Challenge Index: Current Challenges

Here are the links to the individual listings for each of my current challenges
(** = challenges that are completed but have no wrap-up posts as yet):

• 2013 Category Challenge at Library Thing 
• 50 Book Challenge at Library Thing (2013)
• Book Blogger Recommendation Challenge 2013   
• Books in Translation Reading Challenge 2013
• Chunkster Reading Challenge 2013   
• European Reading Challenge 2013  
• Fall Into Reading 2012 ** 
• Finishing the Series Reading Challenge 2013 
• Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2013   
• Middle East Reading Challenge 2013   
• Mystery/Crime Reading Challenge 2013  
• Nonfiction Reading Challenge 2013
• Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge 2013  
• Once Upon a Time VII (2013)
• Pre-1960 Classic Children's Books Reading Challenge 2013  
• Reading the 90s Personal Challenge (ongoing)
• Vintage Mystery Reading Challenge 2013 (Scattergories) 
• What's In a Name 6 Reading Challenge 
• P.G. Wodehouse Challenge (2011-2013)

INDEX to Completed and Inactive Challenges

Once Upon a Time VII

Dates: 21 March - 21 June, 2013
Hosted by: Carl V. @ Stainless Steel Droppings

Guidelines (quoted from the challenge announcement page):

• Readings should come from these four genres: fantasy, fairy tale, folklore and mythology. 
• Participants can choose one or more of the following levels (or Quests):

1. The Journey - Read at least one book from any of the four genres. No need to commit to any set number of books.
2. Quest the First - Read at least 5 books that fit somewhere within the Once Upon a Time III criteria. They might all be fantasy, or folklore, or fairy tales, or mythology…or your five books might be a combination from the four genres.
3. Quest the Second - Read at least one book from each of the four categories. In this quest you will be reading 4 books total: one fantasy, one folklore, one fairy tale, and one mythology.
4. Quest the Third - Fulfill the requirements for Quest the First or Quest the Second AND top it off with a June reading of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream OR a viewing of one of the many theatrical versions of the play.
5. Short Story Quest - This quest involves the reading of one or more short stories that fit within at least one of the four genres during the course of the weekend. Ideally you would post about your short story readings on Sundays or Mondays, but this is not strictly necessary.
6. Quest on the Screen - To participate in this quest simply let the other participants know about the films and/or television shows that you feel fit into the definitions of fantasy, fairy tales, folklore or mythology that you are enjoying during the challenge.

✸ I'm signing up at the "Journey" level, so I'll be reading at least one book, but (as usual) hope to read a few more.

See my original post about the challenge HERE.
See the challenge announcement/sign-up page HERE.
See the challenge review page HERE.

MY READING LIST (books read, with links to reviews):

1. Half Magic. Edward Eager 
2. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. L. Frank Baum (reading now)
3.  

LIST OF POSSIBLE CHOICES:

The 13 Clocks. James Thurber
The Bell at Sealey Head. Patricia A. McKillip
The Book of Lost Things. John Connolly
The Castle of Llyr. Lloyd Alexander
The City of Dreaming Books. Walter Moers
The Crystal Cave. Mary Stewart
The Eyre Affair. Jasper Fforde
The Fairy-Tale Detectives (Sisters Grimm #1). Michael Buckley
Five Children and It. E. Nesbit
Inkheart. Cornelia Funke
The Mabinogion.
The Magic of Finkleton. K.C. Hilton
Magic or Not? Edward Eager
Mistress Masham's Repose. T.H. White
The Mists of Avalon. Marion Zimmer Bradley
The Moon of Gomrath: A Tale of Alderley. Alan Garner
The Phantom Tollbooth. Norton Juster
Photographing Fairies. Steve Szilagyi
The Prince of Mist. Carlos Ruiz Zafon
The Princess and the Goblin. George MacDonald
The Red Pyramid. Rick Riordan
Silver on the Tree. Susan Cooper
Stuart Little. E.B. White
The Trumpet of the Swan. E.B. White
The Well-Wishers. Edward Eager
The Wind in the Willows. Kenneth Grahame
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. L. Frank Baum

2013 Books in Translation Reading Challenge

Dates: 1 January - 31 December, 2013
Hosted by: The Introverted Reader

Guidelines:

• Read translations of books, from any language into the language(s) you're comfortable reading in; books don't have to be in English. 
• Any genre is allowed, and books can be for any age range. 
• Crossovers with other challenges are OK. 
• Any format that you choose is acceptable. 
• You don't need a blog to participate. 

