Tag: Challenge

Read Dystopia Challenge 2012

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)33 Comments

First of all a little disclaimer.  I have been working on putting this post together for a while now and did not know there was already a Dystopia 2012 Challenge already going on.  Bookish Ardour has one happening that looks like a lot of fun and by no means is this one to take away from that one.  In fact, theres looks to be at a whole different level than this one so please feel free to check them out and sign up there if that is more to your liking, or feel free to do both.  😛

That said, the reason I wanted to go ahead and run this one anyway, is that I am fairly new to dystopia. 

dystopia

an imaginary place where the conditions and quality of life are unpleasant. The opposite of Utopia.

dystopia – a work of fiction describing an imaginary place where life is extremely bad because of deprivation or oppression or terror
Honestly, this is a genre I did not think I would get into, but now looking back over this past year I am surprised as to what books I have read and loved that I would say fall under this genre.  My hope with this challenge is to maybe pick up some of you newbies that think that this is not a genre for you.  You (as I) may be surprised. 
I have compiled a list here of books that fall under this genre.  Please check it out and know this is not conclusive by no means, this list is to just help you get a feel for what Dystopia is, and feel free to let me know of other titles that should be on the list.
This challenge will go from January 1 – December 31.  I will put up a bi-monthly link for you to link an update post too as to how you are doing with this challenge and thoughts and feelings on the genre.  Those participating here on the full challenge and who link to the bi-monthly challenge will go into a drawing for a dystopian novel (TBA with bi-monthly post) that will be sent to any USA address.  If you are participating and are out of the US I will connect any winner to a $10 gift card through Amazon. 
At the end of the year you will earn badges by how many dystopian books you read (or listened to!) over the year.  Also, at the bi-monthly link ups, a question will be posted for your update, something like, what did you learn about survival in the dystopia books you have read these past two months?  Something just for fun.  😀

1-3 Dytstopia Books read in 2012:  beginner

4-6 Dystopia Books read in 2012:  Intermediate Post World Trainee

7-10 Dystopia Books read in 2012:  Leader of Your District

11+ Dystopia Books read in 2012:  SURVIVOR!

To sign up please add the link to your blog or challenge post here.  Feel free to grab the button from above and add it to your sidebar. 

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Sign Up Time: 2012 WHERE Are You Reading Challenge

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)78 Comments

Wow where did the year go?  Here we are in December already and its time to post this challenge again.  I started this one in 2011 and had so much fun with it.  You can see my 2011 map here.

So what is the point of this challenge?  It is to try to read in each of the 50 States between January 1 2012 – December 31, 2012. 

So how do you decide what state a book is categorized under?

1.  In a fiction read it would be the State or Country that the book spends the most time in.  (Ie. If your main character is from Wisconsin but the book is all about his/her time in college in California – the books should categorize under California….)

2.  Non fiction reads categorize  in whatever State or Country it is about (Ie…. a book about fly fishing in Colorado is a Colorado point, and a book about women in Afghanistan is an Afghanistan point.

3.  If the book goes from one state to another… go with the state that most of the time is spent.

How to get started

Set up a map under Google Maps.  It is easy to do!  Every time you read a book in 2012, upload a cover picture to Picasa Web Albums (there may be other sites to use, feel free to use what works best for you).

Grab the challenge button here for your posts and sidebar:

Questions?

Do you have to have a blog to participate? No.  You can do everything on the map above without linking the book to a review.

Do I have to have my post up by January 1st, 2012? No, but I would think you would want to get started right away at the beginning of the year.  However, you will be able to sign up throughout January as well.

How will people see my map? There are a couple of possibilities.  On your original challenge post you should have a link to your map.  You could also put it on your side bar to draw interest to it (see mine on my left side bar)  I will be linking my map to every review I will also set up a monthly link here to post updates if you wish.

I dont get it – I cant figure out how to use Google maps but I really want to participate! No worries!   You are welcome to create a challenge post that lists the 50 states (as well as bonus out of USA spots) and then fill them in as you read in the areas.

Do audio books count?  ABSOLUTELY!

