2014 Mount TBR Reading Challenge

From My Reader's Block:

Challenge Levels:

Pike's Peak: Read 12 books from your TBR pile/s Mount Blanc: Read 24 books from your TBR pile/s Mt. Vancouver: Read 36 books from your TBR pile/s Mt. Ararat: Read 48 books from your TBR piles/s Mt. Kilimanjaro: Read 60 books from your TBR pile/s El Toro: Read 75 books from your TBR pile/s Mt. Everest: Read 100 books from your TBR pile/s Mount Olympus (Mars): Read 150+ books from your TBR pile/s

And the rules: *Once you choose your challenge level, you are locked in for at least that many books. If you find that you're on a mountain-climbing roll and want to tackle a taller mountain, then you are certainly welcome to upgrade.  All books counted for lower mountains may carry over towards the new peak.

*Challenge runs from January 1 to December 31, 2014.

*You may sign up anytime from now until November 30th, 2014.

*Books must be owned by you prior to January 1, 2014. No ARCs (none), no library books. No rereads. *You may count any "currently reading" book that you begin prior to January 1--provided that you had 50% or more of the book left to finish in 2014.  I will trust you all on that.

*Books may be used to count for other challenges as well.

*Feel free to submit your list in advance (as incentive to really get those books taken care of) or to tally them as you climb.

*There will be quarterly check-ins and prize drawings!

*A blog and reviews are not necessary to participate.

This year I am scaling back a bit.  I know that life with an infant deters my rampant reading habit.  So I am going for the Mt. Vancouver level of 36 books.  That will still be a huge chunk out of my TBR piles.

TBR List:

1. The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir
2. Living History by Hillary Rodham Clinton
3. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
4. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
5. Graceling by Kristin Cashore
6. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
7. A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin
8. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
9. The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
10. Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning
11. Neuromancer
12. Contact by Carl Sagan
13. Dune by Frank Herbert
14. Something Wicked This Way Comes
15. Fingersmith
16. Beloved
17. A Room with a View by E.M. Forster
18. Siddartha by Herman Hesse
19. The Nanny Diaries
20. High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
21. The Devil in the White City
22. Casino Royale by Ian Fleming
23. The Little Prince
24. The Long Dark Teatime of the Soul by Terry Pratchett
25. Choke by Chuck Palahniuk
26. John Adams
27. Washington
28. American Lion
29. Woodrow Wilson
30. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
31. The House of Riverton by Kate Morton
32. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
33. Alexander Hamilton
34. Private World of Georgette Heyer
35. What Ifs of American History
36. TBD

2014 New Author Reading Challenge

From Literary Escapism:

Here are the guidelines:

1. The challenge will run from January 1, 2014 through December 31, 2014.
2. Since this is an author challenge, there is no restriction on choosing your novels. They can definitely be from other challenges. However, the authors must be new to you and, preferably from novels. Anthologies are a great way to try someone new, but only a third of your new authors can be from short stories/novellas or anthologies.
3. I want this to be an easy challenge, so you can pick to do either 15, 25 or 50 new authors. It all depends on how fast you read and how adventurous you want to be.  If you reach your goal halfway through the year, don’t stop. Any new author you try can be added to Mr. Linky. We all want to know about your new experience.
4. After reading your new author, write your review and then come back here and add your link to Mr. Linky. Make sure you include your name and the author, but adding the title is completely up to you.
5. Bloggers or Non-Bloggers alike are welcome. You don’t have to have a site to participate. You can link up via Facebook, GoodReads or even Amazon if you’d like.

I'm going to sign up for 15 new authors... and I will try to make all 15 of them fiction authors.  Not quite sure of my TBR pile yet, but I'm sure they will start appearing soon.

2014 Women Authors Reading Challenge

From Peek a Book:

Welcome to the second edition of the “Women Challenge”!

This challenge will make us want to read more books of any kind written by women, so choose whatever you like and get involved! Set your level and, if you like, leave me a comment on this post listing your three favourite women writers, in order to suggest new names to other participants as well.

Rules:

* anyone can join; * you don't need a blog to partecipate: if you are a non-blogger please leave a comment with a link (if you review elsewhere) to your review or with the list of the books you read and the level you choose; * audio, e-books, bound books and re-reads are ok; * create a sign up post on your blog and post the link in the Linky below (scroll down please, it's at the end of the italian translation); * challenge goes from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2014; * here you can link for your reviews.

Levels:

Level 1: BABY GIRL - read 5 books written by a woman author Level 2: GIRLS POWER - read 6 to 15 books written by a woman author Level 3: SUPER GIRL - read 16 to 20 books written by a woman author Level 4: WONDER WOMAN - read 20+ books written by a woman author

Second year in a row!  And of course I am jumping on this challenge.  I think this year I'll be going for the Super Girl level of 20 books.  My TBR is very tentative right now, but I know I have authors like Hillary Rodham Clinton, Julia Quinn, Kate Chopin, Mary Wollstonecraft, and Cherie Priest on my to read list.

