MobileRead Book Challenges discussion
2012 Individual Challenges
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Caleb's 2012 Reading Challenges
I'm going on page numbers for my overall challenge but there are a couple of others that have been bouncing around in my head:- how many indie books I'll read/review in the year
- how many books I read in 2012 that I own at the end of 2011
- 6 classics to be read in the year (to pretend I'm cultured)
- genre challenge, where I have a list of a whole bunch of genres and try to read one book from each genre by the end of 2012
- series challenge, read x books that continue one or more of series that I've started prior to 2012, and I would like to start and complete at least one trilogy/series in 2012.
I think I would like to have fun with my challenges in 2012 rather than just concentrating on quantity
Caleb's Page Count Challenge
This challenge is to read over 21,000 pages during 2012. Novels, novellas and short stories count in this challenge.
Page count is calculated thusly:
- For a paperback/hardback I will take the page number for the last page of the story
- For electronic books I will take the page count as calculated by the Pagecount plugin available for Calibre
The List
- The Time Machine by H. G. Wells. 104 pages.
- Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn. 340 pages.
- Ghosts of a Beach Town in Winter by Kathleen Valentine. 70 pages.
- De Bello Lemures by Thomas Brookside. 108 pages.
- Loss by Glen Krisch. 108 pages.
- Night Camp by L.C. Evans. 168 pages.
- A Gathering of Gargoyles by Meredith Ann Pierce. 284 pages.
- Harbour by John Ajvide Lindqvist. 512 pages.
- Northwoods Deep by Joel Arnold. 317 pages.
- Bangkok Burn by Simon Royle. 276 pages.
- The Pearl of the Soul of the World by Meredith Ann Pierce. 255 pages.
- Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald. 356 pages.
- Verdant Skies by Steven Lyle Jordan. 521 pages.
- Only Ever Always by Penni Russon. 166 pages.
- Work of Art by John Black. 418 pages.
- Rocannon's World by Ursula Le Guin. 144 pages.
- The Survival of Thomas Ford - by John A. A. Logan. 300 pages.
- Wool (Omnibus Edition) - by Hugh Howey. 527 pages.
- The Remains of the Day - by Kazuo Ishiguro. 245 pages.
- The Kult - by Shaun Jeffrey. 328 pages.
- Pulchritude - by Ana Mardoll. 200 pages.
- Fahrenheit 451 - by Ray Bradbury. 165 pages.
- Cthulhu in Wonderland - by Kent Kelly. 160 pages.
- The Gods Themselves - by Isaac Asimov. 293 pages.
- Speed Dating with the Dead - by Scott Nicholson. 348 pages.
- The Final Solution - by Michael Chabon. 127 pages.
- Kraken - by China Miéville. 509 pages.
- Diary of the Displaced - by Glynn James. 223 pages.
- Wired - by Douglas E. Richards. 352 pages.
- Symphony of Blood - Adam Pepper. 249 pages.
- The Eternal Husband - by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. 170 pages.
- Turing Evolved - by David Kitson. 535 pages.
- Usher's Passing - by Robert McCammon. 407 pages.
- The Caline Conspiracy - by M.H. Head. 212 pages.
- Thin Blood - by Vicki Tyley. 265 pages.
- Grass for his Pillow - by Lian Hearn. 368 pages.
- Dead Men Don't Cry - by Nancy Fulda. 212 pages.
- The Tube Riders - by Chris Ward. 517 pages.
- The Annihilation of Foreverland - by Tony Bertauski. 294 pages.
- Lovers and Beloveds - by MeiLin Miranda. 422 pages.
- Season of the Harvest - by Michael R. Hicks. 466 pages.
- Shadow of the Wind - by Carlos Ruiz Zafón. 506 pages.
- The Whitechapel Gambit - by Marcin Wrona. 293 pages.
- Pegasus Falling - by William E. Thomas. 348 pages.
- Heart of Darkness - by Joseph Conrad. 118 pages.
- Gunwitch: A Tale of the King's Coven - by David Michael. 300 pages.
- Carmilla - by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. 112 pages.
- Martuk ... the Holy - by Jonathan Winn. 368 pages.
- Clay's Way - by Blair Mastbaum. 256 pages.
- The Wounded King - by Jonathan Winn. 54 pages.
- The Elder - by Jonathan Winn. 60 pages.
