2011 Battle of the Prizes: British Version

***Challenge ended.***

Dates: 1 February 2011 - 31 January 2012
Host: Rose City Reader

Guidelines:

• Choose from two reading options:
  
  Option One:
  Choose three books that you have not read before:
  
  1) One that won both the Booker and the James Tait Black prizes (see the list of "double-dippers").
  2) One that won the Booker Prize (but not the James Tait Black Prize).
  3) One that won the James Tait Black Prize (but not the Booker).
  
  Option Two:
  For those who have already read all three of the double-dippers, or otherwise do not want to read one of those three, pick two Booker winners and two James Tait Black winners for a total of four books.
  
  
• Challenge rules:
  1) Read all books between February 1, 2011 and January 31, 2012.
  Books don't have to be chosen ahead of time; and choices can be changed at any time.
  2) Overlap with other challenges is allowed.
  3) Reviews are not necessary, but encouraged. If you do not have a blog, put your reviews or reports in a comment on the announcement post.
  

✸ I'll probably be choosing Option Two, since I'm not really interested in any of the "double dippers."

See my original post about the challenge here.
See the challenge announcement/sign-up page here.
See the list of Booker winners here.
See the list of James Tait Black winners here.

MY READING LIST:

1. The Sense of an Ending. Julian Barnes (2011 Man Booker)
2. Staying On. Paul Scott (1977 Man Booker)
   
3. The Children's Book. A.S. Byatt (2009 James Tait Black; reading now)
   

Book Awards Challenge V

**Challenge ended.**

Dates: 1 February - 1 December 2011
Host: 3M (Michelle) @ 1 More Chapter

Guidelines:

• Read 5 books from 5 different awards during the period from February 1 through December 1, 2011. (See the announcement page for a list of eligible book awards to choose from.)
  
• Overlaps with other challenges are permitted.
• Choices don't have to be posted right away, and lists may be changed at any time.
• 'Award winners' is loosely defined; make the challenge fit your needs.

See my original post about the challenge here.
See the challenge announcement/sign-up page here.
See the list of awards to choose from here.
See the Mr. Linky page for reviews here.

MY READING LIST (only managed three out of the five books for this one):

1. A Visit from the Goon Squad. Jennifer Egan (2011 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction)
2. Bid Time Return. Richard Matheson (1976 World Fantasy Award, Best Novel)
   
3. The Sense of an Ending. Julian Barnes (2011 Man Booker Prize)

2011 Pub Challenge

**Challenge completed.**

Dates: 1 January - 31 December 2011
Host: 3M (Michelle) @ 1 More Chapter

Guidelines (quoted from the challenge announcement page):

• Read a minimum of 11 books first published in 2011. You don’t have to buy these. Library books, unabridged audios, or ARCs are all acceptable. To qualify as being first published in 2011, it must be the first time that the book is published in your own country. For example, if a book was published in Australia, England, or Canada in 2010, and then published in the USA in 2011, it counts (if you live in the USA). Newly published trade paperbacks and mass market paperbacks do not count if there has been a hardcover/trade published before 2011.
• At least 6 titles must be fiction.
• Crossovers with other challenges are allowed.
• You can add your titles as you go, and they may be changed at any time.

See my original post about the challenge here.
See my wrap-up post here.
See the challenge announcement/sign-up page here.
See the review page for January/February reviews here.

MY READING LIST (with links to reviews):

1. The Girl Who Would Speak for the Dead. Paul Elwork (fiction)
   
2. The Revenge of the Radioactive Lady. Elizabeth Stuckey-French (fiction)
   
3. Art and Madness. Anne Roiphe (nonfiction)
4. Mr. Chartwell. Rebecca Hunt (fiction)
   
5. Tassy Morgan's Bluff. Jim Stinson (fiction)
   
6. Shut Your Eyes Tight. John Verdon (fiction)
7. Nat Tate. William Boyd (fiction)
8. The Brothers of Baker Street. Michael Robertson (fiction)
   
9. The Fatal Touch. Conor Fitzgerald (fiction)
10. The Winter Ghosts. Kate Mosse (fiction; American edition published 2011)
    
11. Literary Brooklyn. Evan Hughes (nonfiction)
12. Born in Africa: The Quest for the Origins of Human Life. Martin Meredith (nonfiction)
13. The Sense of an Ending. Julian Barnes (fiction)
    

Themed Reading Challenge 2011

**Challenge ended.**

Dates: 15 February - 15 August 2011
Host: Teddy Rose @ So Many Precious Books, So Little Time

Guidelines (quoted from the challenge announcement page):

This is a six month challenge designed to help readers clear books from their to-be-read stacks which center around a common theme or themes.

