2025 Reading Challenge discussion

Yearly goal: 52 Books

THE COMPLETE WORKS CHALLENGE - 2015
January 1st - December 31st, 2015

Do you have authors you like but haven't had the chance to explore his or her writing fully? Here's your chance! For this challenge, pick an author (or two or three) that you enjoy. Look him or her up on Goodreads, and read every book he or she has written (not every version, don't worry, just every unique work). You do NOT need to count short stories or books your author has merely contributed to, introduced, edited or translated.

For example, let's say you pick Jonathan Safran Foer. He has 30 unique works on Goodreads, but there are only five books you would need to read to complete this challenge because most of the books are collections or books he's provided a foreword for:
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Everything Is Illuminated
Eating Animals
Tree of Codes
New American Haggadah

I SPY CHALLENGE
Duration: January 1, 2015 - December 31, 2015

Read a book that contains a word in the title that fits each of the 25 categories below. If you're having trouble with a particular category, ask other members what they are reading for it. You may also use the name of the series for up to three categories.

Here are the 25 categories with examples. The examples are just to get you started - any word that fits the category is fair game.

1. Color - red, crimson, indigo
2. Number - one, twice, third
3. Things That Grow - tree, rose, garden
4. Seasons - spring, fall, autumn
5. First Name - Jacqueline, Robert, Ajax
6. Places - country, empire, London
7. Body Part - hand, bone, mind
8. Weapon - knife, poison, arrow
9. Body of Water - sea, river, pond
10. Form of Water - ice, mist, rain
11. Product of Fire - heat, ash, flames
12. Celestial Body - sun, star, planet
13. Architecture - castle, bridge, house
14. Senses - sight, touch, taste
15. Royal Title - king, duke, emperor
16. Family Member - brother, aunt, parent
17. Elements - fire, wind, air
18. Time of Day - morning, dusk, evening
19. Metal - gold, bronze, steel
20. Emotion/Feeling - love, fear, pride
21. Animal/Insect - dog, tiger, unicorn
22. Something to Read - book, story, newspaper
23. Gender Identifier - wife, man, lady
24. Paranormal Being - vampire, angel, ghost
25. Occupation - doctor, assassin, detective

THE DEBUT NOVEL CHALLENGE
Duration: January 1st, 2015 - December 31st, 2015

A debut novel is the first novel an author has written. A lot of blood, sweat, and tears go into an author's first novel. And sometimes, an author's first novel is very different from the rest of that author's body of work because she is still trying to find her voice. Or maybe an author started out in a different genre than he ended up in.

In this challenge, decide how many debut novels you would like to read. Short stories that are part of a larger collection (not completely by the author) do not count. Standalone novellas can count if you would like them to.

You can find an author's debut novel by going to his or her author page and looking at publication years. For authors with large bodies of work, click on "Author's Name's Books" (directly above the list of books), then sort by original publication year (which will show the oldest book LAST).

FAVOURITE GENRES CHALLENGE - 2015
Duration: January 1st, 2015 - December 31st, 2015

For this challenge, pick a book to read for each genre. You get TWO FREE PASSES (for genres you're just not interested in), so you'll read a total of 14 books over the course of the year. We chose the mods' favourite genres for this and hope you enjoy them! This is to try new genres that you may not have picked out on your own. Feel free to post some of your favourites of the different genres in this thread to give others ideas.

Kara's Favourites
Natural History Nonfiction
Magical Realism
Business Nonfiction
Post-apocalyptic

Zara's Favourites
Religion
Fiction
Young Adult
Chick-Lit

Craig's Favourites
Heroic Fantasy
Military Science Fiction
Classics
Gaming Fiction

Cassandra's Favourites
Social Science Fiction
World History
Biography-Memoir
High Fantasy

A-Z CHALLENGE
Duration: January 1, 2015 - December 31, 2015

Read a book for each letter of the alphabet. You can use ANY of the first letters of the main words in a title of a book (don't use words like "a", "an", "the", or "of") or the initials of its authors.

Examples:
A - Still Alice
F - The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
X - The Autobiography of Malcom X
etc.

#READWOMEN2015
Duration: January 1, 2015 - December 31, 2015

#readwomen2015 is a movement started by Joanna Walsh who was tired of the status quo. In her own words, this is what the movement is all about:

It’s a truth universally acknowledged, and confirmed by VIDA, that, though women read more books than men, and female authors are published in comparable numbers, they are more easily overlooked: a smaller presence in literary journals both as reviewers, and the reviewed, they also account for fewer literary translations.

It’s not whether women are published (because they are) but how they are published. Are men more likely to write what’s considered ‘important’ literary fiction, or could it be that more are regarded that way? I’ve heard female writer friends grouse when their books are given flowery covers though their writing’s not, when reviews, even press-releases, describe their work as “delicate” when it is forthright, “playful” when it is experimental, “delightful” when it is satirical, “carving a niche” when it is staking a claim (none of these examples is made up).


