Grab a cup of coffee/tea because this is going to be a long post. It appears I just can’t say no to reading challenges even if I don’t complete them so here are the ones I’m joining in 2018.

What’s In A Name 2018 hosted by Charlie at the Worm Hole. This is a challenge I usually join and have pretty good success with. The six categories this year are:
The word “the” used twice in the title
A fruit or vegetable in the title
A shape in the title
A title that begins with “Z” – can be after “the” or “a”
A nationality in the title
A season in the title

Back to the Classics 2018 hosted by Karen K at Books & Chocolate.  I like to think that I can try to at least complete 6 of the twelve categories. They are:
A 19 Century classic
a 20 Century classic
A classic by a woman author
A classic in translation
A children’s classic
A classic crime story, fiction or non-fiction
A classic travel or journey narrative, fiction or non-fiction
A classic with a single word title
A classic with a color in the title
A classic by an author that’s new to you
A classic that scares you
Re-read a favorite

Book Bingo 2018 hosted by Stacey at Unruly Reader. This is my first year participating and I’m hoping to either complete a column or row. There are 25 awesome categories to choose from and I’ve already made a print out of the Book Bingo card and pasted it into one of my journals so I can keep track.

Nonfiction Reading Challenge hosted by Katie at Doing Dewey. There are various levels and ways you can do this challenge. I want to strive for reading 6 nonfiction books from any category.

European Reading Challenge hosted by Gilion of Rose City Reader. I tend to read a lot of books set in Europe so I have to complete this challenge right? My goal is the Deluxe Entourage which means reading at least five books by different European authors.

I think that should do it…. for now at least. Like I always say, for me reading challenges are really about the fun. I don’t necessarily set out to complete them but my intention is to maybe read a new genre, make some new blog friends, discover new authors, etc.

Oh and I know that part of the fun in participating is putting together potential book lists but this post was already getting a bit long so I didn’t want it to get longer. I will try to post periodic updates and maybe then I’ll post some more book titles. So let me know if you are participating in any of these. Would love to hear what your plans are for reading challenges!

Happy New Year, Happy 2018!

Whether you were celebrating on a large scale or had a quiet night, I hope you’re ready for another year in reading adventures. We spent a nice afternoon at Barnes & Noble on Sunday and listened to a lot of fireworks in the evening but no parties for us. Mainly I was playing with some of my Christmas goodies my husband got me. A new journal, some new markers and a new fountain pen! I can’t stop writing with it.

Anyway, this post is about starting off the year with a new book. While I’m carrying over a couple of reads into the new year, I also love to start something new. I have some library books I could have chosen from but I wanted to select a title from my shelves and I went with How to Travel Without Seeing by Andres Neuman.

I mainly chose this book because it focuses on Latin America which is an area of the world I’ve neglected a bit in my reading, it’s a translation, and it’s published by an indie press. Plus, it’s about travel and if I can’t be on a plane or train to somewhere exciting right now I can at least read about it.

So did you start the year with a new book? Don’t forget that Sheila also has a wonderful round-up posts of others who participate in the First Book of the Year. So neat to see all the book choices.