Haruki Murakami Reading Challenge 2012

Thanks to everyone who joined the Haruki Murakami Reading Challenge for 2011. It was so great to see people all over the world reading Murakami. I know I still have several Murakami stories that I'd like to read, or re-read, so are YOU ready to keep reading too?

This is the sign-up post for the Haruki Murakami Reading Challenge 2012. The challenge "rules" are almost the same as the 2011 challenge, but please note a change regarding the sign-up list below. And as before, the goal of the challenge is simply to encourage you to discover, or re-discover, the unique story-telling of Haruki Murakami. It's a really flexible challenge and all you have to do to participate is read at least one book by Haruki Murakami in 2012. However, there are several levels of participation to choose from, for those that want to immerse themselves more in Murakami's surreal worlds.

Levels of participation:
Hajime - Read one book
Sheep Man - Read 3 books
Toru - Read 5 books
Nakata - Read 7 books
Sumire - Read 10+ books
Super-frog - Read everything Murakami has written! (that is available in English, or your preferred language) For a list of the books available in English, visit the Books Page.

Things to keep in mind:
*The goal is simply to read something/ANYthing by Haruki Murakami.
*Whether you're a complete newbie, or already a huge Murakami fan, everyone is welcome to join in.
*You can join in anytime throughout the year.
*Feel free to grab one of the Murakami Challenge badges to display on your own site, but please save them to your own computer first. You'll notice a new button at the top of this post, but I've also updated the previous badges for 2012 if you prefer to use one of the "original" ones.
*There is no need to list the books you plan to read in advance, and even if you do, you can change them, or your level of participation, at any time.
*You don't have to have a blog to participate. You can also share your thoughts on Goodreads, LibraryThing, Tumblr, Twitter, etc. Or provide a guest post here!
*Crossovers with other challenges are allowed.
*Books should be read between January 1st and December 31st, 2012.
*Please share your reviews of the Murakami books you read for the challenge. This is not required but we'd love to hear what you thought. I also welcome you to submit reviews to any of Murakami's books or stories that you have read and reviewed previously. And reviews in any language are welcome. More on the 'Submit a review' page.
*Books can be in any format: paper, ebooks, audio.
*Rereads are allowed, and encouraged.
*There will be prizes (details to be decided).
And most importantly, have fun!

Sign up for the Haruki Murakami Reading Challenge in the Mr. Linky below. If you have an introductory post about the challenge, please link to it directly. Otherwise, you can simply add a link to your blog's home page. If you don't have a blog, you can also sign up with your Tumblr, Goodreads, Library Thing, Twitter, or Facebook account. In a change from the 2011 challenge, please DO NOT use the Murakami Challenge blog's URL to sign up. If you don't wish to link up any personal site, please simply leave a comment with your name (and contact information) on this post -- in the comment section, NOT the Mr. Linky. Any sign-ups that link back to this blog will be deleted.




Now that you've signed up, don't forget to come back here to the challenge blog to add your reviews, and to follow the blog to be notified of giveaways and other Murakami-related news throughout the year. You can also follow the Murakami Challenge Twitter account, or 'Like' the Murakami Challenge Facebook Page for updates.

Happy reading!

P.S. Please note that I am not affiliated with Haruki Murakami or his publishers. I'm simply a fan who decided to host a reading challenge, because one can never have enough Murakami. ;)