Once Upon A Time Challenge...

I love challenges, and I never complete them which is always a disappointment. So, I'd like to complete this one.

The artwork is just amazing and breathtaking and kinda looks like where I live: DARK, COLD, and SNOWY. I picked this one because the poop of red made me feel a bit warmer.

This contest is being hosted by Stainless Steel Droppings. This is his site, and this is the site for the challenge.

I'm going to do "Challenge the Second" which entails:

"Read at least one book from each of the four categories. In this quest you will be reading 4 books total: one fantasy, one folklore, one fairy tale, and one mythology. This proves to be one of the more difficult quests each year merely because of the need to classify each read and determine which books fit into which category. I am not a stickler, fear not, but I am endlessly fascinated watching how folks work to find books for each category."

For mythology I'm going to read Metamorphoses by Ovid - which I should have read last semester. :P I haven't decided what my others will be.

Take A Chance Challenge #3

Last year, I signed up for the Take A Chance Challenge among other challenges that I thought I'd complete. I was so excited with the thought of competiting with my fellow book bloggers while reading many books. It was a win win in my book. But life, who does not care for my wishes, decided to make it busy; new baby, school, moving, etc. So, I have decided that this will be MY ONLY competition this year. I have always wanted to play and it looks so fun!

If you too would like to enter, this is the place to see! Jenners is an amazing person and her blog is a wonderful place to lose track of time! (So being the extreme lazy person that I am, I am coping her rules and pasting them here.) I highly recommend you join! It's a perfect challenge for the New Year!

Several of you asked if I’d be hosting the Take A Chance Challenge again. At first, I wasn’t sure, but once I started thinking about it, I got all excited. So here are the details for the 2011 version of the challenge.

Basic Information

• The concept of the challenge is to take chances with your reading by finding books to read in unusual or random ways. I’ve listed 10 different ways to find books below. Feel free to complete at many as you want. However, anyone completing all 10 challenges by December 31, 2011 will be entered in a prize drawing to win a book of their choice from Amazon.

• The challenge will run from January 1, 2011 until December 31, 2011.

• Crossover books from other challenges is fine. You can read books in any format.

• On January 1, 2011, I will post pages for each of the 10 challenges so you can link up your completed posts.

The 2011 Challenges

1: Staff Member’s Choice: Go to a bookstore or library that has a “Staff Picks” section. Read one of the picks from that section.

2: Loved One’s Choice: Ask a loved one to pick a book for you to read. (If you can convince them to buy it for you, that is even better!)

3: Blogger’s Choice: Find a “Best Books Read” post from a favorite blogger. Read a book from their list.

4: Critic’s Choice: Find a “Best of the Year” list from a magazine, newspaper or professional critic. Read a book from their Top 10 list.

5: Blurb Book: Find a book that has a blurb on it from another author. Read a book by the author that wrote the blurb.

6: Book Seer Pick: Go to The Book Seer and follow the instructions there. Read a book from the list it generates for you.

7: What Should I Read Next Pick : Go to What Should I Read Next and follow the instructions there. Read a book from the list it generates for you.

8: Which Book Pick: Go to Which Book and use the software to generate a list of books. Read a book from that list.

9: LibraryThing Pick: Go to LibraryThing’s Zeitgeist page. Look at the lists for 25 Most Reviewed Books or Top Books and pick a book you’ve never read. Read the book. (Yes … you can click on MORE if you have to.)

10: Pick A Method: Pick a method for finding a book from the choices listed below (used in previous versions of the challenge).

• Random Book Selection. Go to the library. Position yourself in a section such as Fiction, Non-Fiction, Mystery, Children (whatever section you want). Then write down random directions for yourself (for example, third row, second shelf, fifth book from right). Follow your directions and see what book you find. Check that book out of the library, read it and then write about it. (If you prefer, you can do the same at a bookstore and buy the book!)
• Public Spying. Find someone who is reading a book in public. Find out what book they are reading and then read the same book. Write about it.
• Random Bestseller. Go to Random.org and, using the True Random Number Generator, enter the number 1950 for the min. and 2010 for the max. and then hit generate. Then go to this site and find the year that Random.org generated for you and click on it. Then find the bestseller list for the week that would contain your birthday for that year. Choose one of the bestsellers from the list that comes up, read it and write about it.

