Welcome to the 2015 Read 52 Books in 52 Week Challenge

Also the home of  Well Educated Mind, Around the World, A to Z, Dusty and Chunky  and various mini challenges.  

The rules are very simple and the goal -  read one book (at least) a week for 52 weeks.

1. The challenge will run from January 1, 2015 through December 31, 2015. 
2. Our book weeks will begin on Sunday 
3. Except for our first week which will run from Thursday Jan 1 through Saturday Jan 10
4. Participants may join at any time.
5. All books are acceptable except children books.**
6. All forms of books are acceptable including e-books, audio books, etc.
7. Re-reads are acceptable as long as they are read after January 1, 2015.
8. Books may overlap other challenges.
   
9. Create an entry post linking to this blog. 
10. Come back and sign up with Mr. Linky in the "I'm participating post" below this post.
11. You don't have a blog to participate.  Post your weekly book in the comments section of each weekly post.  
12. Mr. Linky will be added to the bottom of the weekly post for you to link to reviews of your most current reads. 

All the mini challenges are optional. Mix it up anyway you like. The goal is to read 52 books. How you get there is up to you. 

**in reference to children books. If it is a child whose reading it and involved in the challenge, then that's okay.  If an adult is doing read aloud with kids, the book should be geared for the 9 - 12 age group and above and over 100 pages. If adult reading for own enjoyment, then a good rule of thumb to go by "is there some complexity to the story or is it too simple?"  If it's too simple, then doesn't count.  

BW 52: 2014 Year End Wrap Up

Happy Winter!   Huzzah!  We made it through another adventurous,  intriguing, mystical and mysterious, time altering, life changing year.  This year turned into the Year of the Fluff for me while I dealt with the grief of my mother's passing.   I had grand plans to read through all the centuries and around the world. However, my mind knew just what it needed and I curled up with urban fantasies, paranormals, romantic suspense and light mysteries with a dash of mysticism and splash of history.  

Christmas break has officially started and I am looking forward to cuddling up on the couch with a good book or two and enjoying our two weeks off from lessons.  In the meantime, I'm looking forward to reading everyone's list of reads for the year and adding a few more books to my ever teetering stacks.

So?  How did it go?

• How many books did you read and did you meet your own personal goal?  
• Most thrilling, oh my goodness, I want to read it again, unputdownable book?
• Top 5 favorite stories?
• Least favorite book? 
• New author discovery?  New genre discovery?
• What countries or centuries did you explore?
• Share a favorite character, story, quote or cover 
• One book that touched you - made you laugh, cry, sing or dance.
•  Are you ready to do it all over again?
• Do you have any goals to check out different genres or authors, read translated books or stories in another language for 2015?  

Congratulations and thank you to everyone for joining in.  I have loved sharing our reading journeys together.   Since today is officially Winter, let's wind up the year with some wintery reads. 

Brew me a cup for a winter’s night.
For the wind howls loud, and the furies fight;
Spice it with love and stir it with care,
And I’ll toast your bright eyes, my sweetheart fair.
~Minna Thomas Antrim, "A Night Cap," A Book of Toasts, 1902

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 Link to your reviews: Please link to your specific book review post and not your general blog link. In the Your Name field, type in your name and the name of the book in parenthesis. In the Your URL field leave a link to your specific post. If you don't have a blog, tell us about the books you are reading in the comment section of this post. 

2015 read 52 Books in 52 Weeks

2015 Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks

Are you ready for another round of Reading 52 books in 52 Weeks? Whether you are just joining in or continuing on for another round, the rules are very simple. The goal is to read one book (at least) a week for 52 weeks. Make the year easy and casual or kick it up by exploring new to you authors and genres. Challenge yourself to read at least some classics or delve into that chunkster (more than 500 pages) you always wanted to tackle. Do you have books gathering dust on the shelves just waiting to be read? Then now is the time. The goal is to read 52 books. How you get there is up to you. 

I have included several mini challenges to amp up the fun -

A to Z Challenge:  Challenge yourself to read books alphabetically by Title and/or by Author.  Have fun searching out those difficult letters.

Dusty Mini challenge: Limit buying new books for 1 - 4 months and/or read 4 to 12 or more books gathering dust on your shelves prior to 2015. 
 
Chunky Mini Challenge -books more than 500 pages.