2014 Ebook Reading Challenge

From Workaday Reads:

Challenge Guidelines:

1. This challenge will run from Jan 1, 2014 – Dec 31, 2014.
2. Anyone can join, you don’t need to be a blogger. If you don’t have a blog, feel free to sign-up in the comments. You can post reviews to any book site (i.e. Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, Goodreads, etc).
3. Any genre or length of book counts, as long as it is in ebook format.
4. You can plan your books in advance or as you read them.
5. When you sign up in the linky, put the direct link to your post about joining the E-Book Reading Challenge.
6. Sign-ups will be open until Dec 15, 2014, so feel free to join at any time throughout the year.

Levels:

1. Floppy disk – 5 ebooks
2. CD – 10 ebooks
3. DVD – 25 ebooks
4. Memory stick – 50 ebooks
5. Hard drive – 75 ebooks
6. Server – 100 ebooks
7. Human brain – 150 ebooks

At the beginning of each month there will be a roundup post for you to add your reviews for that month. The linky will remain open for the remainder of the year, so if you forget, feel free go back and add them when you remember.

Another year of the Ebook challenge.  I'm reading more and more ebooks each year (but I still have a ton of physical books to get through).  This year I'm going to shoot for the DVD level of 25 ebooks.  That seems about manageable...

TBR List:

1. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
2. Time Enough for Love by Robert Heinlein
3. Roaring Midnight by Colleen Gleason
4. American Gods by Neil Gaiman
5. Mirror Mirror by Gregory Maguire
6. Sherlock Holmes selection by Arthur Conan Doyle
7. The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama
8. Medium Raw by Anthony Bourdain
9. TIthe by Holly Black
10. Ember by Kristen Callihan
11. Yellow Crocus by Laila Ibrahim
12. In the Company of Secrets by Judith Miller
13. The Angel's Kiss by Justin Richards
14. TBD
15. TBD
16. TBD
17. TBD
18. TBD
19. TBD
20. TBD
21. TBD
22. TBD
23. TBD
24. TBD
25. TBD

2014 Reading Challenges -- Perpetual Edition

Overall, I want to focus most of my 2014 reading challenges of knocking out some of my perpetual reading challenges.  So I've chosen a few books from each challenge to help me reach my ultimate goals.

Fantasy Project: 20 Books

1. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
2. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
3. Graceling by Kristin Cashore
4. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
5. A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin
6. American Gods by Neil Gaiman
7. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
8. The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
9. Wicked by Gregory Maguire
10. Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning
11. Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
12. The Little Prince by
13. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein
14. TBD
15. TBD
16. TBD
17. TBD
18. TBD
19. TBD
20. TBD

Nonfiction Adventure: 20 Books

1. The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir
2. Living History by Hilary Rodham Clinton
3. The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama
4. John Adams by
5. Washington by
6. American Lion by
7. Woodrow Wilson by
8. Alexander Hamilton by
9. The Private World of Georgette Heyer by Jane Aiken Hodge
10. What Ifs of American History by
11. A Vindication on the Rights of Women by Mary Wollstonecraft
12. Becoming Mona Lisa by Donald Sassoon
13. The Emperor of Maladies by
14. TBD
15. TBD
16. TBD
17. TBD
18. TBD
19. TBD
20. TBD

NPR Scifi and Fantasy: 10 Books

1. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
2. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
3. A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin
4. American Gods by Neil Gaiman
5. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
6. The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
7. Neuromancer by William Gibson
8. Contact by Carl Sagan
9. Dune by Frank Herbert
10. Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

NPR Teen Books: 10 Books

1. Graceling by Kristin Cashore
2. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
3. Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
4. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
5. Dune by Frank Herbert
6. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
7. TBD
8. TBD
9. TBD
10. TBD

Top 100 YA Novels: 5 Books

1. Graceling by Kristin Cashore
2. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
3. Tithe by Holly Black
4. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
5. TBD

21st Century Women Authors: 5 Books

1. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
2. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
3. Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
4. House of Riverston by Kate Morton
5. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

United States of YA: 5 Books

1. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
2. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
3. TBD
4. TBD
5. TBD

Time Top 100: 5 Books

1. Neuromancer by William Gibson
2. Beloved by Toni Morrison
3. TBD
4. TBD
5. TBD

Rory Gilmore: 10 Books

1. The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir
2. Living History by Hilary Rodham Clinton
3. The TIme Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
4. Beloved by Toni Morrison
5. A Room with a View by E.M. Forster
6. Siddartha by Herman Hesse
7. The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus
8. High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
9. The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
10. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

1001 Books: 10 Books

1. Neuromancer by William Gibson
2. Contact by Carl Sagan
3. Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
4. Beloved by Toni Morrison
5. A Room with a View by E.M. Forster
6. Siddartha by Herman Hesse
7. Casino Royale by Ian Fleming
8. Choke by Chuck Palahniuk
9. The Little Prince by
10. The Long Dark Teatime of the Soul by Douglas Adams

U.S. Presidents: 5 Books

1. The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama
2. John Adams by
3. American Lion by
4. Washington by
5. Woodrow Wilson by

2014 Books to Movies Reading Challenge

From Doing Dewey:

Like last year, the rules are simple and few. I’ll post a linky where you can share your reviews, but this thing works on the honor system. If you want to challenge yourself to only watch movies coming out this year or to make sure you always read the book and watch the movie during 2014, that’s great. But I won’t hold you to it. Personally, I usually count two hours of a TV show as enough to call it watched since that’s about as long as most movies. Again though, this challenge is all about having fun, so it’s really up to you.