• Rules:
  
  1. Readers may join at ANY TIME between now and August 15th.
  2. Books should be chosen from the reader’s TBR pile (this may be an actual physical pile or a virtual pile).
  3. The goal is to read AT LEAST 5 books linked by theme and review them.
  4. Overlaps with other challenges are allowed.
  5. Readers may change their list of books OR their theme(s) at any time.
  
  
• Readers may choose from three levels of participation:
  
  1. Read at least 5 books which share the same theme.
  2. Read at least 5 books which share TWO themes.
  3. Read at least 5 books which share MORE THAN TWO themes.
  

Themes can be geographic, genre, author, subject matter, or anything in between!

✸ My themes were mystery novels that feature amateur sleuths, written by female authors. The sleuths didn't have to be female -- just the authors. I'm not sure whether my books shared two or three themes, but I signed up at level two. Only got four of the five required books read -- I think I'm just not very good at sticking with a theme.

See my original post about the challenge here.
See my wrap-up post here.
See the challenge announcement page here.

MY READING LIST:

1. Whisker of Evil (A Mrs. Murphy Mystery). Rita Mae Brown
2. Malice in Miniature (A Dorothy Martin Mystery). Jeanne M. Dams
3. Mrs. Malory and the Fatal Legacy (A Mrs. Malory Mystery). Hazel Holt
4. Mrs. Malory and A Time to Die (A Mrs. Malory Mystery). Hazel Holt
   
5. 
   

Aussie Author Challenge 2011

**Challenge completed. See my wrap-up post here.**

Dates: 1 January - 31 December 2011
Host: Joanne @ Booklover Book Reviews

Guidelines (quoted from the challenge announcement page):

• Objective: Read and review books written by Australian Authors - physical books, ebooks and audiobooks, fiction and non-fiction!
  
  
• Challenge Levels:
  ~ Tourist - Read and review 3 books by 3 different Aussie Authors
  ~ True Blue - Read and review 12 books by Australian authors (at least 9 different authors)
  

See my original post about the challenge here.
See my wrap-up post here.
See the challenge announcement/sign-up page here.
Find the link for reviews here.

✸ I'm signing up at the "Tourist" level, and will be reading three books.


MY READING LIST (books read):

1. Picnic at Hanging Rock. Joan Lindsay
   
2. The Seance. John Harwood
   
3. My Brilliant Career. Miles Franklin
   

POSSIBLE CHOICES:

Jessica Anderson: The Impersonators (1980)
-----. Tirra Lirra by the River (1978)
Peter Carey: My Life as a Fake (2003)
-----. Oscar and Lucinda (1988)
-----. Parrot and Olivier in America (2009)
Miles Franklin: My Brilliant Career (1901)
Kerry Greenwood: Cocaine Blues (Phryne Fisher series, #1)
John Harwood: The Ghost Writer (2004)
-----. The Seance (2008)
Shirley Hazzard: The Bay of Noon (1970)
-----. The Great Fire (1980)
-----. The Transit of Venus (1980)
Maggie Joel: The Past and Other Lies (2009)
Elizabeth Jolley: An Innocent Gentleman (2001)
-----. Foxybaby (1985)
-----. Miss Peabody's Inheritance (1983)
-----. The Newspaper of Claremont Street (1988)
-----. The Orchard Thieves (1995)
-----. Palomino (1980)
-----. The Well (1986)
Frank Moorhouse: Grand Days (1993)
Kate Morton: The House at Riverton (2006)
Henry Handel Richardson: The Getting of Wisdom (1910)
Christina Stead: Letty Fox: Her Luck (1946)
-----. The Little Hotel: A Novel (1973)
-----. A Little Tea. A Little Chat (1948)
-----. The Man Who Loved Children (1940)
-----. Miss Herbert: The Suburban Wife (1976)
-----. The People With the Dogs (1952)
Markus Zusak: The Book Thief (2006)

