Currently Listening To

Title: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Author: JK Rowlings
Genre: YA Fantasy
Length: 26.5 hours

Goodreads Summary
Harry Potter is due to start his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. His best friends Ron and Hermione have been very secretive all summer and he is desperate to get back to school and find out what has been going on. However, what Harry discovers is far more devastating than he could ever have expected.

ChallengesAudio Book Challenge

Currently Listening To: #HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowlings

Title: Harry Potter: And the Prisoner of Azkaban
Author: JK Rowlings
Series: Harry Potter #3
Length: 11 hours 48 minutes

Summary: 

For most children, summer vacation is something to look forward to. But not for our 13-year-old hero, who's forced to spend his summers with an aunt, uncle, and cousin who detest him. The third book in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series catapults into action when the young wizard "accidentally" causes the Dursleys' dreadful visitor Aunt Marge to inflate like a monstrous balloon and drift up to the ceiling. Fearing punishment from Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon (and from officials at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry who strictly forbid students to cast spells in the nonmagic world of Muggles), Harry lunges out into the darkness with his heavy trunk and his owl Hedwig.

As it turns out, Harry isn't punished at all for his errant wizardry. Instead he is mysteriously rescued from his Muggle neighborhood and whisked off in a triple-decker, violently purple bus to spend the remaining weeks of summer in a friendly inn called the Leaky Cauldron. What Harry has to face as he begins his third year at Hogwarts explains why the officials let him off easily. It seems that Sirius Black--an escaped convict from the prison of Azkaban--is on the loose. Not only that, but he's after Harry Potter. But why? And why do the Dementors, the guards hired to protect him, chill Harry's very heart when others are unaffected?

Challenges:
Audio Book Challenge

Currently Listening To

Title: Harry Potter: And the Sorceror's Stone
Author: JK Rowlings
Series: Harry Potter
Length: 8 hours and 17 minutes

Goodreads Summary: 
Harry Potter has no idea how famous he is. That's because he's being raised by his miserable muggle aunt and uncle who are terrified Harry will learn that he's a wizard, just as his parents were.

But everything changes when Harry is summoned to attend an infamous school for wizards and he begins to discover some clues about his illustrious birthright.

From the surprising way he is greeted by a lovable giant, to the unique curriculum and colorful faculty at his unusual school, Harry finds himself drawn deep inside a mystical world he never knew existed and closer to his own noble destiny.

Challenges:
Audio Book Challenge

2015 Audiobook Challenge

This one is hosted by Avanti Ciera and more info can be found HERE.
I am going to shoot for Audio (b/c I have gotten into it this year) I am aiming for Silver which is 76-150 hours... 2 Stephen King books should do that ;)

My List and Hours:
1. Harry Potter: The Sorcerer's Stone by JK Rowlings 8 hrs 11 minutes
2. Harry Potter: And the Prisoner of Azkaban 11 hours and 51 minutes
3. Harry Potter: And the Order of the Phoenix 27 hours
4. Side Jobs by Jim Butcher 13 hours 15 minutes
5. If You Ask Me (and of course you won't) by Betty White: 2.5 hours
6. Fool Moon by Jim Butcher 10 hours 6 minutes

Run Time thus far: 72 hours and 26 minutes

Reading Challenges...

Oh to do or not to do...

Yep it's that time again... time to sign up for some Reading Challenges... In 2014 I took a small break and only participated in my New Author's Challenge I aimed for 15 and thus far I have managed 17 (once I finish the review of Snow Like Ashes). I also did a personal reading challenge on Good reads. and I am almost done with that one.. only 4 more

2014 Reading Challenge

Sarai has read 48 books toward her goal of 52 books.

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48 of 52 (92%)

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So now I have to decide since school is over what I would like to do for 2015... do I continue to work on New Author's Challenge or do I do a TBR shelf that seriously needs some help on cleaning out some of the books that I no longer need in there...

So I think I am going to do the basic Reading Challenge of reading 52 books in 2015 (1 book a week I can surely do this next year with no school)  with a twist I might add in an Out Do Yourself Challenge

This one is hosted by The Book Vixen and you can find additional info HERE...
I am going to do getting my heart rate up: 1-5 more books than last year

I am also signing back up for the New Author's Challenge

2015 which is hosted by Literary Escapism and you can find out more HERE. The basic goal is to read new authors and not necessarily modern authors but just authors that are new to you. I am going to shoot for 15 again...

And I for sure need to do a TBR pile challenge so I am signing up for

Hosted by Roof Beam Reader you can find additional information HERE

My 2015 TBR pile list is:
1. Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
2. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
3. Happy Hour of the Damned by Mark Henry
4. Matters of the blood by Maria Lima
5. Stormwalker by Allyson James
6. Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire
7. Wicked Game by Jeri Smith-Ready
8. A Covent Garden Mystery by Ashley Gardner
9. Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey
10. The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin
11. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
12. Birth Marked by Caragh M O'Brien

Alternatives are:
1. Stolen Heat by Elisabeth Naughton
2. The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner

I also think it would be fun to do the Alphabet Challenge for Titles

It is hosted by: Escape with Dollycas into a Good Book you can find out information HERE but it is pretty easy to figure out
A. Auralia's Colors by Jeffrey Overstreet (TBR)
B. Birth Marked by Caragh M. O'Brien (TBR)
C. A Covent Garden Mystery by Ashley Gardner (TBR)
D. Dhampir by Barb & JC Hendee (TBR)
E. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (TBR)
F. Furies of Calderon by Jim Butcher (TBR)
G. Games of Command by Linnea Sinclair (TBR)
H. The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K.Jemisin (TBR)
I. Incarceron by Catherine Fisher (TBR)
J. John's Story by Tim LaHaye, Jerry B Jenkins (TBR)
K. King's Property by Morgan Howell (TBR)
L. Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer (TBR)
M. Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson (TBR)
N. Norse Code by Greg Van Eekhout (TBR)
O. Out of Body by Stella Cameron (TBR)
P. Plain Kate by Erin Bow (TBR)
Q. Queen's Bastard by C.E. Murphy (TBR) 
R. Rosemary and Rue by Seanan MCGuire (TBR)
S. Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey (TBR)
T. Tempt Me at Twilight by Lisa Kleypas (TBR)
U. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld (TBR)
V. Veil of Midnight by Lara Adrian (TBR)
W. Wicked Game by Jeri Smith-Ready (TBR)
X.
Y. Your Scandalous Ways by Loretta Chase (TBR)
Z. The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks (TBR)

Having some issues with X but fear not I am sure there is an ebook out there somewhere that I have bought that starts with an X...

And lastly b/c they all tie into each other I want to do Finishing The Series Challenge 

This is hosted by Socrates' Book Reviews and you can find out more info HERE

I am going to shoot for Level 3 Experienced which means I complete 3 series...

1. Jim Butcher's Dresden Series (1 left)
2. The Grey Wolves Series by Quinn Loftis
3. Ilona Andrew's Kate Daniel's Series

Last one is Let Me Count the Ways Audio Challenge 

This one is hosted by Avanti Ciera and more info can be found HERE.
I am going to shoot for Audio (b/c I have gotten into it this year) I am aiming for Silver which is 76-150 hours... 2 Stephen King books should do that ;)

WHEW that is a lot how about you? Doing any challenges this year? If so which ones? Also do you pick your books before you do the challenges or do you put them down as you?

If you are doing a challenge this next year good luck!! Keep me updated I love to see how everyone is doing!