To enter, just click through to the linky at the bottom of this post and link to a post on your blog mentioning the challenge and the challenge level you’re attempting. You can change challenge levels at any time and the challenge levels are the same as last year:

Movie Fan - read 3 books and watch their movies Movie Devotee - read 6 books and watch their movies Movie Lover - read 9 books and watch their movies Movie Aficionado - read 12 books and watch their movies Movie Auteur - read 24 books and watch their movies

I love this challenge! And it's never a problem finding books and movies to enjoy.  This year I will be going for the Movie Aficionado level of 12 books and movies.

Tentative TBR:

1. The Nanny Diaries
2. The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones
3. Casino Royale
4. The Mists of Avalon
5. Contact
6. Dune
7. Beloved
8. High Fidelity
9. The Fault in Our Stars
10. Peter Pan
11. TBD
12. TBD

2014 Seriously Series Reading Challenge

From Reading the Paranormal:

For this challenge, a series is defined as a collection of two or more books that belong together and where the second book is published before the end of 2014. This is a pretty broad definition of series, and it includes traditional series like the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, less traditional series like Stephanie Perkins's YA contemps (Anna and the French Kiss, Lola and the Boy Next Door), and shorter series, like Kendare Blake's Anna series (Anna Dressed in Blood, Girl of Nightmares).

A series is considered complete in one of two ways: either as finishing all the books that you own in the series or as obtaining and reading all the books that have been published in the series to date. Because we don't want this challenge to become a financial burden, how you choose to define completion is left to your discretion.

How It Works

To allow for the greatest level of flexibility, we've separated series into three categories: series started before 2014, series started in 2014, and series rereads.

• Series started before 2014 are defined as series that you have started reading before Jan. 2014 and that you still have unread books to get current in (or finish) the series.
• Series started in 2014 are defined as any series that you start reading between Jan. and Dec. 2014, and the second book in the series must be published before December 2014.
• A series reread is defined as books that are part of a series that were read before Jan. 2014 and that are reread between Jan. 2014 and Dec. 2014. A series reread does NOT have to include the full series.

For each category, there are different levels of seriousness about series that you can choose. Semi-serious is reading 1 to 6 series, seriously serious is reading 7 to 12 series, super seriously serious is reading 13 to 18 series, and seriously spectacular series star is reading more than 18 series. What this ends up looking like is this:

series started before 2014series started in 2014series rereads

Semi-Serious1-6 series1-61-6

Seriously Serious7-127-127-12

Super Seriously Serious13-1813-1813-18

Seriously Spectacular Series Star18+18+18+

FYI, reading novellas and short stories from a series does count here -- if you want it to!

You choose which categories you want to attempt and which level to shoot for.

Goals and Progress

Want to sign up? Create a post or page about this challenge, what goals you would like to accomplish (mine is here, as an example--currently, it's my 2013 page, but it'll switch over to the 2014 challenge in January), and then link up your post here at Reading the Paranormal. In addition to the sign up, every three months, there will be a check-in, where you can report your progress and reassess your original goals. That schedule will look like the following:

• April 1st: January--March
• July 1st: April--June
• October 1st: July--September
• January 1st, 2015: October--December

I have a ton of partial series laying around the house.  This challenge is to get me to clean out some of those series.  I have lots of authors on my list to choose from, but I am only committing myself to finishing 5 old series and 5 new series throughout this coming year.  So I am going for the semi-serious level for two categories.

Started before 2014:

1. Locke and Key -- #6
2. Opal Cowan by Maria Snyder -- #2, #3
3. Bevelstoke by Julia Quinn -- #2, #3
4. Living with the Dead by Jesse Petersen -- #3.5, #4
5. Ashfall by Mike Mullin -- #3

Started in 2014: Going with just author names right now.  Some of these authors have multiple series that I can start...

1. Diana Gabaldon
2. Mary Balogh
3. Holly Black
4. Gregory Maguire
5. Cherie Priest
6. Anne Bishop
7. Kristen Callihan
8. Carole Nelson Douglas
9. Dorothy Dunnett
10. Jeaniene Frost
11. Diane Haeger
12. Karen Marie Moning
13. Deanna Raybourn
14. Melissa Mayhue
15. Julia Quinn

2014 Well-Rounded Reader Reading Challenge

Well Rounded Reader: 25 Books I wanted to have a more specific reading challenge, but I wanted something that could incorporate my owned books.  I ran across the idea of being a well-rounded reader on many other blogs and decided to create my own challenge.

