Last Minute Challenges – 2014

Posted on December 27, 2013 by cleopatra

Here are a last few challenges to squeak in before the end of the year. Please visit the linked sites for more information about these challenges. I hope to see some of you joining the insanity!

The 52 Books in 52 Weeks challenge is hosted by Robin, who is a very well-organized and welcoming hostess. I’ve participated in this challenge for about 4 years now and I love the comradory that this challenge inspires. There is a homeschool forum thread where people touch base each week with each other to discuss the books that they are reading. An excellent challenge!

I really can’t say no to the 2014 Chunkster Challenge. I am reading through Dickens, have Daniel Deronda scheduled for 2014, plus some history tomes …….. I will easily be able to reach at least 5-6 or more. This past year I read 14+ chunksters, but I’m going to be less ambitious this year.

And to heighten the tension, the European Reading Challenge is going to be a new addition. Hosted by Rose City Reader, this challenge, in one aspect, should not be difficult; I read many European books each year. On the other hand, to read books from different European countries to reach each level will require some effort. I am going to go-for-broke with this challenge and aim for the Five Star (Deluxe Entourage) which is 5 books by five different authors and from five different countries.

And to top off the insanity, I am joining the 2014 Shakespeare reading challenge. I’m aiming for the “Occasional Theater-Goer” with 1 – 4 plays to read. Two years ago, I participated in attempting to read a Shakespeare-a-month and failed. Well, I did manage to get through about 5 months and REALLY enjoyed his plays, however, I allowed myself to get distracted. So, once again, I need a challenge to keep me focused. This will be my most challenging challenge. I have so many books scheduled for 2014, but my goal has been to return to Shakespeare and I am determined to do it. Wish me luck ~~~ I will need it!

And I probably will need valium and therapy when it is all over, but the less said about that, the better ……. 😉

A Non-Fiction Adventure

Posted on December 22, 2013 by cleopatra

Found on Howling Frog Books and hosted by Michelle, this is the perfect challenge for me. Like the Classics Club, this challenge is over a 5-year period so my challenge dates are December 22, 2013 to December 21, 2018. You can check out my non-fiction book list on the sidebar.

Here are the guidelines:

choose 50+ non-fiction books
books must be non-fiction, ie. biography, autobiography, history, memoir, cooking, travel, science, etc.
list them at your blog (or on Goodreads or another social media site)
choose your completion goal date five years in the future and make not of it with you list of titles
come back here and post the link to your list in the linky below
write a review (or a short summary) on the book when finished and link it to the title in your list
there will be pages posted at the top of the blog for you to link your reviews
when you have completed the challenge, come add your link to the COMPLETED CHALLENGES page
there will be a blog roll in the sidebar where I will list you/your blog linked to your lists
grab the button in the right sidebar and link it back to this blog
check out this PAGE which contains links to various online sources with lists of reading ideas
this challenge can be crossed over with any other challenge
it is mandatory that your list be made in advance so you have something to work towards.

Why is this the perfect challenge? Because I have a number of non-fiction books that are sitting on my shelves and, although I am interested in reading them, I often tend to default to fiction. This challenge will get me focussed on an area that I really need to address. Perhaps this is the perfect challenge for you too!

2nd Annual Classics Club Read-a-thon

Posted on December 19, 2013 by cleopatra

The Classics Club is having their 2nd Annual Read-a-Thon and I’ve decided to participate ……. or at least do my best. It begins at 8 a.m. on January 4th, 2014 and ends 24 hours later on January 5th. What a great way to finish off some of those pesky classics that you weren’t able to complete for 2013 and get ready to start a new year!

My guess is that I will be trying to finish War and Peace, Tales of Ghosts and Men, and will be trying catch up to the schedules of David Copperfield, and His Excellency, Eugene Rougon. If a miracle happens and I happen to finish a few of these books before 2013 ends, I will have The History of the Ancient World, The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe, The Wizard of Oz and The Great Gatsby to start off the year.

I’ve never participated in a Read-A-Thon before and I’m really looking forward to it!

Back to the Classics Challenge 2014

Posted on December 16, 2013 by cleopatra

Here it is! The challenge I have been waiting for! Back to the Classics Challenge 2014 is being hosted this year by Books and Chocolate. She has taken over for Sarah at Sarah Reads Too Much and has already done a wonderful job organizing this challenge.

