2025 Reading Challenge discussion

It's about time I set up a Member Corner for 2014. I have signed up for several Yearly Challenges and realized there is no way I can keep track of them all in my head. I don't even remember how many goals I set.

I hope my corner will keep me in check and motivated to achieve as many challenges as possible. I will add my yearly challenges now in separate posts and edit them as the year goes on.

I will also sign up for some quarterly and monthly challenges and will include them in subsequent posts once they are revealed.

Happy reading to all and let's hope for an amazing and productive new year.

Wish me luck!

YEARLY CHALLENGES

1. The Randomiser Challenge - 2014

Jan. 1st, 2014 - Dec. 31st, 2014

I think this is my favorite challenge. It's like closing my eyes and reaching my hand into an enormous hat filled with all of my TBR books and reading whatever I happen to pull out.

I opted to go for 10 books. I've already used the random number generator to generate my list and will add the date read next to each book I cross off the list.


My Random List of 10 Books :

34. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
56. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
57. The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
79. In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust *
84. Martin Eden by Jack London
92. Babbit by Sinclair Lewis
141. A Small Fortune by Audrey Braun
155. Black Skin, White Masks by Frantz Fanon
204. The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood
220. Empire Falls by Richard Russo

*I didn't realize this was 4,211 pages...and in French. I'll probably just read the first volume, Swann's Way, which is a much more manageable 468 pages translated to English. I know some French and can read more basic books, but I am not confident that I'd be able to get through this in any language other than English.

0/10 Completed

2. The 2014 Goodreads Choice Awards Challenge

Jan. 1st, 2014 - Dec. 31st, 2014

My goal for this challenge is to read a book from 8 different genres. I won't select 8 specific genres right now because why limit myself when I have no idea what books will release in 2014? ;)

Unless I find that I really need to cram to complete this challenge, I think it's pretty safe to assume that I won't be reading any "Picture Books" or "Middle Grade & Children's" books because:

(1) I don't have children (yet) or any nieces or nephews (yet).
(2) My cousins' children (as well as my entire extended family) all live in Ireland, so sadly, I rarely get to see them.
(3) I do not work in education.

So anyway, I will check off each genre with the 2014 published book that I choose and add the date completed.


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


0/8 *edit* I totally forgot these books have to be published in 2014. Back to 0!

3. Recommended by Reading Challengers - 2014

Jan. 1st, 2014 - Dec. 31st, 2014

(grr I've edited this space twice already and it won't save. Here goes another attempt)

I'm just going to quote Adriana's description of this challenge from the original thread because she explained it wonderfully:

Adriana wrote: "Our group has its very own Listopia! Each member can add up to five books to the list but can vote for as many already on the list as he or she would like. Note: if a book is not the first in a series and requires that one read the previous book(s) first, please do not add it to the list. Books read for group reads will automatically be added.

For this challenge, set a goal for how many of these books you would like to read. You know they'll be good because your fellow reading challengers have recommended them!"


I initially signed up for 7 books, which shouldn't be difficult at all considering our group members have recommended a total of 215 books as of December 22, 2013. I may change my mind and increase to 12, but I can't make up my mind right now.

Either way, if I find I am surpassing my initial goal, I will do my best to continue to log any books I read that also happen to be on our group's Listopia.

1. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (#5)

2. And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini (#67)


The numbers in paranthesis are for the books' place on the list at the time I added them.

2/7 Completed

4. The Monopoly Genre Challenge - 2014

Jan. 1st, 2014 - Dec. 31st, 2014


The Reading Challenge Monopoly Board



I am playing for four monopolies. In order to get a monopoly, I must read one book from each of the subgenre spaces within their respective colored genre blocks on the board. Once I 'own' each space in a block, I get a monopoly!

