Sunday, January 2, 2011

2011 Reading Challenges

I don't usually participate in challenges, but for 2011 I'm going to try!

The Debut Author Challenge 2011



The Debut Author Challenge is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren and challenges us to read the 2011 debut novels of YA and MG authors. Here are, in no particular order, the 12 that I very much want to read in 2011:

Other Words for Love by Lorraine Zago Rosenthal
Rival by Sara Bennett-Wealer
Where I Belong by Gwendolyn Heasley
The Iron Thorn by Caitlin Kittredge
Like Mandarin by Kirsten Hubbard
Ten Miles Past Normal by Frances O'Roark Dowell
Enclave by Ann Aguirre
Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky
Divergent by Veronica Roth
Ashes, Ashes by Jo Treggiari
The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton
Legend by Marie Lu
The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

That breaks down very unevenly to: contemporary - 5; dystopian - 6; paranormal - 1; fantasy - 1. Interesting...

But, you know, I'll inevitably read other debuts so they will be listed below:

2011 Debuts Read in 2011:
1. Other Words for Love by Lorraine Zago Rosenthal
2. Where I Belong by Gwendolyn Heasley
3. Divergent by Veronica Roth
4. Unearthly by Cynthia Hand
5. The False Princess by Eilis O'Neal
6. Like Mandarin by Kirsten Hubbard
7. The Iron Thorn by Caitlin Kittredge
8. Enclave by Ann Aguirre
9. Hourglass by Myra McEntire
10. I'll Be There by Holly Goldberg Sloan
11. Luminous by Dawn Metcalf
12. Memento Nora by Angie Smibert
13. Legend by Marie Lu
14. The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

2011 Debuts Already Read (or at least have read enough of to form an opinion on it):
Across the Universe by Beth Revis
XVI by Julia Karr
The Water Wars by Cameron Stracher
Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton
The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney
Wither by Lauren DeStefano - LOVED
Entwined by Heather Dixon
Kat, Incorrigible by Stephanie Burgis - LOVED
Bumped by Megan McCafferty - LOVED

sci-fi - 1; dystopian - 4; paranormal - 1; (historical-ish) fantasy - 2

2011 Debuts Owned But Not Read:
The False Princess by Eilis O'Neal
Choker by Elizabeth Woods
A Touch Mortal by Leah Clifford
Ten Miles Past Normal by Frances O'Roark Dowell
Between Shades of Grey by Ruta Sepetys
Memento Nora by Angie Smibert
The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens
Human.4 by Mike Lancaster

fantasy - 2; contemporary - 2; paranormal - 2; historical - 1; dystopian - 2



POC Reading Challenge 2011



This year I'm participating in the Persons of Color Reading Challenge. The goal is to read books written by and/or featuring people of color, people who are often underrepresented in YA literature and the industry. Click here for more info and to sign up. I am going to try and reach Level 4: 10-15 books.

Books I hope to read for this challenge:

Huntress by Malinda Lo
A Wish After Midnight by Zetta Elliott
Half World by Hiromi Goto
Tortilla Sun by Jennifer Cervantes
White Cat by Holly Black
Split by Swati Avasthi
The Glass series by Maria V. Snyder
Between Shades of Grey by Ruta Sepetys

Books Read for this Challenge:
1. Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry
2. Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
3. Bitter Melon by Cara Chow
4. The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook
5. The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin
6. Huntress by Malinda Lo
7. We'll Always Have Summer by Malinda Lo
8. Luminous by Dawn Metcalf
9. White Cat by Holly Black
10. Storm Glass by Maria V. Snyder
11. Legend by Marie Lu
12. Eona by Alison Goodman
13. 32 Candles by Ernessa T. Carter



The 2011 Aussie YA Book Challenge


Okie doke! So I have a healthy little stack of Australian YA in my TBR pile, and I figured that this challenge, created and hosted by Nic at Irresistible Reads, would help me get around to reading them sooner rather than later. As I am a non-Aussie reader, my challenge is to read 6 Aussie (and okay, I'm gonna put New Zealand in here too) YA books. They will hopefully be drawn from:

Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta
Six Impossible Things by Fiona Wood
Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley
Slice by Steven Herrick
The Piper's Son by Melina Marchetta
Pink by Lili Wilkinson
Guardian of the Dead by Karen Healey

Other Aussie books I'm interested in reading and will attempt to acquire (somehow--Book Depository, have these in stock please!):
Raw Blue by Kirsty Eagar
Saltwater Vampires by Kirsty Eagar
Solace & Grief by Foz Meadows

Books Read for This Challenge:
1. Guardian of the Dead by Karen Healey
2. Brain Jack by Brian Falkner
3. Raw Blue by Kirsty Eagar
4. Pink by Lili Wilkinson
5. The Piper's Son by Melina Marchetta
6. Eona by Alison Goodman



British Books Challenge 2011


Becky at The Bookette is hosting the British Books Challenge for 2011. I am an international participant and am going to aim for the Winston Churchill level, which is to read 6 books by British authors. Hopefully I will be able to get to the following books:

When I Was Joe by Keren David
Flyaway by Lucy Christopher
The Thirteen Treasures by Michelle Harrison
Raiders' Ransom by Emily Diamand
Trash by Andy Mulligan
The Chaos Walking trilogy by Patrick Ness
The Demon's Covenant by Sarah Rees Brennan

Books Read for This Challenge:
1. The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley
2. Before I Die by Jenny Downham



