2025 Reading Challenge discussion

Yearly Challenge - January through December 2014

Group Listopia - read 12 from the list

✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

READ THE MONTH AROUND THE WORLD
Duration: January 1, 2014 - December 31, 2014

This is a modified spell out challenge where each month of the year is spelled out in a different language!

For each letter, read a book where that letter is contained somewhere in the title or the author's name. It does NOT need to be the first letter of the word. The book used must be read in the month it represents.

January: Kapampangan (a language of the Philippines)5/5 moved to my corner

February: Arabic (Algeria & Tunisia)5/5

March: Malay (a language of places like Indonesia etc)3/3
April: Papiamento (a language of the Caribbean ABC Islands => Aruba, Bonaire & Curacao)5/5

May: Romanian (Romania)3/3

June: Greenlandic (Greenland)4/4

July: Swahili (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda etc.)5/5

August: Japanese (Japan)6/6

September: Basque (Basque Country, Spain)5/5

October: Ewe (is a Niger–Congo language spoken in southeastern Ghana and southern Togo)4/4

November: Venda (South Africa) (is a Bantu language predominately spoken in the Limpopo Province, Botswana)4/4

December: Niuean (Niue Island, Tokelau)6/6

Randomiser Challenge

106 31 ✔ 107 78 ✔ 16
48 ✔ 69 112 ✔ 98 ✔ 5

THE 2014 GOODREADS CHOICE AWARDS CHALLENGE
Duration: January 1, 2014 - December 31, 2014

Every November, the Goodreads Choice Awards come around to reward books published that year. This yearly challenge is in anticipation of the 2014 challenge. Read a book published in 2014 for each category. This is also a chance to challenge yourself to read new genres!

Fiction
✔
Mystery & Thriller
✔
Historical Fiction
Fantasy
✔
Paranormal Fantasy
✔
Science Fiction
✔
Romance
✔
Horror
Memoir & Autobiography
History & Biography
Nonfiction
Food & Cookbooks
✔
Humor
Graphic Novels & Comics
Poetry
Debut Goodreads Author
✔
Young Adult Fiction
✔
Young Adult Fantasy
✔
Middle Grade & Children's
Picture Books

THE GOODREADS - NEW TO ME AUTHORS CHALLENGE
Duration: January 1 - December 31, 2014
I'm just going to list the authors that are new to me
The idea is to read books by Goodreads authors. These authors have invested in the Goodreads community just as you have.

The authors you read don't need to be new to you; however, we encourage you to go outside of your comfort zone a bit to discover new authors right here.

K.C. Blake, Christine Lynxwiler,Catherine Robertson, Jamie Magee, Yann Martel, Cat Devon, Sara B. Larson,Wendy Lyn Watson,G.G. Vandergriff,Michael Palmer,Erik Larson,Josie Belle,Neil Gaiman, Mike Brown, Juliet Marillier, Huntley Fitzpatrick,Leighann Dobbs, Rainbow Rowell, A R Winters,Alison Sweeney,Derick Parsons,Kate Atkinson,Claire Cook,Betta Ferrendelli, James Dashner, Claire Cook, Gretchen Rubin, Gretchen Galway, Lila Ashe, Gem Sivad, Maria Grazia Swan, Christine Zolendz, Jessie L. Star, Carrigan Fox, K.J. Jackson, Rose Pressey, Janet Elizabeth Jones, Sara Rosett, Mimi Rogers, Tallulah Grace, Willow Rose

THE MONOPOLY GENRE CHALLENGE
Duration: January 1 - December 31, 2014

It's a subgenre challenge with a twist! This challenge uses a monopoly board, and each color is a different genre. Read the subgenre listed on each property--your goal is to get as many monopolies (all the subgenres listed for each color) as possible.


(Click to go to the full size version of the board.)

For example, if I were going for the suspense category, I would need to read one crime, one thriller, and one mystery book. A single book cannot count for multiple properties for this challenge--one book per category.

The max number you can go for is eight because there are eight possible monopolies on the board.

Young Adult✔
Coming of Age

YA Fantasy


Romance✔
Historical Romance

Paranormal Romance

Chick-lit

Suspense✔
Crime

Horror

Mystery


Historical (time periods)
Medieval
Victorian
Ancient

Fantasy✔
Epic/high fantasy

Mythic fiction

Magical realism

Science Fiction
Cyberpunk/Steampunk

Dystopian

Space Opera why are they all sooo long? Maybe I'll think about this one


Biographical
Memoir probably this one

Autobiography probably this one

Biography choose one of these

Non-fiction✔
History

Science

AROUND THE WORLD IN BOOKS CHALLENGE
Duration: January 1 - December 31, 2014

For this challenge, your task is to read books from different regions of the world. The book must take place in that region, be written in a language of that region, OR be written by an author from that region.

Regions
North America ✔

Central America
Caribbean
South America
West Europe Denmark ✔

East Europe and Former Soviet Union - Greece ✔

Africa - maybe one of these? >

Middle East
East Asia
South Asia - India ✔

Southeast Asia
Australia & South Pacific✔

A to Z Challenge ... I do it every year

A B C D E F G
H I J K L M N O
P Q Amanda Quick R S T U V W X Y Yann Martel ZAbbie Zanders

Try for 4
FOURTH QUARTER CHALLENGE: THE FIRST WORLD WAR
Duration: October 1 - December 31, 2014

World War I began 100 years ago and lasted over four years. We'll learn about the war and commemorate it with this challenge.

