MizB's Reading Challenges

ATTENTION

2009-11-08T09:58:00.001-08:00

This blog is moving!

You can now find the list of MizB's Challenges over at:

http://readerchallenges.wordpress.com

Thank you!

Challenges Ended, Progressing, and Possible

2009-05-27T09:54:00.000-07:00

This year, in addition to the challenges already listed here on this blog, I also had a challenge called THE CHRISTIAN READERS CHALLENGE (2009), taking place. It went from January 1st to April 30th, 2009. If you'd like to see how I did, you can click here.

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Also, recently, the BE INSPIRED READING CHALLENGE saw Part 1 end (on March 31st), and Part 2 begin (on April 1st). For the first part of the challenge, participants had to read a self-help book of their choice. It could be on decluttering, finances, weight loss, or whatever.

Now, during the second half of the challenge (Part 2), those same participants are taking what inspired them from the book they chose, and attempting to put those principles into practice in their own lives. ;)

Personally, I'm struggling a bit with this part, but am still plugging along! ;)

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I am currently in debate as to whether / not to bring back the TITLE MASTER CHALLENGE, which was new in July 2008. For this challenge, you chose a set number of books that had all of the words in the title beginning with the same letter (examples: "Bad Boy Bobby Brown", or "The Thirteenth Tale"). I didn't complete the challenge, but sure would like to try again! ;)

Let me know if you have any interest in this! If there are enough people who'd like to give this another go, then I'll run it again.

The Original TBR (to be read) Challenge 2009

2009-05-27T08:52:00.001-07:00

ARE YOU READY TO SIGN UP FOR 2009??? If so, please add your name to the Mr.Linky below! Please make sure that your blog link is to the actual post where your list is...not just your main blog link. (so, for example, instead of just //tbrchallenge.blogspot.com, it would be something more like //tbrchallenge.blogspot.com/2008/12/18/my-list-here.html --only it'd be YOUR blog addy! LOL). If this is still unclear, feel free to email me and ask more! ;P

But, remember, please, that you cannot start reading for the challenge until January 1st, 2009. ;)

To remind you of the rules:
* the challenge is to read 12 TBR books in 12 months -- you can read those all in one month if you want, or one a month, or however you wanna do it.
* you need to have a list posted somewhere for others to see (even if it's in a comment here)
* you CANNOT change your list after January 1st, 2009!!!
* you can create an Alternates list of MAXIMUM 12 books, if you want, in order to have options to choose from (you can read these in place of books on your original list).
* audiobooks and e-books ARE allowed
* re-reads are NOT allowed, as they aren't TRUE "TBRs"
* you CAN overlap with other challenges
* OPTIONAL: you can join the Yahoo! Group created for participants of the TBR Challenge, if you want to have a place to keep your list, or just to share with others about how you're doing! :)

Okay! The countdown is on!!! Get your list(s) ready, and make sure you post the link to it in the Mr. Linky! ;)

EXTRA 2009 BUTTONS (feel free to use on your own blog!):

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Please Note: *** There is now a new SISTER challenge to this original version of the TBR Challenge... it's called "TBR *Lite*", and it's more "low-pressure"... SO, if you feel you can't read 12 books in 12 months, why not try out the new version? BOTH CHALLENGES will be taking place in 2009, so you can join either/or! Please only join ONE version, though. ;) Thanks! ***
See the TBR *Lite* CHALLENGE post!

Raved Reads Challenge

2009-05-27T08:44:00.000-07:00

The Raved-About Reads Challenge asks you to create - and read! - a list of books that you've always heard others rave about, and thought you should read yourself... but always put off reading "until later".

Your list MUST have at least 3 books on it.

The challenge is perpetual, so there's no end date.

Feel free to join the Yahoo! Group designed for members of this challenge! :D

HERE'S HOW TO PLAY:

You can choose books that you've recently heard of IF a bunch of people are raving about how good they are and how everyone should read them.

Your list has to have at least 3 books on it. Of course, you can make it much longer than just 3 books. But, you could also just read 3. That's up to you.

Yes, your list of books can overlap with other challenges.

There are no limitations on genre... books can be fiction, nonfiction, religious, secular, etc.

