2012 Challenges, Challenge, Mailbox Monday, Monday Memes, Musing Mondays

Monday Memes

CMash January 23, 2012 10 Comments

Hosted by Miz B at Should Be Reading

Today’s question:
Why do you think that the Young Adult genre is so popular with even the adult readers? Do you read YA books, yourself?
My answer:
Ironically, I have been thinking the same thing myself over the past few weeks. As some of you know, I am a partner in Partners In Crime Tours, a virtual tour PR company for authors of mystery, suspense and crime novels. We have become very busy, which is a good thing, however, because of that and not wanting to over work our awesome hosts, I have been visiting a lot of blogs to read their policies to see if they might be interested in the genre we represent to send an invitation,

And I am AMAZED at how many YA blogs there are. It’s like a whole different ~~neighborhood~~, ~~community~~,~~state,~~ planet of blogs. I, for one, do not read YA only because I have this preconceived notion that Iwould not be able to relate to the characters or premise of the books. I have, however, like the question states, wondered why so many adults do read this genre. Am I missing out on some good reading because it is out of my comfort zone? But then I look at my TBR bookcase and think, I have enough books that are in my comfort zone just waiting patiently to be chosen to be my “current read”.

January is being hosted by At Home with Books

Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia of A girl and her books and is now on tour.

According to Marcia, “Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.”

The Story Plant Author (WOW)

Hosted by Michelle from The True Book Addict

I am participating in the Winter Respite Read-A-Thon of 2012. Wish me luck because it never seems to fail that whenever I sign up for one, real life tends to interfere, matter of fact it already has. Of course, life’s obligations are always a priority over hobby, but I will try to do my best. I will keep a daily approximation of how many hours I put into my reading. Want to join? Click on above and it will bring you to Michelle’s sign up post. Read-A-Thon starts today and ends Jan 29th so that gives us a lot of time to read and make dents in those TBR piles. Good Luck if you have already signed up.

2012 Challenges, Book Review, Guest Author

Guest Author Peter Leonard Review

CMash January 19, 2012 8 Comments

Today I am thrilled for a few reasons. Thanks to Mr. Lou Aronica of The Story Plant, who publishes many authors that I have grown fond of and enjoy reading, has given me the privilege and honor to host today’s guest as he begins his virtual tour with Partners In Crime Tours, and who now has been added to that list of esteemed writers that I look forward to escaping into the pages of their latest novels. After reading the book that he will be discussing today, I am looking forward to his future novels. So please help me welcome Mr. Peter Leonard.

ABOUT PETER LEONARD

Peter Leonard’s debut novel, QUIVER, was published to international acclaim in 2008 (“A spectacular debut…you will be holding your breath until the final page.”– The New York Sun). It was followed by TRUST ME in 2009 (“TRUST ME is fast, sly and full of twists.” – Carl Hiaasen, New York Times bestselling author). The Story Plant will publish Leonard’s newest novel, ALL HE SAW WAS THE GIRL, in the spring of 2012.

You can visit Peter Leonard at his website here.

ABOUT THE BOOK

The year is 1971. The place is Detroit. Harry Levin, a scrap metal dealer and Holocaust survivor, has just learned that his daughter was killed in a car accident. Traveling to Washington, DC to claim the body, he learns that the accident was caused by a German diplomat who was driving drunk. This is only the beginning of the horror for Harry, though, as he discovers that the diplomat will never face charges – he has already been released and granted immunity. Enraged and aggrieved, Harry discovers the identity of his daughter’s killer, follows him to Munich, and hunts him down. What Harry finds out about the diplomat and his plans will explode his life and the lives of everyone around him.

Brimming with action and dark humor, Voices of the Dead, firmly positions Peter Leonard as a writer ever suspense fan needs to read.

Read an excerpt:

Hess found out the woman lived on P Street in Georgetown, not far from the consulate. He told the ambassador he was having dinner with potential clients, and wanted to drive himself. It was unorthodox, but plausible. He had been issued one of the embassy’s Mercedes sedans. He stopped at a bookstore and bought a map of the area, and located P Street. He drove there and saw the Goldman residence, a federal-style brick townhouse.

