The first Book Awards challenge is coming to a close and the second one will be starting soon. The rules are slightly different this time. From August 1, 2008 - June 1, 2009 I need to read 10 books that represent 5 different awards (in other words, they can't all be from the same award) This list can be made as we go and changed at any time. I'll post some tentative reads after I give it some thought.

Booknut is hosting this great challenge to read 4 books by authors that are not Caucasian. More details here.

I'm definitely participating as the majority of the authors I read are white. I don't have a list of books yet but I'll work on them. I'm going to do her second choice and read one from each of the categories listed (that's 6 books, but 4 minimum to finish this challenge) This challenges is from January-April 2008

Another read challenge, which goes up from March 20 to June 19th, 2008! I might as well join this. There are many books I wish to read even though I am moving house which wil involve major work. Well, let me put up a list for it:

1) White Widow by Jim Lehrer
2) Magical Tales by R J Stewart
3) The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

These book are with me and do not figure in any other read challenges! I might add two more!

First of all, if you haven't read it yet, head down to Estella's Revenge. This month's e-zine is chock full of goodies!! Including a new Challenge!!! My Year of Reading Dangerously challenges us to read those books that have been intimidating us. I signed up and I think it's a fabulous way to read all those Classics and really long books that are sitting on my shelf. I have so many that I want to read, but never have because I was too scared to read them.

Okay, one more challenge! My eye has been caught by the reinvigorated Chunkster Challenge, being hosted this year by So many books, so little time. Even though I didn't come close to meeting my goals with this one last year, it was fun. And I think it would make a lovely counterpoint to the Short Story Challenge -- a few stories, a reaaallllly long novel. Balance. So I'm going to sign up again, and fortunately, cross-challenge books are permitted. Yay, War & Peace!

This challenge was created by Wendy and is done by members of the A Novel Challenge group. I will be making notes here on progress and for the books that need to be reviewed, they will have the tag: A Novel Challenge

In the year 2008 I need to:

1. Read a short story and review it
2. Read a children's book and review it
3. Read a poem and review it
4. Read a banned book and review it
5. Give a book away - gave my copy of The Fab Girl's Guide to Friendship Hardships by Discovery Girls to a teen I know.
6. read 2 articles from any one magazine and tell about them.
7. Read a classic and review it Read Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll, review here.
8. Got to a book event and tell about your experience
9. Read an essay and tell about it
10. Read something inspirational and tell why it inspired you

Okay I can't resist this one and since no one else took initiative on this one, I will. Start looking through your books for non-fiction books related to spirituality. They can be for a certain religion or none at all. About living the life you were meant to live, or being your best, or connecting with God or whatever. As long as it's non-fiction and you consider it Spiritual.

Full rules, challenge graphic and place to sign up coming within 2 weeks. I'll announce here and at the Novel Challenges blog/group when it's up.

I must be out of my mind. I joined a few more challenges for 2008. I think I can overlap many of those. Click on the icons to know more about those challenges. Join as many as you can.

The challenges in alphabetical order are:

Total 52 books. 26 each for authors and titles.

"What's In A Name?" Reading Challenge
Dates: January 1, 2008 through December 31, 2008
The Challenge: Choose one book from each of the following categories.

1. A book with a colour in its title.

One of my New Year's Resolutions is to not take on more than I can handle, especially when it comes to challenges. In 2007, I discovered Reading Challenges and signed up for everything and completed very little. I still have a few books to finish for the TBR Challenge and The Something About Me Challenge. I really hate not finishing things.

Now the new run of challenges is starting and I find myself being drawn in. They're just so tempting. Why is that? Is it the camaraderie of people working towards the same goals? The cute buttons?

Anyway, I'm sticking to a few rules before I join:

Becky is like me, she can't stop making challenges!

This one is to read 3-5 books by authors who have won the Margaret A. Edwards Award.

Ok, I know I'm crazy but this is THE LAST ONE! It has to be, I have no more room on my sidebar and I'm going to have to buy Barnes & Noble, or rent a room in the library if I keep going. So, I've joined another challenge. But this one will fit with my other challenges (likely excuse right?). I've joined the A to Z Reading Challenge hosted by Joy. If you think this will fit into your challenges, head on over to Thoughts of Joy and sign up like all us other crazy people =) I will add the Authors and Titles as I go along!

A -
B -
C -
D -
E -
F -

Words for Annie is hosting her first challenge.

For all of 2008 I must read at least one book from each category below.

1. A book with a color in its title. - The Color Purple by Alice Walker (also for 888 and Book Awards)
2. A book with an animal in its title. - Elephant in the Playroom by Denise Brodey (also for 888)
3. A book with a first name in its title. - Lessons from Jacob by Ellen Schwarts (also for In Their Shoes)

Ok...I have been over-committed for the 2007 challenges. I admit it. That's why I have been avoiding all of the new ones that have been popping up, even though some of them look really interesting and fun. But, Melissa over at Book Nut is hosting a challenge that fits right in with my reading plans for 2008.