The rules for this year are as follows, including a few changes:

This year there are six required categories and five optional categories.

1. 20th Century Classic The Man Who Was Thursday by G.K. Chesterton
2. 19th Century Classic David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
3. A Classic By A Woman Writer Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
4. A Classic In Translation Son Excellence, Eugène Rougon by Émile
Zola
5. A Wartime Classic War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
6. A Classic by an Author Who is New to You The Warden by Anthony Trollope

Optional:

1. An American Classic The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
2. A Classic Mystery/Suspense Thriller The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
3. A Classic Historical Fiction Book The Once And Future King by E.B. White
4. A Classic That Has Been Adapted into a T.V. or Movie Series Othello by William Shakespeare
5. Extra Fun Category – Write a Review of #4 Othello movie reviews

She also has made another rule: All classics must be published 50 years ago or earlier, so nothing before 1964 will be considered a classic.

Please check out her blog for information on prizes and additional explanations.

Even without a blog, I participated in this challenge every year. It is my easiest challenge and probably the most fun for me. So if this challenge sounds like fun to you too, pop over to Books and Chocolate to check it out. And good luck to everyone!

Books on France 2014 Reading Challenge

Posted on December 15, 2013 by cleopatra

Words and Peace is having a Books on France 2014 Reading Challenge. Since I am going through the Rougon-Macquart series by Emilé Zola, this will be an easy challenge for me.

The rules for this challenge are:

Any book related to France

it can be set in France
written by a French author
written in French, by authors from any country
about a French theme: French cuisine, French fashion, etc.
it can be a book counted for another challenge

All genres are accepted
All media is accepted

LEVEL 1: “un peu” = 3 books
LEVEL 2: “beaucoup” = 6 books
LEVEL 3: “passionément = 12 books
LEVEL 4: “doublement passionément” = 24 books
LEVEL 5: “a la foile” = 52 books

Please see her post for details about a special giveaway!

I will go for LEVEL 1, because I’m not sure if I will make LEVEL 2 but I will give it a try.

1. Son Excellence, Eugène Rougon – Émile Zola

2. Candide – Voltaire

3. Madame Bovary – Gustave Flaubert

4. La Curée – Émile Zola

5. La Parure (The Necklace) – Guy de Maupassant (en français)

In addition to Zola, I am going to try to read at least one book in French in 2014, possibly two. Sadly I am going to make them children’s books, because my French needs serious review. My choices are:

Bonne chance!

The Pre-Printing Press Challenge 2014

Posted on December 11, 2013 by cleopatra

I stumbled across The Pre-Printing Press Challenge at All Booked Up via Howling Frog Books (can you tell that I like her blog?). It’s rules are reasonably unstructured so I thought it might fit nicely into my year.

The rules of the Pre-Printing Press Challenge:

1. All books must have come out before 1440, when the printing
press was first invented.
2. Books chosen for this challenge can overlap with other
challenges.
3. Books can be translated into the language of your choice.
4. All the books you’ve chosen must be read by December 31,
2014.
5. You can read 1-3 books, 4-6 books, 7-9 books or 10 or more
books if you’re feeling particularly ambitious.
6. The choice of books is up to you. There are not set reading
lists, and you don’t have to set one when you join.
7. Post your blog address where you’ll be posting your
comments on your choice of books in the comments of
this post when you join, and tell me how many books
you’ve chosen. I’ll set up a link to participating blogs
from here.
8. Above all, have fun!!!

The challenge starts December 1, 2013.

So, remaining list-less (that’s me!) I will add my books to the list below as they are read:

1. The Apology (of Socrates) by Plato — December 12, 2013

2. The Odyssey by Homer — March 23, 2014

3. Oedipus Rex by Sophocles — May 25, 2014

4. Oedipus at Colonus by Sophocles — June 24, 2014

5. Confessions by St. Augustine — June 30, 2014

6. The Book of Margery Kempe — August 1, 2014

7. The Epic of Gilgamesh — August 14, 2014

8. Defence Speeches by Cicero — August 20, 2014

9. The Sayings of the Desert Fathers — August 25, 2014

10. The Inferno by Dante Alighieri — October 15, 2014

11. The Vita Nuova by Dante Alighieri — October 25, 2014

12. Le Morte d’Arthur by Thomas Malory — December 6, 2014

I’m so glad that this challenge begins in December so I can get started right away!