Hess went to a restaurant and had dinner and a couple drinks. At ten o’clock he drove back, parked around the corner on 32nd Street between two other vehicles so the license plate was not visible to anyone driving by. He walked to the Goldmans’, stood next to a tree in front of the three-storey townhouse. There were lights on the first floor. He walked to the front door and rang the buzzer. He could hear footsteps and voices inside. A light over the door went on. Hess stood in the open so whoever it was would see he was well dressed. The door opened, a man standing there, assumed he was Dr. Mitchell Goldman, dark hair, big nose, mid-forties, top of the shirt unbuttoned, exposing a gold chain and a five-pointed star. Hess smiled. “My car is on the fritz. May I use your phone to call a tow truck?”

Dr. Goldman stared at him with concern.

“I am staying just down the street at the consulate,” Hess said, smiling. Now the door opened and he stepped into the elegant foyer, chandelier overhead, marble floor.

“Mitch, who is it?” a woman said from a big open room to his right.

Dr. Goldman looked in her direction. “Guy’s having car trouble, wants to use the phone.”

“It’s ten o’clock at night.”

“He’ll just be a minute,” the dentist said.

Hess could see the woman sitting on a couch, watching television.

“The phone’s in here.” The dentist started to move.

Hess drew the Luger from the pocket of his suit jacket,and aimed it at Goldman.

The dentist put his hands up. “Whoa. Easy.”

“Who is in the house?”

“Just the two of us.”

“Are you expecting anyone?”

He shook his head.

“Tell her to come in here,” Hess said.

“What do you want? You want money?” He took his wallet out and handed it to him. “There’s eight hundred dollars in there.”

“Call her,” Hess said.

“Hon, come here, will you?”

“I’m watching ‘All in the Family.’ Can you wait till the commercial?”

Hess could hear people laughing on the television.

“Just for a minute,” the dentist said.

Hess saw her stand up and step around a low table in front of the couch, moving across the room, still looking back at the television. She turned her head as she entered the foyer and saw him holding the gun. Her hair looked darker in the dim light but he had only seen her briefly that day.

“Oh-my-god,” she said, hands going up to her face.

“We’re reasonable people,” the dentist said. “Tell us what you want.”

“The pleasure of your company,” Hess said. “Where is the cellar?”

MY REVIEW

VOICES OF THE DEAD by Peter Leonard

Published by The Story Plant

ISBN-10: 1611880327

ISBN-13: 978-1611880328

At the request of The Story Plant, an EBook Edition was sent at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.

Synopsis (from publisher): The year is 1971. The place is Detroit. Harry Levin, a scrap metal dealer and Holocaust survivor, has just learned that his daughter was killed in a car accident. Traveling to Washington, DC to claim the body, he learns that the accident was caused by a German diplomat who was driving drunk. This is only the beginning of the horror for Harry, though, as he discovers that the diplomat will never face charges – he has already been released and granted immunity. Enraged and aggrieved, Harry discovers the identity of his daughter’s killer, follows him to Munich, and hunts him down. What Harry finds out about the diplomat and his plans will explode his life and the lives of everyone around him.Brimming with action and dark humor, Voices of the Dead, firmly positions Peter Leonard as a writer ever suspense fan needs to read.

My Thoughts and Opinion: I feel I need to start this review with a caveat because even I was surprised by my thoughts and opinion of this book. If I was to solely choose this book based on the synopsis for my personal library, without the request for review, I would most likely have not picked this one up as I tend not to enjoy espionage thrillers. However, with this book, I would have missed out on a great read.

The book pulled me in quickly with the car accident and death of Harry Levin’s daughter. From that moment on, the action begins, the suspense ramps up, and the books holds you to the very last page. It takes you from Detroit to Germany to Miami during the years of 1971 and shares the memories of Harry when he was a 14 year old boy, who watches his parents executed by the Nazi regime but was one that was able to escape the atrocities of that time. The characters come to life. The settings are conveyed so that detailed imagery can be formed in one’s mind, especially of the years of 1940s. Mr. Leonard’s writing style is flawless, and the type of read that I call, a “one more chapter” and before you know it, you have read 5 more chapters. What I found amazing, was that a book with a premise of a horrific time in our history, Mr. Leonard could interweave some humor without being disrespectful.

