Monday, December 29, 2008

2009 Reading Challenges

So last year I unofficially did one reading challenge - the Chunkster Challenge, which asked that you read 4 books of more than 450 pages. I read 34. Heh.

This year, I think I'm going to officially sign up for some challenges, which I can do with the books on Mount TBR. The books I'm thinking about reading are in italics, the books I have read are in bold (once I read them in 2009, naturally).

Read Your Name Challenge

V- Valiant by Holly Black
A - The Aware by Glenda Larke
N - Nick of Time by Ted Bell
E - The Empire of Ice Cream by Jeffrey Ford
S - The Skystone by Jack Whyte
S - The Singing Sword by Jack Whyte
A - The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl by Barry Lyga

Once I'm through Vanessa, I may move on to my middle or last name, or even my screen name. :D

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The What's In A Name Challenge

*The Challenge: Choose one book from each of the following categories.

1. A book with a "profession" in its title.
Why Shoot a Butler? by Georgette Heyer

2. A book with a "time of day" in its title.
Master of the Night by Angela Knight

3. A book with a "relative" in its title.
Prospero's Children by Jan Siegel

4. A book with a "body part" in its title.
Jimmy the Hand by Raymond E. Feist

5. A book with a "building" in its title.
The Battle for the Castle by Elizabeth Winthrop

6. A book with a "medical condition" in its title.
A Season for the Dead by David Hewson


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My Year of Reading Dangerously Challenge

I'm going to use the "books that seem to inhabit a permanent space on your stacks" definition, and read my 12 longest-held TBR books.

Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake
Wild Magic by Jude Fisher
The Briar King by Greg Keyes
City of Golden Shadow by Tad Williams
Hades Daughter by Sara Douglass
Golden Fool by Robin Hobb
A Pawn for a Queen by Fiona Buckley
Fool's Errand by Robin Hobb
Hidden Warrior by Lynn Flewelling
Audrey Rose by Frank de Felitta
The First Man in Rome by Colleen McCullough
The Grass Crown by Colleen McCullough


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Series Reading Challenge

The series I want to finish (or read in their entirety) are:
Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer - Need to read The Time Paradox
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke - Need to read Inkspell & Inkdeath
Dead Rivers Trilogy by Naomi Kritzer - Need to read Freedom's Sisters
Axis/The Wayfarer Redemption by Sarah Douglas - Need to read Enchanter, Starman, Sinner, Pilgrim, & Crusader
Dragon Jousters by Mercedes Lackey - Need to read Aerie
Symphony of the Ages by Elizabeth Haydon - Need to read The Assassin King
The Twelve Houses by Sharon Shinn - Need to read Reader and Raelynx & Fortune and Fate (and likely book six which will come out in late 2009)


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Finally, I'd LOVE to do the Year of Readers Challenge, but I need people to sponsor me. Would anyone be willing to? If so, I'll pick a literary charity (or you can pick one), and keep you updated on my reading progress. Keep in mind, I'm on book 251 for 2008. I'm likely going to hit 84,000 pages this year too, so maybe an amount per 500 or 1,000 pages would work better. I'm not sure.

6 comments:

Jodie said...

Hiya I'm doing a couple of the same challenges as you (What's in a Name and Dangerously). It would be great to see you sign up for the Year fo Readers. Even if you don't get more than a few sponsors I'll be personally donating a penny to EcoLibris for every book read by an official challenge participant. So your books can still benefit the world!

Victoria said...

Hey, I just wanted to say thanks for joining, and Welcome to the challenge! :)

- Victoria

Jodie said...

Thanks for joining up! If you send me your e-mail address I can send you a sponsorship form. If you ahve any questions check the blog posts or e-mail me at bakerjodie at googlemail dot com .

Nise' said...

We are participating in some of the same challenge. I have Nick of Time on my stack. I'm going to check out Why Shoot A Butler.

Nessa said...

Nick of Time is quite an enjoyable book. I finished it yesterday and quite enjoyed it. :D

Anonymous said...

Hey Nessa!
I just wanted to be sure I answered your question about the chunkster--YES! you can crossover a chunkster with any other challenge you want