2011 Reading Challenges.

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I’m not a fan of reading challenges. I don’t like being obligated to read, or review, or..well, anything. Once I join a challenge and obligate myself to reading, it becomes a chore..which takes all the enjoyment out of it.

I did join a reading challenge last year – the 144 Books in 2010 Challenge on Goodreads. Because there was no pressure – I didn’t have to review something every month nor was I forced to read a specific book by a specific date – I felt comfortable joining. I like pushing myself to do more – ie reading more books in a year – I just don’t like feeling obligated.

I decided to step it up a bit this year. I’m going to join two challenges. Neither are ones where I’ll be obligated to read, but both will hopefully motivate me to read a little more.

The first is host by The Book Vixen. 2011 Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge. Here’s the skinny:

Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge
hosted by The Book Vixen

Details:

• Runs January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2011(books read prior to 1/1/11 do not count towards the challenge). You can join at anytime. You can sign up on The Book Vixen’s blog.
• The goal is to outdo yourself by reading more books in 2011 than you did in 2010. See the different levels below and pick the one that works best for you. Nothing is set in stone; you can change levels at any time during the challenge.
• Books can be any format (bound, eBook, audio).
• Re-reads and crossovers from other reading challenges are fine.
• You can list your books in advance or list them as you read them. It is not required that you review the books you read for this challenge but feel free to do so.
• Post this reading challenge on your blog so you can keep a list of the books you’ve read for this challenge. Please include a link back to this post so readers can join the challenge too.
• You do not have to be a book blogger to participate. You can keep tabs on books you’ve read for this challenge on Goodreads or LibraryThing if you’d like (maybe make a shelf for “Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge”). If you are not on either of those sites then you can list the books you read for this challenge in the comments on my wrap-up post, which will be up at the end of 2011.

Levels:

Getting my heart rate up – Read 1–5 more books
Out of breath – Read 6–10 more books
Breaking a sweat – Read 11–15 more books
I’m on fire! – Read 16+ more books

I’m not going to keep track of what I’m reading here on the blog, but I will be keeping track on Goodreads (I created a special 2011 Outdo Yourself shelf to keep track). I’m going for the I’m On Fire level. I read 179 books (including re-reads) in 2010, so I’ll need to read at least 195.

The second reading challenge is actually more like an extension of the first. I want to read at least 16 more books than I did last year, and I’d also like to break the 200 mark. So I’m starting the 211 in 2011 Challenge. The goal? Read 211 books throughout the year. It should be easy enough to keep track of – simply create a Goodreads shelf, 211 Books in 2011, and keep track of the number of books read.

I’d love it if some of you would join me in these challenges, but please don’t feel like you have to.

What do you say? Do you want to try to read 200 books in 2011? If you do, leave a comment telling me you’ll be participating, then keep up with me on Goodreads (you don’t have to join to see my shelves).

Have you joined other reading challenges this year? If so, what are they?

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