As the synopsis states, who is this diplomat Hess, that has been given immunity, for an accident that was his fault and that resulted in the death of a young and vibrant daughter of Harry Levin? Why does this man Hess look familiar to Harry? Harry is so distraught over his daughter’s passing, he travels to Germany, where Hess resides, and what he finds, is bigger than he imagined. More deaths? But why? The hunt begins.

Highly recommend!!!!!

DISCLAIMER

I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me,

in exchange for my honest review.

No items that I receive

are ever sold…they are kept by me,

or given to family and/or friends.

(2012 Challenges: Romantic/Suspense, EBooks, ARC, Mystery/Suspense, Off The Shelf, Serial Killers, Free Reads, Where Are You, A-Z, Merely Mystery, 52 in 52, Outdo Yourself, 100+)

2012 Challenges

I Thought I Was Done……..

CMash January 7, 2012 3 Comments

……..BUT……..

I had absolutely no choice, not a one, just had to, backed into a corner, hand cuffed type justification to add one more challenge (a quiet snicker lol)

Justification….I, along with Gina from Hott Books, co host the Reading Challenge Addict Challenge and our resident Queen of Challenges, Bev from My Reader’s Block, has just decided that she is once again hosting this challenge and has posted it on A Novel Challenge. So my thinking is that it would be rude of me if I didn’t sign up. Don’t you agree? Please say yes!!! lol

Here are the rules if you would like to play along.

2012 Color Coded Reading Challenge

January 1, 2012 – December 31, 2012

Hosted by Bev from My Reader’s Block

Last year I found that I had quite the color-theme going on with my reading and I decided to put together a challenge based on colors in the title to tempt all those Reading Challenge Addicts out there. I had only 5 or 6 folks join me, so I thought I might shelve it for a year or so and try again later. But I’ve had a couple of the participants tell me how much they enjoyed it and I’m game for another go round. So, for your challenge reading pleasure, I will once again host The Color Coded Reading

Challenge:

Here are the rules:

*Read nine books in the following categories.

A book with “Blue” in the title.
A book with “Red” in the title.
A book with “Yellow” in the title.
A book with “Green” in the title.
A book with “Brown” in the title.
A book with “Black” in the title.
A book with “White” in the title.
A book with any other color in the title (Purple, Orange, Turquoise, Pink, Magenta, etc.).
A book with a word that implies color (Rainbow, Polka-dot, Plaid, Paisley, Stripe, etc.).

* Any book read from January 1 through December 31, 2012 will count.

*Crossovers with other challenges are fine.

*Everyone who completes all nine categories will be entered in a year-end drawing for a book-related prize package.

*Please post about the challenge on your blog. Sign ups accepted until Nov 30, 2012.

*Please sign up using the Linky below. Give your name & blog (Example: Bev @ My Reader’s Block) and use a direct link to your challenge post as your url. Please don’t connect to just your home page.

*Please use the Review Page to post review links and a final wrap-up post when you finish the challenge.

*No blog? That’s okay. Post a comment here to announce your entry into the challenge and when you have completed the challenge just post a comment at the review site with a list of your books.
For more information and to sign-up, please see this post.

2012 Challenges

I Had No Choice………

CMash December 24, 2011 10 Comments

HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVE!!!!

I am sure that everyone has a million and one things to do today, running to store for that last minute gift that you forgot to pick up, finishing the wrapping of gifts, grocery shopping or cooking, which is what I will be doing after I post this. But I wanted to send Holiday Wishes your way.

The past few Saturdays, I have been sharing the challenges I plan on participating in for 2012. Today is no exception, except I am hoping that maybe I can sneak these by you lol.

JUSTIFICATION…..I had no choice!!!!! I did a little snooping on 2 blogs. One was my co-host’s blog, Gina from Hott Books, and the other was the Reading Challenge Addict Challenge’s Queen Addict, Bev from My Reader’s Block. Gina, poor girl, she has it bad, is close to 30 challenges and Bev, well at last count, 23. Now I ask you, what kind of team player would I be if I didn’t keep up with them. So, like I said, I had to.

One is for the year and one is a mini challenge. Here are the details in case you want to play along:

Hosted by Robin from My Two Blessings

About 52 Books Level: Easy and Casual

Are you ready for another round of Reading 52 books in 52 Weeks? Whether you are just joining in or continuing on for another round, the rules are very simple. The goal is to read one book (at least) a week for 52 weeks. Make the year easy and casual or kick it up by exploring new to you authors and genres. Challenge yourself to read at least one classic a month or delve into that chunkster (more than 600 pages) you always wanted to tackle. The goal is to read 52 books. How you get there is up to you.

I have several mini challenges to make it fun:

12 in 2012: Read 12 books in 12 different categories
A to Z challenge: Read books alphabetically by title and/or author.
Jane Austen: Read all things Jane Austen
Mind Voyages: Explore the Hugo and Nebula winners, take side trips through the different decades reading the nominees.
Well Educated Mind: Explore the classics in five categories: Fiction, Autobiography, History/Politics, Drama and Poetry.

The mini challenges and weekly challenges are optional, Mix it up anyway you like.

The challenge will run from January 1, 2012 through December 31, 2012.

Our book weeks begin on Sunday.
Participants may join at any time.
All books are acceptable except children books.
All forms of books are acceptable including e-books, audio books, etc.
Re-reads are acceptable as long as they are read after January 1, 2012.
Books may overlap other challenges.
Create an entry post linking to this blog.
Sign up with Mr. Linky in the “I’m participating post” below this post.
You don’t have a blog to participate. Post your weekly book in the comments section of each weekly post.
Mr. Linky will be added to the bottom of the weekly post for you to link to reviews of your most current reads.

MINI CHALLENGE— READ-A-THON JANUARY 23-29, 2012

Hosted by Michelle from The True Book Addict

A Winter’s Respite Read-a-Thon 2012.

The Winter’s Respite Read-a-Thon is just a bit over a month away! Times are central standard time so adjust your times accordingly. I plan to host a mini-challenge (or two or more) and there will be a giveaway for every one who signs in at the starting line and completes a wrap up post at the end. Of course, like most read-a-thons, the books read must be novels or novellas, adult or young adult are fine, but no children’s books. You DO NOT have to participate the entire week. Join in when you can, start in the middle, end early…whatever works best for your schedule. As long as you sign in at the sign-in post and do some kind of wrap up post, you’re in for the giveaway. As with my previous read-a-thons, it will be a week of relaxed reading during which we can personally challenge ourselves and whittle away those ever looming TBR piles/shelves/libraries. I hope you will join me!

You do not have to have a blog to participate. You can sign-up, sign-in, and wrap-up…all from Facebook, Twitter, or Goodreads. You can also do updates from those locations, if you do not have a blog. Also, to chat or update during the read-a-thon on Twitter, use hashtag #WintersRespite.

I’m putting the call out to anyone who would like to host a mini-challenge and/or giveaway. Authors, if you would like to sponsor a giveaway or donate a prize, please let me know. You can contact me at truebookaddictATgmailDOTcom Any and all help will be greatly appreciated!

2012 Challenges

Counting the days……

CMash December 17, 2011 3 Comments

I asked for help last week and have been patiently waiting for Dr. Drew and the Intervention team to knock at my door. I am guessing I was out doing errands lol. What can I say. I tried….I really did try and then my friend Marce tempted me. Yup!! You guessed it. Another challenge!!! Justification: I signed up for this challenge in 2011 and only read 1 book (sadly shaking my head in embarrassment). So since I am being optimistic that 2012 HAS to be better, I am going to try again. Anybody buying the justification? lol Here’s all the information, details and sign up so you can come and play along:

I Want More Challenge 2012 (2nd Year)

Welcome to Tea Time with Marce

http://teawithmarce.blogspot.com/2011/12/i-want-more-challenge-2012-2nd-year.html

I Want More Book Challenge 2012:

There are so many amazing authors but sometimes we get caught up in reading all the debut authors we forget about the authors that have already impressed us, excited us, gave us what all readers want, a great read, that wow moment, so this Challenge is to show all the authors that have pleased us already how thankful we are by reading more of their literary works.

Have you read 1book by an author and at the end said you must read more? Then this Challenge is for you.

Details:

* Challenge Dates: January 1, 2012 – December 31, 2012

* All Genres are Welcome

* This challenge does NOT include Series, only stand alone

* See Levels below, you can change at any time if increasing, you cannot decrease once signed up.

* All forms of books will count – eBooks, Audiobooks, etc

* You do not have to list the chosen books ahead of time and your choices can crossover into other challenges you have joined. In your post or comments here, give us an idea of what authors impressed you so now You Want More.

