July Reading Challenge: American Historical Fiction

It's the Red, White, & Blue Challenge!!!

Happy Birthday America!!  Today, I am feeling rather patriotic so for this month's challenge lets read about our US History.  I am awarding "2" points for every American Historical Fiction novel you read.  If you can find a novel that more than 700+ that's even better as you will get DOUBLE points!!!


Need a place to start looking for American Historical Fiction?  Try these links:
Public Library of Cincinnati: http://www.cincinnatilibrary.org/booklists/?id=americanhistoricals
Keene Public Library: http://keenepubliclibrary.org/library/kids/historicalfiction
Providence Public Library: http://www.provlib.org/guide-historical-fiction-lovers

****And I am still looking for anyone that want to help run the book blog challenge.  Come on, I know you want too!!!

May Challenge - READ GAIMAN!!

Neil Gaiman is a big supporter of libraries so lets read one
of his works!  enjoy!

ARRRRGGGGGHHHHH....... I totally forgot!!! Not only is reading books over 700 pgs ( in Regular Print) a wild card category in the State Challenge, but we also get points for reading books written by Neil Gaiman!!! So to encourage you all to take one for the team I will give you "5" points for every book you read that was written by Neil Gaiman!!  So that's "5" points for any book that you read in regular print that is 700 pages or more, and "5" points for Gaiman books!!

Check here for a list of books: http://www.neilgaiman.com/works/Books/

April's Reading Challenge

Its the "Rainy Day Reads Challenge"!!!

I love, love, LOVE rainy days!!!!  It's true! and I am so glad we are now into April.  This month lets celebrate the end of Winter and the beginning of Spring.  I will give you "2" bonus points for any book that you read that has the word "Rain" or "Storm" or "Puddle", basically anything that indicates rain!!  Happy Reading!

This is Me on a Rainy Day......

...and this would be my Mom on a Rainy Day

The Big Book Challenge: March's Reading Challenge

So, remember when you were in school and it always felt like the English Teacher had it in for you when they assigned you to read that 1,000 page book?!  

Well guess what folks, the powers that be (AKA. The MO Book Challenge), have decided that the "Wild Card" category in this year's State Challenge is to see which team reads the most books that are more than 700 pages.  

So, to boost our numbers I will give you "5" bonus points for every book you read that is over 700 pages.

 Let's show everyone that there are worthy books out there that just happen to be long.   That Long does NOT equal Boring!!! 

(btw: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is 759 pgs. long - just saying)

Run: A Novel / Ann Patchett / 295 pages

   I read this on the recommendation of Lisa Kimmel at Kisker Road. We had been talking about how much we enjoyed Bel Canto when Lisa said I must read this novel. I tried something different this time. I read the book at home and listened to it when in the car. I will repeat this experiment in the future.
   Bernard Doyle is the former mayor of Boston and he has two sons named Tip and Teddy. They were adopted at birth and 18 months. Tip is the older one. Doyle has decided his adult children will have a role in politics and towards that end he has brought them to hear Jesse Jackson speak. On a very snowy night, the Doyle family meet in an auditorium. Tip is looking for a way to get back to his job. He doesn't want to attend the reception and begins walking away, not watching where he is going. The next thing he knows there is an SUV and an unknown woman pushing him out of the way. With the appearance of this woman, the life Tip and Teddy and even Doyle know begins to unravel in ways they can not imagine.
   I was drawn into this story. It takes place over a 24 hour period. The characters and their individual stories were very compelling and heartbreaking. I felt I could go and see these people, sitting down in their living room and picking up the story. The older brother Sullivan and his life was a plot line that could have been filled out a little more - making the reader understand why he reacted the way he did. That really is my only quibble with the book. Coincidence and fate in one's life are discussed - why the choices we make effect other people we don't even know. I think this is a great book for a discussion group.

Six degrees of reading: The Dead by James Joyce, The Color of Water by James McBride, Hood by Emma Donoghue.

WELCOME TO 2014

Okay, Folks if you are reading this, then it means you are awake, and it's time to get back into the Habit of READING!!!

We are currently in 3rd place, and the competition is very hungry. Let's give them a run for their money.  Remember to encourage your Coworkers to READ, READ, READ!!!  and BLOG!! most importantly BLOG!  We need to get some new blood into this competition, I know you are all getting a little sick of those tote bags, (I DO notice you all when you run in the other direction, when I walk down the hall bag in hand).

So, your challenge this month is to Read and Blog about a book that was recommended to you by a co-worker.  I will give you "10" bonus points, and you can only collect this one time.

December's Reading Challenge

It's the 12 Days of Christmas Challenge!!!!

This one is based upon the Christmas carol 'The 12 days of Christmas'. Here's how it works...
Below is a theme related to each 'day' in the song. Your challenge is to read a book to satisfy each of the criteria. You will receive "2" points for each themed book: Here ya' go....

On the First Day of Christmas, My True Love Gave to Me......

