I know this is madness. And I keep promising myself, "no more reading challenges." But 3M at 1 More Chapter is hosting the Book Awards Reading Challenge II, to run from 1 August 2008 through 1 June 2009. And since I missed the first go-round, I'm going to give myself permission to take part in this second incarnation.The full guidelines plus listings of some of the eligible awards, can be found on the challenge announcement page. Participants will read ten books from at least five different award groups. Overlaps with other challenges are allowed, and there are hundreds of books to choose from!
My list is (as usual) subject to change and also (as usual) a lot longer than it really needs to be, but these are the titles I'm considering:
A Canticle for Leibowitz, by Walter M. Miller (Hugo Award, 1961)
An Artist of the Floating World, by Kazuo Ishiguro (Costa/Whitbread Prize, 1986)
Angle of Repose, by Wallace Stegner (Pulitzer Prize, 1972)
Atonement, by Ian McEwan (National Book Critics' Circle Award, 2002)
The Blue Flower, by Penelope Fitzgerald (National Book Critics' Circle Award, 1997)
Central Europe, by William Vollmann (National Book Award, 2005)
The Double, by José Saramago (Nobel Prize, 1998)
The Golden Notebook, by Doris Lessing (Nobel Prize, 2007)
The Great Victorian Collection, by Brian Moore (Governor General's Award, 1975)
Moon Tiger, by Penelope Lively (Man-Booker Prize, 1987)
The Heart of the Matter, by Graham Greene (James Tait Black Memorial Award, 1948)
The Mandelbaum Gate, by Muriel Spark (James Tait Black Memorial Award, 1965)
The Middle Age of Mrs. Eliot, by Angus Wilson (James Tait Black Memorial Award, 1958)
The Spectator Bird, by Wallace Stegner (National Book Award, 1977)
Them, by Joyce Carol Oates (National Book Award, 1970)
Three Junes, by Julia Glass (National Book Award, 2002)
The Wapshot Chronicle, by John Cheever (National Book Award, 1958)
The Way Through the Woods, by Colin Dexter (Gold Dagger Award, 1992)
The Wench is Dead, by Colin Dexter (Gold Dagger Award, 1989)
As well as a few that I'm already reading for other challenges:
A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L'Engle (Newbery Award, 1963)
Hotel du Lac, by Anita Brookner (Man-Booker Prize, 1984)
The Master, by Colm Tóibín (IMPAC Dublin Award, 2006)
The Old Devils, by Kingsley Amis (Man-Booker, 1986)
Oh! I've never really been in a reading challenge outside of my own personal goal to read 52 books last year (which started my blog). I might have to join this one! It might help me get to 1% of the 1001 books to read before you die and the 106 most unread books on Library Thing. Thanks for posting about it!!!
ReplyDeleteVery nice list. I, too, had trouble winnowing down my choices, but finally came up with a primary list and a few alternates. The only one we have in common (at this point) is The Wapshot Chronicle, which I've been intending to read for many years.
ReplyDeleteGood reading - I look forward to reading your reactions to the books as you go through them