Reading Daydreams and Nightmares

Welcome to the third annual Cruisin' thru the Cozies Reading Challenge!

To find out exactly what a cozy mystery is, check out Cozy-Mystery.com. This site is dedicated to cozy mysteries and does a great job of defining them as well as giving a list of cozy mysteries. This challenge is NOT restricted to what is on their list, it's just to be used as a guideline in case you need some hints on what to read.

So, here are the rules...

1. Choose the level you wish to participate:

Level 1 - Snoop - Read at least 6 books

Level 2 - Investigator - Read 7-12 books

Level 3 - Super Sleuth - Read 13 or more books

2. The challenge runs from January 1, 2013 and ends December 31, 2013.

3. You don't have to choose your books in advance. If you do, you can change your list at any time during the year. Books can overlap with other challenges.

4. Books can be in any format - paper, audio, ebooks...it all counts!

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Books I have read for this challenge:
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I have several on my shelves to choose from such as:

A Witch Before Dying by Heather Blake
Books can be Deceiving by Jenn McKinlay
Double Booked for Death by ali Brandon
Bruja Brouhaha by rochella Staub
A Sinister Sense by allison Kinglsey
50% off Murder by Josie Bella
A Killer Read by Erika Chase
Square Root of Murder by Ada Madison
Ghost by PJ Alderman
The Mummy Case by Elizabeth Peters
Lion in the Valley by Elizabeth Peters
And these by Agatha Christie:
Crooked House
Ordeal by Innocence
Seven Dials Mystery
Murder on the Orient Express
Murder in Mesopotamia
They Came to Baghdad

The Classic Double Challenge is back for 2013

Description...Examples...Rules...Levels from the site:

"By "classics" you know I'm being very loose in my definition, as this challenge lets you read fairy tales, mythologies, classics, any kind of original story to compare with the retelling. Also "retelling" is pretty loose too - the original and the newer book have to relate in some way that you can define; it doesn't have to be a straight-forward retelling. Hopefully these definitions allow you the wiggle room needed to find something to fit your fancy.

Here are a few examples:
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead.
The first is kind of a "classic" and in the second, the main character loves A Wrinkle in Time and it plays a part in the plot, but this is not a retelling.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein series by Kenneth Oppel.
The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein is a prequel series to Frankenstein.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Jane by April Lindner.
Jane is a retelling of Jane Eyre, set in a modern day.

So, you can see there are lots of options for you. If you need some inspiration for retellings, I've compiled a rather extensive list of retellings. I have another list for fairy tale retellings. Also, during the Retell Me a Story celebration next month I will be highlighting some newer retellings that have been released or are coming out soon."

Levels:

Small: You read 2 related books.

Medium: You read 4 books (2 sets of related books).

Large: You read 6 books (3 sets of related books).

Super Size: You read 8 books (4 sets of related books).


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I had this one on my challenge list year but never got to any of the books I planned to read for it. So I will be trying it again this year.

From my current shelves there are 7 sets that I think will fit this challenge:

Set 1:
Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
Rebecca's Story by Sally Beauman

Set 2:
Scarlet Letter by Mathanial Hawthorne
Hester by Paula Reed

Set 3:
Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux
Unmasked by

Set 4:
Time Machine by H.G. Wells
Map of Time by Feliz Palma

Set 5:
Sybil by Flora Rheta Schrieber
Sybil Exposed by Debbie Nathan

Set 6:
Tempest by William Shakespeare
A Brave Vessel by Hobson Woodward

Set 7:
Beauty and the Beast
Beauty by Robin McKinley

From the host site:
"You asked for it.... so here you go! I am now formally announcing the Back to the Classics Challenge 2013!! This is the third year in a row for this challenge, and I hope that you are ready!


I am making a few small changes this year, including requiring less categories to complete. Wait, did I say *requiring*? Yes, I did. This year will feature 6 required categories that all participants must complete. Then, I will have additional categories that those super-motivated participants can choose to complete if they'd like.

All books must be read in 2013. Books started prior to January 1, 2013 are not eligible.

E-books and audio books are eligible!

Books can count for other challenges you may be working on.

