Time logo over it as the banner for this year’s challenge. Over the course of the next 3 months there will be some giveaways of Melissa’s work and she has agreed to sit under the interview spotlight as well. Thank you so very much for being a part of the challenge this year, Melissa!!!

The fourth annual Once Upon a Time Challenge officially begins on Sunday, March 21st and ends June 20th. In addition to the usual goings on over here at Stainless Steel Droppings, the next three months will see features on art, music, film and of course literature of a fantastical, mythical nature. The purpose of the challenges that I host is always to first and foremost have fun and secondly to promote a sense of community across the blogosphere, so I encourage you to become involved in any way that feels comfortable for you. To give the challenge some structure, I offer several options. You may choose one or more of the following:

This year there are several levels of particpation.  To find out more and to join, go to Once Upon a Time IV Challenge.

Blogmania

April 30, 2010

Lynda is hosting this one day event called Blogmania.  It doesn't appear that she is hosting this on a blog, but here is how it will work:

BLOGMANIA is a one day event on April 30. The idea is to promote your blog and in the process find some new to you blogs and maybe get a few more followers.

Free to join in and make this event even bigger!

Want to know how to join BLOGMANIA? Sure you do!!!

1. Register to participate in the BLOGMANIA by sending an email to btlblog@lyndacoker.com
(Give the name of your blog, its URL address, your full name, and email address.)

2. Post the BLOGMANIA post on April 30th. (You may use the one provided or design one of your own. )

Include the blog links that will be provided to you. (These will be links to blogs that have registered to take part in this blog extravaganza. The number of links to be posted will depend on the number of registered blogs we have. ) You will be sent the blog links to be included in your post at least 3-7 days in advance.

3. Prepare a really special BLOGMANIA Giveaway that will be valid for one day only, April 30th, and be sure to post it early on that day for best results. State your giveaway requirements clearly and BE SURE TO FOLLOW THROUGH). Of course, in addition to the special giveaway, you will probably receive many more entries in your existing giveaways, so be sure they are clearly positioned for easy access.

4. Promote the event on your blog, social sites, groups, etc. The more we get the word out, the more drive-bys will have. Be sure to make it clear that they must visit on April 30th to qualify for the BLOGMANIA Giveaway.

5. Try to make the qualifications for your BLOGMANIA GIVEAWAY as simple as possible. If visitors don’t have to do a zillion things to qualify, this will encourage them to keep progressing through to other blogs. Perhaps becoming a blog follower and leaving a comment is sufficient. You decide, but please keep it simple.

Lynda has opened a BLOGMANIA group at Ning's Book Blogsso that it will be easy for participating bloggers to communicate with each other and answer questions, etc. She will be posting a jpg file and html code for the BLOGMANIA BADGE for anyone who wishes to use it.

The next scheduled BLOGMANIA will be September 15, 2010. It’s not too early to register or to start thinking about your special giveaway for that event. Be sure to register by emailing Lynda Coker

It's The End of the World III

March 17, 2010 - October 31, 2010

Becky from Becky's Book Reviews is hosting Part III of The End of the World Challenge.  Here's what she says:

Name: It's The End of the World III
Host: Becky of Becky's Book Reviews
Dates: March 17, 2010 - October 31, 2010
Books Required: Four

Read at least four books about "the end of the world." This includes both apocalyptic fiction and post-apocalyptic fiction. There is quite a bit of overlap with dystopic fiction as well. The point being something--be it coming from within or without, natural or unnatural--has changed civilization, society, humanity to such a degree that it radically differs from "life as we now know it." (Aliens, evil governments, war, plague, natural disasters like earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, hurricanes, depletion of resources, genetic manipulation, etc.) Here is a wikipedia article on the subject. Also see here. These changes can be small-but-still-significant or huge-and-life-threatening.

Books can be classified as children's, young adult, and adult. (Not many children's books go there. But many teen books do. And they're great.)

Graphic novels can count for this challenge.

Audio books allowed.

Crossovers with other challenges are allowed.

To join, go to  Part III of The End of the World Challenge.

