Reading challenges for 2012

Why a reading challenge? So that I'm pushed to pick up books for myself and finish them.

I tend to read more of children's books. Not really reading for myself. Also, I tend to read a dozen books at a time, skimming, browsing, but never really sticking with one till the end unless it can give competition to a Harry Potter.

Is that a good thing or a bad thing? A little bit of both, I suppose. I get to read so much more at a time. But some books are worth sticking to, mulling over, learning from. I do that too, but not every book I read seems to get that attention. And I should be giving that kind of attention to more of those I read.

The reading challenges of 2011 set me on the way to correcting my reading habits, for sure. The rules for those challenges, though, required that I look for books beyond what I already own, and should be reading first.

So here are few challenges that a person like me, a book hoarder (who has to wade through books to get to the other side of a certain room) should take up!

Off The Shelf challenge: Hosted by Bookish Ardour.

These are the different challenge levels.:-
*Tempted - 5 books
*Trying - 15 books
*Making a dint - 30 books
*On a roll - 50 books
*Flying off - 75 books
*Hoarder - 76-135 books
*Buried - 136-200 books

This challenge requires me to read as many of the books in my collection already owned by me before 2012. Books bought after 31st Dec 2011 do not count. Crossovers permitted.

Let me sign up for Trying - 15 books at the beginning. If I can, I will try going up to the next level. I really need this kind of pressure to get through at least some of my books. (Though buried under books is more the scene at my home!)

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Mount TBR Reading Challenge. Hosted by Myreadersblock.

Only books that I own prior to 1st January 2012 count. No library books, no re-reads. Crossovers permitted.

The challenge levels are:
*Pike's Peak: Read 12 books
*Mt Vancouver: Read 25 books
*Mt Ararat: Read 40 books
*Mt Kilimanjaro: Read 50 books
*El Toro: Read 75 books
*Mt Everest: Read 100 books

I'm signing up for Pike's Peak - 12 books from my TBR pile for now. As with the previous challenge, I shall try to upgrade.

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The Unread Book Challenge of 2012. Hosted by The Hopeful Librarian.

Another challenge similar to the above two- that much more push for me to read more of the books I've accumulated!

Any books lying around on my shelves (or elsewhere!!) waiting to be read, count- even books I may buy after I've signed up! There is no limit to the number of books. So no levels. Just the pleasure and satisfaction of getting through that humongous collection of books!





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2012 Banned-Challenged Book Reading Challenge. Hosted by The Eclectic Bookshelf.

Considering that my last two years' reading included many books that are challenged / banned at some time, and that I enjoy reading books dealing with conflict, I thought I could include this challenge- upping the ante on clearing my shelves of unread books. No re-reads are allowed, and I can count these books for other challenges.



I may choose books from these lists:
The most frequently challenged books: Goodreads
Popular challenged books: Goodreads
Banned and frequently challenged classics: ALA
100 most frequently challenged books 1990-1999: ALA
100 most frequently challenged books 2000-2009: ALA

I am signing up for Level 1- for which I have to read 12 books. I really hope to read some gems from these, and I'm going to choose from books I already own...I'm sure there are many!

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2012 Fearless Poetry Exploration Challenge. Hosted by Savvy Verse & Wit.

I enjoy reading poetry, books on poetry. So it is natural that I will be reading some poetry along the way- soul food. Why not incorporate a poetry challenge along with the other challenges?

In this challenge I shall have to read and review at least 2 books of poetry. Signing up!




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Charles Dickens Reading Challenge 2012. Hosted by Newly Impassioned Soul.

I love love love the work of Charles Dickens. And this is after having read only 3 of his books in their entirety- Oliver Twist, Great Expectations and A Tale of Two Cities. These are books I've read over and over again.

7th February 2012 is the bicentennial anniversary of Charles Dickens' birth, and why not celebrate one of my favourite authors by reading more of his works?

So I'm signing up at the basic level- 3 books by Dickens. Why not read 3 books that I haven't yet read, but have been planning on reading forever? I will read A Christmas Carol, The Pickwick Papers, and David Copperfield, which is supposed to be autobiographical.