1. Self-help/self-improvement --
2. History -- What Ifs of American History
3. Classic -- The Beautiful and the Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald
4. Graphic Novel/Comic -- Locke and Key Vol. 6
5. Chick Lit -- Summer Rental by Mary Kay Andrews
6. Historical Romance -- Lessons in French by Laura Kinsale
7. Mystery -- Sherlock Holmes Story by Arthur Conan Doyle
8. SciFi -- Time Enough for Love by Robert Heinlein
9. YA/NA --
10. Steampunk/Dystopian -- Dreadnought by Cherie Priest
11. Paranormal Romance --
12. Anthology/Short Story Collection -- Stranger Than Fiction by Chuck Palahniuk
13. Art/Design -- Becoming Mona Lisa by Donald Sassoon
14. Fable/Fairy Tale/Folklore -- The Tales of the Brothers Grimm
15. Fantasy/Adventure -- A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin
16. Historical Fiction -- Duchess of Aquitaine by Margaret Ball
17. Home/Garden/Decor/Cooking --
18. Music/Television/Theater --
19. Horror --
20. Philosophy -- A Vindicaiton on the Rights of Women by Mary Wollstonecraft
21. Science -- The Emperor of Maladies
22. Politics -- Alexander Hamilton
23. Biography/Autobiography/Memoir -- The Private World of Georgette Heyer by Jane Aiken Hodge
24. Humorous --
25. Children's Literature -- Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie

Bout of Books 9.0 Day #2

Pages Read Today: 64 (Medium Raw)

Pages Read Total: 308

Reading Helpers: A snuggly baby, chocolate peppermint bark, and an Arnold Palmer.

Challenges: Another day of me not entering any challenges.

Comments: Finished Medium Raw today.  A great book!  Love Bourdain's crazy perspective.  I plan on starting The Fault in Our Stars tonight before bed.  Can't wait to dive in...

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, January 6th and runs through Sunday, January 12th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 9.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

Medium Raw by Anthony Bourdain

Title: Medium Raw

Author: Anthony Bourdain

Publisher: HarperCollins 2010

Genre: Memoir; Food

Pages: 308

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Nonfiction Adventure; ebook; 52 Books - W2

Medium Raw marks the return of the inimitable Anthony Bourdain, author of the blockbuster bestseller Kitchen Confidential and three-time Emmy Award-nominated host of No Reservations on TV’s Travel Channel. Bourdain calls his book, “A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook,” and he is at his entertaining best as he takes aim at some of the biggest names in the foodie world, including David Chang, Alice Waters, the Top Chef winners and losers, and many more. If Hunter S. Thompson had written a book about the restaurant business, it could have been Medium Raw.

I read Kitchen Confidential last year, and I have to say that I enjoyed this one more infinitely more.  I think my main issue with KC was that at times it was so technical.  Because I do not have a background in cooking, there are terms and techniques that I just don't know.  I had to stop periodically to look something up to truly understand what Bourdain was discussing.  This book is a lot more friendly to the average reader. We are treated to the personal views of Bourdain as they relate to the food industry.  I loved his chapters about the Food Network and its stars.  I loved the chapters highlighting specific chefs.  And I really loved the chapters where he discussed his own transitioning thoughts and ideas.  It was a nice companion to his No Reservations television series.  Very enjoyable read!

2014 Picture Book Reading Challenge

From Book Dragon's Lair:

Guidelines:

• Challenge runs from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2014
• Read picture books.
• Pick a number and go for it. Twelve too easy? Go for 20. Piece of cake? Go for 40.
• Books you own and library check outs count. So do ebooks and re-reads.
• Please post about the challenge and sign up with a direct link.
• A blog is not necessary, just link to where you talk about the challenge
• Reviews are not necessary but would be nice (so we know which ones to read ourselves!) A link for reviews will be posted in January.

With having a new baby, I'm so up for reading some good picture books.  My goal is 100 books.  That seems like a lot, but they are picture books and I'm sure we will be hitting the library often.  I have no TBR list so far...

2014 Back to the Classics Reading Challenges

From Books and Chocolate:

Okay, you've convinced me -- I had a lot of encouraging responses when I suggested that I might take over Sarah's Back to the Classics Challenge next year -- how could I refuse?  It's official!!!  Here's the post where you sign up.

The challenge will be very similar to the way Sarah created it.  Like last year, there will be six required categories that all participants must complete.  Everyone who reads and reviews six eligible books and writes a wrap-up post will automatically be entered into the drawing for an Amazon gift card for $30 (U.S) or a choice of book(s) from The Book Depository.

There will also be five optional categories for additional entries.  Participants who three of those (with corresponding posts) will also get an additional entry into the prize drawing;  those completing posts in  all five categories will get two more entries, for a total of six.  To receive the maximum of six entries, you would need to post eleven times.

I am making one slight change, other than varying the book categories.  I'm a little stricter than Sarah regarding the definition of a classic.  In my opinion, a classic is a book that has endured for some reason ; therefore, I am defining a classic as a book that was published at least 50 years ago. Therefore, any book published after 1964 is ineligible. Here are the rest of the guidelines:

• All books must be read in 2014.  Books started prior to January 1, 2014 are not eligible.  Reviews must be linked by December 31, 2014.
• E-books and audiobooks are eligible!  Books can count for other challenges you may be working on.  However, books may NOT crossover categories within this challenge.  You may NOT count the same book twice for different categories in this challenge.  
• If you do not have a blog, you may link your review from Goodreads or other publicly accessible online format.
• Please sign up for the challenge using the linky below BEFORE MARCH 1, 2014.  Please link to your sign-up announcement post (if possible/applicable).
• 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).
• Please identify the categories you've read in your wrap-up post so that I can easily add up your entries for the prize drawing!

Required:

1. A 20th Century Classic
2. A 19th Century Classic
3. A Classic by a Woman Author
4. A Classic in Translation  If English is not your primary language, then books originally published in English are acceptable.  You could also read the book in its original language if you are willing and able to do so.
5. A Wartime Classic  2014 will be the 100th anniversary of the beginning of World War I.  Any book relating to a war is fine -- WWI, WWII, the French Revolution, the War of the Worlds -- your choice.
6. A Classic by an Author Who Is New To You This can be any author whose works you have not read before.  It doesn't necessarily have to be an author you've never heard of.

Optional Categories:

1. An American Classic
2. A Classic Mystery, Suspense or Thriller 
3. A Historical Fiction Classic.  This is any classic set at least 50 years before the time when it was written.  For example, Margaret Mitchell publishedGone with the Wind 70 years after the end of the Civil War; therefore, it is considered a historical novel.  A Tale of Two Cities and The Scarlet Letter are also historical novels.  However, older classics set during the period in which they were written are not considered historical; for example, the novels of Jane Austen.
4. A Classic That's Been Adapted Into a Movie or TV Series.  Any period, any genre!  This is practically a free choice category.  However, it's a separate category than the required categories.
5. Extra Fun Category:  Write a Review of the Movie or TV Series adapted from Optional Category #4.  This should be some kind of posting reviewing the book read for the previous optional category above.  It can be any adaptation -- does not have to be adapted before 1964.  For example, if you chose Pride and Prejudice as your the optional classic above, you could review any adaptation -- 1940, 1980, 1995, 2005, etc. These two optional categories go together, but this must be a separate blog posting -- no fair just mentioning it in the book review!

And to clarify, you have to read different books for each category -- you can repeat authors or genres, but no fair using the same book multiple times within this challenge! The only book that you can repeat is in the movie/TV adaptation review.

Another reading challenge for this year. I always love my selection of classics throughout the year.

My tentative TBR:

Required:

1. A 20th Century Classic -- A Room with a View by E.M. Forster
2. A 19th Century Classic -- The Awakening by Kate Chopin
3. A Classic by a Woman Author -- A Vindication on the Rights of Women by Mary Wollstonecraft
4. A Classic in Translation --
5. A Wartime Classic  2014 will be the 100th anniversary of the beginning of World War I.  Any book relating to a war is fine --
6. A Classic by an Author Who Is New To You -- Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy

Optional Categories:

1. An American Classic -- The Beautiful and the Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald
2. A Classic Mystery, Suspense or Thriller -- Sherlock Holmes selection
3. A Historical Fiction Classic.  This is any classic set at least 50 years before the time when it was written.  For example, Margaret Mitchell publishedGone with the Wind 70 years after the end of the Civil War; therefore, it is considered a historical novel.  A Tale of Two Cities and The Scarlet Letter are also historical novels. --
4. A Classic That's Been Adapted Into a Movie or TV Series --
5. Extra Fun Category:  Write a Review of the Movie or TV Series adapted from Optional Category #4 --

Top Ten Tuesday -- 2014 Goals and Resolutions

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.Each week we will post a new Top Ten list complete with one of our bloggers’ answers. Everyone is welcome to join.  If you can’t come up with ten, don’t worry about it—post as many as you can!

Blog and Reading Resolutions:

1. Read over 50,000 pages -- Dropped it a bit from last year.  I like having a fairly manageable page goal instead of a book number goal.
2. Get rid of at least one box of books -- Again, same as last year.  Really want to free up space in the office closet.
3. Add in my new features/update weekly schedule -- Really this is adding in more of my Project Life spreads and my monthly goals posts.
4. Focus on reading my own books -- Not necessarily a library ban, but limiting my visits.  I have way too many books sitting in the closet to constantly be picking up outside books.  I'm setting a goal of 80% of my 2014 reads to be ones I own.
5. Focus on my perpetual lists -- In fact, I am using my perpetual challenges for a majority of my year's reading challenges.