You do not have to list your books prior to starting the challenge, but it is more fun that way :) You can always change your list at any time. You can read the books in any order (including mixing in the optional categories at any time)

You can decide to attempt the optional categories at any point (you can also bow out of the optional categories at any point as well).



THE CATEGORIES:


The Required Categories:
A 19th Century Classic
A 20th Century Classic
A Pre-18th or 18th Century Classic
A Classic that relates to the African-American Experience - This can be an African-American author, or a book relating to slavery, civil rights, or African-American culture.
A Classic Adventure
A Classic that prominently features an Animal - This can feature animal characters or animals in the title (real or imagined)

Optional Categories:

A. Re-read a Classic
B. A Russian Classic
C. A Classic Non-Fiction title
D. A Classic Children's/Young Adult title
E. Classic Short Stories - collection must include at least 3 short stories by the same author, or at least 3 stories collected together by genre, time period, etc.

As in years past, I just want to take a moment and let you know that especially for the purposes of this challenge, I do not subscribe to any set definition of a Classic. I think that anyone looking to participate in this challenge already has their own personal definition that works best for them. If you are choosing to include a title that you feel may be questionably described as a Classic, please just explain your position in your review."


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I have several classics on my shelves. This might motivate me to read a few.
I hope to do the required categories and the first 4 of the optional categories for a total of 10 books. Some heavy reading on my list but will give it a good shot.

The books I plan on reading are:

Required Categories:
1. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
2. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
3. Don Quixote by Miquel de Cervantes
4. Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
5. Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawles
6. Rabbit Hill by Robert Lawson


Optional Categories:
1. Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
2. The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
3. Origin of the Species by Charles Darwin
4. Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

The 2013 A to Z Reading Challenge runs from January 1, 2013 through December 31, 2013


Rules:

Crossovers to other challenges are allowed and encouraged!

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 – The Azalea Assault B- Blue Monday C – Crops and Robbers D – A Deadly Grind etc.

OR

B – 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. 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.

Ready to join??

Bloggers grab the button and make a post about the challenge to encourage others to join! Use the post URL in the linky below.

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I've tried this challenge 2 years now and still haven't been able to complete it. Third time's a charm....right?

I will add the books as I read them rather than creating a list to start with.

Titles:
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z

The 2013 Anne Rice Challenge is hosted by The Towering Pile

This challenge will run from January 1st to December 31st, 2013.

I had this challenge on my list last year. I didn't get to any of her books so it's on my list again for 2013.

Rules:

Ebooks are fine. Audiobooks are fine as long as they are the unabridged versions.

Rereads and crossovers with other challenges are fine.

You can change your level at any time.

If you read, for example, the edition that has the first 3 Vampire Chronicles books together in one volume, that still counts as 3. We're going by how the books were originally published.

All books written by Anne Rice count, not just the Vampire Chronicles, including those written under a pseudonym.

You can sign up any time from now until November 30, 2013.


Levels:

Louis de Pointe du Lac (1 to 5 books)
Lestat de Lioncourt (6 to 10 books)
Armand (11 to 15 books)
Marius de Romanus (16 to 20 books)
Maharet (21 to 25)
Akasha (26 to 30)



I will be doing the Louis de Pointe du Lac level of 1 to 5 books but only plan on reading 3.

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What I've read for this challenge:
1.
2.
3.


Books on my shelf to choose from:

The Mummy
Interview With the Vampire
The Vampire Lestat
Merrick

War Through the Generation’s 2013 reading challenge will be the American Revolution.
The challenge will run from January 1, 2013, through December 31, 2013.

Rules:
This year you have options when reading your fiction, nonfiction, graphic novels, etc. with the American Revolution as the primary or secondary theme.
Books can take place before, during, or after the war, so long as the conflicts that led to the war or the war itself are important to the story. Books from other challenges count so long as they meet the above criteria.

Levels:
Dip: Read 1-3 books in any genre with the American Revolution as a primary or secondary theme.
Wade: Read 4-10 books in any genre with the American Revolution as a primary or secondary theme.
Swim: Read 11 or more books in any genre with the American Revolution as a primary or secondary theme.

