Mini-Challenge Extended--W-I-N The Mists of Avalon!

Unfortunately, we had no participants in the mini-challenge I set down for February through April so I've extended it through October.  The guidelines are basically the same, but I've crossed out the original months and replaced them with two months, so you get two months to read one book for each category.  Here are all the details:


February May/June -- read a book with "love" or some kind of display/description of affection in the title or on the cover, i.e. Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead or Dark Lover by J.R. Ward.

March July/August - read a classic tale, i.e. A Midsummer Night's Dream by Shakespeare or Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.

April September/October - a book with an animal in the title or on the cover.

We will not have a mini-challenge in November/December due to the holidays.  No need to sign up here.  Just post your reviews as you complete the categories in the mini-challenge review linky in the sidebar.

• Remember that all books must be from the challenge list, which can be found in the pages section at the top of the sidebar.  The examples given above are all from the list
• Review linky is in the right sidebar.
• Everyone who completes the challenge by reading at least one book per 2 months following the  criteria for those months will be entered in the giveaway (winner will be chosen randomly via random.org)
• The winner will receive a gently used copy of one of the most awesome fantasy books ever written, The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley (which is on the list, incidentally).  If the chosen winner is not in the U.S., they will have the option of either paying postage and handling for the book to be sent or choosing a book (under $5) from The Book Depository or Better World Books, whichever company delivers to your country.
• Have fun and good luck completing the challenge!

February, March, April Mini-Challenge!

Yes! I got the help I asked for.  A big thank you to AlleluiaLu for coming up with the idea.  My idea fount had runneth quite dry.  *L*

So, here we go:

February -- read a book with "love" or some kind of display/description of affection in the title or on the cover, i.e. Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead or Dark Lover by J.R. Ward.

March - read a classic tale, i.e. A Midsummer Night's Dream by Shakespeare or Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.

April - a book with an animal in the title or on the cover.

• Remember that all books must be from the challenge list, which can be found in the pages section at the top of the sidebar.  The examples given above are all from the list
• Review linky is in the right sidebar.
• Everyone who completes the challenge by reading at least one book per month following that month's criteria will be entered in the giveaway (winner will be chosen randomly via random.org)
• The winner will receive a gently used copy of one of the most awesome fantasy books ever written, The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley (which is on the list, incidentally).  If the chosen winner is not in the U.S., they will have the option of either paying postage and handling for the book to be sent or choosing a book (under $5) from The Book Depository or Better World Books, whichever company delivers to your country.
• Have fun and good luck completing the challenge!

I Need Your Help!

Hello there, fellow 101 Fantasy participants! As you've probably noticed, the challenge has lain quite dormant for the past several months.  I do apologize.  I hope that you are still doing some great fantasy reading, even without mini-challenges.  I managed to complete 4 books from the list (I'm reading from the full list of 800+) in 2011.  They were:

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks
A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

I also still owe Alleluialu for her win in May.  Finances were so bad in 2011.  I'm hoping, as I'm sure a lot of us are, that 2012 will be a better year on the financial front.  Alleluialu, I have not forgotten.  I will get that to you very soon.

Now what do I need your help on?  I need some help coming up with mini-challenges for the next few segments of months.  Since we're getting a late start this year.  I'm looking to do (3) three month segments and then have November and December be free months since we are all so busy during the holidays.  It would look something like this:

Feb | March | April -- mini-challenge
May | June | July -- mini-challenge
Aug | Sept | Oct -- mini-challenge
Nov | Dec -- free months

Of course, each mini-challenge will have a prize at the end for the winner, but I am going to have to decrease the amount I give away or do some book giveaways instead.  (Some would be gently used/library discards...hope that's not a problem)  I have one of my favorite fantasy books of all time to give away for the first mini-challenge this year.  This is a book that should permanently be on any discerning fantasy reader's bookshelf.  =O)

So, put your thinking caps on and throw some ideas at me.  I'm afraid the fount has run dry and I need some inspiration.  I appreciate each and every one of you that have stuck with the challenge and I hope you will continue to participate as we breathe new life into it.

Happy fantasy reading!

Winner of the 2nd Mini-Challenge and Announcement

I apologize for the delay with the winner and the new review linkys.  I have had a lot of personal stuff going on in my life the past several months...a big move, a major financial crisis, and more...so I have been neglectful of this challenge and I'm sorry.  Now, the winner of the mini-challenge that ended at the end of May is Alleluialu.  I will email you with the code for your $10 Better World Books Gift cert. as soon as I can.  As I said, my finances are pretty bad so it could be a little bit, but I will get it to you.  If you read this before I email you, send me an email so I know I have the correct email address at truebookaddictATgmailDOTcom


Regretfully, I am going to postpone the next mini-challenge until Fall.  With my finances as they are, I just can't offer a prize and I'm so busy trying to find a job and with my writing and blogging obligations, I haven't even had time to think up a mini-challenge.  I hope you all are not too disappointed and will stick with the challenge.  I'm slowly whittling away at the list myself, but I keep forgetting to link my reviews over here.  After all, I'm part of the challenge too. =O)  I promise I will try to come up with an awesome mini-challenge for Fall.  If you have any ideas, please let me know.