Life Resolutions:

1. 30 Day Challenges --- Instead of yearly goals, I need to focus on smaller and shorter goals.  So, I will be posting monthly goals containing a mix of one time activities and 30 day challenges.  As an added bonus, many of the 30 day challenges I am scheduling will knock off a few Day Zero Project goals.
2. Documentation through Project Life -- I started in October and am absolutely loving the process.  I hope to keep my momentum through 2014.  I purchased a January PL class through Studio Calico to start the year off right.  Hopefully I will get some good tips and inspiration to sustain me.  I will be sharing our spread monthly.
3. New food adventures -- I don't really like to cook, but I love new recipes.  I want to focus on trying at least one new recipe a week.  I have many cookbooks and multitudes of recipes saved online.  I need to start weeding out the crap and the ones we love.  Maybe I'll create theme months... or weeks... or quarters.  This is one of the new features that I'm still thinking about starting on the blog.
4. Losing the baby weight -- I gained 30 pounds with Arthur on top of the extra 15 I had been carrying around since my miscarriage in August 2012.  I want to make 2014 the year of getting back to being comfortable.  I want to get down to my prepregnancy weight.  I'm starting this off with a January month goal of losing a pants size.  I'm eating better, I just need to exercise more.
5. Exploring the Bay Area -- I feel like we've only seen a fraction of things in our area. Since we won't be taking a big out of area vacation this year, I want to spend the year exploring our local region.  I've already got a few ideas of fun with the boys during the summer.  I'm also kicking around a possible weekend trip to Yosemite...  In fact, my word of the year is EXPLORE!  I don't really follow through with all the One Little Word hoopla, but I am going to attempt to use my word and feature it in my Project Life pages.

Revisiting the 2013 blog and reading resolutions:

1. Read over 60,000 pages -- Nope...  Got pretty close with 53,622 pages.
2. Get rid of at least one box of books — Definitely accomplished this one.  However, I think we only got rid of one box.  I hope to make a bigger dent in 2014.
3. Finish any series started — I did a fairly good job on this one.  I joined the Seriously Series Reading Challenge to help me focus.  With that, I finished 10 series.  I'm hoping to repeat my success next year.
4. Finish 75% or more of the reading challenges I join —Woohoo!  This is the first time that I met this goal.  So excited!
5. Read more on the iPad — Read more than I have ever have before on the iPad. But I still need to decrease our physical book inventory.  I'm sure I'll keep reading ebooks in 2014.
6. Be stricter about DNFs — I DNF'd 3 books this year.  I probably could have added about 2 more to that total, but I'm okay with not.  I am getting better at putting books aside if they don't interest me at all.
7. Read the book before seeing the movie — Fairly decent job at this.  I read a ton of books that I had already seen the movie years ago.  I also read a few in anticipation of their movie release.  Continuing this in 2014.
8. Do at least six readathons — I did 10 throughout the year.  Great accomplishment.  I'll probably do most of these for 2014.
9. Focus on my perpetual lists -- Failed at this goal.  I read maybe 6 books off my perpetual lists.  My failure is the reason I decided to change up my reading challenges for 2014.
10. Limit by book buying — I think I only bought 7 or 8 books throughout the entirety of 2013.  I call that a success!  Unfortunately, I probably added about 30 free ebooks to the iPad.  I really need to work on resisting those free deals.  Just because it's free, doesn't mean that I have to download it...

Arthur: 10-12 Weeks

Arthur and I have been in Indiana visiting with family and friends. We've been so busy, I didn't have much time to do his weekly updates.  So, I've combined weeks 10-12.

Likes:Being held (so spoiled while being here), bath time (even in a different tub), his new stuffed monkey (latched right onto it)

Dislikes:The cold (right there with you kid!), playing by himself (so spoiled right now), his new baby "uggs" (seriously kicked them right off)

Sleeping:I have been so lucky while in Indiana.  Arthur has been sleeping for longer periods during the night (usually 5-6 hours).  And our schedules have synced up a bit.  He's up and ready to play between 7-8am.  I can do those hours.  5am is a bit early for me.

Eating: Usually he eats 4 ounces every 4 hours.  But during the evening time, he cluster feeds and ends up eating ~7 ounces in 5 hours.  Crazy kid!

Playing: Since we've been in Indiana, he's noticing more and more of his toys.  He's especially loving his tambourine with a mirror in the middle.  I'm still waiting for him to actually grab his toys.

Medical Milestones: 

10 Week Milestones:

• Responding to his name -- Sometimes, but not always
• Recognizing mommy and daddy -- Check!
• Grasping toys -- Nope... he tries but it doesn't really happen

11 Week Milestones:

• Full-body smiles -- Check! He gets so excited and waves his arms when he smiles.
• Searching for mom and dad -- Check! He follows me around the room and turns his head when I start talking.  Very cute!

12 Week Milestones:

• Becoming social -- Check!  He's met so many new people and smiles and talks to everyone!
• Pushing arms up during tummy time -- Nope.  He still hates tummy time.
• Pushing legs into a standing position -- Check!  Loves attempting to stand and push his legs against things.
• Sleeping for extended periods during the night -- Check!
• Discovering his hands -- Check!  And also his feet.  He's still a bit confused by them, but so cute.

Schedule: While in Indiana, he switched to going to bed at 10 or 11pm and waking for good at around 7am.  Usually he takes a nap during the mid morning and one during the mid afternoon.  The rest of the time, he's wide awake or taking a cat nap.

Out and About: So many places we visited these past few weeks! Here's just a few:

• Plane ride from San Francisco to Chicago to Fort Wayne
• Firefly coffeehouse
• Granite City
• Jefferson Point shopping center
• Target, Kroger, Half Price Books
• The Halls, The Buffenbargers, The Waites

Bout of Books 9.0 Day #1

Pages Read Today: 244 (Medium Raw)

Pages Read Total: 244

Reading Helpers: Chai Latte and chocolate chip cookies

Challenges: I didn't complete either for today, just focused on reading.

