I’ve looked at so many different challenges, but I think the ones I will aim for in 2012 include the following:

1. The Eclectic Reader Challenge (Book’d Out)
2. Steampunk Reading Challenge (Dark Faery Tales)
3. Immortal Reading Challenge (Under The Covers)
4. My own Year of the Dragon challenge

The Eclectic Reader Challenge

Hosted by Book’d Out, this challenge aims to push you outside your comfort zone and read books from twelve different genres throughout the year. The genres are:

1. Literary Fiction – Water for Elephants, Sara Gruen – READ & REVIEWED
2. Crime/Mystery Fiction – India Black, Carol K Carr – Read & Reviewed
3. Romantic Fiction – Sleeping with Paris – Juliette Sobanet
4. Historical Fiction – Daughters of Iraq, Revital Shiri-Horowitz
5. Young Adult – Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Laini Taylor – READ & REVIEWED
6. Fantasy – A Storm of Swords, George R R Martin
7. Science Fiction – Ender’s Game, Orson Scott Card
8. Non Fiction – Brain Rules for Baby, John Medina – READ
9. Horror – The Complete Works of H.P. Lovecraft
10. Thriller /Suspense – The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Stieg Larson
11. Classic – The Three Musketeers, Alexandre Dumas
12. Your favourite genre (fantasy)– A Shadow on the Glass, Ian Irvine – READ & REVIEWED

Steampunk Reading Challenge

Welcome to the world of STEAMPUNK, a fascinating subgenre of the fantasy world. Meet strong Victorian men and women and explore fantastic airships, crafts and other incredible inventions.

(from Dark Faerie Tales)

This challenge is hosted at Dark Faerie Tales. I’ve always thought that Steampunk sounded like an interesting sub-genre, but I’ve never really managed to read much of it. Here’s a chance to change that! I’ll only be going for theGaslight level – 6 books, unless I discover I have more to read than I thought!

1. Dead Iron, Devon Monk
2. Wicked As They Come, Delilah S Dawson
3. The Map Of Time, Felix J Palma
4. Phoenix Rising, Pip Ballantine
5. Steampunk! Anthology
6. Viridis, Calista Taylor
7. Aurorarama, Jean-Christophe Valtat (review)
8. Aladdin and His Wonderfully Infernal Device, Tee Morris (review)

Immortal Reading Challenge

Vampires, angels, demons, werewolves and fae. If you can’t pick a favourite, then that’s okay!

(From Under the Covers)

Twelve books involving immortal races – let’s see. These may change, but these are what I’m thinking of (some are in my TBR pile already):

Vampires

• Vampire Academy (book 1), Richelle Mead
• Living Dead in Dallas (Sookie Stackhouse 2), Charlaine Harris
• The Forever Girl, Rebecca Hamilton – READ & REVIEWED
• A Discovery of Witches, Deborah Harkness – Read & Reviewed

Angels and Demons

• Hush Hush, Becca Fitzpatrick
• Fallen, Lauren Kate – READ
• Demon Girl, Penelope Fletcher
• Halo, Alexandra Adornetto
• Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Laini Taylor –  READ & REVIEWED
• Dark Kiss, Michelle Rowen – READ & REVIEWED

Fae

• Iron King, Julie Kagawa
• Wicked Lovely, Melissa Marr
• Storm Born, Richelle Mead
• or Song of the Fairy Queen, Valerie Douglas
• Dragonclaw, Kate Forsyth – READ & reviewed
• Memory’s Wake, Selina Fenech (review)
• Shadowfell, Juliet Marillier (review)
• Rua, Miranda Kavi (review)

Shifters/Werewolves

• City of Bones, Cassandra Clare – READ & REVIEWED
• The Silver Cage, Mik Wilkens
• Moon Called, Patricia Briggs
• Shiver, Maggie Stiefvater
• Flight, Alyssa Rose Ivy – READ
• Jack Templar: Monster Hunter, Jeff Gunhus (review)

Year of the Dragon

My own challenge is to simply read five books involving dragons. There will most likely be more!

• The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien (review)
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Stieg Larson
• Brisingr, Christopher Paolini
• Temeraire: In the Service of the King, Naomi Novik
• A Storm of Swords, George R R Martin
• Dragonclaw, Kate Forsyth (review)
• Memory’s Wake, Selina Fenech (review)
• Seraphina, Rachel Hartman (review)

The Stephen King Dark Tower Read-a-long

• The Gunslinger (review)
• The Drawing of the Three (review)
• The Waste Lands (review)
• Wizard and Glass
• The Wind Through the Keyhole
• Wolves of the Calla
• Song of Susannah
• The Dark Tower

Books Read In 2012

1. The Sending (Obernewtyn 6), Isobelle Carmody
2. Windshifter, S.M. Johnson
3. American Gods, Neil Gaiman (review)
4. Snuff (Discworld 39), Terry Pratchett (review)
5. A Study In Scarlet, Arthur Conan Doyle
6. Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Laini Taylor (review)
7. City of Bones, Cassandra Clare (review)
8. The Day of First Sun, Sheryl Steines
9. The Forever Girl, Rebecca Hamilton (review)
10. WiSpY, Rob Andrews (review)
11. Vitality, Tim Andrewartha (review)
12. Gate to Kandrith, Nicole Luiken (review)
13. The Book of Lost Fragrances, MJ Rose (review)
14. To The Dark Tower, Victor Kelleher
15. The White Oak, Kim White (review)
16. The Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern (review)
17. Burnt Ice, Steve Wheeler (review)
18. Divergent, Veronica Roth (review)
19. The Wicked and the Just, J. Anderson Coats (review)
20. Socialpunk, Monica Leonelle (review)
21. The Imaginality of Somewhere, Someone (review)
22. A Confusion of Princes, Garth Nix (review)
23. Dream Robbers, R.C. Scott (review)
24. Aurorarama, Jean-Christophe Valtat (review)
25. Insurgent, Veronica Roth (review)
26. Exiled, J. R. Wagner (review)
27. The Six (Gateway Chronicles #1), K.B. Hoyle (review)
28. Kingdom, Anderson O’Donnell (review)
29. Birdie Down, Jim Graham (review)
30. Cinder, Marissa Meyer (review)
31. Glitches (prequel to Cinder), Marissa Meyer – It’s free!
32. Talisman of El, Alecia Stone (review)
33. Across the Universe, Beth Revis (review)
34. Dark Kiss, Michelle Rowen (review)
35. The Journeys of John and Julia in Chapter One: Genesis, Aurelia (dnf)
36. Aladdin and His Wonderfully Infernal Device, Tee Morris (review)
37. Winter Be My Shield, Jo Spurrier (review)
38. Amped, Daniel H Wilson (review)
39. Finnikin of the Rock (Lumatere Chronicles #1), Melina Marchetta (review)
40. The Oracle (Gateway Chronicles #2), K.B. Hoyle (review)
41. The Wand in the Word, Leonard S Marcus (editor) (review)
42. Water for Elephants, Sara Gruen (review)
43. The Long Earth, Terry Pratchett & Stephen Baxter (review)
44. Ada Lovelace, Computer Wizard of Victorian England, Lucy Lethbridge (review)
45. Destiny of the Light, Louise Cusack (review)
46. Wither, Lauren DeStefano (review)
47. Dragonclaw, Kate Forsyth (review)
48. Memory’s Wake, Selina Fenech (review)
49. Shadowfell, Juliet Marillier (review)
50. Return of the Ancients (Valkeryn #1), Grieg Beck (review)
51. Foundling (Monster Blood Tattoo #1), D.M. Cornish (audio book) (review)
52. Little Fur, Isobelle Carmody (review)
53. Keys to the Kingdom 1: Mister Monday, Garth Nix (audio book) (review)
54. A Shadow on the Glass, Ian Irvine (review)
55. Fire in the Sea, Myke Bartlett (review)
56. Throne of Glass, Sarah J Maas (review)
57. Fallen, Lauren Kate (audio book)
58. Legends of Australian Fantasy, Jack Dann & Jonathon Strahan (editors) (review)
59. Glitch, Heather Anastasiu (review)
60. The White Thread (Gateway Chronicles #3), K.B. Hoyle (review)
61. Seraphina, Rachel Hartman (review)
62. India Black, Carol K Carr (review)
63. Legends of Shannara: Bearers of the Black Staff, Terry Brooks (audio)
64. Stormdancer, Jay Kristoff (review)
65. A Discovery of Witches, Deborah Harkness (review)
66. Defiance, CJ Redwine (review)
67. Shift, Kim Curran (review)
68. Flight, Alyssa Rose Ivy
69. Love in a Cold Climate, Nancy Mitford
70. Rua, Miranda Kavi (review)
71. World of Warcraft: Pearl of Pandaria, Micky Neilson (review)
72. The Gunslinger, Stephen King (review)
73. A Corner of White, Jaclyn Moriarty (review)
74. Froi of the Exiles (Lumatere Chronicles #2), Melina Marchetta (review)
75. Seeds of Discovery (Dusk Gate Chronicles #1), Breeanna Putroff (review)
76. Roots of Insight (Dusk Gate Chronicles #2), Breeanna Putroff (review)
77. Dodger, Terry Pratchett (review)
78. Quintana of Charyn (Lumatere Chronicles #3), Melina Marchetta (review)
79. The Enchanted (Gateway Chronicles #4), K.B. Hoyle (review)
80. This Green Hell, Greig Beck (review)
81. The Tolkien Years of the Brothers Hildebrandt, Greg Hildebrandt Jr (review)
82. The Drawing of the Three (Dark Tower #2), Stephen King (review)
83. Stitch, Samantha Durante (review)
84. Silver, Talia Vance (review)
85. Crewel, Gennifer Albin (review)
86. Angelkiller, H. David Blalock (review)
87. Traitor Angel, H. David Blalock (review)
88. Thrall: Twilight of the Aspects, Christie Golden (review)
89. Days of Blood and Starlight, Laini Taylor (review)
90. The Light Between Oceans, M.L. Stedman
91. The Arrival, Shaun Tan
92. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien (review)
93. Jack Templar: Monster Hunter, Jeff Gunhus (review)
94. The Waste Lands (Dark Tower #3), Stephen King (review)
95. Touch of Power, Maria V Snyder (review)
96. Deva Zan, Yoshitaka Amano (graphic novel)
97. Incubus, Carol Goodman (review)
98. Great North Road, Peter F Hamilton (review)