12 Drummers Drumming - Musician as a main character 11 Pipers Piping – set in or visit to Scotland 10 Lords-a-Leaping - involves royalty 9 Ladies Dancing - Main character a dancer 8 Maids-a-Milking – involves characters that work with animals 7 Swans-a-Swimming – sportsmen/women as a main character 6 Geese-a-Laying – includes pregnancy/babies 5 Gold Rings – includes a marriage proposal 4 Calling Birds - a main character that is a singer 3 French Hens – set in, or includes a visit to, France 2 Turtle Doves – includes scenes involving flying And a Partridge in a Pear Tree – involves Christmas day scenes

November Reading Challenge

Celebrating 20 Years of Bestsellers!!!

Come On Guys!  We already know that we are "THE BEST"!!  And, We have the Trophy to prove it. 

Soooo, since "Team Awesome" only deserves the Best, this month I am giving out "2" points for every Best Seller that you read from the USA Today 20 years of Bestsellers :http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/books/2013/10/30/twenty-years-of-usa-today-books/3317125/

There are 365, books on this list so I'm sure you can find something new or just take a stroll down memory lane and re-read a bestseller. 

GO TEAM AWESOME!!!

October's Reading Challenge:

This pictures has nothing to
do with the Bram Stoker
Award, but I thought it was
a pretty cool-looking Dobby.

Read if you Dare............

This month you will receive "2" bonus points for every nominated Bram Stoker Award Title and "4" bonus points for every Winning title. 

About the Bram Stoker Awards: Each year, the Horror Writer's Association presents the Bram Stoker Awards for Superior Achievement, named in honor of Bram Stoker, author of the seminal horror work, Dracula. Any work of Horror first published in the English language may be considered for an award during the year of its publication.

2012 Bram Stoker Award Nominees & Winners

[presented in 2013]

Novel	Ethridge, Benjamin Kane - Bottled Abyss (Redrum Horror) Everson, John - NightWhere (Samhain Publishing) Kiernan, Caitlin R. - The Drowning Girl (Roc) winner Little, Bentley - The Haunted (Signet) McKinney, Joe - Inheritance (Evil Jester Press)
First Novel	Boccacino, Michael - Charlotte Markham and the House of Darkling (William Morrow) Coates, Deborah - Wide Open (Tor Books) Day, Charles - The Legend of the Pumpkin Thief (Noble YA Publishers LLC) Dudar, Peter - A Requiem for Dead Flies (Nightscape Press) Gropp, Richard - Bad Glass (Ballantine/Del Rey) Soares, L.L. - Life Rage (Nightscape Press) winner
Young Adult Novel	Bray, Libba - The Diviners (Little Brown) Lyga, Barry - I Hunt Killers (Little Brown) Maberry, Jonathan - Flesh & Bone (Simon & Schuster) winner McCarty, Michael - I Kissed A Ghoul (Noble Romance Publishing) Stiefvater, Maggie - The Raven Boys (Scholastic Press) Strand, Jeff - A Bad Day for Voodoo (Sourcebooks)
Graphic Novel	Bunn, Cullen - The Sixth Gun Volume 3: Bound (Oni Press) Moore, Terry - Rachel Rising Vol. 1: The Shadow of Death (Abstract Studio) Thornton, Ravi - The Tale of Brin and Bent and Minno Marylebone (Jonathan Cape) Wacks, Peter J., and Guy Anthony De Marco - Behind These Eyes (Villainous Press) Wood, Rocky, and Lisa Morton - Witch Hunts: A Graphic History of the Burning Times (McFarland) winner

*and for a bonus, I will bestow "4" points on anyone who finds and reads/reviews a book that features an Amish Vampire.  (yes, I said "Amish Vampire"). 

September's Challenge: Deja Vu

September's Challenge: Recruit or Die!!

Your Puppet Master at Work!

Okay folks, here it is!  This month's challenge (what's left of the month) is to RECRUIT, RECRUIT, RECRUIT!!!  I will award you "10" points for every person that you get to Sign Up to this blog and post.  In their post they must put your name in it somewhere (in the title, the tags, in the post) for you to get credit.  So get out there and beg, plead, threaten, cajole, blackmail, intimidate, terrorize...you get the idea.  Get those points!!

Yes, this is the same challenge as last year.....Yes, this is my way of getting more people on this blog...Yes, this is a shameless way to boost our points in the State Competition...No, I am not power-hungry nor insane.

The End is Near!! Final Challenge!

Hey Fellow Readers!  As all good things must come to an end; this competition season is wrapping up.  So THIS IS the FINAL month to get your points in!!!!!  So READ, READ, READ, Blog, Bug your co-workers and remind them to blog, and then READ some More!!  Lets go out with a bang and make this final month the BEST MONTH EVER!!


To celebrate the End of the Missouri Book Blog Competition, this month's challenge will be to read the Last Book in a Series.  So for all of those books you started back in March, jump to the end of the series and see what ultimately happens to the characters!  "2" points will be awarded to books that are the last book in the series. 

