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

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



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



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!

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