2025 Reading Challenge

Quarterly Challenge:
The Chinese Zodiac
January 1, 2014 - March 31, 2014

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.
I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban - March 12

2. The Goat. Home is where Goats feel the most comfortable. Read a book that takes place in the country you were born in.
Split Second - January 17

3. The Monkey. Monkeys are the masters of practical jokes. Read a humorous book.
Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim - March 4

4. The Rooster. Roosters tend to "tell it like it is." Read a non-fiction book.
The Secret Life of Pronouns: What Our Words Say About Us - January 9

5. The Dog. While loyal and faithful, Dogs have trouble finding mates. Read a book that contains a troubled romance.
The Rosie Project - February 5

6. The Pig. Pigs love to have fun but tend to prefer spending to saving. Read a book you have purchased (rather than borrowed).
Tripwire - February 5

7. The Rat. Constantly seeking knowledge, Rats are curious and clever. Read a book that teaches you something.
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking - February 21

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 Lost Years of Merlin - February 4

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.
The Story of the Human Body: Evolution, Health, and Disease - February 12

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 - January 31

11. The Dragon. The Dragon is often considered to be the strongest sign, and the only one that is a mythical animal. Read a book that contains a mythical or paranormal creature.
The Return of the King - January 3

12. The Snake. Snakes work hard but tend to be easily bored. To prevent boredom, read a short book (i.e., one with fewer than 100 pages).
A Study in Scarlet - March 3

12/12

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message 7: by Cassandra (last edited May 20, 2014 10:41AM) (new)

Dec 03, 2013 04:25PM

Quarterly Challenge:
#READWOMEN2014
April 1, 2014 - June 30, 2014

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.

Authors Read:
Betty Smith - A Tree Grows in Brooklyn - April 6
Cassandra Clare - City of Bones - April 8
Sue Monk Kidd - The Secret Life of Bees - April 17
Ursula K. Le Guin - A Wizard of Earthsea - April 29
Catherine Jinks - Pagan's Crusade - April 30
Emily Brontë - Wuthering Heights - May 15
Cherie Priest - Boneshaker - May 20

Possible Titles:
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
The Emperor's Children
Sandry's Book
Seabiscuit: An American Legend
Portrait in Sepia
The First Muslim: The Story of Muhammad

7/12

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message 8: by Cassandra (last edited Dec 16, 2014 07:03PM) (new)

Dec 03, 2013 04:25PM

Quarterly Challenge:
Quick Reads
October 1, 2014 - December 31, 2014

We're heading into the home stretch, so it's time to buckle down and get some reading done! For those of us that have a ways to go to meet our goal, reading a bunch of short books may just do the trick.

For this challenge, read as many short books as you can. We will define a "short book" as anything under 200 pages or 5 hours (for those listening to audiobooks).

To help you out, here are some Listopias:
Quick Reads
World's Greatest Novellas
Most Influential Books Under 100 Pages
(You'll probably see quite a few duplicates.)

Quick Reads Completed:
Dragonsong - October 22
The Sign of Four - October 31
The Time Machine - December 1
The Invisible Man - December 2
You Don't Need a Title to Be a Leader: How Anyone, Anywhere, Can Make a Positive Difference - December 3
A Clockwork Orange - December 5
2001: A Space Odyssey - December 11
Cat's Cradle - December 13
The Sandman, Vol. 5: A Game of You - December 14
Life, the Universe and Everything - December 16

10/10

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message 9: by Cassandra (last edited Dec 04, 2013 09:43AM) (new)

Dec 03, 2013 04:25PM

Quarterly Challenge:

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message 10: by Cassandra (last edited Jan 04, 2014 11:24AM) (new)

Dec 03, 2013 04:25PM

Monthly Challenge:
New Year's Resolutions Challenge
January 1, 2014 - January 31, 2014

5. Watch less TV. Instead of watching TV or going to the movies, read a book that got turned into a movie or TV show.
The Return of the King - January 3

6. Go back to school. Read a book from this list: Best School Assigned Books.
A Wrinkle in Time - January 4

2/2

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message 11: by Cassandra (last edited Feb 05, 2014 01:53PM) (new)

Dec 03, 2013 04:25PM

Monthly Challenge:
Explorations in Love Challenge
February 1, 2014 - February 28, 2014

2. Love triangle. There are some pretty famous ones. In honor of Aphrodite, Hephaistos, and Ares, read a book about ancient myths or fables OR a mythic fantasy novel.
The Lost Years of Merlin - February 4

4. Autassassinophilia. Another way to say you love death, destruction, or mayhem. Read a mystery, horror, or thriller.
Tripwire - February 5

2/2

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message 12: by Cassandra (last edited Mar 30, 2014 11:30AM) (new)

Dec 03, 2013 04:25PM

Monthly Challenge:
The Mnemonic Challenge
March 1, 2014 - March 31, 2014

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.
Children of Dune - March 30

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).
Bad Monkey - March 21

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.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - March 9

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.
The Seven Songs of Merlin - March 15

4/4

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message 13: by Cassandra (last edited Apr 29, 2014 09:02PM) (new)

Dec 03, 2013 04:25PM

Monthly Challenge:
The Little April Shower Challenge
April 1, 2014 - April 30, 2014

Little April Shower is a song from the Disney movie, Bambi. You can watch it here. Let's take a look at other Disney movies that contain rain.