June Challenge

Vintage Children's Literature Reading Challenge

It's time to dust off those piles of books that you meant to read as a child, but just didn't get around to it yet.  Share one of your favorite childhood reading experiences with your kids or grandkids.  Let's go back to a time when technology was less instant, kids were allowed to ride bikes without helmets, and our houses were decorated with louder wallpaper.  It's the Vintage Children's Literature Reading Challenge!

The Rules:
1. Only titles published before the year 2000 count.  So that means only the first three Harry Potter novels would qualify for this challenge.
2.  The challenge focuses mainly on novels but you can choose collections of short stories or non-fiction,  if you desire

2 points for every "Vintage" Book.

April's Challenge

Fairy Tales Retold Challenge

I have stolen borrowed this idea from a nice teenage blogger named "Debz" (Her blog & challenge is here: http://debzbookshelf.blogspot.com) .  Like her I love Fairy Tales too, so for April (and for the rest of the year) I am awarding "2" points for every Fairy Tale related story you read.

What Counts
Any original fairy tales or retellings or books that have "fairy tale" elements, but are not actually based on a tale (like Ella Enchanted or The Princess Bride).

For added fun, keep track of the number of Fairy tales you read and in August I will award bonus points for the level you achieve. 

Levels
3 books - Peasant
6 books - Fairy
9 Books - Witch
12 books - Princess
15 books - Dragon

March's Reading Challenge

March's Reading Challenge: 
Out with the Old and in With the New...It's the 1st in the Series Challenge!!!

For March Let's Start something New!  This month I am challenging you to start a new book series.  So for every 1st book in a series you read, you will get an additional "2" bonus points.  Hopefully, you will not come after me for increasing your reading load with all those new series that you will now "have to finish".  Note: The Series does not have to be "New" as in Published this Year, just New to you.  Enjoy! :)

The Final Challenge!!!!!!!!!

COUNTDOWN CLOCK



You didn't believe me last month about the coming Zombie Apocalypse.  But now we are in the month of December and people are coming out of the wood works to talk about THE END OF THE WORLD on 12-21-12!!!!  You know that when the local TV news station puts that lady who owns like 80 cats on; who claims that her Siamese named "Mister TiddyBomBoms" has successfully predicted that the world will in fact end on 12-21-12; that we are in for a whole Lotta trouble!  Therefore, for our last few remaining days on this planet, I challenge you to read a book about the coming Apocalypse or is a Post-Apocalypse novel.  (So basically anything in YA that has been printed in the past three years).  Your reward will be "10" points for each book.  "Ten?!!" you say, "that's crazy and unfair!!"  In the end what does it really matter?  We are not going to make it to Christmas, and if we do then you will have a wealth of bonus points to end out the competition year!  Enjoy!!  

November's Reading Challenge

So are you ready for the coming Zombie Apocalypse???!!! 

No you say?! ...Well you should be taking this seriously!  The government is, just check out the latest CDC report on "Zombie Preparedness": http://www.cdc.gov/phpr/zombies.htm

So to do my public duty to get you ready for those lifeless blank stares and constant moaning (and no I am not talking about your teenage kids) I am awarding "5" points for every Zombie book you read.  You do know that 12/21/12 is coming up, which is almost as scary as 12/25/12 if you haven't started shopping.    Good Luck and Stay Save folks!!

October's Reading Challenge:

This past week was "Banned Books Week" !  This year ALA is celebrating it's 30th year in celebrating the freedom to read ANYTHING and EVERYTHING we want!
So, to continue the fun, this month's challenge is to read a "banned" book.  A banned book is any book that has been removed from the shelves of a Library or Classroom due to its content.  I am awarding "2" points for every subversive book you read, and for some added fun, please include where/when the book was banned.  Enjoy reading dangerously!!

Need help finding a book?...Try these links:

ALA's Top 10 books challenged by year 2001 - 2011:
http://www.ala.org/advocacy/banned/frequentlychallenged/21stcenturychallenged

OR. Top 100 banned/challenged books: 2000 - 2009:
http://www.ala.org/advocacy/banned/frequentlychallenged/challengedbydecade/2000_2009

For those that are visual there is a pinterest board of recent challenged books:
http://pinterest.com/BannedBooksWeek/banned-challenged-books/

New Challenge!!

September's Reading Challenge:

Hey!!  Do you remember the 20th Century?!  It really did not end that long ago.  So lets take a trip back down memory lane and try to read one book from each decade (ie. 1900s, 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, ...).  You will get "5" bonus points for each decade covered for a total of "50" points!! 

And don't forget there is still time to complete earlier challenges for more points!! 

New Reading Challenge!

August's Reading Challenge:

Pack your bags Readers!!   I LOVE to travel, so for this challenge try to read one book from each of the 7 continents.   The book can be set in, be about, or the author can be from one of the seven continents (ie. Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, & Australia).  You will get "5" bonus points for each book read in this challenge (you can only do this list once) for a total of 35 points!  Happy Travels!