Read Around the World:  Read books set in and/or written by an author of a different country each week.  Hang out in one country, exploring their history and culture or strike out across the world, mixing and mingling.  It's entirely up to you how fast and how far and how many books you want to read.  Have fun exploring! 

Well Educated Mind:  Continuing exploring the classics in 5 categories: Fiction, Autobiography, History/Politics, Drama and Poetry.  

We have Monthly Themes to keep it exciting from January Junkets reading translated books to cunning and conniving Machiavellian May to Ominious October's spooktaculars. 

Plus we'll be doing a readalong of Susan Wise Bauer's History of the Medieval World.  

The mini, weekly and monthly challenges are optional, Mix it up anyway you like.

1. The challenge will run from January 1, 2015 through December 31, 2015. 
2. Our book weeks begin on Sunday. 
3. Participants may join at any time. 
4. All books are acceptable except children books. 
5. All forms of books are acceptable including e-books, audio books, etc. 
6. Re-reads are acceptable as long as they are read after January 1, 2015. 
7. Books may overlap other challenges. 
8. Create an entry post linking to this blog. 
9. Sign up with Mr. Linky in the "I'm participating post" below this post. 
10. You don't need a blog to participate. Post your weekly book in the comments section of each weekly post. 
11. Mr. Linky will be added to the bottom of the weekly post to link to reviews of your most current reads.

 

I'm participating in 2015

I'm participating in 2015

BW51: Armchair Traveling through the 21st Century and Beyond

Our armchair travels this year have taken us around the world and through the centuries from the twelfth to the present and into the future.  My mind voyage through the years has been interesting and intriguing, although there are a few books I never quite managed to read.  Time and time again (forgive the pun) I had the "eyes are bigger than my stomach" syndrome, courtesy of the wonderful world of ebooks.  Don't know sometimes whether e-books are a pleasure or a curse, since it is so easy to impulse shop. 

My stacks, both physical and electronic,  are full of a variety of genres from historical to British mystery to classics to thrillers to paranormal, science fiction and fantasy from all time periods.  Which is why I'll probably be doing a book buying ban at the beginning of the new year and plowing through my shelves with a read my own books challenge.  That is until I get the book buying blues and race down to my local Barnes and Noble for a book fix.  *grin*

In the past 14 years, we've seen the popularity of very graphic, young adult novels such as The Hunger Games series, and Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series.   The rise of availability of translated novels thanks to such small press publishers such as Archipelago books, and the demand for comic books and graphic novels.  I've discovered quite a few new to me urban fantasy and paranormal series thanks to Literary Escapism and other book bloggers.  There has been a resurgence of interest in classic novels thanks to university presses like Harvard University Press and availability of classics through publishers such as Penguin Classics.

We have so many resources at our fingertips now, it's mind boggling.   Which is why I love Nancy Pearl and her Book Lust series - Book Lust, More Book Lust and Book Lust to Go.  And I have so much fun scouring Goodreads lists - eclectic and interesting.

Next week we'll do a wrap up of our 2014 year of reading  (remember week 52 will take us from the 21st through the 31st)  and then we'll be ready to do it all over again.  I'll be posting I'm participating in 2014 mr linky in the next few days for those who are ready to commit to another round of read 52 books in 52 weeks. 

Happy Reading! 

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Link to your reviews: Please link to your specific book review post and not your general blog link. In the Your Name field, type in your name and the name of the book in parenthesis. In the Your URL field leave a link to your specific post. If you don't have a blog, tell us about the books you are reading in the comment section of this post. 

BW50: Best Books of 2014

We have three and half weeks left in the year and I have been perusing all the Best Books of 2014 lists.  Scratching my head wondering what universe I'm living in.  Although I may have read books by the authors mentioned,  I haven't read any of the books on the lists.   Hmm!  More books to add to my wishlists.  *grin*   Since it is time to start thinking about next year, thought I'd spark your appetites and pocketbooks with The Best Of Lists.

Wall Street Journal's compilation of Best Books

The Economists Books of the Year

Publisher Weekly's Best

The Telegraph's Best Of

Goodreads Best Books of 2104

Amazon's Best Books of 2014

Have fun!!!!!!

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Link to your reviews: Please link to your specific book review post and not your general blog link. In the Your Name field, type in your name and the name of the book in parenthesis. In the Your URL field leave a link to your specific post. If you don't have a blog, tell us about the books you are reading in the comment section of this post.