My summer is officially over. With that, here's a review of everything I read during June, July, and August. I set a few challenges for myself. I failed a few challenges for myself. Oh well. I read a lot. That's all that matters.

With that, I give you my summer in review (please note that the two starred entries refer to books I was, for whatever reason, unable to complete):

BOOKS READ IN JUNE
1. unSpun
2. Jude the Obscure
3. State of Fear
4. The Butterfly Revolution

Joy at Thoughts of Joy is hosting the Non-Fiction Five challenge again. I missed it the first time. It's supposed to encourage people to read more non-fiction but that's not really a problem for me as I read LOTS of non-fiction. I still want to participate though!

My list:
I Sleep At Red Lights: A True Story of Life after Triplets by Bruce StocklerSiblings Without Rilvary by Adele Faber and Elaine MazlishNibbles and Me by Elizabeth TaylorStolen Lives : Twenty years in a desert jail by Malika Oufkir and Michèle Fitoussi ; translated by RosSchwartz.Stick figure : a diary of my former self by Lori Gottlieb

It's here! The 2008 TBR challenge!

I didn't get to participate last year so I'm excited. I just need to finalize my list. I already have a lot of books to read so I can't choose all new books but I don't want them all to overlap either.

So the list is to come, very soon of course since I have to have it done by Dec. 31/08

This is getting insane!! I've joined three more challenges. I have got to stop browsing other blogs at work (downtime is wonderful isn't it?).

From February 1 to July 14, 2008 I'll be re-reading some books I loved as a child. I'll be reading the first 3 for sure and the last 3 are extras. My list is as follows:

Ramona The Pest by Beverly Cleary
Babysitter's Club: Kristy and the Worst Kid Ever by Ann M. Martin
The Overnight by R.L. Stine
Good Work, Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish
A Light in the Attic by Dennis Lee
Encylopedia Brown by Donald Sobal

There are too many books piled up on my book shelves waiting to be read. Hence I joined From the Stakes Winter Reading Challenge. That way I can read atleast 5 books from that pile from Nov 1, 2007 to Jan 30, 2008.

My tentative list:

Roots by Alex Haily

The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco

Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

Second Glance by Jodi Picoult

Deep Freeze by Lisa Jackson

I am already committed to reading from a large list of banned books so I just picked 4 for this challenge which is Feb 24 to June 30.

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak

I was able to complete another book yesterday which brings my total for January to eight. I am pretty happy with that. I managed three chunksters in January. However, my challenge reading got sidetracked a bit by some of the ARCs that I received. For the most part, I have enjoyed them so I don't mind. I will try to catch up on my challenges in February. Here's what I read:

I found links at Joy's Blog to two more challenges that I just couldn't resist!

Both of these challenges are hosted by J. Kaye's Book Blog.

My rash, excessive and exuberant joining of challenges in the last few weeks has had an unexpected effect: it has spawned a new and fascinating challenge which I now must be a part of. It's the Science Book Challenge, hosted by Bearcastle, who is a newbie to the book challenge world. As part of his company Ars Hermeneutica, besides the previously mentioned Sun Truck project, there is a great area of his website called Book Notes; this challenge wants people to contribute to that area. If you like reading science-related books, of any kind, join up and check out some of the book notes which already exist on his site.

I had thought of joining this challenge. However, I am not much familiar with southern authors. As an Indian, I go by country or continents. However, on Maggie's insistence, I am giving it a go.

Here is my list:

(1) Roots by Alex Haley
(2) Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
(3) In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
(4) To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

As I have already read the first two, that too in May, those may be counted for the challenge. I only need read one more. The last two are very much with me and so reading those won't be a problem!

And now for a Southern haiku:

your very own greed

In 2008 I'll be participating in Becky's Young Reader's Challenge. I need to read 12 books aimed at the 12 and under crowd. I read a lot of these anyways so I figured why not! I'll stay away from picture books since I'm doing that for the Celebrate the Author Challenge.

List to come

Ex Libris has a great idea for a different kind of book challenge. Soup's On is about reviewing recipe books and making a few new recipes aloong the way. From Apr 1/08 to March 31/09 I need to read and review 6 cookbooks and make one recipe from each. Cool eh?

I won't be making a list beforehand other than I'm reviewing a Passover cookbook.

This is one of those challenges that I wanted to join but I wasn't sure if I would be in the mood for Christmas reading. While out shopping with my family this weekend I ran across a couple of titles that got me interested so I am going indulge my inner whim-reader and join this one after all.

Here are my titles:

Holidays are Hell - Kim Harrison, Lynsay Sands, Marjorie Lui, and Vicki Pettersson. I picked up this one for a little Urban Fantasy escapism.