Once you are ready and have your map set up please create a blog post (those who have blogs) using the Challenge picture of the map I provided above as well as link to this post so others may join in.  Then come back and link that post here to Mr Linky (below) so I as well as other participants know that you are participating and we can pop in throughout the year to check out your map and how we are all doing.  I will post a linky at the end of each month so participants can check in with their own post of how they are doing.  I will offer a $10 amazon gift card to one lucky participant who does a check in post at the end of each month and links it.

This is actually a fun and easy challenge as all books you read qualify and it will be fun to see where you generally read books from as well as searching out books to fill in areas that you need.

For those who have covered the 50 states by the end of 2012, they will go into a drawing for a $25 gift card to Barnes and Noble or to Amazon.  **  All other areas beyond the 50 states are bonus points and we will have a drawing using random.org for those who read 10 or more books throughout 2012 in that category.

You can see my map I worked on in 2011 here to see what the map looks like and how the pictures link to the reviews.  (If you zoom in you will see the individual areas I read in and clicking on the blue pins will show you what book it was and clicking on the picture will take you to the post!

That’s it!  Here is a link to tips on how to do it.  Any other questions – please leave them in the comments section below. 

I can’t wait to see WHERE You Are Reading!

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* Please enter the link to your post on your blog, not directly to your blog.  Thank you 😛

*If you do not have a blog but wish to participate by creating the map you can link to your map

Excuse me, but do I look FAT in this book?

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)111 Comments

This morning as I was checking what was being posted at some of the blogs I frequent, I caught a post of Amanda’s from The Zen Leaf that made me stop and think about my reading habits.  Amanda (who if you do not pop in and check out her posts – you should…. she is a fun to read blogger and reads some pretty amazing books!) was talking about the pace she reads and brought up some interesting points that started me thinking about my own reading habits.

I tend to read books between the 200 – 375 page range.  I admit as much as I am drawn to the look of the large chunkster books (I like big books and I will not lie!) I like them on my shelf – and rarely take the time to read them.

WHY?

Honestly – because the 200-375 page book can be read in a few days.  That keeps my moving because I always seem to have other books waiting in the wings that I just can not wait to get to.  Ridiculous reasoning?  Probably… but that is the way my reading habits have turned to.  I want to gush about books, but as Amanda pointed out, the book that can be read in a few hours, can probably be forgotten just as quickly.  Can a book touch your very soul within the page count I prefer?  Absolutely…. but the large books of my past that I have invested the time into reading over a week or more… can also make a huge impact on me.  (Harry Potter of course are the first that come to mind that I still treasure and these books average around 700 pages each.)

My point today – is that I went and looked at the chunksters that currently grace my shelves unread.  The only reason I have not read them is because I know they will require an investment of time from me.  I think it is time I put on my big girl pants and rise to the challenge of the larger book.

Looking at these books, the page count is not out of control – these average right around the 550 mark.

As of this week, I plan to break into one of these big boys…. I am not sure which one yet, but I would like to commit to a chunkster and take my time with it, allowing myself two months to get it finished if I need to.


Do you avoid larger book?  Do you have any chunksters waiting on your shelves that you need to make the commitment to start reading?  Care to join me with your own chunkster?  If so, let me know what BIG BOOK awaits you.

Berg Fest – Come and Join In The Festivities!!!

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)21 Comments

Come One – and come all and join in on the Berg festivities!

This year I was introduced to a new author…. honestly I do not even remember how this original connection came about.  It could have been a review on someone’s blog, or it could have been a title I spotted while cruising the audio aisles of my library – but whatever it was…. I fell in love with this authors writing and have been popping her books and audio like candy ever since.

Now – I want to make sure all of you take the time to try this author out for yourself.

Here is the layout…  starting today through March 11th I am asking that you read (or listen) to a book by Elizabeth Berg.  There are plenty to choose from!

Then link your reviews back here at Mr Linky so myself as well as other participants can go and check them out.  Each review counts towards the March 11th drawing where one participant will win a Berg book of choice as long as it is available on Amazon.  If you link three reviews here… you will have three entries.


Do your old reviews of Elizabeth Berg books count? If you have past reviews of Elizabeth Berg’s books yes, please link them – as long as you have written a review on them and link to that review – it will qualify.  As this Berg Fest is all about reading Berg books – I would like it if you did search out a Berg book you have not read yet, even if you have read her before.

