Tag Archives: steampunk

2012 Topical Reading Challenges

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With all of the great reading genres available, it’s easy to skip over some of them. Check out these great topical reading challenges for 2012. Perhaps you’ll join me for some.
Melissa's Eclectic Bookshelf

When Melissa at Melissa’s Eclectic Bookshelf didn’t see any witchy reading challenges for 2012, she decided to make her own.  The 2012 Witches and Witchcraft Reading challenge is for all books witchy, whether fiction or non-fiction. Anyone can read just one book, and all particpants will be entered to win a $10 gift certificate to The Book Depository! I’m starting with one and will see if I don’t bump up a level.


Do you like mystery and suspense? Join in Book City Chick’s 2012 Mystery and Suspense Reading Challenge. There are so many sub-genres in the larger mystery category that I don’t think I will have any difficulty reading 12 novels for this challenge.

Feeling romantic? Check oy the Harlequin Silhouette 2012 Reading Challenge hosted Islandgirl Reads Romance. This challenge requires that you read one Harlequin book in each of 6 categories. This will probably be my most difficult challenge.

With books you can travel through time. Join Library of Clean Reads with the 2012 Time Travel Reading Challenge. I’m keeping it simple with a Surprise Trip (minimum of 1-3 books) and will see what else I read from there.

Do you have any earth based leanings or just want to learn more about earth-centered celebrations or history? Check out the 2012 Pagan Reading Challenge hosted by The Domestic Pagan. Just by celebrating the scientifically-based changes in our world during the year, our family reads several pagan books every year. You don’t have to be pagan to read pagan books or appreciate a large part of our history.

Looking toward the future, you could join The Dystopia 2012 Challenge at Bookish Ardour. Admittedly, this hasn’t been my favorite genre, but I was pleasantly surpirsed by some of the dystopian novels I read last year, stretching myself just a bit.

Finally, for those of you who love cogs and clocks, head over to Oh, The Places You’ll Go! for the Cogs, Clocks, and Mechanisms Reading Challenge 2012. Haven’t tried steampunk? Challenge yourself!

Scourge

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Scourge (A Grim Doyle Adventure)

David Burton’s book, Scourge: A Grim Doyle Adventure (Volume 1), is the first in a series of steampunk fantasy books for young children. The book begins with Grim Doyle, his five adopted siblings (one of whom is his birth sister), their two fathers, and a cranky old nanny. The story is slow at first but quickly begins to accelerate when the family finds itself back from the world they orginally fled from and which the children have no memory.

Thrust into a world they know nothing about and hiding in an orphanage while their fathers go off to lead the resistance, the siblings must discover their places in this new world, full of new races and gadgets which come to life. The book is only the beginning of the story and promises to answer more questions in future books.

I found Scourge to be a refreshing change to other chapter books for young children. It’s a nice compromise for children with well devloped vocabularies and reading comprehension who are working on their reading skills.

Disclaimer: A complimentary copy of the book was provided by the author.