Free Verse Novel Challenge

April 1 - December 1, 2010

Wanda of A Season to Read is hosting the Free Verse Novel Challenge.  Here's what she said:

Hello, welcome to the Free Verse Novel Challenge! Being fond of this narrative form, I thought, what better way to share my enthusiasm for free verse novels than with a reading challenge! With their increasing popularity, chances are most book lovers are already familiar with these fast paced reads. However, if you have no kids in the house or you're not a big fan of poetry, you just may have missed them. A verse novel is simply one which uses poetry rather than prose to relate the story. Whether you already know and love them or just want to give them a try, I'm hoping we can discover some new titles and great reads together!

Ready to sign up? Here are the details:

• No blog? No worries! You can post your reviews on Chapters, Amazon, BookCrossing etc. Don't forget to tell your friends though ... ;) !
• 5 is the magic number needed to complete this challenge A list of books isn't necessary. Crossovers with other challenges are fine (and fun). Each book you complete and review over and above 5 will count as an extra entry.
• Yes, there will be a prize! On or shortly after December 1st 2010, a draw will be held for a brand new copy of one of my favorite free verse novels, The Crazy Man.

* Entering the term Free Verse Novels into a web or image search should get you started on possible titles. I'm sure most teachers and librarians would be only too happy to provide you with suggestions.*

From ages 9 to 99, there are free verse novels out there for everyone. Let's get out and read them then share our findings together!

To join, go to Free Verse Novel Challenge.

Scandinavian Reading Challenge

Now- December 31, 2010

Amy of The Black Sheep Dances is hosting the Scandinavian Reading Challenge.  Here's what she says:

Don't know where to start?  Scandinavian authors are hot right now (even if the temperatures might be chilly).  Stieg Larsson, Per Petterson, Dag Solstad, Hakan Nasser, Henning Mankell, Linda Olsson, Arnaldur Indridason and Knut Hamsun all have great books to get you started.   Email me for titles if you get stumped.  Once a month I'll throw out some titles and some interesting trivia.

Reading goal: 

"Skal"  6 books before year end

 

There will be prizes to all who complete the 6 book challenge.  Prizes not selected yet, but most likely a new book by a Scandinavian author.  Maybe a jar of herring.  Suggestions accepted!

To Join, go to Scandinavian Reading Challenge.

Spring into Short Stories Challenge

March 20 - June 20, 2010

LuAnn is hosting the Spring into Short Stories Challenge.  Here's what she says:

This is the “Spring into Short Stories” challenge. The goal is to read some of those short stories many of us have gathering wool on our shelves or downloaded on our computers, such as the many I personally have saved.

The stories can be included within an anthology or stand alone.

Here are the rules:

1. The story must be less than 50 pages.

2. The story can be any genre.

That’s pretty simple, isn’t it? So, as you can see, there isn’t a lot of work to this challenge.

 To sign up, go to Spring into Short Stories Challenge.

Year of the Historical Challenge: NEW SITE

Please be advised ... this challenge has moved to a new site.

Year of the Historical: A 2010 Reading Challenge

January 1, 2010-December 31, 2010

UPDATE: THIS CHALLENGE HAS MOVED TO A NEW SITE.

Lurv a la Mode is hosting Year of the Historical: A 2010 Reading Challenge.

Here's what she says:

This will encompass both straight historical fiction and historical romance. I’m hoping this challenge will allow some of us to get back into reading historicals, like me, as well as help us get into some of those books in our TBR piles or maybe to just discover something new. I’ve personally always had a love of history, but I realized that I was drifting away from historical romance too much these last couple of years – and I’ve never read a straight historical! Time to correct that. If you feel the same about your reading trends, follow along. If you already read enough historicals to populate this challenge on your blog, follow along. If you’ve never read historicals, follow along. After all, it’s a challenge.

To find out more or to sign up, go to Year of the Historical: A 2010 Reading Challenge.

Historical Mysteries Challenge

March-June 30, 2010

Mysteries and My Musings is hosting the Historical Mysteries Challenge.  Here's what she says:

I have recently gotten into historical mysteries and thought I would share the fun in a reading challenge.  So signup with me for the next few months.