What if you do not have a blog – can you still participate? Yes – you need to leave a comment on this post about which book you read and a little bit about the book.  If you do not have a blog however I would like the book to be reviewed and linked here.

 

** Note – if you are doing the Word Shaker read a long with me you are already one Berg book in once you post what review!  😀

More prizes may be added and if so, the updates to the prize list will be added here.

Here is the LINKY (below)  feel free to add your Berg links as you go!  😀

 

 

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Morning Meanderings… January re- cap

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)29 Comments

Good morning!

This year I started the WHERE Are You Reading Challenge and I have already been having a lot of fun with it.  The idea was to just read what you are planning to read anyway – and just see where in the world you are reading.  I offered prizes as you got to the end of the year if you were able to read in each of the 50 states, and bonus entries and prizes for those who read outside the states.  You can find all details here.

Each month, I would like to recap where we have been and how this challenge is going for us.  Here is where I am for the month of January 2011:

I have read 11 books so far in January, and listened to 6 audio.  On my Reading Map they have landed:

Georgia

North Carolina

New York

Minnesota (2)

Australia

California

Mississippi

New Jersey

Maine

Illinois

Connecticut

Washington

Missouri

Massachusetts

One unknown (Clementine – friend Of The Week!)


What I have found most exciting is that all of these places I have landed have been unintentional!  It is really for to see where they land on the map and how many areas I have already covered!

For those of you participating in the WHERE Are you reading challenge, please feel free to create a monthly wrap-up post and link it here if you would like.  I plan to do this each month.  For those of you who are not connected to this challenge, it is not too late to start your map and join in!  Challenge details here.

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And finally… I have come to really enjoy Alyce’s  (At Home With Books) Saturday Snapshot. It’s a fun weekly meme she has created of just random pictures that mean something  and anyone can join in.  I love seeing what she posts weekly and want to start participating when I can.  Saying that, here is my Saturday Snapshot:

My cousin Jarrod, me, and Brian - 150 mile bike ride

This is a picture of a bike ride I was participating in my with my cousin Jarrod and his friend Brian in 2009.  The winters in Minnesota are LONG and I anxiously am awaiting when I can bike again this year.

Finally.. The Challenge Recap

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)28 Comments

In 2010 I was like a kid in a candy store when it came to Challenges.  I was so excited to be a joiner and I just knew I could complete them all!

Well…. such are the dreams of a rookie book blogger….

Life happens, shoot…. books happen, and before I knew it my reading went in other directions, books recommended by other bloggers (oh yes… you awesome book reviewers – I BLAME YOU, and of course new releases, and old titles I have always wanted to read, and impulse buys, and book sales – and of course back in January of 2010 I had not even dreamed I would go to BEA and of course I had no idea that if I did the books that would follow me home…to read…

to read…

to read…

So now I humbly come before you with the results of the Challenges and I said “OH YEAH!” too, and how I did. All the Challenge pictures are linked to the actual challenge page and lists the books that qualified.

This one was fun and I knew I could do this one as this counted for anything I read… anything I listened to on audio.  I came out of this one with a total of 116 books/audio in 2010.

 

I am thankful for this challenge even if I did make my goal of 25 Library reads.  This challenge actually caused me to sign up for a library card, which I have not done for almost 20 years.  Its true… I did not use my library – but I did in 2010 and I plan to use it even more in 2011.

 

This one was exciting for me and my goal was 25 and that is what I read!  YA has been an exciting genre for me and I really do enjoy reading these books.

 

 

Ok this would be one of those embarrassing Challenge fails… GAH.  To me this was a no brainer challenge, even a little self-indulgent as I LOVE all things Potter.  Yet… as I mentioned above, other books, other commitments… and I managed to hit 3 of the 7 I thought I could do.

 

I love Historical Fiction and I aced this challenge with a goal of 6 and read 7.  I hope to read even more of this genre in 2011.

 

 

The Gilmore Girl Challenge is another one I failed miserably at and that surprises me.  I really thought I would do well on this one and obviously… did not.  GAH!  Rory would shun me in public and I would not blame her one bit.