Good Luck!!

Catching Fire

The time following the previous Hunger Games has kept both Katniss and Peeta very busy. Finally after months of 'preforming' Katniss sneaks down to her old home and slips into the woods where she meets up with Gale. They hunt in the woods but there is now an odd tension in the air that surrounds them. When Katniss finally got a chance to be alone with Gale he kissed her, and she doesn't know how to interpret her feelings.

The Capitol, and everyone else for that matter, thinks that Gale is her cousin - so how can she possibly have a romantic future with him? This year also marks the 75th anniversary of the Hunger Games - which is marked by the Quarter Quell. Each quell has a certain theme (shall we say) to it. For example, one year had twice as many tributes. Before the announcement of the Quarter Quell theme President Snow goes and visits Katniss and the message he delivers to her does not bode well. Districts have started to uprise and it's her fault, now to save all those she loves she must impress upon people her undying and true love to Peeta - failure of this would mean the deaths of many. When the theme for the Quarter Quell is announced people are shocked: the victors from the previous games are to be picked - which means that Katniss is going in for sure, but who will go with her - Haymitch or Peeta?

I love this series and am so glad I came across it! Poor Katniss. There are moments in the story where I hate her, and then there are moments when I feel so sad for her. Her life is not easy. She lost her father, had to take care of her mother and protect her sister, has to sneak to get food for her family - and now be more of a puppet for the Capitol. Yet, she can be so narrow minded of other people's thoughts and feelings - like Peeta. She'll have a feeling about him and then instantly switch it to the complete opposite because she thinks he's 'faking'. Why doesn't she just go and ask him? Or for once try and figure out her feelings??

I used to see the Team Katniss or Team Peeta buttons and think - how can they choose? After finishing reading the first book I still didn't know how they could choose. But now I know my decision. I'm for Team Peeta. He never waivers. I like many of you, am eagerly awaiting the third book, Mocking Jay.

Books in this series:

1) Hunger Games

2) Catching Fire

3) Mocking Jay (8.24.10)

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. New York 2009

Hunger Games

If I were in the 60's and I saw the Beatles I would squeal just as loud. I, however, contained my excitement in the library when I got this book. After reading many wonderful things about this book I knew I just had to get my hot little hands upon this book. They do say 'all good things come to those who wait' and by golly I waited, and waited, and waited! AND FINALLY I read the book in a day. Well, more like devoured it really.

The book is set into a bleak future (but with the way the world politics are . . . it seems more and more likely) were the US has been obliterated and only the Capitol survives with 12 districts. Every time I read the word Capitol I couldn't help but think of D.C. although I'm not sure that's what she meant. Each year 1 boy and 1 girl from each district are selected and must fight to the death, think gladiator but less Roman and less glorious, in a specified arena. Our main girl Katniss lives in District 12, which is known for mining. Each district contributes to the capitol in some form.

When the day of the reaping is upon them, Katniss, her mother, and her sister who's only 12 and now old enough for the ceremonies head to the town center were they are divided by age and gender. The name for the girl is chosen and it's Katniss' sister. She can't let that happen so she volunteers herself - something unheard of; for once your name is called you ner return unless you outwit and outlast the other 25 tributes. The boy from her district that is chosen is named Peeta, who once helped Katniss many years ago - she doubts though that he remembers.

Each tribute gets a mentor, someone who has survived the Hunger Games, and District 12's mentor is a drunk named Haymitch who doesn't seem to care if he's sober or not. However Peeta and Katniss soon sober the poor fool up and they begin to form a plan of attack along with the Capitol's representative Effie. The goal is to show to the pubic how much in love they are, and present themselves to the other tributes as a team (something that isn't usually done).

When the day of the Hunger Games arrive everyone is nervous. Will this be their last meal? Will they be the lucky one to return? Can they survive? The gong chimes and the games have begun. Quickly Katniss tries to grab what little supplies she can before she finds herself a target. She quickly darts into the woods and runs for safety. Even though they presented themselves as a unit, Katniss is going to fight alone - but she wishes Peeta luck. Relying on her hunting skills she must now fight her way towards freedom. It's not east since the Capitol is always watching and when things get boring . . . they add twists and turns to keep the tributes on their feet.