For this challenge, decide how many new-to-you female authors you would like to read. Once your goal is set, read! And come back and tell us who your favorites were to get great female authors more exposure. Each author can only count once.

This challenge will be led by Cassandra.

NONFICTION BINGO CHALLENGE
Duration: January 1, 2015 - December 31, 2015

Let's play bingo! For this challenge, read nonfiction books to make as many "bingos" as possible (five squares in a line - can be horizontal, vertical, or diagonal).


You can use the bingo card provided above OR, if you're feeling particularly adventurous, you can make your own.
Instructions to Make Your Own Bingo Card:
1. Go to http://osric.com/bingo-card-generator/

2. Enter the following info:
Card Title: Nonfiction Bingo - 2015 Reading Challenge
Word List: Art and Photography, Autobiography and Biography, Diary and Memoirs, Business and Finance, Food and Lifestyle, Cultural and Social Issues, Current Affairs and Politics, Gift Book or Coffee Table Book, Health and Medical, History, Home Decorating and Design, How To, Humor, Journalism, Military, Music and Entertainment, Nature and Ecology, Outdoor Adventuring, Philosophy, Pop Culture and Celebrity, Psychology, Relationships, Religion and Spirituality, Science and Technology, Self-Help, Sports, Travel, True Adventure, True Crime, Women’s Issues
Include a Free Space: Yes
Free Space Text: Free Space
Free Space Placement: Center
Number of Squares Wide: 5
Number of Squares Tall: 5
Number of Cards to Create: 1

3. Click "Generate Bingo Cards"

To host the image on Goodreads:
1. Save the image of the bingo card to your computer (I did this by taking a screenshot then editing out the white space)
2. On your profile, click: "more photos" under your profile picture
3. Click "add more photos"
4. Upload your image file
5. Click "largest size" to the upper right of your image
6. Copy the web address for the image and post using the image tag: [img src="image url"] but replace []s with <>s


This challenge will be led by Cassandra.

FIRST QUARTER CHALLENGE: RETELLINGS
Duration: January 1 - March 31, 2015

For this challenge, you will read PAIRS of books/stories.

Read a modern retelling AND read the story its based on.

These Listopias may help:
Mytholigies and Retellings of Fairy Tale Classics
The Best Fairytales and Retellings

FIRST QUARTER CHALLENGE: ONE, TWO, BUCKLE MY SHOE
Duration: January 1 - March 31, 2015

This challenge turns to a beloved nursery rhyme for reading inspiration.

1. One, two,
Buckle my shoe;
finish a series

2. Three, four,
Open the door;
read a new genre or author (or both for those who are game)

3.Five, six,
Pick up sticks;
finish a previously unfinished book

4. Seven, eight,
Lay them straight;
read a trilogy or small series (at least 4 books) in order

5. Nine, ten,
A big, fat hen;
read the thickest book on your TBR

6. Eleven, twelve,
Dig and delve;
read an old favourite

7. Thirteen, fourteen,
Maids a-courting;
read a romance novel

8. Fifteen, sixteen,
Maids in the kitchen;
read a book that takes place in a prairie or has food on its cover

9. Seventeen, eighteen,
Maids a-waiting;
read a book you've been waiting to read

10. Nineteen, twenty,
My plate's empty.
read the last book on your tbr list

THE 2014 GOODREADS CHOICE AWARDS CHALLENGE
Duration: January 1, 2014 - December 31, 2014

Every November, the Goodreads Choice Awards come around to reward books published that year. This yearly challenge is in anticipation of the 2014 challenge. Read a book published in 2014 for each category. This is also a chance to challenge yourself to read new genres!

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

THE LISTOPIA CHALLENGE
Duration: January 1st 2015 - December 31st 2015

It's back! After popular demand, the Listopia challenge is returning for another year! Feel free to carry on your goal from 2014, or to update with new goals and new lists. :)

Goodreads features a number of user created lists which can be found here: Listopia.

Besides the featured and popular lists on the main page you can see lists your friends have voted on as well as search for lists with topics that interest you.

The number of lists you choose and the number of books you read from each is entirely up to you. One person might choose to read the Top 100 books from one list, another person may choose to read the Top 5 books from 10 lists. You decide and mix it up any way you like.

Rules :
Choose your list (or multiple lists!) and the number of books you plan to read from each.
State your goals in your first post (posting a link to your lists is recommended*).
Any format of book, cross challenging etc. are all fine.
You can keep track in your Member's Corner or update here.
When you finish off a list, post your completed list here so we can all congratulate you!

* NOTE: Posting a link is not necessary, but it does help others find the list you are referring too if they want to check it out as well! If you do want to post a link, here are the instructions.
1. Find your list and copy the URL (which can be found at the top of your browser, in the box with the website address)
2. When posting your comment in the comment box, the code you use to add a link is this: (backspace all the *) <*a href="">Name of list here<*/a*>.
3. Paste the URL of your list between the two " in the first tag.

<*a href="https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1... Historical Fiction<*/a*>


https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...