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Rock Creek Rumblings' Spring Reading Challenge officially begins today. Here is the link to the sign-up post. (Also where the rules are to be found.) This one is simple. Make a list of books to read in the months of March, April, and May. Post a link of your list (and your intentions of reading said list) in the comments of that post. I'm hoping to read at least eight of the following. (If 8 is the # I achieve, I'll be pleased. If more, great. If less, I'll be disappointed.)

Diary of A Young Girl by Anne Frank
I Have Lived A Thousand Years by Livia Bitton Jackson
The Cage by Ruth Minsky Sender
In My Hands by Irene Gut Opdyke
Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
London by Edward Rutherfurd
I, Claudius by Robert Graves. (Will be participating in a group read led by Bookshelves of Doom. Starts Monday.)
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen (Will be a group read for March If you're interested please visit Becky's Online Reading Group. Discussion for this one starts on Monday. )
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson (Will be a group read for April. If you're interested please visit Becky's Online Reading Group.)
Looking For Alaska by John Green. (Will be a group read for April. If you're interested please visit Becky's Online Reading Group.)
Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer. (Will be a group read for May. If you're interested please visit Becky's Online Reading Group.)
Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary
Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary
Ramona the Brave by Beverly Cleary
Ramona and Her Father by Beverly Cleary
Ramona and Her Mother by Beverly Cleary
Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary
Ramona Forever by Beverly Cleary
Ramona's World by Beverly Cleary
A Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis
The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis
The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring by Tolkien
LOTR: The Two Towers by Tolkien
LOTR: Return of the King by Tolkien
Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card
Xenocide by Orson Scott Card
Enchantment by Orson Scott Card
Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce
Seeing Redd by Frank Beddor
Princess Ben by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Dragon Flight by Jessica Day George
Schindler’s List by Thomas Keneally
The Hawk That Dare Not Hunt by Day by Scott O'Dell

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The 100+ Reading Challenge has its own blog, its own yahoo group, and its own shelfari group. The goal is to read 100 or more books in a given year.

This one is so compatible with other challenges and my own reading habits in general, that I'd be crazy not to join in.

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Alyssa of The Shady Glade is hosting a reading challenge. It runs from whenever you sign up (that would be January 23rd for me) until April 20th 2008.

I am copying the rules directly from her site. I hope she doesn't mind. If I don't copy the rules, I have a tendency to forget them and get all flustered later on. A flustered Becky is not a happy one.

You can overlap with other challenges. (Which is a VERY good thing.)

You must read at least one book that covers each of these 9 categories:

• Contemporary/Realistic Fiction
• Poetry, Drama, or Humor (any of these will work)
• Sports, Mystery, Supernatural/Paranormal (any of these will work)
• Fantasy or Science Fiction
• Historical Fiction
• Nonfiction
• Classic “juvenile” fiction (first published pre-1920)
• Graphic Novel
• Audiobook

There can be overlap between categories. For example, if you read a graphic novel that’s fantasy, then it counts for both. Or maybe your audio book is historical fiction. You get the idea. So you may have 9 books on your list, you may not.

Only 1 book per author is allowed. This means once you’ve read something by that author, you can’t read another book by the same author.

I don't have a list yet. I'm not really worried about making one. I will choose which books go for this challenge as I go.

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I'm hosting this one at the request of another blogger who is unable to host at this time. The rules--if you can call them rules--are my own, however.

Heart of a Child Challenge

How many? Read 3 to 6 books
When? from February 1, 2008 to July 14, 2008
What? Books and authors that you discovered, loved, or adored as a child. How am I defining "child"--I'll be generous. Anything and everything that you read through the age of 18 would qualify.
Why? Because sometimes it's fun to reread books and see if they still hold the same "magic."

To sign up, simply leave a comment on this post.

