Showing posts with label Challenges. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Challenges. Show all posts
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Mini Challenges
This post is reserved for any other mini challenges I feel like undertaking throughout the year!
Dystopian Challenge
COMPLETE!
The eighth and final challenge I'm beginning this year is the Dystopian Challenge (DY). I find books about dystopian societies absolutely fascinating. The challenge is to read 5 dystopian books by the end of the year.
A little background on the subject (taken from wikipedia):
A dystopia is a fictional society that is the antithesis of utopia. It is usually characterised by an oppressive social control, such as an authoritarian or totalitarian government. In other words, a Dystopia has the exact opposite of what one would expect in a Utopian society.
An excellent list of dystopian literature can be found here.
DY reading in 2008: (currently reading)
Margaret Atwood: Oryx and Crake
Madeleine L'Engle: A Wrinkle in Time
Richard Matheson: I am Legend
Robert O'Brien: Z for Zachariah
George Orwell: Animal Farm
TBR books that qualify for the DY challenge:
Note: Books in italics have been read.
Margaret Atwood: Oryx and Crake
Pierre Boulle: Planet of the Apes
Ray Bradbury: Fahrenheit 451 (re-read)
William S Burroughs: Naked Lunch (ebook)
Isobelle Carmody: Obernewtyn
Philip K Dick: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (ebook)
Aldous Huxley: Ape and Essence (ebook)
Kazuo Ishiguro: Never Let Me Go (ebook)
Stephen King: The Stand
Madeleine L'Engle: A Wrinkle in Time
Cormac McCarthy: The Road (ebook)
Robert O'Brien: Z for Zachariah
George Orwell: Animal Farm (re-read)
Ayn Rand: Atlas Shrugged
John Wyndham: The Chrysalids
Yevgeny Zamyatin: We (ebook)
Other DY books I'd like to own and read:
Note: Books in italics have been bought/downloaded.
Richard Bachman: The Long Walk
Richard Bachman: The Running Man
Anthony Burgess: 1985
Anthony Burgess: The Wanting Seed
Philip K Dick: The Man in the High Castle
Harlan Ellison: I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream
William Gibson: Neuromancer
Stanislaw Lem: Memoirs Found in a Bathtub
Ira Levin: This Perfect Day
Vladimir Nabokov: Bend Sinister
Philip Roth: The Plot Against America
Kurt Vonnegut: Welcome to the Monkey House
HG Wells: The Sleeper Awakes
The eighth and final challenge I'm beginning this year is the Dystopian Challenge (DY). I find books about dystopian societies absolutely fascinating. The challenge is to read 5 dystopian books by the end of the year.
A little background on the subject (taken from wikipedia):
A dystopia is a fictional society that is the antithesis of utopia. It is usually characterised by an oppressive social control, such as an authoritarian or totalitarian government. In other words, a Dystopia has the exact opposite of what one would expect in a Utopian society.
An excellent list of dystopian literature can be found here.
DY reading in 2008: (currently reading)
Margaret Atwood: Oryx and Crake
Madeleine L'Engle: A Wrinkle in Time
Richard Matheson: I am Legend
Robert O'Brien: Z for Zachariah
George Orwell: Animal Farm
TBR books that qualify for the DY challenge:
Note: Books in italics have been read.
Margaret Atwood: Oryx and Crake
Pierre Boulle: Planet of the Apes
Ray Bradbury: Fahrenheit 451 (re-read)
William S Burroughs: Naked Lunch (ebook)
Isobelle Carmody: Obernewtyn
Philip K Dick: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (ebook)
Aldous Huxley: Ape and Essence (ebook)
Kazuo Ishiguro: Never Let Me Go (ebook)
Stephen King: The Stand
Madeleine L'Engle: A Wrinkle in Time
Cormac McCarthy: The Road (ebook)
Robert O'Brien: Z for Zachariah
George Orwell: Animal Farm (re-read)
Ayn Rand: Atlas Shrugged
John Wyndham: The Chrysalids
Yevgeny Zamyatin: We (ebook)
Other DY books I'd like to own and read:
Note: Books in italics have been bought/downloaded.
Richard Bachman: The Long Walk
Richard Bachman: The Running Man
Anthony Burgess: 1985
Anthony Burgess: The Wanting Seed
Philip K Dick: The Man in the High Castle
Harlan Ellison: I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream
William Gibson: Neuromancer
Stanislaw Lem: Memoirs Found in a Bathtub
Ira Levin: This Perfect Day
Vladimir Nabokov: Bend Sinister
Philip Roth: The Plot Against America
Kurt Vonnegut: Welcome to the Monkey House
HG Wells: The Sleeper Awakes
Australian Challenge
The seventh challenge I'm going to undertake for 2008 is an Australian Challenge (AU). I've had a few of these books on my TBR pile for a while now and I think it's time to take the plunge! Considering Australian literature makes up a relatively small proportion of my total number of books, I've decided to set myself a target of 6 books for the year. About half of the books on the below list will also qualify for the Classics Challenge.
