Book Challenges

This is just one small book shelf I have  - there are 6 full size bookcases throughout our house, plus at least 10 boxes of books in a closet (I have listed the books in the boxes now so that i at least know what's there!)

Now that I am starting my first full year of retirement, I decided that I will definitely read more. I wasn't planning on joining any book challenges, other than at Goodreads (100 books for the year). But the lure to tackle challenges was too great and I am signing on again to a number of book challenges. I did not do well last year - I fell a few short of my 50 books, but I put that down to not reading much through the first 6 months of the year while I was teaching.

I am hoping to read a fiction and a non-fiction each week through 2014. Many of these books are already on a list through the "Read the House Down Challenge" I began before Christmas. I will continue with this,  as well as :

100 Books in a Year

The challenge here, through"Book Chick City, is to read 100 fiction books a year.
Info from her blog:
Challenge Info

• Timeline: 01 Jan 2014 – 31 Dec 2014
• Rules: Read 100 books in 2014 (any genre)
• You don’t have to select your books ahead of time, you can just add them as you go. Also if you do list them upfront you can change them, nothing is set in stone! The books you choose can crossover into other challenges you have on the go.
• You can join at anytime. All books read in 2014 count towards the challenge regardless of when you sign up.
• Audiobooks are accepted.
• Only fiction, no non-fiction.
• This challenge can crossover with other challenges.

I will be reading at least 25 YA books this year and will add these to the total.

Non-Fiction

My goal is read at least 50 non-fiction books this year.(Master level!) Many of these are art books i want to work through (or finish)

Challenge info:

The Challenge:  Read any non-fiction book(s), adult or young adult. That's it. You can choose anything. Memoirs? Yes. History? Yes. Travel? Yes. You get the idea? Absolutely anything that is classified as non-fiction counts for this challenge.

I always like levels in my challenges, so here are mine:

Dilettante--Read 1-5 non-fiction books

Explorer--Read 6-10

Seeker--Read 11-15

Master--Read 16-20

This challenge will last from January 1 to December 31, 2014. You can sign up anytime throughout the year.

Crossovers with other challenges are acceptable, and feel free to read your books in any format you like.

TBR Pile Reading Challenge

This will work with "Read Down the House Challenge". I have already listed 26 books to read and will add more as I am able. I am aiming for the 41-50 level: Could This be Love

Challenge Info:

1. This challenge will run from Jan 1, 2014 - Dec 31, 2014.
2. Anyone can enter! You don't have to be a blogger, as long as you review the book you've read! (On your blog, Amazon, Random Buzzers or Goodreads/Shelfari!)
3. Any genre, length or format of book counts, as long as it is a book that's been sitting on your shelf for some time now. Short stories and novellas are OK, too! Only books released in 2013 and earlier! NO  2014 ARCs and 2014 fresh-off-the-press releases allowed!
4. You can list your books in advance or just put them in a wrap-up post. If you list them, feel free to change them as the mood takes you.
5. When you sign up in the linky, put the direct link to your post about joining the 2013 TBRPILE Reading Challenge. (If you don't have a blog, post about it on Facebook or Tweet!)
6. You can move up levels, but no moving down.
7. Sign-ups will be open until Dec 15, 2014, so feel free to join at any time throughout the year.
8. On the 20th of each month we will post a wrap-up post, here, on BOOKISH. Every wrap-up will have it's unique theme, a mini-challenge, a giveaway and place for you to link up your reviews from this month. For each review you link up, you will get one entry in a drawing of one book of choice from Book Depository. It's open to INTERNATIONALS. The giveaway will be open until the next wrap up post goes up! (i.e. the entire month)
9. If you miss a wrap-up post + giveaway, you can link up your reviews next month. Do not, however, try to link up one review twice - we will be checking ;) 
10. December is a wrap-up for the whole year. All the book reviews you linked up January-November + the ones you'll link up in December will be entered into a GRAND PRIZE giveaway. 
11. You don't have to follow Bookish Blog to join the challenge, but you do have to follow us to be entered in giveaways!       

Levels:

1-10 - A Firm Handshake
11-20 - A Friendly Hug
21-30 - First Kiss
31-40 - Sweet Summer Fling
41-50 - Could this be love?
50+ - Married With Children

Reading Outside the Box

This one sounds like a lot of fun. I will try to read from  between 8-10 categories.

Here are the Categories 

Classics are the new black – read a classic novel

It’s a serial thing – you’ve read the first in a series (or even three of them), it’s time to read another!

Lost in translation – time to read a book that was first written in another language and then translated.

It’s about time! – read a book that has been sitting on your shelf for at least two years! (and haven’t read it yet!)

By the numbers – read a book with a Number in the title

Weird Science! – read a book that features some form of science – and maybe discover an untapped passion.

I just love a good Duet – a book written by more than one author.

New Guy in Town – read a Debut book written by a new author.

Almost Human – read a book from the perspective of an animal – or an alien – or a robot! (at least feature an ‘almost human’)

Chunkster-time! – read a book that is longer 500 pages. (Time to dust off War and Peace)

Random Rescue – go to a used book store and RANDOMLY pick a book! (could even be from a grab-bag)

Under-Aged Writer – read a book by an author who is not yet 21. Here's a little help.

Time for exercise – read a book that is set in or around a sport or exercise activity (like yoga or baseball). This can be fiction or nonfiction!

Make-Believe - This category is just for YOU! (and anyone who wants to try it!) Here is your chance to let others know what would get you outside of your Comfort Zone!

Here are the levels

Choose your level – just how far out of the box do you want to go?

I’m a little Scared: 3-4 categories

It’s not so bad out here!:  5-7 categories

Look at me, outside my comfort zone!:  8-10 categories

Outside In!: 11-13 categories

No Box can Contain Me!: I did ALL 14!

This challenge will run from 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2014.    

1. Sign up any time.  However, sign-ups will close 1 December 2014

2. You cannot use any books or reading material that was read before 1 January 2014.

3. This year you can post at any time under the Category found below, but you must post a link to your review for it to count! If you don’t have a blog, be sure to link up the review you did in GoodReads, Amazon, Library Thing, etc. We need to read your review! 

4. Share the Love (PLEASE!?!) – Write your intentions on your blog, link back to this post, have the button on a side bar, so others will know what fun you are having, and they can have it too!

5.  You cannot use one book for multiple categories.  You can, however, read a book for this challenge and use it for another challenge.

6. Comment below with how comfortable you are of climbing out of your literary box!  BUT, don’t feel you have to be tied to that level! You are shy and want to start slowly but love the feeling of the air outside of where you are…go for it!  You thought you wouldn't be contained and think that the box is warm and comfy, that’s okay too!

 Everything YA reading Challenge

I will continue to read YA fiction as i believe the writing is so good. i am aiming for 25 YA books this year.

(at least 2 a month) 

 Challenge Details

How long will the challenge run?
The Challenge will run from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2014
Who can participate? 
Anyone can participate! As long as you can provide a link to an online shelf or blog page of where you will list the books you have read :) 
What are the rules to the challenge?

• Participants must create a shelf or a page to where they can list the books that they have read for the year. 
• Book must meet any of the sub- genres of the young adult category, whether it’s paranormal, romance, drama, contemporary, horror, etc. 
• Must be longer than 100 pages.
• The year of when the book was published does not matter. As long as you have read the book in 2014, it will be accepted. 
• TO THOSE WHO HAVE A BLOG, feel free to post up a review of each book that you have read for the challenge and provide a link please?? I would love to read it :) 
• All formats are acceptable (paperback, ARC, ebook, etc.)

Here's to an enjoyable and busy year of reading!