Additionally, we’ve decided that since there are so many great movies out there about the American Revolution, you can substitute or add a movie or two to your list this year and have it count toward your totals.

You can decide which books you’d like to read right away, or you can choose them during the course of the challenge. Check out the Recommended Reading: American Revolution page for suggestions.
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What I’ve Read for this challenge:
1.
2.
3.

Some books on my shelf to choose from for this challenge:
The Rebels by John Jakes
The Fourth of July by Peter De Bolla
1776 by David G. McCullough
American Creation by Joseph J. Ellis
Almost a Miracle by John E. Ferling

I am completely and utterly addicted to reading challenges so of course I am going for the Out of This World level of 16+ categories. My list of challenges is on the left. Clicking on the challenge name will take you to my post about that challenge (as I get them done). There I will keep track of what books I've read for the challenge and how close I am getting to finishing the challenge. Listed below are all of the challenges with a tally of how many books I have read/need to read for each one.

Last year I finished 20 challenges. This year I hope to finish a lot more!

One other thing....just to set some parameters for my reading. I have some restrictions on how the books I read will fit into my challenges.

My personal challenge rules:
1. No more than 4 challenges per book.
2. The following challenges will not count as one of the “4” challenges per book:
Outdo Yourself
Mount TBR
TBR Double Dare
52 books in 52 weeks
2013 Category challenge
Let Me Count the Ways
Simply because every book I read will fit these challenges..except for any new
book I buy during the year

2013 Category Challenge (91) - pyramid style

TBR Pile (12) – Books read for this challenge cannot be used for any other challenge except for the 2013 Category Challenge and one of the two Genre challenges and Mount TBR. Books read for this challenge will not count towards the TBR Double Dare Challenge so must be read between May 1st and December 31st.

Genre Variety (12)
Genre/Sub-genre (12)
A book may be used for only of one these genre challenges…it cannot be used for both.
Genres used in one genre challenge cannot be used in the other genre challenge.

Sookie Stackhouse – only 4 of these books can be used in the Immortals challenge – 1 for each category


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From the Reading challenge Addict site:
"Levels:
Easy as Pie: 1-5 Challenges (Entered & Completed)
On the Roof: 6-10 Challenges (Entered & Completed)
In Flight: 11-15 Challenges (Entered & Completed)
Out of This World: 16+ Challenges (Entered & Completed)

Rules:
Runs from January 1 through December 31, 2013.
Write a starting post joining the challenge and outlining your challenges.
Track all of your challenge accomplishments - good & bad.
Stop by to join us in the mini-challenges, updates & extra giveaways throughout the year.
Comment like crazy and offer support for your fellow addicts.

Have FUN!

Easy, right? Who wants to be in on the fun? What else will be on offer? Random giveaways for participants to enter and unannounced special drawings for commenters on the site so be sure to leave your email address with your comment! Are you ready? Sign up on the Challenge Addicts 2013 page."

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MyCHALLENGES FOR 2013
2013 Book Bingo
American Revolution Reading 0/3
Anne Rice Reading 0/3
A-Z Reading
Titles 0/26
Authors 0/26
Back to the Classics 0/10
Book to Movie 0/3
Category Challenge 0/91
Classic Double 0/8
Cruizin thru the Cozies 0/12
Ebooks 0/10
Eclectric Reader 0/12
Finish the Series no set amount
Genre/Sub-genre Genre Challenge 0-15
Genre Variety 0/12
Historical Fiction 0/5
Immortals 0/15
Let Me Count the Ways 0/10,000 pages
Literary Exploration 0/36
Monthly Key Word 0/12
Mount TBR 0/75
Nerdy Non-fiction 0/15
New Authors 0/24
Outdo Yourself 0/120
Outside the Box Reading 0/13
Paranormal 0/12
Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks 0/52
Mini challenges:
Dusty Mini (books from shelf)0/12
Inspiration 0/6
Well-education Mind 0/5
Seriously Series Reading not sure yet
Sequel Reading 0/35
Sookie Stackhouse 0/13
TBR Double Dare 4 months
TBR Pile 0/12
Tea & Books 0/4
What an Animal 0/6
Witch and Witchcraft 0/5
Women (authors) 0/16