February 1, 2009 – July 31, 2009
The Themed Reading Challenge is a six month challenge designed to help readers clear books from their to-be-read stacks which center around a common theme or themes. Here are the “rules”:
- Books should be chosen from the reader’s TBR pile (this may be an actual physical pile or a virtual pile).
- The goal is to read 4 to 6 books linked by theme.
- Overlaps with other challenges are allowed.
- Readers may change their list of books at any time.
- Readers may choose three different levels of participation:
- Read at least 4 books with the same theme.
- Read at least 5 books that share at least TWO themes.
- Read at least 6 books that share MORE than two themes.
Themes can be geographic, genre, author, subject matter, or anything in between! Last year’s themes were wonderfully creative and varied and included such things as: books about books, books set in New England, books with a color in the title, books about vampires, books with the word ‘lady’ in the title, Gothic classics, fairy tales retold for adults, highschool classics, Asian culture, feathered friends, WWII, Canada, books in translation, and Beverly Cleary. There were many others I have not listed here!
The only thing limiting your choices is your imagination – so have fun!
Sign-ups for this challenge will close on March 30th. Please use Mr. Linky below to link DIRECTLY TO YOUR POST about the challenge which should include your theme (or themes) and preliminary list of books. As I did last year, I will provide a Mr. Linky for you to link to your reviews for February/March, April/May, and June/July…as well as for your wrap up posts. IF you do not have a blog, you may still participate…please just enter your name in Mr. Linky below with no http link OR leave me a comment on this post.
Powered by… Mister Linky’s Magical Widgets.
= Excellent
= Good/Very Good
= Okay read
= Not recommended
= Ugh! Don't waste your time.
Thanks for hosting! I look forward to participating in this challenge!
Thanks for hosting this challenge ;0)
I am excited about this challenge!
I’d like to sign up for this please. I will link when I’ve written my post and thought about a theme. This should be fun.
I’m in but don’t have a theme yet so I’ll sign mr.linky when I do.
I’m in, too . . . as soon as I decide on a theme!
Great challenge idea. Will write a post this coming week.
I’m in for this. I’ll try to get my themes and book list up today or tomorrow. When I do, I’ll sign up with Mr. Linky.
I loved this challenge Wendy! I am so glad you are hosting again!
Started building my list. Can’t wait till Feb!
Thanks for hosting the challenge. Count me in. Thanks – Nely
No blog of course. I will do this probably with mysteries, not many of my TBR books are similar. I have a bunch of Connoly, several Evanovitch, a few Sandford.
Count me in. Sounds like the challenge I need to move some books in my TBR stack.
Count me in sounds like fun.
I love this challenge idea! I’ll link after I post – I have to think about this a bit!
I’m in! Thanks for hosting.
Where did Mr Linky go?
Anyway I’ve decided on my theme.
2009: A Year in Books
The sequence starts: Two Faces of January / Summer in February / The March / Broken April …
I intend to read my theme throughout the whole year.
This sounds like a great challenge. Now I just have to find a common theme among my piles of TBR books. I’ll link up as soon as I get settled.
Sounds great I always need to be reading from TBR now have to sort some fun themes out.
Thank you all for being so enthusiastic and signing up! Lizzy…Mr. Linky is back up (he must have been sleeping when you stopped in) so come on back and link up!
I promise to stop in at your blogs over the weekend and see what your themes are
I’m linked-up and have decided on a theme. Check out my post here where I explain why I’ll be rummaging through my husband’s books: http://texasredbooks.blogspot.com/2008/11/to-be-read-book-challenge.html
I plan on joining — I just need to think of a theme!
Just signed up:)
I will be reading writings by and about artists (including writers). Plath’s journal, Gaskell’s biography of Charlotte Bronte, the letters of van Gogh etc…
I plan to join. Four books with the same theme sounds about right. Now I just need to think of a theme.
Options:
Poetry
Classics I Missed In School
Mysteries (no challenge there, for me!)
My blog-readers’ choice: browse the archives, leave a comment and assign me a theme!
I’m in. Thanks for hosting again.
Elizabeth: I like your idea to have your blog readers choose your theme for you! Sounds like fun
I plan to join in again this year, but I haven’t decided what my theme is going to be. I will be back when I have that worked out!
Amanda said:
Coming up with a theme was hard! But I’m in and I managed to find three themes, though it was a bit of a stretch.
Amanda – sorry my blog was flipping out yesterday and deleted some comments…I’ve re-posted your comment!
Hi!
Would love to do this challenge. I have this challenge and my list of books posted. Take Care!!
Sherrie
Glad you’re doing this one again!
This is a great challenge. By the way, I impulsively typed in Mr. Linky the incomplete link to my post about the challenge. It’s actually in http://becomingjudie.wordpress.com/2008/12/01/early-2009-challenges/.
Thank you.
Ummm…the Mr. Linky isn’t showing up but here is my list. Thanks for hosting this Wendy!http://hikaruthedragon.livejournal.com/15861.html
Please disregard the last comment (except for the part about thanks for hosting…I still mean that!)
Mr. Linky is working for me today. My list is number 34.
Quenby, looking forward to starting my 2009 Challenges!
I’m set up and ready to go with 4 books by British 20th century writers with birds in the title.
Judie: I fixed your link
Quenby: Mr. Linky has been very unpredictable of late! He was down for most of that day…glad you came back and checked again!!
It is so nice to see all the enthusiasm for this challenge…I’m looking forward to checking out your themes!
This is my second challenge
these are rather fun to find books for!
Thank you for hosting! I’ve decided to read books by Utah authors.
Thanks for hosting. I’m doing the 4-book participation, and my four books are all dystopian novels.
Okay, I’m linked and ready to go. I found some books in my stacks with references to music in the titles so that’s my theme. It should be fun.
Wendy,
My theme is new-me-to female authors currently living in NYC. My post can be found here: http://scoutlee.wordpress.com/2008/12/14/2009-themed-reading-challenge/
Haven’t picked my theme – but am going for the first option: to read at least 4 books all with the same theme.
I have about a dozen books on nonbelief (humanism, atheism and agnosticism) which have been calling to me.
Ug Wendy, you sure don’t make it easy to cut back on challenges! I’m in for 4 books. You’ll never guess in a million years what my theme is, historical fiction. LOL!
My theme is books with a musical instrument as a major plot device and you can see my list here: http://www.careyfamily.org/2009-reading-challenges/
I’m in, thanks for hosting!
I love seeing so much enthusiasm about this challenge – and your themes are so wonderful! I’m trying to make my way through all your posts
I’d like to sign up for this – need to decide on my theme – probably medical suspense but need to check my TBR list.
Nope. gonna do a different theme.
Will sign up before January.
Great idea for a challenge! I’m in.
I’m in! My theme will be cozy mysteries.