Further rules:

You DO NOT have to have a list.
You may overlap books with other challenges. I'd actually encourage you to overlap books with other challenges.
You may use audio books for this challenge.
You DO NOT have to have a blog in order to participate.
You will be expected to comment occasionally on your progress. I'll be posting update posts once a month or once every six weeks between February 1rst and July 14th.
Comments are meant to be friendly and chatty. Just be yourself. This is nothing to stress about.
All books must be rereads.
It is your choice entirely if you want to focus on picture books, chapter books, or longer novels. If you read adult books as a teen, then those books would qualify as well.
This challenge is all about YOU discovering how much you've changed, and how much you're still the same.

What will I be reading? Primarily, I hope to read the Ramona books by Beverly Cleary; The Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder; The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis; The Anne books by L.M. Montgomery. Christy by Catherine Marshall might prove fun. And Mandy by Julie Edwards. And I would love, love, love to revisit the Sunfire Romance series. And maybe just maybe Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell. I doubt I'll read all of them by July 14th. I KNOW I can't read them all by July 14th. But these books are all books I'd like to read throughout the whole year.

Participants so far:

Sharon G. (NovelChallenge Group)

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The Margaret A. Edwards award is awarded each year to an author who makes a lasting contribution in the field of young adult literature. Instead of honoring one book, the award seeks to acknowledge a lifetime's worth of work.

For this challenge, I'm asking people to read 3-5 books by any of the award-winning authors.

2008, Orson Scott Card
2007, Lois Lowry
2006, Jacqueline Woodson
2005, Francesca Lia Block
2004, Ursula K. Le Guin
2003, Nancy Garden
2002, Paul Zindel
2001, Robert Lipsyte
2000, Chris Crutcher
1999, Anne McCaffrey
1998, Madeleine L'Engle
1997, Gary Paulsen
1996, Judy Blume
1995, Cynthia Voigt
1994, Walter Dean Myers
1993, M.E. Kerr
1992, Lois Duncan
1991, Robert Cormier
1990, Richard Peck
1988, S.E. Hinton

The time frame for this mini-challenge? February 1, 2008 - June 1, 2008.
Lists? Well, you can make a list of 'official' and 'alternate' books IF you want. Or you can just decide as you go. I know *many* people (myself included) have a hard time following lists even if we enjoy making them at the time. I also know many people rely on the library for their selections. And I *know* it is hard to predict just what will be on the shelves at your local library. So keep it simple.

I would encourage everyone to read The Giver by Lois Lowry if you haven't already done so. And of course, I'll be pushing folks to read Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. (But it is by NO means a requirement for signing up.)
There are so many great authors on this list, and so many books. If you're like me, you've probably heard of quite a few of them, but never quite found the time to read some of these.

Edited to add: As far as authors go, I don't care if you want to read three (or five) different authors to add variety. Or three (or five) books by the same author. Split up your reading list however you want. (2 by Lowry, 1 by Peck, 1 by Card for example) In other words if you wanted to make this the "read 5 Judy Blume books" challenge, you have my okay.

Edited to also add: Overlapping with other challenges is fine. I don't have a problem with it. And for the record, you could also LISTEN to audio books if you would like.

To sign up, leave a comment. I'll add you to this post as a participant. (A blog is NOT required.)

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Here Be Dragons a 2008 Book Challenge hosted by Stray Talk.

What? Read 3-5 books featuring dragons.

When? 1st of January to 30th of June, 2008

To sign up yourself, visit her site.

These are the ones I'm considering. I'll probably only get to three. But you never know....number four and five could slip in there before the deadline.

Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George
Dragon Flight by Jessica Day George (I'd love a review copy of this!)
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Dragonhaven by Robin McKinley
Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis
Neverending Story by Michael Ende
Three Tales of My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett
The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien

Simple question, don't laugh....does Lord of the Rings have dragons???? I've only seen the movies and am wanting to read the books. So if you know...please let me know.

I'm also open to suggestion on other titles.

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Becky's Scary But True
Challenges "in" 2008

For links to challenge hosts look in my sidebar. I have one called "Challenges I'm Hosting in 2008" and another a bit further down called "Challenges."

