End-of-Year Reading Challenge
I have a proposal. You know how all of us keep looking at each other’s Tuesday Book Club reports, and saying, “Oh, I want to read that! I keep meaning to get to that other one,” etc.?
Let’s just commit to a short list of those.
Forget where you are in the 50-Book Challenge. Forget that never-diminishing To Be Read pile. This is now a combo of the Tuesday Book Club and the Friday List–an act of self-kindness where you overlook all the “should-reads” and go for the ones you really, desperately want to read by the end of this year.
For me that list is:
Lisey’s Story by Stephen King
Before I Die by Jenny Downham
An Arsonist’s Guide to Writers’ Homes in New England by Brock Clarke
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens (reread)
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
A few more might come to me once I see your lists, but I’m willing to commit here and now to reading at least those six books in the next 11 weeks before the end of the year.
So are you game? Are you ready to do yourself the supreme favor of throwing off all your reading obligations and just reading exactly and only what you want?
Come on! Let’s play!
Tuesday Book Club + The Friday List = Reading Bliss
Technorati Tags: Tuesday Book Club, The Friday List, Books, Reading, Reading Lists, Book Lists, Book Recommendations, Book Reviews, Book Clubs, Reading Clubs
October 17th, 2007 at 5:09 am
11 weeks????
Holly Carp. Where did 2005 go???
I keep meaning to pick up Justine Larbalestier and Scott Westerfield. Their books, not them. Though I could probably pick them up, I’d probably put them down sooner than their books.
I’m betting they prefer I pick up their books rather than them, as well.
October 17th, 2007 at 5:10 am
BTW - Are you forgetting where you are in the 50 books because Barry already beat you?
October 17th, 2007 at 5:30 am
Hmmm… Maybe I should spell Scott’s name correctly.
Nah…
October 17th, 2007 at 8:02 am
Patrick, as you know, I am completely above any feelings of competition with Barry or anyone. I am in my own Zen zone, just living my life–
Shut up! Do you have to keep bringing that up? Barry only beat me by a few days! And I’m way ahead of him now! And who’s side are you on anyway? Go gloat with Barry over on his blog!
–and I’m just happy that this “contest” (which it really isn’t) has helped keep people motivated to read. I’m going to go plant flowers and drink tea now. All is at peace.
October 17th, 2007 at 8:41 am
Even with all of my crazy reading habits,I find it hard to resist this challenge but I’m going to keep this list short and sweet(especially since I’m reading some pretty long books at the moment):
Savages by Shirley Conran: I’ve been dying to reread this ever since it was name checked in Lisey’s Story(which you’ll love,Robin!)and recently bought a used copy online that should be in my mailbox soon.
Oliver Twist: I haven’t read/reread any Dickens in awhile and OT is brief in comparison to most of his works,so I’m going for that one. Not to mention that I have an edition with a Philip Pullman intro,plus Kid Nation(which I’m not watching) makes me think of the Artful Dodger and his friends quite abit these days.
A random Philippa Gregory title:I have a TBR of Philippa Gregory books that haven’t been touched and I’m just going to select one without thinking too much about it.
October 17th, 2007 at 9:28 am
The Book Thief is also on my definitely read in 2007 list.
So is Look Me In the Eye: My Life with Asperger’s by John Elder Robison.
Anything else I’ll just pick up as the mood strikes.
October 17th, 2007 at 10:48 am
Sweet! I have so many books I need to read! I really should read more!
October 17th, 2007 at 10:58 am
Cool, Dylan! So what books are you going to commit to reading?
Molly, pinky swear on The Book Thief. Let’s pledge that we will definitely read it.
Lady T, yay for Dickens with a Pullman intro! How wonderful! I’m not watching Kid Nation, either, but you’re probably right about the Artful Dodger angle. Perfect situation for someone like that.
October 17th, 2007 at 11:11 am
I’m not gloating!!! I just thought it was odd that you said forget about the pressure of the 50 and didn’t realize there were people reading crappy books they didn’t like to meet a 50 book goal. I jumped to the conclusion that the pressure of 50 had gotten to you.
