Reading Challenges for 2017

We’re a month into a new reading year. If you’re an avid reader, this is something to celebrate. A whole new year of books, characters, adventures, and all of it is waiting for you! What fun!

One of the way we readers enjoy ourselves is by setting out goals for the year. Almost in the form of New Year’s Resolutions, avid readers tend to have a goal in mind as they approach the new reading year.
Last year my goal had been to try some new authors and I had made a list of authors that I wanted to make time for. I didn’t get too far on my list, but it’s a new year so I can try again.
I also focused on finishing series that I had opened. I finished 4 series last year.
This year my goal is to read more from my personal collection. On Goodreads this year I’m tracking how many books I borrow, read from my personal stash, and pick up through a review program.
But I’d love to hear from you! Did you reach any goals last year? What are your reading goals for 2017? 

One of my favorite things to do each year is to pick up a challenge or two to work on throughout the year. These challenges work like a scavenger hunt as you try to find and read books that qualify in each category. Here are 3 of the challenges that I’m working on this year. Feel free to snag them and play along. Don’t forget to review your reads in January to see if you cross anything off already!

The Disney Challenge
I think this challenge is the one I’m most excited about this year. It’s so creative. I found this challenge on a Goodreads group for Christian Fiction fans. You can join the group here: Christian Fiction Devourers.

1.The Little Mermaid – a character who is out of their element, a “fish out of water”.

2. Cinderella – a character who goes through a major transformation.

3. Snow White – a book with an eclectic cast of characters.

4. The Lion King- a book about a royal family, king, queen, prince, or princess.

5. Sleeping Beauty- a book you lost precious hours of sleep staying up all night reading.

6. Beauty and the Beast – A beast of a book (a big book) that you were intimidated by, but found the story to be beautiful.

7. Mulan – a character who pretends to be someone or something they are not.

8.Toy Story – a book with characters you wish would come to life

9. Pinocchio- When lying got a character into big trouble.

10. Tarzan- a story about man and nature.

11. Aladdin- a book character who travels to a “new world” whether it be a new country, time travel… (Along those lines).

12. Frozen: a book that takes place in a snowy location OR a book in which a character sacrifices (or tries to ) himself/herself for others [the second one would be harder to find books for]

What’s in a Name Challenge
This one also comes from Christian Fiction Devours. Of all the groups I’ve seen, they do the most in the way of challenges each year. The two I’ve shared are the two that I’m participating in. Feel free to visit the group and see what else they have in store!

1) A book with “something you would set your table with” . (Not food) Think cutlery- knife spoon, fork, napkin, tablecloth, goblets, cups, , etc., in the title.
eg.- Take This Cup
(Hint- the biggest variety seems to be under “cup” and “glass”)

2) A book with A compass direction in the title- North, South, East, West or any combination thereof- Northwest, SouthEast, etc.
eg.-Treasures of the North

3) A city name in the book title.
eg.-London Tides

4) A book with one of the Fruit of the spirit in it’s title – LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GENTLENESS FAITHFULNESS, GOODNESS or SELF-CONTROL
eg. Quilt of Joy: Stories of Hope from the Patchwork Life

5) A “profession” in the title
eg. The Doctor’s Lady

6) An abbreviated word in the Title.
eg- Bride of a Distant Isle (Isle–>Island)
or
One Enchanted Eve(Eve—->Evening)

26 Book Challenge
A friend found this one on Facebook and sent it to me. This one seems the be a bit more challenging but it’ll be fun to see how far I get.

1 Something you read in school
2 Young Adult fiction
3 Published over 100 years ago
4 Published in 2016
5 Nonfiction book
6 Male author
7 Female author
8 Someone who isn’t a writer
9 Book that became a film
10 Published between 1900-1999
11 A book set in your home state
12 A book with the character’s name in the title
13 A book with a number in the title
14 A character with your first name (if your name is uncommon, change it to a character with the same name of someone you know or starts with the same letter as your own name)
15 Recommended to you
16 Over 500 pages
17 Something you can finish in one day
18 Previously banned book
19 1 word title
20 Translated from another language
21 A book that will improve a specific area of your life
22 Memoir or journal
23 Written by someone younger than you
24 Setting is a place you’d like to travel
25 Award-winning book
26 Self-published book

I’d love to hear about any personal reading challenges you have for 2017 and how you did in 2016. Happy reading!!