Levels:

1. Beginner: Read 1-3 books in translation 
2. Conversationalist: 4-6 
3. Bilingual: 7-9 
4. Linguist: 10-12 

** I'm signing up at the "Beginner" level, so I'll be reading 1-3 books.

See my original post about the challenge HERE.
See the challenge announcement/sign-up page HERE.

MY READING LIST (books read, with links to reviews):

2013 Nonfiction Reading Challenge

Dates: 1 January - 31 December, 2013
Hosted by: The Introverted Reader

Guidelines: (quoted from challenge announcement page) "Read any non-fiction book(s), adult or young adult. That's it. You can choose anything. Memoirs? Yes. History? Yes. Travel? Yes. You get the idea? Absolutely anything that is classified as non-fiction counts for this challenge."

Levels:

1. Dilettante -- Read 1-5 non-fiction books
2. Explorer -- Read 6-10
3. Seeker -- Read 11-15
4. Master -- Read 16-20 

** I'm signing up at the "Dilettante" level, so I'll be reading 1-5 books.

See my original post about the challenge HERE.
See the challenge announcement/sign-up page HERE.

MY READING LIST (books read, with links to reviews):

1. Darwin's Ghosts: The Secret History of Evolution. Rebecca Stott
2. Books: A Memoir. Larry McMurtry (reading now)
3. 
   

2013 Pre-1960 Classic Children's Books Reading Challenge

Hosted by: Kimberly @ Turning the Pages
Dates: 1 January - 31 December, 2013

The goal here is to read classic children's books: any number, but only participants who read/review at least one book per month will be eligible for the challenge giveaway.

Guidelines:

• All books must have an original publication date of 1960 or earlier.
• All formats are allowed
• Books must be at least 60 pages in length
• Re-reads are OK
• Reviews are only required to qualify for prizes
• There will be monthly "Challenge in Review" posts for links to reviews/progress reports

See my original post about the challenge HERE.
See the challenge announcement/sign-up page HERE.
See the page for January wrap-ups HERE.

MY READING LIST (books read, with links to reviews):

1. The Happy Hollisters. Jerry West (1953)
2. Half Magic. Edward Eager (1954)
   
3. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. L. Frank Baum (1900) (reading now)
4. 
   

LIST OF POSSIBLE READS:

The 13 Clocks. James Thurber (1950)
Anne of Green Gables. L.M. Montgomery (1908)
Beezus and Ramona. Beverly Cleary (1955)
Black Fox of Lorne. Marguerite de Angeli (1957)
Five Children and It. E. Nesbit (1902)
Half Magic. Edward Eager (1954)
Hitty Her First Hundred Years. Rachel Field (1929)
The Hundred and One Dalmatians. Dodie Smith (1956)
Magic by the Lake. Edward Eager (1957)
Magic or Not? Edward Eager (1959)
Miss Hickory. Carolyn Sherwin Bailey (1946)
Mistress Masham's Repose. T.H. White (1946)
Stuart Little. E.B. White (1945)
Tom Sawyer, Detective. Mark Twain (1896)
The Well-Wishers. Edward Eager (1960)
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. L. Frank Baum (1900)

2013 Mystery / Crime Reading Challenge

Dates: 1 January - 31 December, 2013
Hosted by: Amy @ The Crafty Book Nerd

Guidelines:

• No set number of books.  All novels, short stories, or authors qualify, just so long as the genre is mystery/crime.
• Anything over 100 pages counts as a novel; five short stories equal one novel.
• There will be a monthly link for reviews/progress reports.
• There will also be monthly prizes for participants who link up.
• You don't need a blog to participate: link up through GoodReads or Flickr.

At the end of the year, participants will receive a rank depending on the amount read:

• 5 books = Detective 
• 10 books = Sergeant 
• 15 books = Lieutenant 
• 20 books = Captain 
• 25 books = Chief 
• 30+ books = Sherlock Holmes

See my original post about the challenge HERE.
See the challenge announcement / sign-up page
See the January page for linking reviews HERE.
See the February page for linking reviews HERE.

MY READING LIST (books read, with links to reviews):

1. Cat on the Scent. Rita Mae Brown
2. Cold Remains. Sally Spedding
3. Guilt. Jonathan Kellerman
4. Fer-de-Lance. Rex Stout 
5.  