The first thing that came to my mind while and after reading this is I know for a fact that I would certainly not survive. I would be the first one dead. Secondly - how much that government reeked of poison. They had morally suppressed their citizens and made sure to wipe the rebellion out of them. Although after studying history and reading about revolts, it could be possible but unlikely (the districts don't communicate amongst themselves and they're constantly malnourished and poor). I've seen people chose either "team Peeta" or "team Katniss" and I don't know which side I'd chose. Although I do feel sorry for Peeta at the end. The book was worth the wait and I totally recommend it to anyone. I cannot wait for the 2nd book! I have to go put it on hold now!

Books in this series:

1) Hunger Games

2) Catching Fire

3) Mocking Jay (8.24.10)

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. New York 2008

451 Challenge

This challenge is being hosted by Elizabeth who created the 451 Challenge blog. Again, do to my extreme laziness I copied and pasted all important information.

Here is how it will work: between January 1, 2010 and November 30, 2010, participants are challenged to read books on the 451 master list. There will be several levels of participation:

Spark - read 1-2 books from the master list
Ember - read 3-4 books from the master list
Flame - read 5-6 books from the master list
Blaze - read 7 or more books from the master list

I will attempt the BLAZE level - let's hope I don't get burned ;)

451 MASTER LIST

• 1984 - George Orwell
• A Bend in the River - V.S. Naipaul
• A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
• A Confederacy of Dunces - John O'Toole
• A Solitary Blue - Cynthia Voigt
• A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
• A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini
• A Tree Grows in Brooklyn - Betty Smith
• Age of Innocence - Edith Wharton
• Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank
• Anne of Green Gables - L.M. Montgomery
• Ashes in the Wind - Kathleen E. Woodiwiss
• Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand
• Atonement - Ian McEwan
• Black Beauty - Anna Sewell
• Blake's Poetry & Designs - William Blake
• Blindness - Jose Saramago
• Call It Sleep - Henry Roth
• Calvin and Hobbes - Bill Watterson
• Catch-22 - Joseph Heller
• Centennial - James Michener
• Charlotte's Web - E.B. White
• Collected Poems - Robert Frost
• Collected Poems - William Butler Yeats
• Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoevsky
• Cry, The Beloved Country - Alan Paton
• Demonology - Rick Moody
• Devil in the White City - Erik Larsen
• Diaries of Anais Nin - Anais Nin
• Different Seasons - Stephen King
• Dr. Seuss's ABC - Dr. Seuss
• Dr. Zhivago - Boris Pasternak
• Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card
• Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
• Fingersmith - Sarah Waters
• Frankenstein - Mary Shelley
• Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise - Ruth Reichel
• Geek Love - Katherine Dunne
• Going After Cacciato - Tim O'Brien
• Gone With the Wind - Margaret Mitchell
• Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
• Greengage Summer - Rumer Godden
• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - J.K. Rowling
• I Am America and So Can You! - Stephen Colbert
• I Am David - Ann Holm
• In This House of Brede - Rumer Godden
• Interview with the Vampire - Anne Rice
• Islandia - Austin Tappan Wright
• Izzy Willy Nilly - Cynthia Voigt
• Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
• Jitterbug Perfume - Tom Robbins
• Julius Ceasar - William Shakespeare
• Just So Stories - Rudyard Kipling
• Legends of Pensam - Mamang Dai
• Les Miserable - Victor Hugo
• Little Boy Lost - Marghanita Laski
• Little Women - Louise May Alcott
• Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
• Long Day's Journey Into Night - Eugene O'Neill
• Love You Forever - Robert Munsch
• Macbeth - William Shakespeare
• Mary Poppins - P.L. Travers
• Maus - Art Spiegelman
• Maus II - Art Spiegelman
• Mere Christianity - C.S. Lewis
• Middlemarch - George Eliot
• My Invented Country - Isabel Allende
• Night - Elie Wiesel
• Night at the Circus - Angela Carter
• Nursery Rhymes - Mother Goose
• Out of the Silent Planet - C.S. Lewis
• Paco's Story - Larry Heinemann
• Paradise Lost - John Milton
• Parthian Stations - John Ash
• Peace Like a River - Leif Enger
• Perfume - Patrick Suskind
• Persuasion - Jane Austen
• Piercing the Darkness - Frank Peretti
• Pitch Dark - Renata Adler
• Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
• Quarantine - Jim Crace
• Rabbit is Rich - John Updike
• Rasero - Francisco Rebolledo
• River's End - Nora Roberts
• Roots - Alex Haley
• Sam Bangs and Moonshine - Evaline Ness
• Sea Glass - Anita Shreve
• Sea of Glory: America's Voyage of Discovery, the U.S. Exploring Expedition, 1838-1842 - Nathaniel Philbrick
• Shantaram - Gregory David Roberts
• Silence - Shusaku Endo
• Small Gods - Terry Pratchett
• South Riding - Winifred Holtby
• St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves - Karen Russell
• Summer of my German Soldier - Bette Green
• Ten Tales Tall and True - Alasdair Gray
• Tender is the Night - F. Scott Fitzgerald
• The Arabian Nights: Tales of 1001 Nights
• The Autograph Man - Zadie Smith
• The Awakening - Kate Chopin
• The Bean Trees - Barbara Kingsolver
• The Beginning and the End - Naguib Mahfouz
• The Best Christmas Pageant Ever - Barbara Robinson
• The Blindfold - Siri Hustvedt
• The Blue Castle - L.M. Montgomery
• The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
• The Butcher Boy - Patrick McCabe
• The Chronicles of Narnia - C.S. Lewis
• The Complete Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
• The Complete Works of Shakespeare - William Shakespeare
• The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexander Dumas
• The Courage of Their Convictions: Sixteen Americans Who Fought Their Way to the Supreme Court - Peter Irons
• The Double Helix - James D. Watson
• The Dragonridgers of Pern - Anne McCaffrey
• The Family from One End Street - Eve Garnett
• The Far Pavilions - M.M. Kaye
• The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand
• The Giver - Lois Lowry
• The Giving Tree - Shel Silverstein
• The Golems of Gotham - Thane Rosenbaum
• The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
• The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
• The Harry Potter Series - J.K. Rowling
• The Haunting of Hill House - Shirley Jackson
• The Hiding Place - Corrie ten Boom
• The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
• The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkein
• The Hours - Michael Cunningham
• The Iliad - Homer
• The Importance of Being Earnest - Oscar Wilde
• The Joy Luck Club - Amy Tan
• The Joy of Cooking - Rombauer, Becker, and Becker
• The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe - C.S. Lewis
• The Lions of Al-Rassan - Guy Gavriel Kay
• The Little Prince - Antoine de Saint-Exupery
• The Lord of the Rings - J.R.R. Tolkein
• The Love of a Good Woman - Alice Munro
• The Magic of Ordinary Days - Ann Howard Creel
• The New York Trilogy - Paul Auster
• The Phantom of the Opera - Gaston Leroux
• The Phantom Tollbooth - Norton Juster
• The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver
• The Power and the Glory - Graham Greene
• The Ring and the Book - Robert Browning
• The Scarlet Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne
• The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole aged 13 3/4 - Sue Townsend
• The Shadow of the WInd - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
• The Shipping News - E. Annie Proulx
• The Sleep Book - Dr. Seuss
• The Stand - Stephen King
• The Story Girl - L.M. Montgomery
• The Story of a Mariage - Andrew Sean Greer
• The Tao Te Ching - Lao Tzu
• The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffinegger
• The Way of Herbs - Michael Tierra
• The Worst Hard Time - Timothy Egan
• The Yiddish Policeman's Union - Michael Chabon
• This Present Darkness - Frank Peretti
• Time and Again - Jack Finney
• To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
• Tropic of Cancer - Henry Miller
• Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
• Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen
• We Need to Talk About Kevin - Lionel Shriver
• We the Living - Ayn Rand
• We Were the Mulvaneys - Joyce Carol Oates
• Where the Sidewalk Ends - Shel Silverstein
• Winesburg, Ohio - Sherwood Anderson
• Women in the Wall - Julia O'Faolian
• Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
• Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert M. Pirsig

Take A Chance Challenge

Ah. New Year, new blog layout/color scheme (which I'm still working on), and a new challenge for me. I saw this challenge last year but I didn't think I could enter - or it was over by the time I found it. I was sad because it looked like a REALLY fun challenge, and lo and behold I came across it again - and right at the starting point! :)

It is called the Take A Chance Challenge hosted by Jenners of Find Your Next Book Here.