- Heaven 2.0 - by Sam Haworth. 171 pages.
- The Puppet Maker's Bones - by Alisa Tangredi. 274 pages.
- We - by Yevgeny Zamyatin. 215 pages.
- The Shopkeeper - by James D. Best. 242 pages.
- The Speed of Winter - by B. Morris Allen. 74 pages.
- Martyrs & Monsters - by Robert Dunbar. 276 pages.
- The Wayfarer King - By K. C. May. 290 pages.
- Ethan Frome - by Edith Wharton. 111 pages.
- Sea of Crises - by Marty Steere. 312 pages.
- Brilliance of the Moon - by Lian Hearn. 396 pages.
- Year of Wonders - by Geraldine Brooks. 304 pages.Total: 17,379 Pages out of 21,000 (Progress 82.76%)
Note 1: At end of April, I added 258 as an estimation of pages read for short stories for 2012 until 30th April. I won't list all of these down, but for the record there were 19 short stories read in that time.
Caleb's Indie Read/Review Challenge
This challenge is to read and review 34 books by independent authors (3 per month Jan-Nov and 1 in Dec). Novels, novellas and anthologies count towards the goal with a minimum of 15,000 words required for the book to qualify.
If it is not known, I run and independent author review site called Papyrus: http://papyrus.calebblake.net/
The List
- Ghosts of a Beach Town in Winter by Kathleen Valentine. Review
- De Bello Lemures by Thomas Brookside. Review
- Loss by Glen Krisch. Review
- Night Camp by L.C. Evans. Review
- Northwoods Deep by Joel Arnold. Review
- Bangkok Burn by Simon Royle. Review
- Verdant Skies by Steven Lyle Jordan. Review
- Work of Art by John Black. Review
- The Survival of Thomas Ford - by John A. A. Logan. Review
- Wool (Omnibus Edition) - by Hugh Howey. Review
- The Kult - by Shaun Jeffrey. Review
- Pulchritude - by Ana Mardoll. Review
- Speed Dating with the Dead - by Scott Nicholson. Review
- Diary of the Displaced - by Glynn James. Review
- Wired - by Douglas E. Richards. Review
- Symphony of Blood - Adam Pepper. Review
- Turing Evolved - by David Kitson. Review
- The Caline Conspiracy - by M.H. Head. Review
- Thin Blood - by Vicki Tyley. Review
- Dead Men Don't Cry - by Nancy Fulda. Review
- The Tube Riders - by Chris Ward. Review
- The Annihilation of Foreverland - by Tony Bertauski. Review
- Lovers and Beloveds - by MeiLin Miranda. Review
- Season of the Harvest - by Michael R. Hicks. Review
- The Whitechapel Gambit - by Marcin Wrona. Review
- Pegasus Falling - by William E. Thomas. Review
- Gunwitch: A Tale of the King's Coven - by David Michael. Review
- Martuk ... the Holy - by Jonathan Winn. Review
- Clay's Way - by Blair Mastbaum. Review
- Heaven 2.0 - by Sam Haworth. Review
- The Puppet Maker's Bones - by Alisa Tangredi. Review
- The Speed of Winter - by B. Morris Allen. Review
- Martyrs & Monsters - by Robert Dunbar. Review
- The Wayfarer King - By K. C. May. ReviewTotal: 34 Books out of 34 (Progress 100%)
CHALLENGE COMPLETE!!!
- Sea of Crises - by Marty Steere. {Review}
Caleb's Classics Challenge
This challenge is to read 6 class books in the year. In this case a classic is identified by the 'I'll know it when I read it' philosophy, but it probably wouldn't be too far removed from what would be thought of as a classic elsewhere.
The List
- The Time Machine by H. G. Wells
- Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
- Fahrenheit 451 - by Ray Bradbury.
- The Eternal Husband - by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.
- Heart of Darkness - by Joseph Conrad.
- Carmilla - by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu.Total: 6 Books out of 6 (Progress 100%)
CHALLENGE COMPLETE!!!
Extras:
- We - by Yevgeny Zamyatin
- Ethan Frome - by Edith Wharton
Caleb's Genre Challenge
This challenge is to read 1 book for each of the genres mentioned in the list. This is just an attempt to get me reading a bit outside my comfort zone.
