2021 World War II Challenge

J. Howard Miller 1918-2004, artwork details on wikimedia commons

 

2021 World War II Challenge
Host: Becky's Book Reviews (sign up here)
Dates: January - December 2021
Goals: Read, Watch, Listen, Share WWII related stuff

Books

• Fiction published during 1939-1945
• Fiction set during 1939-1945
• Fiction that is about the leading up to the war
• Fiction that is about the direct aftermath of the war
• Nonfiction books about the War
• Biographies or Autobiographies with sections about the war
  
• Poetry or verse novels with a WWII setting OR publication date
• Essays, Articles, Op-Ed pieces
  
• historical-historical (straight up historical with no sub-genres)
• historical romance
• historical mysteries
• historical coming-of-age
• historical thrillers/suspense/spy novels

Music

• 1940 POP Hits Chronology January to December  
• 1941 Pop Hits Chronology January to December
• 1942 Pop Hits Chronology January to December
• 1943 Pop Hits Chronology January to December
• 1944 Pop Hits Chronology January to December
• 1945 Pop Hits Chronology January to December

• 1939 Hits Archive (alphabetically by song title) (alphabetically by artist)
• 1940 Hits Archive (alphabetically by song title) (alphabetically by artist)
• 1941 Hits Archive (alphabetically by song title) (alphabetically by artist)
• 1942 Hits Archive (alphabetically by song title) (alphabetically by artist)
• 1943 Hits Archive (alphabetically by song title) (alphabetically by artist)
• 1944 Hits Archive (alphabetically by song title) (alphabetically by artist)
• 1945 Hits Archive (alphabetically by song title) (alphabetically by artist)
• bonus years 1938 Hits Archive (alphabetically by song title) (alphabetically by artist), 1946 Hits Archive (alphabetically by song title) (alphabetically by artist)

Films and documentaries

• any film made/released during 1939-1945
• any film set during the war 
• any documentary about the war
  

 Sign up by leaving a comment. I will do my best to remember that blogger is totally and completely unreliable and wonky when it comes to actually notifying me when a comment is left so that I approve all legitimate comments. 

If you would like check-in posts throughout the year, please mention it in your sign up comment. If you are neutral or don't like checking-back-in mention that too, if you don't mind. I'll do what most want--or try to remember to do so. Let's be honest, intentions at the start of the year don't always stick.

© 2020 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

2020 Picture Book Reading Challenge

Host: Becky's Book Reviews (sign up here)
Duration: January 2020 - December 2020
Goal: To have adults read more picture books. To celebrate the fact that picture books are for everyone! Families are, of course, welcome to join in!
# of books: minimum of 12 (or 24)

I. Read one picture book (or board book, or early reader) per month for a total of twelve by the end of the year.

II.  Level two is, I hope, a fun twist to the challenge. Read two books that share a theme. One book representing "then" and one book representing "now." Then and now are subjective terms certainly. Depending on one's own age, life experiences, and reading habits. But there should be around a twenty year gap (or more) between the "then" and "now" books.

I have a list of suggested themes, but, by all means feel free to come up with your own!

Suggested themes:
alphabet books
counting books
shapes
colors
first word dictionaries
Caldecott Honors
Caldecott Winners
pets
bedtime
lullabies
songs
meal time
bath time
new sibling(s)
siblings
new experiences/first experiences
animal fantasy (animals as main characters instead of humans)
life on the farm
life in the city
trips and travels
grandparents
parents
friendship
feelings
sharing
kindness
toys
folk tales
fairy tales
Mother Goose
poetry collections
wordless picture books
joke/riddle books
school
books about books/books about storytelling
spring
summer
winter
fall
holidays
characters from TV, movies, games, etc.
golden books
series books

How was the subject treated then? How is it treated now? Were there any similarities in the two books that you read? Were there any differences? How well did your "then" book age? Is it dated or still relevant? Do you think your "now" book will age well? Could it become a classic? Which did you prefer? Which would you recommend to an actual child?

