2013 Reading Challenges

2013 Reading Challenges

I am hosting the 52 Books in 52 Weeks challenge which includes several mini challenges. My goal for 2013 is to read those books that have been on my shelves gathering dust. Also those chunky (over 500 pages) and long forgotten books - ones that have been calling my name for quite a while. Once again, I'll be instituting a buying ban for the first four months of the new year until I've managed to whittle down my TBR pile. 

52 Books mini Challenge: Book versus Movie

1. TBR: Chocolat by Joanne harris vs movie - Chocolat
2. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep - Philip K. Dick vs movie - Blade Runner

Doing the Continental

 The goal is to read across the continents at least once  (completed)

Australia Adventure:
  Dark Angel Series - Keri Arthur

Chillin in the Antarctic:
  Subterranean - James Rollins

Eurail through Europe: 
  Italy:  The Rossetti Letter - Christi Phillips
  Ireland:  The Likeness - Tana French

Hike the United States:
  Widow's Web - Appalachian mountains
  Hell on Wheels - Chicago

Out of Africa: 
  Botswana: No 1 Ladies Detective Agency - Alexander McCall Smith

Traipse through South America: 
   Hopscotch - Julio Cortazar (Argentina/Paris)

Traipse through North America:
  Jamaica: Pirate Latitudes - Michael Crichton

Trek through Asia: 
  1Q84 - Haruki Murakami

52 Books mini challenge: Dusty and/or Chunky books

I have come up with several categories and I'm going with 12 or more chunky books: Have Mercy Baby.  Completed 7

1. 1Q84 - Haruki Murakami (944)
2. Black Order - James Rollins (622)  1/30/13
3. The Dragon Reborn - Robert Jordan (704) 2/24/13
4. Hopscotch - Julio Cortazar (564)  3/14/13
5. N0S4A2 - Joe Hill (5/20/13)
6. City of Glass - Cassandra Clare (541) 5/27/13
7. Dragonfly in Amber #2 - Diana Gabaldon  (947)
8. Inheritance (#4 Inheritance cycle) - Christopher Paolini (849)
9. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson (672)
10. The Twelve - Justin Cronin (592)
11. Voyager - Diana Gabaldon  (1059) 
12. With No One As Witness - Elizabeth George  (901)
13. Winter's Tale - Mark Helprin (745)

12 or more dusty books: Croon for me - Bobby Darrin (completed)

1. The Rossetti Letter - Christi Phillips (1/4)
2. Around the World with Auntie Mame - Patrick Dennis (1/12)
3. Across the Universe - Beth Revis (1/15)
4. Genesis - Bernard Beckett  (1/16)
5. Pirate Latitudes - Michael Crichton 
6. Black Order - James Rollins 
7. City of Ashes - Cassandra Clare  
8. Comedy in a Minor Key - Hans Keilson 
9. No Mark Upon Her - Deborah Crombie 
10. Death Comes for the Archbishop - Willa Cather 
11. Death and Restoration - Iain Pears 
12. Never Let You Go - Erin Healy 
13. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep - Philip K. Dick 
14. The Likeness - Tana French
15. Faithful Place - Tana French
16. Devil Colony - James Rollins  

52 books mind challenge: Inspiration Reading Project

I'm going with the inspiration category of 12 or more books (completed 1)

1. Crossing the Tiber - Stephen Ray
   
2. Echoing Silence: Thomas Merton on the Vocation of Writing
3. Essays - Michel De Montaigne
4. Jesus of Nazereth: Holy Week - Pope Benedict XVI
5. Life of Prayer - St Teresa
6. Memories, Dreams, Reflections - C.G. Jung
7. Mere Christianity - C.S. Lewis
8. Mother Teresa, Come Be My Light
9. New Seeds of Contemplation - Thomas Merton 
10. The Apostles - Pope Benedict XVI
11. The Writer's Journey - Christopher Vogler
12. Three Philosophies of Life - Peter Kreeft 

