Jodi Picoult Reading Challenge

January 1^st, 2013 to December 31^st 2013

Reading Challenge Details:

• The Challenge will run from January 1^st, 2013 to December 31^st 2013
• All Jodi Picoult books started and finished after January 1^st count
• The goal is to read or reread as many Jodi Picoult books as possible. The Levels will be below you can choose which level you would like to be in.
• Book can be in any format (bound, ebook, audiobook)
• You can list your books in advance or list them as you go. It is not required that you review the books you read for this challenge, but if you do great.
• Re-reads and crossovers from other reading challenges are allowed and encouraged.
• Post this reading challenge on your blog to track your progress. Please include a link back to this sign-up post so others can join the reading challenge too. You do not have to be a book blogger to participate; you can track your progress on Goodreads or LibraryThing.

Levels:

• Fresh out of college Lawyer: 1 to 4 novels
• Ruling this courtroom: 5 to 8 novels
• Being a Lawyer is my thing: 9 to 12 novels

(Sorry for the cheesy names, but she has a lot of courtroom scenes)

Jodi Picoult Books

1. Songs of a Humpback Whale
2. Harvesting the Heart
3. Picture Perfect
4. Mercy
5. Plain Truth
6. Salem Falls
7. Perfect Match
8. Second Glance
9. My Sister’s Keeper
10. Vanishing Acts
11. The Tenth Circle
12. Nineteen Minutes
13. Change of Heart
14. Handle with Care
15. House Rules
16. Sing You Home
17. Lone Wolf
18. Between the Lines
19. The Storyteller (March 2013)

I will put the link you thing here. You can link to your blog post signing up. Put which level you are joining in at down in the comments. Thank you for everybody who joins.

For more information and to sign-up, please see this post.

Haruki Murakami Reading Challenge 2013

January 1st and December 31st, 2013.

This is the sign-up post for the Haruki Murakami Reading Challenge 2013. If you've taken part before, the challenge "rules" are essentially the same. And as always, the goal of the challenge is simply to encourage you to discover, or re-discover, the unique story-telling of Haruki Murakami. It's a really flexible challenge and all you have to do to participate is read at least one book by Haruki Murakami in 2013. However, there are several levels of participation to choose from, for those that want to immerse themselves more in Murakami's surreal worlds.
Levels of participation:
Hajime - Read one book
Sheep Man - Read 3 books
Toru - Read 5 books
Nakata - Read 7 books
Sumire - Read 10+ books
Super-frog - Read everything Murakami has written! (that is available in English, or your preferred language) For a list of the books available in English, visit the Books Page.

Things to keep in mind:
*Whether you're a complete newbie, or already a huge Murakami fan, everyone is welcome to join in.
*You can join in anytime throughout the year.
*Feel free to grab one of the Murakami Challenge badges to display on your own site, but please save them to your own computer first.
*You don't have to have a blog to participate. You can also share your thoughts on Goodreads, LibraryThing, Tumblr, Twitter, etc. Or provide a guest post here!
*Crossovers with other challenges are allowed.
*Books should be read between January 1st and December 31st, 2013.
*Please share your reviews of the Murakami books you read for the challenge. This is optional but we'd love to hear what you thought. I also welcome you to submit reviews to any of Murakami's books or stories that you have read and reviewed previously. Reviews in any language are welcome. More on the 'Submit a review' page.
*Books can be in any format: paper, ebooks, audio.
*Rereads are allowed, and encouraged.
*There will be prizes (details to be decided).
And most importantly, have fun!

For more information and to sign-up, please see this post.

2013 Global Reading Challenge

January 1, 2013-December 2013

As in the past, the 2013 Global Reading Challenge (2013GRC) challenges you to expand your reading boundaries, go where you haven't been before, move a little outside your comfort zone.
You may read any genre so long as the books are fiction.
Decide which level you will attempt, although you can change that later if you wish.
Use the Mr Linky to sign up with your name, the level you intend to attempt, and your blog URL.
Feel free to include the logo in your blog posts or on your blog (with a link to this page)
Your reading will take place in the calendar year 2013.
When you are ready to add books to the Mr Linkies that will be provided, return to this blog and look for the 2013 Global Reading Challenge icon in the right hand margin. That will have a link to the most recent page for the meme.
You may like to consult Global Reading Challenges for 2011 and 2010 and 2012 for suggestions of books.
Please advertise the  2013 Global Reading Challenge (2013GRC) on your blog.
You might be interested in creating your own map showing where you have been using World66
My final post for GRC 2010 shows you what it can look like.

