2012 Best of the Best Challenge

(Photo via nSeika on Flickr)

New Year, New Challenge...

Last year, I set a goal for myself to read at least one picture book a day and to read 111 chapter books by the end of the year. (Read about it here.) This year, my goal is all about quality instead of quantity! I’m calling this my “Best of the Best Challenge,” because to accomplish my goal for this year, I’ll be reading award-winning books. I’ve chosen a variety of book awards and reading lists to read from, and I’m setting a goal for myself for each award or list. Here are the rules to my challenge:

1. Read the required books found in this spreadsheet.
2. Earn “extra credit” by reading the books found in the “extras” column of the spreadsheet. (I don’t actually get anything for “extra credit” books, just the satisfaction of saying that I earned extra credit. I’m a nerd. I know.)
3. A single book cannot count for more than one award or list. If the same book wins two or more awards, then a book from the extra credit column should be substituted. (I’ll be keeping track of all of this on the spreadsheet and on my blog.)
4. Books read before 2012 do not count toward this challenge. (Tempting, but it kind of defeats the purpose...)
5. Read at least 112 chapter books by the end of 2012. Books that are not award books can count toward this total.
6. Read at least 112 picture books by the end of 2012. Books that are not award books can count toward this total.

My main concerns in completing this challenge are the availability of books and the time constraints of some of the awards. Last year, I didn’t have any requirements about which books I read--just that I read a certain number of books. That meant that I didn’t really have to hunt for any titles; I could just walk into a book store or library and pick up whatever I felt like reading. This year, since I’ll be looking for specific books, I’m going to have to rely on my public library and local book stores a lot more! I’m also worried about the kind of crunch I might run into at the end of the year. Some of these awards are not announced until relatively late in the year, so I may have to hunt them down and read quickly! I’m also worried about the fact that most of the books on these lists will be books that have been published for up to a year already. (I don’t want to miss out on all the great titles that will be published this year!) That’s why I included my 112 total in each category--the goal is to read the “Best of the Best” from the previous year, and to fill in the rest of the quota with books that are published in 2012.

Whew! Do you think I’ve set enough requirements for myself?! My “type A” personality has really taken over on this challenge! I’m looking forward to reading some great stuff and to exposing myself to some titles that I might not usually pick up on my own! 2012 is going to be a great year to read! Happy reading to all!