Russian Literature Challenge 2014

Posted on December 10, 2013 by cleopatra

O at Behold the Stars came up with the wonderful idea of a Russian Literature challenge for 2014!

Everyone is probably wondering why on earth would I join another challenge? I was wondering the same thing, but his one is too good to pass up. I have been making my way through the Russian literary greats but much too slowly, and this challenge will help me focus and give me connection with friends who are doing the same thing as I. What better reason to join?

The requirements are as follows:

Because this is a classics blog, I would limit it to classic literature. It can be a novel by a Russian author or a novel set in Russia, and how you choose to define “classic” is up to you. And, of course, you can use books from any other challenge you’ve set yourself. Finally, you can list list your books before you start, or, like me, you can just explore and read whatever comes your way.

There are four levels:

Level one: 1 – 3 books
Level two: 4 – 6 books
Level three: 7 – 12 books
Level four: 12 + books

If there’s enough interest, I’ll put a post up each quarter for people to link any posts may have written.

So, if you want to join in, write a post on your own blog writing your intentions, then leave me a comment so I know to read it.

I am going to go completely against my nature and be conservative, aiming for Level One.

1. Eugene Onegin – Alexander Pushkin

2. The Idiot – Fyodor Dostoyevsky

3. Doctor Zhivago – Boris Pasternak

4. War and Peace – Leo Tolstoy

5. Fathers and Sons – Ivan Turgenev

The Eugene Onegin Read-Along will soon give me my first Russian book for the year.

Best of luck with the challenge, everyone! And thanks to O for creating it!

2014 TBR Pile Challenge

Posted on December 9, 2013 by cleopatra

Straight from Roof Beam Reader and under the gentle influence of Jean at Howling Frog Books, I have decided to tackle the 2014 TBR Pile Challenge.

This challenge is somewhat different from my other TBR Challenge. The rules are:

The Goal: To finally read 12 books from your “to be read” pile (within 12 months).

Specifics:

1. Each of these 12 books must have been on your bookshelf or “To Be Read” list for AT LEAST one full year. This means the book cannot have a publication date of 1/1/2013 or later (any book published in the year 2012 or earlier qualifies, as long as it has been on your TBR pile – I WILL be checking publication dates). Caveat: Two (2) alternates are allowed, just in case one or two of the books end up in the “can’t get through” pile.

2. To be eligible, you must sign-up with Mr. Linky on Roof Beam Reader’s site – link to your list (so create it ahead of time!) and add updated links to each book’s review. Books must be read and must be reviewed (doesn’t have to be too fancy) in order to count as completed.

3. The link you post in the Mr. Linky must be to your “master list” (see Roof Beam Reader’s site). This is where you will keep track of your books completed, crossing them out and/or dating them as you go along, and updating the list with the links to each review (so there’s one easy, convenient way to find your list and all your reviews for the challenge). See THIS LINK for an idea of what I mean. Your complete and final list must be posted by January 15th, 2014.

4. Leave comments on Roof Beam Reader’s post as you go along, to update us on your status. Come back to the post if/when you complete this challenge and leave a comment indicating that you CONQUERED YOUR 2014 TBR LIST! Every person who successfully reads his/her 12 books and/or alternates (and who provides a working link to their list, which has links to the review locations) will be entered to win a $50 gift card from Amazon.com or The Book Depository!

5. Crossovers from other challenges are totally acceptable, as long as you have never read the book before and it was published before 2013!

*Note – You can read the books on your list in any order; they do not need to be read in the order you have them listed. As you complete a book – review it, and go back to your original list and turn that title into a link to the review – that will keep the comments section from getting ridiculously cluttered. For an example of what I mean,Click Here.

Monthly Check-Ins: On the 15th of each month, Roof Beam Reader is going to post a “TBR Pile Check-In.” This will allow participants to link-up their reviews from the past month and get some recognition for their progress. There will also be small mini-challenges and giveaways to go along with these posts (Such As: Read 6 books by the June Check-in and be entered to win a book of your choice!). This will help to keep us all on track and make the challenge a bit more engaging/interactive.