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

*  In three (3) months read five (5) historical mysteries.

* Cross overs / overlaps to other challenges are okay and the more you can utulize your TBR stack the better.

* 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 five Challenge winners bookmarks to be given away.  I scrapbook and stamp so they are handmade.

* Prize restrictions - bookmarks will only mailed within the U.S and Canada.  

To sign up, go to Historical Mysteries Challenge.

Book Blogger Hop

Jennifer of Crazy-for-Books is hosting a weekly event on Fridays called the Book Blogger Hop.  Here's what she says:

Hey book bloggers!  Every day I seem to find another book blog that I start following.  In the spirit of the Friday Follow, I thought it would be cool to do a Book Blog Hop to give us all bookies a chance to connect and find new blogs that we may be missing out on!

To join in the fun go to Crazy-for-Books on Fridays.

Clear Away The Clutter Read-A-Thon

April 5 - April 11, 2010

The Neverending Shelf is hosting the Clear Away the Clutter Read-A-Thon.

The purpose of the read-a-thon is to help challenge participants hit that book clutter hard.

Who can participate
Anyone. You do not have to be a participant of the Clear Away the Clutter challenge to join in the read-a-thon. Or even have a blog.

When
Begins: 7am, Monday, April 5th
Ends: 11pm, Sunday, April 11th

Prizes:
As part of the event, there will be several prizes given out.

Other information:

• For this read-a-thon, you can read as little or as much as you want!
• If you plan to participate, you can post your list at anytime.
• Read when it is convenient for you. You do not have to read for a crazy amount of hours... just do what works for you.

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

Dewey's 24 Hour Read-A-Thon: Spring

April 10-11, 2010

It's that time of year again - the 24 Hour Read-A-Thon has been scheduled for April 10th - and the dedicated crew over there are looking for a few good volunteers.

FAQs here.

Make sure you subscribe to the blog feed so you don't miss sign ups - coming soon!!!

2010 Spring Reading Thing

March 20 - June 20, 2010

Katrina at Callapidder Days is hosting the 2010 Spring Reading Thing. She writes:

If you happened to glance at the calendar today, you may have realized that the first two months of 2010 are already gone! Which means that we are now in March.

Which means that spring will be here in about three weeks. I cannot tell you how ready I am for spring. I’m ready for sunshine, and warmth, and green grass, and no snow. And I’m also ready to incorporate a little structure in my reading. So I’m happy to announce that along with getting ready for the season of spring, it’s also time to get ready for the Spring Reading Thing 2010, here at Callapidder Days! Hooray!

This is a fun, low-pressure reading challenge open to anyone and everyone.

To participate, here’s what you need to do:

• Create a list of some books you’d like to read or finish this spring.

• Feel free to set some additional reading goals (such as reading to your kids two hours per week, getting through your pile of magazines, etc.). This is completely optional.

• Write a blog post including the list of books you want to read and any additional goals you’ve set, and get ready to post it on your blog on March 20th.

• Visit Katrina on March 20th to sign up. She'll have a Mr. Linky set up that morning, so you can submit a link to your personal Spring Reading Thing post, and it will be added to the master list.

• Read! Work on your goals throughout Spring 2010.

• Report your results. Write another blog post in June to let everyone know how you did.

• Have fun! Visit other participants to see what they’re reading. Write reviews if you’re so inclined. But most of all, enjoy your spring reading.

Learn more (including an FAQ post), by visiting the post about the challenge.

Hogwart's Reading Challenge

March 8 - December 13, 2010

Worth Reading it is hosting the Hogwart's Reading Challenge:

In the Hogwarts Reading Challenge you are a student of the school. You will be sorted into houses. Each book you read must fit in to the subject of one the classes. You do not have to read books that fit all the subjects. Each book equals one point (toward the house cup).
rawing. At the end of the Challenge one person will win a $25 Amazon Gift Card and one house will win the House Cup (purely a pride thing).

Other things you might want to know:

There will be Mini Challenges. The first Mini Challenge will start on April 2nd. Go to Worth Reading It to see what the challenge will be and it's incentive. PLEASE read the eligibility requirements on the post about the challenge.

