Contentment Reading Challenge

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Today I'm posting my official launch post for the Contentment Reading Challenge 2011 made by Amber @ Seasons of Humility blog. She is a very dear friend, obviously, so how could I resist supporting her on her very first reading challenge! So now, taken from her blog, this is what the challenge is about and the guidelines:

"The "Contentment Reading Challenge" is based on the idea that we, as avid readers, have many books scattered around our homes (on shelves, in the closet, under the bed, etc.) that we have hoped to read again but have not made the time to do so. It is also based on my own struggles with greed and selfishness--continuing to buy more and more books, while forgetting the wonderful library I already own.

If you perhaps are going through similar struggles or have had similar ideas, I would love to have you join my reading challenge. This is more of a personal challenge, so don't feel like you have to strictly follow all of the rules in order to be involved. What really counts is our heart attitudes, and while this isn't an overnight change, it's something we can be working on together.

Here are the guidelines:

•Anyone can join--just leave a comment below saying you want to be a part of the challenge. I will be posting off and on throughout the year about the challenge, and I would love to hear your feedback at those times on how you are doing and what you might be learning along the way. I'd love to have this become a community event, where we can encourage and pray for one another, as well as share in each other's joys as we re-visit some of our favorite books!
•In order for this to be a "challenge," it's good to set some goals. There's no pressure--just choose whatever level you think would be good for you if you would like to have an overall goal. Since the ocean is the theme for the devotional posts on this blog ("Sundays by the Sea") here are some of the themed levels you can aim for:
◦Floating: Re-reading 5 books you already own. Skimming the surface.
◦Wading: Re-reading 10 books you already own. Getting your feet wet in your ocean of books.
◦Swimming: Re-reading 15 books you already own. Immersing yourself again.
◦Diving: Re-reading 20 or more books you already own. Going deep into the stories you love.
• The challenge officially starts on January 1, 2011 and officially ends on December 31, 2011. I'm sure there will be some fun activities along the way for those involved, and maybe even a celebration at the end, so I hope you can join me!"

I am so very excited to start right in on this!! Who else will join us???

So now, here's my list that I've compiled so far:

1) The Westing Game - Ellen Raskin

2) Pictures of Hollis Woods - Patricia Reilly Giff

3) Little House in the Big Woods - Laura Ingalls Wilder

4) Green Angel - Alice Hoffman

5) Flavor of the Week - Tucker Shaw

6) Someone at the Door - Richie Tankersley Cusick

7) Crooked - Laura and Tom McNeal

8) Tuck Everlasting - Natalie Babbitt

9) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - Mark Haddon

10) The Farther You Run - Davida Wills Hurwin

11) A Soldier's Promise - Cheryl Wyatt

12) The Color Purple - Alice Walker

13) Cell - Stephen King

14) A Child Called "It" - David Peltzer

15) The Notebook - Nicholas Sparks

16) Plain Truth - Jodi Picoult

17) The Pact - Jodi Picoult

18) Nineteen Minutes - Jodi Picoult

19) Second Glance - Jodi Picoult

20) The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs

21) A Passion Most Pure by Julie Lessman

Disclaimer: These book titles are subject to change. I might change these twenty, but it also may be that I add more.

As you can tell, I've chosen the Diving category. Now, I must admit that I didn't intend to do this necessarily! Instead, I went through my books and found the books that immediately jumped out at me and grabbed them! Lol....so we'll see how things go this year : )

So, Amber, I just wanted to say thank you for putting this challenge out there for all of us this year!! Happy Reading in 2011, people!! Check back in often for more book reviews : ) If you want to join this challenge go HERE to sign up!

Hannah