Book Challenges

General rules:

• The challenge will run from November 1, 2014, to February 28, 2015. No books that are started before 12 a.m. on November 1 or finished after 11:59 p.m. on February 28 will count.
• Each book must be at least 200 pages long. Audiobooks are fine, as long as the print versions meet the page requirements. Large-print books are also acceptable, as long as the regular-print version exceeds 200 pages in length.
• A book can only be used for one category, and each category can only be completed once. If you want to switch the category of a book during a later check-in, that's fine, just be sure to account for that in your point total.
• Rereads can be used for a maximum of three books in the challenge. This rule is meant to encourage you to try new books while still allowing you to revisit books from your childhood or young adulthood that you might get more out of now. Please reread the entire book within the timeframe of the challenge in order to count it; no simply finishing old books or partial rereads (unless the category explicitly states otherwise, of course)!
• The highest possible total is 200 points, and the first five people who finish the challenge will be invited to contribute a category for the next challenge. Good luck!

Which brings us to the exciting part—the challenge categories!

5 points: Freebie! Read any book that fits the general rules. Point of Direction by Rachel Weaver (224 pages)

10 points: Read a book written by an author who has published at least 10 books. Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult (440 pages)

10 points: Read a book of short stories. Stories for Nighttime and Some for the Day by Ben Loory (210 pages)

10 points: Read a book with a food in the title.  The Tortilla Curtain by T.C. Boyle (355 pages)

15 points: Read the first book in a series that is new to you (so no rereads for this one!). Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling (310 pages)

15 points: Read a book that was originally written in a language that is not your native language. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (457 pages)

15 points: Read a book written by a local author (either an author from your state if you live in the United States, or from your country if you live somewhere else). The Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan (400 pages)

20 points: Read a "bookish book" (in which books play an important role, e.g. the setting involves a bookstore or library, a major character is an author, or a book that celebrates reading and books.  Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell (445 pages) or The History of Love by Nicole Krauss (260 pages)

20 points: Read a book with a direction in the title (e.g. north, south, east, west or any combination of those). I have no idea so I may have to grab someone else's choice for this one.

25 points: Read a book from a genre you don't usually read. #Girlboss by Sophia Amoruso (Business) (256 pages)

25 points: Read a book with a song lyric in the title. Be sure to tell us the song name and artist as well! Can't Buy Me Love by Dan McNeil (331 pages)

30 points: Read two books with a different meal in each title (e.g. breakfast, lunch, dinner, supper, brunch). The Dinner by Herman Koch (304 pages) and Memoir of the Sunday Brunch by Julia Pandl (256 pages)

5 points: Freebie! Read any book that is at least 200 pages long.
— The One and Only, by Emily Giffin (413 pages)
10 points: Read a book that was written before you were born.
— Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte (464 pages) [first published in 1847]
10 points: Finish reading a book you couldn't finish the first time around.
— Running with Scissors, by Augusten Burroughs [250 pages remaining]
10 points: Read a book from the children’s section of the library or bookstore.
— The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis (206 pages.)
15 points: Read a book that is on The New York Times' Best Sellers List when you begin reading it.
— Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald, by Therese Anne Fowler (352 pages) [currently No. 25 on the Paperback Trade Fiction list]
15 points: Read a historical fiction book that does not take place in Europe.
— Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, by Lisa See (269 pages) [set in China]
15 points: Read a book another blogger has already read for the challenge.
— TBD :)
20 points: Read a book with “son(s),” “daughter(s)” or “child(ren)” in the title.
— The Witch's Daughter, by Paula Brackston (305 pages)
20 points: Read a book that was/will be adapted to film in 2014.
— The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green (318 pages)
25 points: Read a book written by a blogger.
— Hyperbole and a Half, by Allie Brosh (384 pages) [blog of the same name]
25 points: Read a biography, autobiography or memoir.
— I Am Malala, by Malala Yousafzai, Christina Lamb (327 pages)
30 points: Read a pair of books with antonyms in the titles.
— Dark Places, by Gillian Flynn (345 pages) & The Light Between Oceans, by M.L. Stedman (343 pages)