Here are the four that I picked:

1. Fantasy (Red Block - Top Left of of the Board)
1. Epic/high fantasy: A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
2. Mythic fiction: _______________
3. Magical realism: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern ✓

2. Science Fiction (Yellow Block - Top Right of the Board)
1. Cyberpunk/Steampunk: Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
2. Dystopian: Divergent by Veronica Roth ✓
3. Space Opera: Foundation by Isaac Asimov

3. Biographical (Green Block - Upper Right Side of the Board)
1. Memoir: Orange Is the New Black by Piper Kerman ✓
2. Autobiography: _______________
3. Biography: _______________

4. Young Adult (Indigo Block - Bottom Right of the Board)
1. Coming of Age: The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
2. YA Fantasy: The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman


3/11 Spaces
0/4 Monopolies

5. The Goodreads Author Challenge - 2014

Jan. 1st, 2014 - Dec. 31st, 2014

I will quote Zara's very informative instructions for identifying Goodreads authors from the challenge thread because she has explained it far better than I could:

Zara wrote: "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.

How to Tell if Someone is a Goodreads author :
On the book page, you will see (Goodreads Author) in gray next to the author's name
On the author page, you will see 'Goodreads author profile' in the top right across from the author's name"

Edit: **March 13, 2014**

As it turns out, I reached my initial goal of reading 6 books written by 6 different Goodreads Authors as of yesterday. I am proud to have reached my goal for a yearly challenge so early in the year!

I never really look to see whether an author I am reading is a Goodreads Author or not until I have finished the book and am rating it and updating my challenge lists, so it's always a wonderful surprise to see some of my favorite authors participating on this site and staying active with their fans.

1. Ken Follett: Fall of Giants
2. James Dashner: The Scorch Trials
3. Khaled Hosseini: And the Mountains Echoed
4. Neil Gaiman: Stardust
5. Alexander McCall Smith: Tears of the Giraffe
6. Veronica Roth: Divergent


6/6

COMPLETED!

I look forward to seeing what books you choose =]

***RESERVED*** for:


6. The Listopia Challenge - 2014


Jan. 1st, 2014 - Dec. 31st, 2014

No rush on the message =]

That sounds good, and with all those challenges I'm sure you will go over.

FIRST QUARTER CHALLENGES


The Chinese Zodiac (Shēngxiào) Challenge

I am going to try for 8 out of the 12 Chinese zodiacs. I'll list just those 8 that I hope to complete here for now. Keep in mind, I was completely biased in making my selection of 8 animals.

I chose my 8 favorite animals like a child would (yayyyy!) and have yet to read any of the descriptions because I'm in a rush to set up the rest of my corner right now. Or rather, I guess it makes more sense to say I chose my 4 least favorite animals and excluded them for various reasons. It's nothing personal.* Apologies to:

12) The Snake: You are a fascinating creature and come in so many varieties, colors, patterns, and sizes. But you're also the deadliest animal on this list, and the second deadliest animal in the world (mosquitoes are the number 1 killers, sorry about that). I both fear and kind of hate you.

7) The Rat: I don't really hate you as much as so many other people do, but between the two rodents, the Rabbit is so much more likable. You are extremely dirty and live underground in the sewers and subway tracks. I also had pet rabbits as a child. They were clean and fluffy and adorable.

4) The Rooster: You serve your purpose well. I am just not a morning person at all, and you are very loud and cocky.

11) The Dragon: You're not even real. Just stop.

*I lied. It's totally personal.

That leaves the following eight categories:

1) The Horse: On January 31, 2014, it becomes the Year of the Horse! Horses like being the center of attention. Read a book where the main character is famous OR read a memoir about or a biography of a celebrity.

2) The Goat: Home is where Goats feel the most comfortable. Read a book that takes place in the country you were born in.

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey **** This book took place in post-apocalyptic Ohio after aliens destroy most of the human race. Glad it says country, not state :D

3) The Monkey: Monkeys are the masters of practical jokes. Read a humorous book.

