2013 Challenge Wrap-Up

image via The British Library
on Flickr (amazing resource!)

2013 held a lot of reading challenges for me. I've always enjoyed taking these on even if I don't get close to finishing, although in 2014 I'll be limiting the number of challenges simply because of the scope of the Century of Books!

I didn't do too badly this year, though -- I read quite a lot. Actually I am surprised by how many of these I completed! Here is how I've done with my challenges.

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Canadian Book Challenge -- ongoing, as it runs from July 1 to July 1 (hosted by John at Book Mine Set)

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Colourful Reading Challenge -- hosted by Becca at Lost in Books
I finished this one! The challenge was to read nine books with a colour, any colour, in the title -- and I did it, just squeaking in with my last pick this week. My final list of colour books

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What's In A Name -- hosted by Beth Fish Reads
I've been doing this one for a few years now. I like the random categories and the varied reading they lead to. I finished this one, and much more quickly than usual! Here are the categories and my reads for each.

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Tea and Books Challenge -- hosted by Birgit at The Book Garden
The challenge here was to read massive chunksters. I read one supermassive tome with counted toward my goal of 2 books, Sir Charles Grandison (1600+ pages)

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RIP VIII Challenge -- hosted by Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings, running Sept 1- Oct 31
This seasonal challenge is always a delight. I chose to participate at the level of 4 books, but ended up reading 6. Here's the original challenge, and the books I ended up reading, plus a couple that I simply did not finish.

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The TBR Pile Challenge -- hosted by Roof Beam Reader

This one challenged you to read 12 books that you've had on the shelves for more than one year. I have plenty of those, so signed up and actually completed the challenge :) I even read the 2 alternate titles on my list, though didn't make it to the full 20 I'd suggested I would. All the titles are listed and linked on the original post.

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Science Book Challenge -- hosted by Jeff at Scienticity

Wow, I failed miserably on this one. I need to focus on more good science reading! Lots of ideas for where to start at Jeff's website, too, so no excuses!

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To finish up, I mustn't forget my very own challenge, the first I've hosted -- the Postal Reading Challenge! I finished up 15 epistolary books, and sent plenty of mail this year. I hope you'll consider joining in for 2014, too. You can get to all the reviews for books read by participants by following the links at the 'gateway post' (including my own). Or see the full run of my own postal reading and comments on the post here.

Challenges Ahead, 2013 Edition

Flaking out on this year's Challenges does not mean I won't be signing up for any more in 2013. But I think I'll be a little more circumspect this time around! There are a few stalwarts that I join religiously, and then a few new ones I'm going to try out. One of the ways I'm going to challenge myself a little more is to try to create all my possible booklists from the variety of titles I already have on my own shelves.

Still going on: the Canadian Book Challenge, which I have 3 books left to read in order to officially complete. And of course the seasonal challenges like the RIP which I will sign up for again.

But as for the year-long challenges starting January 1st --

Definitely signing up for What's In a Name 6, hosted by Beth Fish Reads once again. This has always been one of my favourites -- I love the random nature of book selection and the wide variety of titles it turns up. It runs all year, and the 'rules' are very broad. This year's categories, and my possible options for each are:

  

1. A book with up or down (or equivalent) in the title:
        Up, Up, Up / Julie Booker
        The Underpainter / Jane Urquhart
        Break it down / Lydia Davis
        Read: Comfort Foods for Breakups / Marusya Bociurkiw

2. A book with something you'd find in your kitchen in the title:
       Read:  Unusual Uses for Olive Oil / Alexander McCall Smith
        Honey and Ashes / Janice Kulyk Keefer
        Liquid Jade / Beatrice Hohenegger

3. A book with a party or celebration in the title:
        Party Going / Henry Green
        Read: Larry's Party / Carol Shields
        Read: John Saturnall's Feast / Lawrence Norfolk

4. A book with fire (or equivalent) in the title:
        Read: Embers / Sandor Marai
        Fire in the Blood / Irene Nemirovsky
        Pale Fire / Nabokov  
        Read: The Firebird / Susanna Kearsley
      
5. A book with an emotion in the title:
        Read: A Little Love, A Little Learning / Nina Bawden
       Where Angels Fear to Tread / E.M. Forster
       Ardor / Lily Prior

6. A book with lost or found (or equivalent) in the title:
        The Lost Dog / Michelle de Kretser
        Read: The Disapparition of James / Anne Ursu
        Read: The 100 Year Old Man who climbed out a window and disappeared / Jonas Jonasson

I'm going to try the Colourful Reading Challenge 2013 again since Lost in Books has revived it. This is another random selection kind of challenge which I find fun to do. The challenge is to read 9 books that have a colour in the title. Any book you like, any colour you like. Fun! Some possibilities from my shelves may include:

• The Blue Flower / Penelope Fitzgerald
• Crome Yellow / Aldous Huxley (read)
• A Few Green Leaves / Barbara Pym (read)
• Black Elk in Paris / Kate Horsley
• Heart so White / Javier Marias
• The Golden Arrow / Mary Webb
• Liquid Jade / Beatrice Hohenegger
• Plum Bun / Jessie Redmon Fauset
• Crimson Petal and the White / Michel Faber

Also read: 

• Unusual Uses for Olive Oil / Alexander McCall Smith
• The Blue Guitar / Ann Ireland 
• Riders of the Purple Sage / Zane Grey
• Brown Girl in the Ring / Nalo Hopkinson
• Black Narcissus / Rumer Godden
• Sassafrass, Cypress, and Indigo / Ntozake Shange
• Rose Cottage / Mary Stewart

And I'm going to try, once more, to read a chunkster within the outlines of the Tea & Books Challenge! I completely flunked out in 2012, so am going to be cautious and simply sign up hoping to read 2 chunksters over 650 pages in 2013. That will put me at the Chamomile Lover level, and while I am not a huge fan of chamomile in everyday life it is what I am striving for here ;)

Some of the giant books that have been patiently awaiting my attention on my overflowing shelves, those that I may pick up for this one are:

• Bleak House / Dickens
• Moby Dick / Melville
• Sir Charles Grandison / Samuel Richardson  -- over 1300 pages, so counts as TWO books ;)
• Crimson Petal and the White / Michel Faber

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So I am going to limit myself to these ones for the present, perhaps one or two may may pique my interest later on but I'm signing up for simply these ones for now. Are you signing up for challenges? Do you like them, find they spur on your reading, or find them too constraining? I love making up lists and so I keep signing up each year!