2014 Challenges: Books or Otherwise

My theme for 2014 is The Year of Magical Storytelling. Last year it was "The Year of Awesome Books" but... it stopped turning awesome when I started taking on too much books that I didn't set out to read. My goal this year is to read interesting stories I enjoy and those that are based on what I consider "magical storytelling" to be. For my challenges I plan to read genre, blogosphere, and personal challenges.

Genre Challenges:

Classics

Goal: 12 books

I feel like I haven't given classics a chance. I keep on saying I don't like them but I've been surprised by a couple of them so I want to read some next year to finally determine if I've been right or wrong this whole time. 

This January there will be an event specifically for children's classics I will be participating in as well as The Wizard of Oz Readalong. My goal is to read 3 classic children's literature. Here is some info on the event from the host at Simpler Pastimes:

Last January, I read a couple children’s classics. It was fun, but I didn’t read nearly enough. The only solution to that problem is to try again, so I’m hosting the Classic Children’s Literature Event again in 2014. (Last year, I called it a “challenge,” but that sounds like too much pressure, so I’m claiming executive privilege and renaming it.) Even if no one else is, me, myself, and I are very much looking forward to it! In fact, I may well find myself starting in December…

Of course, what’s an event without a RAL title? I’ve been thinking for a long while about rereading The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. First published in 1900, it’s over 100 years old–and the movie version turned 75 this year. Sounds like my reread is long overdue. If you’ve never read it, why not? It’s about time!

During the month of January, read as many Children’s Classics as you wish and post about them on your blog and/or leave a comment on the event page on this blog. I will have a link page starting the first of the year to gather posts so that we may share as we go.

The optional RAL title: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. I plan on discussion the weekend of January 24-26.

I’m not going to be the “children’s classics” police. Use your own judgement for what fits the category but if you want some guidelines, these are what I’m going by:

I think many of us have read more recent children’s books that we may already deem “classics” (for example, many people feel that way about the Harry Potter books), but for this event, I’d prefer if we read books that were written prior to 1963. This will still allow a lot of options, and will hopefully avoid the “but what is a classic” dilemma! (And yes, 1963 is rather arbitrary. Rebel if you wish, but 50 years old seems a good age.)

Defining “children’s,” especially prior to 1900 or so can be a challenge as some books we think of as “children’s” today may not have been intended that way at the time. Personally, I’d say books appropriate for approximately an elementary-school aged child or preteen (to read or to have read to them) should be fine. I’d personally also count the various fairy tales, even though some of the earliest versions were not exactly family friendly.

Picture Books

Goal: 40 books

If you know me you know I enjoy reading a good picture book. I don't know what it is. No, I don't have kids or anything but why can't I read picture books? They are still books so I want to make sure I read a good amount of them next year.

Blogosphere Challenges:

I Eat Easy for Breakfast 20+

Hosted at The Nighttime Novelist

Link at the end of the month

Some Info on the Challenge from the Host:

The challenge will run from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2014. 

Each retelling read MUST be reviewed in some way. In the comments section of my monthly wrap-up post, you can link up your own reviews as well.

Novel-length (150+ pages) fiction only

No more than 2 re-reads

Retellings can be anything from a contemporary version of a Shakespeare play to an interpretation of Sleeping Beauty. As long as there is evidence it is a retelling of some kind, it will most likely count. But you can’t just start reading a random book and go, “Oh! This sort of reminds me of blankety-blank.” There must be some sort of statement that this is based on a prior work.

The retelling can have an oral origin. Not all legends/myths were traditionally written down, but if it’s a legitimate story, it works. For example, most Native American folklore was not written, but a retelling of some Iroquois tale is perfectly valid.

Examples of Retellings

Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan

Splintered by A. G. Howard

Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

Beastly by Alex Flinn

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Living in the Past +16 books

Hosted at My Readers Block

Link up reviews whenever

Some Info on the Challenge from the Host:

For those of you who love to revisit old friends in the book world, I present a brand new My Reader's Block Challenge--The Read It Again, Sam Challenge.  Every year it seems like I wind up re-reading a few books just because I have a perfect old favorite that will fit right into one of my other challenges.  So...because I love challenges and I love making my books fit into a challenge...here we go.

Everyone who completes their challenge level will be entered in a year-end drawing for a book-related prize package.

11-20 A Friendly Hug

Hosted by Bookish

Link reviews whenever

Giveaway/Mini Challenges on 20th of each month

Some Info on the Challenge from the Host:

We all have those books. We buy them, win them, they're gifted to us.. Then we put them up on a bookshelf and there they stay, collecting dust, waiting for the time when we'll finally decide to pick them up..