Click here to go to the Sorting Hat. Please be honest. If there are too many in one particular house you may be place into another. So if the Sorting Hat places you in Sytherin you are Sytherin for duration of this challenge.

Click here to check your individual points and your house points.
(Reading a Harry Potter book earns you 25 house points.)

****you can also find this challenge the group I Love Reading Challenge on Shelfari

There are A LOT of details for this challenge - to learn everything and to sign up, PLEASE VISIT the post about the challenge.

World Party Reading Challenge

April 1, 2010 - March 31, 2011

Jill at Fizzy Thoughts is hosting the World Party Reading Challenge. She writes:

Welcome to the World Party Reading Challenge, where each month we will celebrate both a US holiday/observance AND a different country. Because what better way to party than with a book. The idea is to read more international literature, but I used US holidays and observances as the inspiration. Some connections might be obvious, others less so. I promise I’ll divulge the secret workings of my brain, but not until the beginning of each month (actually, it will most likely be the week before, and I’ll try to include some reading suggestions with each post), when I’ll post a little bit about my choice for the month. Don’t worry, I will give you the complete list ahead of time, it’s just that, for now, you might be left wondering why we’re reading about England in honor of Valentine’s Day.

Details:

1. 12 months, 12 countries, 12 books.
2. Each month read one (or more, if you’d like) book either set in, or written by an author from, the featured country (in a few cases Jill has been vague and you just have to stick to the criteria).
3. If you’d like to read a non-fiction book about the country, that works, too. However, Jill asks that you avoid books like Eat, Pray, Love and You Shall Know Our Velocity!, which feature multiple countries. The intent is to try to get a sense of place from your book or author.
4. Audio books are allowed.
5. Do you have to participate all 12 months? That would be swell, and if you want to consider the challenge completed, then yes, all 12 months are required. However, if you have a burning desire to read a book about Rwanda and only want to participate for that month, You won't be turned away. Party crashers are always welcome.
6. A Mr Linky will be posted each month for the reviews about the featured country. Feel free to go back and enter reviews as the year goes on.

Here is the list of US holidays and observances that we will be celebrating with a book from another country:

• April – April Fool’s Day – France
• May – May Day – a communist country of your choice, past or present
• June – Juneteenth – Liberia
• July – July 4th – Rwanda
• August – Women’s Equality Day – New Zealand
• September – Native American Day – any sovereign Native American tribe
• October – Columbus Day – India
• November – Thanksgiving – Turkey
• December – Happy Holidays – choose your own country. It’s my little gift to you.
• January – Martin Luther King, Jr Day – Cambodia
• February – Valentine’s Day – England
• March – Saint Patrick’s Day – Ireland

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

2010 Orbis Terrarum Reading Challenge

April 1 - November 30, 2010

Bethany at Dreadlock Girl is hosting (once again!) the Orbis Terrarum Challenge for 2010. She has created a new site for the challenge and made a couple of changes.

Rules:

1. You can join anytime - the challenge starts April 1st
2. Each reader is to choose 8 books (for the 8 months of the challenge).
3. This year Bethany is allowing all the books to be from the same country and by the same author if you'd like (although I would have you you should not choose your OWN country, because this challenge is meant to expose you to the world not your neighborhood!) For example, if you would like to focus on South Africa because you have an interest in that then you can read all your books from that nation if you want.
4. You should go by the country of origin of the author, or the country he/she lives in is fine as well-meaning NOT the country the book is set in!!
5. You don’t have to have a list, that means you can change your mind at any time. As long as there are 8 books you have completed the challenge.
6. Post your reviews in the appropriate continent location as you read along. These can be found by clicking on the images to the right on the dedicated blog.

The 2010 Orbis Terrarum Challengers Raising Funds for Clean Water Worldwide (optional!)
Bethany writes:

I am a big believer in not just reading about what is going on in the world, but about doing something about it. For this reason I am going to be reading away for Living Water International during the challenge and donating an amount per book. I also ask that you consider doing the same. If every one of us just gave $1 per book we read during the challenge, that is only 8 dollars, but if we all did it it that would be a good amount (last year we had 74 challengers, reading 8 books= $592 !)