1) Seafaring Challenge
host: I Heart Paperbacks
dates: November 1 - January 31
books required: 4

2) Four-Legged Friends Challenge
host: Written World (Kailana)
dates: September 20th - February 26, 2008
books required: participant decides

3) The Sci-Fi Experience
host: Stainless Steel Droppings
date: January 1- February 29th
books required: participant decides

4) Winter Reading Challenge
host: Rock Creek Rumblings
date: December 3 - February 29th
books required: participant decides

5) Hometown Reading Challenge
host: Callista
date: November 1 - March 1
books required: 1

6) Winter Reading Challenge (Inksplasher)
host: Inksplasher
date: December 22nd to March 19th
books required: participant decides

7) Zora Neale Hurston Mini-Challenge
host: Becky's Book Reviews
date: January 1- March 31rst
books required 1

8) Speculative Fiction
host: Book Ninja
date: October - April 1
books required: 6

9) Jewish Literature Challenge
host: Callista (also has own site)
date: December 4- April 26
books required: participant decides

10) Royalty Rules Reading Challenge
host: Magic of Ink
dates: February 1-April 30th
books required: 2

11) Expanding Horizons Challenge
host: Book Nut
dates: January 1 - April 30
books required (4-6)

12) Series Challenge
host: Crazy Cozy Murders
dates: December 1 - May 31rst
books required: participant decides

13) Book Awards Challenge
host: has its own site
dates: July 1- June 30, 2008
books required: 12

14) Themed Reading Challenge
host: Caribousmom
dates: January 1- June 30th
books required: 4

15) Chunkster Challenge
host: So Many Books, So Little Time
dates: January 7th- December 20th
books required: 4

16) Triple-8 Challenge
host: own website
dates: all of 2008
books required: 64 (or is it 56?)

17) Short Story Challenge
host: Kate's Book Blog
dates: all of 2008
books required: participant decides

18) The A to Z Challenge for 2008
host: Thoughts for Joy
dates: all of 2008
books required: 52

19) Mythopoeic Award
host: Foxy writer
dates: all of 2008
books required: 7

20) Nineteenth Century Women Writers
host: Becky's Book Reviews
dates: all of 2008
books required: 4-6

21) 2008 TBR Challenge
host: Mizbooks
dates: all of 2008
books required: 12

22) Printz Award Challenge
host: Hidden Side of A Leaf
dates: all of 2008
books required: 12

23) Inklings Mini-Challenge
host: Becky's Book Reviews
dates: all of 2008
books required: 4

24) Young Readers Challenge
host: Becky's Book REviews (well, really Young REaders site)
dates: all of 2008
books required: 12

25) Austen Mini-Challenge
host: Becky's Book REviews
dates: all of 2008
books required: 2

26) Romance Reading Challenge
host: The Bookworm
dates: all of 2008
books required: 5

27) Young Adult Challenge
host: Thoughts of Joy
dates: all of 2008
books required: 12

28) By the Decades 2008
host: 3M
dates: all of 2008
books required: 8

29) Back to History Challenge:
host: own site
dates: all of 2008
books required: 12

30) In Their Shoes Reading Challenge
host: own site
dates: all of 2008
books required: participant decides

31) Celebrate the Author Challenge
host: Becky's Book Reviews
dates: all of 2008
books required: 12

32) Cardathon Challenge
host: me (but has its own site)
dates: all of 2008
books required: participant decides

33) First in A Series
host: Thoughts of Joy
dates: all of 2008
books required: 12

What is "scary" about this list? Well, there's the obvious reasoning that it's 33 CHALLENGES. It is only January 9th, and I'm signed up for 33 Challenges. And then there is the less-obvious but nevertheless true fact that I will probably join even more challenges as the year progresses!!! And then there is the distinct possibility (almost a promise) that I will want to HOST more challenges later in the year. :)

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The Magic of Ink is hosting a reading challenge from February 1rst through April 30th 2008. It is called Royalty Rules. Here are the rules for the challenge:

Rules: Read two, three, or four books of whatever genre you choose, whether you want to read about historical kings, modern queens, or fairytale princesses. The only parameter is that the books have are about a royal personage, although not necessarily as the main character. It’s perfectly all right if you want to read a book about, say, the queen’s lady-in-waiting, as long as the story incorporates the rise and/or fall of a crowned head, or a sovereign’s entire life.