Join us on a quest to dust off your TBR Pile and read all the books you've been telling yourself you'll read next time you'll get a chance.. This is your chance! And we've got PRIZES!!! :D

Only books released in 2013 and earlier! NO  2014 ARCs and 2014 fresh-off-the-press releases allowed!

You can move up levels, but no moving down.

On the 20th of each month we will post a wrap-up post, here, on BOOKISH. Every wrap-up will have it's unique theme, a mini-challenge, a giveaway and place for you to link up your reviews from this month. For each review you link up, you will get one entry in a drawing of one book of choice from Book Depository. It's open to INTERNATIONALS. The giveaway will be open until the next wrap up post goes up! (i.e. the entire month)

If you miss a wrap-up post + giveaway, you can link up your reviews next month. Do not, however, try to link up one review twice - we will be checking ;) 

December is a wrap-up for the whole year. All the book reviews you linked up January-November + the ones you'll link up in December will be entered into a GRAND PRIZE giveaway. 

You don't have to follow Bookish Blog to join the challenge, but you do have to follow us to be entered in giveaways!

Gold Badge - 7-11 series

Hosted by Read. Sleep. Repeat.

Link reviews once a month

Series I Want to Read:

• Kane Chronicles
• Withern Rise
• Matched
• Divergent
• Half Upon a Time
• The Chemical Garden
• Delirium 

P.S. There might be changes on what series I read but I do plan on reading at least 7 different ones.

Some Info on the Challenge from the Host:

How many of you have started a series, loved it and for some reason never continued? Who here is sick and tired of getting the judgey face because you haven’t read “that” series yet? How often have you said “I really want to read that series!” only to not even glance at it in the bookstore? By a show of hands how many of you have added an entire series to your Goodreads TBR shelf more than 3 months ago and STILL haven’t started yet?! The 2014 Series Challenge is your chance to take all those empty promises and make them real. This is a challenge for YOU, so you’ll set your pace and decide what you will read but I do have a few guidelines:

You have to FINISH the series

If the series isn’t complete yet, or will not be completed before December 1st, 2014 read up to the most recent book in said series.

Novellas count, but are optional. If you decide to break up with a series after book one, it does not count! You do not have to START the series in 2014, you just have to FINISH it in 2014. Series that you started prior to 2014 are fine as long as you FINISH the series in 2014. The series has to have at least 2 books out prior to December 1st, 2014. DNF’s do not count. PERIOD.

7th Annual Graphic Novel & Manga Challenge

Modern Age -12 books

Hosted at Graphic Novel Challenge

Link reviews up whenever

Some Info on the Challenge from the Host:

It's time to start signing up for the 2014 challenge now.  Trying to keep things simple this year.  Only change is we will have 3 levels of play this year.  Please write a sign-up post on your blog and then sign-up below with a link to your specific sign-up post (NOT to your home page).  

What counts:  graphic novels, collected trade editions, manga, comic strip collections, comic books. In print or digital. Anything else you feel is suitable.  My criteria is if it has either frames OR speech bubbles it counts.  I'm not going to be the comic police but if you are unsure, ask me in the comments any given month.

Personal Challenges:

Run a 10k:

For this personal challenge my goal is to run on the treadmill for 6.2 miles which is a 10k. Even if I walk a little in between I want to be able to do it all in one consecutive time. I found this old 2013 running challenge about half a mile each month and eventually getting up to a 12k at the end of the year. So I will basically be doing that same concept. Running half a mile more each month doesn't sound so bad but when you get up to 2, 3 miles... that's going to get hard. So that's why I wanted to share this challenge with you all so you can keep me honest.

Cooking 101:

For this personal challenge I really want to get into cooking this year. I'm not a cook but I feel as I am growing up I need to be more independent and learn some new things especially something like cooking because it's vital to be able to feed yourself. So the goal is to cook at least 15 different recipes. That way I know how to make different varieties of food and I plan to cook the recipes multiple times throughout the year so I actually get the hang of cooking by myself.

The Drawing Challenge:

For this personal challenge I want to draw at least 50 things. I love drawing for fun and I've really neglected my love for it so I really want to get back into it. I won't be showing anything... It's something just for me. 

Getting Crafty:

For this personal challenge I want to do a couple of crafts. I've never really done anything crafty but I've recently discovered amigurumi's and I love the idea of crocheting animals and scarves and other wonderful things. So my goal is to make at least 5 things. I might want to do origami too or other crafty things I discover I would like to do. I MIGHT share my crafts. I haven't decided yet... 

What challenges or resolutions are YOU doing next year?