Comments: The actual temperature is below zero today with a wind chill around -30 degrees.  The entire city is snowed in.  It's a perfect day to start a readathon.  And I'm really enjoying Medium Raw.  Can't wait to finish it!

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, January 6th and runs through Sunday, January 12th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 9.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

2014 Chunkster Reading Challenge

 From Chunkster Reading Challenge:

Wondering what’s a chunkster? A chunkster is an adult or YA book, non-fiction or fiction, that’s 450 pages or more.

Rules for this challenge:

• Audio books and e-books are now allowed. You want to listen to a chunkster on audio? Be my guest.
• Essay, short story, and poetry collections are allowed but they have to be read in their entirety to count.
• Books may crossover with other challenges.
• Anyone can join.
• You don’t have to list your book ahead of time.
• Graphic novels don’t count. Sorry guys but reading a chunkster graphic novel isn’t the same as reading a non-graphic chunkster.

I’ve been thinking long and hard about the levels of participation that have always been a part of this challenge. This year we’re going to try something new: there won’t be any levels.

Don’t get me wrong. This is still a reading challenge. Challenge yourself without being locked in to a certain number. If you didn’t read any chunksters in 2013 and want to change that in 2014, come up with a number and try to read that amount.

I do love me some big books.  I think I will challenge myself to 10 chunksters.  Shouldn't be hard to do.  

2014 Re-reading Reading Challenge

From Caffeinated Life:

While my to-read pile is constantly expanding and shrinking, there’s always been a couple of books in the back of my head that I’ve been meaning to re-visit, either to see if my understanding of the novel has changed or just re-read it for fun, but I keep putting it off for one reason or another. So I decided to that maybe a reading challenge will compel me to re-visit a couple of these books in 2014 and thought maybe others would be interested in joining me for this.

The (very brief) rundown to this challenge:

• This reading challenge runs from 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2014
• You can join at any time
• Any book is acceptable in this challenge so long as you’ve read it in the past; perhaps it was a DNF you wanted to revisit, perhaps it’s a book you’ve read and loved but don’t remember the details too much. It’s totally up to you how you want to define this.
• Linking your reviews to the separate Linky Widget (that I will be posting up on 31 December 2013 and will remain live until the end of 2014) is optional but strongly recommended just so that we can share titles and thoughts with other bloggers, learn new titles out there and get to know each other in the process.

Levels (sorry, not feeling very creative coming up with these levels, lol; I’m pretty laxed about this):

• 1 – 4 books — Occasional re-reader
• 5 – 9 books — Re-reading pro!
• 10+ books — Re-reading champ!

I'm sure there are a few books sitting on my piles that I want to reread (looking at you The Awakening!).  So, I'm adding this one to my challenges.  However, I think I'm just going to aim for the lowest level to focus on new-to-me books.

Tentative TBR:

1. The Awakening by Kate Chopin
2. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
3. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
4. A Vindication of the Rights of Women by Mary Wollstonecraft

2013 Life Wrap-up

January

I found out that I was pregnant again.  Woohoo!  This one had much better results than the last, but I had to wait nine months.  As soon as I found out, I was down with nasty all day nausea and general ickiness.

February

I just remember feeling miserable all month.  I really suffered from the nausea this time around.  I don't remember it being as bad with the boys as this one.  I had to request anti-nausea medication from the doctor.  It helped, but I tried not to use it very often.

March

March is always a big month in my life.  It's mine, J's, and the twins' birthday.  It usually coincides with Spring Break so I get to see the boys for a week.  This past year, I treated myself to a zombie movie marathon for my birthday.  I also traveled back to Indiana to spend Spring Break with the boys.  We pushed their birthday party back a week so I could be there to have fun with them.

I also got a job this month!  Completely out of the blue, a coworker of J's called me to see if I was interested in joining the team.  I ended up  accepting an offer to be a short-term contractor and project manager for a new project at the company.  The position ended up lasting until the company's acquisition in October.  I definitely learned from my time as a project manager.  Not my favorite profession, but interesting.

April

I officially announced the pregnancy this month after waiting until past the 12 week mark.  I didn't want to deal with the aftermath in case I lost this one also.

May

Busy working...  Plus, my pregnancy issues lessened to the point that I could function fairly well on a day to day basis.

June

The boys arrived to spend the summer!  I really missed them!  At the end of the month, we embarked on our crazy summer road trip.

July

This month was mostly about spending time with the boys and working.  At the end of the month, my mom came to visit for a few days before flying back to Indiana with the boys.  We went to the beach (her first time seeing the Pacific!) and San Francisco.  It was a fun time!

August

Right after mom and the boys left, my job was reduced to a part-time at-home as-needed position.  I was a little bitter at the circumstances, but that's life.  I got back into reading a lot more and started prepping for Arthur's arrival.