America Again: Re-becoming the Greatness We Never Weren't by Stephen Colbert ***** Very funny and easy read.

5) The Dog: While loyal and faithful, Dogs have trouble finding mates. Read a book that contains a troubled romance.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern *****
I can't think of a better troubled romance than the one between the two rival magicians at Le Cirque des Rêves than Marco and Celia! I'm glad I came back to check my member corner or I would not have noticed how perfectly this book fits in here. This book was so beautiful and enchanting - go read it now!

6) The Pig: Pigs love to have fun but tend to prefer spending to saving. Read a book you have purchased (rather than borrowed)

Ethics for the Information Age by Michael J. Quinn ***
Sorry Pig :( I didn't purchase the other two books on here. This book, I had to purchase for a class, so I'm afraid you get the (hopefully) most boring of the bunch.

8) The Ox: Oxen aren't very sociable and prefer life-long friendships to casual acquaintances. Read a book in which the main character could be described as an introvert.

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion ***** The main character, Don Tillman, is socially awkward. It is not so subtly hinted that he may have a form of autism called Asperger's syndrome. I would definitely consider him an introvert, considering he could count the number of friends he's ever had in his life using one hand. He also definitely prefers life-long friendships over casual acquaintances.

9) The Tiger: Tigers love to be challenged. Read a book you find challenging in some way maybe because of its length, style, or subject matter.

Fall of Giants by Ken Follett ***** Normally am put off by very long books and this was 985 pages and mostly about the First World War. Granted I kind of flew through the book but am proud of myself for finishing it.

10) The Rabbit: Rabbits tend to enjoy meeting people from different places and learning about different cultures. Read a book about a culture not your own.
And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini ***** is about several families from Afganistan, a culture that is not my own.


7/8 Completed

Monkey ✓

Dog ✓

Pig ✓

Tiger ✓

Rabbit ✓

Goat ✓

Ox ✓

2. Lilac's Rainbow Challenge

Kara wrote: "Thank you to Lilac for this lovely idea! Make a rainbow out of the book covers. You can use as few as four books (red, yellow, green, blue) or as many as you like as long as the final result is a rainbow of books."

I am going for 8 but have not picked my colors yet!! And yes, I am leading this challenge, so go click on the link in this post and sign up right now.

I am just not going to list any specific colors right away because I intend to have all 6 of the books cross over with other challenges and I want my rainbow to be a surprise!!!

The color of a book's cover is also not a consideration I make when choosing a book. However, I'm making one exception and will be on the lookout for a book with a lilac cover!

My Reading Rainbow



8/8*
*Waiting for the end of the quarter to see what else I read that might look better here.

COMPLETED!

JANUARY MONTHLY CHALLENGES


January: Let It Snow! Mini Challenge

I am also leading this challenge! Go sign up! I'll copy paste the description from the original challenge thread here because I'm tired. My goal is to read 3.

"For those of us living in cold, northern climates during this time of year, it can be very snowy indeed. Let's do a snow-inspired challenge!

1) Let it Snow! is a song written in 1945. Read a book written in the 1940s.


2) Whiteout: A whiteout is a weather condition where visibility is severely reduced due to snow. Read a book with a predominantly white cover.


3) All snowflakes have six sides. Read a book with the number 6 in its page number.

The Scorch Trials by James Dashner This book had 360 pages.


4) Is winter over yet? Read a long book (a book with 500 or more pages)."

Ethics for the Information Age by Michael J. Quinn 523 pages, just made it :p



2/2

COMPLETED!

January: New Year's Resolution Challenge

I signed up for 4?! Uh oh. okay, well I need to really pick well if I want to get all of these done! Copy pasting the challenge information from the original thread for now and in the next couple days will decide on 4 out of the 8 that I think I will end up finishing. This may be a challenge where I read what I'm going to read anyway and try to find a way that it fits into one of these categories.

"It's time for New Year's Resolutions, and this challenge explores some of the most popular ones.