I’m on the side of fluffy bunnies of doom. And Robot armies.
October 17th, 2007 at 11:50 am
Oh man, I have to think about this. Really. I’m just a nerdy, work-conscious fool, even when it comes to blogging, which doesn’t pay. I mean, I feel so obligated to get to that “never diminishing To Be Read pile” in the name of all the publishers and authors who have sent me stuff (this is actually something I struggle with now — I tell myself I can’t read an older book, ’cause we only review new stuff, or I can’t read, essentially, something I wouldn’t be able to blog about — isn’t that just wrong? See how blogging has changed my reading habits, even though I love doing it? Sara loaned me a non-fiction title, and I haven’t gotten past the first chapter, even though I’m interested in reading it, ’cause I know I will not likely blog about it).
Sorry to get started on this topic, which is heavy on my mind right now. You have REALLY challenged me now, Robin. Blast it.
October 17th, 2007 at 12:59 pm
“way ahead of him”????
What?
ONE BOOK, BRANDE! You’re ahead by a single book.
On what planet does that translate to “way ahead?”
Amish math. Sheesh.
October 17th, 2007 at 3:33 pm
You are going to LOVE The Book Thief. It is definitely one of my favorites. Beautiful.
October 17th, 2007 at 5:54 pm
I’m in! I want to read White Time, because I love Margo Lanagan, and because I promised Eisha that I would, and because I can’t read Red Spikes until I do.
Also, The True Meaning of Smekday, because for once, I want to read a book right when it comes out and I’ve been dying to read this ever since I saw his hilarious instructional video on his website.
And then I need The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian.
And something very old: The 21 Balloons, because my daughter keeps telling me how much she loved it when she was younger, and how can she love an old classic that I’ve never read???
October 17th, 2007 at 9:48 pm
Well Let’s see!
I think A Great and Terrible Beauty, Looking For Alaska, So Yesterday, the Girl with the Pearl Earrings, and I really need to push through Dairy Queen! XD And probably many more!
October 17th, 2007 at 9:57 pm
Hmmm… I’ll definitely have to think about which books I’m going to read in the last 11 weeks (what? 11 weeks?) of the year.
October 17th, 2007 at 10:23 pm
Hi, just dropping in here. May I just recommend that you ixnay The Book Thief from your list and instead listen to it on your iPod-ish device while you do other things? It’s a marvelous audiobook, and its narrator will propel you out into the universe a strangely changed person. So there. I have chimed in. Now I shall go lie down.
October 17th, 2007 at 11:14 pm
Hey Robin,
This is totally off topic, but go see The Savages when it comes out at the end of November/beginning of December. I just caught an advanced screening of it and Monday and it’s killer. Also, Laura Linney was there to do a Q&A after the film, which was pretty cool.
And good luck reading all those books… I wish I could separate myself from my textbooks and finish even one book I was reading for fun, but alas, no.
October 18th, 2007 at 4:24 am
I feel for you, Lizzie! I’m no longer reading textbooks, but I’m editing Sunday school curriculum and biblical commentaries and spiritual self-help books (yippee!) and have very little time for fun reading myself.
Even so, I will commit to one book after I finish Twilight. Just one: The Book Thief. It’s on my to-read list, and if Robin and Molly are going to read it, I’ll have someone to take the journey with me.
Hopefully, I’ll be able to finish more than this, but I’m not going to set myself up for disappointment with the craziness of work and the holiday rush looming.
October 19th, 2007 at 12:09 am
Thought I’d posted this last night, but probably did something bright like not hitting ‘Submit’. Anyway, I feel like the last person in the world who should be accepting a challenge to reading-just-for-pleasure these days, but I did it anyway.
Committing to reading Sherwood Smith’s The Fox, which is sort of a reread, and will be wonderful, I know, but I keep feeling I ought to read something totally new first. And Maureen Johnson’s Girl at Sea, because it’s upstairs calling me, and I’d be reading it soon anyway, and that way I can say I made a list of books I’d committed to read. And I do love making lists…