Monday 10 January 2011

Some Challenges for 2011

So, the new year and looking ahead and resolutions are upon me.  I find once again the lure of challenges too irresistable to resist.  Here are some challenges I am signing up for this year:

2011 Ireland Reading Challenge - hosted by Carrie at Books and Movies. Being the usual sucker hopeful optimist I am, I am aiming for Kiss The Blarney Stone (6 books).  I have no idea what they will be at this time.  How is that for faith??

British Books Challenge 2011 - hosted by The Bookette, this is an exciting challenge because so many of the books I read are British or about Britain. Seeing as I am incurable as well as hopeful, I'm joining the Royal Family Level - 12 books by British authors in 2011.  I might as well aim high, right?

Historical Fiction 2011 - so many of the books I read are historical, that this should  will be easy.  I hope.
I'm aiming high, Gentle Readers, since a Charles Dickens looms on my TRB pile, plus a host of mysteries from the past and..... so I'm signing on for Undoubtedly Obsessed, 15 books!  Undoubtedly a little bit crazy, more like. 

Carl's Sci-Fi Experience 2011 - this will be the third year I'm joining this reading experience.
I love this challenge because it gets me to read the sci-fi that I do buy the rest of the year and keep meaning to read.  I wish there were time to read all the books I want to.  In fact, I think I make this wish  every day.  Just tonight I was upstairs checking to see which Peter James mysteries I have (none on my TBR shelf apparently, but I do have two elsewhere in the house waiting to be read), and I realized that due to my slump in December, almost all the mysteries I expected to read are still waiting to be read. Sara Paretsky! Margaret Maron! Ruth Rendell! PD James! Jo Nesbo!  Ann Cleeves!  Peter Lovesey!  Brian Freeman!  It's like a who's who of mystery writing on my bookshelf waiting to be read, and all I need is a little a whole lot more time to read.  And really, Carl says this is just an experience.  A science fiction experience.  Plus, it has a cool photo. 

2011 100 + Reading Challenge - because I am going to get to 100 books.
Hosted by the indefatigable J-Kaye, who amazes me by hosting this and reading so much with three school-age children. This is my personal mountain to climb.  I have never gotten to 100 books read in a year, and I failed spectacularly again last year, reaching the very same total I did the year before: 78 books in total read.

2011 Support Your Local Library Challenge - also by J-Kaye.  I have 12 books out from the library currently, with another 14 waiting to be picked up by Friday. It is very dangerous a great way to find new books, reading all your blogs, and now our library has gone 21st century and it is so easy to request books! one click and presto!  Thus, the 26 books found in two weeks.
So I should be able to complete this challenge at the 25 books level.  I might up it to 50 if I go all gung-ho and actually read all these books I've taken out.

 

Challenges Ongoing:
Canadian Book Challenge 4, which I have read some already (see my sidebar for the link). I  read two more in December that I still have to review!  I succeeded in this one last year, so I'm planning to succeed again.  We do have some wonderful books in Canada, and I love this challenge for getting our books out there to be read, and also for making encouraging and reminding me to make the time for them.  Louise Penny, Vicki Delany, Tanya Huff, Charles de Lint, Guy Gavriel Kay, LR Wright, we have some wonderful writers here in Canada.

18 comments:

Cath said...

I said I wouldn't do any challenges this year apart from Carl's two main ones. Heh. I lied. I promptly joined two - Foodies and What's in a Name - and then decided, like you, to do Carl's Sci Fi challenge (*very* cool photo!) as well. Ah well, no one sends a hit squad if I we don't succeed, eh? And the joy is often in the 'trying'. Good luck with yours, Susan.

Carl V. Anderson said...

Great to have you in the Experience again this year. I so know what you mean about not getting to the books that you buy. I'm trying harder to do that this year, not just to be more responsible with my money but also because the books I buy sound so interesting and it is a shame to just let them sit on a shelf unread.

Glad you are joining too Cath! :)

Emily Barton said...

Good for you. You are a brave woman! I decided not to do any challenges this year (although that support your local library one is awfully tempting. I might have to change my mind). My goal is to complete my own TBR challenge from 2010.

chrisa511 said...

Well you are SO much more brave than me, lol! I've decided that this will be the year of NO challenges for me except for the mutual challenges I'm doing with some friends and of course, Carl's two challenges that I could never not partake in! Good luck my dear :)

Anonymous said...

Welcome to the Ireland Challenge!

Susan said...

Cath: Imagine if there were a hit squad for us bloggers who don't finish a challenge? I don't think there would be a blogger left on the net! lol The joy is in picking the books, I think! lol and of course, reading them. Good luck to you too with yours, I have to check out your Foodies now since I have so many cookbooks as well. :-D .....in for a penny, in for a pound....

Carl: I am too, really trying hard to read what I buy. I did fairly well last year, and the library is helping me to read what I enjoy without having to own - always a hard one for me to acknowledge. Thanks for sharing that you feel guilty too at all the books we've bought and are still unread. All your challenges are really getting me to forge ahead in my fantasy and sci fi and horror reading.

Emily: I joined only three challenges last year, and really enjoyed not having the pressure to read on me, but at the same time I kept thinking as I finished a book, "oh, it would go so well here on this challenge"!!! I really want to read for pleasure, so I tried to pick challenges that are about books I already am reading anyway. the 100 + might be an annual challenge for me anyway, my personal mountain. What was your challenge from 2010, to only read TBR books? Or to read a certain number from your TBR shelves?

Chris: It is liberating to not be in a challenge, like I said to Emily above. That said, I will miss you not being in any challenges except for Carl's - which I can't imagine any of us missing anyway because they are the perfect challenges for us! lol It didn't change my book total read, that's for sure, whether I join challenges or not. I hope you read everything fun this year,and begin to feel restored to yourself again.

Carrie: thank you! I'm looking forward to it!

Bybee said...

Ooooh, Irish Challenge...looks good...

Emily Barton said...

My TBR challenge was to read 20 books from my TBR list. I chose 20 and then only read 9, but I'm giving myself an extension for this year. BTW, I meant to say that if you haven't read Tana French, you can read all 3 of hers and be halfway through your Irish Challenge (you'll love her).

Gavin said...

Thanks for the reminder! I am joining the SciFi Experience this year.

Unknown said...

Welcome to the British Books Challenge. May you find many great British authors to enjoy this year.

Eva said...

Woohoo for the library! My new one only allows you have to 20 holds at once, which makes me think slightly more about the 'one click' thing, but I still heart it. :D

Kathleen said...

Wow, so many great challenges. Enjoy them all and I will look forward to your updates on each and your book reviews.

Susan said...

Bybee: LOL! I have to come see if you joined....

Emily: Can I laugh? Just a little? If only because I managed to read for the first time almost as my books as I already owned as that I bought last year. I say almost, but really, I confess I bought far more than I read. so you can extend your personal challenge forever! Maybe you and I will achieve ours at the same time - you read another 11 of your own books,and me read 100 books in a year. We should give ourselves a reward for achieving it too! :-D

I've read one Tana French and because of you and another reviewer (possibly on The Guardian) I've added both on my TBR mountain. I forget she's Irish, so thank you for reminding me!

Gavin: How wonderful! It is so much fun! I hope you really enjoy it :-)

Becky: Thank you for hosting it! I won't have any problems with this challenge, I'm already reading one, and really about half of my favourite authors are from Britain.

Eva: I know! except it's so easy to click! lol Now the challenge is to read them....I can't believe you can only have 20 holds at once. Do they know how fast you read?? Maybe after a while they can bend the rules for you.

Kathleen: I hope to enjoy them all! Reviewing them all is a challenge too, since by autumn I'm usually behind in those. Another of my personal goals is to review everything I read this year. Are you going to join any challenges this year?

Sue F. said...

Susan-I didn't know about the Irish Challenge until I read this! I have joined and already have my first Irish book to read!
Sue

Susan said...

Sue: I'm so delighted I could help! What are you reading for the challenge? I'll come to your blog to see....

Dawn @ sheIsTooFondOfBooks said...

Good luck with the challenges you've taken on, Susan! I've yet to sign up for any in 2011, but I know I will cave soon ....

Marg said...

Thank you so much for joining up for the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge. Hope you enjoy your books, and meet your goals!

Susan said...

Dawn: They're hard to resist, aren't they? I have to force myself to stop soon! "Just one more," the challenge addicted side of me thinks. "I can add one more"...lol

Marg: thank you so much! I've wanted to join this for a few years now, and now that I've found a few historical mystery series, it'll make it fun to zoom through! thank you for hosting it, too :-)