2017 Monthly Motif reading challenge

Here's another one! I like reading for a theme so this will be just right for me. 

JANUARY 1, 2017 – DECEMBER 31, 2017 ~

This is the 2017 Monthly Motif Reading Challenge! For this challenge, each  month is assigned a motif or theme. Our task is to read one book per month that fits in with the assigned motifs…

JANUARY – Diversify Your Reading
Kick the reading year off right and shake things up. Read a book with a character (or written by an author) of a race, religion, or sexual orientation other than your own.

FEBRUARY – Undercover Thriller
Read a book involving spies, detectives, private investigators, or a character in disguise.
I read "A Fierce Radiance" by Lauren Belfer - 3/24/2017. 

MARCH – Time TravelerRead a book set in a different dimension, a book in which time travel is involved or a dystopian or science fiction book where reality looks very different than what we’re used to.
"Ever My Love" by Lynn Kurland - 4/5/2017. 

APRIL – Award Winners
Read a book that has won a literary award or a book written by an author who has been recognized in the bookish community.

MAY – Book to Movie or Audio
Read a book that has a movie based off of it. For an extra challenge, see the movie or listen to the audio book as well.

JUNE – Destination UnknownRead a book in which the character(s) take a trip, travel somewhere, go on a quest, or find themselves on a journey toward something.
"Named of the Dragon" by Susanna Kearsley - 1/3/2017. 

JULY – Believe the UnbelievableThis month it’s all about fantasy. Epic fantasy, urban fantasy, fairytales, magic, etc.
"The Scorpio Races" by Maggie Stiefvater - 6/13/2017. 

AUGUST – Seasons, Elements, & Weather Read a book in which the season, the elements, or the weather plays a role in the story.
"The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan - 1/13/2017. 

SEPTEMBER – Creepy, Chilling, & FrightfulCozy mystery ghost stories, paranormal hauntings, murder mysteries, weird and scary creatures- it’s up to you!
"Mistress in the Art of Death" by Ariana Franklin - 4/17/2017. 

OCTOBER– Games, Challenges, & ContestsRead a book that involves a game of some sort. Video games, war games, psychological mess-with-your-mind games, characters who participate in a contest, or a story in which the character takes on a challenge.  "Heartless" by Marissa Meyer - 7/25/17. 

NOVEMBER – Last ChanceRead a book you’ve been meaning to get to all year but haven’t yet or read the last book in a series you started.

DECEMBER – Picking FavoritesRead a book by one of your favorite authors or read a book that Girlxoxo has recommended this year.

2017 Alphabet Soup Challenge

Starting to sign up for my 2017 reading challenges. I have been doing this challenge, on my own, for a while now. I figured I might as well join others. It will be more fun! 
These are the details: 

This challenge will run from January 1st, 2017 until December 31st, 2017.

You can join anytime. You do not have to post a review of the book. Books can come from any genre.

You do not need to link up each spoonful.

Make a page or a post or a GoodReads shelf where you will keep track of your spoonfuls. (I made a shelf on Goodreads - but I also have an Excel worksheet that I keep track of EVERYTHING.) 

Crossovers to other challenges are allowed and encouraged!

It’s an alphabet challenge!!! The challenge is to read one book that has a title starting with every letter of the alphabet.

You can drop the A’s and The’s from the book titles as shown below.

The First Main Word Needs To Be
The Letter You Are Counting 

Except For those pesky Q, X AND Z titles the word that startswith the challenge letter can be anywhere in the title.

So there are two different ways you can set up your own A-Z Reading Challenge.

A – Make a list on your blog from A-Z. Throughout the year, as you go along, add the books you are reading to the list. Towards the end of the year, you can check and see which letters you are missing and find books to fit.

OR

B – Make a list now of 26 books, picking one for each letter of the alphabet. For example: A – Assault and Beret by Jenn McKinlay B- Bookman Dead Style by Paige Shelton  C – Cold Pressed Murder by Kelly Lane   D – Dead Cold Brew by Cleo Coyle etc.

Books can be read in any order and all formats – print – e-book – audio – are acceptable for this challenge!

Ready to join??

If you are interested, there are more details and a place to sign up on Escape with Dollycas Into a Good Book. 

Christmas Readathon Wrap-Up Post

Well, here it is, the end of the Christmas Spirit Readathon! I'm sorry to say that there were times when I could have been reading that I just didn't want to do anything. That's sad, but true. I still enjoyed participating. I made progress on "The Angel's Game" by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. That was fun because my son was in Barcelona while I was reading it. Also, I read two books by Melody Carlson - "The Christmas Shoppe" and "The Christmas Angel Project." I love Melody Carlson Christmas novels. They are really about Christmas - not some murder that happened or some mystery that had to be solved. They are about Christmas and they make your heart swell and sometimes they even make you cry Christmas tears. Love her. 

So, that's my wrap-up. I'm planning to read more Christmas/Winter books and watch my favorite Christmas movies and television shows from now until January. My husband and I found a series of videos of old Andy Williams Christmas Specials on You Tube. We plan to investigate that this season as well. And I hear there's an I Love Lucy Christmas Special to air soon. Hope you all have fun doing Christmas things this holiday season! 

Christmas Spirit Readathon

I am participating in the Christmas Spirit Readathon which runs from Monday, November 21 at 12 a.m. CST to Sunday, November 27 at 11:59 p.m. CST (adjust for your time zone). 
This readathon kicks off the Christmas season at Seasons of Reading and you can sign up here. You do not have to read only Christmas/holiday books, but you do need to read at least one. You do not have to have a blog to participate. You can check in on Twitter with the hashtag #CSReadathon, you can link up on Goodreads, Facebook, etc. AND interact with us in our Facebook group. 

In addition, the Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge runs all season long - from November 21 through January 6, 2017. You can find out all about it and sign up for that at the Christmas Spirit blog. I do this Reading Challenge every year. It includes books, children's books, movies, etc. Everything Christmas! Go on over and check it out!