They can all be counted as part of my first three challenges.:)

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There is just one more challenge for which I shall sign up- the challenge I'm expecting Papertigers to host this year, and I'll be signing up for both A and myself. We had fun with their Reading the World Challenge 2011, and would like to do it in 2012 too.

On the love of books - and a giveaway!

First: My friend Zoe, over at Playingbythebook has a fabulous new giveaway that I would love to get my hands on. It is a children's movie, Eleanor's Secret, a must-see for those who love books, and those who would love to see a movie which promises some lovely 'un-adult-rated' fun (Zoe's word, not mine!) You may go over to her post to view details of the giveaway! I have put in my claim, too, and am keeping all fingers (and toes) crossed!



Pic courtesy flipkart.com

Talking about love for books, I recently came upon this wonderful book that I would love to share with fellow book lovers.

THE GROANING SHELF
and other instances of book love
Written by Pradeep Sebastian
Published by Hachette India

This is that ultimate fantasy for me- a book about books and about love for books- that explains a lot about my inexplicable book-lust:

Why I need to explore every book shop there is in any place.

Why I need to visit every book sale.

Why I need to own every book that I feel A or I would love to read.

Why I have more books in my house than an average person would need in her/his life, lying around in piles.

Why I need to read and re-read many of my books.

Why I need to shuffle my books around on shelves periodically, taking them off the shelves, sorting through them, opening those that I haven't looked at in a while, losing track of time, and then putting them all back over a period of weeks, by which time it is again time to sort through them!

Why I do not consider the above described work as a chore, but enjoy it thoroughly, spinning it out.

Why I start the work with an intention to clear clutter, (shame on me for considering books clutter, but an excess of even books takes up space.) but end up putting most of the books back, as I cannot bear to give them away. Yeah, Sangi, I need the Serenity Prayer too!

Why reading a well-loved book, caressing the pages and breathing in the fragrance of paper and ink is the ultimate sensual experience.

"This pleasurable, absorbing ritual of rearranging books, even trying to downsize one's library, now seems to be really about getting to know these books all over again. To pick up one from the shelves, remember where and when you bought it, and recall the pleasure that finding the book gave you - this is why a book collector gets all her books off and on the shelves every year."

Pradeep Sebastian speaks of the collecting of books, even of first editions, and brings to our notice the difference between a bibliomaniac (...has a rage for collecting and possessing books) and a bibliophile (a book collector of refined judgement, the quality of whose library reflects his or her exacting bibliographical standards). Where do I stand? Somewhere in between.

We come to know of the different reasons we buy a book - not just for its content. The edition, the cover design, illustrations, paper quality, the font used, the whole look and feel of the book, too matter. Ask me- I often buy whole lots by a favoured author, and favour certain publications which add to the overall experience of reading.

First editions, especially if in a pristine condition with their book jackets, and if they are signed or inscribed by the author, could become valuable additions to one's collection par with rare pieces of art by masters.

We have chapters on rare books, history of books in the world, and in India.

A whole section on notable works by his favourite authors, which include works by Pico Iyer, J.D.Salinger, Arthur Conan Doyle, Ayn Rand and Ira Levin. He discusses both the life and works of these writers, giving us a peek into how their creative energies worked.

A whole section on noteworthy bookshops in India, book museums and a chapter on books in movies. Yes, 'You've got mail' is one of the movies discussed, as are '84 Charing Cross Road', 'The Name of the Rose', 'The Mystic Masseur', 'Fahrenheit 451' and 'The Jane Austen Book Club'. There is also a real story, about how a documentary about an out of print classic, the only book by that author (The Stones of Summer by Dow Mossman) resurrected that book in print.

Some of the chapters on the actual experience of reading gave me an eerie sense of 'he's reading my mind'!.

"The books we read make us part of a larger (invisible) community of readers. Could the opposite be true as well? That our reading makes us lonely. Wrapped up in a book, we shut the world out, cutting ourselves off from those who cannot share in our private world."

Maybe. But then I find that my reading can also open up a world of like-minded friends, where we can share our mutual love of, and impressions of different books, enriching us all. I think the reading-aloud of books shared by A and I is a part of this process, as is this compulsive sharing of a book I loved with all of you in my reviews. I want to convey what I loved about a book, maybe compel you to pick it up!

There is an interesting chapter on re-reading. I'll quote - "What a commited reader has with a book is a relationship. And like most relationships, it is sustaining, volatile, vulnerable...the question is - does the book remain the same book the second time around? Are we even the same readers when we revisit these books?...it seems to me that our experience alters the book even as the book alters our experience."

Very true. A book that I have loved reading could not be read just once. One reads it rapidly at first, then mulls over what one has read for a while- which could be anything from a few hours to a few years. One then HAS to return to the book and read it over and over again, finding things one has not noticed or noted at the first reading, somehow managing to internalise the book, until it becomes a part of one's self.

As J.K.Rowling said while announcing PotterMore: "the experience of reading requires that the imaginations of the author and reader work together to create the story."

There is obviously more to reading than just a pastime, just a gleaning of information or learning of something. It is a whole experience that has to be, well, experienced. Even books that one has loved and lost, or books that one has encountered in a store or library, found interesting, but not gotten around to really reading through, never to find them again, are part of this experience.

Let me end with one more quote from this wonderful book by Pradeep Sebastian. This one for non-readers, too!

"I often envy non-readers for all the wonderful books out there that they have never read. Imagine the number of books that await them and the joy of encountering these great works for the first time. A favourite literary fantasy of mine has been to turn amnesiac for a year and read all my favourite books as though for the first time." 

I am entering this review for the 2011 Global Reading Challenge under Asia and in the 2011 South Asian Challenge at S.Krishna's books.

Pottermania to be continued- and a new trailer

With all the other Pottermaniacs (this is one association where I do not mind being a maniac- the other being a bookmaniac!) I too am waiting eagerly for the 15th of July, when Deathly Hallows part 2 will be released. This time, my excitement is being transmitted to A, and she is keen to finish reading books 6 & 7 so that she can experience the movie on big screen. I am not so sure myself, but she does seem to have grown up a bit over the vacation- I suppose having to hold your own against five boy-cousins ranging from 18 yrs to 10 yrs, a comparatively protected kid like A does grow up a bit.

So we are four chapters into book 6 now, and proceeding the reading aloud at breakneck speed- with time in the holidays on our side. Better now than in termtime. I'll let her read them on her own at her own pace later. But- I am firm on her reading them before she watches the movie.

Here's the new trailer. It's amazing! Watch it on the full screen of your comp. I was tongue-tied for some time after watching it. It reminded me of the technological finesse of the Lord of the Rings.

And I do hope this time we can have 3D viewership in India.



There is also this bit of news posted on "Hogwarts Professor", a blog by John Granger, who is a Potter scholar, and author of many interesting books based on the Potter series. Apparently the last chapters of book 7 may be stretched into another series of 7 movies. Seems unbelievable, and a bit too much for even a fanatic like me. Check it out.

Pic courtesy amazon.com

And while we are on the subject of Harry Potter, here's a bit on the Hogwarts game, CLUE, that A got for her birthday.

It is a board game. A student from Hogwarts has mysteriously disappeared, and the players can move around Hogwarts with the help of dice, making suggestions, and have to finally go to Dumbledore's office to make a final accusation to win the game- complete with Help Cards bearing spells, and items like portkeys, Felix felicis, brooms, bezoars, etc, and Dark Mark cards, and allies...we both were enchanted with it! OK, even though it has a snake-and-ladderish feel to it sometimes, making an accusation does require a bit of sharp thinking, and also a good memory.

Of a charity, challenges, and promises to be kept!

Here is a call for charity. Zoe at playingbythebook.net has listed some of her favourite book charities, and will be donating one GB pound per comment, up to a max of 30 pounds to one of these charities, or books worth the same to her daughter's school. So do click on this link to go to her post.

Also, back home, Spastics Society of Karnataka  is holding a Christmas Carnival on the 18th of December. Please visit, and have fun while supporting the cause. You may donate in cash or kind. Items should be in a saleable condition. A friend has a differently-abled child, and regularly volunteers at this NGO. Please do donate!

It is that time of the year when we look back and introspect. I have had my good, bad and ugly moments, contributing altogether to a kaleidoscope of experiences. Here's hoping that the next year will be better than this one.

