Challenges for 2012 - RECAP

So a recap of the challenges I set myself for 2012; I failed miserably because I didn't read for about six months. I was pregnant at the beginning of the year and was quite ill and exhausted, so I didn't read anything until around June or July. Anyway, below is the recap:

YA Mythology Challenge

The challenge was to read 10 YA or Middle Grade mythology books for the whole year. I read 5 books, so I was half way there.

OutDo Yourself Reading Challenge

I went for Breaking a Sweat level and had to increase my total by 11-15 books from 2011, my goal was 110. As of today, I am at 66 books read in 2012, so again I didn't reach my goal.

For a full list of the books I've read this year, please click HERE.

I am participating in this one again for 2013.

YA Historical Fiction Challenge

My goal was to read 10 books this year and I actually read 3 books.

How did you go with your challenges for 2012?

I have joined some different challenges for 2013 and I am excited to get a full year of reading and to reach my goals.

Romantic Suspense Reading Challenge - sign up HERE
Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge - sign up HERE
Paranormal Reading Challenge - sign up HERE
TBR Pile Reading Challenge - sign up HERE

Happy New Year and let's bring in 2013 with a bang!!

2013 TBR Pile Reading Challenge

This challenge sounds fantastic and a perfect way to work through that TBR list that never seems to get any smaller.

We all have those books. We buy them, win them, they're gifted to us.. Then we put them up on a bookshelf and there they stay, collecting dust, waiting for the time when we'll finally decide to pick them up..

Join us on a quest to dust off your TBR Pile and read all the books you've been telling yourself you'll read next time you'll get a chance.. This is your chance! And we've got PRIZES!!! :D
Challenge Guidelines:

• This challenge will run from Jan 1, 2013 - Dec 31, 2013.
• 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 or Goodreads/Shelfari!) 
• 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. Only books released in 2012 and earlier! NO 2013 ARCs and 2013 fresh-off-the-press releases allowed! 
• 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. 
• When you sign up in the linky, put the direct link to your post about joining the 2013 TBR PILE Reading Challenge. (If you don't have a blog, post about it on Facebook or Tweet!)
• You can move up levels, but no moving down.
• Sign-ups will be open until Dec 15, 2013, so feel free to join at any time throughout the year.
• On the 20th of each month one of the hosts will post a wrap-up. 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) 
• 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 ;) 
• 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 HUGE giveaway - a box of books. 
• You don't have to follow all the hosts to join the challenge, but you do have to follow all of us to be entered in giveaways!

Levels:

(how many books you're planning to read for this challenge in 2013)

1-10 - A Firm Handshake
11-20 - A Friendly Hug
21-30 - A Sweet Kiss
31-40 - Love At First Sight
41-50 - Married With Children
Schedule:
January 20th: Evie @Bookish (www.evie-bookish.blogspot.com)
February 20th: Rachel @Fiktshun (http://www.fiktshun.com)
March 20th: Justin @Justin's Book Blog (http://www.justinsbookblog.com/)
April 20th: Tiffany @Escaping.. One Book At A Time (http://escapingonebookatatime.blogspot.com/)
May 20th: Bonnie @Words At Home (www.wordsathome.ca/)
June 20th: Justin @Justin's Book Blog (http://www.justinsbookblog.com/)
July 20th: Emily @Doodle's Book Blog (doodlesbookblog.blogspot.com/)
August 20th: Tiffany @Escaping One Book At A Time (http://escapingonebookatatime.blogspot.com/)
September 20th: Rachel @Fiktshun (http://www.fiktshun.com)
October 20th: Emily @Doodle's Book Blog (http://doodlesbookblog.blogspot.com/)
November 20th: Bonnie @Words At Home (http://www.wordsathome.ca/)
December 20th: This one will be posted on all the blogs. There will also be a huge BOX OF BOOKS giveaway and this time you can link up ALL YOUR TBR Pile REVIEWS you wrote for the entire year!

