I hereby commit myself to the following reading challenges in the year 2011:
The 2011 Aussie Author Challenge hosted by Booklover Book Reviews. 
I will be a TOURIST and read 3 books which are unknown to me at this time.
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The Kiwi YA Challenge hosted by Maree at Just Add Books. I will read three books which is the requirement for the lowest level.
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The Murakami Challenge hosted by Nat at In Spring It Is the Dawn. The button here will take you directly to the site for the challenge: 
Maree and I will be reading The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, no time frame figured out yet but others are invited to read along.
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I’m IN for the What’s in a Name 4 Challenge – love this one! 
I’ve selected Think of a Number by John Verdon for the NUMBER category, Cat in a Diamond Dazzleby Carole Nelson Douglas for GEM, An Abundance of Katherines by John Green for SIZE, Dead Man Walking for MOVEMENT, Killer Angels for EVIL, and my **true** challenge since I’m tried once will be Midnight’s Children for LIFE STAGE. Always fun.
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The CARE Personal Challenge (perhaps I should reverse that and call it the Personal Care Challenge? hee hee) where I focus on books that I keep saying I want to read and yet just haven’t. I will commit to reading the book that has been on my in-house tbr shelf the longest: The Exotic Works of D.H. Lawrence. I will finally read something by Rosy Thornton, as well as a novel by Thomas Hardy. And I forget what else at this time, but I know I have more. Yes! Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried. (If I have commented such at your blog, pls remind me?) I will create and update my challenge page soon.
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I will continue the John Cusack (now) PERPETUAL Challenge and again, invite anyone to join me for any/all of these:
In house and scored off bookmooch.com: Bob Dylan’s Chronicles : Vol One & The Great Thoughts / compiled by Geo Seldes (this isn’t actually a ‘story’, btw. More reference?)
Still need to get:
The Shock Doctrine – Naomi Klein
Tropic of Cancer – Henry Miller
Rites of Spring – Modris Eksteins
And, what else? I’m sure I’ll do RIP again in the Fall. I hope to do more readalongs, too. How about you? A big year for challenges or are you saying NO?
Part 2 will list any more challenges I sign up for. I’m sure there are more I can’t think of yet or I have yet to discover.
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HIdeinWhitetoSkipLine
I have already joined four challenges which is quite a lot for me, but as I have most of the books on my TBR, I hope I´ll do okay. I am in Beth´s wonderful “What´s in a Name” challenge like you, and I chuckled when I saw “Dead Man Walking” for movement
Merry Christmas, by the way. (This is my first proper blog round since the 23th)
and a Happy New Year to you Dorte! I will follow your WIAN4 posts and cheer you on.
I do feel bad that I failed your Geography challenge (that post up soon)
Good luck!! I’m keeping myself real low on challenges this year.
And what’s really important is that you read and enjoy it all! You’ll be fine. You are one of my most admired ‘readers’.
Great list of challenges! I love challenges too.
I know, so fun! I love picking books and … and, well… and that feeling of accomplishment? Mostly I like finding books that I don’t think I would ever have gotten to – THAT is why I like challenges.
Good luck with your challenges. I’ve just got a few but I plan on many read alongs!
I didn’t do as many readalongs as I had hoped in 2010. I really need to be on the lookout for some this coming year.
Good luck with all of those! An Abundance of Katherines and The Things They Carried are both personal favorites of mine. I’m not doing challenges, this year, apart from personally challenging myself to start emptying shelves, one at a time. I’ve got some Aussie books I haven’t read. Maybe I’ll plunk one on that first shelf. I’m kind of mixing it up for my first batch, making sure there’s enough variety to keep me going.
BTW, I just discovered your Christmas card (the only one I managed to put a stamp on) is still on my table. Eeks. I guess it’ll be a Merry New Year’s Card?
Just knowing that you are thinking of me makes me smile – you are a good true friend.
I don’t have any Aussie books and felt I must change that. In fact, I can’t think of but one that I’ve ever read.
I’ve told myself NO challenges in 2011 (readalongs are another story)…but Murakami? *sigh* That’s tempting.
Then READALONG the WindUpBird with us in June! Besides, I need to figure out how to do a successful readalong and you are a pro.
I was trying to say no to readathons but then I volunteered to host the Graphic Novel challenge, so I guess I’m in!
As usual, I have a year of tons of challenges ahead of me. Good luck on yours.
GOOD FOR YOU! I did poorly on my goal to read more GNs but I did read one that made your TOPS list: Blankets. It WAS good.
First, I LOVE your dog-Xmas picture in your previous post. Just wonderful! Hugs to those happy fellows!
As for book challenges, you continue to be an inspiration. I don’t dare sign up for any; I’m trying to juggle work and writing and sneak in that famous 10-minutes-of-reading-before-falling-asleep – not the best way to do challenges! But I’ll stay in touch to see what you’re thinking and what you’ve discovered and jot down titles to search out at the library – so consider yourself a “challenge success” already since you have this follower!
Happy New Year to you and yours!
First, thanks for commenting on how cute the pups are. She’s requiring my full attention this week – I slipped and gave her a bit too much freedom and yesterday she ate (yes, ATE!) a glass ball xmas ornament off the tree. She had ignored the tree for 3 weeks!
Anyway, you keep writing and journaling and sharing your thoughts I’ll be over to visit you today.
challenges make my brain hurt sometimes but i did join one. i usually end up reading enough to complete several, as i’m sure do you, but all that recordkeeping and goal setting gives me headaches
I do understand why challenges can hurt – I avoided them my first year of blogging, attempted and felt like a failure the second year, finally recognized that the attempt IS the success and got over it this last year and am diving in full again! I do agree with the record-keeping CHORE of it sometimes. I am really not good at posting revs at the challenge website so I really do it for ME, anyway.
Welcome to the Aussie Author Challenge! Look forward to sharing reviews with you.
I’m going to check out some of those other challenges you’ve signed up for… great mix there!
Thank you! I can’t wait to look at the lists you provided.
*\o/* Yay you’re doing my challenge!!!
The Murakami readalong is going to be fun!
I am still deciding which challenges I will participate in 2011. I am impressed with your ambitions. I feel so behind and unorganized with wrapping up the 2010 challenges and starting a new in the new year. Anyway, Happy New YEAR! I love that the world of blogging brought us together and I hope to see you again in 2011.