I will identify a book in a particular genre by using tags commonly associated with that book (eg. at Amazon, Smashwords etc..) If a book qualifies for more than one genre, I will choose one genre only for the purpose of this challenge.
The Genre List
Science Fiction
- The Time Machine by H. G. Wells
- Verdant Skies by Steven Lyle Jordan
- Rocannon's World by Ursula Le Guin
- Wool (Omnibus Edition) - by Hugh Howey.
- Fahrenheit 451 - by Ray Bradbury.
- The Gods Themselves - by Isaac Asimov
- Turing Evolved - by David Kitson
- The Caline Conspiracy - by M.H. Head
- Dead Men Don't Cry - by Nancy Fulda.
- The Tube Riders - by Chris Ward
- The Annihilation of Foreverland - by Tony Bertauski
- Season of the Harvest - by Michael R. Hicks.
- Heaven 2.0 - by Sam Haworth.
- The Speed of Winter - by B. Morris AllenFantasy
- Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn
- Grass for his Pillow - by Lian Hearn
- Pulchritude - by Ana Mardoll.
- Cthulhu in Wonderland - by Kent Kelly
- Kraken - by China Miéville'
- The Whitechapel Gambit - by Marcin Wrona
- Gunwitch: A Tale of the King's Coven - by David Michael.
- Martuk ... the Holy - by Jonathan Winn.
- The Puppet Maker's Bones - by Alisa Tangredi.
- The Wayfarer King - By K. C. May.
- Brilliance of the Moon - by Lian Hearn.Horror
- Loss by Glen Krisch
- Harbour by John Ajvide Lindqvist
- Northwoods Deep by Joel Arnold
- Speed Dating with the Dead - by Scott Nicholson.
- Diary of the Displaced - by Glynn James
- Symphony of Blood - Adam Pepper
- Usher's Passing - by Robert McCammon.
- Carmilla - by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu.
- Martyrs & Monsters - by Robert DunbarCrime/Mystery
- Work of Art by John Black
- The Final Solution - by Michael Chabon.
- Thin Blood - by Vicki Tyley.Suspense/Thriller
- Bangkok Burn by Simon Royle
- The Kult - by Shaun Jeffrey.
- Wired - by Douglas E. Richards
- Sea of Crises - by Marty SteereRomance (including paranormal romance)
- Ghosts of a Beach Town in Winter by Kathleen ValentineGLBT
- Clay's Way - by Blair Mastbaum.Erotica
- Lovers and Beloveds - by MeiLin MirandaWestern
- The Shopkeeper - by James D. BestLiterary or Non-genre
- Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald
- The Survival of Thomas Ford - by John A. A. Logan.
- The Remains of the Day - by Kazuo Ishiguro
- The Eternal Husband - by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.
- Heart of Darkness - by Joseph Conrad.
- We - by Yevgeny Zamyatin
- Ethan Frome - by Edith WhartonHistoric Fiction
- De Bello Lemures by Thomas Brookside
- Shadow of the Wind - by Carlos Ruiz Zafón.
- Pegasus Falling - by William E. Thomas
- Year of Wonders - by Geraldine Brooks.Young Adult
- Night Camp by L.C. Evans
- A Gathering of Gargoyles by Meredith Ann Pierce
- The Pearl of the Soul of the World by Meredith Ann Pierce
- Only Ever Always by Penni RussonTotal: 12 Books out of 12 (Progress 100%)
CHALLENGE COMPLETE!!!
Caleb's Series Challenges
Part 1
In 2012 I need to read 3 books that are a continuation of a series that I started in 2011 or earlier. These can either be 3 books from one series or a scattering of sequels etc.. over multiple series.
This is to give incentive to complete things that I've already started.
Part 2
I need to start and finish a trilogy or series in 2012.
The List
Part 1
- A Gathering of Gargoyles: Book 2 from The Darkangel Trilogy by Meredith Ann Pierce.
- The Pearl of the Soul of the World: Book 3 from The Darkangel Trilogy by Meredith Ann Pierce.
- The Wayfarer King: Book 2 from The Kinshield Saga - By K. C. May.Part 2 - entire series counts as 1 book
- Across the Nightingale Floor: Book 1 of Tales of the Otori by Lian Hearn.
- Grass for his Pillow: Book 2 of Tales of the Otori by Lian Hearn
- Brilliance of the Moon: Book 3 of Tales of the Otori by Lian HearnTotal: 4 Books out of 4 (Progress 100%)
CHALLENGE COMPLETE!!!