* If you participate in this challenge please signup below. Either post and link back here with your direct link to your intro challenge post or put Challenge Button on sidebar linking back here please.

* A Surprise Giveaway during the year (only for those that have reviews posted)

Level of Participation

Waited too long: 2 – 4 books

Give me more: 5 – 8 books

Never too much: 9 – 12 books

2012 Challenges

HELP!!!

CMash December 10, 2011 10 Comments

You already know what I’m going to say, don’t you? Are you shaking your hear right now or are you sitting there laughing. You can be honest!!!! lol HOWEVER, I just can’t stop myself. It’s an addiction, I tell you!!! And I have it bad. However, not as bad as some other blogging buddies….shhhhhh don’t tell them I told you but like……my co host, Gina from Hott Books, of the Reading Challenge Addict Challenge or another blogging buddy, Bev from My Reader’s Block. You know how hard it is to say NO to buying a book or saying NO when asked to reviewing a book? That’s what happens to me when I see those cute little buttons and read the details of the challenges….I just can’t say NO. Cheryl’s justification….it keeps me off the streets, it keeps me out of trouble, it increases my vocabulary, the more books I read the more topics of conversation I have when I am out socializing…….ok people….any help here would be appreciated lol.

So what other goodies have I signed up for? Going to give you all the details so you can sign up too!!!!:

Justification for this one: Just the other day Marce from Tea Time With Marce recommended a book, which is the 1st book in a series. And then there’s my friend Gina who is a huge fan of J.D. Robb so I thought I take her recommendation and then I keep looking at a 3 book series that I won from Booking With Bingo this year by Chelsea Cain and haven’t started reading it yet. So I HAD to join this one, right?

First in a Series Challenge

January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012

Are you an avid series reader? Do you want to give a few new series a try? Then this is the reading challenge for you! Participants in the 1st in a Series Challengedecide to start a certain number of series in 2012 and then share their reviews with the community!
(This challenge has previously been hosted at J. Kaye’s Book Blog, Royal Reviews, and A Few More Pages)
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.
If you write up a sign-up post, enter the direct link to that post when you sign up here so we can find it easily. Otherwise, link away!
For more information and to sign-up, please see this post.

Merely Mystery Reading Challenge 2012

Justification: Being this is my favorite genre plus the fact that I am a partner in Partners in Crime Tours…..DUH!!! lol Another one that I HAD to sign up for.

January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012

There are those who snub their noses at genre fiction, including crime fiction. I think they just haven’t met the right mystery for them yet. While crime fiction is known for being plot driven, it isn’t always. Nor does a good crime fiction novel have to sacrifice well developed characters, a strong setting and good writing. The best, in fact, often include all of those qualities.
Yes, it’s true. I am crazy. Just when I start to wonder if I should give up blogging, I decide to try my hand at hosting a reading challenge. As if there aren’t enough challenges out there already. Maybe only one or two people join. That’s okay. We’ll have a great time and maybe discover new authors and books to try!
The focus of this challenge is to explore the different types of crime fiction out there. If you are new to the crime fiction genre, want to step outside your comfort zone and try another kind of mystery or are a mystery lover needing an excuse to join another crime fiction related challenge, here’s your chance!
As sources go, there are a number of them that offer a wide range of sub-genres to crime fiction. For the purposes of this challenge, I’ve narrowed it down to the following because they tend to encompass the full breadth of mystery sub-genres. Within each sub-genre are even more categories (for example, add in a bit of romance or fantasy for good measure). So you have a never ending list of choices to choose from!
Sub-Genres:

