Monday, October 15, 2012

Semi-Charmed Winter 2012 Book Challenge

Photo via Ana Luisa Pinto on Flickr; Design by Megan C. Stroup

Welcome to the Semi-Charmed Winter 2012 Book Challenge! I had so much fun hosting the summer challenge that I decided to do it again. It will be a little shorter this time (four months was just too long), and I will also only be hosting monthly check-ins instead of weekly. Thanks to everyone who submitted category ideas for this challenge!


Rules:
  • The challenge will run from November 1, 2012, to January 31, 2013. (I know this should technically be the Semi-Charmed Winter 2012-2013 Book Challenge, but that is just too long and doesn't make as nice of a hashtag.) No books that are started before 12 a.m. on November 1 or finished after 11:59 p.m. on January 31 will count.
  • No re-reads (unless specifically stated)! I want you to experience new books with this challenge.
  • Each book must be at least 200 pages long. Audiobooks are fine, as long as the print versions meet the page requirements.
  • A book can only be used for one category. If you want to switch the category later, that's fine, just be sure to account for that in your point total.
  • The highest possible total is 200 points, and the first five people who finish the challenge will win a featured/guest post on Semi-Charmed Kind of Life. Good luck!

The Challenge:
5 points: Read a book written by an author you have never read before.
5: Read a book you already have at home but haven’t gotten around to yet (from the library, from a bookstore, borrowed from a friend, on your e-reader, whatever).
10: Read a book written in the decade that you were born. Submitted by Summer Book Challenge finisher Hannah.
10: Read a book that takes place in the state/province where you were born. If you were born outside the U.S. and Canada, read a book that takes place in the country you were born.
15: Read a book titled The _______'s Daughter or The _______'s Wife. (There are a ton, I promise!)
15:  Read a book that was originally written in a language other than English.
20: Read a book with a number in the title. This could be an actual digit or a number like “hundred” or “thousand.” No arbitrary numbers are allowed (e.g. several, few, many, couple).
20:  Read a book set during Christmas or another winter holiday. Submitted by Jessica of Sweet Green Tangerine via Twitter.
20: Read a book written by an author who shares your initials. Submitted by Sarah of The Roaring Twenties via Twitter.
25: Read a Pulitzer Prize winner or finalist for fiction.
25:  Re-read a book. (Personally, I’m going to re-read a book from my childhood that I don’t remember well, like Narnia or The Phantom Tollbooth, but you can re-read any book you’d like.)
30: Read three books from three different genres (e.g. romance, historical fiction, horror, biography, etc.). Remember, the books used for this category cannot count for any other category. Submitted by Summer Book Challenge winner Momma Sunshine.

How to keep track: I’ll post a check-in on the first day of every month, on which you can comment with your progress. I will also include the scoreboard from the previous month on each check-in post. The first check-in post will be Saturday, December 1. Feel free to use the button below to tell your readers about the challenge!

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Thanks so much for participating! I can't wait to see what everyone decides to read. Please feel free to link up below with your blog, Goodreads profile, or whatever else you're using to keep track of this challenge! You can also visit the links below to see what other people are reading for the different categories. And remember to use #SCWBC12 when tweeting about the book challenge!



23 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yay! I'm so ready for the challenge!! Good luck to all that participate!!

Anonymous said...

I added my Goodreads link too

Anonymous said...

Ok I have a little problem with the initials one. I can't find an author with the initials HL. Yes I know Harper Lee is the first one I think of but I have already read her book, and she never wrote another one. So the only other HL authors are poets or short story writers. I have found books for HLovecraft that I can read IF you are ok with me reading a book of short stories. If not I have found a book with my maiden name initial B. It's 202 pages. Just let me know which one is ok please.

Jessica Bucher said...

You know I'm in, even though I didn't finish the last one. Yay!!

Whitney said...

So excited! I'm definitely keeping up with this one. Three questions:

1) For #20, do you mean a book with a number in the title? 'Cause I'm pretty sure every book have a number in it... =P
2) Have any suggestions for books by an author with the initials WH?
3) Have a suggestion for a book written in the 80s?

