Reading Challenges 2013

After my less than stellar performance in my 2011 reading challenges, I decided to cut back in 2012 and only chose three. I did create my own 'Magazine Reading Challenge' that I pretty much ignored, but I plan to try it again this year, and will update the post shortly.

But the three I signed up for? I completed all of them easily. When setting myself the reading challenges last year, I think I lost sight of the operative word.

Challenge.

It strikes me that maybe it wasn't so bad that I tried and failed three challenges in 2011. I completed 2012's challenges almost effortlessly - they weren't really challenges at all.

With this in mind, I am signing up for a few more challenges this year. I'm not going overboard - I've decided to focus on getting my TBR pile down above all else - but I want to have more fun with my reading.

As usual, I found all the challenges through the A Novel Challenge directory.

Books read for this challenge so far:

1. I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You, by Ally Carter

2. Spellbound, by Cara Lynn Shultz

3. Pushing the Limits, by Katie McGarry

4. St Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves, by Karen Russell

5. Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City, by Kirsten Miller

6. Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi

7. Milk, Sulphate, and Alby Starvation, by Martin Millar (review forthcoming)
8. The New Girl, by Emily Perkins (review forthcoming)
9. Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson (review forthcoming)

I'm signing up for Mt. Vancouver - and aiming to read 36 books. That's three more books than I read in total this year! Will I make this goal? WHO KNOWS. But I'm going to try.

And to that end, I'm also signing up for...

I read for this challenge:

1. I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You, by Ally Carter

2. Spellbound, by Cara Lynn Shultz

I'm giving myself one exception - long-awaited review copies - but otherwise, this is it. I'm only allowed to read books that I owned before January 1st 2013, until April Fool's Day. GULP.

Books read for this challenge so far:

8. Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi (Memoir)

I have quite a few non-fiction books on my TBR that I was really excited about getting when I bought them or got them from the library, but have yet to get around to reading. I'm aiming for the lowest level, 'Geek', as I can't see myself managing more than four non-fiction books! Even two would be more than I've managed for the last few years!

Books read for this challenge so far:

1. I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You, by Ally Carter

2. Small Change, by Miriam Nash (poetry, by a friend, not sure I can review, link goes to publisher instead)

3. Vampire Kisses: Blood Relatives, Vol 1, by Ellen Schreiber (tiny manga, don't feel like reviewing it)

4. Spellbound, by Cara Lynn Shultz

5. Pushing the Limits, by Katie McGarry

6. The Secret of Ella and Micha, by Jessica Sorensen

7. St Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves, by Karen Russell

8. Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins

9. Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City, by Kirsten Miller

10. Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi

11. Milk, Sulphate, and Alby Starvation, by Martin Millar (review forthcoming)
12. The New Girl, by Emily Perkins (review forthcoming)
13. Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson (review forthcoming)

This year I only read 33 books. Which is an improvement on last year. But still. I want to read more. Many more. I'm going for the top level - I’m on fire! - which means that I need to read at least 49 books.

Artwork used (with permission) for this button is Anglerfish by Vlad Gerasimov.

Books read for this challenge so far:
 1. I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You, by Ally Carter
2. Spellbound, by Cara Lynn Shultz
3. Pushing the Limits, by Katie McGarry
4. The Secret of Ella and Micha, by Jessica Sorensen
5. St Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves, by Karen Russell

6. Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City, by Kirsten Miller

7. Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi
8. The New Girl, by Emily Perkins (review forthcoming)
9. Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson (review forthcoming)

This is my third go at the New Author Challenge. It's a pretty low-pressure challenge, there's only one link-up for the whole year. I'm only going to pick 15 new authors as my basic goal, though I might change it later on. This is because I want to read lots of sequels this year! Which brings me to...

Books read for this challenge so far:

1. Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins

I'm aiming to read ten sequels. This is definitely going to be a challenge! I hardly ever seem to get around to reading them, though I did manage five last year.

And apart from the Magazine Reading Challenge, that's it! It seems like a lot, but I'm hopeful. Have you signed up for any reading challenges this year? How do you feel about them in general?