1. Beauty and the Beast. Read a book that has "Romance" listed as a genre OR a book where the main character misjudges someone.
City of Bones - April 8

2. The Rescuers. Read a book that has "Adventure" listed as a genre OR a book in which someone needs rescuing.
Godslayer - April 29

3. The Little Mermaid. Read a book that takes place at sea OR contains mythical creatures.
A Wizard of Earthsea - April 29

4. The Sword in the Stone. Read a book that contains magic of some sort OR read a book that takes place in medieval Europe.
Dreams Underfoot - April 15

4/4

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message 14: by Cassandra (last edited May 12, 2014 02:52PM) (new)

Dec 03, 2013 04:25PM

Monthly Challenge:
The May Holiday Cover Hunt
May 1, 2014 - May 31, 2014

3. Star Wars Day. May the Fourth be With You. Read a book with a star on its cover OR read a science fiction book.
River of Blue Fire - May 12

4. Children’s Day. こどもの日. Read a book that has a child on its cover OR read a young adult book.

1/2

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message 15: by Cassandra (last edited Oct 26, 2014 12:52PM) (new)

Dec 03, 2013 04:25PM

Monthly Challenge:
SCREAM! Mini Challenge
October 1, 2014 - October 31, 2014

Our group theme for October is scream!, so let's explore different places we find the word.

1. Scream! was Michael and Janet Jackson's song. Read a book that takes place in a spaceship OR read a book that makes you want to scream.
The Stand - October 19

2. I scream for ice cream! Read a book that at least partially takes place in ice cream parlour OR read a book that has ice cream on its cover.
Ben And Jerry's: The Inside Scoop - October 26

3. Scream is a series of American slasher films and consists, to date, of four motion pictures. Read a book about a serial killer OR read a book from series that has at least four books.
Hour Game - October 1

4. Scream if you wanna go faster! is the second studio album by Geri Halliwell. Read a book that has a female singer as a character OR read a book that has a car or a motorbike on its cover.
Dragonsong - October 22

5. The Scream is a famous painting by Edvard Munch. Read a book that has painter as a character OR read a book in which a painting plays an important role.
Girl With a Pearl Earring - October 23

5/5

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message 16: by Cassandra (last edited Nov 26, 2014 05:16PM) (new)

Dec 03, 2013 04:25PM

Monthly Challenge:
The History of Fireworks Mini Challenge
November 1, 2014 - November 30, 2014

1. Fireworks were invented in China in the 7th century. Read a book with a character of Chinese origin or a book that takes place in China.
Life and Death in Shanghai - November 23

2. Fireworks were often use to entertain emperors. Read a book about royalty or a book that takes place in an empire.
God Emperor of Dune - November 26

3. Skyrockets (aerial fireworks that provide their own propulsion). Read a book about war or a book that takes place in a war-torn country.
The Desert Spear - November 12

4. In the 13th century, fireworks spread to the Arabian peninsula, then in the 17th and 18th centuries, fireworks spread to Europe. Read a book that has to do with travel or a book that takes place in either an Arabic country or Europe.
The Other Boleyn Girl - November 19

4/4

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message 17: by Cassandra (last edited Dec 31, 2014 05:28PM) (new)

Dec 03, 2013 04:25PM

Monthly Challenge:
Group Reads Challenge
December 1, 2014 - December 31, 2014

For this challenge, we're going to read old group reads!

1. Check out the list of all past group reads
2. Decide how many you'd like to read this month
3. Read!
4. Tell us what you thought of them in this thread.

Completed
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America - December 19
Cloud Atlas - December 25
The Knife of Never Letting Go - December 26
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer - December 29
The Princess Bride - December 31

5/5

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message 18: by Cassandra (new)

Dec 03, 2013 04:25PM

Monthly Challenge:

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message 19: by Cassandra (new)

Dec 03, 2013 04:25PM

Monthly Challenge:

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message 20: by Cassandra (new)

Dec 03, 2013 04:25PM

Monthly Challenge: