Where Are You Reading Challenge 2014

Challenge begins January 1, 2014 and ends December 31, 2014

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 (optional).  It is easy to do!  Every time you read a book in 2014, 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 (above) 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, 2014? 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 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 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 on their challenges for 2014.

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 2014, 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 ($10 Amazon or B and N gift card) using random.org for those who read 10 or more books throughout 2014 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!

Going to give this a whirl.  I have a dream of traveling to all of the 50 states before I die, this is just a great way to do that without the costs of "traditional" traveling.  Hope I can make it!

Alabama - 

Alaska - 

Arizona - 

Arkansas - 

California - The Crimson Key by Christy Sloat

Colorado - Silver Lady by Linda George

Connecticut - 

Delaware - 

Florida - Friends With Partial Benefits by Luke Young

Georgia - 

Hawaii - 

Idaho - 

Illinois - Divergent by Veronica Roth

Indiana - Black Woods by Laura Wright Laroche

Iowa - 

Kansas - Green Lake by S.K. Epperson

Kentucky - Bluegrass Undercover by Kathleen Brooks

Louisiana - 

Maine - 

Maryland - 

Massachusetts - 

Michigan - 

Minnesota - 

Mississippi - 

Missouri - 

Montana - Dakota Gold by John Anderson

Nebraska - 

Nevada - 

New Hampshire - 

New Jersey - Seven Up by Janet Evanovich

New Mexico - 

New York - Glory In Death by J.D. Robb

North Carolina - 

North Dakota - 

Ohio - 

Oklahoma - 

Oregon - 

Pennsylvania - 

Rhode Island - 

South Carolina - 

South Dakota - 

Tennessee - The White Aura by Felicia Tatum

Texas - Glass Houses by Rachel Caine

Utah - 

Vermont - 

Virginia - A Red, Red, Rose by Susan Coryell

Washington - 

West Virginia - 

Wisconsin - 

Wyoming - Yellowstone Heart Song by Peggy L. Henderson

Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge 2014

2014 Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge

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After some really nice emails and encouragement from all of you
I have decided to host another A-Z Challenge in 2014.

The Alphabet Soup Challenge means that by December 31, 2014
your bowls must be full of one book for each letter of the Alphabet.

Each Letter Counts As 1 Spoonful

Details

This challenge will run from January 1st, 2014 until December 31st, 2014.

You can join anytime. You do not have to review the book. Books can come from any genre.

You do not need to link up each spoonful.

Make a page or a post or a GoodReads shelf where you will keep track of your spoonfuls. I keep track of mine on my Challenge Page.

After you complete the challenge just come to the 2014 Alphabet Soup Page under the Challenges tab at the top of my blog and leave a comment with your completed list.

Crossovers to other challenges are allowed and encouraged!

It’s an alphabet challenge!!! The challenge is to read one book that has a title starting with every letter of the alphabet.

You can drop the A’s and The’s from the book titles as shown below.

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

A – How I plan to 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. Towards the end of the year, you can check and see which letters you are missing and find books to fit.

OR

B – Make a list now of 26 books, picking one for each letter of the alphabet. For example: A – Assaulted Pretzel by Laura Bradford B- Buried in a Bog by Sheila ConnollyC – Cat Trick by Sofie Kelly D – A Deal to Die For by Josie Belle etc.

Books can be read in any order and all formats – print – e-book – audio – are acceptable for this challenge!

Ready to join??

Bloggers grab the image below and make a post about the challenge to encourage others to join!

Non-bloggers you can join too! Just keep track any way you wish and enter a link below if available or sign up in the comment section. You can even set up a special shelf on Goodreads.com to help you keep track!

Need some help finding titles to match the alphabet – Jandy’s Reading Room has a wonderful list to get you started. X and Z were the toughest for me so this year I am going to try to take care of those two early.

Follow Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book as there may be special announcements made about the challenge.

Time for me to try and cook up some good reads this year to make my special alphabet soup!

