Book By Book: 2018 Reading Challenges

Mount TBR Reading Challenge 2018 hosted by My Reader's Block

Since I read 28 TBR books last year, I am signing up for the Mount Vancouver level this year and aiming to read at least 36 books from my own shelves.

There will be quarterly check-ins (I will try to remember!)

Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
The Pirates of Cologne by Dinah Mack
Cici's Journal: The Adventures of a Writer-in-Training by Joris Chamblain and Aurélie Neyret
The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
The Fold by Peter Clines
Swing It, Sunny! by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm
The Dam Keeper by Robert Kondo and Dice Tsutsumi
Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood
The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin
My Life with Bob by Pamela Paul
The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
City of Savages by Lee Kelly
The Sleepwalker by Chris Bohjalian
City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab
Waking Gods by Sylvain Neuvel
The Hidden Witch by Molly Knox Ostertag
Never Best Against Occam: Mast Cell Activation Disease and the Modern Epidemics of Chronic Illness and Medical Complexity by Lawrence B. Afrin, M.D.
The Killing Woods by Lucy Christopher
The Creepy Case Files of Margo Maloo by Drew Weing
The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware
Macbeth by William Shakespeare
The Unsinkable Walker Bean by Aaron Renier
Seven: In the Lane of Hope by Michal J. Marini
Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett Krosoczka
Gift From the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt
The Lyme Solution by Darin Ingels
The Lost Girls: Three Friends. Four Continents. One Unconventional Detour Around the World, by Jennifer Baggett, Holly C. Corbett, and Amanda Pressner
American War by Omar El Akkad

2018 Monthly Motif Reading Challenge hosted by Girlxoxo

JANUARY – Diversify Your Reading
Kick the reading year off right and shake things up. Read a book with a character (or written by an author) of a race, religion, or sexual orientation other than your own. Exit West by Mohsin Hamid

FEBRUARY – One Word
Read a book with a one word title. Maurice by E.M. Forster

MARCH – Travel the World
Read a book set in a different country than your own, written by an author from another country than your own, or a book in which the characters travel. Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood (author and setting are both Canadian)

APRIL – Read Locally
Read a book set in your country, state, town, village (or has a main character from your home town, country, etc). I read 2 books set in my home state of New York, including The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin.

MAY- Book to Screen
Read a book that’s been made into a movie or a TV show. FAILED!

JUNE- Crack the Case
Mysteries, True Crime, Who Dunnit’s. Her Pretty Face by Robyn Harding (domestic suspense)

JULY – Vacation Reads
Read a book you think is a perfect vacation read and tell us why. Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon - completely engrossing.

AUGUST- Award Winners
Read a book that has won a literary award or a book written by an author who has been recognized in the bookish community. The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell (6 awards!)

SEPTEMBER- Don’t Turn Out The Light
Cozy mystery ghost stories, paranormal creeptastic, horror novels. City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab

OCTOBER- New or Old
Choose a new release from 2018 or a book known as a classic.

Macbeth by William Shakespeare - classic
The Adults by Caroline Hulse - new 2018 release

NOVEMBER- Family
Books where family dynamics play a big role in the story Seven: In the Lane of Hope by Michal J. Marini

DECEMBER- Wrapping It Up
Winter or holiday themed books or books with snow, ice, etc in the title or books set in winter OR read a book with a theme from any of the months in this challenge (could be a theme you didn’t do, or one you want to do again).

Since 3 of the books I read in December took place in the future, where climate change has made winter, snow, and ice rare or nonexistent, I will re-do March because I had a perfect travel-the-world book in December: The Lost Girls: Three Friends. Four Continents. One Unconventional Detour Around the World, by Jennifer Baggett, Holly C. Corbett, and Amanda Pressner

Back to the Classics hosted by Books and Chocolate.

