2012 Reading Challenges

These are just reading challenges that I think look interesting. I am not sure if I will officially join in, but I am contemplating the following:

Titanic 100th Anniversary Reading Challenge

January 1, 2012 - December 31, 2012

This challenge is hosted by Nicola.

First the rules, then why I like the Titanic. I like challenges that run all year; it takes the pressure off. So this challenge will run from now until Dec. 31, 2012. Any books you've posted reviews of recently will qualify as well. And all types of media will count for this challenge paper books, ebooks, audio books, historical fiction, fiction with a titanic theme, non-fiction, movies, TV shows and documentaries. By the end of the year we should know our Titanic trivia!

There are two levels:
Beginner: read or watch a combination of 6 (six) Titanic related material
Expert: read or watch a combination of 12 (twelve) Titanic related material

My Thoughts: I have actually always been a bit obsessed with the Titanic. There were years where I read anything that was Titanic-related at the bookstore. I don't so much any more because my reading has just become diverse. With the 100th anniversary in 2012 I have been paying attention to the new releases that were Titanic related and was even excited when the first episode of Downton Abbey mentioned the sinking.

The Sir Terry Pratchett Reading Challenge 2012

January 1, 2012 - December 31, 2012

This challenge is hosted by Hannah.

Any format, any book, so long as it’s Pratchett. Re-reads are also perfectly acceptable! Books need to be started and finished between January 1st 2012 and December 31st 2012. You can set your own goals, whether you want to read 5 books or go for the whole Discworld series, that is entirely up to you. Be realistic or go crazy, there are no penalties if you don’t meet your goal, in fact the only real goal is to read some Pratchett. All you need to do is sign up below and steal the button. Stick it in a post, in your sidebar, on a separate page, wherever you like. I’ve made the button pretty big so please do feel free to resize it as fits.

My Thoughts: There was a Terry Pratchett reading challenge a couple years ago hosted by Marg. I did terrible with it... I still own many Terry Pratchett books, though, and I really want to read more from him!

2012 ARC Reading Challenge

January 1, 2012 - December 31, 2012

This challenge is hosted by Jamie.

The Rules:
Anyone can join.
You don't need a blog to participate.
Non-Bloggers: Post your list of books in the comment section of the monthly wrap-up post on Jamie's blog.
Audio, eBooks, and bound books count.
No need to list your books in advance. You may select books as you go. Even if you list them now, you can change the list if needed.
Create a sign up post and link to the linky below.
Challenge runs from January 1, 2012 - December 31, 2012.
Crossover challenges is ok.

There are four levels:
The Mini ARC Challenge – Read 4 ARC's.
The "Fun Size" ARC Challenge – Read 10 ARC's.
The Jumbo Size ARC Challenge – Read 20 ARC's.
The Mega size ARC Challenge – Read 21+ ARC's.
NOTE: You may UPGRADE your challenge but you can NOT DOWNGRADE your challenge.

My Thoughts: I am considering this challenge because I only read 4 books in November and December is not going much better... There are many books I should have read by now and just haven't... It is frustrating because I usually read a lot and I should have read most of them by now.

2012 Bucket List Book Reading Challenge

January 1, 2012 - December 31, 2012

This challenge is hosted by Jamie.

Rules:

1. Challenge starts on January 1, 2012 and goes until December 31, 2012.

2. You don't need a blog to participate.

3. Create a "sign up" post and link to the linky below.

4. There are 4 levels to this challenge....

a. The Mini Cooper level - 4 "bucket" list books

b. The Mid-sized Sedan level - 8 "bucket" list books

c. The Pick Up level - 12 "bucket" list books

d. The Semi level - 13 or more "bucket" list books

NOTE: I am adding a stipulation to this challenge. If you originally decided to start small with the Mini Cooper level and decide to upgrade that is fine. But once you decide to go big you can NOT downgrade.

5. Each month a review link will be posted. Please feel free to link up your reviews where ever you happen to post them...your blog, goodreads,Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc.

My Thoughts: There are many books I have wanted to read forever and just never get to year after year. I always say I want to read them before I die, so maybe this should be the year?

Reading Shakespeare: A Play a Month in 2012

January 1, 2012 - December 31, 2012

This challenge is hosted by Risa.

Owning a copy of Shakespeare’s complete works had me wondering the best way I could get myself to read the entire book. I have studied only about six or seven of Shakespeare’s plays from school through college, and there have been many others that I’ve wanted to read but have been a bit hesitant about tackling on my own. So, I figured, the best way to read Shakespeare’s plays and to read it with others, was to have a read-along. Hence Reading Shakespeare: A Play a Month in 2012 was born.A poll held from 01 November 2011 till 01 December 2011 determined the 12 plays we would be reading in 2012.

Listing the plays for 2012.
I shall list them down along with the month in which we are reading them.