I am copying and pasting the rules and guide lines here (I'm so lazy sometimes. . .)

"Basic Information

• The challenge will run from January 1, 2010 until December 31, 2010.

• Here are the participation levels. Feel free to do whatever level you want. You can also switch up or down midway through the challenge.
  

A Small Gamble: Complete any 3 of the 12 challenges described below.
A Moderate Gamble: Complete any 6 of the 12 challenges described below.
Gambling It All: Complete all 12 of the challenges described below.

• Each challenge you complete and link up in the correct Mr. Linky spots (which will be posted on January 1, 2010) will earn you entries into a prize drawing at the end of the challenge. Some of the challenges are harder and will earn you more entries. If you complete all 12 challenges, you will earn 5 extra entries into the drawing.

• The prize is a book of the winner's choice from Amazon (worth $25 or less).
  

• Crossover books from other challenges is fine.

So here are the 12 challenges for you to pick from. The "easier" challenges are listed first, followed by the harder challenges that are worth more entries into the prize drawing.

The 12 Challenges

Challenge 1: Read Your Doppelganger (worth 1 entry)
Find an author who has either the same initials, the same first name, the same last name, or the exact same name as you. Read a book by this author and write a post about it. (If you try to keep your identity anonymous on your blog, you don't have to reveal what part of the author's name is the same as your name.)

Example: If your name is Susan Kasischke, you might read a book by Stephen King (same initials), Susan Donovan (same first name), Laura Kasischke (same last name) or Susan Kasischke (same exact name).

Challenge 2: Blogroll Roulette (worth 1 entry)
Find a blogroll at either your book blog or a book blog you like that has at least 15 book blogs on it. Go toRandom.org and, using the True Random Number Generator, enter the number 1 for the min. and 15 for the max. and then hit generate. Then find the blog that is that number on the blogroll you selected. (For example, if you get 10 at Random.org, then count down the list of blogs until you get to the tenth one). Go to that blog and pick a book to read from the books that they have reviewed on their blog. Read it and write a post about it. Be sure to link to the blog post you picked the book from!

Challenge 3: 100 Best Book (worth 1 entry)
Choose one of the lists below and go to the link provided. Choose a book to read from the list that you haven't read before. Read the book and write about it.

• Radcliffe's Rival 100 Best Novels List
• Top 100 Sci-Fi Books
• 100 Best Romance Novels of the 20th Century
• 100 Best Mystery Novels
  
• 100 Best Non-Fiction Books (pick from either Board List or Reader List)
• 2009 Best Books for Young Adults

Challenge 4: Prize Winner Book (worth 1 entry)
Pick one of the major literary awards from the list below. Click on the link for the award you picked. You will find a brief description of the award and links to past winners. Pick one of the past winners, read the book and write about it.

• Booker Prize
  
• Caldecott Medal
  
• National Book Award
  
• National Book Critics Circle Award
  
• Newbery Medal
  
• Nobel Prize for Literature
  
• PEN/Faulkner Award
  
• Pulitzer Prize
  
• Commonwealth Writers' Prize
  
• EMMA Awards

Challenge 5: Title Word Count (worth 1 entry)
Go to Random.org and, using the True Random Number Generator, enter the numbers 1 for the min. and 5 for the max. and then hit generate. Find a book to read that has that number of words in the title. Read the book and write about it.

Example: If you get 1 for your number, read a book that has a one word title. If you get 2, read a book that has a two word title and so on and so forth.

Challenge 6: Genre Switch-Up (worth 1 entry)
Go to this list of book genres and pick a genre that you have NEVER read before. Find a book from that genre, read it, and write about it. Note: If you seriously cannot find a genre that you have never read, then pick the genre that is as far away from what you normally read.

Challenge 7: Break A Prejudice (worth 1 entry)
We all have reading prejudices--authors we don't like, genres we don't like, or even publishers we don't like. For this challenge, think of a reading prejudice you have and then find a book that is an example of this type of book. Read the book and then write about the reading prejudice you had BEFORE you read the book and how reading the book either changed your prejudice or reinforced it.