I'm thinking for my list to read at least two of the following:

Enchantment by Orson Scott Card
Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunch (I'd love, love, love to receive a review copy of this!!!)
Princess Ben by Catherine Murdock (I'd love, love, love to receive a review copy of this one as well!!!)
Seeing Redd by Frank Beddor
The Lost Queen by Frewin Jones

I'd be especially interested in reading any new-ish (2007, 2008) children and YA books. Particularly novel adaptations of fairy tale princesses (princes, kings, queens, etc.)

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Dana at So Many Books, So Little Time is hosting the 2008 Chunkster Challenge. You can read all about it on her site. But I thought I would post the rules here as well. I like to be able to reference them quickly, you know :) You almost have to when you're as obsessed or crazy as I am.

So here are the rules:

To qualify the book must be 450 pps regular type OR 750 pps large text.

You must read FOUR chunksters (one each quarter), you OBVIOUSLY may read more

The Challenge will run Jan 7th, 2008 - Dec 20th, 2008 (the only chunky thing occupying my mind over Christmas is ME! AND I am using my foresight remembering my inbox on Dec 31st/ Jan 1 of THIS year when all the challenges ended). BUT any chunkster started after Jan 1 qualifies.

OH THERE WILL BE PRIZES - one a quarter. Prizes to be determined later ( so making the rules on the fly here, peeps). Think small and fun, not big and chunky.

Sharing reviews mandatory, format still to be determined.

Join by leaving me a WEE comment. I will work on a list of active participants to be shared here. There is a sign-up deadline of March 1st, so tell your friends and neighbors but only until then.

Here are the books on my list that I'd like to read

The Lord of the Rings trilogy (all three books count as one) by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Chronicles of Narnia (all seven books count as one) by C.S. Lewis
Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell
The Once and Future King by T.H. White
Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray

Others I may read instead or in addition include:

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Vilette by Charlotte Bronte
Middlemarch by George Eliot
Mill on the Floss by George Eliot
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
Possession by A.S. Byatt
The Count of Monte Cristo, unabridged in 2 volumes by Alexandre Dumas
Christy by Catherine Marshall
Savannah by Eugenia Price
To See Your Face Again by Eugenia Price
Before the Darkness Falls by Eugenia Price
Stranger in Savannah by Eugenia Price

The chances of me reading all of these is very slim indeed. But the possibility of me switching out books is probable. Thus the listing of alternates. I might add a few more as the months go by. I'm thinking Stephenie Meyer will be releasing Breaking Dawn sometime in the summer/fall. And that one is bound to be over 450 pages.

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A new challenge for 2008. Like I needed another one, right? Well, I just can't say no. And this one should be quite fun. The host is Kate of Kate's Book Blog. The challenge is The Short Story Reading Challenge. She lists five options for participants to choose from--ranging in commitment and flexibility. I'm going for option five. "Option 5: This is the custom option under the rubric of which you can tailor your reading list to best meet your personal reading aspirations. You might wish to craft a list that focuses on a particular place, or era, or genre."

I plan on reading a mix of individual short stories and short story collections. Zora Neale Hurston, for example, wrote many short stories. I'd love to read those. And Kate Chopin. And I'd love, love, love to read some Dorothy Parker. And this would be a great time to read some more Ray Bradbury. Even Orson Scott Card has a collection of short stories. And I bet they'd be other science-fiction collections as well. If memory serves me, H.G. Wells wrote short stories too. This is going to be me so much fun!!! I don't know how many or which authors yet. But I'll commit to at least twelve of something. (It could be, for example, four short story collections and eight individual stories.) Anyway, I'm very very happy to have stumbled across this challenge.

The challenge has its own website here.