52 Books mini challenge:  Oh Canada!

Category:  No Time: Read one fiction and/or one non fiction (completed)

1. Neuromancer  - William Gibson

 

What's in a Name

Beth Fish Reads What's in a Name Challenge to be completed between January 1 and December 31, 2013, and read one book in each of the following categories:  Books in italics are those currently in my TBR Pile (completed)

1. A book with up or down (or equivalent) in the title: The Trial of Fallen Angels
2. A book with something you'd find in your kitchen in the title:   City of Glass
3. A book with a party or celebration in the title:  Kitty Steals the Show
4. A book with fire (or equivalent) in the title: City of Ashes
5. A book with an emotion in the title: Thrill Ride
6. A book with lost or found (or equivalent) in the title: Death and Restoration

2013 A to Z challenge by Title and Author

A:  Around the World with Auntie Mame - Patrick Dennis
A:  Alexander McCall Smith - No 1 Ladies Detective Agency
A:  Across the Universe - Beth Revis
A:  The Trial of Fallen Angels - James Kimmel

B: Brett Battles - Sick
B: Bernard Beckett - Genesis
B: The Bridge - Karen Kingsbury
B: Birthmarked - Caragh O'Brien
B: Black Order - James Rollins 

C: Michael Crichton - Pirate Latitudes
C: Cindy Gerard - Killing Time  
C: Carrie Vaughn - Kitty Goes To Washington
C: City of Ashes - Cassandra Clare 
C: Comedy in a Minor Key - Hans Keilson

D: Deborah Crombie - No Mark Upon Her
D: Dean Koontz - Forever Odd  
D: Death Comes for the Archbishop - Willa Cather 
D: The Dragon Reborn - Robert Jordan  
D: Death and Restoration - Iain Pears 

E: Erin Healy - Never Let You Go 
E: Hallie Ephron - There was an Old Woman
E. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep - Philip K. Dick 
E. The House at the End of Hope Street - Menna Van Praag 

F:  One Foot in  the Grave (Night Huntress #2) -  Jeaniene Frost 
F:  Christa Faust - Money Shot
F:  Frost Burned - Patricia Briggs 
F:  Fated - Benedict Jacka  

G: Unholy Ghosts - Stacia Kane
G: City of Glass - Cassandra Clare

H: Hit List - Laurell K. Hamilton
H: Haruki Murakami  - 1Q84
H: Charlaine Harris - Deadlocked
H: Joe Hill - N0S4A2 

I:  Immortal Rider - Larissa Ione
I:  Inner Harbor - Nora Roberts
I:  If on a winter's night a traveler - Italo Calvino 

J: Joe Hill - N0S4A2
    The Historian - Elizabeth Kostova

K. Keri Arthur - Moon Sworn
K. Dean Koontz - Odd Apocalypse
K. Stephen King - Waste Lane
K. Kiss the Dead - Laurell K. Hamilton

L: Laurell K. Hamilton - Kiss the Dead
L. Key of Light - Nora Roberts

M: Kate Morton - Distant Hours

N: Nancy Collins - Right Hand Magic
    Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym - Edgar Allan Poe

O: Odd Hours - Dean Koontz

P: Louise Penny - Still Life 
    Adrian Phoenix - Black Dust Mambo

Q: Qui Xialong - A Loyal Character Dancer (#2 Inspector Chen)

R: Cecy Robson - Sealed with a Curse 
    Jennifer Ryan - Lucky like Us

S: Sena Jeter Naslund - Adam and Eve
   

T:  Thankless in Death - J.D. Robb

U:  Urban Shaman - C.E. Murphy

V: Heart of Venom - Jennifer Estep

W: Every Which Way but Dead - Kim Harrison

X: A Loyal Character Dancer (#2 Inspector Chen) - Qui Xialong (China)

Y: Never Let You Go - Erin Healy

Z: Dr. Zhivago - Boris Pasternak (DNF)