The Dystopia Challenge


The Dystopia Challenge is hosted at BA Reading Challenges. I'm aiming for Contagion level, which is to read 15 dystopian books for 2011. Some dystopian books I'm hoping to read are:

Total Oblivion: More or Less by Alan DeNiro
Human.4 by Mike Lancaster
Drought by Pam Bachorz
Memento Nora by Angie Smibert
Divergent by Veronica Roth
Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder
Feed by M.T. Anderson
Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
For the Win by Cory Doctorow
Girl in the Arena by Lise Haines
The Chaos Walking trilogy by Patrick Ness
The Scorch Trials by James Dashner
The Other Side of the Island by Allegra Goodman
Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde
The Unit by Nina Holmqvist
Ashes, Ashes by Jo Treggiari
Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky

Books Read for this Challenge:
1. Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
2. Divergent by Veronica Roth
3. Enclave by Ann Aguirre
4. Memento Nora by Angie Smibert
5. Legend by Marie Lu
6. All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin



The TwentyEleven Challenge


The TwentyEleven Challenge is hosted by Bart's Bookshelf and requires us to read a total of 20 books from 11 different (and, in my opinion, very interesting) categories. The categories are as follows:

1. To YA or Not to YA (if you read more YA than non-YA, then you want to read a non-YA for this category, and vice versa; I read more YA, so I'm going to read non-YA for this category)
     1. The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms (The Inheritance Trilogy, Book 1) by N.K. Jemisin
     2. The Native Star by M. K. Hobson

2. ...With a Twist (sub-genres)
     1. The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook - romance with steampunk
     2. Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal - historical magical realism

3. Hot Off the Presses
     1. Unearthly by Cynthia Hand
     2. Like Mandarin by Kirsten Hubbard

4. It Wasn't Me! aka Bad Bloggers (books picked up purely on another blogger's recommendation)
     1. Other Words for Love by Lorraine Zago Rosenthal

5. Show It Who Is Boss! (read from your prior-to-2011 TBR pile)
     1. Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith
     2. Guardian of the Dead by Karen Healey
     3. The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley

6. Bablefish (translations)
     1. The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson
     2. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson

7. Willpower? What willpower? (books bought in 2011)
     1. The Fairy Godmother by Mercedes Lackey
     2. What Comes After by Steve Watkins

8. Mind the Gap (books in a series)
     1. Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews
     2. The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson

9. Back in the Day (rereading old favorites - I should be a pro at this one)
     1. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

10. Way Back When (published before your birth year, so before 1989 for me)
     1. Anne of Avonlea by L. M. Montgomery

11. Slim Pickings (novellas between 90-150 pages)



With all these interesting challenges, it shouldn't be hard for 2011 to be a fantastic reading year for me!

Are you doing any reading challenges that you think I'd be interested in? It's my first year doing such challenges so I'm on the lookout for good ones. Let me know, thanks!

15 comments:

  1. I really want to do the POC challenge! I need to put some time into choosing books for it...

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  2. These are really great challenges! :)

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  3. All these challenges look like a lot of fun. :) Great picks for all of them too!

    For the 2011 Debut Author Challenge, I noticed you have Ann Aguire on your list. She isn't a debut author, but does she count because it's her first YA book?

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  4. These are great challenges to join! I'm participating in the Debut author and the YA HistFic challenge.

    Good luck!

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  5. The POC challenge sounds really, really cool :) I will def. look into that one. Thanks for bringing that to my attention. Good luck with all of your challenges!

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  6. I think I'm going to be doing the POC challenge as well. And I'm pretty sure I'm going to do the DAC!

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  7. The TwentyEleven Challenge sounds really interesting! I'm not a big challenge person, but I might try this one.

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  8. Oh my gosh you are gonna' be busy. Those categories are pretty funny for the last challenge.

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  9. Thanks for signing up for the Aussie YA Reading Challenge. Your list has a few of my favourites including The Piper's Son and Graffiti Moon.

    Good luck with the challenges :)

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  10. Wow look at what happens when a high profile blogger joins the poc reading challenge, we get more people ;D

    I'm doing the debut author challenge too and i might end up joining the Aussie YA challenge too, but at the lowest level :) I read a decent number of Britsh YA books too so maybe I will end up joning that challenge. So many to choose from! That's why I like the Global Challenge :)

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  11. Wow! These are great books to welcome 2011!

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  12. I'm doing challenges for the first time this year. I'm hoping it will motivate me to read more.

    Wondering why you don't usually do challenges??

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  13. Wow, 2011 is the year of the challenge. Thanks so much for signing up to the British Books Challenge. It is great to have your support. I adore Chaos Walking. Patrick Ness is a genius (or at least I think so). Hope you enjoy it and best of luck!

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  14. thanks so much for joining the DAC Steph!!! I'm so glad to have you! here's hoping you discover some awesome authors in 2011!

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  15. Good luck!
    You've already got a lot on your plate, but if you're interested in discovering Childrens/YA books you might not have previously heard of, I just started my fist reading challenge complete with monthly giveaways! :)
    http://ysprincess.blogspot.com/2011/01/1001-childrens-books-you-must-read.html
    It's more of a read at your leisure and not one where you have to read a certain amount of books to "complete" the challenge, so no pressure. If you can get your hands on British books, though, I hear several of them on my list can only be found in Britain (I noticed you're also participating in the British challenge), so you may have a unique advantage over any American participants.
    Would love to have you join if it’s something that at all interests you.
    Keep up the great blogging!
    Your follower,
    YS Princess

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