The Whodunit: The classic crime puzzle. The story generally revolves around determine who committed the crime, and potentially apprehending them. Some Whodunits, called “fair play mysteries”, will include all of the clues available in the text so that a careful reader can solve the crime on his or her own.
Locked Room Mystery: Like the Whodunit, there is a puzzle (crime) to solve. However in this instance, the crime has taken place under impossible circumstances, such as in a locked room or on an island with no way to exit or enter.
Cozy: The nice person’s mystery. Often the crime, particularly if it’s violent, occurs off scene. Sex and language are on the cleaner side. Humor is a common feature of the cozy.
Hard-Boiled/Noir: Often cynical, bleak or realistic, hard-boiled and noir stories often focus more on the characters involved instead of the crime. Violence and sex are not downplayed.
The Inverted Detective Story: In this style of story, the person perpetrating the crime is known up front. The point of the story is to see how (or if) the detective goes about solving the crime and how the perpetrator reacts to the investigation.
The Historical Whodunnit: Simply put, this is a mystery set in a historical setting. Often the mystery has some historical significance and features detection methods that are appropriate for that era.
The Police Procedural: Instead of featuring a independent detective, the police are investigating the crime in these stories. They often focus on the actual methods that police officers use to solve crimes.
The Professional Thriller: This kind of mystery involves a professional who is not involved directly in law enforcement, such a lawyer or doctor, who nonetheless finds themselves investigating a crime.
The Spy Novel: Related to the other professional mysteries, spy novels focus on intelligence operatives as they work to prevent or avenge some criminal plot. Spy novels can feature either in fantastic or realistic settings.
Caper Stories: While other crime and mystery stories look at the aftermath of crimes, caper stories feature criminals as the lead characters. The story usually details the planning and commission of a crime.
The Psychological Suspense: In these stories, the detective story takes on a psychological component.
Spoofs and Parodies: Spoofs and parodies make light of crime fiction, often with the goal of commenting on the conventions of the genre. Many feature famous characters, e.g. Sherlock Holmes, James Bond, Philip Marlowe, or pastiches of those characters.

The Merely Mystery Reading Challenge will last the entire year (January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012), giving participants a chance to read at their own pace. In addition, to make things easy, participants can complete one of two levels. One is for those of you who want a more relaxed challenge while the other is for those more serious about exploring the various sub-genres:

Down on Her/His Luck Gumshoe – Read two or more books falling into any of the above sub-genres. Each book can be from the same sub-genre or can be varied among the different sub-genres. You pick the combination and the number of books.
Shamus Who Has Seen It All – Read at least one book from each of the sub-genres for a total of 12 books. If you are feeling ambitious, read more than one book from each sub-genre.

Making a reading list ahead of time is not mandatory, but it’s fun–not only for you, but also for your fellow readers. Even if you don’t stick to the list, we’d love it if you could share a few of the titles you are considering reading.
*Audio books and graphic novels are welcome.
*Crossover books from other challenges are okay.
*Cross-genre books are perfectly fine.
To sign up, please fill out the below form. The challenge is open to everyone, regardless of whether you have a blog. If you have a blog, please provide a link to your initial blog post committing to the challenge. Participants without blogs can post reviews on general review sites such as LibraryThing, Goodreads or Shelfari. I will be creating a post in which all participants will be able to link their reviews so that everyone can follow everyone’s progress and perhaps get a few good mystery recommendations.
Sign ups are open ended and so you are welcome to sign up at any time throughout the year.
There will be a prize! The biggest reward will be completion of the challenge, of course, but isn’t it more fun when, at the end of the day, there’s a drawing for a prize? For all those who complete the challenge, your name will be entered into a drawing for an as-of-yet-unspecified prize.
If there is an interest (and volunteers), I would like to feature guest posts from authors and readers on the topic of crime fiction throughout the course of the challenge. It won’t be every day. Maybe once or twice a month at most, depending on volunteer interest (so, if you are interested, please let me know! Shoot me an e-mail).
I hope you will join me for the Merely Mystery Reading Challenge!
For more information and to sign-up, please see this post.

2012 Challenges

What’s one or two or more more?

CMash December 7, 2011 6 Comments

Challenges, so much fun!! It’s like being a kid again. Or maybe it isn’t and I am just plain addicted!! But it is FUN!!! I know a lot of them I probably wont complete but I will try my darnedest. Some of them are just fun to see my progress throughout the year.

I participated last year, didn’t complete it, but it was fun!!! So I’m doing it again.
It was great to see all the places I visited, without having to pack, or the cost of a flight and hotel room. Want to travel with me? Then here’s all the info:

Sign Up Time: 2012 WHERE Are You Reading Challenge

Posted on December 6, 2011 by Sheila (Book Journey)

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.

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! Any questions – please leave them in the comments section below.