You can make your donations directly by going to the Orbis Terrarum Challenge Fundraiser page. (They will send you a receipt for your tax deductible donation directly) Or by clicking the widget in the upper right of this challenge’s page.

I’ll post again on this soon.

However, you don’t need to feel obligated to donate!!

Learn more and SIGN UP, by visiting the dedicated blog.

Anne of Green Gables Re-Read Challenge

 

March 2 - December 31, 2010

Rebecca is hosting the Anne of Green Gables Re-Read Challenge.  Here's what she says:

How many of us read Anne of Green Gables when you were young. Whether you read just the first book or quickly devoured the entire series, I’m sure it was a well-loved read. The time has come to dig them out, dust them off and give them a reread.

 Option 1: Just the first book, Anne of Green Gables.

"I'm not a bit changed--not really. I'm only just pruned down and branched out. The real ME--back here--is just the same."        

Option 2: The eight central books in the series:

• Anne of Green Gables
• Anne of Avonlea
• Anne of the Island
• Anne of Windy Poplars/Windy Willows
• Anne’s House of Dreams
• Anne of Ingleside
• Rainbow Valley
• Rilla of Ingleside

"There's such a lot of different Annes in me. I sometimes think that is why I'm such a troublesome person. If I was just the one Anne it would be ever so much more comfortable, but then it wouldn't be half so interesting."        

Option 3: The eight central books listed above as well as any related material you may wish to include. Some suggestions:

• Chronicles of Avonlea – L.M. Montgomery
• Further Chronicles of Avonlea – L.M. Montgomery
• Before Green Gables – Budge Wilson
• Looking for Anne of Green Gables: The Story of L.M. Montgomery and her Literary Classic – Irene Gammel
• any of the several Anne TV/movie adaption's

"Isn't it splendid to think of all the things there are to find out about? It just makes me feel glad to be alive--it's such an interesting world. It wouldn't be half so interesting if we know all about everything, would it? There'd be no scope for imagination then, would there?"       

Other Things to Know

• Books may be any form (audio, print, e-book).
• Books may overlap other challenges.
• You do not have to stick to the option you choose – feel free to increase or decrease as suits.
• All the Anne series can be found online via Project Gutenberg 

To join, go to Anne of Green Gables Re-Read Challenge.

Book Beginnings on Friday - EVENT

Book Beginnings on Friday is a new weekly event on Fridays hosted by Becky at Page Turners. Becky is looking for someone to design a button for her...if you want to do that, drop over to her blog and let her know!

Here is how the meme works:

Anyone can participate; just share the opening sentence of your current read, making sure that you include the title and author so others know what you're reading.

Then head over to Becky's blog and give her a link to your post.

Give Me Moore Reading Challenge

March 23 - June 23, 2010

Missy at The Unread Reader is hosting the Give Me Moore Reading Challenge which encourages readers to read (or re-read) the three (3) books in Christopher Moore's A Love Story Vampire Trilogy: Bloodsucking Fiends, You Suck, and Bite Me.

The Details of the Challenge:

• There are three books in the series. If you’ve already started this series, you can still participate in the challenge. You can either start all over again as a refresher or just start where you left off.
• Anyone can join at anytime between now until the week before the challenge ends.
• You don’t need a blog to participate. If you don’t have a blog, you can post your comments or reviews in the comment section of the wrap-up post on Missy's blog.
• Any book format is acceptable, including audio books.
• Once the challenge starts, Missy will create a page for everyone to post their reviews. Reviews are encouraged, but are entirely optional.

ATTN REVIEWERS: If you do review the books and add your Mr. Linky link or comments on the review page Missy sets up for the Give Me Moore Reading Challenge, you will be entered into a drawing to win an autographed copy of a Christopher Moore book, or something equally as awesome, i.e. Amazon gift card!
Rules & Regulations for entering the drawing:

• Must be 13 or older
• Must be US or Canadian resident (Mailing address)
• Please no PO Boxes

To learn more and sign up for the challenge, visit the post about the challenge on Missy's blog.

2010 Non-Fiction Five Challenge

May 1 - September 30, 2010

In case you were wondering...YES, Trish's Reading Nook is once again hosting the Non-Fiction Five Challenge in 2010. Trish writes:

This is the fourth annual Non-Fiction Five Challenge and I'd be thrilled if you joined me.

The Rules (unchanged from previous years:

• Read 5 non-fiction books during the months of May - September, 2010 (Trish would like you to link your reviews on Mister Linky each month; Mister Linky can be found at the beginning of each month on her blog)
• Read at least one non-fiction book that is different from your other choices (i.e.: 4 memoirs and 1 self-help)
• All choices do not need to be posted and may change at any time

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

101 Fantasy Reading Challenge - NEW HOST and BLOG

October 10, 2009 - October 10, 2010

The 101 Fantasy Reading Challenge is changing hosts and blog site. Formerly hosted by Bella of A Bibliophile's Bookshelf, this challenge is now being run by Michelle at The True Book Addict. Michelle has given this challenge its own dedicated site.

For those of you who have already signed up at Bella's, Michelle asks that you sign up again at the dedicated blog. There was no way to transfer the Mr. Linky.

The rules are the same:

• 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.
• 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.
• Be sure to follow the dedicated blog because Bella created a fun meme and Michelle will be posting that between now and the end of the challenge.
  

To learn more, visit the new blog.

Four Month Challenge Part 3

March 1 - June 30, 2010

She Read a Book is once again hosting the Four Month Challenge (this one is part 3). Here are the guidelines:

5 Point Challenges

• Read a book by an author you’ve never read before
• Read a book with a one word title
• Read a book with an animal name in the title
• Read a book with a proper name in the title
• Read a fantasy

10 Point Challenges

• Read an ‘Austenesque’ book
• Read a book with a two word title
• Read a book that is part of a series
• Read a book about a real person
• Read a mystery

15 Point Challenges

• Read a book written in the 60’s (any century)
• Read a book with a number in the title
• Read a book by an author born in March, April, May or June.
• Read a book with a three word title
• Read a book by an author with three names

20 Point Challenges

• Read a book with over 500 pages
• Read a book with a four word title
• Read a book by two authors
• Read a book written in the 70s (any century)
• Read a book that has been number one on the NYT Best-sellers list

Learn more or sign up (by leaving a comment) by visiting the post about the challenge.

2010 Cozy Mystery Challenge

April 1 - September 30, 2010

Kris is hosting the Cozy Mystery Challenge. She writes:

What is a cozy some of you might ask? Good question! To make it brief: a cozy mystery is a mystery that doesn't normally have any rough language, sex scenes, or gruesome details about the killing, and the main character is normally an amateur detective. Many times you will notice that a cozy mystery series also revolves around food or a hobby, although this isn't a requirement. The Cozy-Mystery website does a great job of listing what a cozy mystery is and also contains a list of authors who write cozies (you can also browse series by theme! Seriously! I just noticed that and they have a section for paranormal..I'll be checking that out soon.).

This year, Kris is hosting the challenge for a special reason:

My friend Barbara (she went by Heidi on her blog) passed away last April. She had signed up for the challenge but never had a chance to participate in it. Barbara is the one who got my hooked on cozies. Since she has passed I haven't read as many cozies as I would like, partly because I don't have her to talk to about them all the time and partly because reading her descriptions and what she read always kept me abreast of the cozy mystery world and excited about starting new series. I'm hoping that by hosting the challenge this year I get back in the swing of reading more cozies.

The Rules:

1. Read at least 6 cozy mysteries, one for each month. You can choose to read more, but you must read 6 in order to complete this challenge. You don't have to read 1 each month, you can read them whenever you like, you just have to read at least six.
2. While you can overlap with other challenges, please try to have at least 2 of the books only count towards this challenge.
3. Prizes you ask? Everyone loves a prize! Everyone who completes this challenge will get a bookmark made by Kris.

Learn more by visiting the post about the challenge. Sign-up using the dedicated form. You can sign up anytime between now and September 1st.