The Easy Challenge
Read one novel from each of these continents in the course of 2013:
Africa, Asia, Australasia/Oceania, Europe, North America, South America (please include Central America where it is most convenient for you)
The Seventh Continent (here you can either choose Antarctica or your own ´seventh´ setting, e.g. the sea, the space, a supernatural/paranormal world, history, the future – you name it).
From your own continent: try to find a country, state or author that is new to you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Medium Challenge

Read two novels from each of these continents in the course of 2013:
Africa, Asia, Australasia/Oceania, Europe, North America, South America (please include Central America where it is most convenient for you)
The Seventh Continent (here you can either choose Antarctica or your own ´seventh´ setting, e.g. the sea, the space, a supernatural/paranormal world, history, the future – you name it).
From your own continent: try to find a country, state or author that is new to you.
Try to find novels from fourteen different countries or states.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Expert Challenge

Read three novels from each of these continents in the course of 2013:
Africa, Asia, Australasia/Oceania, Europe, North America, South America (please include Central America where it is most convenient for you)
The Seventh Continent (here you can either choose Antarctica or your own ´seventh´ setting, e.g. the sea, the space, a supernatural/paranormal world, history, the future – you name it).
From your own continent: try to find a country, state or author that is new to you.
Select novels from twenty-one different countries or states if possible. (For Australasia, selecting a different state for your last book will be acceptable)

For more information and to sign-up, please see this post.

Crafty Book Challenge

January 1, 2013-December 31, 2013

The rules:
* any crafty related fiction book counts, whether it’s quilting, knitting, crocheting, sewing, embroidery, scrapbooking, etc.
* pattern books for the most part, are excluded, with a few exceptions: books by Elizabeth Zimmermann that are very chatty & contain stories, not just patterns, will count IF you read cover to cover. I won’t be policing you, so use your own judgment.
* non fiction craft books, such as “Crochet Saved My Life” are included (haven’t picked up the book yet? Go to https://www.createspace.com/3928868 and plug in coupon code 76K89G9K for 20% off). Thank you, Kathryn!
* any format is fine: ebook, print book, audio book, reread
* yes, you can also cross over to other challenges, if you like
* reviews are not necessary, but would be very nice for the authors (on your blog, on goodreads or amazon, wherever)
* I’ve started adding a list of crafty books that count for this challenge

If you are a blogger, please write up a blog post talking about the challenge, include the button or header graphic I made above (I’m sorry, I don’t know how to do the fancy code so you can just grab it) and link to this post at http://anastaciaknits.net/2013/01/12/crafty-book-challenge/ so that others can find out about this challenge & join in! When writing up your post, please be sure to tell us how many books you want to try to read!

Non-bloggers, you can join in by commenting on your goals!

I am planning on reading 7 books this year – the only one I know I’ll read for sure is Crochet Saved My Life.

For more information and to sign-up, please see this post.

Monthly Mix-Up Mania: 2013-2015 Edition

January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2013
Hosted by: The Book Dragon's Lair

What: To read a book for each letter in the year. That's right, a title for the J in January and the A in January, etc.... 74 books total!

Official Start date: April 1, 2013, because we're fools to try this but any book read since 1-1-11 that you didn't already use for the 2011-2013 edition counts ;) 

End date: March 31, 2015, yes, two years, because well, we have other challenges to do ;)

Guidelines:

• only one letter per book
• books can be moved around if it fits better somewhere else after you've read it
• the letter doesn't have to be the first word, just the first letter of a word in the title (a, an, and the do not count)
• reviews aren't necessary but a quick "I read for letter... it was about... I did/not like it" would be nice and can be left in the comments.
• if you decide to join in, create a post on your blog telling others then come back and link up (to the actual post, not just your blog's home page)
• a blog is not necessary, just comment on that month's post.
• the most important thing is to have fun!

For more information and to sign-up, please see this post.