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

And then I was visiting Yvonne’s place Socrates ‘Book Reviews,and saw this new challenge, which looked like fun and has a great looking button, SO, well at least I won’t be out causing trouble, right? lol I’ll be too busy!!! Want to join me?

A-Z Challenge 2012 Hosted by Lindsey http://www.babiesbooksandsigns.com/p/z-challenge-2012.html

In 2011, I challenged myself to read a book starting with each letter of the alphabet. Well, I failed, but just barely. So I’ve decided to re-challenge myself in 2012, and invite all of you along! So here goes.

Technical Stuff

This challenge will run from January 1st, 2012 until December 31st, 2012.

You can join anytime.

If you are blogger, leave the link to your actual post about this challenge.

If you are not a blogger, leave a link to where you will be keeping track of this challenge.

So there are two different ways you can set up your own A-Z challenge.

A – Make a list now of 26 books, picking one for each letter of the alphabet. For example: A – Atonement B- Black Beauty C – The Count of Monte Cristo D – Dances with Dragons etc.

OR

B – The lazy way (how I do it) : Make a list on your blog from A-Z. Throughout the year, as you go along, add the books you are reading to the list. Hope that by the end of the year you have read one book for each letter. Towards the end of the year, you can check and see which letters you are missing and find books to fit.

Each month, I will add another challenge to this main challenge. It might to read a book with both A and Z in the title or to read a book with 3 words that all start with the same letter. I might host a few random giveaways too for good measure.

So to join along….
1. Write a blog post about this challenge and whether you are going go with A or B.
2. Add the button to your blog.
3. Attach yourself to the linky.
4. Follow my blog so that you can see when I post the monthly challenge!

hmmmm…approx 3 more weeks until January. I’m guessing you will be seeing a few more posts just like this one!!!!

2012 Challenges

While I was away……

CMash December 5, 2011 4 Comments

………….I had to pass the time. And with just a few weeks left, I figured I might as well take advantage of all the free time that I had in between reading and writing some reviews. And the best part was it didn’t cost me a penny!!!!!

I found myself 3 more challenges!!!!!! What can I say? Except I realized I have one more addiction!! Not only to reading, reading challenges, reading challenge buttons but also to blogging. I was lost this weekend without my blog so I joined some more challenges. The only problem I see is this, there are a couple of others that I am waiting for lol. But here are the ones I added:

Challenge Details

• Timeline: 01 Jan 2012 – 31 Dec 2012

• Rules: To read TWELVE (12) mystery & suspense novels in 2011 (12 is the minimum but you can read more if you wish!)

• You don’t have to select your books ahead of time, you can just add them as you go. Also if you do list them upfront you can change them, nothing is set in stone! The books you choose can crossover into other challenges you have on the go.

• You can join at anytime. All books read in 2012 count towards the challenge regardless of when you sign up.

• At the beginning of Jan 2012, you will find a link to specific month to add your reviews.

• Audiobooks do not count, but all other formats are accepted.

• At the beginning of Jan 2012, you will find a link to add your reviews.

• You don’t have to have a blog to join in – for those without a blog just FILL IN THIS FORM and I will add you to the list – just join the discussion in the comments section to let us know when you’ve read a book and what you thought of it! 🙂

• You can choose from the numerous sub-genres of mystery and suspense, from cosy mysteries such as Agatha Christie to the more hard-boiled kind like V I Warshawski by Sara Paretsky, or romantic suspense written by the likes of Linda Howard, forensic crime such as those written by Kathy Reichs and even paranormal/supernatural suspense such as Kelley Armstrong. I’m sure this challenge will have something for everyone! 🙂

Free Reads 2012 Reading Challenge

HOSTED BY BOOKISH ARDOUR http://bookishardour.com/free-reads/

January 1, 2012 – December 31, 2012

Free Reads is a new challenge we’re starting this year and we hope it does as well as our other ones.

What It’s All About

Are you one of those book lovers who receive lots of books for presents? Have unread books lying around that you won in giveaways, received as ARCs, were given second hand, or even found lying around in the street! Then you might want to join in this challenge because we’re aiming to read all those unread books received as freebies in some form.