A ~ 

B ~ Black Woods by Laura Wright Laroche

C ~ The Crimson Key by Christy Sloat

D ~ Dakota Gold by John Anderson

E ~ 

F ~ Four To Score by Janet Evanovich

G ~ Glass Houses by Rachel Caine

H ~ High Five by Janet Evanovich

I ~ 

J ~ 

K ~ 

L ~ 

M ~ Midnight Alley by Rachel Caine

N ~ 

O ~ 

P ~ The Princess of Sparta by Aria Cunningham

Q ~ 

R ~ A Red, Red, Rose by Susan Coryell

S ~ Seven Up by Janet Evanovich

T ~ 

U ~ 

V ~ 

W ~ The White Aura by Felicia Tatum

X ~ 

Y ~ Yellowstone Heart Song by Peggy L. Henderson

Z ~ 

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

Merry Christmas All!!!

Wishing you all the best holiday ever!  Safe travels and wishing you all the greatest times with your family!  

From our family to yours!

Vampire Challenge 2014

Bringing it back….

I stepped back from hosting challenges in 2013 and it was a big mistake. So, I’m bringing them all back. Including theVAMPIRE CHALLENGE, which was another one of my favorites. This is the official sign-up post for theParajunkee.com Vampire Challenge 2014. Join me today in the Vampire Challenge, where we celebrate those fantastically fanged peeps that are quite normal except for the fact that they spend a good bit of their time dining on A negative.

THE RULES:

1. The Vampire Challenge runs from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2014
2. The challenge is to read 10 books that have a VAMPIRE as a main, or supporting character
3. Books can be in any format and should be at least 100 pages. Short stories do not count. You can also post about rereads.
4. Post about this challenge on your blog stating that you are participating or create a shelf via Goodreads, Booklikes etc. That post or shelf is the link that you will include in the link-up below. The link should be the post link not just your direct blog link. Please be courteous and include a link back to this post.
5. Post your reviews on the Review Post: Click here to log your reviews!

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FAQs

Q: Can I read more than 10?
A: You can read as many as you want.

Q: Do I have to have a blog?
A: No, you don’t have to. If you would like to sign up using an online profile, or shelf program go ahead and do that, just leave a link. Make sure your profile is public, so we can all see it!

Q: Do I have to know what books I’m going to read ahead of time?
A: No you do not. Pick them as you go, or have them all mapped out, it is up to you.

Q: Do I have to stick to a particular genre?
A: Nope, as long as it has a VAMPIRE as a main character.

Q: If the book is about vampires, but their is a werebat or werecat in it does that count?
A: The shifter needs to be a main character. If there is a slight reference to a shifter in the novel that doesn’t count. But if there are shifters as one of the main themes in the novel, you are in!

Q: Does it matter what kind of vampire the character is, do vegatarian ones count? How about life force vampires?
A: Any vampire you want, all cool. But, some…you might want to think about it. Are they called vampires? Or something else? Now lets get this straight, for definitive purposes, we are defining a vampire as something that has a human shape and subsists on blood, when you get into the life-force vampires etc…I guess we’ll have to see it to believe it.

Q: Can I join up whenever I feel like it?
A: If you thought you could do it, you could join up in December 2014…no restrictions

Q: Will their be monetary compensation for those that complete the challenge.
A: Nope, just the undeniable glory of having completed a vampire milestone.

OH YEAH!!!  Can't wait to jump into books for this challenge!!

1.  Glass Houses by Rachel Caine

2.  Bloodstorm by Amber Kallyn

3.  Crimson Key by Chrisy Sloat

4.  The Dead Girls' Dance by Rachel Caine

5.  Midnight Alley by Rachel Caine

6.  The Day of First Sun by Sheryl Steines

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Shifter Challenge 2014

Bringing it back….

I stepped back from hosting challenges in 2013 and it was a big mistake. So, I’m bringing them all back. Including theSHIFTER CHALLENGE, which was one of my favorites. This is the official sign-up post for the Parajunkee.com Shifter Challenge 2014.  Join me today in the Shifter Challenge, where we celebrate those fantastically furred peeps that are quite normal except for the fact that they spend a good bit of their lives on four legs.