Examples: I always say I can't stand James Patterson; therefore, I might read a James Patterson book for this challenge. Or, if you sneer at "chick lit" books, you might read a "chick lit" book. Or, if you think books published by Harlequin are pure drivel, you might read a book published by Harlequin. If you turn up your nose at the Twilight books, then you might read one of the Twilight books.

Challenge 8: Real and Inspired (worth 2 entries)
Many authors or books inspire others to pay homage to them by writing another book inspired by the original work. For this challenge, read both an original work and a book inspired by that original work. Write about both books in one post. Note: This might require some research on your part and requires reading two books so it worth 2 entries.

Examples: Christopher Moore's Fool is based on Shakespeare's play King Lear so I plan on reading both King Lear and Fool. Another example is Jane Austen, who inspired the book Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. For this challenge, you might read bothPride and Prejudice and the zombie version. (There are tons of other Austen-inspired books out there too.) Another idea would be a graphic novel version of a "standard" novel. The only real requirement is that the "inspired by" book must clearly state what original work inspired it.

Challenge 9: Same Word, Different Book (worth 2 entries)
Find two books that have the same word in the title. Read both books and write about them. (Worth 2 entries because you have to read two books).

Example: If you pick the word "Love," you could read any two books that both have Love in the title. To help you find books that have the same word, you could go to Amazon.com, type a word into the Search box and see what books come up with that word.

Challenge 10: Become A Character (worth 2 entries)
For this challenge, you can read any book you want. However, you have to write about the book as one of the characters from the book. The character can comment on his/her treatment by the author, other characters, the "untold story," what happened next, and so forth. You could even have two characters interviewing each other! Your imagination is the only limit. Because of the difficulty level of this challenge, it is worth two entries.

Challenge 11: All in the Family (worth 2 entries)
The writing gene often runs in the family. For this challenge, you need to find two authors from the same family (either by blood or by marriage) and read a book by each of the authors and then write about both books. Because of the research involved and having to read two books, this challenge is worth two entries.

Examples: The Bronte sisters; Stephen King and his wife Tabitha OR his son Joe Hill; Jonathan Kellerman (husband) and Faye Kellerman (wife); Michael Chabon (husband) and Ayelet Waldman (wife); Joan Didion (wife) and John Gregory Dunne (husband); Mary Higgins Clark (mother) and Carol Higgins Clark (daughter)

Challenge 12: Author Anthology Pick (worth 2 entries)
Find an anthology of your choice. Read at least 5 entries in the anthology. Of the 5 entries you've read, pick your favorite one and then find a book by that writer and read it. (If your first choice doesn't have a book, then pick your next favorite until you find a writer that has a book.) Write about the anthology, your favorite pick from the anthology, and the book you read by your favorite pick. Because of having to obtain and read two books, this challenge is worth two entries. Thanks to J.T. Oldfieldat Bibliofreak who partially inspired this challenge.

Example: If you choose a poetry anthology, you would at least 5 different poems, pick your favorite, and then seek out a book of poetry by that poet. If you read a short story anthology, you would read at least 5 different short stories, pick your favorite, and then seek out either a novel or another book of short stories by that writer.

I'm dying to hear what you think about these challenges! I think they might be even harder than the previous challenge, but I'm really excited about the possibilities. I hope you are excited too. If you do a post about the challenge to announce your participation and help me promote it, you can gain an extra entry into the drawing. Simply link up that post in Mr. Linky below.

And remember, I'll be posting the places to link up your challenge entries on January 1, 2010 so look for them! Happy Reading and thanks for participating!"

If you want to enter please don't hesitate and hop on over HERE!!!

I will do all 12 Challenges because they all sound fascinating and I wouldn't be able not too! I know some of them will be hard for me - but that's what makes it exciting! Right? And I guess frustrating too. I forgot what else I was going to write. Well Good Luck to everyone!!

The 39 Clues Book 2: One False Note

Amy and Dan are on the race to find clue number 2, with the only hint being "MOZART". Amy, Dan, and Nellie are all on a train to Austria in hopes of beating the rest of the Cahill relatives to clue number 2.

The troubles that they face never seems to be at a distance. Saladin, Grace's Egyptian Mau, is refusing to eat regular cat food and so has begun to look rather sick. Saladin was used to eating fresh red snapper - a delicacy they can no longer afford. They continue to try and feed him in hopes that he will eat, they can't bare the thought that they'd lose the only remaining connection to Grace.