The Deets

The Main Rule: Read books you’ve received without purchasing, gifts, ARCs, prizes (not library books), that you haven’t read yet.
Running Dates: 1st of January – 31st of December 2012
When Can I Sign Up: All the way up to the last two weeks of December!
Crossover Genres: Anything! As long as they were free when you got them, it doesn’t matter..
Mr Linky: To use the Mr Linky you’ll need to click on the graphic then enter your link. These will be updated and posted into this page every couple of weeks or so.
Further Details: Crossover challenges are fine, you can change levels at any time, this is eBook, short story, and graphic novel friendly, and you don’t need a blog to join in (read further for details).

The How To

Choose Your Level: These are listed further down and you can change levels at any time.
Grab The Badge: Place it somewhere on your blog, profile, or in a signature where possible and link back (main page or this page, it’s up to you).
Sign Up Post: Create a post on your blog, in a group, or on a forum (only if allowed) to let others see what you’re aiming for (a predefined list of books is optional).
Link Up: Grab the direct URL to your sign up post, not your blog, click the Mr Linky graphic and enter your link!
Blogless? Don’t worry, you can sign up with your social network profile (YouTube, Twitter, GoodReads, Shelfari included), just make sure you link to your review list, shelf, tweet, or category. If you don’t have any of those feel free to comment!

Afterwards

Your Reviews: Reviewing is optional! But if you do review we’d love for you to share them by submitting them on the Review Page (including social networks).
Finished: When you’re done it’s completion post time and you can share these on the Completion Post page!

Challenge Levels

For Me? – Choose 5 books to read
On The Cheap – Choose 15 books to read
Bargain – Choose 30 books to read
Presents – Choose 50 books to read
So Free – Choose 75 books to read
Gift Addict – Choose between 76-135 books to read
Speechless – Choose between 136-200 books to read

Extra Challenges

If you feel like that extra kick to your reading challenges here’s a couple you can choose from.

World: Choose a country as your theme, reading only books from that country or where it’s the setting. For how high you go you can choose more than one country;
- Level For Me? and On The Cheap: Choose one country
- Level Bargain and Presents: Choose two countries
- Level So Free to end of Gift Addict: Choose three countries
- Level Speechless: Choose four countries.
Gender Battle: Read books only by female or male authors. Another alternative is to read equal amounts of both.

I have signed up for this one for the past 2 years and someday, some year my goal is to complete it!!!!

Sign-Up: 100+ Books In A Year Reading Challenge 2012!

from Book Chick City by Book Chick City

http://www.bookchickcity.com/2011/12/sign-up-100-books-in-year-reading.html

Book Chick City’s
100+ Books In A Year Reading Challenge 2012!

Welcome to the 100+ Books In A Year Challenge 2012! I haven’t done too badly with this challenge, but I still failed. At present I’m on book 72 and I imagine I will add another few before the year is out. This is the second year I haven’t reached my personal goal of 100, so I’m hoping 2012 will be my year! I hope you will join in too! For more details see below.

Sign Up

To sign up you MUST make a post on your blog about participating in the challenge – you then use the DIRECT URL of the post to sign up to the challenge by adding it to Mr Linky below. DO NOT just add your blog URL – this will be deleted.

You must add the button to your sidebar – make sure that it links back to this post so others can join the challenge if they wish. Easiest way to do this is to copy and paste the code displayed below!

Challenge Details

• Timeline: 01 Jan 2012 – 31 Dec 2012

• Rules: Read 100+ books in 2012 (any genre)

• You don’t have to select your books ahead of time, you can just add them as you go. Also if you do list them upfront you can change them, nothing is set in stone! The books you choose can crossover into other challenges you have on the go.

• You can join at anytime. All books read in 2012 count towards the challenge regardless of when you sign up.

• At the beginning of Jan 2012, you will find a link to specific month to add your reviews.

• Audiobooks do not count, but all other formats are accepted.

• Only fiction, no non-fiction.

• This challenge can crossover to other challenges.

• You don’t have to have a blog to join in – for those without a blog just FILL IN THIS FORM and I will add you to the list – just join the discussion in the comments section to let us know when you’ve read a book and what you thought of it! 🙂

Please add your DIRECT URL link, not just your blog link. If you have trouble adding your URL link below, just fill out the form above and I will add it for you.

So to date, I have 16 and 2 perpetuals. Have you decided are any more? Have you found any new ones? Now that I lost my google reader, I’m afraid I might miss some, so if you see one in your travels and it has a great button, please let me know lol.