… and this time with pleasure. A couple of fellow bloggers (find their posts here and here) have brought my attention to a reading challenge for 2015 (from Goodwill Librarian on Facebook), one that requires new reading experiences that should be enjoyable rather than burdensome.
Here it is:
A quick skim of the list shows that I can already check off two of these, including the book of 500+ pages. Some, however, will be difficult: A book with antonyms in the title. A book based on or turned into a TV show. A book at the bottom of my to-read list. (That list has no bottom!)
I’m also adding my own requirement: no books that I’ve already read will count.
Since I intend to focus more on my writing this year, my posts about the books I read for the challenge will be brief, but (I hope) tantalizing. Perhaps someone somewhere will find a way to collate the titles people across the world have read for each category — it would be a marvelous compendium. At any rate, I’ll be following the progress of (and possibly cribbing from) Calmgrove and Suffolk Scribblings throughout 2015.
Join us!
Lizzie Ross 
It’s great that you’re joining in with this. Another writer and blogger, Graeme Cumming, is also taking part. You can read his post about it here http://graemecumming.net/2015/01/17/reading-challenge/
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Thanks, Dylan. I’ll check out Graeme’s blog.
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I hope this works for you as it has (so far) for me, Lizzie! It would be really interesting to see how others respond to this challenge and whether including many categories for each book is the way forward.
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Many categories per book is one option, Chris, and most books will overlap into several, but does that defeat the goal of 50 books in a year? Although it must be said, that for most of us bloggers, I suspect reading 50 books in a year won’t be a problem. I have to wonder about a couple of the categories: “a book that makes me cry” and “a book that scares me” — I’ll know only after I’ve finished the book, so I can’t select for these qualities. Also, does crying with laughter count?
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Tears of any description would do I suppose, tears of rage or frustration as well as of laughter and sorrow!
Fifty books in one year? Hmm, I may think I’m a prolific reader, but I suspect that if I tot up those I’ve reviewed after reading for the first time (as opposed to reposts of ones I did some time ago) I’d be hard pushed to make it thirty. I may try that as an exercise: how many books did I actually read last year?
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There are so many ways to interpret the challenge, and none are wrong. Who’s counting, anyway?
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Hello, this seems really interesting. I will give it a thought. Thanks Lizzie for talking about it…I might be able to succeed with those items, except one: my mother and I read different languages, and since many authors of my like have no decent translations in her language…I’d rather not be obliged to go through Fifty Shades of Grey just to qualify… 😀
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Thanks, Stephen, for the visit and the follow. Lots of people are completing this challenge, so look around to find out how others are dealing with your translation issue.
I just read your “About” page, and I’d love to know what you think of Olaf Stapledon’s astrophysics. Anyway, happy reading!
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Thanks – by the way, I love Stapledon 🙂
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We’re hearing about your imminent and really dire weather forecasts for the East Coast, including the aftermath of your weather systems insofar as they will affect north-western Europe. Do hope it’s nowhere near as bad as predicted, that everyone keeps safe and secure and that disruption will be minimal. If they manage to maintain power then at least you may be able to hunker down and catch up on some reading…
By the way, just finished and really enjoyed Lev Grossman’s The Magicians, and about to embark on a review. It’s partly set in NYC of course, so thought of you — I’m sure you recommended it.
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So far the storm has dropped little on NYC, but the worst is still to come, they say. Thanks for your good wishes. We’re all set here, with plenty of books and food. I have nothing on for tomorrow, so I may walk around a bit looking for photo ops.
I think I did recommend Grossman’s book, but however you got there, I’m glad you it. I’ve read the sequel and have the third of the trilogy waiting. I look forward to reading your review.
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Trying hard not to come across any spoilers for the remaining titles of the trilogy! Glad you’re well stocked up and coping so far. No mention of polar vortices yet but it still sounds dire.
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Correct, don’t read ANY reviews of the rest of the trilogy. As for the predicted dire weather, Winter Storm Juno so far has disappointed my expectations. I prepared for the Apocalypse and got nothing more than a minor squall. Oh well.
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