AU reading in 2008: (currently reading)
AB Facey: A Fortunate Life
May Gibbs: Snugglepot and Cuddlepie
Ruth Park: Playing Beatie Bow
Tim Winton: Breath
Markus Zusak: The Book Thief
TBR books that qualify for the AU challenge:
Note: Books in italics have been read.
Richard Butler: The Men that God Forgot (re-read)
Isobelle Carmody: Obernewtyn
Marcus Clarke: For the Term of His Natural Life (re-read)
Tom Collins: Such is Life
AB Facey: A Fortunate Life
Miles Franklin: My Brilliant Career
Robert Hughes: The Fatal Shore
Robin Klein: Hating Alison Ashley (re-read)
Joan Lindsay: Picnic at Hanging Rock
John Marsden: So Much to Tell You (re-read)
Sally Morgan: My Place
Ruth Park: Playing Beatie Bow (re-read)
Ruth Park: The Harp in the South (re-read)
Nevil Shute: A Town Like Alice
Judy Bernard-Waite: The Riddle of the Trumpalar (re-read)
Tim Winton: Cloudstreet
Other AU books I'd like to own and read:
Note: Books in italics have been bought.
Graeme Base: Animalia
Graeme Base: The Eleventh Hour
Geoffrey Blainey: A Short History of the World
David Malouf: Remember Babylon
Banjo Patterson: The Man from Snowy River
Tim Winton: Dirt Music
Markus Zusak: The Book Thief
AU reading in 2008: (currently reading)
AB Facey: A Fortunate Life
May Gibbs: Snugglepot and Cuddlepie
Ruth Park: Playing Beatie Bow
Tim Winton: Breath
Markus Zusak: The Book Thief
TBR books that qualify for the AU challenge:
Note: Books in italics have been read.
Richard Butler: The Men that God Forgot (re-read)
Isobelle Carmody: Obernewtyn
Marcus Clarke: For the Term of His Natural Life (re-read)
Tom Collins: Such is Life
AB Facey: A Fortunate Life
Miles Franklin: My Brilliant Career
Robert Hughes: The Fatal Shore
Robin Klein: Hating Alison Ashley (re-read)
Joan Lindsay: Picnic at Hanging Rock
John Marsden: So Much to Tell You (re-read)
Sally Morgan: My Place
Ruth Park: Playing Beatie Bow (re-read)
Ruth Park: The Harp in the South (re-read)
Nevil Shute: A Town Like Alice
Judy Bernard-Waite: The Riddle of the Trumpalar (re-read)
Tim Winton: Cloudstreet
Other AU books I'd like to own and read:
Note: Books in italics have been bought.
Graeme Base: Animalia
Graeme Base: The Eleventh Hour
Geoffrey Blainey: A Short History of the World
David Malouf: Remember Babylon
Banjo Patterson: The Man from Snowy River
Tim Winton: Dirt Music
Markus Zusak: The Book Thief
Sci Fi/Fantasy Challenge
COMPLETE!
The sixth challenge I'm beginning in 2008 is a Sci Fi/Fantasy Challenge (SF). I've been sadly neglecting this genre in the last couple of years and I've left myself with a lot of catching up to do. I've decided to give myself a goal of 8 books to read during the year.
SF reading in 2008: (currently reading)
Margaret Atwood: Oryx and Crake
Arthur C Clarke & Gentry Lee: The Garden of Rama
Jasper Fforde: The Eyre Affair
Neil Gaiman: Neverwhere
Madeleine L'Engle: A Wrinkle in Time
CS Lewis: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
CS Lewis: Prince Caspian
Richard Matheson: I am Legend
Robert O'Brien: Z for Zachariah
Terry Pratchett: The Colour of Magic (Discworld #1)
Mary Shelley: Frankenstein
TBR books that qualify for the SF challenge (max 15 listed):
Note: Books in italics have been read.
Douglas Adams: The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide
Isaac Asimov: I, Robot
Isaac Asimov: Something Wicked This Way Comes
Jean M Auel: The Clan of the Cave Bear
Isobelle Carmody: Obernewtyn
Arthur C Clarke & Gentry Lee: The Garden of Rama
Jasper Fforde: The Eyre Affair
Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett: Good Omens
Julia Gray: Guardian Cycle #1: The Dark Moon
Frank Herbert: Dune
Terry Pratchett: The Colour of Magic (Discworld #1)
Steven Spielberg: Close Encounters of the Third Kind
JRR Tolkien: The Hobbit (re-read)
Jonathan Wylie: Island and Empire #1: The Last Augury
John Wyndham: The Chrysalids
Other SF books I'd like to own and read:
Note: Books in italics have been bought.
