This week’s Weekly Geeks is inspired by Sheri at A Novel Menagerie:

Reading Challenges: a help or a hurt? Do you find that the reading challenges keep you organized and goal-oriented? Or, do you find that as you near the end of a challenge that you’ve failed because you fell short of your original goals? As a result of some reading challenges, I’ve picked up books that I would have otherwise never heard of or picked up; that, frankly, I have loved. Have you experienced the same with challenges? If so, which ones? Do you have favorite reading challenges?

I really liked Caribousmom‘s questions for herself in this meme so I used them as well.

Do I feel stressed if I cannot finish a challenge?

A little.  I like to complete what I start, but I’ve started to relax a bit more in this area.

Why do I like reading challenges?

I love challenges.  They push me to read books that have long been on my tbr list as well as books I may never have read on my own.

What are my favorite challenges?

My favorite challenge for 2007 was the By the Decade Challenge because I read 18 books from 18 consecutive decades. I was very pleased with that accomplishment.  I had really wanted to read some of the classics and I was definitely able to do that in 2007.

In 2008, my favorite challenge was the Canadian I Challenge hosted by John at The Book Mine Set.  With all the Atwood, Shields, and other fantastic women Canadian novelists’ books I want to read, I foresee doing this challenge every year for quite a while.

Of couse, I also enjoy the challenges I host: 1% Well Read, Countdown, Decades, Pub, and Book Awards.

Which Challenges have I completed so far this year?

• Library Reading Challenge — COMPLETE
• Audiobooks Challenge — COMPLETE
• Young Adult Challenge — COMPLETE
• Latin American Reading Challenge — COMPLETE
• Jewish Literature Challenge– COMPLETE
• Book Awards II — COMPLETE
• 1% Well-Read Challenge — COMPLETE
• Japanese Literature Challenge — COMPLETE

Which Challenges am I still working on?

Some of the links below are broken due to my blog crash.  I am working to fix them, though. Sorry!

• 100 Shots of Short 6 of 100 (until completed)
• 101 Books in 1001 Days 56/101 (ends 12/28/2010)
• 1% Well-Read Challenge – 1 of 13 (ends 3/31/10)
• Perpetual Challenge Plans for 2009 17 of 42 (ends 12/31/09)
• German Reading Challenge – 1 of 6 (ends 12/31/09)
• Orbis Terrarum Challenge – 9 of 10 (ends 12/31/09)
• Decades Challenge – 7 of 9 (ends 12/31/09)
• Pub Challenge – 5 of 9 (ends 12/31/09)
• A-Z Challenge – 34 of 52 (ends 12/31/09)
• TBR Challenge – 10 of 12 (ends 12/31/09)
• Dewey’s Books Challenge – 2 of 6 (ends 12/31/09))
• 2nds Challenge – 2 of 12 (ends 12/31/09)
• ‘What’s in a Name?’ – 5 of 6 (ends 12/31/09)
• Casual Classics Challenge – 0 of 4 (ends 12/31/09)
• Herding Cats II – 2 of 5 (ends 12/31/09)
• Book Awards III – 0 of 5 (ends 12/1/09)
• Chunkster Challenge – 0 of 3 (ends 11/15/09)
• Countdown Challenge – 41 of 45 (ends 9/9/09)
• Southern Reading Challenge – 0 of 3 (ends 8/15/09)
• Themed Reading Challenge – 2 of 4 (ends 7/31/09)
• Canadian Challenge II – 12 of 13 (ends 7/1/09)