2013 Amish Fiction Reading Challenge

January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2013
Hosted by: Amish Fiction Reviews

On January 1, 2013 I'll choose three lucky participants who will receive a special selection of Amish items from here in Ohio's Amish country.  This may include a new Amish novel,  cookbook, a jar of jam/jelly, and/or whatever else I may find on my various trips to Amish country!

Challenge details: 

 1. This challenge will begin on January 1st, 2013 and end December 31, 2013. 
 2. Books for this challenge can be from any genre and may include print books as well as e-books and audio books.

Choose a Level:

Inspired     6 books
Smitten    12 books
Devoted   24 books

 

3. This challenge can cross-over to your other reading challenges.
 4. You do not need a blog to participate! If you are not a blogger, you can post your reviews at Goodreads, Shelfari, or LibraryThing and link them up on the monthly review posts or leave a comment with a link to your review.
 5. I will create a new post each month with a link-up for your reviews.
 6. To sign-up use the link below. If you are a blogger, create a sign-up post and link back to this post. If you don't have a blog you can just leave a comment for this post saying that you are joining.

Join the 2013 Amish Fiction Challenge!

For more information and to sign-up, please see this post.

"The Baby-Sitters Club" 2013 Reading Challenge

January 1, 2013 – December 31, 2013

I recently reorganized my (huge) collection of Ann M. Martin's books.  This took longer than it should have as I kept stopping to flip through some of my favorite titles.  This got me desperately wanting to sit down and just read them all over again. And so that is exactly what I'm going to do.  In addition to my regular reading, I plan to read The Baby-Sitters Club series from Kristy's Great Idea to The Fire at Mary Anne's House.  If time permits I will also read the Mysteries, Super Special, Super Mysteries, and any of the the other supplemental books.  My plan is to stick with the books pertaining to the main members of the club and only shoot for the spin-off series if I'm incredibly crazy.  I also plan to do this all over the course of 2013.  I will mark the titles I've completed in red.  I won't necessarily be reviewing the books (since every review will consist of "read this book") but will try to post updates about my progress.  Want to join in the fun?  I would love to discuss this series with you!  Feel free to set your own BSC reading goal and read as many of the books that you can!