Audiobooks and E-books are allowed

Your list can change at any time, but the books you add still have to be "raved about" reads

You do not have to physically own the books on your list -- you can add books that you're going to borrow/buy, too! (I sure have/am!) :)

You can count ONE book from your list that you finished before the start date of June 30, 2008

You can continue to add to your list as time goes on (since the challenge is perpetual/ongoing), but the books you add still have to be "raved-about", as per the other rules

You can join the challenge any time, even if it's past June 30/08. Just leave a comment on this post

There is a Yahoo! Group created for this group -- feel free to join, and talk with other challenge participants about how you're doing on your list! You do not have to join the group to be part of the challenge, but it makes sharing about your challenge progress a lot easier. ;)

If you're stuck for some "popular" titles, you can check out my own list at MizB's Raved-Reads List, or choose from the "suggestions" below:

* "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini
* " The Eyre Affair" by Jasper Fforde
* "Harry Potter and the Scorcerer's Stone" by J. K. Rowling
* "Moloka'i" by Alan Brennert
* "Inkheart" by Cornelia Funke
* "Gone With the Wind" by Margaret Mitchell
* "Middlemarch" by George Eliot
* "Reading Lolita in Tehran" by Azar Nafisi
* "A Series of Unfortunate Events" series by Lemony Snicket (I've read the first 3 books)
* "Good Grief" by Lolly Winston
* "The Last Crossing" by Guy Vanderhaeghe
* "The Da Vinci Code" and "Angels and Demons" by Dan Brown
* "Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging" by Louise Rennison
* "The Red Tent" by Anita Diamant
* "The Pilot's Wife" by Anita Shreve
* "So Many Books, So Little Time" by Sara Nelson
* "Ex Libris" by Anne Fadiman
* "The Queen's Fool" and "The Virgin's Lover" and "The Constant Princess" and "The Other Boleyn Girl" by Philippa Gregory
* "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe" by C. S. Lewis
* "The Tale of Despereaux" by Katie DiCamillo
* "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne
* "The Notebook" by Nicholas Sparks
* "The Vagina Monologues" by Eve Ensler
* "Tending Roses" by Lisa Wingate
* "How Reading Changed My Life" by Anna Quindlen
* "Blackberry Wine" by Joanne Harris
* "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" by Richard Bach
* "The Little Prince" by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
* "The Purpose-Driven Life" by Rick Warren
* The "Griffin and Sabine" series by Nick Bantock
* "Under the Tuscan Sun" by Frances Mayes
* "Unless" by Carol Shields
* "Girls In Trouble" by Caroline Leavitt
* "The Glass Palace" by Amitav Ghosh
* "Eats, Shoots, and Leaves" by Lynn Truss
* "Crow Lake" by Mary Lawson
* "Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons" by Lorna Landvik
* "The Bookseller of Kabul" by Asne Seierstad
* "The Tale of Despereaux" by Katie DiCamillo
* "Twilight" / "New Moon" / "Eclipse" / "Breaking Dawn" by Stephenie Meyer
* "The Thirteenth Tale" by Diane Setterfield
* "Same Kind of Different As Me" by Ron Hall and Denver Moore

You could also check out this list that I stumbled across online:

Entertainment Weekly's "New Classics" [1983-2008] list

TBR Lite Challenge 2009

2009-05-27T08:41:00.000-07:00

CHALLENGE STARTS: January 1st, 2009
CHALLENGE ENDS: December 31st, 2009

For those who love the original TBR Challenge, but need a little less "pressure" on their reading, the TBR Challenge *LITE* offers you that option!

You have your choice of ONE of the 3 options:

OPTION A: read 6 books in 12 months ~ your list of books CANNOT be changed, but you are allowed to have an "Alternates" list to choose from (like in the Original TBR Challenge).

OPTION B: read 6 books in 12 months ~ you CAN change your reading list throughout the year

OPTION C: make up a list of however many books you think you could get read in 12 months, as long as they are from your TBR stack/list, and then read them between January 1st and December 31st. You must have at least 3 books on your list.

Some Other General Guidelines:
- You are allowed to overlap with other challenges
- Audiobooks are allowed
- e-Books are allowed, but must still be books that you've wanted to read for at least 3, or more, months
- You should still have a list of books posted somewhere for others to see
- You don't have to read your books in the order you put them on your list

Buttons, like the one above, have been created for your use!

A Yahoo! Group has been set up for this challenge ~ feel free to join!

