2010 Challenges

I haven't written a post yet this year stating how well I did on my personal challenge from last year (for reading 100 books). I was so close, yet so far... I ended up reading 99 and a half books for 2009. I knew on the last day that I wasn't going to finish the challenge (too much to do and not enough time to read), and mentioned this to several family members. They in turn suggested that I read a children's book just to make it happen. I figured that would be considered cheating... so I took the high road I guess and didn't finish the last book. I figure that now, I can look back on it and say that it was a trial run for one of the challenges that I joined this year...

The first challenge that I joined was J. Kaye's 2010 100+ Reading Challenge. I thought, after all, I had nearly made 100 books last year, why not try for the same this year?

I've currently read 3 books towards this challenge. Last year I was only 2 books in at this point in time. (I have a list from the last 2 years detailing dates and books read as well as a five star rating system. I just recently switched to blogging about the books that I have read.)

The second challenge to catch my eye was the Take Another Chance Challenge which is hosted by Jenner. I just re-read my earlier posting about the challenge and realized that I had only signed up for the Moderate Gamble stage. I thought I had signed up for Gambling It All and as such, devised a list of books to read for all twelve challenges. (I'll list all of the books at the end of this post as I have some that cross the different challenges).

I then came across yet another challenge, the 451 Challenge which is based on 451 Fridays and is hosted at As Usual, We Need More Bookshelves. This is the only challenge that ends November 30, 2010. (The rest end December 31, 2010).I joined at the Blaze level, so I'll hopefully be reading 7 books (or more). I saw several on this list that I had wanted to read, but had not gotten around to.

I did manage to find some books that I could use as "cross-over" books (which will definitely help!).

These are the only challenges that I have joined this year. I want to finish the challenges this year, so I haven't joined any others. ;)

Alright, so the books for the Take Another Chance Challenge are:

1. Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis (this coincides with the 451 Challenge as well as the all encompassing 2010 100+ Reading Challenge). It also is my "doppelganger" with C.L. matching my initials.
2. My Blogroll Roulette # found at random.org was #21 and at the time that number matched with Library Lounge Lizard and I will be reading Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick. (I have since added more blogs that I am following).
3. The next book was taken from Radcliffe's Rival 100 Best Novels List and is Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut.
4. This book I picked from the Pulitzer Prize winner list from 1991 and it is Rabbit At Rest by John Updike. (This book can also "cross-over" into the 451 Challenge).
5. I went to random.org again to get a random number, and received the number 5. My 5-word title is Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn.
6. The genre that I have not read before (and I have read pretty well everything, so this is one that I consider having read the least) is Local History: Ghost Towns of Ontario by Maria Da Silva.
7. The author or genre that I dislike the most is *gasp* Stephen King. I really detest the books of his that I have read, so in an effort to do this challenge I will be reading his latest book Under the Dome. (I absolutely hated Cell, among others...) Maybe I will break the prejudice, maybe I won't. This book will tell.
8. The next challenge on the list is "real and inspired". I will be reading Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice as well as Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith.
9. This challenge consists of same word, different book. I hope to re-read First Wizard's Rule by Terry Goodkind (I haven't read it in years) and I'd also like to read At First Sight by Nicholas Sparks.
10. In this next challenge, I need to assume the character from the book that I read and give the "behind the scenes" interview, or the "what happens next" interview. I haven't decided if I'm going to do Kristen Britain's Green Rider, or if I'm going to go with another personal favourite, Wit'ch Fire by James Clemens.
11. This challenge is a familial one. I will be reading Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, and one of Charlotte Bronte's books, most likely Jane Eyre as I haven't read that one either.
12. This last challenge is an anthology of sorts... I hope to read Eternal Kiss: 13 Vampire Tales of Blood and Desire. The author that I absolutely love who has a short story in this book is Kelley Armstrong. I hope to also read her book Living With the Dead.

I thought that I had chosen to do all of the challenges, so I picked books for all of them. I however only need to do 6, and if I'm feeling up to it, I will upgrade for sure!

The books that I have listed in the 451 Challenge are as follows:

1. Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
2. The Iliad by Homer
3. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
4. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
5. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
6. Rabbit At Rest by John Updike
7. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

That is my list so far. I hope that it doesn't change, and I hope that I can finish all of these books. There are some cross-overs, so I hope that that will help enable me to finish them all.

Take Another Chance Challenge

The Take Another Chance Challenge is hosted by Jenners at Find Your Next Book Here. I will be joining this challenge at the Moderate Gamble level.

The challenge will run from January 1, 2010 until December 31, 2010.

Here are the details from the challenge page:

A Small Gamble: Complete any 3 of the 12 challenges described below.
A Moderate Gamble: Complete any 6 of the 12 challenges described below.
Gambling It All: Complete all 12 of the challenges described below.

Challenge 1: Read Your Doppelganger (worth 1 entry)
Find an author who has either the same initials, the same first name, the same last name, or the exact same name as you. Read a book by this author and write a post about it. (If you try to keep your identity anonymous on your blog, you don't have to reveal what part of the author's name is the same as your name.)

Example: If your name is Susan Kasischke, you might read a book by Stephen King (same initials), Susan Donovan (same first name), Laura Kasischke (same last name) or Susan Kasischke (same exact name).