January — A Midsummer Night’s Dream
February — Macbeth
March — Henry V
April — Much Ado About Nothing
May — Antony and Cleopatra
June — Richard III
July — As You Like It
August — King Lear
September — Cymbeline
October — Twelfth Night
November — Othello
December — Pericle

My Thoughts: I also have the Collected Works of Shakespeare. I haven't read anything by him since university, though. Maybe this year is the year?

What's in a Name 5

January 1, 2012 - December 31, 2012

This challenge is hosted by Beth.

Here's How It Works

Between January 1 and December 31, 2012, read one book in each of the following categories:
A book with a topographical feature (land formation) in the title: Black Hills, Purgatory Ridge, Emily of Deep Valley
A book with something you'd see in the sky in the title: Moon Called, Seeing Stars, Cloud Atlas
A book with a creepy crawly in the title: Little Bee, Spider Bones, The Witches of Worm
A book with a type of house in the title: The Glass Castle, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, Ape House
A book with something you'd carry in your pocket, purse, or backpack in the title: Sarah's Key, The Scarlet Letter, Devlin Diary
A book with a something you'd find on a calendar in the title: Day of the Jackal, Elegy for April, Freaky Friday, Year of Magical Thinking

Other Things to Know:
Books may be any form (audio, print, e-book).
Books may overlap other challenges.
Books may not overlap categories; you need a different book for each category.
Creativity for matching the categories is not only allowed but encouraged.
You do not have to make a list of books before hand.
You do not have to read through the categories in any particular order.

My Thoughts: I always really like the idea of this challenge, but I have never joined in before...

2014 Winter Olympics Reading Challenge

March 1, 2012 - February 6, 2014

This challenge is hosted by Tanya.

Goal
Read a book featuring a country that got a Medal in the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Duration
March 1, 2010 - Feb 6, 2014
Summary
This is a personal challenge, but feel free to participate with me by leaving a comment below. The purpose is to encourage reading books from countries other than your own - where the country is the setting for the book, or the author is from that country. And you have until the start of the next Winter Olympic games to do it.

If you do want to participate, choose a level below:
Level 1 (Gold): Read a book from every country that won a medal.
Level 2 (Silver): Read a book from every country that won aGold medal.
Level 3 (Bronze): Read a book from every country that wonGold, Silver AND Bronze medals.

Below is a List of the 26 Countries with Medals from the 2010 Winter Olympics

(* means the country got gold, silver and bronze medals).
Australia - Gold & Silver (no Bronze)
Austria *
Belarus *
Canada *
China *
Croatia - Silver & Bronze (no Gold)
Czech Republic - Gold & Bronze (no Silver)
Estonia - Silver (no Gold or Bronze)
Finland - Silver & Bronze (no Gold)
France *
Germany *
Great Britain - Gold (no Silver or Bronze)
Italy *
Japan - Silver & Bronze (no Gold)
Kazakhstan - Silver (no Gold or Bronze)
Latvia - Silver (no Gold or Bronze)
Netherlands *
Norway *
Poland *
Russia *
Slovakia *
Slovenia - Silver & Bronze (no Gold)
South Korea *
Sweden *
Switzerland - Gold & Bronze (no Silver)
United States *

My Thoughts: In our house we were a bit obsessed with the 2010 Olympics (me especially), so I think this challenge sounds like both a lot of fun and a really good idea!

War Through the Generations: WWI

January 1, 2012 - December 31, 2012

This challenge is hosted by Serena and Anna here.

Rules:
This year you have options when reading your fiction, nonfiction, graphic novels, etc. with the WWI as the primary or secondary theme.
Books can take place before, during, or after the war, so long as the conflicts that led to the war or the war itself are important to the story. Books from other challenges count so long as they meet the above criteria.

Dip: Read 1-3 books in any genre with WWI as a primary or secondary theme.
Wade: Read 4-10 books in any genre with WWI as a primary or secondary theme.
Swim: Read 11 or more books in any genre with WWI as a primary or secondary theme.

Additionally, we’ve decided that since there are so many great movies out there about WWI, you can substitute or add a movie or two to your list this year and have it count toward your totals.

My Thoughts: Every year I think I should join this challenge and then don't... Maybe this year should be the year? I have plenty of books that fit on my TBR pile.

The Telling Tales Challenge 2012

January 1, 2012 - December 31, 2012

This challenge is hosted by Bex.

Rules:
Challenge runs from January 1 2012 to December 31 2012.
You may sign up to participate at any point between these dates.
In your sign up post you must mention the level of participation you intend to complete
Any genre counts as long as it is related to fairytale, folklore, or mythology in some way. If you’re not sure if it counts – as long as you can make a case for why it should, then it does!
You can re-read books for this challenge as long as the reviews you link are written during 2012, and the challenge can also overlap other challenges.
Whatever you read must either be a version of a fairytale or myth, or contain fairytale or mythological characters, settings, or sequence of events.
Every month there will be update posts either here or on my sister’s blog. Please link up your reviews for that month on this post.