1) Save more money: Instead of buying a book, read a book you borrowed (from a friend or the library) or was given to you as a gift.

I borrowed The 5th Wave from the library.

3) Exercise more: Read a book whose cover shows people being active in some way OR read a book in which one of the main characters is an athlete.

The Night Circus has a contortionist - that's kind of an athlete :]

5) Watch less TV: (yeah, right) Instead of watching TV or going to the movies, read a book that got turned into a movie or TV show.

Orange Is the New Black got turned into a TV show.

7) Go on a trip: Read a book that takes place in a country you've never been to. (This can be a made up country.)

And the Mountains Echoed - much of it takes place in Afganistan. I've never been to Afganistan.


4/4

COMPLETED!

I hope you like my corner! Please be my guest and comment or make suggestions! I love when people recommend books, so if you see one particular challenge criteria and a book you'd recommend I read, please let me know here! Feel free to discuss any books that I might choose to read or finish and track here.

Now to start reading...

Hehe I really like your own descriptions of why you didn't include those 4 from the Zodiac. I love Snakes! But I agree with The Rooster, I am so not a morning person *hides under pillow*

I haven't read it and unsure if you have but an idea for the Coming Of Age book could be The Perks of Being a Wallflower?

@Sarah Ohh no I have not! I actually think I own it though, so thank you for the suggestion! I like coming of age books, and Goodreads suggested this one is similar to It's Kind of a Funny Story, a book I read earlier this year and really liked.

I haven't read many coming of ages books at least not that I recall =/ I'll be giving them a go next year. I can't wait to read The Fault in Our Stars you could use that one also =]

That book sounds interesting too. Thanks for mentioning it.

Sarah wrote: "I haven't read many coming of ages books at least not that I recall =/ I'll be giving them a go next year. I can't wait to read The Fault in Our Stars you could use that one also =]..."

The Fault in Our Stars has been on my TBR list for quite a while now!

For some reason the link I gave to the book has a glitchy description - I don't remember that being the case.

Here's an actual description of the book. I related to so many aspects of the main character (based on the author's real life account) and parts of the book were, I thought, hilarious: It's Kind of a Funny Story.

Thanks, added to my TBR list. I really can't wait for tomoz (it's the 31st here now) and I can start my challenges eeh *jumps up and down*

Oh I'm not sure whether you'd like it but for Dystopian I read Uglies and I absolutely loved it.

I haven't heard of it! I love Dystopians though and have read so many haha - I'll definitely add it to my TBR and see where to put it. Thank you!! I also can't wait to start! I'm only about halfway into my December TBR Twin read The Night Circus and have been busy, but now I'm intentionally just not going to finish it until January 1st lol

You can start reading for these challenges now - as long as you finish reading the book within the month/quarter/year that applies to the challenge, it counts. Or that's what I last read, unless it's changed.

Nope, it hasn't changed!

What To Expect in 2014

I'm hoping to finish this short book and get a bit further ahead with Moby-Dick but I listen to it on my ipod and fall asleep to it, so haven't got too far =/

I do enjoy Dystopians too, I onyl started reading them last year and found a few, most I'd read have been YA ones so far.

Ooh is that good? I think I added that to my read list, it sounds really interesting.

It's realllly well-written. I started it at a bad time - made 3 trips this month alone to visit people I hadn't seen in years, just beginning two new classes for Wintersession term (squeezing two ordinarily semester long classes into one month), preparing for a new job that has an interview and orientation process that takes several hours coming in January (yikes), and dealing with my crazy family for the holidays. I am actually considering just starting over from the beginning because I forget about so many of the characters and their relationships to each other.

Also, the format of the book - from its cover to pages and sections and titles of the chapters - is a work of art in itself that is seamlessly interwoven into the imagery and mood of the story. It's BEAUTIFULLY written and there's magic in every page (literally and figuratively - it's a fantasy) :) but for me it just moved a bit slowly when I wasn't ready to spend much time on it.