1. Since it is 100 years ago that the First World War broke out, read a book that is at least 100 years old or at the most 100 days young.
published in August 2014, read in October

2. Before World War II began in 1939, World War I was called the Great War, the World War, or the War to End all Wars. 135 countries took part in World War I, and more than 15 000 000 people died in the war. Read a story set in at least two countries.

3. The main causes of World War I included many factors, such as the conflicts and hostility between the great European powers over the four decades leading up to the war. The immediate origins of the war, however, lay in the decisions taken by statesmen and generals during the July Crisis of 1914 caused by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie in Sarajevo. Read a book in which an important person is killed OR read a crime novel.

4. King George V, Kaiser Wilhelm II, and the last Tsar Nicholas II ruled Europe's three most powerful states. They were related, as King George, Kaiser Wilhelm and Tsar Nicolas' wife were grandchildren of Queen Victoria. Read a family saga.

5. The sinking of the RMS Lusitania on 7 May 1915 contributed to the American entry into World War I and became an iconic symbol in military recruiting campaigns of why the war was being fought. The RMS Lusitania was torpedoed by the Germans. On top of this, Germany had suggested to Mexico to work together to attack the United States. The note making this suggestion however was intercepted by British spies and the American government was warned. Read a spy novel.

6. World War I was the first war where tanks, aero planes, and submarines or underwater boats (U-boats) were used as common weapons. The generals however were used to fighting wars without these, so they ordered their armies to attack in the old style of marching in rows--allowing the enemy to shoot them down easily. At the battle of the Somme in 1916, 60 000 British men died in a single day. Read a book about technology or science.

7. Despite the new technology, lots of animals were used in the Great War. The work of these animals was varied. Horses and mules were used to move supplies and weapons. Oxen were also used to pull heavy loads. Dogs were used as sentries, scouts, and ammunition and equipment carriers as well as to send messages. Carrier pigeons were used extensively to carry messages. Cats were brought in to try and control the rat population. Read a book on animals OR read a book where at least one animal is important to the story.

8. The Christmas truce was a series of widespread, unofficial ceasefires that took place along the Western Front around Christmas 1914, during World War I. Through the week leading up to Christmas, parties of German and British soldiers began to exchange seasonal greetings and songs between their trenches. Troops from both sides were also friendly enough to play games of football with one another. Read either a book set at Christmas

9. Life in the trenches was far from glamorous. In fact, trenches were dirty, smelly, and riddled with disease. For soldiers, life in the trenches meant living in fear: in fear of diseases and, of course, the constant fear of enemy attack. The open space between two sets of opposing trenches became known as No Man’s Land because no soldier wanted to traverse the distance for fear of attack. The climate in France and Belgium was quite wet, so No Man’s Land soon became a mud bath. It was so thick that soldiers could disappear into it never to be seen again. The British and French actually recruited manpower from China to dig the trenches. Read a novel in which the main protagonist is in fear for his life or health.

10. Of the 60 million European soldiers who were mobilised from 1914 to 1918, 8 million were killed, 7 million were permanently disabled, and 15 million were seriously injured. Germany lost 15.1% of its active male population, Austria-Hungary lost 17.1%, and France lost 10.5%. Those who had survived had suffered gas attacks or got shell shocked. Some returned home without legs or arms. Some lost their sanity. Read a book where one of the characters is mad or traumatized.

11. The "Lost Generation" was the generation that came of age during World War I. The term was popularized by writer Ernest Hemingway. Read a book by an author who served in the Great War OR read a novel set in the Great War.

12. Remembrance Day is observed on 11 November to recall the end of hostilities of World War I on that date in 1918 and is a national holiday in many countries. Every evening since 1928 The Last Post has been played under the Menin Gate Memorial in Ieper (Belgium) at 8 o'clock sharp. Most likely there is also a First World War Memorial statue or plaque in your town. Look around your own local official buildings (churches, town halls, universities, fire brigade stations, etc.) for a plaque commemorating those who have fallen in the Great War. Read a novel set in a town that has a First World War Memorial statue Trenton, NJ

FOURTH QUARTER CHALLENGE: GRATITUDE SPELL OUT
Duration: November 1 - December 31, 2014

We're entering the holiday season which is a great time for us to think things we're grateful for. For this challenge, spell out something for which you're thankful. You can use ANY of the first letters of the main words in a title of a book (don't use words like "a", "an", "the", or "of") or the initials of its authors.

F
✔
AApril Henry
✔
M
✔
I
✔
L

Y Yann Martel
✔

GROUP READS CHALLENGE
Duration: December 1 - December 31, 2014

For this challenge, we're going to read old group reads!

1. Check out the list of all past group reads
2. Decide how many you'd like to read this month
3. Read!
4. Tell us what you thought of them in this thread.

Going to read 1 ...

I love seeing all those book covers together like that! How many books did you end up reading this year? Were there any that really surprised you?