September

The nursery finally started coming together this month.  We ordered and assembled (okay J assembled, but I did order) the crib and travel system.  I had my local baby shower.  I also started mentally preparing for the arrival.  Overall, I got very tired of being pregnant and suffered through lots of insomnia and general pain.  Mid month I treated myself to my first ever prenatal massage.  It was worth every single penny to get some relief from the constant pain. Through all the pregnancy stuff, I worked a little bit here and there.  At the end of the month, it was announced that the company had been acquired.  J's department went with the acquiring company.  My department was spun off into a new company.

October

Arthur arrived on his due date of the 15th.  To be fair, we ended up scheduling a c-section for my due date.  He came mid-month and the rest was just a blur.  We got acquainted with baby.  We tried to find a routine (haha! like infants follow routines).  It was an interesting busy month.

November

Another blur of a month.  The baby and I joined a mom's group.  We also got out and about a bit -- taking walks, going to stamp class, going out to eat.  It was a lovely month with even lovelier weather.  We are so spoiled in Sunnyvale.  It was in the 60s and sunny almost everyday.  We could still wear sandals!  And we only needed a light jacket.

December

Arthur and I flew back to Indiana for the Christmas holiday.  I was very scared about flying with a 2 month old, but he was an absolute angel.  No crying, no fussing.  He slept most of the time.  And when he was awake, he was happy and alert baby.  I just hope our return trip tomorrow is the same...  Overall, it was a lovely time with the family.  We even had snow on the ground to get me into the festive mood.  A great way to end 2013.

2014 Read Your Freebies Reading Challenge

From The Book Vixen:

• Runs January 1, 2014 – December 31, 2014 (books read prior to 1/1/2014 do not count towards the challenge). You can join anytime before 9/30/2014. Sign up on The Book Vixen’s blog.
• The goal is to read at least twelve (12) free ebooks. While twelve is the minimum, there is no maximum limit. See the different levels below and pick the one that works best for you. You can move up a level as often as you’d like but no moving down.
• This reading challenge is for LEGALLY obtained FREE ebooks. We do not condone ebook piracy. These can be books offered through bigger sites, such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble, or smaller sites, such as Smashwords and All Romance Ebooks. Ebooks offered through author or publisher websites are acceptable as well, provided they are available free to everyone at the time of download.
• Any ebook format will work for this challenge (azw, EPUB, iBooks, mobi, PDF, etc.). You DO NOT need to have an ereader to participate in this challenge. You can read ebooks using Amazon’s Free Kindle Reading Apps, which you can download for your iPhone, iPad, Mac, PC, Blackberry and more. Free audiobooks also count towards this challenge provided they are free to the public. They can't be free as a condition of signing up for a service and they can't be provided by the publisher for review.
• Only ebooks and audiobooks that were available free, in a legal manner, to the public will count towards this challenge. eARCs, library books, ebooks free through Amazon Prime, and/or books won or gifted are not eligible for this challenge.
• Books can be any genre (fiction, nonfiction, romance, fantasy, mystery, thriller, horror, etc.).
• Crossovers from other reading challenges are allowed, however, re-reads are not eligible for this challenge. The goal is to read the freebies you’ve legally acquired so that they are off your TBR pile.
• To join this challenge, grab the 2014 Read Your Freebies! Reading Challenge button and post this reading challenge on your blog to track your progress. Please include a link back to this sign-up post so others can join the reading challenge too. You do not have to be a book blogger to participate; you can track your progress on Goodreads, LibraryThing, BookLikes, Libib, etc., so as long as you have adedicated shelf for the 2014 Read Your Freebies! Reading Challenge and your profile is not private. The point of linking up is to have a place where people can see what you’re reading.

I have decided to forgo the review link-up for 2014. If you plan to review the books you read for this challenge, link them up in your 2014 Read Your Freebies! Reading Challenge post.

Levels:

Coupon Clipper: read 12 books Penny Pincher: read 24 books Buying in Bulk: read 36 books Super Saver: read 50 books Extreme Couponer: read 100+ books

I have a ton of free books that I've hoarded just sitting on my iPad.  I'm jumping on this challenge at the low level of "Coupon Clipper."  My reading list will be created as I read.

Bout of Books 9.0 is right around the corner!

This is my kick off post for the start of the readathon tomorrow.  I'm ready to get this thing going.  Before the readathon started, I had already started my 2014 reading.  But this coming week is when I kick everything into high gear.  I plan on reading as much as I can and participate in some challenges.  I know that Tuesday will be a wash with traveling back to California.  Traveling with baby seriously impedes my ability to read while flying.  But that's okay!  I have six other days to read and enjoy myself.

Goals:

• Read 5 books
• Read 1000 pages
• Review all books read
• Participate in 2 challenges (hopefully more, but this is my minimum)

TBR Pile: My various selections.  I won't get to all these, but this is my pile of options.

• High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
• Medium Raw by Anthony Bourdain
• The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
• Time Enough for Love by Robert Heinlein
• A Room with a View by E.M. Forster
• Living History by Hillary Rodham Clinton
• The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, January 6th and runs through Sunday, January 12th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 9.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team