Looking Ahead ... Challenge Accepted (Part 1)

Remember how I said I was going to do a little looking back and looking ahead? And I posted a couple of things and then stopped? Well ... no more! I'm catching up this week with all of these posts and then it will be back to "blog as usual." :)

So ... let's get right to it. Challenges. I love them! I like keeping up with the books I read, and last year (my first year to do challenges), I had a blast tracking my progress on various challenges and letting those challenges encourage me to step out of my comfort zone a little. There are so many great challenges out there and this year I've decided to take on whichever ones I think will be fun—which ends up being quite a few. Ha!

I mentioned in a previous post that I have several (reading) goals for this year. I made these goals a couple of months ago and then sought out challenges to help me stay on track. I'm really, really, really going to do my best to meet these goals / challenges.

2013 Reading Challenge

Brooke has read 4 books toward a goal of 100 books.

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4 of 100 (4%)

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Goodreads Challenge

Hosted by: Goodreads

Goal: Read 100+ books

I will be tracking my progress for this challenge here.

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The Classics Reading Challenge

Hosted By: Thoughts at One in the Morning

Goal: 5 books

So ... as much as I love reading, I've never really liked to read the books that I'm "supposed" to read. (I hated reading for school!) So, while I've read ... er, skimmed ... quite a few books for school assignments, I've never really read them for the sake of reading them. I'm going to try to change that this year. My goal is to read 5 books off of this list (but the list may change!).

1. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
2. Little Men by Louisa May Alcott
3. Jo's Boys by Louisa May Alcott
4. Emma by Jane Austen
5. Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan
6. The Awakening by Kate Chopin
7. The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
8. The Call of the Wild by Jack London
9. Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer

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Reading Outside the Box

Hosted By: Musings of a Book Lover

Goal: 10 books

This is another area I'm trying to grow in. It's easy for me to get a little stuck in a rut with my reading, so I'm going to try some new things. The categories are listed below. (If I can fit books into 8 categories, I'll call it a success and try to read 2 others that are outside of my comfort zone.)

1. To the Screen
2. Another Voice
3. Opposities Attract
4. 5 Star Day
5. XyZ pdQ
6. It's My Birthday
7. From one place ...
8. It's All About Me!
9. Visit an Old Friend
10. Look at the Pretty Pictures!
11. She made me do it!
12. I couldn't help myself!
13. To be or Not to be ...

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2013 Mount TBR Reading Challenge

Hosted By: My Reader’s Block

Goal: 25 books

I'll be choosing books off of my TBR shelves on Goodreads (Nook and shelves) and will feel free to add books that were on my shelves but I just didn't realize it. :) I'm clearing the shelves this year! My tentative list (that will probably change a ton!) is below. (I'm not including books that are on my shelves for review purposes but am including books that are borrowed from others.)

1. Waterfall by Lisa T. Bergren
2. Always the Baker, Never the Bride by Sandra D. Bricker
3. The Distant Land of My Father by Bo Caldwell
4. The Rose of Winslow Street by Elizabeth Camden
5. Whispers of the Bayou by Mindy Starns Clark
6. Lady of Milkweed Manor by Julie Klassen
7. Protection for Hire by Camy Tang
8. The Doctor's Lady by Jody Hedlund
9. Christmas Cowboy by Lisa Harris
10. Lady in the Mist by Laurie Alice Eakes
11. Blood Ransom by Lisa Harris
12. Hurricanes in Paradise by Denise Hildreth Jones
13. When the Smoke Clears by Lynette Eason
14. Promise Me by Richard Paul Evans
15. The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks
16. I Still Believe by Jeremy Camp
17. Little Men by Louisa May Alcott
18. Jo's Boys by Louisa May Alcott
19. Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer
20. The Doctor's Devotion by Cheryl Wyatt
21. The Short-Straw Bride by Karen Whitemeyer
22. Submerged by Danni Pettrey
23. Wildflowers from Winter by Katie Ganshert
24. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
25. Heiress by Susan May Warren
26. The Apothecary's Daughter by Julie Klassen

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2013 Finishing the Series Reading Challenge

Hosted By: Socrates’ Book Review Blog

Goal: 5 series

So many great books, so little time. I'm hoping to go back to a few series that I've started (or ... gasp! ... plopped down in the middle of) but not gone back to finish. Here are the books I hope to read as part of this challenge (which will give me 6 series!). (I'm only including series that were previously started - not series that I hope to start and possibly finish this year.)

1. The Sweet By and By by Sara Evans w/ Rachel Hauck
2. The Buck Stops Here by Mindy Starns Clark
3. Abducted by Janice Cantore
4. Avenged by Janice Cantore
5. Heiriess by Susan May Warren
6. Duchess by Susan May Warren
7. Always the Baker, Never the Bride by Sandra D. Bricker
8. Always the Baker, Finally the Bride by Sandra D. Bricker
9. When the Smoke Clears by Lynette Eason
10. When a Secret Kills by Lynette Eason

2013 Nerdy Non-Fiction Challenge

Hosted By: Bookmark to Blog

Goal: 4-6 books, 2-3 categories (at least 5 books)

Ugh! Non-fiction! It's just not my cup of tea. I love books that I start, but I rarely finish them. I'm going to go for 5 books and try to read at least one book that's NOT a biography/memoir. I have about 20 books on the "short list" but for the purposes of semi-brevity, I'll just list 10 here.

1. I Will Carry You by Angie Smith
2. Follow Me by David Platt
3. I Still Believe by Jeremy Camp
4. Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis
5. Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer
6. Love Thy Rival by Chad Gibbs
7. Orphanology by Tony Merida & Rick Morton
8. Adopted for Life by Russell Moore
9. The Insanity of God by Nik Ripken
10. The Poor Will Be Glad by Peter Greer