Yay. That's great as soon as I finish I'm starting my new year book XD *dances*

Aww that's a shame although, maybe if you started again, you could squeeze it into a challenge =P and it'll be better to remember what's actually happening in the book.

I haven't actually seen the book physically but maybe in the new year I'll have to mooch around some bookshops and beg someone in my family to get it for me =D I love pretty books that are nciely presented and it sure sounds like one.

Oh I didn't buy it haha I borrow most of my books from the library these days - too expensive as much as I'd 'love to buy them. I just renewed it actually because it was due last week. I think the library version is the same as the one sold in bookshops xD

hehe I spotted you added it into Magical Realism =] Books are expensive, totally agree =[ I do the same thing and borrow from the library. I have free downloads from Amazon must be nearly 300. And not sure when I'll get round to them. But I do love a physical book. I always want books so people rarely let me go into a bookshop as I can't come out without getting at least 1 lmao.

Do you ahve a Kindle or a Nook? (I only heard of a nook today =O)

I do not actually! I have the Kindle and Nook apps for the iPad, but I don't like to use iPad as an eReader unless I have to...e.g., these two digital textbooks that I paid for to 'rent' (it was cheaper and I guess you're just buying the license to read them for a certain period of time) thinking I could read the books on one of my parents' kindles....nope! They require a specific app that is TOTALLY useless - you can't zoom in or out - the whole reading/learning experience is terrible. Ripoff and never again.

For regular reading, I prefer the experience of reading a physical book by far, but when it comes to travel or holding a heavy book in your hand for extended lengths of time, I see the value of an eReader. I also seem to read a lot faster using an eReader and love the added benefits of being able to instantly look up or google words, and more importantly to search for any word within the book. That helped me when I was reading a book and had forgotten entirely about a particular character so I just searched and reread when they were introduced into the story :)

Aww that's pants, Money making scheme poop. I just have the Kindle app on the tablet. I didn't want to spend all that money (not that I have money) on a Kindle when I could get the app for free. As it was, I got the tablet for free, as it came as a 'free gift' with the bf's phone. Yippee!

But yes physical books are preferred. I understand that those ereaders save a lot of space but I just love seeing my books on a shelf =] I'm off to bed now (03:45am lmao) so I'll reply to anything tomoz

You've got some interesting-looking reads on your list already, Brian. I'm intending to read Fahrenheit 451 at some point later in the year.

And weighing in on the e-reader discussion, I'm not an e-reader fan and find it interesting that you find reading easier on one since I find it harder!! Although I have just got an iPad so will be interested to see if that makes reading any easier - previously I was reading on my phone.

@Kathryn Oh! I actually don't necessarily find reading on an e-reader easier, but I do read notably faster using one.

I much prefer reading a hard copy of a book too. I actually don't own a true e-reader - I just have an iPad with its free full-screen Kindle and Nook apps that I never bother to use unless I have to, and I've read several books using friends' and family members' Kindles that they've let me borrow. Anyway, I find reading experience for books on an iPad EXTREMELY distracting. Without even realizing it, notifications pop up and suddenly I find myself doing a ton of things that involve everything except actually reading the book! :P

I did have a better experience trying to read with the actual Kindle and Nook devices themselves vs. the iPad apps, but only because there are less distractions and the screens aren't soo bright....however, I was surprised to find that I still managed to get distracted by other features installed on these devices.

I think the reason I read faster on an eReader is because I am SO accustomed to reading on a screen. It would be impossible to calculate this for sure, but I've probably read 10,000'sx more text data from a digital screen than I have from actual books. That's not to say I have not read a LOT of books and gone through college and law school reading purely physical books in reading-intensive courses...it's just the way that information travels through the Internet now. Everything is so instantly available with news feeds, quick and flashy news articles, Twitter updates, instant access to scholarly journals like JStor, WestLaw, LexisNexis, etc. where I probably have had to read thousands upon thousands of pages of research articles that used to only be available in print for research purposes or else waste an entire forest of paper printing them out.