If you have a blog, write a post reviewing both books...OR...write a post comparing the two and linking to your reviews. If you don't have a blog, then you can share your thoughts in a comment on one of the check-in posts.

Sign up by leaving a comment. 

© 2019 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

2020 Georgian Reading Challenge

Georgian Reading Challenge
Host: Becky's Book Reviews (sign up here)
Duration: December 1, 2019 - December 31, 2020
# of books: minimum 4

What counts:

• Novels, poems, plays, short stories, novellas, letters, diaries, essays, nonfiction published in Great Britain (or its colonies) during the Georgian era. (1714-1837) or (1714-1830)
• Nonfiction books published about the Georgian era. Including, of course, biographies on the royal family. 
• Historical fiction set during the Georgian era. 
• Books, e-books, audio books.  
• Movies and television series set during this period--if you review them--can count. But try to keep things balanced.

You may make a list if you want to plan ahead...or read according to your whimsy.

Sign up by leaving a comment. No blog is required--no review either. But if you do have a blog, I'd love a link to it. Same with GoodReads if that is where you review books. (Comment moderation is turned on.)

You may follow me on twitter @blbooks.

© 2019 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

2020 Middle Grade Reading Challenge

Girl reading a book by Federico Zandomeneghi

Host: Becky's Book Reviews (sign up)
Duration: January - December 2020
# of books: minimum 12

Level One: Read ANY twelve books throughout the year.
Level Two: Themed Then and Now Pairs (minimum 6 pairs, or twelve books)

Sign up for either (or both) by leaving a comment.

Level one is self-explanatory. Any means ANY. If a book qualifies as being for a middle grade audience, then it qualifies as ANY. Fiction. Nonfiction. Graphic novels. Poetry. What is a middle grade audience? There's a younger range and an older range within middle grade. Certainly there are distinctions between books published for twelve year olds and books published for eight year olds. But essentially think books for mid-to-upper elementary schools and/or lower middle schools.

Level two is, I hope, a fun twist to the challenge. Read two books that share a theme. One book representing "then" and one book representing "now." Then and now are subjective terms certainly. Depending on one's own age, life experiences, and reading habits. But there should be around a twenty year gap (or more) between the "then" and "now" books. For example, you might compare CLEMENTINE by Sara Pennypacker to RAMONA THE PEST by Beverly Cleary.

I have a list of suggested themes, but, by all means feel free to come up with your own!

Suggested themes:

Newbery Winners
Newbery Honors
Coming of age novels
Problem novels
Death/Dying/Grief
Friendship
Family/Dysfunctional Family
Series books
Fantasy
Animal Fantasy
Pets
Orphans
Action/Adventure
Science Fiction/Dystopias
Ghost Stories
Sports
Mysteries
Young Love/First Romance
First Job(s)
Historical Fiction
War
Rural setting
Urban setting
School setting
Summer
Characters from TV, movies, games, etc.
New Experiences
Nonfiction
British Authors
American Authors
Australian Authors
Canadian Authors

How was the subject treated then? How is it treated now? Were there any similarities in the two books that you read? Were there any differences? How well did your "then" book age? Is it dated or still relevant? Do you think your "now" book will age well? Could it become a classic? Which did you prefer? Which would you recommend to an actual child?

If you have a blog, write a post reviewing both books...OR...write a post comparing the two and linking to your reviews. If you don't have a blog, then you can share your thoughts in a comment on one of the check-in posts.



© 2019 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

2020 Victorian Reading Challenge

Victorian Reading Challenge
Host: Becky's Book Reviews (sign up here)
Duration: January - December 2020
Goal: Read between 4 to 6 Books (4 minimum)

Choose to participate in the basic challenge (quarterly) or the advanced challenge (themed months). All books must fall into the "Victorian" category being either a) books originally published between 1837 and 1901 b) books originally written (but not published) between 1837 and 1901 c) general nonfiction about the Victorian era (the times, the culture, the people, the events) d) biographies of Victorians.

Sign up by leaving a comment.

I. Quarterly Victorian Challenge; Check-Ins will be posted at the end of each quarter so you can share your progress.

Read ONE book between January 1, 2020 and March 31, 2020
Read ONE book between April 1, 2020 and June 30, 2020
Read ONE book between July 1, 2020 and September 30, 2020
Read ONE book between October 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020


II. There will be ELEVEN themed monthly posts. (And ONE Super-Bonus Theme that will cover all twelve months). You can sign up for this level of the challenge and not "have" to participate every month. The goal is to read at least four to six books throughout the whole year. It is also more important to finish your current book than start a new theme. So if a new month comes and you're still halfway through your book...finish your book...and don't worry about keeping up with that month's theme. I will post check-ins throughout the year.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY: The theme is JOURNEYS and TRAVELS. Read any book where a character goes on ANY journey. (For example, Pickwick Papers, Three Men in a Boat, Jane Eyre, Can You Forgive Her?, Great Expectations, Treasure Island, Alice in Wonderland, etc.) The journey does not have to be a grand adventure or luxurious vacation.

FEBRUARY/MARCH: The theme is LOVE and MARRIAGE. Read any book where characters fall in love, or fall out of love, or court, or become engaged, or get married. It doesn't have to be an epic romance with a happily ever after. (Though it can!)

MARCH/APRIL: The theme is SECOND CHANCES. Give an author a second chance. Give a book a second chance. Give a genre a second chance.

APRIL/MAY: The theme is NAMES AS TITLES. Read any book where a proper name (a person, a place, etc) is the title of the book.

MAY/JUNE: The theme is LONG TITLE OR LONG SUB-TITLES. Victorians could be RIDICULOUS and a bit over-the-top with the titles and subtitles of their books. Choose to read one with a long/longer title and/or subtitle.

JUNE/JULY: The theme is ADAPTATIONS. Read any book that has been adapted into a movie, miniseries, or television show. OR read any book that you think SHOULD be adapted into a movie. If you choose that option you can even make a case for WHO should star in it.

JULY/AUGUST: The theme is FAVORITE AUTHORS, NEW-TO-ME Books. Choose a favorite author and read a book by him/her that you've never read before.

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER: The theme is BACK TO SCHOOL. Read (or reread) any book that you were assigned to read in school or university. OR Read any book where a character's education is emphasized (Great Expectations, Nicholas Nickleby, Jane Eyre, etc.) OR Read any book that you think SHOULD be required reading for high school or university.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER: The theme is CRIME OR TRUE CRIME. Thrillers. Mysteries. Suspense. Horror. GOTHIC. This would be a great place to fit in general nonfiction about the Victorian era. Some great true crime books have been published.

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER: The theme is HOME AND FAMILY. Read any book with a focus on family life and relationships between family members. (The relationships do not have to be healthy.)

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER: The theme is COMFORT READS. Reread a book (of any length) that just makes you HAPPY.

January Through December: The super-bonus theme is BEARDED VICTORIANS. I've listed a few examples below.

Charles Dickens

Anthony Trollope

Wilkie Collins

George MacDonald

© 2019 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

2015 Genre Decades Reading Challenge

I'm excited to host the Genre Decades Reading Challenge. Here's how it works:

1) Choose a decade. I'd recommend starting with one. If you finish you can always come back for another! You will be reading TEN books. One book for each year of the decade you choose. You may choose to sign up for more than one decade from the start. But it's ten books per decade you choose. So it would be committing to twenty books if you choose two.

2) Choose your genre. Or genres. You may choose up to five genres for a single decade. (Two books per genre.) It is up to you if you want a single genre or multiple genres. Genre is different from audience. So if you choose fantasy, you may read fantasy for children, young adults, or adults. But "young adult" is not in and of itself a genre. You can definitely make this challenge your own. For example:

• sci-fi from the seventies
• fantasy from the eighties
• historical fiction from the thirties
• mysteries from the fifties
• romances from the forties
• paranormal from the nineties

3) If you want to make the challenge more difficult, you might consider reading one book per genre per year of your decade. So minimum of ten books, maximum of fifty.