SIGN UP NOW HERE

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I am going to start on A FRIENDLY HUG level and can go up if I need to. Books I would like to read that are on my TBR list are:

• The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
• Dearly, Beloved by Lia Habel
• Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
• The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton
• The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson
• Hallowed by Cynthia Hand
• Drink, Slay, Love by Sarah Beth Durst
• Nightshade by Andrea Cremer
• Angel's Ink by Jocelynn Drake
• Darker Still by Leanna Renee Hieber
• Firelight and Vanish by Sophie Jordan

This is a start, I have around 300 on my TBR list because I cannot control myself when I see a book that looks awesome or sounds interesting. Hopefully this will help reduce it a little.

So come on over and join the fun!

2013 Reading Challenge - Paranormal

I am going to participate in the 2013 Paranormal Reading Challenge hosted by Megan Likes Books and Auntie Spinelli Reads! 

Here are the rules/guidelines:

There are so many awesome sub-genres of paranormal books, that it's easy to find one you like and stick with it. So that's why it was decided to make a reading challenge with the goal of reading about all kinds of paranormal creatures.

The goal is to read at least one book featuring each of the following paranormal creatures:

Vampires
Werewolves/Shifters
Fey
Angels/Nephilim
Mermaids
Dragons
Zombies
Demons
Witches/Wizards
Ghosts
Aliens
Other (ie: sirens, unicorns, centaurs, timetravel etc.)

• This challenge runs from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2013.
• You must have a blog to able to participate, since reviews must be added to the linky.
• When you sign up with the linky, please put the link to your post about joining the Paranormal Reading Challenge.
• You're welcome to list your books beforehand or just add as you go.
• Sign-ups are open until December 1, 2013
• At the beginning of each month, I will post a kick-start post, each month featuring a different category of paranormal creature. This post will also include a linky to include your reviews from that month.
• Each review you link will qualify you for an entry into the monthy giveaway and if your review includes the feature paranormal creature of that month, you get a bonus entry.
• Each book can only count for one category, even if it contains more than one paranormal creature. For example, Twilight contains both vampires and werewolves, but you can't use it for both the vampires and werewolves/shifters categories. 
• Everyone who completes the challenge will be entered into a grand prize giveaway at the end of the year. 
• If you read multiple books from one category, feel free to add them to the linkies. Don't stop at just one! 
• Book can count for other challenges.

Each month, we'll be featuring one of the creatures on the list at both Megan Likes Books and Auntie Spinelli Reads.

January - Vampires
February - Angels/Nephilim
March - Fey
April - Demons
May - Aliens
June - Zombies
July - Witches and Wizards
August - Mermaids
September - Dragons
October - Ghosts
November - Werewolves/Shape-shifters
December - Other

If you're having trouble finding books for one of the categories, you can try these lists:

Vampires - Adult or YA
Werewolves/Shifters
Fey
Angels/Nephilim
Mermaids
Dragons
Zombies
Demons
Witches/Wizards
Ghosts
Aliens
Other (ie: unicorns, centaurs, timetravelers, seers etc.)

So head on over to either of the hosts blogs and sign up now, it is going to be a lot of fun.

SIGN UP HERE

2013 Reading Challenge - Outdo Yourself

What’s your reading goal for 2013? If it’s to read more books, then this is the reading challenge for you! There have been almost 400 readers who wanted to outdo themselves so far. Are you up for the challenge?

Reading Challenge Details:

• Runs January 1, 2013 – December 31, 2013 (books read prior to 1/1/2013 do not count towards the challenge). You can join at anytime. Sign up on The Book Vixen’s blog.
• The goal is to outdo yourself by reading more books in 2013 than you did in 2012. See the different levels below and pick the one that works best for you. You can move up a level as often as you’d like but no moving down.
• Books can be any format (bound, ebook, audio).
• Novellas that are at least 100 pages in length, as well as full-length novels, will count for this reading challenge.
• Re-reads and crossovers from other reading challenges are allowed.
• Grab the reading challenge button and 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:

     Getting my heart rate up – Read 1–5 more books
     Out of breath – Read 6–10 more books
     Breaking a sweat – Read 11–15 more books
     I’m on fire! – Read 16+ more books

My goal will be I'M ON FIRE! Only because in 2012 due to pregnancy and associated illness I didn't reach my goal of 110 and I am currently sitting at 49. So in 2013 I will aim to read more than 16 over 49.