Ray Bradbury: The Martian Chronicles
Michael Ende: The Never Ending Story
Jasper Fforde: First Among Sequels
Stanislaw Lem: The Futurological Congress
John Wyndham: Chocky
The sixth challenge I'm beginning in 2008 is a Sci Fi/Fantasy Challenge (SF). I've been sadly neglecting this genre in the last couple of years and I've left myself with a lot of catching up to do. I've decided to give myself a goal of 8 books to read during the year.
SF reading in 2008: (currently reading)
Margaret Atwood: Oryx and Crake
Arthur C Clarke & Gentry Lee: The Garden of Rama
Jasper Fforde: The Eyre Affair
Neil Gaiman: Neverwhere
Madeleine L'Engle: A Wrinkle in Time
CS Lewis: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
CS Lewis: Prince Caspian
Richard Matheson: I am Legend
Robert O'Brien: Z for Zachariah
Terry Pratchett: The Colour of Magic (Discworld #1)
Mary Shelley: Frankenstein
TBR books that qualify for the SF challenge (max 15 listed):
Note: Books in italics have been read.
Douglas Adams: The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide
Isaac Asimov: I, Robot
Isaac Asimov: Something Wicked This Way Comes
Jean M Auel: The Clan of the Cave Bear
Isobelle Carmody: Obernewtyn
Arthur C Clarke & Gentry Lee: The Garden of Rama
Jasper Fforde: The Eyre Affair
Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett: Good Omens
Julia Gray: Guardian Cycle #1: The Dark Moon
Frank Herbert: Dune
Terry Pratchett: The Colour of Magic (Discworld #1)
Steven Spielberg: Close Encounters of the Third Kind
JRR Tolkien: The Hobbit (re-read)
Jonathan Wylie: Island and Empire #1: The Last Augury
John Wyndham: The Chrysalids
Other SF books I'd like to own and read:
Note: Books in italics have been bought.
Ray Bradbury: The Martian Chronicles
Michael Ende: The Never Ending Story
Jasper Fforde: First Among Sequels
Stanislaw Lem: The Futurological Congress
John Wyndham: Chocky
Young Adults Challenge
COMPLETE!
The fifth challenge I'm starting in 2008 is a Young Adults Challenge (YA). I had great success last year reading books that are aimed at younger readers, and so I've decided to make it more formal and give myself a goal of 10 books to read during the year. Quite a few books on the below list will also qualify for the Classics Challenge (CL).
YA reading in 2008: (currently reading)
Frances Hodgson Burnett: The Secret Garden
Roald Dahl: Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator
May Gibbs: Snugglepot and Cuddlepie
Rudyard Kipling: The Jungle Book
Madeleine L'Engle: A Wrinkle in Time
CS Lewis: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
CS Lewis: Prince Caspian
Robert O'Brien: Z for Zachariah
Ruth Park: Playing Beatie Bow
Markus Zusak: The Book Thief
TBR books that qualify for the YA challenge (max 15 listed):
Note: Books in italics have been read.
Richard Adams: Watership Down
Enid Blyton: The Magic Faraway Tree
Frances Hodgson Burnett: The Secret Garden
Roald Dahl: Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator
Louise Fitzhugh: Harriet the Spy
Ann Holm: I Am David
Kathryn Kenny: Trixie Belden (various)
Charles Kingsley: The Water-Babies (re-read)
Robin Klein: Hating Alison Ashley (re-read)
Madeleine L'Engle: A Wrinkle in Time
CS Lewis: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
John Marsden: So Much to Tell You (re-read)
LM Montgomery: Anne of Avonlea (ebook)
Robert O'Brien: Z for Zachariah
Ruth Park: Playing Beatie Bow
Jonathan Swift: Gulliver's Travels
Judy Bernard-Waite: The Riddle of the Trumpalar
Other YA books I'd like to own and read:
Note: Books in italics have been bought.
Graeme Base: Animalia (re-read)
Graeme Base: The Eleventh Hour (re-read)
Judy Blume: Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret
Michael Ende: The Never Ending Story
Norton Juster: The Phantom Tollbooth
Maurice Sendak: Where the Wild Things Are
The fifth challenge I'm starting in 2008 is a Young Adults Challenge (YA). I had great success last year reading books that are aimed at younger readers, and so I've decided to make it more formal and give myself a goal of 10 books to read during the year. Quite a few books on the below list will also qualify for the Classics Challenge (CL).
YA reading in 2008: (currently reading)
Frances Hodgson Burnett: The Secret Garden
Roald Dahl: Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator
May Gibbs: Snugglepot and Cuddlepie
Rudyard Kipling: The Jungle Book
Madeleine L'Engle: A Wrinkle in Time
CS Lewis: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
CS Lewis: Prince Caspian
Robert O'Brien: Z for Zachariah
Ruth Park: Playing Beatie Bow
Markus Zusak: The Book Thief
TBR books that qualify for the YA challenge (max 15 listed):
Note: Books in italics have been read.