Another one I am returning to this year. I aimed to read 6 classics last year and managed just 5, so I am once again setting my goal at 6 classics. Here are the categories:

1. A 19th century classic - any book published between 1800 and 1899. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

2. A 20th century classic - any book published between 1900 and 1968. Just like last year, all books MUST have been published at least 50 years ago to qualify. The only exception is books written at least 50 years ago, but published later, such as posthumous publications. Gift From the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh (1955)

3. A classic by a woman author.

4. A classic in translation. Any book originally written published in a language other than your native language. Feel free to read the book in your language or the original language. (You can also read books in translation for any of the other categories). Modern translations are acceptable as long as the original work fits the guidelines for publications as explained in the challenge rules.

5. A children's classic. Indulge your inner child and read that classic that you somehow missed years ago. Short stories are fine, but it must be a complete volume. Young adult and picture books don't count!

6. A classic crime story, fiction or non-fiction. This can be a true crime story, mystery, detective novel, spy novel, etc., as long as a crime is an integral part of the story and it was published at least 50 years ago. Examples include The 39 Steps, Strangers on a Train, In Cold Blood, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, etc. The Haycraft-Queen Cornerstones list is an excellent source for suggestions. Macbeth by William Shakespeare

7. A classic travel or journey narrative, fiction or non-fiction. The journey itself must be the major plot point -- not just the destination. Good examples include The Hobbit, Around the World in 80 Days, Unbeaten Tracks in Japan, Kon-Tiki, Travels with Charley, etc.

8. A classic with a single-word title. No articles please! Proper names are fine -- Emma, Germinal, Middlemarch, Kidnapped, etc. Maurice by E.M. Forster

9. A classic with a color in the title. The Woman in White; Anne of Green Gables; The Red and the Black, and so on. (Silver, gold, etc. are acceptable. Basically, if it's a color in a Crayola box of crayons, it's fine!)

10. A classic by an author that's new to you. Choose an author you've never read before.

11. A classic that scares you. Is there a classic you've been putting off forever? A really long book which intimidates you because of its sheer length? Now's the time to read it, and hopefully you'll be pleasantly surprised!

12. Re-read a favorite classic. Like me, you probably have a lot of favorites -- choose one and read it again, then tell us why you love it so much.
The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

2018 Badass Books Reading Challenge hosted by Melissa Hawkins, Badass by Design.

This is a new one for me (thanks to Girlxoxo for their comprehensive list of challenges!)

The idea is to use this checklist (below) to read at least one book in each category during the year - looks like fun!

A book published in 2018. Only Child by Rhiannon Navin

A book published the year you were born.

A classic book or a book published over 100 years ago. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

A book that you’ve started before and never finished.

A book you should have read in school, but didn’t. Macbeth by William Shakespeare

A Book you’ve already read – time for a re-read! The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

A book that you’ve put off reading. The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

A banned book.

A book by an author you’ve never read. Circling the Sun by Paula McLain

A popular author’s first book. Still Life by Louise Penny

A book turned movie you’ve seen but haven’t read.

A book turned TV show you’ve seen but haven’t read.

A funny book. My Ex-Life by Stephen McCauley

A book that will make you smarter. Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann

An award-winning book. She Rides Shotgun by Jordan Harper

A book based on a true story. A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline

A book chosen for you by a friend. The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell

A book set during Christmas. The Adults by Caroline Hulse

Travel the World in Books Reading Challenge hosted by Mom's Small Victories, one of my favorite blogs. I signed up for this one back in 2014, so this is a continuation (it's a perpetual challenge) - I can't wait to see what places I visit in books in 2018! Last year I read 27 books set in other countries/cultures (14 different countries/regions), so I hope to do even better this year.

