The BLI Holiday Reading Challenge

Through some miracle I'm managed to complete the required reading on the challenges I signed up for in 2012 - I'm still reading British Books and trying to shorten the TBR pile though! However, I spotted this challenge over at the wonder Book Lovers Inc and thought it sounded like the perfect mini-challenge to finish the year! So what the details...?

Challenge Rules:

1. The BLI Holiday Reading Challenge will start on November 14 and will end on December 31.

2. You can read as many holiday themed books for the challenge as you wish, pick your level:

Santa’s Helper: read 1-3 holiday themed books [This is my aim as I already have a lot of review books due before the end of the year!]
Serial Mistletoe-er: read 4-6 holiday themed books
Candy Cane-aholic: read 7 or more holiday themed books 

3. The books you read for this challenge must all be holiday related books. The holiday doesn’t matter, it can be Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, etc. and the story can have any connection to the holiday (for example set around Christmastime, or having Santa or an elf as a character, the cover being festive, featuring snowflakes, etc.).

4. The format, length or genre of the books do not matter, they can be ebooks, paperbacks, audiobooks, and short stories and novellas do count as well. It’s okay for the book to overlap with other challenges. The only thing is that they can’t be children’s books, but YA novels are good. Re-reads are also fine.

5. Start the challenge by signing up! Leave a link back to your challenge post in the linky below where you state your challenge level (and if you already know which books you’ll be reading a list as well).

If you don’t have a blog, no problem, you can still sign up with your name and e-mail address.

(There will be posts later where you can leave your links to your reviews and of course there will be a challenge wrap up post at the end).

6. And of course there will be prizes! There will be separate giveaways where you can win some holiday themed novels (the rules for those will be set out on the separate posts) and there will be the Grand Prize Giveaway: at the end of the challenge we will draw 3, yes THREE winners from all the review links. Meaning the more books you read, review and link up, the more chances you have at winning. 

1st winner: shopping spree of $15 USD 

2nd winner: shopping spree of $10 USD 

3rd winner: shopping spree of $10 USD 

of any holiday themed books at the Book Depository or the online ebook retailer of winner’s choice if they accept payment through Paypal.

And now that the rules are set, let’s start the challenge!

So look out for some festive themed reads over the next 6 weeks! I have a couple on my TBR pile already that I've been saving for this time of year! Why don't you join in...? 

British Book Challenge 2012

The 2012 challenges are going up around the blogosphere and I'm sat here trying to think if I want to do any, if I do, how many and which ones. This year reading challenges did drive me into a couple of different areas so having already signed up for the 2012 TBR Pile Reading Challenge, I spotted this one and thought it would be a great way of supporting local talent - plus I have a few British books already waiting to be read...so here we go!

So what is the British Books Challenge?The BBC is a reading challenge where bloggers sign up to read books by British writers throughout 2012 which is hosted by Kirsty at The overflowing Library this year.

The books can be in print or out. Old or new titles. They can be from any genre and for any age.

The aim will be to read at least 12 books by British Authors (which works out to one a month).   

If you fancy joining it - the sign up post is here


Some Books I'm going to try to read for this challenge - all of which are already on my shelf:

Velvet - Mary Hooper
Soul Beach - Kate Harrison
Department 19 - Will Hill
The Chocolate Lovers Diet - Carole Matthews
Noughts and Crosses - Majorie Blackman
Tales of Terror from the Tunnel's Mouth - Chris Priestley
The Enemy - Charlie Higgson
Numbers - Rachel Ward

I'm sure I will find some more as well! :-)

2012 TBR PILE Reading Challenge

So in 2011 I challenged myself to complete 4 reading challenges and even though the year is not yet over, I'm already thinking about 2012 challenges. I came across this challenge over at Donna & Jess's Book Passion for Life blog - and it sounded like it was made for me! My TBR pile is huge (and if you don't believe me, check out my To Be Read Shelf page up top) and doesn't seem to be getting any smaller! Hopefully this challenge will enable me to make my way through some of those books that have been sat on my shelf for far too long.

Challenge Guidelines:

1. This challenge will run from Jan 1, 2012 - Dec 31, 2012.
2. As we would like to see quality reviews linked up to our monthly wrap-ups, only bloggers can enter. Sorry about that!
3. Any genre, length or format of book counts, as long as it is a book that's been sitting on your shelf for some time now. Only books released in 2011 and earlier! NO ARCs and 2012 fresh-off-the-press releases allowed!
4. 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.
5. When you sign up in the linky, put the direct link to your post about joining the 2012 TBR PILE Reading Challenge (You need to include the info + host list + challenge button. You can also grab the button code and add it to your sidebar!)
6. You can move up levels, but no moving down.
7. Sign-ups will be open until Dec 15, 2012, so feel free to join at any time throughout the year.
8. At the end of each month one of the hosts will post a wrap-up. Every wrap-up will have it's unique theme, a mini-challenge, agiveaway and place for you to link up your reviews from this month. For each review you link up, you will get one entry in a drawing of one book of choice from Book Depository. It's open to INTERNATIONALS. For participating in the mini-challenge you'll get +1 entry in the giveaway.
9. If you miss a wrap-up post + giveaway, you can link up your reviews next month. Do not, however, try to link up one review twice - we will be checking ;) 
10. December is a wrap-up for the whole year. All the book reviews you linked up January-November + the ones you'll link up in December will be entered into a HUGE giveaway - 12 books, 12 winners, INTERNATIONAL. 
11. You don't have to follow all the hosts to join the challenge, but you do have to follow all of us to be entered in giveaways!   <

Levels:

1-10 - A Firm Handshake 

11-20 - A Friendly Hug

21-30 - A Sweet Kiss

31-40 - Love At First Sight

41-50 - Married With Children

Hosts:

Evie from Bookish - @SeoEvie

Nicole from All I Ever Read - @Nicoleabouttown

Bonnie from Hands and Home -  @HandsHomeBlog

Donna from Book Passion For Life - @BookPforLife

Caitlin from WatchYA Reading - @caitlingss

Rie from Mission To Read - @missiontoread

Vicky from Books, Biscuits & Tea - @alouetteuette 

Christa from Hooked On Books - @ChristasBooks

Jenna from Fans Of Fiction -  @fansoffiction

Angel from Mermaids Vision -  @mermaidvisions

<

Schedule:<

January - Donna (Theme: Let It Snow + Book Cover Challenge)

February - Nicole (Theme: Un-requited Love/Love Gone Wrong + Advice Column Challenge)

March - Rie (Theme: Green or Pinched + Green Cover Challenge)

April -  Bonnie (Theme: Easter + Mini Challenge)

May - Christa (Theme: MayDay - Disaster Books! + Cover Disaster Challenge)

June - Jenna ( Theme: Camping + Sentence Challenge)

July - Rie (Theme: International Day + Cover Comparison Challenge)

August - Angel (Theme: Summer Memories + Send Your Fav Character On Vacation Challenge)

September - Nicole (Theme: Life Changing Books + Mini Challenge)

October - Caitlin (Theme: Thanksgiving Theme + Share-A-Book Challenge)

November - Vicky (Theme: Spooky Halloween + Book Puzzle Challenge)

December - Evie (Theme: Xmas Bliss + Book Bachelor Challenge)

Here's what I'm planning on reading during the challenge:

I'm planning on going for the A Sweet Kiss level (21-30 books) - hopefully I'll read much more than that but I figure it's easier to move up a level than to struggle to finish! I'm not sure exactly which books to read but if you do check out my TBR Shelf it will consist of as many of them as possible! Any suggestions where to start? :-)