Another new year means another bout of Reading Challenges I feel the need to participate in. I've noted that maybe I'm a bit too OCD about these lists and challenges, but to be totally honest, this is just the right kind of activity to satisfy the Reader OCD/Listmaker in me. I love to read, I love to make lists, I love to keep my Reading Lists organized in ways only I understand.
It's a madness that doesn't make much sense to anyone else who doesn't really follow my twisted bibliophile logic. And I don't expect it to make sense. If you've ever seen my system for tracking books, reading lists and whatnot, you probably don't want to try to make it make sense anyway.
Anyway, for 2015 I'm participating in some of the same challenges I participated in last year. I've dropped some challenges, and then picked up some other ones as well. Some are more challenging than I would normally attempt, since I'm a leisurely reader and hate to combine my love of reading with anything remotely akin to "necessary task assignments". But I'm going to put a spin to my challenges this year--especially with some pre-chosen lists.
Another challenge I am participating in (but is really just a personal challenge since I kind of changed it to fit my own preferences) is the 2014 - 2016 Series Challenge hosted by Readers Paradise, a Goodreads reading group. If interested, click on my blog post here to see the reasons, and then click on this link to see my official master list. Or just go to some of my extra links directly after this paragraph.
Related links:
2014 - 2016 Series Challenge List / BookLikes Shelf
(Progress will be updated monthly.)
The generic Reading Challenges hosted by:
Goodreads Reading Challenge -- GR list/shelf
BookLikes Reading Challenge -- BL list/shelf
(Linkies will be available when the challenge officially begins in 2015.)
Every year I participate in a generic reading challenge that only requires a number goal. Each year I've increased my goal further. In 2014 my goal had started at 100, but as the year drew on, I increased my goal to 120. For 2015, I guess we'll increase my goal by a smidgeon more.
My Goal: 150 Books
Progress: 143/150
2015 Outdo Yourself Challenge hosted by:
Levels:
Getting My Heart Rate Up: read 1 - 5 more books (or 250 - 1499 more pages)
Out of Breath: read 6 - 10 more books (or 1500 - 2749 more pages)
Breaking a Sweat: read 11 - 15 more books (or 2750 - 3999 more pages)
I'm on Fire!: read 16+ more books (or 4000+ more pages)
(Novellas that are 100 pages in length (give or take), and full-length novels will be acceptable.)
2014 was my most accomplished reading year yet and I'm not certain about whether I'll be able to beat that record. So for now, I'm going to choose the lowest level to begin this challenge and then move my way up.
My Goal:
Getting My Heart Rate Up: read 1 - 5 more books
(I read 154 books for this challenge in 2014 -- My goal will be 155 - 159 books in 2015.
My Progress: 132/155
See: 2015 Outdo Yourself Challenge shelf for list of books
2015 Romantic Suspense Reading Challenge hosted by
Levels:
Civilian: read 1 - 5 romantic suspense novels
Hunter: read 6 - 10 romantic suspense novels
Marksman: read 11 - 15 romantic suspense novels
Sniper: read 16 - 20 romantic suspense novels
SWAT: read 21+ romantic suspense novels
When I discovered how much I love Romantic Suspense novels, I spent the better part of 2014 reading a lot of them. Sometimes I would choose a series of 4 to 6 books and marathon them during a monthly binge. I still have a ton of Romantic Suspense novels sitting on my TBR and I read well over 50 in 2014. Considering the amount of reading that I do, I think my goal for 2015 should be pretty obvious.
My Goal: SWAT: read 21+ romantic suspense novels
-- CHALLENGE COMPLETED -- 22 Books Read -- 4/9/2015
My Progress: 70/21
See: 2015 Romantic Suspense Challenge shelf for list of books
2015 Men In Uniform Challenge hosted by
Levels:
Sergeant: read 1 - 5 men in uniform novels
Lieutenant: read 6 - 10 men in uniform novels
Captain: read 11 - 15 men in uniform novels
Chief: read 16+ men in uniform novels
I realize that Romantic Suspense novels do not always mean Men In Uniform novels, so this might be a bit of a challenge for me. However, considering the number of books I read, I'm sure I should at least be able to hit the highest level. I'm a big reader of all things mystery/crime thrillers. My planned reading of Cindy Gerard's Black Ops series (military) knocks out 7 novels already. I'm sure I can wrangle up some more books involving police detectives or the like...
Do FBI agents count? They don't exactly get a uniform, but they have some sort of standard dress code... right? Cause I've got another full series lined up involving FBI agents.
My Goal: Chief: read 16+ men in uniform novels
-- CHALLENGE COMPLETED -- 16 Books Read -- 3/17/2015
My Progress: 63/16
See: 2015 Men in Uniform Challenge shelf for book list
See: 2015 Men in Uniform Challenge post for detailed list
2015 TBR Pile Challenge hosted by
The Basics:
This challenge requires you to choose 12 books to read for the year (with 2 alternates in case one of the books falls through). It's like taking a step to knock off books that have been sitting on your reading list for forever.
