Series-ously Addicted...to Reading Challenges: First Quarterly Update of 2015

Series-ously Addicted...to Reading Challenges: First Quarterly Update of 2015

So far in 2015 I have signed up for 44 reading challenges (one was a challenge about reading challenges!); three are shorter, 40 are year long (Jan. 1 to Dec. 31) and one is a two year challenge.  Here's where I currently stand in each of them: 

Short Challenges: 

Sci Fi Experience: While not technically a challenge, I consider it one as sci fi is not in my normal wheelhouse.  I read one book for this: The Martian by Andy Weir.  This challenge ran through the month of January.

Bookish Bingo New Year's Edition: I hoped to read one bingo and complete three.  I read 17/25 categories!

Bookish Bingo Spring Edition: This just started on April 1, and as of the writing of this post, I had 0 books read towards it.

Year Long Challenges:

105 Challenge: I forgot to officially sign up for this one but figured I would go ahead and participate for fun anyway.  Here is how many books I have read in my chosen categories:

9/14 New (to me) Sean Michael titles
0/13 Laugh Out Loud 
9/12 New to Me Authors
2/11 Books with Buzz
1/10 Books Written by Relatives 
9/9 Monochromatic Covers
1/8 YA
2/7 New Adult
6/6 Next in a Series
2/5 Angst-y
0/4 Sad
0/3 Rec'd by Mom
1/2 Books I Didn't Like the First Time
0/1 Non Fiction

42/105 Total

Alphabet Soup: I have read 25/26 titles and have only the letter Z remaining.  

Around the World: I have read 12 books but need to update my Google map.  

Audiobook: I have listened to one audiobook in its entirety (The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp by Kathy Appelt read by Lyle Lovett) and am about 75% of the way through High Noon by Nora Roberts read by Susan Ericksen.  I am still at level 1: Newbie.

Authors A to Z: I have read 18/26 with E, F, N, O, U, V, X, and Z remaining.  

Birthday Month: I have kept up with the reading for this challenge but my February review went up in March and my March review has yet to be completed.  I hope belated birthdays count!  

Book Blogger Recommendations: I have read bupkis for this one but still hope to read at least three.  There are some great titles on the list but I have not been in a YA mood and the vast majority of titles fall into that category.   

Cloak and Dagger: Ummm...I figured when I signed up that this would be the most challenging challenge for me as I don't really read mysteries.  But I want to.  I want to love mysteries so much!  I want to love cozies, and police procedurals, and thrillers that require a nightlight.  But so far I haven't had much luck.  However, I will not give up!  Although I haven't read any this year yet.

Color Coded: I have read 0 books with color words in the title.  Now that I have finished my monochromatic covers section of the 105 I am also challenging myself to read books with colored covers as well (mostly green, mostly blue, etc.) for more fun.  

Contemporary Romance: I have read 23 contemporaries so far and have achieved the highest level of Grand Slam.

Deal Me In Short Stories: I have utterly failed at this challenge but refuse to give it up.  I have read 0 of my scheduled short stories but am convinced that some weekend I am going to go on a binge and read all of my languishing cards' stories to get caught up.  

ebook: I have read 60 ebooks achieving Gigabyte level.

Fairytale Retellings: 0 books read.

Foodie: I have read 6 and am at Pastry Chef level.

Full House: 23/25 books read; two remain until I achieve the Full House!! I hope to finish this one in April.

Genre Decades: 1/10 Romance of the 80's; 0/10 Contemporary Romance of the 90's; 4/10 Paranormal Romances of the 00's

Hard Core Reread: 142 rereads so far this year.  I love rereading!  

Historical Romance: I have read 4 books.

I Love Library Books: 28 library books and counting...I am currently at YA level.

Key Word: I have read all three months worth of books but February's didn't get read and reviewed until the next to last day of March.  Hmm.

 Literary Pickers: I have found 105 of 112 items.  I would love to finish in April but don't know if it will actually happen.

Men in Uniform: I have read 16 books and achieved the highest level of Chief.

Monthly Motif: I have read January and March and reviewed them in their respective months but still have to read February's book.  

New Release: I have read 7 books published in 2015.

New to You: I have read 31 books that are somehow "new" to me (new author, new series, etc.)  I have completed level 3.

Official TBR Pile Extreme: I have read two of my preselected 12 books (plus 2 alternatives).

Pages Read: I have read over 35,000 words this year.  Pretty awesome!

Prequels and Sequels: I have to go back through my reading list and figure out how many prequels and sequels I have read.  I am also behind on reviews of books that could count towards this challenge.  I need to set aside an evening (or a week) to figure this out.  My goal is to have this figured out by the end of the month.  There's a 30/70 chance it will actually happen.  

Read Your Freebies: I have read 31 freebies on my Kindle and am at Penny Pincher status.  

Reading Assignment Challenge: I made a slight mistake at the end of February and then completely snowballed out of control with this challenge in March.  Here is what happened.  On Feb. 28, I realized I hadn't read my last reading challenge book so I quickly picked up Trust No One by Jayne Ann Krentz so I could stay on track.  Read it, reviewed it, realized on March 1 that it was a 2015 release and I was supposed to read Mystery Woman by Amanda Quick (same author, different pen name).  No worry, I figured I could use my pass and catch up on Mystery Woman in march with an extra credit.  Then, I realized that I had Cream and Underground: Special Teams on my reading assignment list (for Sept. and Oct.) which would be fine but I read them in February.  Okay, that is what extra credit is for.  So, I had used my one pass and my three extra credits.  Except, I wasn't in the mood to read the Bridal quartet by Nora Roberts. After reading Catching Fire (for a different challenge) I went on a Nora suspense kick by listening to High Noon on the way to/from work and checking out Whiskey Beach and The Collector.  So short story long, I only read two of my three March books and have no passes/credits left.  So, I have officially failed this challenge.  However, I couldn't just leave it at that and have decided that I will still try to finish all of my books (and have since read another book from Sept. and one from August) even if the timing aspect is down the tubes.  

Reading Challenge Addict: I haven't completed any of my year long challenges yet but am really close on about three of them.

Reading Road Trip: I have read books set in 16/50 states.  I am also going to try to read a book set in D.C. as well.

Romantic Suspense: I have read 11 romantic suspense books and am at Marksman level.  

Series That Never Ends: I have only signed up to read 5 books from the Psy/Changling series.  I have read 2/5.  I need to go back and sign up for more series.  

TBR: I have read and reviewed January's book and read March's.  I need to write its review and read/review something for February.  I find the challenges with due dates are the hardest for me.  Who knew I was so resistant to "rules"?

TBR Pile: I am only counting my physical books for this as my ebooks have their own challenge.  I have read 12 books from my paperback stash and am at the Friendly Hug level.

TBR Reduction Extreme: Now that I am only keeping track of my physical books I am both more successful and less likely to rip my hair out trying to figure out the state of my Kindle.

What An Animal: I have read 18 books featuring animals in a starring/important role and am at level 3.

What's In a Name?: 2/6 categories completed

Witches and Witchcraft: I have read 3 books and am an initiate. 

Two Year Challenges

Monthly Mix Up Mania: This challenge just started this month and will end March 31, 2017.  I am challenging myself to finish it by March 31, 2016 if possible.  

Overall, it is about what I would expect.  I am doing really well on some, haven't started others, with most being somewhere in the middle of that spectrum.  By my second quarterly update (sometime in June/early July) I hope to have at least one book in each challenge, get caught up on Deal Me In, and stay on top of the monthly read/review challenges.