Challenge 2: Blogroll Roulette (worth 1 entry)
Find a blogroll at either your book blog or a book blog you like that has at least 15 book blogs on it. Go to Random.org and, using the True Random Number Generator, enter the number 1 for the min. and 15 for the max. and then hit generate. Then find the blog that is that number on the blogroll you selected. (For example, if you get 10 at Random.org, then count down the list of blogs until you get to the tenth one). Go to that blog and pick a book to read from the books that they have reviewed on their blog. Read it and write a post about it. Be sure to link to the blog post you picked the book from!

Challenge 3: 100 Best Book (worth 1 entry)
Choose one of the lists below and go to the link provided. Choose a book to read from the list that you haven't read before. Read the book and write about it.

* Radcliffe's Rival 100 Best Novels List
* Top 100 Sci-Fi Books
* 100 Best Romance Novels of the 20th Century
* 100 Best Mystery Novels
* 100 Best Non-Fiction Books (pick from either Board List or Reader List)
* 2009 Best Books for Young Adults

Challenge 4: Prize Winner Book (worth 1 entry)
Pick one of the major literary awards from the list below. Click on the link for the award you picked. You will find a brief description of the award and links to past winners. Pick one of the past winners, read the book and write about it.

* Booker Prize
* Caldecott Medal
* National Book Award
* National Book Critics Circle Award
* Newbery Medal
* Nobel Prize for Literature
* PEN/Faulkner Award
* Pulitzer Prize
* Commonwealth Writers' Prize
* EMMA Awards

Challenge 5: Title Word Count (worth 1 entry)
Go to Random.org and, using the True Random Number Generator, enter the numbers 1 for the min. and 5 for the max. and then hit generate. Find a book to read that has that number of words in the title. Read the book and write about it.

Example: If you get 1 for your number, read a book that has a one word title. If you get 2, read a book that has a two word title and so on and so forth.

Challenge 6: Genre Switch-Up (worth 1 entry)
Go to this list of book genres and pick a genre that you have NEVER read before. Find a book from that genre, read it, and write about it. Note: If you seriously cannot find a genre that you have never read, then pick the genre that is as far away from what you normally read.

Challenge 7: Break A Prejudice (worth 1 entry)
We all have reading prejudices--authors we don't like, genres we don't like, or even publishers we don't like. For this challenge, think of a reading prejudice you have and then find a book that is an example of this type of book. Read the book and then write about the reading prejudice you had BEFORE you read the book and how reading the book either changed your prejudice or reinforced it.

Examples: I always say I can't stand James Patterson; therefore, I might read a James Patterson book for this challenge. Or, if you sneer at "chick lit" books, you might read a "chick lit" book. Or, if you think books published by Harlequin are pure drivel, you might read a book published by Harlequin. If you turn up your nose at the Twilight books, then you might read one of the Twilight books.

Challenge 8: Real and Inspired (worth 2 entries)
Many authors or books inspire others to pay homage to them by writing another book inspired by the original work. For this challenge, read both an original work and a book inspired by that original work. Write about both books in one post. Note: This might require some research on your part and requires reading two books so it worth 2 entries.

Examples: Christopher Moore's Fool is based on Shakespeare's play King Lear so I plan on reading both King Lear and Fool. Another example is Jane Austen, who inspired the book Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. For this challenge, you might read both Pride and Prejudice and the zombie version. (There are tons of other Austen-inspired books out there too.) Another idea would be a graphic novel version of a "standard" novel. The only real requirement is that the "inspired by" book must clearly state what original work inspired it.

Challenge 9: Same Word, Different Book (worth 2 entries)
Find two books that have the same word in the title. Read both books and write about them. (Worth 2 entries because you have to read two books).

Example: If you pick the word "Love," you could read any two books that both have Love in the title. To help you find books that have the same word, you could go to Amazon.com, type a word into the Search box and see what books come up with that word.

Challenge 10: Become A Character (worth 2 entries)
For this challenge, you can read any book you want. However, you have to write about the book as one of the characters from the book. The character can comment on his/her treatment by the author, other characters, the "untold story," what happened next, and so forth. You could even have two characters interviewing each other! Your imagination is the only limit. Because of the difficulty level of this challenge, it is worth two entries.

Challenge 11: All in the Family (worth 2 entries)
The writing gene often runs in the family. For this challenge, you need to find two authors from the same family (either by blood or by marriage) and read a book by each of the authors and then write about both books. Because of the research involved and having to read two books, this challenge is worth two entries.

Examples: The Bronte sisters; Stephen King and his wife Tabitha OR his son Joe Hill; Jonathan Kellerman (husband) and Faye Kellerman (wife); Michael Chabon (husband) and Ayelet Waldman (wife); Joan Didion (wife) and John Gregory Dunne (husband); Mary Higgins Clark (mother) and Carol Higgins Clark (daughter)

Challenge 12: Author Anthology Pick (worth 2 entries)
Find an anthology of your choice. Read at least 5 entries in the anthology. Of the 5 entries you've read, pick your favorite one and then find a book by that writer and read it. (If your first choice doesn't have a book, then pick your next favorite until you find a writer that has a book.) Write about the anthology, your favorite pick from the anthology, and the book you read by your favorite pick. Because of having to obtain and read two books, this challenge is worth two entries. Thanks to J.T. Oldfield at Bibliofreak who partially inspired this challenge.

Example: If you choose a poetry anthology, you would at least 5 different poems, pick your favorite, and then seek out a book of poetry by that poet. If you read a short story anthology, you would read at least 5 different short stories, pick your favorite, and then seek out either a novel or another book of short stories by that writer.