Updates, Record Keeping, and Challenges

I spent most of the morning of New Year's Day sorting out the directions of my reading for 2015.

I try to give my book selection some purpose by participating in a number of reading challenges which ensure that I include some diversity. Because of what I naturally choose to read, you could argue that some are not challenges, but I would argue that they do give me a wider appreciation of what is currently being published, but also what has been published in the past, and in languages other than English.

If you've come across a reading challenge that you think I should consider by all means recommend it in a comment. I allow overlapping in my challenges so a book could be recorded in a number of places.

Some of the challenges are external to this blog while others are hosted here or on a blog that I manage.
In practical terms I do allow some challenges to overlap, that is, most books will appear in more than one challenge.
In addition many of the challenges are simply continuations of challenges I took on last year, and are a reflection of my reading interests..

2015 The reading challenges I've joined

Last updated 3 January 2015

• Outdo yourself reading challenge 2015: aiming for 145, currently: 1 (137 in 2014)
• Agatha Christie Reading Challenge  Completed in 2014
• 2015 Global Reading Challenge currently 1/21
• USA Fiction Challenge So far 19/51
• 2015 Aussie Author reading challenge aiming for 20. Currently 0
• 2015 Australian Women Writers Challenge aiming for 20. Currently 0
• British Books Challenge 2015 hosted by Fluttering Butterflies currently 1
• Vintage Mystery BINGO 2015: Silver & Gold Edition currently 0
• 2015 Ebook Reading Challenge  currently 0
• New to me authors - a personal challenge currently 1
• Not crime fiction - a personal challenge currently 0
• Nordic reading challenge - a personal challenge unless I find an "official" one, currently 0
• New Zealand reading challenge - again a personal challenge unless I can find someone hosting an "official" one. currently 0
• Translated crime fiction - a personal challenge that will overlap with many of the other reading challenges that I have undertaken. currently 0
• Snagged at the Library currently: 1
• 2015 Authors A to Z Reading Challenge  currently: 1

Looking for some reading challenge ideas yourself? Check A Novel Challenge.

 A visual summary
 

	2015 Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge hosted by The Book Vixen In 2014 I read 137 books. Aiming for 145. So far this year: 1 This challenge has its own record page at 2015 Reviews.
	Agatha Christie Reading Challenge How to join the Agatha Christie Reading Challenge This is one that I host. I completed the challenge in 2014 and so here this year I'll record blog posts related to Agatha Christie, probably mainly related to short stories.
	2015 Global Reading Challenge: 1/21 I have committed myself to reading 21 titles, all crime fiction, 3 titles each from 7 "continents". My 7th continent - historical crime fiction. Blog site: 2015 Global Reading Challenge Africa Asia Australasia/Oceania (my modification) - An extra hurdle for Australasia - at least one from New Zealand. I can count separate Australian states Europe - 4.8, ONLY THE INNOCENT, Rachel Abbott  - England North America - South America - 7th Continent: Historical -
USA Fiction Challenge ongoing	USA Fiction Challenge ongoing  This is one I'm hosting on its own site. I'm keeping my own  records on a page on my blog. So here I will just keep a summary of the number of states covered, as well as a list of US crime fiction I've read in 2015. Total so far 19/51 Books read 2015: 0
Golden Vintage - books written before 1960 - no bingos claimed yet  and   Silver Vintage: books written 1960 - 1989 - no bingos claimed yet	Vintage Mystery BINGO 2015: Silver & Gold Edition This is hosted by Bev at My Reader's Block. * All books must be from the mystery category (crime fiction, detective fiction, espionage, etc.).  The mystery/crime must be the primary feature of the book--ghost stories, paranormal, romance, humor, etc are all welcome as ingredients, but must not be the primary category under which these books would be labeled at the library or bookstore. You keep your records on bingo cards.  See my special page for this challenge
British Books Challenge 2015 - mine will be crime fiction	British Books Challenge 2015 hosted by Fluttering Butterflies The aim is to read at least 12 books by British authors. This is really not much of a challenge for me as I read so much British crime fiction, so the challenge is really just a way of keeping my records. Currently: 1/12 4.8, ONLY THE INNOCENT, Rachel Abbott
	The Aussie Author Challenge 2015 is being hosted at Booklover Book Reviews I'm aiming initially at Kangaroo (12 titles) but the reality is that I will read many more than that. - Read and review 12 titles written by Australian Authors of which at least 4 of those authors are female, at least 4 of those authors are male, and at least 4 of those authors are new to you; - At least 6 fiction and at least 2 non-fiction, and at least 3 titles first published in 2014 or 2015.  Currently: 0.
	2015 Australian Women Writers Challenge I will be aiming to read about 20 titles, all crime fiction. They will also count for the Aussie Author Challenge (above) Currently : 0
	2015 Ebook Reading Challenge Here is another that is probably not much of a challenge for me as I read so much on my Kindle. Levels: 1. Bits – 5 ebooks 2. Bytes – 10 ebooks 3. Megabytes – 25 ebooks 4. Gigabytes – 50 ebooks 5. Terabytes – 75 ebooks 6. Empty the Cloud – 100 ebooks   Currently: 0
	This is a personal challenge. I intend to read as many new-to-me authors as I can. Currently: 0 4.8, ONLY THE INNOCENT, Rachel Abbott
Not crime fiction	Not crime fiction Another personal challenge: a reminder to myself that I need occasionally to read outside the crime fiction genre. I find this very hard to do. Currently: 0
	Nordic Reading challenge Another personal challenge: a reminder to myself that I want to keep an eye on Nordic/Scandinavian crime fiction and to keep records of my reading. Currently: 0
New Zealand authors	New Zealand Reading challenge Another personal challenge: a reminder to myself that I want to keep an eye on New Zealand crime fiction and to keep records of my reading. Currently: 0
	Translated crime fiction This will overlap with a number of the other challenges and is really just a record of translated titles that I've read this year. Currently: 0
	It is really is a bit of a variant of the Crime Fiction Alphabet challenge that I have run for the last few years (and I may well do that again some time in 2015) I will count only crime fiction books for this challenge which is being hosted by Samantha Lin You list authors A-Z according to surname. My "official" record page is here.
	Snagged at the Library Hosted here probably not much of a challenge for me because I am a consistent "supporter" of my local library, but it will help me keep a nice record of my borrowed books. Currently: 1 4.8, ONLY THE INNOCENT, Rachel Abbott
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