5 points:
1. Everything Comes to Him Who Waits : Read a book you have been patiently waiting to be released OR a book that you have patiently waited to borrow or buy OR a book that you have been too busy to read. – Of Love and Other Demons – Gabriel Garcia Marquez
2. Just Like Us: Read a fiction/non-fiction book where a college student (or somebody who is of the age of a typical college kid) is the main character. – Norwegian Wood – Haruki Murakami
3. College Students Blog: In honor of the launch of the College Students blog (The Broke and the Bookish), read a book that was reviewed or listed in a top ten list. – The Help – Kathryn Stockett
4. Picture Perfect: Read a book that has a fall/winter scene or something that reminds you of fall/winter (snowflake, sled, Santa, elf, mistletoe, candycane, pumpkins, turkey, leaves, etc. – The Cider House Rules – John Irving
5. Spooky Reads: Read a scary (to you) book! It could be a horror, true crime, or a thriller. – The Eyes of the Dragon – Stephen King
6. Disney Days: In honor of Walt Disney’s birthday (December 5), read a book that is related to a Disney movie, was inspired by a Disney movie, or inspired a Disney movie. - Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
7. Hats Off to You: National Hat Day is a bizarre holiday celebrated on January 15. In honor of this holiday, read a book with a hat on the cover.
8. Not so Valentine’s Day : Instead of reading a traditional “lovey dovey” romance story, as we’ve already done that last Winter challenge, let’s read a book about unrequited love, a romance gone bad, or a main character who is navigating the dating world! The Summer Fletcher Greel Loved Me – Suzanne Kingsbury
10 Points:
1. Head And Shoulders Knees & Toes : Read a book that has a cover that has only a body part rather than a whole or half of a person—like a face, or a foot, or hands.
2. Life Changes : Read a book where a character experiences a major life change (moving, a death of someone close, marriage, etc.) – The Coffee Trader – David Liss
3. A Chain is Only As Strong As Its Weakest Link: Pick an author that you’ve already read before this challenge. Look through their books on Goodreads that they have written. Look at the ratings and find the one with the lowest rating and read it. Do you think it really is the author’s “weakest” book? How does it add to their canon of work? – A Hollywood Ending – Robyn Sisman or The Caged Virgin: An Emancipation Proclamation for Women and Islam – Ayaan Hirsi Ali or Sleep, Pale Sister – Joanne Harris
4. National Diversity Day (October 1) : Read a book written from the perspective of someone from a different socio-economic status (poverty, upper class ect.) or sexual orientation than you.
Force of Nature – Suzanne Brockmann (gay romance)
5. Ask a Stupid Question Day: In honor of all those teachers who will be telling their students this semester that there is no such thing as a stupid question, read a book with a question in the title.
6. Mexican Independence Day (Sept. 16) : Read a book that is either primarily set in Mexico, features a main character who is Mexican, or a book written by a Mexican author. – The Tortilla Curtain – T.C. Boyle
7. Stand Up For Your Rights : Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday is January 18. Read a fiction/non-fiction book about someone who makes a strong stand for what they believe in. – The Giver – Lois Lowry
8. Geography Awareness Week (14-20): Use this spinning globe to get lat/longitude coordinates. http://ptocheia.net/globe/ Read a book taking place in the geographic region you landed on. If you get the ocean, pick again! – After about a million spins that landed me in water, I found myself in Tanzania, which is very close to Rwanda… We Wish to Inform you that Tomorrow we will be Killed with our Families: Stories from Rwanda – Philip Gourevitch
15 points:
1. Give Credit Where Credit is Due: For this challenge you will be reading 2 books. Read a book that another author praised or reviewed (you know, those blurbs another author gives on the cover of a book) and then read a book by that author. So, let’s say I want to read The Time Traveler’s Wife. Jodi Picoult wrote a blurb of the book..so I could read any book by Jodi Picoult.
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan – Lisa See AND Memoirs of a Geisha – Arthur Golden who said that Snow Flower is, “An engrossing and completley convincing portrayal of a woman shaped by suppering forced upon her from her earliest years, and of the friendship that helps her to survive.”
2. Familiarity Breeds Contempt : Read a genre that you rarely read. – Murder in the White House – Margaret Truman
3. Dead Men Tell No Tales : Read a book published after the author’s death or a book where the main character has passed away –Northanger Abbey – Jane Austen or The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – Steig Larsson
4. Order in the Court : read a fiction/non-fiction book about a case, or has some sort of legal case throughout it. – To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
5. Ancient History : Read a book that is primarily set anywhere between 3500 BC – AD 476. – The Odyssey (or Iliad) by Homer
6. World AIDS Awareness Day (December 1): Read a fiction/non-fiction book about someone with HIV/AIDS or where the issue is a big part of the book, a book about AIDS research, or a book set in a country that is plagued by the AIDS epidemic. – Borrowed Time: An AIDS Memoir by Paul Monette
7. National Roof Over Your Head Day (December 3): Read a book about a person or a dog/cat who is homeless or was once homeless or a book about an orphan/child in foster care. – Grand Central Winter – Lee Stringer
8. Black Tuesday : The New York Stock Exchange crashed on what came to be known as “Black Tuesday” on October 29, 1929 which started the Great Depression: Read a book that takes place during the Great Depression or written by an author during the Great Depression.
20 Points: (Tasks will be added after Spring/Summer challenge ends)
1. Group Read : Read a past group read OR a group read that happens during one of the months of this challenge AND post to the discussion thread what you thought about the book. – Persuasion – Jane Austen
2. Spring/Summer Challenge Winner’s Task (Jess): Read a book that has a one word title. – Dubliners – James Joyce
25 points
1. Thanksgiving Time : Let’s celebrate the feast between the Pilgrims and the Indians. Read a fiction/non-fiction book about those early settlers (anything before 1700′s—could be about Salem witch trials) AND a fiction/nonfiction book about Native American Indians (does not have to be in that time period) The Winthrop Woman – Anya Seton or The Heretic’s Daughter – Kathleen Kent AND Life of Black Hawk, or Ma-ka-tai-me-she-kia-kiak – Dictated by Himself
2. Teen Read Week (October 17-23): Read a book that your parents were reading when they were teenagers & read a YA book that teenagers are reading today (written in the last 5 years). If your parents were not readers, find a book that was popular when they were of the teenage years. I will post direction on how to easily look this up.
3. Back to School: Find your birth month and see which subject you will be studying first period. Pick a fiction or a non-fiction book related to this subject. THEN pick one of the extracurricular activities you’d like to participate in. I purposely left off English because that would be easy! 
*March & August: Science – Breathing Space – How Allergies Shape our Lives and Landscapes – Gregg Mitman
Debate Team: Read a book about a very controversial issue. – The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness
4. Intimidating Reads: On the College Students blog we made a top ten list of our most intimidating reads. Think about a book that really intimidates you for whatever reason (length, time period, genre,etc.) and look that book square in the eye and conquer it! THEN, read a book of your choice to reward yourself for getting through it! – The Communist Manifesto – Karl Marx AND Enitrely Yours – E.R.Haze
5. I Like Big BOOKS and I Cannot Lie : Read a book that is over 700 pages. Perfect time to get those big books in for the challenge! – Vanity Fair – William Makepeace Thackeray
6. Books Men and Women Should Read : Read a book off each of the following lists. Do you agree that every woman or man should read that book?
75 books women should read - Frankenstein – Mary Shelley
75 books men should read – Heart of Darkness – Joseph Conrad
7. Backyard Travels : Take the state, county, region you live in. Read a fiction/non-fiction book related to a local historical event and post a sentence or two about what you have learned. For example, I live close to Valley Forge Battlefield. I might read a book about the Revolutionary War which would include the battle at Valley Forge or a book about George Washington whose headquarters were at Valley Forge. – Rads: The 1970 Bombing of the Army Math Research Center at the University of Wisconsin and its Aftermath – Tom Bates
8. A New Year : Read a book related to something you want to do (could be a goal or a resolution) or something big you know you will be doing in the coming year AND read a book related to a big event in your life or a resolution that you worked on this past year.
Goal for Future – Travel – Wall to Wall: From Beijing to Berlin by Rail – Mary Morris
Big event for last year – landing a solid internship (which will hopefully be a job!) – The 4-hour work week: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich – Timothy Ferris