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Joy of Thoughts of Joy is hosting the A to Z Challenge. It is to read A to Z authors AND A to Z titles. She writes, "All that's required is that you align the author's last name or the title of a book (excluding "the", "a", etc.) with its corresponding letter in the alphabet. Each author and title entry must be a different book. I will be working on both the author and title lists at the same time; however, you may complete the alphabet lists anyway that suits your fancy. The challenge last throughout the 2008 year."

Your books can overlap with other challenges. So that is GREAT incentive for me. I'm not sure which titles I'll read yet. But I'm sure I'll have fun as I go.

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Foxy writer is hosting the Mythopoeic Award Challenge in 2008. It lasts all twelve months. The goal is to read seven books that won the Mythopoeic Award. You can find the list of award winners here. And a list of finalists here. I'm not sure if finalists count or not. Which is why I haven't committed yet. I haven't found seven award-winners that I'm oh-so-excited-that-I'm-ready-to-commit-to yet but broadening it to finalists too, and I think I could find enough.

The challenge is to read seven books between JANUARY 1ST 2008 to DECEMBER 31ST 2008 from the list of Mythopoeic Award Winners. (See? All kinds of brilliant Fantasy books to choose from!) Here are the rules:

1. Choose seven books from the list of Mythopoeic Award Winners.
2. Anything on the list is fair game, fiction or non-fiction.
3. Post a link to your list in the comments of this post (if you don’t have a website, post your list in the comments.)
4. Somewhere in your post, link back to this challenge post. (permalink)
5. Read the books between January 1st, 2008 and December 31st, 2008.
6. You may start anytime in 2008, but you must finish by the end of December 31st, 2008.
7. You may combine this challenge with other challenges.

Here is my potential list and alternates:

Martine Leavitt, Keturah and Lord Death (2007 Nominee, Children)
Catherine Fisher, Corbenic (2007 Award Winner, Children)
Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer (2005 Nominee, Children)
The Abhorsen Trilogy (Sabriel, Lirael, and Abhorsen) by Garth Nix (2005 Nominee, Children)
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke (2005 Adult Award Winner) (Maybe the library rush will be over sometime next year and I can finally get my hands on it...)
The Hollow Kingdom by Clare B. Dunkle (2004 Children, Award Winner)
American Gods by Neil Gaiman (2002 Adult Nominee)
Beast by Donna Jo Napoli (2001 Children Nominee)
Skellig by David Almond (2000 Children Nominee)
Stardust by Neil Gaiman (1999 Adult Winner)
Rose Daughter by Robin McKinley (1998 Children Nominee)
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman (1998 Adult Nominee)
Seventh Son by Orson Scott Card (1988 Winner)
Red Prophet by Orson Scott Card (1989 Nominee)
Prentice Alvin by Orson Scott Card (1990 Nominee)

Those are the titles that are coming to me at the moment. But I really need to regroup and refocus to see how many of these would be eligible for the Cardathon. If OSC is recommending any of these authors and titles, then maybe I need to consider expanding my reading. One thing is clear--I want to read more--I need to read more Gaiman this year.

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I Heart Paperbacks is hosting a challenge, the Seafaring Challenge. The challenge officially starts November 1, 2007 and runs through January 31rst. The basic criteria for a challenge book is simply this: it must feature something nautical. See the site for official rules and suggestions. The site to post links to reviews is here.

So far I've read:

The Redemption by M.L Tyndall
Peter and the Secret of Rundoon by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson

To successfully finish the challenge with my stated goal of reaching admiral, I need to read two more books.

I am a little over halfway through Swiss Family Robinson by Johann Wyss

Which leaves me one book short....I'm not sure what I'll read yet but here are some possibilities:

The Reliance by M.L. Tyndall
The Restitution by M.L. Tyndall
Beloved Castaway by Kathleen Y'Barbo
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi
Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis

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Carl from Stainless Steel Droppings is hosting an experience this January and February. He clearly points out that it is not a challenge per se, more of an experience. There are no required number of books. The goal is to have fun and to read books. For those that are intimidated perhaps by reading challenges and feeling that there is a "have" or "must" about them--it's a good distinction. I read his description--although Carl might disagree--and think of it as taking a class without receiving a grade. For the record, I'm still planning on counting this one as a "challenge" in my reckoning. Because I belong to a group that keeps track of how many challenges per year you participate in and complete. It's all fun. I don't take the numbers too seriously, after all, but I like the challenge of being challenged. Read all about the sci-fi experience here. Read the sci-fi experience reviews here.

