2012 Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge

As I didn't have a great reading year during 2011 due to the fact that hubby was very ill and in and out of hospital, I thought I would join this challenge to see if I could outdo myself!

Here are the Details:

Runs January 1, 2012 – December 31, 2012 (books read prior to 1/1/12 do not count towards the challenge). You can join at anytime. Sign up on The Book Vixen’s blog.
The goal is to outdo yourself by reading more books in 2012 than you did in 2011. See the different levels below and pick the one that works best for you. Nothing is set in stone; you can change levels at any time during the challenge.
Books can be any format (bound, eBook, audio).

Re-reads and crossovers from other reading challenges are allowed.

Grab the reading challenge button and post this reading challenge on your blog to track your progress. Please include a link back to this sign-up post so others can join the reading challenge too. You do not have to be a book blogger to participate; you could track your progress on Goodreads or LibraryThing.

Levels:
Getting my heart rate up – Read 1–5 more books
Out of breath – Read 6–10 more books
Breaking a sweat – Read 11–15 more books
I’m on fire! – Read 16+ more books

In 2011 I read 70 books and this year I would like to try and beat that by 6 - 10 books, meaning I'm going to try the Out of Breath Level.

2012 TBR Pile Reading Challenge

I have A LOT of books at home (something I'm sure everybody reading this can identify with!) and I really need to try and work my way through some of them, and this challenge seems the perfect way to do that!

Challenge Guidelines:

This challenge will run from Jan 1, 2012 - Dec 31, 2012. 

As we would like to see quality reviews linked up to our monthly wrap-ups, only bloggers can enter. Sorry about that!

Any genre, length or format of book counts, as long as it is a book that's been sitting on your shelf for some time now. Only books released in 2011 and earlier! NO ARCs and 2012 fresh-off-the-press releases allowed! 

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.  When you sign up in the linky, put the direct link to your post about joining the 2012 TBR PILE Reading Challenge (You need to include the info + host list + challenge button. You can also grab the button code and add it to your sidebar!) 

You can move up levels, but no moving down. 

Sign-ups will be open until Dec 15, 2012, so feel free to join at any time throughout the year. 

At the end of each month one of the hosts will post a wrap-up. Every wrap-up will have it's unique theme, a mini-challenge, a giveaway and place for you to link up your reviews from this month. For each review you link up, you will get one entry in a drawing of one book of choice from Book Depository. It's open to INTERNATIONALS. For participating in the mini-challenge you will get +1 entry. 

If you miss a wrap-up post + giveaway, you can link up your reviews next month. Do not, however, try to link up one review twice - we will be checking ;) 

December is a wrap-up for the whole year. All the book reviews you linked up January-November + the ones you'll link up in December will be entered into a HUGE giveaway - 12 books, 12 winners, INTERNATIONAL. 

You don't have to follow all the hosts to join the challenge, but you do have to follow all of us to be entered in giveaways!

Levels:1-10 - A Firm Handshake
11-20 - A Friendly Hug
21-30 - A Sweet Kiss
31-40 - Love At First Sight
41-50 - Married With Children

Hosts: 

Evie from Bookish - http://www.evie-bookish.blogspot.com @SeoEvie
Nicole from All I Ever Read - http://www.nicoleabouttown.com/ @Nicoleabouttown
Bonnie from Hands and Home - http://www.handsandhome.ca/ @HandsHomeBlog
Donna from Book Passion For Life - http://bookpassionforlife.blogspot.com/ @BookPforLife
Caitlin from WatchYA Reading - http://whatchyareading.net @caitlingss
Rie from Mission To Read - http://missiontoread.com/ @missiontoread
Vicky from Books, Biscuits & Tea -http://booksbiscuitsandtea.blogspot.com/ @alouetteuette
Christa from Hooked On Books - http://christashookedonbooks.blogspot.com @ChristasBooks
Jenna from Fans Of Fiction - http://fansoffiction.blogspot.com/ @fansoffiction
Angel from Mermaids Vision - http://mermaidvision.wordpress.com @mermaidvisions

I have got quite a list of books I would like to read for this challenge so I will be going for the Sweet Kiss level with the hope that I will complete about 30 books.

Here is the list of books I hope to be able to read but I have got such a huge TBR pile that there is a big possibility that these may change as the year goes on!

1. River Marked by Patricia Briggs

2. Last Breath by Rachel Caine

3. City of Glass by Cassandra Clare

4. City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

5. Seven Up by Janet Evanovich

6. Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris

7. Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris

8. All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris

9.From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris

10. Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris

11. Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris

12. Dead Reckoning by Charlain Harris

13. Angel Slayer by Michele Hauf

14. Fallen by Michele Hauf

15. Ashes of Angels by Michele Hauf

16. Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead

17. Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead

18. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling

19. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K Rowling

20. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

21. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

22. Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix by J.K. Rowling

23. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

24. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

25. The Darkest Whisper by Gena Showalter

26. The Darkest Passion by Gena Showalter

27. The Darkest Lie by Gena Showalter

28. The Darkest Secret by Gena Showalter

29. The Darkest Surrender by Gena Showalter

30. Archangel's Blade by Nalini Singh

2012 Mystery & Suspense Reading Challenge

I've managed to find yet another reading challenge to take part in - Book Chick City's Mystery and Suspense Reading Challenge. I've got a lot of mysteries on my TBR pile and hopefully this will help me to work my way through some of them!

Here are the details:


Timeline: 01 Jan 2012 - 31 Dec 2012


Rules: There are TWO LEVELS you can choose from:
- Read TWELVE (12) mystery & suspense novels in 2012
- Read TWENTY FOUR (24) mystery & suspense novels in 2012


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.


This challenge can crossover to other challenges.


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! :)


I am going to try and read 12 books for this challenge. I don't know specifically which twelve books they will be but I have some series that I would like to try and dip into for this challenge so more than likely it will be books from the following series:

Stephanie Plum Series by Janet Evanovich
Alex Cross Series by James Patterson
Women's Murder Club Series by James Patterson
In Death Series by J.D. Robb

2012 Speculative Romance Challenge

As I've been reading a lot of Paranormal Romance recently, I thought that this challenge would be perfect for me!

So here are the rules:

Timeline: 01 Jan 2012 - 31 Dec 2012


Rules: There are FOUR (4) LEVELS to choose from:
- One Sexy Demon: Read 6 Speculative Romance novels in 2012
- Two Sexy Werewolves: Read 12 Speculative Romance novels in 2012
- Three Sexy Vampires: Read 18 Speculative Romance novels in 2012
- Four Sexy Archangels: Read 24 Speculative Romance novels in 2012


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.


GENRES:
 - Paranormal romance
- Dark fantasy romance
- Urban fantasy romance
- Steampunk romance
- Sci-fi romance
- Apocalyptic romance


I'm going to attempt the Two Sexy Werewolves level and read 12 Speculative Romance novels. Hopefully I will read more than this but I thought I'd go for a level I'm pretty certain I can achieve. I'm not sure what all of the 12 books will be yet, but here are the ones I definitely want to read in 2012:

1. Angel Slayer by Michele Hauf
2.Fallen by Michele Hauf
3. Ashes of Angels by Michele Hauf
4. The Darkest Whisper by Gena Showalter
5. The Darkest Passion by Gena Showalter
6. The Darkest Lie by Gena Showalter
7. The Darkest Secret by Gena Showalter
8. The Darkest Surrender by Gena Showalter
9. Archangel's Blade by Nalini Singh

2012 Finish the Series Reading Challenge

Well, as soon as I saw this challenge I knew it was perfect for me! I am so bad at starting a series and never finishing it. In fact I started this blog with the hope that it would encourage me to complete a few more series - so with the help of this challenge I should be cruising through all my unfinished series!

Here are the rules:

1) 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.)

2) 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.

3) The qualification period is January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012. Books must be read during this time frame to count.

4) 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.

5) If you don't have a blog, that's fine. Just leave a comment to sign up and tell us what you are reading.

6) Any format of book counts - audio, ebook, etc.

7) 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.

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


Of course, I have decided to go for level three to try and complete three or more series. During 2012 I am going to try and complete the following series:

1) Morganville Vampire by Rachel Caine (Only 1 left to read)
A. Last Breath

2) Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare (2 to read)
A. City of Glass
B. City of Fallen Angels

3) Sookie Stackhouse Series by Charlaine Harris (7 to read)
A. Dead as a Doornail
B. Definitely Dead
C. All Together Dead
D. From Dead to Worse
E. Dead and Gone
F. Dead in the Family
G. Dead Reckoning

4) Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead (2 to read)
A. Spirit Bound
B. Last Sacrifice

5) Lords of the Underworld by Gena Showalter (5 to read)
A. The Darkest Whisper
B. The Darkest Passion
C. The Darkest Lie
D. The Darkest Secret
E. The Darkest Surrender