The Categories

These are the levels:
Level 1: Read 5 books
Level 2: Read 10 books
Level 3: Read 15 books
Level 4: Read 20 books
Level 5: Read 25 books

You can sign up for any level, and choose to read either purely the categories listed below, or to participate in the Mix n Match category, or the Adaptation Amalgamation category, or all of them if you're that brave!

Categories:
Twisted Fairytales – retellings or modern interpretations of fairytales or myths. For inspiration, look here.
Classics– Myth and fairytale from the classics genre (e.g. Homer, Grimm, Virgil, Hans Christian Andersen)
Graphics – Graphic novels and comics based around or containing elements of mythology and fairytale. Examples include Neil Gaiman’s Sandman series and Bill Willingham’s Fables series among others. For a list that barely scrapes the surface, go here.
Poetry & Drama – We’ve put this in because we’re sure there must be some. I've managed to find some, but if you know of any others please let us know!
Non- Fiction – Anything about myth, fairytale, folklore or fantasy in general that doesn’t belong to the fictional genre.

Extra Categories:
Adaptation Amalgamation – Watch a film and read the book it is based on. This category can incorporate as many other categories as you like (i.e all your films do not have to be based on graphic novels, but some can be, and some twisted fairytale, some non-fiction etc)
Mix n Match – Exactly what it says. Sign up for a level and pick that number of books from any or all of the other categories.

My Thoughts: I love the idea of this challenge because this is what I USED to read... Now I read too much and never get back to the basics as often as I would like to... (Except for the Once Upon a Time Challenge.)

Finishing the Series Reading Challenge

January 1, 2012 - December 31, 2012

This challenge is hosted by Yvonne.

Here are the rules guidelines:

All books that are part of a continuing series qualify (i.e. Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove, Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum, James Patterson's Alex Cross, etc. etc.)
It doesn't matter if you have 1 or 10 books in a series to complete it, it qualifies (i.e. if you only need to read one more Sookie Stackhouse book to complete the goal, that's fine) The goal is to complete a series from wherever you are up to until the last published book.
The qualification period is January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012. Books must be read during this time frame to count.
Take the button above and post about it. Use the Mr. Linky below to sign up, but make sure you link it directly to your post about this challenge.
If you don't have a blog, that's fine. Just leave a comment to sign up and tell us what you are reading.
Any format of book counts - audio, ebook, etc.
You should choose the series you want to finish before the challenge begins, but it isn't necessary. It's fine to change series during the year - as long as you complete whichever series it is.

Choose a level....
Level 1 - Complete 1 series.
Level 2 - Complete 2 series.
Level 3 - Complete 3 or more series.

My Thoughts: Story of my life...

1st in a Series Challenge 2012

January 1, 2012 - December 31, 2012

This challenge is hosted by Katy.

Interested in joining the fun? Here are the guidelines:
1. Anyone can join. You don’t need a blog to participate. If you’re not a blogger, you can post your reviews at a review site like Goodreads,LibraryThing, or Shelfari and link them up here.
2. There are four levels for this challenge:
Series Novice: Read 3 books that are the first in any series.
Series Lover: Read 6 books that are the first in any series.
Series Expert:Read 12 books that are the first in any series.
Series Fanatic: Read 20 books that are the first in any series.
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. Any genre counts. Any book format counts.
3.The challenge runs from January 1 through December 31, 2012.
4.You can join anytime between now and December 31, 2012.
5. A post will be created here where you can link-up your reviews and visit the reviews of other participants
6. If you’re a blogger, write up a sign-up post that includes the URL to this post so that others can join in.
Feel free to use the button! You can grab the code you need from the box in the right sidebar.

My Thoughts: Also the story of my life...

2012 Ireland Reading Challenge

January 1, 2012 - November 30, 2012

This challenge is hosted by Carrie.

Here are the new guidelines:

~ The challenge runs from January 1, 2012 to November 30, 2012.

~ Any books read for this challenge can also apply to other challenges you are working on.

~ Re-reads are allowed.

~ Any book written by an Irish author, set in Ireland, or involving Irish history or Irish characters, counts for the challenge – fiction, non-fiction, poetry, audiobooks, children’s books – all of these apply. (I will be posting a list of books previously reviewed for the challenge in the next day or two, if you’re looking for suggestions.)

~ Choose your commitment level:

Shamrock level: 4 books
Luck o’ the Irish level: 6 books
Kiss the Blarney Stone level: 8 books
Ceilidh level: 10+ books

~ Write up a post indicating that you are participating (feel free to copy the lovely graphic at the top of this post), and then add your challenge post’s link to the Mr. Linky here or on the main challenge page.

~ You don’t have to list your books ahead of time – just have fun reading throughout the year.

~ I will put up a page for the challenge in my header, and add a Mr. Linky for reviews and wrap-up posts.

My Thoughts: I joined this challenge in 2011... I never read a single book for it!

So, what challenges are you considering for 2012? There are a few others that I am joining for sure...