Awesome Author Challenge 2011

**Challenge completed.**

Dates: 1 January - 31 December 2011
Host: Alyce of At Home With Books

Guidelines (quoted from the announcement/sign-up page):

• Read works from authors that are completely new to you (you haven't read any of their writing before).
• Read books that have been recommended by friends, bloggers, or books that have been on your TBR forever because you have heard that the author's writing is fantastic.
• Crossover from other challenges is allowed.
• Titles and authors do not have to be predetermined, and can change at any time.
• Books can come from any genre or reading level, the only requirement is that you have heard great things about the author, but haven't yet read any of their works.
• Choose from these Reading Levels:
  ~ Simply Awesome - 3 to 6 Books
  ~ Totally Awesome - 6 to 10 Books
  ~ Blinded By Overexposure to Awesomeness - Over 10 Books

✸ I signed up at the "Simply Awesome" Level, and read 6 books.

See my original post about the challenge here.
See my wrap-up post here.
See the challenge announcement page here.
See the page for review links here.


MY READING LIST:

1. Andrew Taylor: The Anatomy of Ghosts
   
2. Peter Robinson: Bad Boy
   
3. Anne Roiphe: Art and Madness (See Review)
4. Jennifer Egan: A Visit from the Goon Squad (See Review)
5. Joan Lindsay: Picnic at Hanging Rock (See Review)
   
6. Kate Mosse: The Winter Ghosts
   

TBR Lite Challenge 2011

**Challenge completed.**

Dates: 1 January - 31 December 2011
Host: MizB

Guidelines:

• Choose from three reading options (quoted from the announcement page):
  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.
  
  
• Overlapping with other challenges is allowed.
• Audiobooks are allowed, and e-Books are allowed, but they must still be books that you’ve wanted to read for three months or more.
• You should have a list of books posted somewhere for other participants to see.
• You don’t have to read your books in the order you put them on your list.

✸ I signed up for Option B, and ended up reading seventeen books from my TBR list.

See my original post about the challenge here.
See my wrap-up post here.
See the challenge announcement page here.
See the challenge Yahoo group here.

MY READING LIST (with links to reviews):

1. Knight's Castle. Edward Eager
2. The Time Garden. Edward Eager
   
3. A Shilling for Candles. Josephine Tey
4. Picnic at Hanging Rock. Joan Lindsay
   
5. Whisker of Evil. Rita Mae Brown
6. Along Came a Spider. James Patterson
7. Mrs. Malory and the Fatal Legacy. Hazel Holt
8. Quiet As a Nun. Antonia Fraser
9. Mrs. Malory and A Time to Die. Hazel Holt
   
10. The Man in Lower Ten. Mary Roberts Rinehart
    
11. Episode of the Wandering Knife. Mary Roberts Rinehart
12. Third Girl. Agatha Christie
13. Hallowe'en Party. Agatha Christie
14. Mrs. McGinty's Dead. Agatha Christie
    
15. The Killings at Badger's Drift. Caroline Graham
    
16. My Brilliant Career. Miles Franklin
17. Staying On. Paul Scott
    

2nds Challenge 2011

***Challenge complete. See my wrap-up post here.***

Dates: 1 January - 31 December 2011
Host: Katy @ A Few More Pages

Guidelines:

• Read books that are either the second book in a series you've started, or just the second book you've read by any author.
  
• Anyone can join. You don't need a blog to participate. You can sign up anytime before December 31, 2011.
• You don't need to make a list of books, but if you do, the list can be changed at any time.
• Any genre is allowed.
• Choose from one of four reading levels:
  1) Just a spoonful - Read 3 books that are 2nd in a series or the second time you've read the author.
  2) A few more bites - Read 6 books that are 2nd in a series or the second time you've read the author.
  3) A full plate - Read 12 books that are 2nd in a series or the second time you've read the author.
  4) All you can eat - Read 20 books (or more) that are 2nd in a series or the second time you've read the author.

✸ I'm signing up at the first level ("Just a spoonful"), so I'll be reading at least three books.

See my original post about the challenge here.
See my wrap-up post here.
See the challenge announcement page here.

MY READING LIST (Books Read):

1. A Shilling for Candles. Josephine Tey
2. Shut Your Eyes Tight. John Verdon
3. Malice in Miniature. Jeanne M. Dams
   

POSSIBLE CHOICES:

Death of a Hollow Man. Caroline Graham (2nd Inspector Barnaby novel)
Framed in Lace. Monica Ferris (2nd Needlecraft series novel)
The Inn at Lake Devine. Elinor Lipman
Iron House. John Hart
July and August. Nancy Clark
Last Seen Wearing. Colin Dexter (2nd Inspector Morse novel)
Los Alamos. Joseph Kanon
Miss Zukas and the Library Murders. Jo Dereske
Morality Play. Barry Unsworth
Murder on the Links. Agatha Christie (2nd Poirot novel)
Mystery Mile. Margery Allingham (2nd Campion novel)
Outer Banks. Anne Rivers Siddons
The Players Come Again. Amanda Cross
Prophecy. S.J. Parris
The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag. Alan Bradley

1st in a Series Challenge 2011

***Challenge Completed. See my wrap-up post here.***

Dates: 1 January - 31 December 2011
Host: Katy @ A Few More Pages

Guidelines:

• Anyone can join. You don't need a blog to participate. You can sign up anytime before December 31, 2011.
• You don't need to make a list of books, but if you do, the list can be changed at any time.
• Any genre is allowed.
• Choose from one of four reading levels:
  1) Series Novice: Read 3 books that are the first in any series.
  2) Series Lover: Read 6 books that are the first in any series.
  3) Series Expert: Read 12 books that are the first in any series.
  4) Series Fanatic: Read 20 books that are the first in any series.
  

✸ I'm signing up at the "Series Novice" level, but hope to read more than three books.

See my original post about the challenge here.
See my challenge wrap-up post here.
See the challenge announcement page here.

MY READING LIST (Books Read):

1. Along Came a Spider (Alex Cross mystery series). James Patterson
   
2. Quiet As a Nun (Jemima Shore mystery series). Antonia Fraser
   
3. The Killings at Badger's Drift (Inspector Barnaby mystery series). Caroline Graham
   

LIST OF POSSIBILITIES:

A Great Deliverance (Inspector Lynley series). Elizabeth George
Along Came a Spider (Alex Cross series). James Patterson
A Man Lay Dead (Inspector Alleyn series). Ngaio Marsh
At Home in Mitford (Mitford Years series). Jan Karon
The Big Sleep (Philip Marlowe novels). Raymond Chandler
Death of a Gossip (Hamish Macbeth mysteries). M.C. Beaton
The Deep Blue Good-by (Travis McGee series). John D. MacDonald
Dolled Up for Murder (Dolls to Die For series). Deb Baker
Fer-de-Lance (Nero Wolfe series). Rex Stout
Fortune Like the Moon (Hawkenlye Mysteries). Alys Clare
The Ghost and Mrs. McClure (Haunted Bookshop series). Alice Kimberly
The Godwulf Manuscript (Spenser series). Robert B. Parker
Grey Mask (Miss Silver series). Patricia Wentworth
The Inimitable Jeeves (first Jeeves/Wooster novel). P.G. Wodehouse
In the Last Analysis (Kate Fansler series). Amanda Cross
The Killings at Badger's Drift. (Inspector Barnaby series). Caroline Graham
Last Bus to Woodstock (Inspector Morse series). Colin Dexter
Maisie Dobbs (Maisie Dobbs series). Jacqueline Winspear
Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind (Miss Julia series). Ann B. Ross
Miss Zukas and the Library Murders (Miss Zukas series). Jo Dereske
The Moving Target (Lew Archer series). Ross Macdonald
Murder Is Binding (Booktown series). Lorna Barrett
The Quiche of Death (Agatha Raisin series). M.C. Beaton
Quiet As a Nun (Jemima Shore series). Antonia Fraser
The Quilter's Apprentice (Elm Creek Quilts series). Jennifer Chiaverini
Relic (Pendergast series). Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child
Say It With Poison (Mitchell & Markby series). Ann Granger
The Secret Adversary (Tommy & Tuppence series). Agatha Christie
The Sunday Philosophy Club (Sunday Philosophy Club series). Alexander McCall Smith
The Talented Mr. Ripley (Ripley novels). Patricia Highsmith
The Warden (Barsetshire novels). Anthony Trollope

Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2011

**Challenge completed. See my wrap-up post here.**

Dates: 1 January - 31 December 2011
Host: Historical Tapestry

Guidelines:

• The challenge is open to everyone. You don't need a blog to participate.
• If you do have a blog, there will be a monthly link for reviews.
• Any kind of historical fiction is acceptable.
• Overlapping with other challenges is allowed.
• Choose from one of five Levels:
  1. Severe Bookaholism: 20 books
  2. Undoubtedly Obsessed: 15 books
  3. Struggling (with) the Addiction: 10 books
  4. Daring & Curious: 5 books
  5. Out of My Comfort Zone: 2 books
  

✸ I'm signing up at level four ("Daring & Curious"), so I'll be reading five books.

See my original post about the challenge here.
See my wrap-up post here.
See the challenge announcement page here.

MY READING LIST (Books Read):

1. The Anatomy of Ghosts. Andrew Taylor (Review to come)
2. The Girl Who Would Speak for the Dead. Paul Elwork
   
3. Mr. Chartwell. Rebecca Hunt
   
4. Picnic at Hanging Rock. Joan Lindsay
   
5. The Winter Ghosts. Kate Mosse (Review to come)
   
6. The Seance. John Harwood
7. Alice I Have Been. Melanie Benjamin (Review to come)
   

POSSIBLE CHOICES:

A Morbid Taste for Bones. Ellis Peters
Alice I Have Been. Melanie Benjamin
The Children's Book. A.S. Byatt
The Dante Club. Matthew Pearl
The Glass Room. Simon Mawer
The Heretic's Daughter. Kathleen Kent
The House at Riverton. Kate Morton
The Lady and the Unicorn. Tracy Chevalier
The Little Stranger. Sarah Waters
Los Alamos. Joseph Kanon
Loving Frank. Nancy Horan
The Mercury Visions of Louis Daguerre: A Novel. Dominic Smith
The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag. Alan Bradley
World's Fair. E.L. Doctorow

Cruisin' thru the Cozies Challenge 2011

**Challenge completed. See my wrap-up post here.**

Dates: 1 January - 31 December 2011
Host: Yvonne of Socrates' Book Reviews Blog

Guidelines (quoted from the announcement/sign-up page):

• Choose the level you wish to participate:
  Level 1 - Snoop - Read 1-6 books
  Level 2 - Investigator - Reading 7-12 books
  Level 3 - Super Sleuth - Read 13 or more books
  
  
• The challenge runs from January 1, 2011 and ends December 31, 2011.
• You don't have to choose your books in advance. If you do, you can change your list at any time during the year. Books can overlap with other challenges.
• Books can be in any format - paper, audio, ebooks...it all counts!
• You don't have to post a review, but I'm sure others would love to know about the books you are reading and may even want to add it to their reading lists.

✸ I'm signing up at the first level ("Snoop"), and will be reading 1-6 books.

See my original post about the challenge here.
See my wrap-up post here.
See the challenge announcement page here.