Then there's all this texting, using email as the primary mode of communication, reading and writing posts on so many forums (hi Goodreads!), viewing really any general website or social media outlet, and in my case, coding and designing webpages would be near impossible if I hadn't adapted to very quickly learning to scan a massive page of text in order to notice and solve minor typos that can cause disastrous errors, or instantly see where it is I need to goto place a new line of code...and on and on. All of those things I've mentioned I have for years read through digital formats on brightly lit screens.

The scrolling screen format just makes me scan through the paragraphs very quickly on an e-reader. But I don't at all prefer to read my books that way. I just think my brain has been mentally programmed to absorb digital text differently in this kind of order: "Scan and process text, Store in working memory, erase after book ends". It makes it a lot harder for me to really delve deeply into a story when reading on a tablet or other device I think because by default, I can't help but read it more cursively.

While that might make it "easier" at least in terms of reading speed (well, when not distracted) the information and stories within the books themselves will quickly fade kind of like a blog post or 140 char tweet. Maybe it's just me :) It's similar to comparing how I type to how I write by hand. I type faster than anyone I have ever met (over 150 words per minute without issue), but write by hand VERY very slowly. Anyway, I just wanted to clarify because I am actually very much like you in that I am not at all an e-reader fan when it comes to reading books. I am just a somewhat slow reader with physical copies - but it's okay with me :) I get more out of it, and I suppose e-readers in the end cause books to be more difficult for me since it is harder to distinguish their value from all the other digital content that I read out there every day.

I agree about having to read lots of things on screens - that's the main reason I bought an iPad recently - the journal subscription I get with my health professional registration went entirely online throughout the year (and any other journals I use are already online anyway) and reading on a computer screen frustrates me because I don't find it easy or quick, so I am hoping using an iPad will make it better... But because I don't absorb info so well from a screen, I find reading proper books a much easier, quicker (because I don't have to re-read as much) and more satisfying experience!!

But I am hoping that I am more able to read and absorb info easier from an iPad than a laptop screen, as I've downloaded And The Mountains Echoed on the iPad because there was too much demand for the proper books at the library. This will be my first experience of reading a whole full-length novel on my iPad.

Oh, and I'm looking forward to seeing your reading choices throughout the year!

Updates: Finally filled in my January challenges and added some updates to my yearly/quarterly challenges. I haven't signed up for any of the February monthly ones yet, but I may go take a look now.

Goal is now at 10/75 - soon to be 11 :]

My 2014 Challenge List

FEBRUARY MONTHLY CHALLENGES


February: Candy Hearts Mini Challenge



1. Love me. This one's easy! Read a romance novel.

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion *****

I read this for the monthly February read. It was a romantic comedy, which is generally about as romantic as I'm willing to go into the Romance genre (open to suggestions). I loved the relationship between Don Tillman and Rosie Jarmon. This was such a cute and funny story! I absolutely loved it.



3. Love bug. The word "bug" means a few different things. Read a book with a title that contains a word with multiple meanings.

Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith ****

I can think of 3 definitions for the word 'tears'. A sentence using all 3: During his tears down the hall, he shed tears because of the tears in his clothing.


2/2

COMPLETED!

February: Daphne's Challenge - Explorations in Love


1. Philia. Translated from the ancient Greek as brotherly love. Read a book that features some sort of ‘bromance’ or two strong male characters.

Fall of Giants by Ken Follett ***** This book has two Russian brothers from St. Petersburg, Grigori and Lev Peshkov - maybe not a bromance in the modern sense of the term, but Grigori sacrifices so much for his brother. Also, I thought Grigori Peshkov and Walter von Kessel were both two very strong male characters.


