Uh oh, look what happens when I visit people's blogs.....Classics Challenge 2009, and Nymeth's wonderful mini-challenge

So there I was, innocently hopping from blog to blog, trying desperately to catch up with everyone and failing terribly. Unwittingly, I went to Trish at Trish's Reading Nook, and discovered this irresistible button:
This is the challenge, link to sign up here:
Classics: We love them, we hate them, now we are going to challenge ourselves to read more of them. **Choose Your Level (Keep reading for Bonus) 1. Classics Snack - Read FOUR classics 2. Classics Entree - Read FIVE classics 3. Classics Feast - Read SIX classics **Rules/Guidelines 1. Cross-posting with other challenges is allowed (and encouraged!) 2. Audiobooks are fine 3. Re-reads are acceptable, BUT books must be finished after April 1st to count for the challenge 4. Lists don't have to be set in stone; you can change your selections at any time. 5. Have Fun!! 6. You do NOT need a blog to participate. **Bonus!! (Optional) Last year we compiled a list of books that we think might be considered classics one day. I've wiped out that old list so we can start fresh, but to get an idea of what others suggested last year, see HERE. To start off the list, I'm going to suggest Atonement by Ian McEwan.

I do not have my list up yet, nor even which level I'm choosing. I just know that on my TBR this year pile I have at least 3 or 4 classics, which also ties in with Becky's 18th and 19th century women writer's challenge (see my sidebar for the link).

You may have noticed that I have been fairly quiet on the book challenge front this year. I've joined the 100 + challenge, and that is my main challenge this year. That is is a goal I've had for many years, and never managed to reach. This year I am determined. So any and all other challenges I join have to be with this in mind. It's simpler to join a challenge as it comes along, I find, then to do up all the cross-lists I had last year, though they were fun, I must say! And somehow I have joined 4 or 5 other challenges already - Becky's 42 challenge and the women's literature challenge, this one, the 100 challenge, the library challenge, Dewey's challenge......and of course I am waiting for Carl's soon to be announced (I hope) fantasy challenge. Plus my ongoing Book Awards and Canadian challenges...nope, this is not a quiet year as I thought! Mostly, though, I want to be free to read whatever I want, when I want - my goal is to reach that 100 book milestone.

That said, lo and behold, I wander over to my dear new friend Nymeth's blog, to find she is hosting a mini-challenge for March as part of the year-long Remember Dewey challenge:
link to Dewey's books blog, here, and Nymeth's post, here, which are cross-referenced. Here are the rules, which are very simple:

The Try Something New Mini-Challenge
During the month of March, you’ll be asked to step out of your comfort zone and try something new. It can be something Dewey-inspired, like a comic aka graphic novel, a YA novel, a book on feminism, etc. But it can be something else too: poetry, a short story collection, manga, non-fiction, a cookbook, a book on knitting or other crafts, a book on social issues, a play, a horror book, fantasy, sci-fi, a collection of fairy tales or a fairy tale retold…you decide. It’s not mandatory that you have never ever read a book of the kind you pick before…all I’m asking is that you pick something that is still mostly new territory for you.

Well, I thought about it overnight, and this looks fun. What is really fun is that Nymeth has thought an extra twist up:

To make things more fun, the Mini-Challenge is going to work in pairs: you sign up using the Mr Linky at the bottom of this post. If you're an even number, you’ll be paired with the person before you; if you're an odd number, with the person after you , like we sometimes did for Weekly Geeks. Then you and your partner will get in touch by e-mail and talk about what type of book you’re thinking of reading. If your partner happens to be an expert in something that is new territory for you, then maybe they could offer some recommendations. If you're both thinking of picking the same type of book, maybe you could read it together.

I'm going for Graphic novel, since I have managed to pick two up from the library - Swamp Thing and Castle Waiting, and I have never read one as an adult. Failing that, I'm hoping to find a copy of Watchmen to read for the challenge. So, please go sign up with Nymeth if you are interested. She is giving her amazing bookmarks away, some books, and other prizes, but the real prize is getting to email with a fellow book-blogger and discuss what we're reading, which is what Dewey was all about.

and that's what happened tonight. Oh, and Molly at My Cosy Book Nook gave me an award yesterday, which I am delighted with -
I especially like the dog and the style the lady has! I wish!!! Because I haven't been around the blog world in the past couple of weeks to see who has this award, and who doesn't, consider yourself tapped by my magic wand for the award if you've dropped by - because obviously you have fabulous taste for visiting my blog! Just kidding - though do please give it to yourself, because we all have style and class for being book readers.