I'm back on schedule after my mini-vacay from blogging! Get ready!
This and That is a (somewhat weekly) roundup of interesting personal tidbits and items that I find around the Web (mostly bookish). Hopefully, you'll find something of interest in the following items!
A new year is coming up fast, and that means that it's time to start signing up for next year's reading challenges!
The 150+ 2012 Reading Challenge is being hosted by Amy at
My Overstuffed Bookshelf!
From the blog:
DETAILS/RULES:
1. The goal is to read 150 or more books. Anyone can join. You don't need a blog to participate. Posting on GoodReads or wherever you post your reviews is good enough.
2. Allowed are: Audio, Re-reads, eBooks, YA, Manga, Graphic Novels, Library books, Novellas, Young Reader, Nonfiction – as long as the book has an ISBN or equivalent or can be purchased as such, the book counts.
What doesn't count: Individual short stories or individual books in the Bible and comic books.
3. No need to list your books in advance. You may select books as you go. Even if you list them now, you can change the list if needed.
4. Crossovers from other reading challenges count.
5. Challenge begins January 1st, 2012 thru December 31, 2012. Books started before the 1st do not count. You can join at anytime.
This past year, I've read almost 300 books! BUT, that was because I wasn't working for much of the year, AND because I neglected many of my other pastimes (sewing, quilting, cross-stitch, crochet, general crafting, and, of course, knitting!). Because I plan to work AND do all of the others more often (I've been doing so lately, trying to get the Christmas gifts crafted), 150+ sounds as though it will be more reasonable to expect of myself.
The Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge is being hosted by Michelle at her
Christmas Spirit blog!
From the blog:
- challenge will run from Monday, November 21, 2011 through Friday, January 6, 2011 (Twelfth Night or Epiphany).
- cross over with other challenges is totally permitted AND encouraged!
- These must be Christmas novels, books about Christmas lore, a book of Christmas short stories or poems, books about Christmas crafts, and for the first time...a childrens Christmas books level!
- Levels:
--Candy Cane: read 1 book
--Mistletoe: read 2-4 books
--Christmas Tree: read 5 or 6 books (this is the fanatic level...LOL!)
Additional levels:
--Fa La La La Films: watch a bunch or a few Christmas movies...it's up to you!
--Visions of Sugar Plums: read books with your children this season and share what you read
*the additional levels are optional, you still must complete one of the main reading level
Childrens' books count too! :)
An article that I thought was kind of cool from The New York Times on "The Weight of Memory", which could otherwise be titled "How much weight does an e-reader gain when loaded with books?"
The Mount TBR Reading Challenge 2012 is being hosted by Bev at
My Reader's Block!
From the blog:
I've decided to create my own TBR reading challenge and plan to concentrate on reading primarily from my own books this year. And you're invited to join me in knocking out some of those books that have been waiting in the wings for weeks....months...even years.
Challenge Levels
Pike's Peak: Read 12 books from your TBR pile/s
Mt. Vancouver: Read 25 books from your TBR pile/s
Mt. Ararat: Read 40 books from your TBR piles/s
Mt. Kilimanjaro: Read 50 books from your TBR pile/s
El Toro: Read 75 books from your TBR pile/s
Mt. Everest: Read 100+ books from your TBR pile/s
And the rules:
*Once you choose your challenge level, you are locked in for at least that many books. If you find that you're on a mountain-climbing roll and want to tackle a taller mountain, then you are certainly welcome to upgrade.
*Challenge runs from January 1 to December 31, 2012.
*You may sign up anytime from now until November 30th, 2012.
*Books must be owned by you prior to January 1, 2012. No ARCs (none), no library books. No rereads. [To clarify--based on a question raised--the intention is to reduce the stack of books that you have bought for yourself or received as presents {birthday, Christmas, "just because," etc.}. Audiobooks may count if they are yours and they are one of your primary sources of backlogged books.]
*Books may be used to count for other challenges as well.
Definitely one for me! I'll be posting a list at the end of December or so.
From Publisher's Weekly comes this great article about NPR's new Back-Seat Book Club. Geared towards our middle readers ages 9-14, the program is scheduled to introduce a new book each month or so, with questions being taken from the kid listeners and answered by the authors themselves!
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The League of Extraordinary Gentle - Men of la - Book Challenge is being hosted by Zohar at Man of la Book!
This is a very creative challenge, especially for those of us who don't necessarily read graphic novels at all. This is a perpetual challenge, so there is no need to feel rushed into completing it either :)
From the blog:
I thought it would be fun to read those classic novels and then the graphic novel to see how the creators managed to take such classics and mix them up all together.
1. The goal is to read the classic books and the graphic novel to see how they all tie together. No blog is needed, a review on Amazon, Goodreads, etc. is good enough.
2. What counts: books, eBooks, audio books
3. Crossovers from other reading challenges count.
The books are (in no specific order):
– Dracula by Bram Stoker
– Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
– Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
– The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells
– The First Men in the Moon by H.G. Wells
– Any Fu Manchu novel
– Any Sherlock Holmes novel
– Any Allan Quatermain novel
– Any James Bond novel
and
- The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen graphic novel to tie it all together.
Pretty cool, eh?
The 2011 Virtual Advent Tour is being hosted by Kailana from The Written World and Marg from Adventures of an Intrepid Reader.
What a great way of sharing your own thoughts and visiting and making friends with fellow bloggers!
From the blog:
Each day anyone who wants to participate takes turns sharing a treat with our friends here in blogland. For example it could be something about your family traditions, recipes, your country's holiday traditions, or a favourite Christmas memory, movie, book, song...anything you like. Even if you don't celebrate Christmas we would like to hear about what your family does during the holiday season, whether it be celebrating Hanukkah or Kwanzaa or whatever it is that you do during this time.
If you are interested in signing up, then please sign up using the Google form (link below). If you want a specific date, then please include that along with your name and other details. If you don't need a specific date, then we will allocate a date to you. We will create a list of links so that as people express interest we will add them to the list, and then each day during the tour we will post a link directing visitors to the appropriate blog.
The tour will start on Thursday 1 December and run through until Saturday December 24. If there are more people than there are days that's fine too.....the more the merrier! It just means that there will be more than one blog to visit on those days.
This is the first year that the US will be taking part in World Book Night! Woot! The US site isn't up yet, but keep your eyes peeled! A little bit of detail:
World Book Night is a celebration designed to spread a love of reading and books. Celebrated on April 23, 2012 it will see tens of thousands of people gift books within their communities to spread the joy and love of reading. In 2012 World Book Night will be celebrated in the UK, Ireland and USA.
Visit the site to see how you can participate as well!
That is all for this week's edition! Let me know if you find something interesting! If YOU have an event to promote, feel free to email me directly at knittingandsundries(at)gmail(dot)com and if it fits the theme, I will include it in the next edition!