THE RULES:

1. The Shifter Challenge runs from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2014
2. The challenge is to read 10 books that have a SHIFTER as a main, or supporting character
3. Books can be in any format and should be at least 100 pages. Short stories do not count. You can also post about rereads.
4. Post about this challenge on your blog stating that you are participating or create a shelf via Goodreads, Booklikes etc. That post or shelf is the link that you will include in the link-up below. The link should be the post link not just your direct blog link. Please be courteous and include a link back to this post.
5. Post your reviews on the Review Post: Click here to log your reviews!

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FAQs

Q:  Can I read more than 10?
A: You can read as many as you want.

Q: Do I have to have a blog?
A: No, you don’t have to. If you would like to sign up using an online profile go ahead and do that, just post in the comments section the books you’ve read.

Q: Do I have to know what books I’m going to read ahead of time?
A: No you do not. Pick them as you go, or have them all mapped out, it is up to you.

Q: Do I have to stick to a particular genre?
A: Nope, as long as it has a SHIFTER as a main character.

Q: If the book is about vampires, but their is a werebat or werecat in it does that count?
A: The shifter needs to be a main character. If there is a slight reference to a shifter in the novel that doesn’t count. But if there are shifters as one of the main themes in the novel, you are in!

Q: Does it matter what kind of shifter the character is, do WereSnakes count? How about Snowman shifters?
A: Any shifter you want, all cool. Now lets get this straight, for definitive purposes, we are defining a shifter as a human that changes into an animal, or an animal that turns into a human. Hence shifter = shifts from one form to the other. The other form being animal.

Q: Can I join up whenever I feel like it?
A: If you thought you could do it, you could join up in December 2014…no restrictions

Q: Will their be monetary compensation for those that complete the challenge.
A: Nope, just the undeniable glory of having completed a shifter milestone.

OH YEAH!!!  Can't wait to jump into books for this challenge!!

1.  Bloodstorm by Amber Kallyn

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Witches and Witchcraft Reading Challenge 2014

2014 Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenge Sign Up Post!

Thank you so much to everyone who participated in the 2012 & 2013 Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenges! I hope you all had as much fun as I did! Welcome to the 2014 Challenge!!

• Low commitment…you can sign up to read just ONE book as an INITIATE!!!
• Participants who choose to link up reviews will be entered for the end of year prize!!

Challenge Rules:

• This challenge will run from Jan 1, 2014 – Dec 31, 2014. I will be posting a place to link up a sign-up post (below), reviews and a wrap-up post. (Note: You do not have to review the books to participate, but only those who link up reviews will be entered for the prize)
• Grab the reading challenge button (code & button below) 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 and post reviews on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, etc.
• Any full length book that includes a witch as a main character or includes major witchcraft elements counts. They may be fiction or non-fiction. However, they should not be reference books which are not read cover to cover-I will leave this to your discretion.
• Books can be any format (bound, eBook, audio).
• Re-reads and crossovers from other reading challenges are 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 2014 Witches & Witchcraft Reading Challenge, not just a link to your blog.
• You can move up levels, but no moving down.
• Sign-ups will be open until Dec 15, 2014, so feel free to join at any time throughout the year.
• Have some Witchy Good Fun !!!

The Levels:

Initiate: Read 1 – 5 Witchy Books
Maiden: Read 6 – 10 Witchy Books
Mother: Read 11 – 15 Witchy Books
Crone: Read 16 – 20 Witchy Books

The Prize:

Witchy book of choice up to $10 from The Book Depository!
Participants who have officially signed up by linking up a sign-up post declaring their level will be given one entry for every review they link up. The more reviews you write and link up, the more entries in the contest! Link up your reviews on that month’s Review Link Up Post. Winner will be chosen on Jan 11th 2015 to give everyone a chance to link up their end of year reviews. All Challenge Posts can be accessed from my menu bar under my header!

I have done this challenge for a couple years now, and I just had to sign up again when I saw it was offered again.  I will head for the Maiden Level of 6-10 Witchy Books.

1.  The White Aura by Felicia Tatum

2.  The Brown House by Christy Sloat

3.  The Crimson Key by Christy Sloat

4.  The Day of First Sun by Sheryl Steines

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