I plan on reading some Orson Scott Card. An obvious choice for me since not only do I love him, but the Cardathon challenge officially begins January 1rst. I may (may being the key word) read C.S. Lewis' sci-fi trilogy. I'd like to perhaps read some Asimov as well. But I may be too busy to squeeze that in. If you have suggestions, ideas for books--titles and/or authors--please suggest away. My familiarity with the genre really goes no further than OSC and a few H.G. Wells and Ray Bradbury's Martian Chronicles.

The experience goes from January 1 to February 29th.

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Read 1 to 3 books by Zora Neale Hurston. (It really is fine just to read one.)
This mini-challenge runs from January 1, 2008 to March 31, 2008.
This challenge would go great with those in Melissa's Expanding Horizons challenge.
To sign up for this challenge just leave a comment on this post...

Here are some of the options available:




http://www.zoranealehurston.com/



Any book by or about Zora Neale Hurston will qualify for the challenge.

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Okay, okay. I shouldn't really be thinking about hosting another challenge. But sometimes I just can't resist. This one will focus on--you guessed it--Women Writers who were writing in the nineteenth century. 1800-1899. (Or if you prefer 1801-1900). Any nationality. Any genre. British. American. Canadian. Etc. Poetry. Nonfiction. (Yes, essays count.) Fiction--whether short stories or novels. The author qualifies as long as they were female and writing at some time in those hundred years. (Note: If it was written during this time, but not published until after the author's death, it still counts for this challenge. If it was written before this time period (for example, 1700-1800) but first published within this time period (1800-1900), then I say it still counts. However, if the author was merely born in this time period but didn't write or publish anything until the next century, I say it doesn't count. And I'm willing to look the other way if you've got a book that you've been wanting to read that let's say was published in 1798 or 1902. But that's about as far as I'll go--two years in either direction.)

To sign up simply leave a comment.

You can find a long list of examples at A Celebration of Women Writers. There are also website specializing in particular periods (Victorian, for example) or specializing in nationality (British, for example). Or specializing in a particular author or family of authors (Bronte sisters, for example). I also know there is a great site that documents the American South. Fiction. Nonfiction. Both sides.

Other sites you might find helpful:

About site on Women Writers 1801-1900
African American Women Writers of the 19th Century
Domestic Goddesses: AKA Scribbling Women
A Celebration of Women Writers

The challenge will last all of 2008. But don't feel the need to stretch your reading out for all twelve months. Read what you want, when you want. How many books am I asking? I'd strongly suggest six books. But if you can only squeeze in four, I'll allow it. 6 Books, 12 Months. Overlaps with other challenges encouraged. (For example, 2 of your 6 can be titles you're reading for the Jane-Austen Mini-Challenge I'm hosting.)

Examples: Louisa May Alcott, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, George Eliot, Emily Dickinson, Jane Austen, all of the Bronte sisters, Elizabeth Gaskell, Kate Chopin, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, etc. I'm sure I'm missing some biggies...but that's what I can think of off the top of my head.

What about poetry? What about short stories? If you choose a poet, then please review at least several poems or a whole collection of poems to review. If there is only one poem by that author that is available, then you may count it. (But try not to let this challenge just be reviewing six individual poems.) Short stories? Again, if there is a collection of short stories available by a particular author, review at least several of them and have them count as one.

What about biographies? If you want to read a biography of an author of this time period, then that works for me. Try to keep it balanced. If you go that route, maybe keep it three biographies and three actual works (novels, poetry collections, short story collections, autobiographies, essays, travel journals, letters, diaries etc.) by a qualifying author.

Becky's List (Of The Moment...You know how often I change my mind...)

