Introducing the "It's New to Me" Series Starter Challenge - #Giveaway

So, if you have been reading my Sunday Posts lately, you'll notice that I've been thinking about creating a year long challenge for a few weeks now.  It stemmed from all the other blogs I visited during the Waiting on Wednesday posts.  There would be so many books other bloggers were talking about, and they were in series that I hadn't started, but kept saying I needed to start.  And I would read other comments where people would say the same thing, sometimes they'd say it on my WOW posts. And there are even books that I've bought to start a series, and still have yet to pick them up! So I decided that I'm going to plan a challenge next year to do that.  I'm hoping to get some followers and fellow bloggers, people who are thinking about this, to join in.  I'm going to make the rules pretty easy to follow, and since it is my first year long challenge, I'll probably do an update post about every 3 months, where people can link to their books and enter to win some kind of prize.  Haven't decided yet what those prizes will be, probably gift cards or else maybe books.  So, here are my plans, and I hope these rules seem fair!

This challenge isn't about finishing a whole series, it is about starting a new series, and seeing just what all the fuss is about.  Maybe you'll read the first book, and decide the rest of it isn't for you.  Which is totally okay! I even feel like if you get started, and decide you don't like it, you can do a DNF post of some sort explaining your thoughts about why you decided that.  I just know I want some extra incentive to get those series started.  For example, this year I finally got around to reading Cinder, and while I enjoyed it, I wasn't as blown away as everyone else. BUT!  I am intrigued enough to go on.  So those are the kinds of things I'm trying to get started this coming year.  I have The Madman's Daughter sitting on my bookshelf waiting to be read for another example. So that will be one that I will do for my challenge this year.  I also want this to be open to people who don't have blogs.  So here are the rules.

Rules:

• All books must be read and reviewed in 2016.  
• You don't have to have a blog, you can keep track of your progress on another site like Goodreads, Shelfari, Booklikes.  You'll just have to make a shelf for this if you can, and then you'll link to that on updates.  You'll have to make that shelf public so that we can see it when you link to the updates.
• You can pick any series you want, it doesn't have to be a brand new one, maybe you've always wanted to read the Lord of the Rings series.  My only qualification is that there already be more than one book in the series out, or maybe the 2nd book is being published in 2016, that is okay as well. 
• Pick your goals below and put it in your post if you have a blog, along with the button above, and then you'll link to your post at the bottom of this post.  You can change your goal any time up until November 1st, 2016.
• You need to follow my blog in some way so that you can be aware of any updates. 
• You can sign up any time up until November 1st, 2016, but to enter into the contest below for entering the challenge, you must sign up by January 1st. There will be other giveaways throughout the year though, if you sign up later.

Levels:
Because you're "exploring" new territory with series that are new to you, I've named each level after the NASA manned space missions from oldest to most recent.  You can see them below.

	Mercury:   1-2 new series
	Gemini: 3-4 new series
	Apollo: 5-6 new series
	Skylab: 7-8 new series
	Space Shuttle: 9-10 new series
	International Space Station: 11-12 (or more) new series

       So what do you think?  Is this something you'd like to join with me?  I feel like the levels are pretty easy.  The highest level is even just one new series a month.  The link-up will be below.

My goal:  I am going to try for 4 new series this year.  Here are my proposed series:  Throne of Glass, The Madman's Daughter, Zodiac, The Ward are probably the ones. But there may be others!  

Giveaway:
But first, whether you plan to sign up or not, I have a giveaway for you!  First I'd ask everyone to at least tweet about this Challenge.  That's the only required entry for the giveaway below.  Anyone who does that will be entered into a drawing for a $5 gift card to Amazon.  Now, if you choose to join in, everyone who has signed up and linked up below for the challenge, will be entered to win their choice of book up to $15 from the Book Depository, you could maybe use that to get one of the series you need to start!  There are also other options for entering the giveaway.  If you are participating you'll be following me some way, so that will get you an entry as well.  Feel free to do as many as you want, or just the first tweet.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Why NASA rocks!

I normally prefer not to blog more than one time a day, I feel it might be annoying to my followers, but I completely forgot about the awesome contest author Beth Revis was hosting until today.  And I only have one more day to enter!

If you've read her book series that started with Across the Universe, 2nd was A Million Suns - which had a wicked cliffhanger that I am dying to get my hands on the last book to figure it out, and that 3rd book is Shades of Earth, you know she must be a fan of space and of course so it naturally follows, NASA.

I, too, have been a huge fan of NASA, and it has been ever since I was a little girl.  I think my love of all things to do with space started with my maternal grandfather.  He was really into Astronomy and had a really nice telescope.  When we would go to his house to visit, he would talk about all that stuff, and I'm sure I hung on every word.  I still have the magazines called Odyssey that I read as a kid.  I even had a pen pal from the magazine for the longest time.  And she actually moved to my town when I was probably a teenager, I remember having a sleepover, but then her moving away again.  I think.  That was a long time ago.  I probably still have all my letters from back then too!  The movie Space Camp was out when I was in middle or high school, and I remember Bubblicious Bubble Gum had one of those contests that you had to send in the wrappers and you would be entered to win a trip to the real Space Camp.  I didn't win the trip, but in my first big contest win ever, I won some astronaut food packets!  I probably have those somewhere still too.  I'm a bit of a packrat, not only with books as I've mentioned before, but also with things that are sentimental to me.

Now as a science teacher I have an even greater respect for NASA.  The amount of resources that they provide, completely FREE of charge, for me to use in my classroom is amazing.  And when it seems that the budget keeps getting cut, not to mention how much I feel was taken away with losing the shuttle program.  As I discuss with my students when we study space, NASA and the space program has been responsible for so many things that we take for granted today.  I love having my students see how large the NASA budget is.  But then, showing them the comparison of that to the total amount of money the US spends, they are often amazed at what a small percentage NASA really gets.

Space has always been one of my favorite topics.  I am a science teacher, and love that space is part of my curriculum.  In fact, with the rest of what I teach the year, it is my favorite subject!  I love that with my Honors Class, I get to see some really creative projects with their assignments.  And it is the one time of the year that I have trouble getting through with what my plans are for the day because students have so many questions they want to ask.  And even though it may go away from the specific part of space we're talking about, they're always on topic and so interested!

Tell me, what do you think of NASA?  Of space even?  Would you be willing to go into space?  I think of writing a novel about such a story, but can't ever get myself started.  Maybe some day.  If I can just finish the other novel I have gotten the farthest on, I can make myself move on and start that one.  But for now, I'm going to just continue enjoying the wonderful stories told by Beth Revis and other awesome authors like her. And if you'd like to get in on the contest in the last few days of the month, follow this link:  The Month of NASA with Beth Revis.

And last but not least, while you're here, you can now follow me with Bloglovin.

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