Since there is no mini-challenge for June - September, please post your reviews in the non-mini-challenge review linky (page in sidebar).  Thank you for being patient.  Remember, if you ever have any questions, please feel free to email me.

Happy Fantasy Reading!

FIRST MINI-CHALLENGE RESULTS AND NEW MINI-CHALLENGE ANNOUNCEMENT

So...how did you do on the mini-challenge for October through January?  According to the linky for mini-challenge reviews, Sniffly Kitty completed all 13 books read, with Alleluialu coming in second with 6 books read.  Great job, ladies! According to these results, Sniffly Kitty is the winner of the $10 Better World Books gift certificate, unless anyone else completed 13 and just didn't link up.  If you did read the 13 books for the mini-challenge, leave your review links in the comments or in the Linky within a couple of days.  If I do not hear from anyone else, then I will email Sniffly Kitty with her gift certificate information.

I am making this next mini-challenge more simple, just for my sanity and for yours as well...LOL! The mini-challenge is to read one book (from the list of 101 OR the entire list of 813) for each month, February through May.  Each person who reads the required 4 books will receive 4 points...that's 4 entries in the giveaway.  For each book you read above the 4 book requirement, you will receive an extra point.  For instance, if you read 6 books, you will receive 6 points...that's 6 entries in the giveaway.  The prize, once again, will be a $10 gift certificate to Better World Books.  I will have a page for you to link your mini-challenge reviews.  Again, it will be in the sidebar. 

Good luck...I hope you get a lot of great fantasy reading done!

A QUICK CLARIFICATION POST

I just wanted to make a couple of clarifications regarding the challenge and mini-challenge: 

• You do not have to participate in the mini-challenge...it's entirely optional. 
• The Mr. Linky at the end of the perpetual announcement post is for sign-ups for the perpertual challenge, NOT the mini-challenge so please be sure to sign up again, even if you originally signed up last year or earlier this year. 
• There is no sign up for the mini-challenge.  You just post your reviews in the mini-challenge review linky (sidebar) and those who complete the 13 books will be entered in the giveaway.
• I neglected to add a linky for non-mini-challenge reviews.  I will correct that and it will be in the sidebar as well.

Thanks for bearing with me and remember, if you have any questions whatsoever, please email me at truebookaddictATgmailDOTcom

Happy reading!

101 FANTASY CHALLENGE GOES PERPETUAL & MINI-CHALLENGE ANNOUNCEMENT

I was planning on announcing this on October 1st, but I have been sick for a week and it was all I could do to get my Banned Books Week posts written! Anyway, I'm sure you have been waiting to hear the official announcement about the staus of this challenge.  Most of you voted on the poll I posted and the results were as follows:

13 voted to make it a perpetual challenge
5 voted to extend the deadline
1 voted for either choice

Some who voted for perpetual had suggested periodic mini-challenges for incentive.  So I am making this challenge perpetual and I will be having quarterly mini-challenges, starting this month.  A couple suggested a re-vote to come up with a new list, but since the original voting list ended up with 813 selections, I figure we can work off that list.  Many I have talked to were already reading off that list anyway and there are some fantastic book recommendations on the entire list (you can find the link to the complete list on the sidebar).

I know that you have already signed up previously, but please sign up again on this post.  This will give me an idea of who is participating from the old challenge and of new participants.  If you plan on continuing with us on the challenge, please be sure to sign up.  I hope you will!

And now, for the mini-challenge! I took the holidays from the months of October, November, December and January...US, Canada, and UK holidays...and used them for the challenge.  Take the first letter of each holiday (or the second letter, if it's a two letter holiday...like New Year's) and pick a book from the list that starts with that letter OR either of the author's names can start with the letter.  Example:  Veteran's Day = author:  Rachel Vincent OR Columbus Day = City of Glass by Cassandra Clare

MINI-CHALLENGE WILL GO FROM TODAY UNTIL JANUARY 31, 2011


HOLIDAYS/LETTERS

October
USA
Columbus Day = C
Halloween = H
CANADA
Thanksgiving = T

November
USA
Veteran's Day = V
Thanksgiving = T
CANADA
Remembrance Day = R

December
USA & UK
Hanukkah = H
Christmas = C
Kwanzaa = K
New Year's Eve = N or Y
UK & CANADA
Boxing Day = B

January
USA, UK, & CANADA
New Year's Day = N or Y
USA
Martin Luther King Day = M or L or K

Total holidays/letters is 13 so that's 13 books in 4 months...not too hard, I hope! You do not have to read them in the month they fall.  If you live in a country other than USA, UK or Canada, you can substitute one of the smaller holidays with a customary holiday in your country...total books still must equal 13 though.  I will have a small giveaway at the end of the four months for all who complete their 13 books.  There will be a page (access in sidebar) to post your reviews for the four month challenge.

I hope you will continue to join me here for the 101 Fantasy Challenge and I hope you like the mini-challenge.  Please leave me a comment, if you like!