At least 2 books by Jane Austen
At least 2 books by one or more Brontes
The Awakening and Other Stories by Kate Chopin
1 book by George Eliot (Middlemarch? Mill on the Floss? Something else...???)
or
Perhaps a poetry collection of Emily Dickinson???

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I have many challenges I'm hosting for 2008. I finally *figured* out how to make buttons. So here they are...Young Readers Challenge, the Cardathon Challenge, and the Celebrate the Author Challenge.

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I haven't mentioned lately that I have joined the Series Challenge. I remember talking about it in August or maybe September. But not lately. So it has just begun. I think it started December 1. I saw that it had started. And I began each day thinking that I'd type something up. But well, you see how far that got me. So what books am I going to be reading?

Well, I know the Lord of the Rings/Hobbit stuff by Tolkien. I know the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. I'm hoping for all of the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. All the Anne books by L.M. Montgomery. All the Ramona books by Beverly Cleary.

That's more than enough books to choose from in my reading. I don't think I can get to all of them before the challenge is up, but I'll probably get to some of them anyway. :)

December 1, 2007 through May 31, 2008

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Some of you may be shaking your heads and thinking, "What on earth is Becky doing joining another challenge when she has so so so so so much to do????" My answer, well, I'm going to be reading these books anyway, I might as well lump them together and say they're challenge reads. (The challenge goes through February)

As some of you (or most of you) may know I'm involved in the Cybils. I'm on the nominating panel in the YA category. There are 123 books nominated. I've read about 42-44 somewhere in there. While, I don't see myself getting to all of them by the deadline. (Our top ten lists are due in just two weeks. And our big, big deadline is December 28th). I would like to read most of them whenever I can. So heavy in December, with a few coming in the later months perhaps. Some of these depend on whether publishers send review copies.

I will be trying to choose books ONLY from this list. Essentially, if the book isn't on this list, it isn't going to get read in the month of December. I might squeeze in a few picture books now and then. But if it's a novel, it has to be from this list.

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The rules come straight from Dewey at The Hidden Side Of A Leaf who is hosting this challenge:

To participate in the Printz Award Challenge, choose 6 books that have won the Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature OR one of the Honor books. The challenge runs from January 2008 to December 2008. When you’ve posted your list, please leave the link to your post in the comments.

Here is a list of all the award winners and honor books since 2000. The award hasn’t been around very long, but since each year has several honor books, you should find plenty to choose from.

My list includes

1. Either the 2008 Winner or one the 2008 honor books if I haven't already read them...
2. An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
3. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
4. Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison
5. Fat Kid Rules the World by K.L. Going
6. A Wreath for Emmett Till by Marilyn Nelson

Alternates

1. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
2. Airborn by Kenneth Oppel
3. The First Part Last by Angela Johnson
4. Postcards from No Man's Land by Aidan Chambers
5. Monster by Walter Dean Myers

It goes from January 2008-December 2008

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The Inklings Challenge

January 2008-December 2008

Options: Read two C.S. Lewis books (fiction or nonfiction) and/or watch films based on his life or his works. In addition, read two books by J.R.R. Tolkien and/or watch films based on his works. Biographies of the two men would also work. Also reading the two books by James A. Owen that feature these two as fictional characters would work. The books are Here There Be Dragons and Search for Red Dragon.

Exceptions: If you're interested in reading one but not both of the authors (say Lewis but no Tolkien OR Tolkien but no Lewis), I'm willing to allow a few substitutions. One exception, as noted above, is to read the two books by James A. Owen. I've read the first one and loved it. The second one is coming out in January. They're YA books, and they read really quickly. But there is a second option. The challenge is to read 4 books. So if you like you may read 4 books by Tolkien OR 4 Books by C.S. Lewis.

These exceptions weren't noted in the first post I had written about the challenge. But I've heard feedback saying, "if only"... and... "but"... more than a few times...so there you have it the new and revised rules of the Inklings Challenge.

To sign up for this challenge post a comment to this posting OR post a comment to the original posting. You may join this challenge late. I don't see any reason why it couldn't remain open for newcomers to join until September or October 2008.


Participants:

Amy from The Sleepy Reader
Chris from Stuff As Dreams Are Made On
Ex Libris
3M from 1MoreChapter
Debi from Nothing Of Importance
Debbi from My Reading Spot
Ladytink from The Movieholic & Bibliophile's Blog
Maybe Kate? (She didn't specify Austen or Inkling or both)
Angliophile Football Fanatic
Juliette
NSR (?)
Lindy (?)

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Here is my list for the Unread Authors Challenge. It ends in February 2008.

1. Tamar by Mal Peet
2. Total Constant Order by Crissa Jean Chappell
3. Before, After, and Somebody In Between by Jeannine Garsee
4. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
5. Dragon's Keep by Janet Lee Carey
6. Does My Head Look Big In This by Randa Abdel-Fattah

Alternates

1. Dracula by Bram Stoker
2. Leonardo's Shadow by Christopher Grey
3. The Book of Time by Guillaume Prevost
4. Song of the Sparrow by Lisa Ann Sandell
5. A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban
6. Memoirs of A Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin

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This challenge was to read three books that have been made into movies. I read six. So even though this one isn't over quite yet. (It ends December 1rst.) I'm declaring myself done. I read three children's books, and three adult books. Overall, I must say I really enjoyed this one.

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Babe by Dick King-Smith
Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne

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Below is my original list. I've linked to the ones I've completed. The challenge ends June 30, 2008. So I've got plenty of time to finish the remaining books. Twelve are required. Six are finished. So I'm halfway through this one!

1. Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card (Alex Awards, 2000)
2. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (Hugo, 1986; Nebula, 1985)
3. Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card (Hugo, 1987; Nebula, 1986)
4. The Life and Death of Adolf Hitler by James Cross Giblin (Robert F. Sibert Medal, 2003)
5. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee (Pulitzer, 1961)
6. Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell (Pulitzer, 1937)
7.Possession: A Romance by A.S. Byatt (Booker Prize, 1990)
8. A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck (Newbery, 2001)
9. The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo (Newbery, 2004)
10. Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech (Newbery, 1995)
11. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry (Newbery, 1990)
12. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle (Newbery, 1963)


Alternates

1. Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi (Newbery, 2003)
2. Holes by Lois Sachar (Newbery, 1999)
3. Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse (Newbery, 1998)
4. Missing May by Cynthia Rylant (Newbery, 1993)
5. Dicey's Song by Cynthia Voigt (Newbery (1983)
6. The Curious Incident of the Dog In the Night-Time (Costa/Whitbread, 2003)

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I am hosting another 2008 challenge. This one is hosted at my YOUNG READERS site/blog. To join please visit this post and sign up via Mr. Linky OR through the comments if Mr. Linky should happen to not be working. A blog is NOT a requirement. You can post your interest and later on your list in the comments.

This challenge is for those interested in reading more children's literature. (From board books, novelty books like bath, shape, or pop-up, picture books, early readers, chapter books, etc.) Think of this as referring to the "E" (Easy) and "J" (Juvenile or Junior) sections of the library. The challenge will go from January to December 2008. Any books written for the 12 and under crowd. (Interested in reading books for the 13+ crowd? Then join the Young Adult challenge.)

Choose 12 or more books for the challenge. You can choose with a theme--Calecott winners and honor books OR perhaps Coretta Scott King Award winners and honor books. (And there are always the Newbery books to consider. Though there are plenty of challenges to indulge that interest.) Or not. You could choose a handful of authors to focus on--Laura Ingalls Wilder, A.A. Milne, C.S. Lewis, E.B. White, etc. And read a few books by each. Or you could read twelve books by the same author--like all Beverly Cleary or all Judy Blume or all Barbara Parks. You might want to read twelve books about horses or dogs or elephants. Or you might want to read twelve books in a series. Or twelve fairy-tale related books. You could even get elaborate and read 26 books A-to-Z. Choose what you like. Choose as you go. Or plan it all out now. Whatever you want.

This would be a great challenge to join with your kids. You can read aloud to them. Or for older children, you can read a book together and take turns.

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