4) Up to five rereads are allowed per decade. I love to reread I do. But part of a challenge is to discover new books and new authors.

5) Reviews are not required. But. They are fun to read! So if you do blog your reviews, you may share links. You may give updates on your progress by leaving comments if you do not have a blog. Definitely let me know when you finish the challenge. I'd love to see your finished list.

6) Sign up in the comments on this post.

ETA (January):
*While I prefer participants to read books from ten different years, I am not horribly strict. So if you are having a difficult time finding one or two years for your decade, for example, feel free to read two more books from any year in that decade so you can complete the challenge.
* As for sharing review links--not a requirement, by the way--you may either add links and titles to your sign-up post--So that there are working links to all the reviews in one convenient post. OR you may leave review links in the comment of this post.

© 2014 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Victorian Bingo Challenge (Sign up)

The Two Sisters, 1889, Pierre-Auguste Renoir

I'm excited to host the Victorian Reading Challenge for 2015! I hope you'll join me if you love Victorian literature! This year will be a little different from previous years. I think it will be a fun change! I'm offering two options: a 2015 challenge and a perpetual challenge. Let me know which one you are signing up for in the comments. (You can sign up for both, just indicate that.)

The 2015 Challenge. The first Bingo card is for 2015.
The goal is to get a Bingo (horizontal, vertical, diagonal, four corners and center square). This will require a minimum of five books.

 One book per square. For example: Oliver Twist can count for "Book with a name as the title" or "Charles Dickens" or "Book published 1837-1940" or "Book published in serial format" or "Book over 400 pages" or "Book that has been adapted into a movie" or "Book set in England."  But obviously, it can only count once.

The categories:

•  book published in the 1840s,
• male author,
• female author, 
• book with a name as the title,
• book published in serial (monthly) format
• book published 1837-1840,
• book published in the 1850s, 
• children's book, 
• book of your choice, 
• Charles Dickens
• book set in England, 
• book that you wish had been adapted into a movie, 
• book published in the 1860s, 
• reread of your choice, 
• Anthony Trollope
• for better or worse (marriage), 
• mystery-suspense-sensation, 
• book over 400 pages, 
• book published in the 1870s
• Wilkie Collins 
• book published in the 1890s, 
• book that has been adapted into a movie, 
• book published 1900-1901,
• collection (poetry, stories, fairy tales), 
• book published in the 1880s

If there is enough interest, I can compose a list of examples/suggestions for each category. Or if there is a particular category that puzzles you, and you want suggestions, I could answer your specific question.

• Fiction or nonfiction.
• Books, e-books, audio books all are fine.
• Books and movies can be reviewed together or separately.
• You can create a reading list if you want, but it's not a requirement
• If you do make a list, consider adding a list of five books you'd recommend to others
• If possible try to try a new-to-you author! I know it can be really tempting to stick with familiar favorites.
• Children's books published during these years should not be forgotten!
• Rereads are definitely allowed if you have favorites!
• A blog is not required, a review is not required, but, if you don't review please consider sharing what you read in a comment with one or two sentences of 'reaction' or 'response.'
• for the 2015 challenge, any qualifying book FINISHED January through December 2015 counts. OR any qualifying book REVIEWED January through December 2015 counts. 
• for the perpetual challenge, it is up to you if you want to count books read/reviewed in 2014 too. You can if you like. Or you could start fresh in 2015. 

A perpetual challenge. For those that LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Victorian literature and want an ambitious challenge that could take over a year or two to complete, I offer the Victorian Bingo card.
(If you're super-ambitious, you might want to try to fill the whole card.) The goal: to get a Bingo by reading eight books. (horizontal, vertical, diagonal, four corners and four center squares). Same guidelines apply as above.

© 2014 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews