List for Mythopoeic Award Challenge

I've never heard of this award before but this challenge really interests me. I promised myself earlier not to sign up for anymore challenges. But it's really tempting! Lenneth is hosting this challenge here. The challenge is to read seven books between JANUARY 1ST 2008 to DECEMBER 31ST 2008 from the list of Mythopoeic Award Winners, fiction or non-fiction. Did some research and found 10 interesting fantasy fiction, which are available in my library. And the lucky books from the list are:

The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye by A.S. Byatt

Tamsin by Peter S. Beagle

The Wood Wife by Terri Windling

Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie

The Folk Keeper by Franny Billingsley

Aria of the Sea by Dia Calhoun

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke (can be crossread)

The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood (can be crossread)

Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale by Holly Black
Valiant by Holly Black

I've not decided on the 7 books, but those are the possible ones.

And another! Year of Reading Dangerously

Goodness, did I sign up for this as well?? *gasp* Alright. That's definitely enough challenges to make me busy in 2008! I hope I can read along their 12 official novels:

January: Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens (since Estella is our namesake)
February: The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison (African American)
March: Cat's Eye, by Margaret Atwood (Atwood for Atwood's sake)
April: Transformations, by Anne Sexton (Poetry)
May: Other Voices, Other Rooms, by Truman Capote (Southern)
June: Lolita, by Vladimir Nabokov (Russian)
July: The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier (adolescent)
August: Maus I and II, by Art Spiegelman (Graphic Novel, Pulitzer winner)
September: The Secret Lives of People in Love, by Simon Van Booy (Independent)
October: The Human Stain, by Philip Roth (Contemporary/Jewish)
November: A Month of Classic Short Stories, Various - watch for a list
December: The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck (Dusty)

2 more challenges.......

I almost forgot about 2 other challenges. The first one is Becky's Young Reader's Challenge:

This challenge is for those interested in reading more children's literature. Choose 12 or more books for the challenge. You can choose with a theme or not. You could choose a handful of authors to focus on--Laura Ingalls Wilder, A.A. Milne, C.S. Lewis, E.B. White, etc. And read a few books by each. Or you could read twelve books by the same author--like all Beverly Cleary or all Judy Blume or all Barbara Parks. You might want to read twelve books about horses or ponies. Or you might want to read twelve books in a series. Or twelve fairy-tale related books. You could even get elaborate and read 26 books A-to-Z. A theme is NOT required. A list is not required. Choose what you like. Choose as you go. Or plan it all out now.

I'm still not decided on books to read but I might just choose during each of my library visit.

The second one is Mini Jane Austen challenge. I chose Northanger Abbey and Mansfield Park. This will be cross read with the 19th century women writers. I might read another two, Persuasion and Sense & Sensibility. :)

There's another 2 more of Becky's challenges, Celebrate the Author and C.S. Lewis challenge. I don't think I'd be able to cope. So, I'm afraid it needs to be shelved. Or if I'm really keen, I might just make it a personal challenge.

19th Century Women Writers

Becky once again is hosting another great challenge. I've been wanting to strike off some 19th century novels from my list. Luckily this one overlaps with my 888 challenge. I promise, this will be my final challenge to join for next year. And that would be it. I hope. :)

19th Century Women Writers
Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte
Northanger Abbey, Jane Austen
Persuasion, Jane Austen
Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
Agnes Grey, Anne Bronte
Lucy Gayheart, Willa Cather
Mansfield Park, Jane Austen*
Cranford, Elizabeth Gaskell
Alternatives:
Sense & Sensibility, Jane Austen
North & South, Elizabeth Gaskell

TBR List!!

Now 12 books for TBR challenge. I have some trouble choosing! But this is what I came up with. I'm cross reading these with 888 challenge. I hope I can at least reduce my pile in the coming year!

Waterland Graham Swift
Brief History of The Dead Kevin Brockmeier
Mansfield Park Jane Austen
The Kite Runner Khaled Hosseini
A Thousand Splendid Suns Khaled Hosseini
The Pilgrimage Paulo Coelho
Seduction of Water Carol Goodman
The Thirteenth Tale Diane Setterfield
Surfacing Margaret Atwood
London Bridges James Patterson
Innocent Man John Grisham

Twilight Children Torey Hayden

Alternatives:

Northanger Abbey

Handmaid's Tale, Atwood

The Pillars of the Earth, Ken Follett

The Toy Engine, Enid Blyton

The Library Window, Oliphant

5 People you Meet in Heaven, Mitch Albom

Sophie's World, Jostein Gaardner

Turn of the Screw, Henry James

In a Glass Darkly, Sheridan Le Fanu

Satanic Verses, Salman Rushdie

My new list for 888 Challenge!

I did some adjustments, subtracted some categories and added new ones. And it resulted in something like this! I hope I won't make any more changes.

Historical Fiction
The Blood of Flowers Anita Amirrezvani
March Geraldine Brooks
A Year of Wonders Geraldine Brooks
Suite Francaise Irene Nemirovsky
A Thousand Splendid Suns Khaled Hosseini*
The Kite Runner Khaled Hosseini*
The Book Thief Marcus Zusak
Fingersmith Sarah Waters

Alternatives:
Alias Grace Margaret Atwood
Ahab’s Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund
A Great and Terrible Beauty Libba Bray

Children's books
Anne of Green Gables, Montgomery
Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L'Engle
The Giver, Lois Lowry
Matilda, Roald Dahl
The Enchanted Castle, E Nesbit
The Borrowers, Mary Norton

Alternative:
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, by C. S. Lewis

Books about books
The Book Thief, Marcus Zusak
The Thirteenth Tale, Diane Setterfield
The Book of Lost Things, John Connolly
Sixpence House, Paul Collins
Inkheart, Cornelia Funke
Booked to Die, John Dunning*
The Ghost Writer, John Harwood
The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop, Lewis Buzbee

Alternatives:
84, Charing Cross Road, Helene Hauff
Bookseller of KabulReading
Lolita in Tehran

1st in a Series
Aunt Dimity's Death, Nancy Atherton
The Neon Rain, James Lee Burke
The Bone Collector, Jeffrey Deaver
Booked to Die, John Dunning*
A is for Alibi, Sue Grafton
Knots & Crosses, Ian Rankin
Along Came a Spider, James Patterson
Various Haunts of Men, Susan Hill

19th Century Women Writers
Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte
Northanger Abbey, Jane Austen
Persuasion, Jane Austen
Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
Agnes Grey, Anne Bronte
Lucy Gayheart, Willa Cather
Mansfield Park, Jane Austen*
Cranford, Elizabeth Gaskell

Alternatives:
Sense & Sensibility, Jane Austen
North & South, Elizabeth Gaskell

Speculative fiction
Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
Waterland by Graham Swift
The Hours by Michael Cunningham
A Sound of Thunder by Ray Bradbury
The Child in Time by Ian McEwan
Ben Okri The Famished Road
Haruki Murakami End of the World
Isabel Allende House of Spirits

TBR Books
Waterland Graham Swift
Brief History of The Dead Kevin Brockmeier
Mansfield Park Jane Austen*
The Kite Runner Khaled Hosseini*
A Thousand Splendid Suns Khaled Hosseini*
The Pilgrimage Paulo Coelho
Seduction of Water Carol Goodman
The Thirteenth Tale Diane Setterfield

Alternatives:
Surfacing Margaret Atwood
London Bridges James Patterson
Innocent Man John Grisham

Margaret Atwood
Surfacing
Handmaid's Tale
Penelopiad
The Tent
Oryx & Crake
Alias Grace
Blind Assassin
Cat's Eye

Alternative:
Wilderness Tips

Notable Books Possible List

As a beginner, I've decided on only 5 books as listed below.

NYT Notable 07:
Falling Man by Don Delillo
Mothers and Sons: Stories, by Colm Toibin
On Chesil Beach, Ian McEwan

PW Best Books 07:
Heart-Shaped Box, by Joe Hill

2007 IRA CL/R SIG Notable Books:
The Book Thief, Marcus Zusak

1st in a Series List

Joy is hosting this challenge to read 12 books that are the first in any series (new authors not required). You may read your chosen books any time during the year.

Here's my list!

- Aunt Dimity's Death, Nancy Atherton*
- The Neon Rain, James Lee Burke*
- The Bone Collector, Jeffrey Deaver*
- Booked to Die, John Dunning*
- A is for Alibi, Sue Grafton*
- Knots & Crosses, Ian Rankin*
- Along Came a Spider, James Patterson*
- Various Haunts of Men, Susan Hill*

- 1st to Die, James Patterson

- The Unlike Spy, Daniel Silva

- Every Dead Thing, John Connolly

- When the Bough Breaks, Jonathan Kellerman

Alternatives:

- Iris Johansen The Face of Deception

- Lisa Scottoline, Everywhere that Mary went

- John Sanford Rules of Prey

- Michael Connelly The Black Echo

Themed Reading Challenge

Wendy is hosting this challenge. We are to read at least 4 books with the same theme from Jan 1 to Jun 20 08. My idea actually was to read something of interest to me which are books about books. After reading the captivating The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield and Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, I've been wanting to find similar stories. I was really excited to explore more books about books but it would mean adding to my already high pile of books!

So I decided to read what's already in my pile and came up with the theme Thrillers. I have 5 thrillers in hand:

Blood Memory by Greg Iles

The Various Haunts of Men by Susan Hill

Out by Natsuo Kirino

London Bridges by James Patterson and

The Innocent Man by John Grisham

I might or might not read all but at least it helps to reduce my TBR pile! Also I think I'll add The Neon Rain by James Lee Burke as an alternative or as an extra. We'll see how it goes.

Numbers Challenge

Callista is hosting this challenge. The challenge is to read 5 books whose titles have a number in them from Jan 1, 2008 to June 1, 2008 This includes written numbers like "one" or "forty."

So I thought of joining. Here's my list for Numbers Challenge:

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

1984 by George Orwell

Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut
One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey

The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

Some alternatives (in case my mood changes):

Catch-22 Joseph Heller

1st to Die or others in Women's Murder Club series James Patterson

100 Years of Solitude Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Ok time to sign up!

Read It Again Challenge

Twiga started this as a personal challenge but has invited anyone to join her. There is no time limit. The idea is to read some books you've read before for a second (or more) time around.

I love to reread books. If it is a really captivating book, I'll revisit it when the story and the characters of a book still linger in my mind or else that desire to reread will pass. There's no time to reread as new books keep me interested. So I'd love to set aside time and do it again.

For now, a few books I would like to re-visit:
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
March by Geraldine Brooks
Atonement by Ian McEwan
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

I'll add to the list if there's more!

Speculative Fiction Challenge.

Since I need to sign up by Dec 1 for this challenge, I need to think about the book list first. Read 6 books till Apr 08. My list of speculative fiction: (may be subjected to change)

• The Giver by Lois Lowry
• Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie
• Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
• Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
• Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
• Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov

Alternative readings:

• 1984 by George Orwell
• Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie
• Sophie's World by Jostein Gaardner
• Life of Pi by Yann Martel
• Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
• Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
• Waterland by Graham Swift
• The Hours by Michael Cunningham
• A Sound of Thunder by Ray Bradbury
• The Child in Time by Ian McEwan
• Ben Okri The Famished Road
• Toni Morrison Song of Solomon
• Haruki Murakami End of the World
• Isabel Allende House of Spirits

Yay! Already have the list and all I need to do now is to sign up. Will do very soon!

Interesting Book Challenges

There are a few challenges I'm interested in. I think I'll list them here.

1. 1st in a Series: Jan 1 to Dec 31. Read 12 books that are first in a series. I have around 20 possibilities. I need to shortlist them if I'm interested. JOINED
2. Jane Austen Challenge: Read and/or watch at least two Jane Austen novels/movies in 2008. JOINED
3. Numbers Challenge: Jan 1 to Dec 31. Read 5 books with numbers in the title. JOINED
4. Themed Reading: Read at least 4 books that share a theme of your choice, eg historical romances, books with animals, books in a country/ family secrets. Sign up by Dec 31. Write review. I have some idea on this one. JOINED
5. Speculative Fiction Challenge: Sign up by Dec 1. Read 6 books till Apr 08. Some ideas of authors are Isabel Allende, Mikhail Bulgakov, Salman Rushdie, Yann Martel, Ben Okri, Ian McEwan The Child in Time, Graham Swift Waterland and Cornelia Funke Inkheart. JOINED
6. 888 Challenge: Runs from January 1 through December 31, 2008. Choose 8 categories of your own that you would like to read 8 books EACH in. You will be allowed 8 overlaps, for a total of 56 unique book titles. You may overlap these 56 titles with any other challenge. You may change your list or your categories at any time. You may update your lists by providing the link to books read. However, we will NOT be writing reviews here! Please use your name as a label, along with the book categories you're reading from. Check back here to see who is participating and cheer others on.
7. 2 New 2 U Challenge: Feb 1 to May 1 08. Sign up by Jan 1. Read 2 books out of comfort zone or by authors you've never read. I might cross read the 2 books with other challenges.
8. Celebrate the Author: Jan 1 to Dec 31. Read one author on their birthday month throughout the year. I have the list of authors I'm interested in. I'll put them up if I decide to join this one.
9. The Whitcoulls Challenge: Nov to Nov 08. Pick 12 books from list and read one a month.
10. Read It Again Challenge: No time. Reread fav books.
11. Outmoded Authors: end on 29 Feb. Membership till Jan 31. eg. DH Lawrence, GK Chesterton, W Somerset Maugham, Walter Scott
12. just4thehelluvit: Spontaneous reading, no time.
13. Book A Week Group Challenge: Join between Jan 1 and Feb 21 each year and read a book per week (52 per year)
14. TBR Challenge: Membership Dec 15.

Wow, 14! That's a lot! Might need to cut down and make my decision by Dec 1-5. Will be back!

I'm BookRelishing!

I really don't remember since when I've been relishing books but I'm soo addicted to books now. And I loan out books from the library more than what I'm able to read. I have some trouble because I'm quite a slow reader, but my list of books is ever-increasing! I've never tried book challenges before. But after discovering them and exploring a little, they're really tempting me! I'm not sure how I'd cope with them but I'm gonna give it a try. If I decide to join any, I'll see my progress. If I'm able to keep up, I'll stay but if not, I'll flex them and make them as my own personal challenges. Let's see!