Challenges for 2011, Part 3

Well, here we are - nearly at the end of December; and I'm still several books away from my fifty-book goal for the year. I should be reading, right? But instead, I've been cruising around, looking at all the new reading challenges in the works for 2011. And, lo and behold, I managed to find a few more that are just too interesting to pass up. I really should have a keeper looking after me.

ARC Reading Challenge 2011

1 January - 31 December 2011
Four reading levels: 12 or fewer books, 24, 25, 30 or more
Host: Teddy Rose of So Many Precious Books, So Little Time
See the announcement/sign-up page here.
✸ This is an extremely useful challenge, and I'm so glad it's being offered again in 2011. I'm still working through my list for the 2010 edition of the challenge, but I'm definitely signing up for this one.

Cruisin' thru the Cozies Reading Challenge 2011

1 January - 31 December 2011
Three levels: 1-6, 7-12, 13 or more books
Host: Yvonne of Socrates' Book Review Blog
See the announcement/sign-up page here.
✸ I love cozy mysteries, so this one should be no problem at all. Even so, I think I'll probably be signing up at the first level (1-6 books).

Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2011

1 January - 31 December 2011
Five levels: 2, 5, 10, 15, or 20 books
Host: Historical Tapestry
See the announcement/sign-up page here.
✸ I had to think about this one for a while. I always maintain that I don't read much historical fiction (even though I do enjoy it), but when I got to looking at my list of books for this year, I realized that several of them would qualify in that category. Any kind of historical fiction is acceptable, so I'm signing up, and I think I'll probably go for the "Daring & Curious" level (5 books).

TBR Lite Challenge 2011

1 January - 31 December 2011
Three different reading options; and you should have a list of possible books posted (see mine here).
Host: Miz B
See the announcement/sign-up page here.
✸ Another highly useful challenge. I like this "lite" version because I'm really bad about sticking to plans and schedules when it comes to reading. TBR Lite allows me to change my mind and move things around as needed. There's also a Yahoo group for the challenge (here), where participants can chat about their reading. I'm going to be signing up for Option B (read six books in twelve months). I don't have a specific list for this challenge yet, but I've got "to-be-read" lists posted at Good Reads (here) and Shelfari (here), and I'll be taking my books for the challenge from those.

OK, those are definitely the last challenges I'll be signing up for in 2011. That is, until I find another tempting possibility. (You knew that was coming, right?) During the year, I'll be updating my progress on my challenge blog, here.

TBR (Lite) Reading Challenge 2009 and 2010

In 2010, MizB is once again going to be hosting her popular TBR (Lite) Challenge, and once again I'll be signing up. I managed to read quite a few books from my TBR list in 2009, so the challenge was definitely good for me. Oddly enough, though, only one of the books I read was actually from my original list for the challenge. Good thing I chose Option B which doesn't require lists to be carved in stone. So, officially, the books I read for the challenge (with links to reviews) were:

The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
Cover Her Face by P.D. James
The Great Victorian Collection by Brian Moore
Hotel Du Lac by Anita Brookner
The Master by Colm Toibin
The Way Through the Woods by Colin Dexter

All of those had been on my "to read" list for years - don't know why it took me so long to get to them, because they were all great reads. I enjoyed each of them, but of the six, I believe my favorite would have to be The Age of Innocence; it really is a wonderful novel and one I'd gladly reread.

Now for the 2010 edition of the challenge, I'm going with Option B again (six books in twelve months), just in case I want to make some changes along the way. But I'm going to try to stick a little closer to my original list (I promise!), so I've done quite a bit of thinking about it. And here's what I've come up with:

1. Afternoon Men by Anthony Powell
2. The Blue Flower by Penelope Fitzgerald
   
3. Flaubert's Parrot by Julian Barnes
4. The Inn at Lake Devine by Elinor Lipman
5. People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
6. Play It As It Lays by Joan Didion

Again, all those have been on my TBR list for years - I even started reading Flaubert's Parrot at one time and then put it aside; so we'll see how far I get with it, the second time around.

You can see the full list of all the books I read this year from my to-be-read list here. And to learn more about the challenge, visit the challenge announcement page.