TBR Challenge *LITE* Yahoo! Group

*** TO SIGN UP, PLEASE ADD YOUR NAME TO THE MR.LINKY BELOW:

NOTE: I've added all of the participants to the new Mr.Linky, above. If you've already said you're in, then your name is on the list (or, should be!). If you don't yet see your name, or if you have yet to sign up, please add your name to the Mr.Linky, and make sure your link is to the post where your list can be found. Thanks! :D***

Be Inspired Reading Challenge 2009

2009-05-27T08:40:00.000-07:00

The "Be Inspired" Reading Challenge asks you to:

* choose ONE self-improvement-type book (be it for weight-loss, finances, clutter-control, spirituality, or whatever), and read it between January 1 and March 31st, 2009

* take one or more principles from the book that INSPIRED you to make a change, and actually APPLY it in your life bewteen April 1st and December 31st, 2009!

* Edited to add: You may have to go through a couple of books before you find one that truly inspires you, and that's okay, too... but hopefully you can find one before the March 31st "deadline"! ;)

***PLEASE NOTE that this challenge has

TWO (2) "to-be-done-by..." dates! ***

Other Guidelines:

* make sure you use common sense, and aren't doing anything illegal! ;)

* overlaps with other challenges are okay

* e-Books and Audiobooks are allowed

* OPTIONAL: Join the Yahoo! Group created for this challenge!

I, personally, am HUGELY guilty of being majorly inspired by a self-improvement book, but then never actually putting its principles into practice in my own life. So I'm never changed by it. I want to get out of that habit, and see these books actually HELP me, more than just increasing my *knowledge* of things. This challenge will hopefully push me to do just that! ;)

Are you with me? SIGN UP below, by putting your name in the Mr.Linky, and linking to your post about the challenge (if you have a blog). If you don't have a blog, just fill in the blank (in the Linky) with your name. :)

Good luck!

Casual Classics Challenge 2009

2009-05-27T08:38:00.000-07:00

Read 4 “Classics” between January 1st and December 31st, 2009

Overlaps with other challenges ARE allowed

eBooks and Audiobooks ARE allowed

And, that’s it! If you would like TO JOIN, PLEASE SIGN THE MR.LINKY BELOW! Thanks!

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PARTICIPANT LIST:

NOTE: If you've already signed up by leaving a comment, your name has already been added to the Mr.Linky so you do not need to do so again. But, if you're new, then please sign the Mr.Linky to sign up.

Read 'n Review 2009

2009-05-27T08:37:00.000-07:00

For the 2009 READ & REVIEW CHALLENGE, you need to:

* review each book you read between January 1st and December 31st, 2009

* PLEASE keep your reviews clean & respectful ~ these books we read are the hard work of an author, and we don’t need to be mean. Even if you didn’t like the book, please try to find something you can say that would be encouraging to the author.

reviews can be as short, or long, as you wish

you MAY overlap with other challenges

eBooks and Audiobooks ARE allowed

if there will be spoilers in your review, please note this in the subject line of your post so that those who don’t want to read them can skip that review. Thank you.

Optional... Join the Yahoo! Group created for this challenge -- share your reviews!

To SIGN UP for this challenge, please ADD YOUR NAME TO THE MR.LINKY below. Thanks!

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PARTICIPANT LIST:

**NOTE** If you've previously signed up by leaving a comment, you don't have to do so again, as I've just added you to the new Mr. Linky, above.

But, for those who still have yet to sign up, Please add your name & link to the Mr.Linky. Thanks! :D

RYOB (Read Your Own Books) Challenge 2009

2009-05-27T08:35:00.000-07:00

The rules for this challenge are very simple…

* set a goal for how many of your OWN books you’d like to read in 2009

* read from your own collection between January 1st and December 31st, 2009

And, that’s basically it! You don’t have to create a list beforehand (’cause we all know that our reading preferences change as the year progresses), and you can even read books that come into your possession (that will be yours to keep) during the year!

Some other helpful hints…

- you CAN overlap with other challenges

- eBooks and Audiobooks count AS LONG AS they are from your own collection

- Optional: Join the Yahoo! group started for this challenge to discuss what you're reading with other participants! Remember, though, the challenge doesn't officially begin until January 1st. ;)

TO SIGN UP, please sign the Mr.Linky below, and add a link to your blog! Thanks! :D ***See NOTE below if you've already left me a comment previously!***

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PARTICIPANTS:

UPDATED TO ADD A MR.LINKY! ~ All of the participants who've already joined have been added to the Mr.Linky above! If you have not yet signed up, please add your own name by clicking on Mr.Linky above and then filling out the appropriate spots! I will NOT be adding your names any more, so this is up to you. Thanks!