Bibliofreakblog

When Will These Challenge Posts End?

Goddamnit.  Why do you people have to keep coming up with cool challenges?

I mean, a challenge for books about books?  How could I not resist?

This one is hosted by Lesley from A Life in Books, but the challenge has it’s own dedicated blog.

There’s various levels of participation: Bookworm: 3 books, Litlover: 6 books, Bibliomaniac: 12 books.  

I’m going to strive for Litlover, but officially sign up as a Bookworm.  Here’s my list so far:

Changing My Mind: Occasional Essays
The Bible: A Biography 
Burn This Book: PEN Writers Speak Out on the Power of the Word
The Eyre Affair: A Thursday Next Novel
How Fiction Works

I saw that Teddy Rose was hosting a challenge to read the books that you’ve won on blogs, and knew that I had to join.  As I write up this post, however, I am not at home.  Well, I am.  I’m at my home home, which is Michigan.  However, all of my books are back in my regular home in Seattle, so I’m not making any sort of list for this one.

There’s various levels to this one, but I’m going sign up for the lowest one, 1-3.  I kind of feel like I should make more of an effort to read the books I’ve won sooner, but what with not having said books in front of me, I’m not sure how many I have.  I’m trying to count them up in my head, but it’s not working.  I definitely have more than three, though, so I will probably read more than that!

The 2010 Global Reading Challenge is to read one book by an author from or about each continent.  Thank God, this does not include Antartica.  Because if it did I would totally cheat and watch March of the Penguins.  Or Happy Feet.

I’m thinking I’ll read Portrait in Sepia for South America and The Bone People for Australasia and God Dies by the Nile for Africa, but I’m not sure what all I’ll read for North America, Europe, and Asia, as I have several on my lists.

Carrie from Books and Movies is hosting the Essay Reading Challenge.  I have two books of essays on my lists already, Burn This Book: PEN Writers Speak Out on the Power of the Word and Changing My Mind: Occasional Essays, so I know that I’ll be able to meet the 20 essays required for the medium level (reading 10 or 30 are the other options).

This challenge goes from January 1st to November 30th, so I figure two essays a month on average should be easy!

I really like the idea behind the African Diaspora Challenge, which is to read books by and about people of African descent in the parts of the world most touched by the Atlantic slave trade.  

One additional rule is no audio books.  :(  Why that is, I have no idea.  Take it up with BrownGirl Book Speak, who already said I could use nonfiction, so I guess I shouldn’t argue.  

Unfortunately my list isn’t really that diverse.  I’m thinking of reading for this challenge: 

U.K.: Changing My Mind: Occasional Essays
U.S.:  The Color Purple, 
The Autobiography of Malcolm X 
Africa:  God Dies by the Nile