The Baby-Sitters Club

1. Kristy’s Great Idea
2. Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls
3. The Truth About Stacey
4. Mary Anne Saves the Day
5. Dawn and the Impossible Three
6. Kristy’s Big Day
7. Claudia and Mean Janine
8. Boy Crazy Stacey
9. The Ghost at Dawn’s House
10. Logan Likes Mary Anne
11. Kristy and the Snobs
12. Claudia and the New Girl
13. Goodbye Stacey, Goodbye
14. Hello, Mallory
15. Little Miss Stoneybrook…and Dawn
16. Jessi’s Secret Language
17. Mary Anne’s Bad-Luck Mystery
18. Stacey’s Mistake
19. Claudia and the Bad Joke
20. Kristy and the Walking Disaster
21. Mallory and the Trouble With Twins
22. Jessi Ramsey, Pet-sitter
23. Dawn on the Coast
24. Kristy and the Mother’s Day Surprise
25.   Mary Anne and the Search for Tigger
26.   Claudia and the Sad Goodbye
27. Jessi and the Superbrat
28. Welcome Back, Stacey!
29. Mallory and the Mystery Diary
30. Mary Anne and the Great Romance
31. Dawn’s Wicked Stepsister
32. Kristy and the Secret of Susan
33. Claudia and the Great Search
34. Mary Anne and Too Many Boys
35. Stacy and the Mystery of Stoneybrook
36. Jessi’s Babysitter
37. Dawn and the Older Boy
38. Kristy’s Mystery Admirer
39. Poor Mallory!
40. Claudia and the Middle School Mystery
41. Mary Anne vs Logan
42. Jessi and the Dance School Phantom
43. Stacy’s Emergency
44. Dawn and the Big Sleepover
45. Kristy and the Baby Parade
46. Mary Anne Misses Logan
47. Mallory on Strike
48. Jessi’s Wish
49. Claudia and the Genius of Elm Street
50. Dawn’s Big Date
51. Stacey’s Ex-Best Friend
52. Mary Anne + 2 Many Babies
53. Kristy For President
54. Mallory and the Dream House
55. Jessi’s Gold Medal
56. Keep Out , Claudia!
57. Dawn Saves the Planet
58. Stacey’s Choice
59. Mallory Hates Boys (and Gym )
60. Mary Anne’s Makeover
61. Jessi and the Awful Secret
62. Kristy and the Worst Kid ever
63. Claudia’s Friend
64. Dawn’s Family Feud
65. Stacey’s Big Crush
66. Maid Mary Anne
67. Dawn’s Big Move
68. Jessi and the Bad Babysitter
69. Get Well Soon Mallory!
70. Stacey and the Cheerleaders
71. Claudia and the Perfect Boy
72. Dawn and the We Love Kids Club
73. Mary Anne and Miss Priss
74. Kristy and the Copycat
75. Jessi’s Horrible Prank
76. Stacey’s Lie
77. Dawn and Whitney, Friends Forever
78. Claudia and Crazy Peaches
79. Mary Anne Breaks the Rules
80. Mallory Pike # Fan
81. Kristy and Mr. Mom
82. Jessi and the Troublemaker
83. Stacey vs. the BSC
84. Dawn and the School Spirit War
85. Claudia Kishi , Live from WSTO!
86. Mary Anne and Camp BSC
87. Stacey and the Bad Girls
88. Farewell , Dawn
89. Kristy and the Dirty Diapers
90. Welcome to the BSC , Abby
91. Claudia and the First Thanksgiving
92. Mallory’s Christmas Wish
93. Mary Anne and the Memory Garden
94. Stacey McGill , Super Sitter
95. Kristy + Bart =?
96. Abby’s Lucky Thirteen
97. Claudia and the Worlds Cutest Baby
98. Dawn and Two Many Sitters
99. Stacey’s Broken Heart
100. Kristy's Worst Idea
101. Claudia Kishi, Middle School Dropout
102. Mary Anne and the Little Princess
103. Happy Holidays, Jessi
104. Abby's Twin
105. Stacey the Math Whiz
106. Claudia, Queen of The Seventh Grade
107. Mind Your Own Business, Kristy!
108. Don't Give Up, Mallory
109. Mary Anne to the Rescue
110. Abby the Bad Spor
111. Stacey's Secret Friend
112. Kristy and the Sister War
113. Claudia Makes Up Her Mind
114. The Secret Life of Mary Anne Spier
115. Jessi's Big Break
116. Abby and the Best Kid Ever (
117. Claudia and the Terrible Truth
118. Kristy Thomas, Dog Trainer
119. Stacey's Ex-Boyfriend
120. Mary Anne and the Playground Fight
121. Abby in Wonderland
122. Kristy in Charge
123. Claudia's Big Party
124. Stacey McGill…Matchmaker
125. Mary Anne in the Middle
126. The All-New Mallory Pike
127. Abby's Un-Valentine
128. Claudia and the Little Liar
129. Kristy at Bat
130. Stacey's Movie
131. The Fire at Mary Anne's House

The Baby-Sitters Club: Super Specials

1. Babysitters on Board
2. Babysitters’ Summer Vacation
3. Babysitters’ Winter Vacation
4. Babysitters’ Island Adventure
5. California Girls
6. New York, New York
7. Snowbound
8. Babysitters at Shadow Lake
9. Starring the Babysitters Club
10. Sea City, Here We Come
11. The Babysitters Remember
12. Here Come the Bridesmaids
13. Aloha , Babysitters
14. BSC in the USA
15. The Babysitters European Vacation

The Baby-Sitters Club: Mysteries

1. Stacey and the Missing Ring
2. Beware, Dawn
3. Mallory and the Ghost Cat
4. Kristy and the Missing Child
5. Mary Anne and the Secret in the Attic
6. The Mystery at Claudia’s House
7. Dawn and the Disappearing Dogs
8. Jessi and the Jewel Thieves
9. Kristy and the Haunted Mansion
10. Stacey and the Mystery Money
11. Claudia and the Mystery at the Museum
12. Dawn and the Surfer Ghost
13. Mary Anne and the Library Mystery
14. Stacey and the Mystery at the Mall
15. Kristy and the Vampires
16. Claudia and the Clue in the Photograph
17. Dawn and the Halloween Mystery
18. Stacey and the Mystery at the Empty House
19. Kristy and the Missing Fortune
20. Mary Anne and the Zoo Mystery
21. Claudia and the Recipe for Danger
22. Stacey and the Haunted Masquerade
23. Abby and the Secret Society
24. Mary Anne and the Silent Witness
25. Kristy and the Middle School Vandal
26. Dawn Schafer, Undercover Babysitter
27. Claudia and the Lighthouse Ghost
28. Abby and the Mystery Baby
29. Stacey and the Fashion Victim
30. Kristy and the Mystery Train
31. Mary Anne and the Music Box Secret
32. Claudia and the Mystery in the Painting
33. Stacey and the Stolen Hearts
34. Mary Anne and the Haunted Bookstore
35. Abby and the Notorious Neighbor
36. Kristy and the Cat Burglar

The Baby-Sitters Club: Super Mysteries

1. Babysitter’s Haunted House
2. Babysitters’ Beware
3. Babysitters’ Fright Night
4. Babysitters’ Christmas Chiller

The Baby-Sitters Club Friends Forever
BSC Friends Forever Super Special : Everything Changes

1. Kristy's Big News
2. Claudia vs Stacey
3. Mary Anne's Big Breakup
4. Claudia and the Friendship Feud
5. Kristy Power
6. Stacey and the Boyfriend Trap
7. Claudia Gets Her Guy
8. Mary Anne's Revenge
9. Kristy and the Kidnapper
10. Stacey's Problem
11. Welcome Home, Mary Anne
12. Claudia and the Disaster Date

BSC Friends Forever Super Special : Graduation Day

Other Titles

Logan's Story
Logan Bruno, Boy Baby-Sitter
Shannon's Story
Kristy's Book
Claudia's Book
Mary Anne's Book
Stacey's Book
Abby's Book
Dawn's Book

Happy Reading!

-Melly

Want to join the fun!  Read as many BSC books as you can in 2013.  There are no real rules. You can read your favorites or join me in a journey to complete the entire series!  Have fun!

This reading challenge is hosted by Beauty and the Armageddon. For more information and to sign-up, please see this post.

UtopYA 2013 Reading Challenge

January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2013

I'm sure many of you have heard of the UtopYA Conference and if you haven't you should definitely check it out!!! I went last year and had a blast.  I'm going again this year and before June I wanted to read as many books by the authors that would be there as possible.  

I thought what more fun of a way to read these books than to do it together, so I came up with this reading challenge!  I really hope you do this with me so we can get to know each other and read these books by the wonderful authors!  *note: you do not have to be attending UtopYA con to be a part of the reading challenge*

*this is an unofficial challenge and not affiliated with UtopYA

The challenge is to reach your set goal.  There are 6 different levels to choose from.

Levels
5- Gnome
10- Fairy
15- Mermaid
20- Werewolf
25- Vampire
30- Angel

Challenge Rules
1. The books must be written by an author that is a panelist, exhibitor or attendee of UtopYA Con 2013.
2. The challenge will start on January 1, 2013 and end December 31, 2013 but you may join at anytime.
3. You don't have to have a blog to participate.  Just join in on the fun somehow! P.S. that means authors please participate too! We would love to have you.
4. The books can be in any format (ebooks, paperback, scroll, etc.)
5. To join the challenge
if your a blogger, make a blogpost with the challenge button and tell us what level you've picked and link your post to the linky.
everyone else, tweet/facebook/pin/etc. what level you picked with a link to this post and link the direct link to the linky.

Prizes (prizes are to be determined but they will be awesome)
1. The person that reads the most books by UtopYA authors (books read before the Con will count x2, so if you read 15 books before the Con it will count as a score of 30)
2. Everyone that reaches their goal will be entered to win a prize
3. there will be UtopYA challenges throughout the year so be looking out for those!

UtopYA Authors
If you're a panelist, exhibitor, or attendee of the 2013 UtopYA Con and you're an author, I would love to do a promotion with the reading challenge!  Please fill out this google doc if you're interested!

You can find the list of UtopYA author books on this Goodreads shelf
*this list is subject to change due to additions to panelists and attendees*

For more information and to sign-up, please see this post.

The Year-Long Memoir Reading Challenge

January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2013

What is a "year-long memoir" anyway?
My definition of a year-long memoir is a memoir in which the author has undertaken some task or goal or virtue to pursue for an entire year, then written a book about his or her experience.

Why a reading challenge?
Why not? I like a good challenge.

What are the "rules" of the challenge?
1. Choose memoirs to read.
2. Read them.
3. Write a short review or your own reflective piece on what you read.

Who can join in?
Anyone! Just let me know if you're interested, email me or leave a comment, and I can add you to this blog. It's a group effort.

Do I have to have my own blog for this challenge?
Nope. Just a Google or Blogger account for me to add you.

How many books are allowed? Is there a minimum?
No. You can set a goal to read from 1 to 500...

Can I join this group blog?
Yes you can! Do you have to? Not if you don't want to.

What if I want to read a memoir that isn't a "year-long" memoir?
I don't mind, as long as it's a memoir or autobiography.

For more information and to sign-up, please see this post.

Chunkster Challenge 2013

January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2013

Definition of a chunkster:

A chunkster is 450 pages or more of ADULT literature, whether non-fiction or fiction. A chunkster should be a challenge.

If you read books in large print, your books will need to be 525 pages or more. The average large type book is 10-15% larger or more so it’s a fair estimate.

The rules:

• No audio books. (There are exceptions to this rule.)
• No e-books allowed. This was discussed in much detail in the 2011 challenge. The short version: a chunkster isn’t a challenge if you’re reading it on an e-reader. (There are exceptions to this rule.)
• Essay, poetry, and short story collections will be allowed. Collections have to be read in their entirety to count. If you’ve needed a reason to finally pick up your copy of The Collected Works Of ____ now is the time.
• Books may crossover with other challenges.
• Anyone may join. (If you don’t have a blog, just leave a comment on this post with your challenge level and your progress throughout the challenge.) 
• You don’t need to list your books ahead of time.
• Once you’ve picked a level, that’s it. You’re committed to it!

You must pick a level of participation:

1. The Chubby Chunkster – this option is for the readers who want to dabble in large tomes, but really doesn't want to commit to much more than that. FOUR Chunksters is all you need to finish this challenge.
2. The Plump Primer - this option is for the slightly heavier reader who wants to commit to SIX Chunksters over the next twelve months. 
3. Do These Books Make my Butt Look Big? - this option is for the reader who can't resist bigger and bigger books and wants to commit to SIX Chunksters from the following categories: 2 books which are between 450 - 550 pages in length; 2 books which are 551 - 750 pages in length; 2 books which are GREATER than 750 pages in length (for ideas, please refer to the book suggestions pagefor some books which fit into these categories).
4. Mor-book-ly Obese - This is for the truly out of control chunkster. For this level of challenge you must commit to EIGHT or more Chunksters of which three tomes MUST be 750 pages or more. You know you want to.....go on and give in to your cravings.

Want Suggestions of what to read? 

Check out the Chunky Book Suggestions page. Throughout the year, we will be adding new books to this page.

To review or not to review, that is the quesion...Reviews are not mandatory, but they are strongly encouraged. We will be putting up a Mr. Linky at the beginning of the challenge for links to your reviews. We will also be posting a Mr. Linky for wrap up posts at the end of the challenge.

For more information and to sign-up, please see this post.

Banned Books Challenge 2013

 

January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2013

I have to admit I was hoping to find a Banned Books Reading Challenge hosted somewhere on the blogosphere, but I haven't been able to find a current one. This might end up being a crazy idea, but I've decided to host one myself instead! Since Banned Books 2012, I have been trying to make an effort to read more banned and challenged books, particularly classics, but want to make a more organized and formal effort this year leading up to Banned Books Week 2013. If anyone else wants to join in, I would be absolutely thrilled!

DATE: The challenge will run from January 1, 2013 through the first day of Banned Books Week 2013 (September 22-28) -- the rest of the week will be used to wrap-up the challenge.

