Signing up for 2014 Challenges!

This year I’m only joining 3 challenges. I had browsed through the Novel Challenges blog many times and found quite a few that really intrigued me. However, I’m wanting to really focus on reading this year rather than trying to find books that fit categories. So I only decided on three; two of which I have participated in before and one new-to-me one.

So I’m officially signing up for:

This one is one of my favorites but I have yet to complete it. Maybe this year will be the year?! One can hope. Although I know that romantic comedy, alternate history, graphic novel and anthology are all going to give me problems… Here’s the categories:

1. Award Winning
2. True Crime (Non Fiction)
3. Romantic Comedy
4. Alternate History Fiction
5. Graphic Novel
6. Cosy Mystery Fiction
7. Gothic Fiction
8. War/Military Fiction
9. Anthology
10. Medical Thriller Fiction
11. Travel (Non Fiction)
12. Published in 2014

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This one is new-to-me, even though it’s been around for a few years. I’ve always been a little intimidated because you have to make a list and stick to it. Those types of challenges always make me nervous, but I wanted to try that this year because there are a few books that I need to get off my shelves, it’s getting kind of ridiculous how many books have been there for years. The rules are simple, you pick 12 books (and 2 alternates) that have been on your shelves or your TBR “list” for at least 1 full year. That means no books published before 1/1/13. Easy enough for me, lol. I went through and picked out a few books that have been on my shelves for the longest as well as some new series books that I want to try out. Here’s my list (in no particular order):

1. The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl (which has been on my shelf since 2007, no joke)
2. A Time to Kill by John Grisham
3. The Hostage by W.E.B. Griffin
4. The Hunt for Atlantis by Andy McDermott
5. New York Dead by Stuart Woods
6. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
7. Relic by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child
8. Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
9. Trunk Music by Michael Connelly
10. Killing Floor by Lee Child
11. The Paris Vendetta by Steve Berry
12. Bye Bye, Baby by Max Allan Collins

Alternates:

1. Mallory’s Oracle by Carol O’Connell
2. McNally’s Secret by Lawrence Sanders

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I was excited to see that someone took this one over after Beth Fish Reads announced she wanted to pass it along to someone else. I’ve participated in this one about 4 times since its inception with Annie and thoroughly enjoy it, even though I didn’t finish it in 2013, I have high hopes that I can finish it in 2014! Here’s the categories:

• A reference to time (Eleven Minutes, Before Ever After)
• A position of royalty (The People’s Queen, The Last Empress, The Curse Of The Pharaoh)
• A number written in letters (The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, A Tale Of Two Cities)
• A forename or names (Rebecca, Eleanor & Park, The Unfinished Work Of Elizabeth D.)
• A type or element of weather (Gone With The Wind, Red Earth Pouring Rain)