Richard Adams: Watership Down
Enid Blyton: The Magic Faraway Tree
Frances Hodgson Burnett: The Secret Garden
Roald Dahl: Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator
Louise Fitzhugh: Harriet the Spy
Ann Holm: I Am David
Kathryn Kenny: Trixie Belden (various)
Charles Kingsley: The Water-Babies (re-read)
Robin Klein: Hating Alison Ashley (re-read)
Madeleine L'Engle: A Wrinkle in Time
CS Lewis: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
John Marsden: So Much to Tell You (re-read)
LM Montgomery: Anne of Avonlea (ebook)
Robert O'Brien: Z for Zachariah
Ruth Park: Playing Beatie Bow
Jonathan Swift: Gulliver's Travels
Judy Bernard-Waite: The Riddle of the Trumpalar
Other YA books I'd like to own and read:
Note: Books in italics have been bought.
Graeme Base: Animalia (re-read)
Graeme Base: The Eleventh Hour (re-read)
Judy Blume: Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret
Michael Ende: The Never Ending Story
Norton Juster: The Phantom Tollbooth
Maurice Sendak: Where the Wild Things Are
Book Club Forum Reading Circle Challenge
The fourth challenge I'm undertaking this year is the Book Club Forum Reading Circle Challenge (BF). The challenge is to participate in 10 reading circles, and if I read any books from past reading circles, I'll count those as well.
BF reading in 2008: (currently reading)
Jane Austen: Mansfield Park
Jane Austen: Sense and Sensibility
Neil Gaiman: Neverwhere
Rudyard Kipling: The Jungle Book
Yann Martel: Life of Pi
Mary Shelley: Frankenstein
TBR books that qualify for the BF challenge (will be added to during the year):
Note: Books in italics have been read.
Jane Austen: Mansfield Park (May/June 2008)
Jane Austen: Northanger Abbey (November/December 2008)
Jane Austen: Persuasion (September/October 2008)
Jane Austen: Sense and Sensibility (January/February 2008)
Neil Gaiman: Neverwhere (February 2008)
Stephen King: The Stand (December 2007)
Rudyard Kipling: The Jungle Books (June 2008)
Maggie O'Farrell: The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox (May 2007)
Yann Martel: Life of Pi (January 2008)
Kate Mosse: Labyrinth (February 2006)
Audrey Niffenegger: The Time-Traveller's Wife (November/December 2005)
Christopher Paolini: Eragon (August 2006)
Terry Pratchett: Hogfather (December 2006)
Mary Shelley: Frankenstein (October 2006)
Other BF books I'd like to own and read:
Note: Books in italics have been bought.
Clive Barker: The Thief of Always
John Boyne: The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (July 2008)
Neil Gaiman: American Gods (January 2006)
Neil Gaiman: Neverwhere (February 2008)
Jodi Piccoult: My Sister's Keeper (February 2006)
Tom Wolfe: The Bonfire of the Vanities (June 2008)
BF reading in 2008: (currently reading)
Jane Austen: Mansfield Park
Jane Austen: Sense and Sensibility
Neil Gaiman: Neverwhere
Rudyard Kipling: The Jungle Book
Yann Martel: Life of Pi
Mary Shelley: Frankenstein
TBR books that qualify for the BF challenge (will be added to during the year):
Note: Books in italics have been read.
Jane Austen: Mansfield Park (May/June 2008)
Jane Austen: Northanger Abbey (November/December 2008)
Jane Austen: Persuasion (September/October 2008)
Jane Austen: Sense and Sensibility (January/February 2008)
Neil Gaiman: Neverwhere (February 2008)
Stephen King: The Stand (December 2007)
Rudyard Kipling: The Jungle Books (June 2008)
Maggie O'Farrell: The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox (May 2007)
Yann Martel: Life of Pi (January 2008)
Kate Mosse: Labyrinth (February 2006)
Audrey Niffenegger: The Time-Traveller's Wife (November/December 2005)
Christopher Paolini: Eragon (August 2006)
Terry Pratchett: Hogfather (December 2006)
Mary Shelley: Frankenstein (October 2006)
Other BF books I'd like to own and read:
Note: Books in italics have been bought.
Clive Barker: The Thief of Always
John Boyne: The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (July 2008)
Neil Gaiman: American Gods (January 2006)
Neil Gaiman: Neverwhere (February 2008)
Jodi Piccoult: My Sister's Keeper (February 2006)
Tom Wolfe: The Bonfire of the Vanities (June 2008)
Reading through the Decades Challenge
Another challenge I've decided to take up is the Reading through the Decades Challenge (RD). The challenge is to read 1 book from every decade, beginning with the 1900s and ending with the 2000s. This is 11 books in total and if I have time I may start working backwards from the 1890s!