Caleb's Backlog Challenge
This challenge is to read at least 10 books in 2012 that I owned at the end of 2011.
This is to help the stop accumulating and start reading initiative.
The List
- Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn.
- De Bello Lemures by Thomas Brookside.
- A Gathering of Gargoyles by Meredith Ann Pierce.
- Harbour by John Ajvide Lindqvist.
- Northwoods Deep by Joel Arnold.
- The Pearl of the Soul of the World by Meredith Ann Pierce.
- Verdant Skies by Steven Lyle Jordan.
- The Kult - by Shaun Jeffrey.
- Fahrenheit 451 - by Ray Bradbury.
- The Final Solution - by Michael Chabon. 127 pages.Total: 10 Books out of 10 (Progress 100%)
CHALLENGE COMPLETE!!!
Extras:
- Kraken - by China Miéville.
- Usher's Passing - by Robert McCammon.
- Grass for his Pillow - by Lian Hearn
- Heart of Darkness - by Joseph Conrad.
- Shadow of the Wind - by Carlos Ruiz Zafón.
- Brilliance of the Moon - by Lian Hearn.
- Year of Wonders - by Geraldine Brooks.
Wow! Very impressive!
Thanks Mrs J. It will be more impressive if I actually meet my targets though. :)
I have faith in you!
Just looking at my genre challenge, I'm going to need a bit of help coming up with a good erotica/romance read to fit.These really aren't my genres of choice and I know we have some expert readers in these categories. ;)
If you have any advice for the best/most classy (does that word even apply?) example of these genres feel free to chime in.
I'm wondering if for romance I should actually pick paranormal romance as it's more likely to interest me than an everyday garden variety romance.
Additionally, if you think there are any genres in the fiction world that you think I've missed, feel free to offer your suggestions. I've tried to keep the genres top-level rather than including every sub-genre, but it's not 100% strict.
Jerry, who is a member both here and at MR, may have a few suggestions for you. He's been adding books to his "to read" shelf, like crazy!
OK - second book down. I've owned the Tales of the Otori books in paperback for quite a while. They were given to me as a gift. So I'm trying to start and finish this series during 2012.There are three books in the trilogy, a fourth and a prequel. I'm skipping the prequel and the fourth for this challenge as this definitely was a trilogy.
Next will be my first indie read/review for 2012. Yay!
What do you mean by "classy?" Tell me what kind of stuff you like. It really depends based on your personal preference - the genre is HUGE.One of my favorite short stories last year was Unlocked it is a historical but its far from smut. ;-)
Actually Ghosts of a Beach Town in Winter could definitely be considered a ghost story/romance. It's only a novella, but I don't have any page count limitations.I'm just trying to work out whether I should include it for the romance genre or find another book.
As for "classy", I was having a bit of a dig.
I'm not sure how I'd stomach a novel that was purely romance - nothing but acts followed by reminiscences of those acts, followed by wishful thinking about possible future acts, followed by realisations of those fantasies in new acts, followed by reminiscences.....if you know what I mean.
I would like something that could definitely be classified as a romance but has a decent storyline outside of said romance.
Does that make sense?
Dang it!! I had a whole post full of recs for you, Caleb and it got eaten. :-(
I'll have to start over again...
Romance/Literature: The Lady and the Unicorn -it's...different. It is a romance but not the typical romance - like the girl with a pearl earring it is based on a series of artwork. A tear jerker for me. Romance/action: Agnes and the Hitman - So funny! I love it! I wrote a review of it. BTW, not erotica.
Historical: One of my FAVE historicals is Devil's Bride. Total romance - no real outside story, also humptastic.
Erotica PNR (m/f) : My favorite PNR is Dragon Bound. It's cute and funny but the story is more focused on the relationship - that being said...PNR always has some action and/or chase scenes. Wrote a review.
Erotica PNR (m/m/f):More than a Bargain. It's hardcore erotica so...be prepared. Also it is m/m/f and not m/f/m. Very interesting world building for a PNR.
Erotica Sci-Fi (m/f): Brianna - this is tongue in cheek funny towards romance tropes. It's also cheesy, but on purpose. I find it funny but without being totally aware of over-used romance tropes you might not get all the inside funnies. :-D Still funny none the less!