RULES: The only rules are that books read for this challenge must appear on one of the ALA's lists of frequently challenged books -- there are multiple lists split up by author, year, decade, & a separate list for Banned & Challenged Classics, so there should be plenty of options to choose from.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE: Write a post, as long or short as you like, about your participation in this challenge and linking to this post. If you don't have a blog, you can leave a comment here instead. I'd love for everyone to review the books they read, but it's not required. Overlap with other challenges is totally OK. Sometime during Banned Books Week 2013 (date TBD) link-up a wrap-up post about how you did with the challenge.

Update: For each book you read for the challenge, you can also link-up your reviews here, so we can read them!

Here are the levels you can choose from (and if you decide to change at any point, that's totally OK too!):

Making Waves: 5 Challenged Books
Trouble-Maker: 10 Challenged Books
Rebel: 15 Challenged Books
Insurgent: 20 Challenged Books
Leader of a Revolution: 25 Challenged Books

For more information and to sign-up, please see this post.

Cloud of Witnesses Reading Challenge, 2013

January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2013

I'm happy to announce that I'll be hosting a reading challenge! The title of this reading challenge comes from Hebrews 12:1-2, which reads "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." 

For an author to qualify for this reading challenge, they must be among "the cloud of witnesses".... in other words, they must be dead. I think it isn't always easy for readers to pick up Christian classics. Perhaps because it isn't always easy to know exactly where to start. Perhaps because people think that they will be difficult to understand--that the language will be too difficult, the style too complicated. Perhaps because people question if a book will still be relevant. I believe that there are some AMAZING, GREAT, WONDERFUL, MUST-MUST-MUST reads out there waiting to be discovered.

Examples of qualifying authors can be found on the challenge home page.

So what "counts" for this challenge? Well, the goal is to get you acquainted with new-to-you authors. So any reading material will count: no matter the length. It can be an article of a few pages; an individual sermon or a collection of sermons; it can be a book of quotes by that person; it can be a biography or autobiography about the person; you might find full-length books available online, or individual sermons online. And of course it doesn't matter if it's a book-book, e-book, or audiobook.

So how many books are required? 

If you're completely new to christian nonfiction (christian living, theology, bible commentaries, bible studies, etc.) then I'd like to challenge you to read ONE or TWO books. If your first attempt is too tough, or proving not-for-you, try again. 

If christian nonfiction is something you're comfortable reading, I'd like to challenge you to read four to six books for this challenge. 

What I would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to see is for people to share quotes from what they're reading. I'd love to see readers recommend books to one another. So while I'd never, ever require participants to write book reviews, if you have a blog, I'd love for you to share quotes occasionally with your readers and let me know about it. If you don't have a blog, you could always leave quotes in the comments here. (Trust me, I'd welcome some relief from spam comments.)

For more information and to sign-up, please see this post.

Postal Reading Challenge

January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2013

It's a New Year! And I couldn't resist creating a new challenge of my own, which came to me as I was making my resolutions. I am trying to get back into the habit of sending regular snail mail letters -- which reminded me of how much I love reading about letter writing and enjoying epistolary fiction.

What is the Challenge?

The key is to read and review books with a postal theme. These can be non-fiction on the subject of letter writing, collections of real letters, or epistolary fiction of any era. Be creative! Review each one and link back to the challenge -- there will be quarterly roundup posts for you to link reviews and posts to as you create them.

The challenge runs from January 1st, 2013 to December 31st, 2013.  You can sign up ANY TIME throughout the year.

Any books chosen can overlap with any other challenge, and rereads are allowed. Just remember to review them somewhere online in order for them to count toward the challenge. Lists don't have to be made in advance, though feel free to share your choices and inspire other readers if you wish! 

How do I join in?

There are a few ways to participate in this challenge. 

Postcard Level:   Read and review 4 books with a postal theme.
Snail Mail Level:   Read and review 8 books with a postal theme.
Parcel Post Level: Read and review 12 books with a postal theme.
Air Mail Express Level:   Read and review 12 books with a postal theme ANDcommit to sending more old fashioned letters this year. At least 12 pieces of mail (or more!), and you can share numbers or even images of your mail art in the quarterly roundups.

Anyone who completes the challenge at any level will have their names thrown into a draw to win some letter-related goodies at the end of the year. In addition, if you complete the Air Mail Express Level, you'll get a chance to win a lifetime membership to the Letter Writers Alliance!