MY READING LIST (Books Read):

1. Whisker of Evil. Rita Mae Brown
   
2. Malice in Miniature. Jeanne M. Dams
3. Mrs. Malory and the Fatal Legacy. Hazel Holt
   
4. Mrs. Malory and a Time to Die. Hazel Holt
5. Quiet As a Nun. Antonia Fraser
6. The Killings at Badger's Drift. Caroline Graham
   

ARC Reading Challenge 2011

**Challenge ended.**

Dates: 1 January - 31 December 2011
Host: Teddy Rose of So Many Precious Books, So Little Time

Guidelines:

• Choose a reading level:
  1: Bronze -
  ~ a. Everyone who has or will have fewer than 12 ARCS must read all of the ARCS they have. (Note, that if you have 11 ARCs and then receive a 12th, you will be bumped up to catagory b.)
  ~ b. Everyone who has or will have 12 or more ARCS must read and review at least 12.
  
  2: Silver - Read 24 ARCs
  3: Gold - Read 25 ARCs
  4: Platinum - Read 30 or more ARCs
  
  
• Lists are not required, but you can make one if you want.
  
• If you choose a lower level, you can always change it to a higher level if you like. However, you cannot go from a higher level back down to a lower level.
• Crossovers with other challenges are allowed
• Audio-books and ebooks are allowed as long as they are ARCs.
• Read the books and review them on your blog. If you don't have a blog, you can post your review on sites like Powells, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc.

✸ I'm signing up at the Bronze Level (category B), as I want to try to go back and read a few of the ARCs I have from past years.

See my original post about the challenge here.
See the challenge announcement page here.
See the review page for January here.


BOOKS READ:

1. The Anatomy of Ghosts. Andrew Taylor
2. Bad Boy. Peter Robinson
   
3. Henrietta Sees It Through. Joyce Dennys
4. The Girl Who Would Speak for the Dead. Paul Elwork
   
5. The Revenge of the Radioactive Lady. Elizabeth Stuckey-French
   
6. Mr. Chartwell. Rebecca Hunt
   
7. Tassy Morgan's Bluff. Jim Stinson
   
8. Shut Your Eyes Tight. John Verdon
9. Nat Tate. William Boyd
   
10. Literary Brooklyn. Evan Hughes
11. Prince Philip: The Turbulent Early Life of the Man Who Married Queen Elizabeth II. Philip Eade
    

LIST of ARCs To Be Read:

• Published in 2008
  Descartes' Bones. Russell Shorto
  The Glister. John Burnside
  The Heretic's Daughter. Kathleen Kent
  One More Year. Sana Krasikov
  Shadow of Colossus (A Seven Wonders Novel). T.L. Higley
  Stealing Athena. Karen Essex
  Stone Creek. Victoria Lustbader
  The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher. Kate Summerscale
  Tethered. Amy MacKinnon
  
  
• Published in 2009
  Angels of Destruction. Keith Donohue
  The Atlantis Revelation. Thomas Greanias
  The Manual of Detection. Jedediah Berry
  The Rapture. Liz Jensen
  Stone's Fall. Iain Pears
  
  
• Published in 2010
  Mr. Toppit. Charles Elton
  Bad Boy. Peter Robinson
  The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise. Julia Stuart
  Room: A Novel. Emma Donoghue
  Moonlight Mile. Dennis Lehane
  Must You Go? Antonia Fraser
  My Reading Life. Pat Conroy
  
  
• Published in 2011
  A Widow's Story. Joyce Carol Oates
  The Anatomy of Ghosts. Andrew Taylor
  Prophecy. S.J. Parris
  The Survivor. Sean Slater
  Altar of Bones. Philip Carter
  The Revenge of the Radioactive Lady. Elizabeth Stuckey-French
  The Land of Painted Caves. Jean M. Auel
  Henrietta Sees It Through. Joyce Dennys
  Iron House. John Hart
  The Girl Who Would Speak for the Dead. Paul Elwork
  Dreams of Joy. Lisa See
  Mr. Chartwell. Rebecca Hunt
  Noah Barleywater Runs Away. John Boyne
  Tassy Morgan's Bluff. Jim Stinson
  The Map of Time. Felix J. Palma
  Nat Tate. William Boyd
  Shut Your Eyes Tight. John Verdon
  Literary Brooklyn. Evan Hughes
  Prince Philip: The Turbulent Early Life of the Man Who Married Queen Elizabeth II. Philip Eade
  The Shakespeare Thefts. Eric Rasmussen