See: 2015 TBR Pile Challenge (RBR) shelf for book list / Goodreads shelf
See: 2015 TBR Pile Challenge post for book list and more
My Progress: 9/12
2015 Reading Assignment Challenge hosted by
The Basics:
This challenge requires a pre-chosen list of a chosen level of book reading (listed below). A specific list must be made and then a specific number of books are to be read each month dependent on your chosen level. For more details on the challenge, click on the linky above to see Because Reading's sign up page.
Levels:
Reading Level 1: 6 books, No Extra Credit, No Passes
Reading Level 2: 12 books (1 book/month), 1 Extra Credit, 1 Pass
Reading Level 3: 24 books (2 books/month), 2 Extra Credits, 1 Pass
Reading Level 4: 36 books (3 books/month), 3 Extra Credits, 1 Pass
Reading Level 5: 48 books (4 books/month), 4 Extra Credits, 1 Pass
Extra Credits and Passes are explained at Because Reading's Challenge sign up page.
Despite the low number of books to be read (in my opinion) for this challenge, I'm intrigued because of the more challenging aspect of creating a strict, pre-chosen Reading List for the year. If I just commit to reading 48 books, at 4 books a month, I can pretty much read any book as my ever-changing mood fancies. But with a pre-chosen list, the challenge has been increased.
So I'm curious to see how well I do with stricter rules and more discipline and better planning.
My Goal: Reading Level 5: 48 books (4 books/month), 4 Extra Credits, 1 Pass
My Progress: 40/48
See: 2015 Reading Assignment Challenge shelf for book list / GR shelf
See: 2015 Reading Assignment Challenge post for book list, updates, and more
(Post updated 10/25/2015)
I will try to update my Reading Assignment post monthly to reflect which books I've read for each month as well as notate the books I had to use Extra Credits to get ahead with.
2015 Mount TBR Challenge hosted by
The Basics:
This challenge is supposed to help you knock out all the books currently owned on your book shelf (either electronically or physically). The main rule is that the books must be owned by you prior to January 1, 2015. No ARCs, no library books, no rereads.
Challenge Levels:
Pike's Peak: Read 12 books from your TBR pile/s
Mount Blanc: Read 24 books from your TBR pile/s
Mt. Vancouver: Read 36 books from your TBR pile/s
Mt. Ararat: Read 48 books from your TBR pile/s
Mt. Kilimanjaro: Read 60 books from your TBR pile/s
El Toro: Read 75 books from your TBR pile/s
Mt. Everest: Read 100 books from you TBR pile/s
Mount Olympus (Mars): Read 150+ books from your TBR pile/s
It seems that this challenge is one of good faith considering there's no way for anyone to know whether or not you already own certain books that may or may not make it onto this list. But for many of us, as a challenge to ourselves, I'm sure this is the perfect chance to make an honest attempt at putting a dent into that bookshelf of titles that have been sitting in your room since forever.
I'm sure I own a little over 100 titles that I haven't read yet, but for the sake of honesty, I'm not sure I'll be able to commit myself to reading everything on my bookshelves. I have a impulsive book buying binges and I also love visiting the library. New books come out all the time that you realize you want to read. So I'm going to be a bit realistic about my goals.
Using a rather logical tact (that involved making a list of all the books I KNOW I'm going to be reading in 2015, crossing out titles, adding titles, and then crossing out more titles as well as planning one last book buying binge before 2015), I guesstimated that I should be able to accomplish a somewhat realistic goal of approximately 40 - 50 books. I will increase my goal as I see fit.
My Goal: Mt. Ararat: Read 48 books from your TBR pile/s
My Progress: 26/48
See: 2015 Mount TBR Challenge shelf for book list
The Series That Never Ends Reading Challenge 2015 hosted by
Levels:
Surviving the Book Tsunami -- 5-9 books
Removing the Thorn From My Side -- 10-15 books
Goddess of Reading the Never Ending Series -- 15 books or more
The Basics:
The series must have 5 books or more left for you to read in order to qualify. The minimum book goal is 5 books. For more challenge details see the above linky for Delighted Reader's sign up page.
I don't know how I'm going to handle this challenge, but I think I'll start by choosing three book series I can use to participate in this challenge and see how that goes.
My Goal:
Surviving the Book Tsunami -- 5 - 9 books / COMPLETED -- 6/1/2015
Removing the Thorn From My Side -- 10-15 books / COMPLETED -- 7/31/2015
Goddess of Reading the Never Ending Series -- 15 books or more / COMPLETED -- 8/16/2015
My Progress: 20/15 books
Listed Series Goals Completed: 2/3
See: 2015 Series Never Ends Challenge shelf for book list
See: 2015 The Series That Never Ends Challenge post for updates and more
1
0