RD reading in 2008: (currently reading)
1890s Oscar Wilde: The Picture of Dorian Gray
1910s May Gibbs: Snugglepot and Cuddlepie
1920s Thornton Wilder: The Bridge of San Luis Rey
1930s Nathanael West: The Day of the Locust
1940s George Orwell: Animal Farm
1950s Richard Matheson: I am Legend
1960s Truman Capote: In Cold Blood
1970s Robert O'Brien: Z for Zachariah
1980s Terry Pratchett: The Colour of Magic
1990s Neil Gaiman: Neverwhere
2000s Geoff Tibballs: No-Balls and Googlies: A Cricket Companion
TBR books that qualify for the RD challenge (2 listed per decade):
1900s Miles Franklin: My Brilliant Career (1901)
1900s Kenneth Grahame: The Wind in the Willows (1908)
1910s Frances Hodgson Burnett: The Secret Garden (1911)
1910s James Joyce: A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1916)
1920s Agatha Christie: The Secret Adversary (1922)
1920s F Scott Fitzgerald: The Beautiful and Damned (1922)
1930s Daphen du Maurier: Rebecca (1938)
1930s Nathaniel West: The Day of the Locust (1939)
1940s Anne Frank: The Diary of Anne Frank (1947)
1940s Hermann Hesse: The Glass Bead Game (1946)
1950s Ralph Ellison: Invisible Man (1952)
1950s CS Lewis: The Magician's Nephew (Chronicles of Narnia) (1950)
1960s Ann Holm: I am David (1965)
1960s Charles Webb: The Graduate (1963)
1970s Richard Adams: Watership Down (1972)
1970s Robert C O'Brien: Z for Zachariah (1975)
1980s Ruth Park: Playing Beatie Bow (1980)
1980s John Kennedy Toole: A Confederacy of Dunces (1980)
1990s Ian McEwan: Enduring Love (1997)
1990s Tim Winton: Cloudstreet (1991)
2000s Jasper Fforde: The Eyre Affair (2001)
2000s Maggie O'Farrell: The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox (2006)
Other RD books I'd like to own and read:
None. I have enough choice as it is!
RD reading in 2008: (currently reading)
1890s Oscar Wilde: The Picture of Dorian Gray
1910s May Gibbs: Snugglepot and Cuddlepie
1920s Thornton Wilder: The Bridge of San Luis Rey
1930s Nathanael West: The Day of the Locust
1940s George Orwell: Animal Farm
1950s Richard Matheson: I am Legend
1960s Truman Capote: In Cold Blood
1970s Robert O'Brien: Z for Zachariah
1980s Terry Pratchett: The Colour of Magic
1990s Neil Gaiman: Neverwhere
2000s Geoff Tibballs: No-Balls and Googlies: A Cricket Companion
TBR books that qualify for the RD challenge (2 listed per decade):
1900s Miles Franklin: My Brilliant Career (1901)
1900s Kenneth Grahame: The Wind in the Willows (1908)
1910s Frances Hodgson Burnett: The Secret Garden (1911)
1910s James Joyce: A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1916)
1920s Agatha Christie: The Secret Adversary (1922)
1920s F Scott Fitzgerald: The Beautiful and Damned (1922)
1930s Daphen du Maurier: Rebecca (1938)
1930s Nathaniel West: The Day of the Locust (1939)
1940s Anne Frank: The Diary of Anne Frank (1947)
1940s Hermann Hesse: The Glass Bead Game (1946)
1950s Ralph Ellison: Invisible Man (1952)
1950s CS Lewis: The Magician's Nephew (Chronicles of Narnia) (1950)
1960s Ann Holm: I am David (1965)
1960s Charles Webb: The Graduate (1963)
1970s Richard Adams: Watership Down (1972)
1970s Robert C O'Brien: Z for Zachariah (1975)
1980s Ruth Park: Playing Beatie Bow (1980)
1980s John Kennedy Toole: A Confederacy of Dunces (1980)
1990s Ian McEwan: Enduring Love (1997)
1990s Tim Winton: Cloudstreet (1991)
2000s Jasper Fforde: The Eyre Affair (2001)
2000s Maggie O'Farrell: The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox (2006)
Other RD books I'd like to own and read:
None. I have enough choice as it is!
1001 Books Challenge
Another challenge I've decided to take up is the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die Challenge (1K). This incorporates books that are listed in the abovementioned book by Peter Boxall. After reading 22 books last year, my goal this year will be to read 20 books. A lot of these will probably overlap with the Classics Challenge and also the Reading through the Decades Challenge.
1K reading in 2008: (currently reading)
Jane Austen: Mansfield Park
Jane Austen: Sense and Sensibility
John Banville: The Book of Evidence
Charlotte Bronte: Jane Eyre
Truman Capote: Breakfast at Tiffany's
Truman Capote: In Cold Blood
Graham Greene: The Third Man & The Fallen Idol
Yann Martel: Life of Pi
George Orwell: Animal Farm
Jean Rhys: Wide Sargasso Sea
Mary Shelley: Frankenstein
Charles Webb: The Graduate
Oscar Wilde: The Picture of Dorian Gray
TBR books that qualify for the 1K challenge (max 25 listed):
Note: Books in italics have been read.
Jane Austen: Mansfield Park
Jane Austen: Northanger Abbey
Jane Austen: Persuasion
Jane Austen: Sense and Sensibility
Charlotte Bronte: Jane Eyre
Truman Capote: In Cold Blood
Wilkie Collins: The Woman in White
Charles Dickens: Bleak House
Daphne du Maurier: Rebecca
George Eliot: Middlemarch
Ralph Ellison: Invisible Man
Ian Fleming: Casino Royale
Thomas Hardy: Far from the Madding Crowd
Nathaniel Hawthorne: The House of the Seven Gables
Herman Hesse: The Glass Bead Game
James Joyce: A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
Yann Martel: Life of Pi
Ian McEwan: Enduring Love
Vladimir Nabokov: Pnin
Edgar Allen Poe: The Pit and the Pendulum
Mary Shelley: Frankenstein
John Steinbeck: The Grapes of Wrath
William Makepeace Thackeray: Vanity Fair
John Kennedy Toole: A Confederacy of Dunces
Charles Webb: The Graduate
Other 1K books I'd like to own and read (max 10 listed):
Note: Books in italics have been bought.
Truman Capote: Breakfast at Tiffany's
Miguel de Cervantes: Don Quixote
Jeffrey Eugenides: The Virgin Suicides
Gustave Flaubert: Madame Bovary
Graham Greene: The Third Man
Mark Haddon: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Herman Melville: Moby Dick
Leo Tolstoy: Anna Karenina
Oscar Wilde: The Picture of Dorian Gray
John Wyndham: Chocky
1K reading in 2008: (currently reading)
Jane Austen: Mansfield Park
Jane Austen: Sense and Sensibility
John Banville: The Book of Evidence
Charlotte Bronte: Jane Eyre
Truman Capote: Breakfast at Tiffany's
Truman Capote: In Cold Blood
Graham Greene: The Third Man & The Fallen Idol
Yann Martel: Life of Pi
George Orwell: Animal Farm
Jean Rhys: Wide Sargasso Sea
Mary Shelley: Frankenstein
Charles Webb: The Graduate
Oscar Wilde: The Picture of Dorian Gray
TBR books that qualify for the 1K challenge (max 25 listed):
Note: Books in italics have been read.
Jane Austen: Mansfield Park
Jane Austen: Northanger Abbey
Jane Austen: Persuasion
Jane Austen: Sense and Sensibility
Charlotte Bronte: Jane Eyre
Truman Capote: In Cold Blood
Wilkie Collins: The Woman in White
Charles Dickens: Bleak House
Daphne du Maurier: Rebecca
George Eliot: Middlemarch
Ralph Ellison: Invisible Man
Ian Fleming: Casino Royale
Thomas Hardy: Far from the Madding Crowd
Nathaniel Hawthorne: The House of the Seven Gables
Herman Hesse: The Glass Bead Game
James Joyce: A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
Yann Martel: Life of Pi
Ian McEwan: Enduring Love
Vladimir Nabokov: Pnin
Edgar Allen Poe: The Pit and the Pendulum
Mary Shelley: Frankenstein
John Steinbeck: The Grapes of Wrath
William Makepeace Thackeray: Vanity Fair
John Kennedy Toole: A Confederacy of Dunces
Charles Webb: The Graduate
Other 1K books I'd like to own and read (max 10 listed):
Note: Books in italics have been bought.
Truman Capote: Breakfast at Tiffany's
Miguel de Cervantes: Don Quixote
Jeffrey Eugenides: The Virgin Suicides
Gustave Flaubert: Madame Bovary
Graham Greene: The Third Man
Mark Haddon: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Herman Melville: Moby Dick
Leo Tolstoy: Anna Karenina
Oscar Wilde: The Picture of Dorian Gray
John Wyndham: Chocky
Classics Challenge
Although I'm hoping to focus a bit more on modern literature this year, I can't pass up doing the Classics Challenge (CL) again, especially after successfully reading 25 classics in 2007. In 2008 I'll be aiming to read 25 books again.
CL reading in 2008: (currently reading)
Jane Austen: Mansfield Park
Jane Austen: Sense and Sensibility
Charlotte Bronte: Jane Eyre
Frances Hodgson Burnett: The Secret Garden
Truman Capote: Breakfast at Tiffany's
Truman Capote: In Cold Blood
May Gibbs: Snugglepot and Cuddlepie
Graham Greene: The Third Man & The Fallen Idol
Rudyard Kipling: The Jungle Book
Madeleine L'Engle: A Wrinkle in Time
CS Lewis: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Richard Matheson: I am Legend
George Orwell: Animal Farm
Jean Rhys: Wide Sargasso Sea
Mary Shelley: Frankenstein
Charles Webb: The Graduate
Nathanael West: The Day of the Locust
Oscar Wilde: The Picture of Dorian Gray
Thornton Wilder: The Bridge of San Luis Rey
TBR books that qualify for the CL challenge (max 25 listed):
Note: Books in italics have been read.
Richard Adams: Watership Down
Jane Austen: Mansfield Park, Northanger Abbey, Persuasion, Sense and Sensibility
Charlotte Bronte: Jane Eyre
Wilkie Collins: The Woman in White
Charles Dickens: The Old Curiosity Shop
Ralph Ellison: Invisible Man
AB Facey: A Fortunate Life
Ian Fleming: Casino Royale
May Gibbs: Snugglepot and Cuddlepie
Frank Herbert: Dune
James Joyce: A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
CS Lewis: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Vladimir Nabokov: Pnin
Mary Shelley: Frankenstein
John Steinbeck: The Grapes of Wrath
Robert Louis Stevenson: Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
William Makepeace Thackeray: Vanity Fair
Charles Webb: The Graduate
Nathaniel West: The Day of the Locust
John Wyndham: The Chrysalids
Other CL books I'd like to own and read (max 10 listed):
Note: Books in italics have been bought.
Mikhail Bulgakov: The Master and Margarita
William S Burroughs: Junky
Cervantes: Don Quixote
Graham Greene: The Third Man
James Joyce: Ulysses
John Milton: Paradise Lost
Baroness Emmuska Orczy: The Scarlet Pimpernel
Ayn Rand: The Fountainhead
CL reading in 2008: (currently reading)
Jane Austen: Mansfield Park
Jane Austen: Sense and Sensibility
Charlotte Bronte: Jane Eyre
Frances Hodgson Burnett: The Secret Garden
Truman Capote: Breakfast at Tiffany's
Truman Capote: In Cold Blood
May Gibbs: Snugglepot and Cuddlepie
Graham Greene: The Third Man & The Fallen Idol
Rudyard Kipling: The Jungle Book
Madeleine L'Engle: A Wrinkle in Time
CS Lewis: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Richard Matheson: I am Legend
George Orwell: Animal Farm
Jean Rhys: Wide Sargasso Sea
Mary Shelley: Frankenstein
Charles Webb: The Graduate
Nathanael West: The Day of the Locust
Oscar Wilde: The Picture of Dorian Gray
Thornton Wilder: The Bridge of San Luis Rey
TBR books that qualify for the CL challenge (max 25 listed):
Note: Books in italics have been read.
Richard Adams: Watership Down
Jane Austen: Mansfield Park, Northanger Abbey, Persuasion, Sense and Sensibility
Charlotte Bronte: Jane Eyre
Wilkie Collins: The Woman in White
Charles Dickens: The Old Curiosity Shop
Ralph Ellison: Invisible Man
AB Facey: A Fortunate Life
Ian Fleming: Casino Royale
May Gibbs: Snugglepot and Cuddlepie
Frank Herbert: Dune
James Joyce: A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
CS Lewis: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Vladimir Nabokov: Pnin
Mary Shelley: Frankenstein
John Steinbeck: The Grapes of Wrath
Robert Louis Stevenson: Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
William Makepeace Thackeray: Vanity Fair
Charles Webb: The Graduate
Nathaniel West: The Day of the Locust
John Wyndham: The Chrysalids
Other CL books I'd like to own and read (max 10 listed):
Note: Books in italics have been bought.
Mikhail Bulgakov: The Master and Margarita
William S Burroughs: Junky
Cervantes: Don Quixote
Graham Greene: The Third Man
James Joyce: Ulysses
John Milton: Paradise Lost
Baroness Emmuska Orczy: The Scarlet Pimpernel
Ayn Rand: The Fountainhead
2008 Reading Challenges
Welcome to my reading list for 2008! Last year I read 53 books (25 of which were counted towards my Classics Challenge), and this year I've decided to up the ante just a little to 55 books.
I've also decided to undertake some extra reading challenges this year. All the books I read for the challenges will be from my TBR pile, which is nearing the 300 mark, so I'll have a wide selection to choose from and won't need to buy more books in order to complete the challenges.
I'm trying not to stretch myself too much (even though it's a challenge, I'd like to keep my goals within the realms of possibility!) and quite a few of my books will suit several different challenges at once. For example, Snugglepot and Cuddlepie by May Gibbs will tick a box in the Classics Challenge, Young Adults Challenge, Reading through the Decades Challenge and Australian Literature Challenge (see below for more details of challenges).
What's with all the challenges, I hear you ask? Well, I've been reading a fair few book blogs recently, and it seems like signing yourself up for a stack of reading challenges is quite a popular thing to do. It becomes addictive and it's very difficult to stop joining more challenges. I think it appeals to the list-maker in me: I love making lists and I love ticking things off. It gives me a great sense of achievement.
The challenges are as follows:
Classics Challenge (CL) - My definition of 'Classic' literature is books that were written prior to 1900; I define books written from 1900 to around the mid 1960s as 'Modern Classic'. Both types of books qualify for this challenge. As already mentioned, I read 25 books for the CL last year. This year my goal is the same: 25 books.
1001 Books Challenge (1K) - Books listed in '1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die' by Peter Boxall. I currently have around 60 of these books on my TBR pile, and a few dozen more as ebooks. Last year I read 22 books and this year my goal is 20 books.
Reading through the Decades Challenge (RD) - Entails reading a book from every decade for the past 100 years. My goal is to read 11 books which cover the 1900s to the 2000s inclusive. If I have time I'll start working backwards from the 1890s. I have so many books on my TBR pile that I'll have at least several choices from each of these decades!
Book Club Forum Reading Circle Challenge (BF) - Last year I read 8 books for various BCF reading circles. With the Jane Austen Reading Circle starting up this month, at least 4 of her books should count towards the challenge (if I don't elect to re-read the other 2). I will also count any books that were chosen for past reading circles (such as Life of Pi by Yann Martel). This year I'm going to aim for 10 books.
Young Adults Challenge (YA) - Books aimed at younger readers. My goal is to read 10 books, which shouldn't be a problem because they're generally easy reads and I have plenty of them on my TBR pile!
Sci Fi/Fantasy Challenge (SF) - The Sci Fi/Fantasy section of my TBR pile has been growing quite quickly in the last year, but my reading is lagging far behind. I'm going to try to remedy that this year by knocking 8 books off the list.
Australian Literature Challenge (AU) - I have been sadly neglecting Australian literature lately but I'm hoping to turn that around this year because I have plenty of great Australian classics on my shelves. My goal is to read 6 books.
Dystopian Challenge (DY) - Books set in dystopian societies (from Wikipedia: 'usually characterised by an oppressive social control, such as an authoritarian or totalitarian government'). This is my favourite genre (sub-genre?) to read so I'm really looking forward to this one. I read 5 books last year and this year my goal is the same: 5 books.
I've also decided to undertake some extra reading challenges this year. All the books I read for the challenges will be from my TBR pile, which is nearing the 300 mark, so I'll have a wide selection to choose from and won't need to buy more books in order to complete the challenges.
I'm trying not to stretch myself too much (even though it's a challenge, I'd like to keep my goals within the realms of possibility!) and quite a few of my books will suit several different challenges at once. For example, Snugglepot and Cuddlepie by May Gibbs will tick a box in the Classics Challenge, Young Adults Challenge, Reading through the Decades Challenge and Australian Literature Challenge (see below for more details of challenges).
What's with all the challenges, I hear you ask? Well, I've been reading a fair few book blogs recently, and it seems like signing yourself up for a stack of reading challenges is quite a popular thing to do. It becomes addictive and it's very difficult to stop joining more challenges. I think it appeals to the list-maker in me: I love making lists and I love ticking things off. It gives me a great sense of achievement.
The challenges are as follows:
Classics Challenge (CL) - My definition of 'Classic' literature is books that were written prior to 1900; I define books written from 1900 to around the mid 1960s as 'Modern Classic'. Both types of books qualify for this challenge. As already mentioned, I read 25 books for the CL last year. This year my goal is the same: 25 books.
1001 Books Challenge (1K) - Books listed in '1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die' by Peter Boxall. I currently have around 60 of these books on my TBR pile, and a few dozen more as ebooks. Last year I read 22 books and this year my goal is 20 books.
Reading through the Decades Challenge (RD) - Entails reading a book from every decade for the past 100 years. My goal is to read 11 books which cover the 1900s to the 2000s inclusive. If I have time I'll start working backwards from the 1890s. I have so many books on my TBR pile that I'll have at least several choices from each of these decades!
Book Club Forum Reading Circle Challenge (BF) - Last year I read 8 books for various BCF reading circles. With the Jane Austen Reading Circle starting up this month, at least 4 of her books should count towards the challenge (if I don't elect to re-read the other 2). I will also count any books that were chosen for past reading circles (such as Life of Pi by Yann Martel). This year I'm going to aim for 10 books.
Young Adults Challenge (YA) - Books aimed at younger readers. My goal is to read 10 books, which shouldn't be a problem because they're generally easy reads and I have plenty of them on my TBR pile!
Sci Fi/Fantasy Challenge (SF) - The Sci Fi/Fantasy section of my TBR pile has been growing quite quickly in the last year, but my reading is lagging far behind. I'm going to try to remedy that this year by knocking 8 books off the list.
Australian Literature Challenge (AU) - I have been sadly neglecting Australian literature lately but I'm hoping to turn that around this year because I have plenty of great Australian classics on my shelves. My goal is to read 6 books.
Dystopian Challenge (DY) - Books set in dystopian societies (from Wikipedia: 'usually characterised by an oppressive social control, such as an authoritarian or totalitarian government'). This is my favourite genre (sub-genre?) to read so I'm really looking forward to this one. I read 5 books last year and this year my goal is the same: 5 books.
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