2013 Middle East Reading Challenge

Dates: 1 January - 31 December 2013
Hosted by: Maphead

Guidelines:
The goal here is to read as many books as you like, related to the Greater Middle East area (or MENA--Middle East/North Africa).  Books can be fiction or nonfiction, and there are four levels of participation:

1. Tourist (1-5 books)
2. Diplomat (5-10 books)
3. Foreign Policy Specialist (10-15 books)
4. Scholar (15 books or more)

Books can be written by Middle Eastern authors, take place in the Middle East, or be concerned with the Greater Middle East; and they can deal with either contemporary or historical Middle Eastern issues.

Regions (quoted from the challenge blog):
"Referred [to] by many nowadays as the "Greater Middle East" or "MENA" (Middle East/North Africa), our challenge will focus on the North African nations of Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt; the Levantine nations of Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Territories; all the nations within, bordering or relatively close proximity to the Arabian Peninsula including Iran, Iraq, Kuwait and the Gulf Emirates.

• After a great deal of agonizing I've decided to not include Turkey. Nothing personal, it's just a judgement call. However, if you come across a book dealing with that nation's role in the Middle East by all means feel free to include it. Of course, since much of the Middle East was ruled by the Ottoman Empire until the end of WWI, books dealing with [that] period of history are cool too. 
•  I've also decided to not include the nations of the Horn of Africa or its neighbors Sudan and South Sudan. Yet another judgement call." 

 ~ I'm signing up at the "Tourist" level, so I'll be reading 1-5 books.

See my original post about the challenge HERE.
See the challenge announcement / sign-up page HERE.
See the challenge blog HERE.
See the page for reviews HERE.

MY READING LIST (books read, with links to reviews):

1. Clea. Lawrence Durrell
2. 
   

Finishing the Series Reading Challenge 2013

Dates: 1 January - 31 December 2013
Hosted by: Yvonne @ Socrates' Book Reviews

Guidelines:

• Books must be part of a continuing series to qualify. 
• Doesn't matter how many books you have left to read in the series -- the goal is to complete the series.
• Books must be read between January 1st and December 31st, 2013.
• You don't need a blog to participate.
• Any format of book counts -- audio, e-book, etc.
• You should have some idea of what series you want to complete when you begin the challenge, but you can change your mind during the course of the challenge.

Levels of Participation:

1. Level 1 - Complete 1 series
2. Level 2 - Complete 2 series
3. Level 3 - Complete 3 or more series

~ I'm signing up at Level 1, and I'll probably try to complete the Mrs. Malory mystery series, by Hazel Holt (I have two books to go). But I have quite a few other series I could work on (see my list HERE), if I get that one wrapped up.

~ See my original post about the challenge HERE.
~ See the challenge announcement / sign-up page HERE.

MY READING LIST (books read, with links to reviews):

European Reading Challenge 2013

Dates: 1 January 2013 - 31 January 2014
Hosted by:  Rose City Reader

Guidelines:

• Read books by European authors; or books set in European countries, no matter where the author comes from.
• All genres are allowed.
• Each book read must be by a different author and set in a different country.
• For this challenge, "Europe" refers to the list of 50 sovereign states that mostly fall within the geographic territory of the continent of Europe (or those countries that belong to international European organizations such as the Council of Europe).  See the list of countries, below.
• All books must be read between January 1, 2013 and January 31, 2014.
• You don't need to commit to your choices now; you can change your mind about books at any time. 
• Overlap with other challenges is allowed -- and encouraged! 
• Re-reads count. 
• Audiobooks count. 
• E-books count. 
• Self-published books count. 
• You don't need a blog to participate. 
• As you progress, please link to your reviews on the review list page. However, reviews are not mandatory, unless you're going for a prize, in which case only books reviewed count. 

The List of Countries: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Macedonia, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and Vatican City.

Levels of Participation:

1. Five Star (Deluxe Entourage): Read at least five books by different European authors or books set in different European countries. 
2. Four Star (Honeymooner): Read four qualifying books. 
3. Three Star (Business Traveler): Read three qualifying books. 
4. Two Star (Adventurer): Read two qualifying books. 
5. One Star (Pensione Weekender): Read just one qualifying book. 

~ I'm signing up at the Five Star Level, so I'll be reading at least 5 books.

~ See my original post about the challenge HERE.
~ See the challenge announcement / sign-up page HERE.

