Is is possible to plan out an entire year of reading? It seems that the challenges we join certainly makes it a possibility!! I seem to fail miserably at them, but I do enjoy trying. AND it makes finding something to read that much easier. I like having a ready list when I go to the library or the book store (although the spur of the moment books are great too!) I've already finished 4 books for the RIP II challenge, and by Wednesday I should have 2 more complete. So although I didn't read all the book I wanted, I guess I could say I DID complete what I set out to do!
For 2008, I have already signed up for a couple of challenges. I hope to do a little better with them this time!!
Becky, from Becky's Book Reviews, has put out a couple of challenges that I want to participate in next year. The first is the Cardathon Challenge, and it has it's own blog. The trick is to read Orson Scott Card's works or books that he has reviewed or liked. My list has already been posted here. Becky also set up 2 mini-challenges that I'd like to participate in. One is to read at least 2 Jane Austen novels. I've only read Persuasion, so I'd like to actually read the other 5.
- Sense and Sensibility
- Pride and Prejudice
- Mansfield Park
- Emma
- Northanger Abbey
The other mini-challenge is to read C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien. I think I will read the Lord of the Rings books for this one.
Becky is also hosting the Celebrate the Author challenge. It is designed to Celebrate authors birthdays. Each month, read a book whose author has a birthday that month. My list is forthcoming!
Michelle at 1 More Chapter, is hosting another By the Decades Challenge 08. I participated this year, although I haven't come close to finishing!! I really like this challenge. Just read 8 books (or however many you choose) from 8 consecutive decades. My list is forthcoming!! I'm hoping to have it solidified today!
Sharon, at Ex Libris, is hosting the Russian Reading Challenge 08. I love Russian History. I just find myself very UN-read in Russian Literature. It's a 12 month challenge, with it's own blog, but the minimum amount of books is 4. I choose 12, although that may be pushing it quite a bit. But I added some Classic Lit, with just a couple of new titles:
- The Fiery Angel by Valery Bryusov
- Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
- The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
- The Overcoat and Other Tales of Good and Evil by Nicolai Gogol
- Lady Macbeth of the Mtensk District by Nikolai Leskov
- Invitation to a Beheading by Vladimir Nabakov
- Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak
- Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
- We by Yevgeny Zamyatin
- A Hero of Our Time by Mikhail Lermontov
- The Night Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko
- Day Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko
I'm still thinking about the 888 challenge. I love the idea, I just don't know whether or not I have nearly enough time to complete it. If you don't know what it is, it is to read 8 books from 8 Different Categories in 08. We'll see!!
John, at The Book Mine Set, is hosting the Canadian Reading Challenge. It actually goes from now until July 1, so I really need to get started on this one! I don't know much about Canadian authors, so this is going to be a new one for me!! So far, this is the list I have chosen. I tried to pull books from all the provinces:
- The Shipping News by E. Annie Proulx
- Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
- Fall on Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald
- Lullabies for Little Criminals by Heather O'Neill
- A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
- A Jest of God by Margaret Laurence
- The Summer Tree by Guy Gavriel Kay
- The Studhorse Man by Robert Kroetsch
- Generation X by Douglas Copeland
- Yellowknife by Steve Zipp
- Consumption by Kevin Patterson
- Crow Lake by Mary Lawson
- Barney's Version by Mordecai Richler
There is also a Young Adult Challenge hosted by Joy from Thoughts of Joy, a Romance Challenge hosted by Naida at The Bookworm, and the Expanding Horizons Challenge hosted by Melissa at The Book Nut that I'm also considering.
So many books, so little time!! Oh well.....it's food for thought. I'm also hoping Carl hosts another Once Upon A Time challenge and another RIP challenge next year too!!
Any more challenges I'm missing out on? Just let me know!!
17 comments:
I didn't know about the romance challenge. Thanks!
That sounds like my list!! I'm not sure I'll make it, but like you, I will sure have fun trying! I joined so many!!
So many challenges! The Russian Literature and YA Challenges really tempt me, as does the Cardathon. But the only one I know I will join for sure is the Themed Reading Challenge. I need to make my official announcement. I'm sure I'll end up joining many more, but I'll think about it as the new year approaches. I'm going to take a break from challenges until the end of the year after I finish my current ones, and do some much postponed whim reading.
Marg - Oh...I know how you love your Romances!! I like them too, on the rare occasion. A little Chick Lit never hurt any gal!
Kristina - I know!! They are fun to join and fun to try and complete!! I really should cut back a little!
Nymeth - I really like the idea of the Russian Challenge. I read a lot of YA anyway, so I don't think that one will be too tough! The themed one looks good too. I need to get some fantasy reading done...maybe I'll join that one too!
As a Canadian who tries to read a fair amount of Canadian literature, I have to say you have a really good list! The only author on there I do not like is Margaret Laurence... I have tried several of her books and I just can't get into them!
I would at least plan to read Anne of Green Gables. :) It is one of my favourite books of all time.
Wow, thanks for bringing me up to date on the challenges. The two that intrigue me the most are C.S. Lewis and the Russian Lit. I have a great passion for Russian Lit, but I must admit I thought I was alone in it. Every time I suggest one for one of my two book clubs people crinkle their noses. So, I better go check it out!
Whoa, that's a lot of challenges.
Very interesting Canadian list. You've got several that I really love (Barney's Version is an all time favourite of mine) and a couple that I really don't (but I'll keep those to myself!) Can't wait to hear your thoughts.
They are all so tempting! I'm doubting I'm going to finish a few of mine right now and so am trying not to even think about the future just yet. :-) I do wish you luck!
i'm so excited for the challenge possibilities in 2008. in fact, i'm having so much searching for books that i'm not reading! (well, okay, that's a bit of an exaggeration ...)
i didn't know about the Expanding Horizons Challenge - and that seems like a worthwhile pursuit. i'll definitely have to consider it.
If anything, I use challenges to think of books I would like to read along the theme or genre. This way I participate in them all but with one book only, makes for a well rounded year. Don't cha think? :)
Kail - I was actually kind of flying blind with most of the Canadian authors. A few I had heard of, but most I hadn't. Luckily John had a good list to start with, and I picked the ones that sounded interesting. And yes, I know. I'm one of the few people that hasn't read Anne of Green Gables!!
Bellezza - No problem! I figure the more people along, the more fun!! And I do like Russian lit. I love Russian history. In fact, I even named my daughter Anastasia!!
John - Like I told Kail, I was pretty much flying blind with these. I didn't know a lot of the authors on your list. Barney's Version was actually suggested for a book club read by one of my friend's from Canada. We just never got to it! Hmmmm....if I picked some stinkers, I'll let you know!
Wendy - Thanks!! I usually don't finish, but I love trying.
Allison - I love hunting up good books. I think that's why I love these challenges so much! And there are some good ones coming up!
Maggie - that's a great idea!! I should have thought of that earlier!
Cool that's quite a list! Off to look at the YA Challenge. I am doing the Themed Raeding Challenge and Series Challenge next year so far.
It's so nice to hear I'm not the only one who doesn't always finish her challenges on time! I'm just so damn addicted to joining them anyway. Do you check out novelchallenges dot blogspot dot com? A dangerous site for me! I think I've joined all those that you have except for the Russian one (which for whatever reason scares me). I want to join the 888 challenge SO MUCH, too...but I just know I could never finish it with all the other challenges.
O.K.-I'll shut up now.
Oh my goodness... You do have your whole reading year planned :)
I am with you and hoping for another go at the Once Upon a Time challenge. I was so close to finishing it and a big surprise for me was that I actually liked the genre!
Good luck with all of your upcoming challenges. I"m trying to get through the ones for this year before I commit to any for next.
That's an amazing list of challenges! I'm going to do the Cardathon one next year too. Have never read any Orson Scott Card so am very excited about that. Did you know about The Seafaring Challenge hosted by I Heart Paperbacks? That's from Nov. 1st. to Jan. 31st. 2008. I'm doing that one as well. And am also thinking about the romance one. Challenges are such fun but I'm trying not to take on *too* many. :-)
oh my god!! I can barely keep up with my two little challenges..I think I might stay away from challenges for a while, but good luck to you!
...maybe the young adult challeng...:P
Hi, Stephanie. I have been listing all the challenges I run across on my blog Taking the Challenge: http://takingthechallenge.blogspot.com/
Maybe you'll find something new on the sidebar. I have ones I've joined plus, at the bottom, other challenges I've run across.
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