Wondering what you might read? Find some inspiration --

• Some of the epistolary choices I've read over the years
• Danielle at A Work in Progress has made a couple of lists, A Thursday Thirteen and a follow-up Part 2!
• Wikipedia has, of course, listed some epistolary suggestions
• Goodreads has 26 pages of readers' favourite epistolary reads
• Some ideas for non-fiction reads as well as novels, from the Letter Exchange

For more information and to sign-up, please see this post.

Guilty Readings Challenge

January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2013

As you know, I really got into reading challenges. The fact that I have a written goal in my blog helped me read more of my TBR, to try some new genres, to give a second chance to some authors. The whole past year I searched for a challenge that will help me with certain books but couldn't find. I checked a lot of the new challenges for 2013, and especially the "out of my comfort zone" type and found some very cute, but still not what I needed. Most of them focused on exploring new genres or choosing books on a random manner. So in the end, I decided to start one on my own and challenge myself. You are welcome to join, of course, I'll be very happy to have you!  r you can only drop by and say things like "Good luck" and "Go girl!" 
There are a number of books I feel guilty about. Some of them are presents I recieved years ago, that aren't really my type - and I'm freaking out everytime I see the person who gave them to me, waiting for the "Did you like it?" I feel guilty of having prejudice about books and authors I've never tried. And all those classics I've never checked - aww the lingering guilt of being a bad reader!Books I've started but never finished. And that time I spent so much on that hardcover beauty, but still haven't opened it?

Ok, you get the picture.

So I challenge myself with the following rules:

• to become more guilt free from January 1st to December 31st 2013. If you decide to, you can join anytime
• to write a review to see was I really right or wrong about postponing the book. If you decide to join -feel free not to write reviews if you don't feel like it! Not obligatory! But if you do, you're more than welcome to share.
• all kinds of books count (physical copies, e book, audio, short stories, poetry, graphic novels...)
• it doesn't matter when you bought/received the book. But I will try to focus on titles that spent more time on my TBR pile
• crossovers are more than welcome
• no need to make a list - only if you want to
• you don't need a blog to participate - you can link to elsewhere (Shelfari, goodreads, etc) or simply talk about your books in a comment. Or you can make a guest post :) If you have a blog, you can sign up in the Linky (scroll down under the translation)

Here are the levels:
Reluctant hero - read 1-3 books you for some reason feel guilty about
Eager for challenge - read  4-6 books you for some reason feel guilty about
Brave heart  - read 7-10 books for some reason feel guilty about

It's on you to decide what book guilt is! This is my first challenge, so I might be missing something.

I don't know if anyone else would join me, but knowing that I have posted this in a blog might just help me!

For more information and to sign-up, please see this post.

Mental Illness Advocacy (MIA) Reading Challenge

January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2013

About the Challenge:
I started the Mental Illness Advocacy (MIA) Reading Challenge in December 2010 in an effort to raise awareness, knowledge, and acceptance of mental illness.  Reading, both fiction and nonfiction, is an excellent way to broaden one’s horizons and expose one to new ideas and ways of thinking and being.  Many reading challenges already exist in the book blogging community to address racism, sexism, and homophobia, but I could not find any to address the stigma faced by those suffering from mental illness.  In spite of mental illnesses being recognized by the scientific community as diseases just like physical ones, many still think those suffering from one are at fault for their own suffering.  I hope reading and reviewing books featuring characters struggling to deal with mental illness, whether their own or another person’s, will help remove the stigma faced on a daily basis by those with a mental illness.  They already have to struggle with an illness; they shouldn’t have to face a stigma too.

Challenge Levels:
Acquainted–4 books
Aware–8 books
Advocate–12 books

Reading Suggestions:
I’ll be maintaining a listing here of books featuring characters with a mental illness depicted in a sympathetic light.  I do my best to organize the book by the main type of mental illness featured, although some feature more than one.

Reading list last updated on 12/22/12. Books reviewed after that date will be added to the list on the next page maintenance day.

Sign Up:
Please sign up for the 2013 challenge by commenting here with a link to your announcement post.  You may sign up at any point before the end of 2013!

Participant Reviews:
Participants, please plug in links to reviews completed for the challenge in the comments below. Thanks!

For more information and to sign-up, please see this post.