4. Autassassinophilia. Another way to say you love death, destruction, or mayhem. Read a mystery, horror, or thriller.

Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith While the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series spend way more time on the characters' daily lives and relationships than they do on the actual mysteries themselves, this book was cataloged as a mystery and I discovered it in the Mystery section of my library :] so I count it.


9. Plushophilia. A love of stuffed animals. They even call themselves plushies. Read a book about a sub-culture OR read a book involving anthropomorphism.

Stardust by Neil Gaiman **** There were many instances of anthropomorphism in this book! Some of the trees in the land of Faerie are predatory. Another tree talks to the main character Tristran Thorn and gives him important information to help him find his fallen star. Also, witches turn people into animals.

3/3

COMPLETED!

MARCH MONTHLY CHALLENGES


March: Daylight Savings Time Mini Challenge

My goal is to try reading 2 and then maybe go from there :]

"In many parts of the northern hemisphere, Daylight Savings Time begins in March. Below is a map showing the usage of Daylight Savings Time around the world. Blue is for areas currently using it, and red and orange areas do not."



1. Read a book set in a place that currently uses daylight savings time.

2. Read a book set in a place that does not currently use daylight savings time.

3. Daylight savings time was first implemented in 1916. Read a book that takes place before 1916.

4. Daylight savings time was first proposed by a man named George Vernon Hudson. Read a book by an author who shares an initial with George Vernon Hudson.

Divergent **** by Veronica Roth . Veronica Roth shares an initial:
V ernon - V eronica.

1/2 Completed

March: The Mnemonic Challenge

I am going to aim to read 4 books for this challenge. I think this mnemonic theme has some of the most original categories for a challenge that I have seen yet!

"'Spring forward, fall back' is a mnemonic device to help you remember which way to change your clocks during daylight savings time. A mnemonic is a memory aid. Let's explore other mnemonics in this challenge."

1. My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nachos is used to remember the order of the planets. Read a book that takes place in space.

2. My Enormous Penguin Bounces Pretty High is to remember the series of alkanes in chemistry. Read a book that features an animal that is not typically kept as a pet (like a penguin).

3. Thirty days hath September, April, June, and November. Read a book that has a page number count that includes the digits 3 and 0 (in any order).

4. Wives of Henry VIII: divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived. Read a book in which a character is part of an unhappy marriage.

5. Mrs. Baker is used to remember the eight common law felonies (murder, rape, sodomy, burglary, arson, kidnapping, escape, robbery). Read a book in a which one of these felonies takes place.

6. Please excuse my dear Aunt Sally (PEMDAS) is to remember the order of operations in math (parenthesis, exponents, multiplication & division, addition & subtraction). Read a book that has a Goodreads description that includes parentheses.

Divergent by Veronica Roth - has a Goodreads description including parentheses five times in the first sentence: "In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent)."

7. Every good boy does fine is the mnemonic for the notes on the five lines of the treble clef. Read a book that involves music in some way.

8. I before E, except after C read a book that has a title containing a word following the mnemonic (e.g., it could contain the word "friend" or "receive").


1/4 Completed

Thanks for the message! I'm going to add you so I can read your reviews too, if that's cool.

I'm actually reading Fall of Giants right now. Really enjoying it; glad to see you liked it too :-)

Yay! Just got your friend request. I actually rarely write reviews on here, but your member corner inspired me to become more consistent about it :] \

How far along are you in Fall of Giants? Glad to hear you're enjoying it! I was wavering between 4 and 5 stars but I'm so excited to see how the trilogy will span the century with these families that I went with 5.

Wow Brian you do a lot of challenges haha

Sydney wrote: "Wow Brian you do a lot of challenges haha"

Haha! I guess I do. I did zero challenges last year because I joined late in the year and didn't really understand them, so I'm making up for it :) I didn't sign up for every yearly challenge (yet), but have so far tried out every quarterly and monthly challenge this year.

I also use nearly every book I read for two or more challenges :p