Erotica Contemporary (m/f/f): La Bonne I've not read a lot of m/f/f that was decent. This is the BEST one that I've read. I also enjoyed the way it was written...the narrator is completely nameless throughout the entire book which is not normal in romance. I think I'm going to re-read this one this year so that I can write a review. Or maybe not, lol!
Hey desertblues - no problem. You had some great suggestions for romance. Along with some of Mrs J's recommendations I have some stuff to look at. Actually - I've always been interested in Byatt so that might be worth a look. Thanks Mrs J also - you have some erotica there that I'll check out. I've got a bunch of m/m erotica that I collect when free but never get around to reading. They are also an option, but m/m romance and/or coming of age I'll reserve specifically for my GBLT genre.
I also need to check out my eLibrary collections for romance/erotica as it's always better not to pay than to pay (in a manner of speaking).
I've posted my review for Ghosts of a Beach Town in Winter at my Papyrus review site.Feel free to check it out: http://papyrus.calebblake.net/2012/01/16/ghosts-of-a-beach-town-in-winter-by-kathleen-valentine/
I like your review but I think I won't be inclined to read that book. I'm not too partial to those types of endings. I read a erotic novella, Not Quite Casper: an Aether Vitalis Short Story, that your review reminds me of. It was...creepy (to me).
I've posted my review for De Bello Lemures, Or The Roman War Against the Zombies of Armorica at my Papyrus review site.Check it out: http://papyrus.calebblake.net/2012/01/19/de-bello-lemures-by-thomas-brookside/
Not relating to my challenge, but I just awarded the inaugural Papyrus Independent Fiction Award (2011) to The Door to the Sky.See the posting here: http://papyrus.calebblake.net/2012/01/21/the-2011-papyrus-independent-fiction-awards/
It's also the birth of of new graphic that I hope winning authors will be happy to post on their site(s):
Good luck to all independent authors I review over 2012.
And...just posted my review of Loss.Read it here: http://papyrus.calebblake.net/2012/01/22/loss-by-glen-krisch/
Another update and although it looks like I'm flying, the fact is that I'm reading some pretty small books at the moment. The page count tells the story.
Just posted my review of Night Camp.This is a tribute review to author L.C. Evans who passed away on January 11th of this year.
Read it here: http://papyrus.calebblake.net/2012/01/24/night-camp-by-l-c-evans/
I like the review, Caleb! I really like the idea of having books prepared for the younger generation. My co-workers are always looking for kid recs and I'd bad with that. Now I have one!
OK - finished A Gathering of Gargoyles which is book 2 of The Darkangel trilogy.At the end of Jan, I'm doing well in some challenges, but my overall page count challenge is behind due to most of the books being rather small.
Caleb wrote: "OK - finished A Gathering of Gargoyles which is book 2 of The Darkangel trilogy.At the end of Jan, I'm doing well in some challenges, but my overall page count challenge is behind ..."
*gasp* My favorite vampire story EVER!
Thought you'd comment on that one Mrs J. :)
Well - Harbour is finally complete. It was 512 pages which is a bit bigger, but it felt really really long.It wasn't because it was bad - I really liked the book. But it slowly weaves its story based on a patchwork of back stories told at various points of the present action.
Happy to jump back in to an indie though. Northwoods Deep is next cab off the rank.
Just posted my review of Northwoods Deep. I thought it was good as a horror.You can check out what I thought about it here: http://papyrus.calebblake.net/2012/02/11/northwoods-deep-by-joel-arnold/
Some aspects of my challenges are going pretty well at the moment. The only one of concern is the page count challenge at this stage. Everything else seems to be going to plan.
Caleb wrote: "Just posted my review of Northwoods Deep. I thought it was good as a horror.You can check out what I thought about it here: http://papyrus.calebblake.net/2012/02......"
I didn't know you read horror, too. You might be interested in Jason White - he's a GR debut indie author who writes horror. I've read one of his shorts - it was a mild one cause I'm a wussy and he knows it. ;-)
I've not read anything else but since you specialize in indies...
Just finished The Pearl of the Soul of the World. Great closer for that trilogy.Most of my challenges are going quite well in these early days. I believe I will romp through my backlog challenge at least. Maybe I made it too easy.
Just posted my review of Bangkok Burn. Action! Action! Action!You can check out if I kept up with this thriller here: http://papyrus.calebblake.net/2012/02/21/bangkok-burn-by-simon-royle/
oooh, Caleb...do me a favor. Please put feedburner or something on your blog. I'd appreciate it. :D
If you just need a standard XML feed, try http://papyrus.calebblake.net/feed/ in whatever you're using.
Christa wrote: "If you just need a standard XML feed, try http://papyrus.calebblake.net/feed/ in whatever you're using."I'm confused...lol!
Does this mean I'll get an email?
No, if you have a RSS app or browser plugin or Google news or similar, that's the link used to set up a feed of new posts. I thought that's what you needed.
Oooh - all these suggestions and I have no idea how to put any of them together. I'm such a noob when it comes to the world of blogging.I finally got Google Analytics on the site recently so I can have confirmation on how unpopular I really am.
So we're looking for RSS feeds and email alerts etc..? New things to learn about. :)
Don't forget to use the social media buttons on the reviews themselves. I'm happy for the word to spread - like a virus. My hit rate is god-awful at the moment. I've really got to get onto the Kindle boards at Amazon and start spreading the disease.
Loosheesh wrote: "I have this app on my Google Chrome browser that I use to easily grab feeds.Though our tastes are wildly different, I like reading Caleb's reviews; they're just so articulate and fair. When I gr..."
Thankyou for that - that's such a lovely thing to say.
Feel free to say that publicly in as many places as possible. :)
You know, one of the reasons I started this blog was that I wanted to practise my writing a bit more. I think I may have a book or two in me and I wanted to see if a regular commitment to writing might actually get me excited about developing my own ideas into something that I can pretend is palatable to others.
Finished Tender Is the Night. Still struggling a bit with my page count challenge. I was supposed to read another 2 books before the end of Feb. Now I'll be lucky to fit in one.Oh well - onwards and upwards.
Caleb wrote: "Finished Tender Is the Night. Still struggling a bit with my page count challenge. I was supposed to read another 2 books before the end of Feb. Now I'll be lucky to fit in one.Oh we..."
You are also reviewing...which takes some time out of reading.
I think you're doing great!
Actually had dinner with Simon Royle this week which was why I had to get my review of Bangkok Burn complete in time so that he could read it beforehand. :)There's a man who still has several books left in him. Quite inspiring really. I'm almost ready to start on my first novel as a result of meeting him.
Caleb wrote: "Actually had dinner with Simon Royle this week which was why I had to get my review of Bangkok Burn complete in time so that he could read it beforehand. :)There's a man who sti..."
Oooh!
At the end of Feb I'm 3419 pages into my pagecount challenge which puts me roughly 486 pages behind at this point in the year.Actually, this is quite a bit better than I expected.
My backlog challenge is being absolutely smashed and I think I'm going to have to up the ante a little for my challenge next year.
OK - review up for Verdant Skies.Click if you're interested: http://papyrus.calebblake.net/2012/02/29/verdant-skies-by-steve-lyle-jordan/.
Great review! My friend reviewed one of his other books, My Life, After Berserker, and had a very different take. But it was totally different series.
http://osgabookreviews.wordpress.com/...
I've never read them but I did buy the series for my mom. She said she loved them. I don't do a lot of sci-fi so...
MobileRead Book Challenges
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Martyrs and Monsters (other topics)The Shadow of the Wind (other topics)
Year of Wonders (other topics)
Year of Wonders (other topics)
Year of Wonders (other topics)
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Indie Read Review Challenge
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Classics Challenge
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Genre Challenge
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Series Challenge
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Backlog Challenge
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EDIT: Noting down challenge ideas for 2013.
1) Book Bonfire - burn through 12 books that I own in paperback and have not yet read.
2) Classic challenge
I think this year I'm going to be a bit more specific. I'm going to read 8 classics, but there must be:
- at least one Dostoyevsky
- at least one Wells
- at least one Verne
- at least one Dickens
- at least one Vonnegut
- 3 others that are not any of the above authors.
3) Indie challenge - read/review 34 indies (same as 2012)
4) Gimme the Prize - read 12 prize winners from any year (Hugo, Nebula, Bram Stoker, World Fantasy, Man Booker - pretty much any book prize including indie book prizes)
5) Short-cuts - read 100 short stories
I have a large assortment of short stories and challenges tend to focus on novel/novella length. Time to change that.