Exit West by Mohsin Hamid (UK)
The Pirates of Cologne by Dinah Mack (Germany)
Circling the Sun by Paula McLain (Kenya)
Cici's Journal: The Adventures of a Writer-in-Training by Joris Chamblain and Aurélie Neyret (France)
The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury (Mars!)
The Lines We Cross by Randa Abdel-Fattah (Australia)
Maurice by E.M. Forster (UK)
We Own the Sky by Luke Allnut (UK)
Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood (Canada)
Refugee by Alan Gratz (Germany, Cuba, Syria)
The Lightkeeper's Daughter by Jean E. Pendziwol (Canada)
Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon (France, Scotland)
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens (UK)
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell (Italy, Puerto Rico, Rakhat - another planet!)
Disappeared by Francisco X. Stork (Mexico)
Anne Frank's Diary: The Graphic Adaptation by Ari Folman and David Polonsky (Netherlands)
Dark Saturday by Nicci French (UK)
The Rain Watcher by Tatiana De Rosnay (France)
Still Life by Louise Penny (Canada)
City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab (Scotland)
The Killing Woods by Lucy Christopher (UK)
The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware (Norway)
Macbeth by William Shakespeare (Scotland)
The Adults by Caroline Hulse (UK)
The Lost Ones by Sheena Kamal (Canada - Vancouver)
America's First Daughter by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie (VA, France)
Escaping Wars and Waves: Encounters with Syrian Refugees by Olivier Kugler (Iraq, Greece, France, UK, Germany)
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah (South Africa)
On Two Feet and Wings by Abbas Kazerooni (Turkey)
Flawed by Andrea Dorfman (Canada)
The Lost Girls: Three Friends. Four Continents. One Unconventional Detour Around the World, by Jennifer Baggett, Holly C. Corbett, and Amanda Pressner (Peru, Argentina, Brazil, Kenya, India, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, New Zealand, and Australia - whew!)

2018 Literary Escapes Challenge hosted by Escape with Dollycas Into a Good Book.

I love tracking where I read! Last year, I read books set in 24 different states for this challenge, so I hope to do even better this year.

Alabama
Alaska The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah, Not If I Save You First by Ally Carter
Arizona
Arkansas
California Exit West by Mohsin Hamid, The Fold by Peter Cline, She Rides Shotgun by Jordan Harper, Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld, Fifty Mice by Daniel Pyne, Here and Now and Then by Mike Chen
Colorado The Optimistic Decade by Heather Abel
Connecticut
Delaware Seven: In the Lane of Hope by Michal J. Marini
District of Columbia Speak No Evil by Uzodinma Iweala
Florida
Georgia Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt, American War by Omar El Akkad
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois Plus One by Elizabeth Fama
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline, All the Beautiful Lies by Peter Swanson
Maryland
Massachusetts My Ex-Life by Stephen McCauley, How To Hang a Witch by Adriana Mather,
Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett Krosoczka
Michigan Posted by John David Anderson
Minnesota Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich
Mississippi Ramona Blue by Julie Murphy, Anatomy of a Miracle by Jonathan Miles
Missouri
Montana Dragon Teeth by Michael Crichton
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey The Light Years by Chris Rush
New Mexico
New York Only Child by Rhiannon Navi, The Immortalists by Chloe Benjami, The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn, My Life with Bob by Pamela Paul, They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera, Red, White, Blue by Lea Carpenter, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green, Waking Gods by Sylvain Neuvel, City of Savages by Lee Kelly
North Carolina Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owen
North Dakota
Ohio The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
Oklahoma Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann
Oregon
Pennsylvania Swing It, Sunny! by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm, The Reason You're Alive by Matthew Quick
Rhode Island The Possible World by Liese O'Halloran Schwarz (RI)
South Carolina Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
South Dakota
Tennessee Perfect Little World by Kevin Wilson
Texas
Utah
Vermont The Sleepwalker by Chris Bohjalian
Virginia America's First Daughter by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie
Washington Her Pretty Face by Robyn Harding, Release by Patrick Ness
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming

Bookish Bingo hosted by Chapter Break - not really a challenge per se, but a fun game that I play each month! Stop by to print out this month's Bingo card and play along!