Yaaay!

Anonymous said...

Hi Megan! I'm a new follower of your blog! I LOVE this idea for a challenge and would totally participate, but I know I couldn't finish in the timeline necessary. I'm still going to do all of your challenges, it'll probably just take me a year. ;o) I'm really excited about finding books written in my decade and from author's with my initials! That's going to make it really fun!

Jessica Bucher said...

When you say 3 books from 3 genres you mean like 1 romance, 1 biography & 1 sci-fi right? And not 3 romance, 3 bio & 3 sci-fi?

Erinn said...

I'm in too! Even though I definitely didn't finish the first one. I have quite a few books around that I need to get to :)
--Erinn

Anonymous said...

This was just the motivation I needed! So excited!

Unknown said...

Hi Megan,
I'm also a new follower of your blog. I really love the challenge idea.This is exciting and I can't wait to see what everyone is reading!

Unknown said...

This challenge seems like it will provide me an opportunity to read a lot of books that have been on my “to-read” list for a long time. I already started!

Unknown said...

I am an 80s baby, too. I used a Goodreads list to find books:

http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/9.Best_Books_of_the_Decade_1980_s

Unknown said...

I stumbled upon this page and think this is great. With winter starting, I know ladies who would enjoy this challenge.

Kimberly said...

This is such a great idea! I was too late to participate in the Summer Challenge, so I'm glad you're hosting another one! At least I'm only a little late for this one...guess I'll start right away!

Unknown said...

I think I am joining up! A little late, but who cares :)

Darlene said...

Yippee! So glad you are hosting another one, Megan! I'm not sure why it took me so long to find it!?!

All signed up now! Thanks again for hosting!

Michelle Stockard Miller said...

I'm a bit late to the party. Had intended on joining sooner, but forgot. Thanks to Darlene for posting about it! I'm signed up via my challenge blog. Thanks for hosting!

Anonymous said...

Wow I'm late, I guess I'll have to buckle down and get reading!

Unknown said...

So far I have 120 points, and I'm having fun!

Megan said...

I just came across this challenge from the button on someone else's blog. I LOVE this idea. I won't be participating since the deadline is approaching, but I hope you'll be hosting another challenge. I'd love to do this in the future. One of my goals of 2013 is to make my blog more about me and one thing I love is reading, so I'm trying to incorporate monthly book reviews on my blog.

I'm a new follower and I look forward to seeing what you have in store for this year!

Megan
justasmalltowngirlsblog.blogspot.com

Unknown said...

I finished!

5 points: Read a book written by an author you have never read before. Divergent by Veronica Roth

5: Read a book you already have at home but haven’t gotten around to yet (from the library, from a bookstore, borrowed from a friend, on your e-reader, whatever). All Clear by Connie Willis

10: Read a book written in the decade that you were born. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

10: Read a book that takes place in the state/province where you were born. Eat The City by Robin Shulman

15: Read a book titled The _______'s Daughter or The _______'s Wife. The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

15: Read a book that was originally written in a language other than English. Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier

20: Read a book with a number in the title. This could be an actual digit or a number like “hundred” or “thousand.” No arbitrary numbers are allowed. Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

20: Read a book set during Christmas or another winter holiday. The Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore

20: Read a book written by an author who shares your initials. Bringing the Summer by Julia Green

25: Read a Pulitzer Prize winner or finalist for fiction. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz

25: Re-read a book. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

30: Read three books from three different genres (e.g. romance, historical fiction, horror, biography, etc.). Remember, the books used for this category cannot count for any other category
1. A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin (Fantasy)
2. The Maze Runner by James Dashner (Distopia)
3. Sapphire Blue by Kerstin Gier (YA Sci Fi/Romance)

Anonymous said...

Oh it's too bad I've missed that!
I will be looking forward for the next one! I love a good creative challenge :)

smug princess said...

Are you going to do a spring challenge?