What will your challenge for 2013 be? Sign Up now.

2013 Reading Challenges - Romantic Suspense

This year I am going to participate in the Romantic Suspense Reading Challenge as I haven't read many this year and would like a challenge.

Reading Challenge Details:

• Runs January 1, 2013 – December 31, 2013 (books read prior to 1/1/2013 do not count towards the challenge). 
• You can join at anytime. Sign up on The Book Vixen’s blog.
• The goal is to read 13 romantic suspense novels in ‘13.
• Books can be any format (bound, ebook, audio).
• Novellas that are at least 100 pages in length, as well as full-length novels, will count for this reading challenge.
• Re-reads and crossovers from other reading challenges are allowed.
• Grab the reading challenge button and 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.

So please head over to The Book Vixen to SIGN UP now.

100+ Books In A Year Reading Challenge 2012 - hosted by Book Chick City

I am adding another challenge to my list this year.  As I only started blogging around July last year, this is all so much fun and the challenges are all so varied.  So I am going to participate in Book Chick City's 100+ Books In A Year as well.

Challenge Details:

• 1st January to 31st December 2012

• Read 100+ books in 2012 (any genre)

• No need to select the books ahead of time, you can just add them as you go (if you have listed them, feel free to chop and change as you go)

• You can join at any time

• At the beginning of January 2012, you will find a link to that specific month to add your reviews

• Audiobooks do NOT count, other formats are acceptable

• Only fiction, NO non-fiction

• This challenge can cross over to other challenges

• You do not need to write reviews for each book you read, but if you decide to then Mr Linky will be available each month

To sign up and for more details, please visit Book Chick City HERE.

YA Historical Fiction Challenge - hosted by YA Bliss

The YA Historical Fiction Challenge is hosted by YA Bliss.  Please head on over and to sign up click HERE.

Historical fiction: tells a story that is set in the past. That setting is usually real and drawn from history, and often contains actual historical persons, but the principal characters tend to be fictional. Writers of stories in this genre, while penning fiction, attempt to capture the spirit, manners, and social conditions of the persons or time(s) presented in the story, with due attention paid to period detail and fidelity. (Wikipedia)

Choose your level:

Level 1: 5 books

Level 2: 10 books

Level 3: 15 books

Rules:

All Historical Fiction books must be YA or MG

Books don't have to be 2012 releases.

Anyone can join. Please link to a public (web) place I can find you.

You can join at anytime. The challenge runs from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012

My challenge level will be level 2, with 10 books.  I have some books listed and will add more.

Luxe Series by Anna Godbersen

The Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink

Fateful by Claudia Gray

2012 Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge - Hosted by The Book Vixen

Details:

•  
Runs January 1, 2012 – December 31, 2012 (books read prior to 1/1/12 do not count towards the challenge). You can join at any time. Sign upon The Book Vixen’s blog.

• The goal is to outdo yourself by reading more books in 2012 than you did in 2011.
See the different levels below and pick the one that works best for you. Nothing is set in stone; you can change levels at any time during the challenge.

• Books can be any format (bound, eBook, audio).

• Re-reads and crossovers from other reading challenges are allowed.

• Grab the reading challenge button and 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 could track your progress on Goodreads or LibraryThing.

Levels:

Getting my heart rate up – Read 1–5 more books

Out of breath – Read 6–10 more books

Breaking a sweat – Read 11–15 more books

I'm on fire! – Read 16+ more books

I am going with Breaking a sweat level, but may need to change up.  My current count for this year is 93, so I will go for 110.

Head on over to The Book Vixen and sign up now!