My original hesitation in joining this challenge, was due to the fact that I am terrified of making lists in case I don’t follow them. However, I have decided to really challenge myself in 2014 by participating in this challenge. My list is as follows:

1. ~~Defense Speeches by Cicero~~ August 20, 2014

2. ~~Le Morte d’Arthur by Thomas Mallory~~ December 6, 2014

3. ~~Frankenstein by Mary Shelley~~ April 4, 2014

4. ~~The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis~~ June 15, 2014

5. ~~The Epic of Gilgamesh~~ August 14, 2014

6. Stories from the East from Herodotus by Alfred J. Church

7. ~~The Sayings of the Desert Fathers~~ August 25, 2014

8. Tom Brown’s School Days by Thomas Hughes

9. Socrates by Paul Johnson

10. ~~Daniel Deronda by George Eliot~~ February 24, 2014

11. Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow by Jerome K. Jerome

12. ~~The Man Who Was Thursday by G.K. Chesterton~~ August 20, 2014

And my alternates:

1. Allegory of Love by C.S. Lewis

2. ~~Oedipus Rex/Oepidus at Colonus/Antigone by Sophocles~~ December 28, 2014

Yes, I am actually going to attempt to follow a list! Everyone wish me luck …….. I’ll need it!

Classic Children’s Literature Event – January 2014

Posted on December 5, 2013 by cleopatra

Amanda at Simpler Pastimes is hosting a Classic Children’s Literature Event for January 2014. I will be reading at least two classic children’s books in January and I will try to participate in The Wizard of Oz read that she has scheduled for this month. It is one of the few well-known children’s books that I haven’t yet read, so I am looking forward to it!

Rules for the challenge:

~ During the month of January, read as many Children’s Classics as you
wish and post about them on your blog and/or leave a comment on the
event page on Amanda’s blog. She will have a link page starting the first
of the year to gather posts so that we may share as we go.

~ The optional RAL title: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum.
She plans on discussion the weekend of January 24-26.

~ Use your own judgement for what fits the category but here are some
guidelines:
* Read books prior to 1963.
* Books appropriate for approximately an elementary-school aged
child or preteen including fairy tales.
* Feel free to included books from any country, in translation or not.
* Feel free to double up with other events or challenges if you wish.

~ There is no deadline for joining or participating (except, of course, the end
of January.

Most important: Have Fun!

I will start my list here and hope to get at least 2 – 4 done by the end of the month:

1. The Wizard of Oz – L. Frank Baum

2. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – C.S. Lewis

3. Once and Future King – T.H. White

4. Prince Caspian – C.S. Lewis

Breton Children Reading by Emile Vernon

The Arthurian Literature Reading Challenge 2014

Posted on November 29, 2013 by cleopatra

Jean over at Howling Frog Books has put together this great challenge for 2014: The Arthurian Literature Reading Challenge.

The rules are as follows:

1. The challenge runs from January 1, 2014 – December 31, 2014

2. Sign-ups are open until November 30, 2014.

3. To sign up, grab the button, write a post, and comment ON THE PAGE.
Include the link to your sign-up post for it to count. Keep track of your
reading and write a wrap-up post when you’re done, which you will submit
at the end of the year. She will follow your blog, and you follow hers, and
you can discuss as you read.

4. Books chosen for this challenge can overlap with other challenges.

5. Book can be translated into the language of your choice, though if you are
game for trying out some Middle English or Old French, go for it!

6. Arthurian “cousins” count. If you wish to read up on Tristan and Iseult or
Parzival, or go haring off after the Fisher King, feel free.

7. It is OK to read something pretty tangential that still deals with the
Arthurian tradition, such as Charles Williams’ War In Heaven. If you can
make a reasonable case for it, go ahead. Still, she’d like to keep the main
focus on the medieval works.

8. She has categorized works by date into Old (pre-1800), Modern (1800-
1950), and Recent (1950+). If you wish to read Recent works, that’s fine,
but you must read more Old and Modern works than Recent. No reading
all of Mary Stewart (great as she is) and nothing else! Don’t worry, quite
a few works are short and/or not difficult to read.

9. Levels will consist of:

Page: read 2 works, one of which may be Recent
Squire: read 3 – 4 works, one of which may be Recent and one must be
Old
Knight: read 5 – 6 works, two of which may be Recent and one must be
Old
Paladin: read more than 6 works, two of which may be Recent and two
must be Old, unless you include a non-fiction work (see Bonus)