Eclectic Reader Challenge 2016 Commitment

I'm doing this challenge again as it does get me reading different things.

Here is the hosting page for this challenge.

It runs for the 2016 calendar year. Books may be in any format. Books can only be used for one category.

There are 12 categories to read in. You have to complete all 12.

1. A book about books (fiction or nonfiction)
2. Serial killer thriller
3. Paranormal romance
4. A novel set on an island
5. Investigative journalism (nonfiction)
6. Disaster fiction
7. Steampunk scifi
8. Any book shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize
9. Psychology (nonfiction)
10. Immigrant Experience fiction
11. YA historical fiction
12. A debut author in 2016

Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge 2016 Commitment

This is another new one for me, but it looks fun.

Here is the hosting page for this challenge.

The challenge runs for the 2016 calendar year. Books may be from any genre and in any format. Overlaps with other challenges are encouraged.

The idea is to read books that begin with each letter of the alphabet. Disregard first words such as 'a', 'an' and 'the'. For the difficult letters of Q, X, and Z, the word does not have to be the first word of the title. There are two ways to approach this challenge. One is to make a list of the letters of the alphabet and fill them up as you read. The other is to pick the books in advance. I will be doing the first approach and tracking it on my challenge progress page. Books can be read in any order.

Monthly Motif Reading Challenge 2016 Commitment

This challenge is one I looked at last year, but didn't commit to.

Here is the hosting page for the challenge.

Each month has a motif or theme that you have to read a book in.

January
* Who Dunnit? Crack the case and solve the mystery
February
* New Releases. Read a book released in the last year
March
* Take a Trip. Time travel or read a book set in a different country than where you live
April
* Best of the Best. Read a book that has won recognition or a literary award
May
* Story of Survival. Make it out alive, beat the odds, save yourself stories. Think beyond the typical.
June
* Girlxoxo Recommends. Check the host site for recommendations
July
* LOL. Hilarious memoirs, silly chick lit, comedic scifi. Pick a book that is guaranteed to make you laugh out loud.
August
* Genre Jumble. Read from a genre you don't normally read from.
September
* Steampunk, Science Fiction, and Fantasy. Something from one of these genres.
October
* Things that Go Bump in the Night. Cozy mystery ghost stories, paranormal creeptastic, murder mysteries - it's up to you.
November
* Fiction Takes a Break. Anything nonfiction
December
* That's a Wrap. Finish a series you've been meaning to finish or read the next book in a series you started by never finished.

I think this should be interesting.

Banned Book Challenge 2016 Commitment

This is a new challenge for me, but one close to my heart as a librarian.

Here is the hosting page for this challenge.

The challenge runs for the 2016 calendar year. You have to read books that have been banned or challenged. No jurisdictions are specified, but I'll generally be going with U.S. and Canada. The hosting pages gives links to some lists for this. Both ALA and CLA have lists. Books may be in any format or genre. They may overlap with other challenges.

There are five levels for this challenge. I will be going for the second level, Trouble-Maker at 3-5 books.

What's in a Name Reading Challenge 2016 Commitment

I like the quirkiness of this challenge, and have done it for several years.

Here is the hosting page for this challenge.

It runs for the 2016 calendar year.You have to read a book from each of the categories, and some examples are giving at the hosting page. The category has to be in the title of the book.

1. A country
2. An item of clothing
3. An item of furniture
4. A profession
5. A month of the year
6. The word 'tree'

Books can only be used for one category. They may be in any format. They prefer that choices don't overlap with other challenges, but don't require it, so generally I ignore that preference and just read what fits and if it overlaps, it overlaps. Creativity is encouraged.

I'm already scanning my shelves and piles for candidates.

Literary Loners Challenge 2015 Commitment

This is a new challenge being offered for the first time. There are no checkins, so the only tracking will be on my progress page.

Here is the hosting page for this challenge.

There are two ways to play it: character loners and author loners. I will be doing the character loner version (mostly because I can easily tell if a character is a loner, outcast, recluse, wallflower, or introvert, and I'd have to do research on the authors)

The challenge runs for the 2016 calendar year, and books have to be started after January 1st, so no finishing ones already begun for this. Re-reads are allowed however. Books may be in all genres, fiction and nonfiction and all formats. Overlaps with other challenges are fine.

You decide your own level for this challenge, so I will set mine at 5 books.

European Reading Challenge 2016 Commitment

I always enjoy this challenge, it's not too difficult and it has me seeking out different books to read.

Here's the hosting page for this challenge. She does a great job of setting everything out clearly and providing good links for reviews.

The challenge is to read books by European authors or books set in European countries. All genres are allowed, both fiction and nonfiction, including poetry, cookbooks, and travel guides. Each book must be by a different author and set in a different country. She provides the following list of countries. All are sovereign states that fall at least partly within the continent of Europe and/or have membership in international European organizations such as the Council of Europe. She does note that since, at present the UK is still one country, books for England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland all count as UK, at least for any prizes.

THE LIST: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Macedonia, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and Vatican City. 

There are five levels that you can participate at, from one book to five books, all with fun names. I will be doing the Five Star (Deluxe Entourage) level. I'm not really interested in the prizes, I just like doing the challenge.

The challenge runs from January 1, 2016 to January 31, 2017, but since I do it every year, I tend to stick to the calendar year rather than do overlaps. Overlapping with other challenges is encouraged however, and I often do that. Re-reads count, as do books in all formats.