The gang hops on a train that takes them from France to Austria. They hope that the rest of the Cahill family hasn't caught up with them yet, but when they see the Holts on the next train car they being to panic. They shove their clue and Saladin in an over head compartment and start running to the next car - with the Holts hot on their heels. When the Holts catch them and drag them back to their au pair, they demand that the clue be handed over. Luckily for them Saladin ripped the whole clue to shreds, and when the free-loading Holts are discovered by the train personal they jump off.

When the train finally lands in Austria Amy, Dan and Nellie find a hotel and then begin searching for their clue. They clue they have is one of Mozart's last master pieces " KV 617". When you listen to it - it has an eerie beauty to it (well at least for me.) The kids look throughout his house hopping for any clues. When they spot their cousin Jonah they know they are on the right track but upset that the lead is now up for grabs. Amy and Dan go to the little library under Mozart's house requesting the diary of Mozart's sister. When the attendant finds that the diary is missing, the kids know that their cousin is involved!

They follow Mozart's clues all the way to Venice. While in Venice Amy and Dan doge all the Cahills to find clue number 3. They have to race to Japan in hopes of being the ones to solve the mystery Grace left behind.

I am so in love with the 39 Clues series! It's like The Da Vinci Code - but for kids. Scholastic is even hosting a real game in which you read the books and you get the cards (each book comes with 6 - but you can also buy packs) and try to solve the mystery too! On the back of the book it says "you can win over $100,000 in prizes" - I'd love to play along, but sadly I've never been good with solving word problems!

With each book Amy and Dan over come hard obstacles - both personal and 'professional'. The family members that the kids are going up against are rich beyond means, smart, and ruthless - while the Cahill kids are poor, parent-less, smart, and not ruthless. Amy is slowly becoming a stronger person, while Dan is slowly finding his place. These kids are the underdogs and you can't help but root for them as they continue the wild and dangerous quest to solve the mystery.

Books in the series:

1) The 39 Clues: Book 1 The Maze of Bones

2) The 39 Clues: Book 2 One False Note

3) The 39 Clues: Book 3 The Sword Thief

4) The 39 Clues: Book 4 Beyond the Grave

5) The 39 Clues: Book 5 The Black Circle (Aug 11, 2009)

6) The 39 Clues: Book 6 In Too Deep (Nov 3, 2009)

7) The 39 Clues: Book 7 Untitled ( Feb 2, 2010)

8) The 39 Clues: Book 8 Untitled (Apr 6, 2010)

9) The 39 Clues: Book 9 TBA (Jun 2010)

10) The 39 Clues: Book 10 TBA (Sept 2010)

The 39 Clues Book 2: One False Note by Gordon Korman. New York (c) 2008

345 Reading Challenge (I think I'll cut myself off with challenges for now . . .)

Ok. THIS will be my last challenge for awhile (until like a Christmas one comes along or something)

I found this challenge on Jenni's blog and had to do it! She found it on a site called Froggaritaville's Bookcase (sounds cool) and then went to the original site which is Chick Loves Lit! I will now copy the rules from her website because I've become to lazy to type them . . .

Here are the rules!

1. It will run from August 1, 2009 to August 1, 2010

2. You may sign up at any point in this time period

3. To complete the challenge, you must read THREE books from one series, FOUR books from another series, and FIVE books from another series(For example: Song of Fire and Ice trilogy by George RR Martin, the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer, and five of the Chronicles of Narnia books)

4. You do not have to choose your books ahead of time (but are more than welcome to)

5. You do not have to 'complete' a series (i.e. you don't have to read a trilogy for your three book requirement - just 3 books from the same series)

6. Only books that you read between August 1, 2009 and August 1, 2010 count

7. The books you read may count for other challenges

Now for my list of books!! :)

5 Books from Series:

1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

5.Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

4 Books from Series:

1. Babymouse: Queen of the World

2. Babymouse: Our Hero

3. Babymouse: Beach Babe

4. Babymouse: Rock Star

3 Books from (a) Series :

1. .hack//Legend of the Twilight

2. .hack//Legend of the Twilight vol. 2

3. .hack//Legend of the Twilight vol. 3

GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE :)