Three Great 2011 Reading Challenges

This year I am cutting way back in the challenges I am doing.   Last year I signed up for 47 challenges and completed 44.   It was fun but this year I will do at the most ten.   With these three challenges I have signed up for seven so far in 2011.

GLBT Challenge

This will be the second year I have participated in this challenge.    I think it is a very well run challenge.   This year I  will focus on Colette.    I will read more Virginia Woolf, Oscar Wilde and Yukio Mishima also.   My blog will always be focused on Katherine Mansfield also.    I just discovered via reading Susan Sontag's "Notes on  Camp", Ronald Firbanks and I hope to read him in 2011.   I read a bit of him online earlier today and loved it.    If anyone knows where I can read a lot of his work on line please leave a comment.   He is now public domain.    I think once you read him you will for sure wonder where he has been all your literary life.

You can sign up here and read the rules for the GLBT Challenge

Oscar Wilde Challenge

Melissa at Armchair Archives is hosting the first Oscar Wilde reading challenge.   I have read The Picture of Dorian Grey a  couple of times and some of the plays.   I recently got into his short stories and hope to read a few more of them this year.   They are quite good if you have not read them.

You can sign up and read the rules here for the Oscar Wilde Challenge.

2011 Chunkster Challenge

This will be my 3rd year of participation in this challenge.   It involves read books at least 450 pages long.   I sign up to support this very well run challenge.   You can commit to various levels.  I will commit to read 4 books over 450 pages.

You can read the rules and sign up here for the Chunkster Challenge

I am signing up for these challenges to have fun, learn about some new books, support the international community of book bloggers and to continue to build my contacts.  

I thank the hosts of these challenges for their efforts and look forward to reading the great reviews from other participants.

Mel u

Reading Challenges-Looking Back and Looking ahead to 2011-Sunday Salon

As 2010 began my blog was just a few months old.    I knew that reading challenges are a big part of the book blogger world.    I decided to join a lot of reading challenges in 2010 and ended up signing up for 46 to be completed in 2010 reading challenges.    In part I did this just for the fun of it, in part to support the book blog community and in part to help me get to know more book bloggers.    In 2009 I had already learned from the Japanese Reading Challenge that a reading challenge could open up a new world of reading to me.   Before I began this challenge I had never read a Japanese literary work.   Now I have read over 100 and have no plans to stop.    A reading challenge  enriched my reading life.      

I have now finished 44 of the 46 challenges.    I will not complete one of the challenges and one I might finish.   

I think joining all these reading challenge in 2010 helped me to reach my 2010 blog goals and I am glad I did it.   

In 2011 I will be cutting way back on the challenges I am participating in.     I see myself joining from five to ten reading challenges in 2011.     I will post as I did in 2010 on each challenge as I join it and this year I will explain why I am joining the ones I pick.   

What are your thoughts on reading challenges as the year comes to a close?

Mel u  

Three Great Reading Challenges

This week I am joining three new reading challenges that offer the potential for edification as well as a chance to learn about some great books through my fellow challenge participants.

POC Reading Challenge

Last year I read and posted on 51 books by People of Color (POC).   I am understanding this to mean people of non-European ancestory.   I plan to continue with this in 2010 with a focus on Japanese, Filipino and Indian authors.   Last year I discovered several new to me authors who are POC that I have added them  to my "read everything they have written list".   I am joining this challenge in support of the project of diversified reading and in order to learn about some more great new to me authors.

The Rules for the POC Reading Challenge are on the challenge blog-There are reading lists and links for books reviewed.    There are various levels of commitment.   I will commit to level 5-16 to 25 books.  

Scottish Reading Challenge

Wuthering Expectations is hosting another challenge I found irresitable, The Scottish Literature Challenge.   The rules are simple-read one book by a Scottish author (written before 1914 or so) in 2010.  A unique feature for this challenge is the host, Amateur Reader, has promised to read any book that participants read (if he has not read it before).    He has done a lot of work providing reading suggestions.   I have in fact already read and posted on Boswell's The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides.  I hope later in the year to read a work by Robert Louis Stevenson and Walter Scott and if I can work it in Tobias Smollett but I have completed the terms of this challenge.  I hope to read a lot of good reviews of Scottish books.

Jewish Literature Challenge 2010

The rules of the Jewish Challenge 2010 (runs from February 27 to Sept 10, 2010) are simple and explained on the link to the challenge.   The challenge post also gives us lots of reading ideas.  

(To challenge hosts, I cannot post all the badges for every challenge I am reading for in 2010 on my blog as it will slow down my load time.)

Themed Reading Challenge 2010

Flaubert and Friends

Caribousmom is hosting for the second year the Themed Reading Challenge.   This is a very interesting challenge as it gives us a lot of freedom to create a reading project.   Basically you are asked to read five books with a central theme.   The challenge runs from February 14, 2010 to August 14, 2010.   (The full particulars are on the challenge blog linked above along with some ideas from 2009 if you need them.)  It is ok for books for this challenge to overlap with others.  

As soon as I saw this I began to ponder different themes for the challenge.   I just finished reading my first Salman Rushdie novel, The Enchantress of Florence.   I really liked the lush prose of the work so I thought I could read five more of his novels.   Then I thought, this might be like a literary sugar rush.    Then I thought maybe I could read western writers that Kenzaburo Oe admires like Stendhal, Twain, and Yeats.    Next I thought I might read some Japanese crime novels as I have a few already lined up to be read in 2010.

I have decided that my theme will be works by Gustave Flaubert and his Friends.   (I am taking as my authoritative source for inclusion among the friends, A Biography: Flaubert by Frederick Brown.    I urge anyone interested in Flaubert to read this very wonderful  book.)   

Here are some of what I hope to read and why:

A Sentimental Education by Gustave Flaubert-this will be my second reading-12 to go!

Indiana by George Sand -very close friend of Flaubert-set on the Island of Reunion
(Ok here is a good challenge idea-books set on Reunion Island!)

Anything by Ivan Turgenev-Turgenev was for sure his closest friend among writers-the information given on Turgenev in Brown's book makes me wish someone would write a similar biography of him.  

Emile Zola-(Brown has also written a biography of Zola.   I have it but have not yet read it.)-Zola passes into the class of friend as admirer but not a full intimate.

Guy de Maupassant-also in the category of disciple

Henry James-not actually a friend but he was part of Flaubert's circle for a while and attended dinners at which Flaubert's intimates were present.   I imagined Flaubert and Turgenev taking Henry James out for a night on the town while he was in Paris but the picture does not quite work!   

This will be my 35th reading challenge for 2010.   I have already completed seven challenges.   I anticipate I will be signing up for more challenges as they are announced, as not all challenges run from Jan 1 to December 31.   

I look forward to seeing what themes others will come up with for The Themed Reading Challenge 2010.

Mel u

Aussie Author Challenge 2010

Once again my morning reading of the items in my Google Reader in box brought me news of another new reading challenge that I wanted to join.   It is The Aussie Author Challenge 2010 hosted by Booklover Book Reviews.   The rules are pretty simple.   There are two levels of commitment.  At the Tourist Level you are asked to read three books by three different Australian authors.   At the Fair Dinkum Level you are asked to read eight books, of which five must be by different authors.   A link is provided giving reading ideas and the challenge host will be doing features periodically on different writers from Australia.  (I am hoping we will learn Marcus Zusak has another book coming out soon!)   I have noticed my blog has a lot  of visitors from Australia so I decided why not and I will commit to the tourist level.   Marcus Zusak has one book in print I have not yet read and if I cannot get it I would love to reread  The Book Thief.   Geraldine Brooks of People of the Book has two historical novels that look great.     I ask any Australian visitors to please give me some ideas also.  

Mel u

TBR (To Be Read) 2010 Challenge

Mizb's Reading Challenges is hosting the 2010 TBR Challenge (To Be Read).   Basically this involves reading 12 books that you have wanted to read for a long time.   This seems a perfect way to motivate one to do what you want to do anyway.   The rules are on the challenge link.



Ok simple enough.   My only hesitation at first in joining this challenge as it is very much like Bibliophile by the Sea's Read Before I Die 2010 Challenge which asks you to pick 10 at least books that you have wanted to read for a while with the same rule that you cannot change your list.  (This is reasonable as one could  claim they completed the challenge just by naming the first books they read  for the year as their picks).  Some readers like to be very spontaneous in what they read and others like to plan long in advance.  I am somewhere in the middle.  Both of these challenges allow overlap so I at first thought  "OK just add two books to the ten you picked for the Read Before I Die Challenge and this is done and within the rules of both challenges".  On further thought I decided to pick 12 new books for the TBR Challenge.  I will use the books on my Read Before I Die challenge list as my alternatives for the TBR Challenge.

My 12 Books (in random order)

1. The Enchantress of Florence by Salman Rusdie-my first of his books-1/14
2. The Tenant of Windfell Hall by Anne Bronte-my first Anne Bronte
3. Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson-read 1/4/10
4. Some Do Not by Ford Madox Ford
5. No More Parades by Ford Madox Ford
6. A Man Could Stand Up by Ford Madox Ford
7. The Last Post by Ford Madox Ford (4 to 7 make up the four novels in The Parade's End tetralogy-I hope to host a read along on this work once I read it the first time.    It is four novels published independently that came to be know under the collective name of The Parade' End.   Anthony Burgess has said the combined work is the finest ever English Language novel.  Other have said it is half genius and  half a messy bore.
8. Wide Sargossa Sea by Jean Rhys  1/6/10
9. A Personal Matter by Kenzabuo Oe
10. Grotesque by Natsuo Kirino
11. Tales of Ise by Arihara no Narihira 1/2/2010
12. Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Murakami

All of these books fit well into other challenges I am signed up for so it does not actually add  a lot to the number of books I need to complete my 2010 challenges and everyone I for sure want to read.

I thank Miz B for hosting it and look forward to reading the posts it will produce.

Jan 1-2010  number 11-Tales of Ise

I will track my progess on this Challenge on My Challenge Tracking Page and list the individual books I read for it here as the year goes on.   

Mel u

2010 Book Blogger Recommendations Challenge

The 2010 Book Blogger Recommendations Challenge is being hosted by Reading with Tequila.   The full rules are at this link to the challenge.   Basically a list of the 250 most often recommended by book bloggers books has been compiled and you are asked to read from 5 to 20 books on the list in 2010. 

To help me track my challenges I created a special post for Reading Life 2010 Challenges. The Book Blogger Recommendations Challenges  is also a good challenge for those seek guidance in their book selections.   I really can think of no better guides than the members of the international book blogging community.

Mel u

Reading Challenges and The Reading Life

When I began my blog July 7, 2009 I had never heard of Reading Challenges.   I soon saw they are a fairly big part of the book blogger community.   The first challenge I saw that intrigued me was the Japanese Literature 3 Challenge.   I realized I had never read a Japanese novelist.   If asked on a quiz show to name  two Japanese novelists I would have been stopped after Haruki Murakami.   I read the rules of the challenge and saw you had only to read one book.      So far I have read about 45 Japanese literary works and have placed three Japanese authors on my "read everything they have written list".   As I began to read an increasing number of book blogs (maybe 350 or so now) I came upon other challenges involving reading books in translation and books by authors from different countries.   The host of these challenges said any book read in 2009 counted so I completed these two challenges without a strain.   Then I joined a challenge revolving around reading some books on WWII and completed it almost at once.   I have also joined the China Challenge and  have one book to go and the Women Unbound Challenge for which I have read five of eight.   Both of these challenges carry over into 2010.   I also joined two other challenges that I did not complete because I more or less lost interest in them.   If I was doing it now I would not join either of these challenges as I am not drawn to what I now see as gimmick based challenges.  (This is just me-it is not a slam on gimmick based challenges-by which I mean something like "Read a book whose title has the same number of letters in it as your middle name").    I also completed the Rest In Peace Challenge and the November Novella Challenge and the Elizabeth Gaskell Mini Challenge in 2009.

As 2010 approached I knew I wanted to finish the two challenges I have yet to complete that overlap into 2010 and join some new ones.  I have now committed to 32  for 2010.   I only will commit to a challenge that allows overlaps with other challenges as any other course seems over directing to me and most challenge hosts explicitly state they allow it.    One of the Challenges asks you to read 52 books in 52 weeks.   I will if all goes well do this in the first four months or so so it is really not a factor in what I read.   For fun I pondered how many books will I have to read to complete these 20 challenges, setting aside the challenge to read 52 books.  (I will sign up for more I am sure and maybe in spring commit to 100 books).   These  20 challenges can be completed by reading from 25 to 30 books that I want to read anyway.   I remain fully in charge of what I read.   If there are  more challenges that interest me I will join them also.   The biggest to me challenge will be keeping track of them.  I plan to create a challenge tracking post to follow it all.    There are lots of ways to find challenges that will interest you.   A very good place to get information on the various reading challenges going on and future ones also is at A Novel Challenge.   There are really challenges for all sorts of readers.  

My question to myself is why join so many challenges?   My answer is that it is fun for me, I am supporting the book blogging community, I make some new contacts, and I also learn about a lot of new books from reading the posts in the challenges I join.    If it all seems a bit crazy to some that is ok perhaps it is!- 

As to personal reading perpetual challenges I will continue to read the novels of Henry James and Edith Wharton and I hope somehow I can host a read along of Ford Madox Ford's Parade's End if a few others would want to join in.   I will also join the Japanese Literature Challenge 4 when it begins in 2010.   I will post more on my 2010 reading hopes and plans later as the year ends.  My thanks to all who host challenges.   I will continue to join more challenges as the year begins.   I see no reason other than the work involved in keeping track of them (which also will be fun for me) not to join 50 challenges.  
Anyway those are my thoughts on Reading Challenges-

what are your reasons for joining a reading challenge or why do you avoid them-?

Mel u

Books to Read Before I Die Challenge- by Bibliophile By The Sea

Diane of Bibliophile By The Sea Bibliophile By The Sea  has recently created a reading challenge that intrigues me.    It is called "Books to Read Before I Die Challenge-2010.    A lot of us have a large number of books that we have been meaning to read for a long time.   In my case I have had some books on my own read before I die list for 50 years or so.   The rules of the challenge are simple.    You are asked to post a list of ten to twenty books that you for sure want to read before you die and then read all of them by December 31, 2010.    Diane's blog has a sign up page that explains everything.   She is even offering to place the name of all those who complete the challenge in a drawing for an Amazon.com gift certificate.   (Maybe if you win you can buy your first book for the 2011 challenge with it!)    Anyway here is my list along with a brief explanation as to why I included it.   The order  of the listing is random.

1.   The Woman in White  by Wilke Collins-a lot of bloggers like it
2.   To Killing a Mocking Bird   Harper Lee- should have read this book 45 years ago
3.   Pale Fire Vladimir Nabokov-I want to see what all the fuss is about-

4.    The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco-a classic Reading Life book
5.    Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann-this has been on my TBR list for decades
6.    Charter House of Parma by Stendhal-also been on TBR list for decades
7.  The Plague-by Albert Camus-had a huge influence on post world II Japanese writers
8.   The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton  -
9..    Sea of Poppies  by Amitav Ghosh-for the upcoming South   Asian reading challenge-plus I own it!
10.  My Son's Story by Nadine Gordimer
11.  Naomi by Junichiro Tanizaki
12.  The Cage by Kenzo Kitakata

Mel u

Japanese Reading Challenge III-a great opportunity to learn for me

Dolce Bellezza's Japanese Literature Challenge is a great challenge-the 2009 Japanese Reading Challenge

here are the rules of the challenge:

"

This year, all you have to do is read one work of Japanese origin. It can be literature of course, but don’t feel confined to that. You may choose to read poetry, biographies, short stories or even manga. If you are willing to read one such piece, you’ve met the challenge. If you read more, all the better.

I have set the time frame between July 30, 2009 and January 30, 2010."

Some challenges have the potential to consume to much of our often limited reading time.

This challenge is a great opportunity for people like me who have very little or in my case no previous experience with the Japanese novel.
I will read in August “After Dark” by Haruki Murakami. If I like this, I will read “The Wind Up Bird Chronicles”. I know I will get lots of good reading suggestions from posts from challenge participants.
My knowledge of Japanese History comes largely from The History Channel. Speaking of which there is currently on the History Channel a very good two hour show on Chiune Sugihara, the Japanese Diplomat who risked his own life in WWII to provide visas for Jews to escape the Nazis.
I decided I would add to the Japanese Reading challenge “Emperor of Japan: Meiji and his World-1852-1912. This is a serious work of great learning by Donald Keene, a leading translator and authority on pre 20th century Japanese Literature.
I will read one Japanese novel a month until the challenge ends. I will post on what I read as it relates to the reading life.