 

 

 

The Social Justice Challenge is one I wish I really would have done more with.  I really thought this was a brilliant challenge and I had a few months I was strong in and then I tapered off.

 

 

The Christy Award Challenge I completes one read out of the 6 I meant to.  Some of these books I even had checked out from the library… sadly I did not find the time to read them.

 

I do plan to join a few hopefully well-chosen Challenges this year, knowing now how a reading plan changes drastically throughout the year I will try to stick to ones that are more user-friendly for me, or stretch me to read into genres I wish I read more in any way.

Morning Meanderings… Bookish News and A Non Bookish Challenge

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)22 Comments

Good Morning people of 2011!

LOL…

I don’t know where that came from but I pictures myself on a podium yelling into a crowd through a megaphone.

Uh huh.  Probably too much coffee….

Any hoo…

I was doing a little blog hopping and online bookish things last night and came across a couple of things I would like to mention.   The Cybils Awards  Shortlist was posted yesterday.

What’s a Cybil?

The Cybils awards are given each year by bloggers for the year’s best children’s and young adult titles. Nominations open to the public on October 1st.

I love to check out what books are on that list and see if 1) there are any I have read and 2) are there any I have been meaning to read.  I am sad to say that I have read none of the books in the YA Category, however there are a few that I have been wanting to and have now reserved at my library.  They are:

 

I have been looking at this book since early 2010 and I am a little irritated with myself that I have yet to read it.  It would have been much cooler now if I could have said, yes I read this and wow…. I am so glad it made the finals….  (I do hope to still say this soon!)

 

I read a review on this one quite a while ago and made a note to keep an eye out for it.  This is another one I have apparently dropped the ball on as it also made the cut.  Currently on the reserve list at my library and hoping it will make its way to me soon.

 

This one is new to me and I found it on the Cybils YA Non Fiction list.  Probably a little known fact about me, but I used to read a lot of true crime.  I can’t really explain it but I want to know what makes people tick and the evils that are out there in this world when it comes to prejudices, race crimes, illness, gangs…

 

So there is what I pulled from the Cybils list.  You should stop by and see if any of the books are a fit for your reading style – and of course keep a look out for the final winners on Valentines Day.

 

Finally – I did find a Challenge Yesterday that I felt was a sure fit for me for 2011.  At Books, Fitness, and Other Stuff I found this:

You can click on the picture to find out all the details but the basics are that we keep track of our miles this year of either walking, jogging, tread mill, biking, etc…   If you have followed my blog for any amount of time you know I am a big biker in the spring-fall and this year I am planning to do a 3.2 mile run – which is new to me and a little bit scary but…. why not? This will be on my side bar soon so you can follow along with how I am doing… or better yet, go on over and join up yourself!  😎

 

My goal today is to get the Challenges of 2010 cleaned up, calculated, posted… and move on.  Seriously…. who left all this 2010 stuff for me to clean up?  Oh yeah… I did.  😀


 

 

Morning Meanderings…. Challenge Time!

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)23 Comments

That’s right, that’s not my normal morning meandering logo…. but this is not your normal meandering post.  Nope!  Today I am promoting the challenge I am hosting for 2011.  As I host the meme What Are You Reading, I thought it would be fun to host a challenge called WHERE Are You Reading.

This challenge is easy because you can include all the books you are reading anyway, just record what country/state you are reading about.

IE…. you are reading a novel centered around the North Shore of Minnesota…. that’s a Minnesota point.  If you are reading a non fiction about polar bears in Alaska, that’s an Alaska point.

Super easy and works with any or all other challenges.

Click here for my original post about this challenge as well as the links to sign up.  I will be using a Google Map to record my 2011 readings, and you can do so as well or just list them somewhere on your blog.

I am really excited to begin and my goal is to be able to read a book in each of the states as well as a few out of the US.  I am offering up a few prizes too!

(This week I will be working on cleaning up my 2010 Challenges and trying to see where I scored – and where I failed.  I also plan to post the Book Journey best of the best for 2010 – which will not only be my favorite reads but also my favorite meanderings. )

Are you joining any challenges for 2011?

😎