My 2012 Reading Challenges

Coz I'm not busy enough (*cough*), and I did SO well with the reading challenges I signed up for this year (*cough*cough*), I've decided to not only create my own reading challenge (sign up for the TV Addict challenge here!), but also join a bunch of others. In my defence, I started late with the challenges I attempted this year, so I've got more of a chance of completing them this time 'round. That's the theory, anyway. Besides, these all sound fun and, y'know, challenging (in a good way, natch), so I went a bit crazy with the sign ups.

1. YA Contemporary, hosted by Reading Angel and Katie's Book Blog: Read 5+ Contemporary YA books published in 2012 (level 1). I've been really getting into contemp lately after experiencing major paranormal-fatigue, so I'm excited about this one.

2. Around the Stack in How Many Ways?, hosted by Dog Ear Discs: Read as many different genres as possible. I'm going to aim for "backpacker" level, reading 5-10 different genres - coz I need to expand my horizons!

3. Victorian Challenge, hosted by Laura's Reviews: Read books written in or about the Victorian era. The minimum is 2-6; I'm going to aim for 6 - one book every 2 months, which I think I can realistically do. I like the sound of this challenge because I love a lot of Victorian lit and it will help shift my focus back to the classics.

4. Gossip Girl reading challenge, hosted by Reading with Tequila: Read the Gossip Girl series by Cecily von Ziegesar. I was planning on doing this for the TV Addict challenge anyway, so this adds extra incentive!

5. The League of Extroadinary Gentlemen book challenge, hosted by Booking in Heels: Read the original books that the League of Extroadinary Gentlemen movie/graphic novel is based on. Another one that will help me to focus on the classics - plus I love comparing adaptations!

6. Aussie Author Challenge, hosted by Booklover Book Reviews:  Read 12 books by at least six different Aussie authors ("dinky di" level). I participated in this challenge this year, and although I didn't get anywhere near my target (I only read five books from four different authors), I had a lot of fun - and besides, my failure just proves how much I still really need to step up my game when it comes to reading Aussie books!

7. Young Adult challenge, hosted by The Eclectic Bookshelf: Read 40 YA books ("jumbo" level). I read a lot of YA books, so there's no challenge there... unless I aim to read 40, that is!

8. 100+ Books In a Year, hosted by Book Chick City: Pretty self-explanatory - read over 100 books in one year! This one is definitely a challenge, but one I hope to complete.

9. Reading Challenge Addict, hosted at Reading Challenge Addict: Um, yeah, did you see that list up there?! I think I classify as a challenge addict, and I've only just begun! I'm going for "on the roof" level, which means I'll enter (and complete!) 6-10 challenges.

Edited to add: After some Twitter persuasion, I've decided to also sign up for the Haruki Murakami Challenge - I've been wanting to read some of his work anyway, and seeing as the requirement is to only read one, I think I can manage it!

To make it an even 12 for 2012 (am I nuts?!) I'm also signing up for the Australian Women Writers Challenge. I'm going for "Stella" level, aiming to read at least three books by Australian female writers.

What challenges are you doing next year?