Sunshine Smackdown! Battle of the Prizes Challenge

Once again, I have to start off saying "I really shouldn't do this."

I really shouldn't do this, but I'm signing up for another challenge. It's The Sunshine Smackdown! Battle of the Prizes Challenge – American Version, which must qualify as the longest ever title for a reading challenge! It's being hosted by Rose City Reader and runs from May 1 to September 7, 2009 – May Day to Labor Day. And since it only requires three (or four) books, it seems really doable.

These are most of the details:

Chose three books that you have not read before:

1) One that won both the Pulitzer and the National;
2) One that won the Pulitzer but not the National; and
3) One that won the National but not the Pulitzer.

OPTION: For those who have already read all six of the double-dippers, or otherwise do not want to read one of those six, pick two Pulitzer winners and two National winners for a total of four books.

Read all books between May Day and Labor Day. Overlap with other challenges is allowed -- and encouraged!

You can read more about it and find links to lists of the award books on the announcement page here.

I've got these three books in mind for the challenge:

1. Double Winner: Rabbit is Rich, by John Updike. Mainly because I've wanted to read it for years, I've got a copy, and my husband is a real fan of the Rabbit books. I've never read any of them, so maybe I should take a look at Rabbit, Run first.

2. Pulitzer Winner: The Optimist's Daughter, by Eudora Welty. I like Welty's short stories, so I thought I'd try one of her longer works. And again, I've already got this one on my shelves. [See my review.]

3. National Book Award Winner: Victory Over Japan, by Ellen Gilchrist. I really enjoyed her In the Land of Dreamy Dreams when I read it many years ago. I've also read Drunk With Love, but I don't remember that one quite as well. Don't think I own a copy of this one, so I'm hoping the local public library has it on their shelves.