MY READING LIST (books read, with links to reviews):

1. Cold Remains. Sally Spedding (Wales, UK)
2.  

Chunkster Reading Challenge 2013

Dates: 1 January - 31 December 2013
Hosted by: Caribousmom and Vasilly

Guidelines:

• Books must be at least 450 pages to qualify as a "chunkster" (large print editions must be at least 525 pages)
• No audio books allowed (some exceptions)
• No e-books allowed (some exceptions)
• Books may be fiction or nonfiction
• Crossovers with other challenges are allowed
• You don't need a blog to participate
• No advance lists required
• Once you've picked your level, you're committed to it for the duration of the challenge

Levels:

1. The Chubby Chunkster – read 4 chunksters
2. The Plump Primer - read 6 books that qualify
3. Do These Books Make my Butt Look Big? - read 6 chunksters from the following categories:
   2 books which are between 450 - 550 pages in length;
   2 books which are 551 - 750 pages in length;
   2 books which are GREATER than 750 pages in length
4. Mor-book-ly Obese - Read 8 or more chunksters of which three MUST be 750 pages or more

~ I'm signing up for Level 1 ("Chubby Chunkster"), so I'll be reading 4 books.

~ See my original post about the challenge HERE.
~ See the challenge sign-up page HERE.
~ See the challenge blog HERE.
~ See the link for reviews HERE.


MY READING LIST (books read, with links to reviews):

1. The Lost Symbol. Dan Brown (509 pages in hardcover) 
2.  

2013 Book Blogger Recommendation Reading Challenge

***NOTE: This challenge seems to have evaporated.
I can't find any working links, so I'm assuming this one is non-active.***

Dates: 1 January - 31 December 2013
Hosted by: Jennifer @ Reading with Tequila

Guidelines:

• Participants will choose their books from the list of recommended titles
• All formats are allowed
• Re-reads are not allowed
• You don't need a blog to participate, and reviews are not mandatory (although appreciated)

Levels:

1. Level I - Read 5 books from the 2012 Book Blogger Recommendation List 
2. Level II - Read 10 books 
3. Level III - Read 15 books 
4. Level IV - Read 20 books 
5. Level V - Read 20+ books 

~ I'm signing up at Level I, and will be reading 5 books from the list.

~ See my original post about the challenge HERE.
~ See the challenge announcement / sign-up page HERE.
~ See the list of recommended books HERE.

MY READING LIST (books read, with links to reviews):

POSSIBLE READS:

11/22/63. Stephen King
Across the Universe. Beth Revis
The Alchemyst. Michael Scott
Anansi Boys. Neil Gaiman
The Bell Jar. Sylvia Plath 
The Book Thief. Markus Zusak
In Cold Blood. Truman Capote
Gone Girl. Gillian Flynn
The Night Circus. Erin Morgenstern
The Nine Billion Names of God. Arthur C. Clarke
North and South. Elizabeth Gaskell
The Prestige. Christopher Priest
Ready Player One. Ernest Cline
Rules of Civility. Amor Towles
The Secret History. Donna Tartt
The Shadowy Horses. Susanna Kearsley
Wide Sargasso Sea. Jean Rhys

2013 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

Dates: 1 January - 31 December, 2013
Hosted by: Historical Tapestry

Guidelines (quoted from challenge announcement page):

"The challenge will run in the same way as it has over the last couple of years that we have hosted the challenge. The only thing that has changed is the names of the categories....Each month, a new post dedicated to the HF Challenge will be created. To participate, you only have to follow the rules:

• everyone can participate, even those who don't have a blog (you can add your book title and thoughts in the comment section if you wish) 
• add the link(s) of your review(s) including your name and book title to the Mister Linky we’ll be adding to our monthly post (please, do not add your blog link, but the correct address that will guide us directly to your review) 
• any kind of historical fiction is accepted (HF fantasy, HF young adult,...)"

Levels:

1. 20th century reader - 2 books 
2. Victorian reader - 5 books 
3. Renaissance reader - 10 books 
4. Medieval - 15 books 
5. Ancient History -25+ books 

See my original post about the challenge here.
See the Challenge announcement/sign-up page here.

** I'm signing up at the second level ("Victorian reader"), so I'll be reading five books.

MY READING LIST (books read, with links to reviews):

1. The Heat of the Sun. David Rain 
2. Clea. Lawrence Durrell (review to come)
3.
4.
5.