I began blogging in March this year, and this is my 67th post. It opened up a completely new world for me, one in which I made new friends. My blog gives me a platform to write about anything that interests or touches me, book-related and other talks with my daughter A, and most importantly, a space where I can share my thoughts on a book that really interested me. Along the way, I also joined my favourite kid-lit-blogging site Saffrontree as a contributor, and have learnt much there. I also joined another site, bookreviews, where one can access a whole lot of reviews of books on myriad topics, in all genres.

I took part in the International Postcard Swap for families and the
Perfect Picture Books by post hosted by my good friend Zoe, at playingbythebook.net.

Also took part in a reading challenge, the Flashback Re-reading Challenge. I joined quite late in the year, so I could manage only the basic challenge.

For next year, I would like to join two challenges. Both of which are very interesting.

One is the 2011 Global Reading Challenge. I will be joining in at the easy level. The rules for this are as follows.

Read one novel from each of these continents in the course of 2011:

Africa
Asia
Australasia
Europe
North America
South America (please include Central America where it is most convenient for you)

The Seventh Continent (here you can either choose Antarctica or your own ´seventh´ setting, eg the sea, the space, a supernatural/paranormal world, history, the future – you name it).

From your own continent: try to find a country, state or author that is new to you.

The second challenge is the 2011 South Asian Challenge. Read about it first at Monika's World.

The rules for this are as follows.

(1) A book must be by a South Asian author.  For these purposes, South Asia includes the following countries: India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, and the Maldives.  There are no limitations on what the book can be about.

(2) A book must be about South Asia.  In this case, it can be set in a South Asian country or be about South Asians living abroad.  It can also be a biography or memoir of a South Asian, or of a non-South Asian traveling or working in South Asia.  In this case, the author does not need to be South Asian, as long as the subject matter focuses on the region, peoples, or cultures in some way.

Any type book qualifies, as long as it meets one of the two guidelines above - a cookbook, short story or essay collection, travel guide.

I would be aiming for the South Asian Explorer level, which requires me to read at least 5 books under the rules.

There are also a couple of promises to myself that I would like to declare here.

One is that I need to do more of reading than I have managed in this year. I have been doing fine as far as reading with A is concerned, but need to invest more time in reading just for myself.

Two is that I need to start on an exercise regimen ASAP. I've become pretty lazy on that front. There was a time when I was quite regular, but of late I seem to have become more of a couch potato. It has begun to tell on my knees (twinges of pain now and then, problems getting up from a low seat-just won't do. I have miles to go yet- A is just 9!) and lungs (huffing after having climbed a few flights of stairs- NOT good!) The weighing scales too have their own tale to tell. So- exercise, and WATCH THAT PLATE!

Other resolutions- well, let's just say that they'll keep.

Will be taking off for the rest of the year, and will probably post only in the new year. We're travelling over the Christmas vacation. Where to? Well, all I'll say here is that we'll probably have a white Christmas, and A will be able to indulge in her wish for a snowman. She has taken to wondering if Santa will deliver away from home. Speaking of which, we have already received one gift- a book from Zoe! Thanks, Zoe. I'm sure we'll enjoy it. Will post about it after we've been through it.

So have a good vacation, and a great New Year!

Of re-reading challenges and winning of books!

Came across this interesting book re-reading challenge over at Aarti's blog B o o k l u s t.  Since I do have many favourites I re-read, and also since I have been re-visiting my childhood favourites with A, I thought joining this would be a great idea. If I really had to make a list of all the books that I would re-read, it would be a mile long. So I am going to stick to putting just a few on my Flashback Challenge Reading List. 

The challenge is from January 2010-December 2010. I am quoting the following from Aarti's blog-post:

You can sign up for the following levels:

Bookworm - Up to three books
Scholar - Four to six books
Literati - Over six books

Within these levels, we have mini-challenges! These are:

1. Re-read a favorite book from your childhood
2. Re-read a book assigned to you in high school
3. Re-read a book you loved as an adult

Thus, if you sign up for the Bookworm level, you could ostensibly choose to read one book from each mini-challenge. Or you could choose to do none of the above (though, granted, not sure what you could have possibly read that does not fit into either childhood, high school or adulthood).

Also, would just like to make clear that this isn't specifically limited to books you loved reading previously and want to reread. It could also be a book you don't remember enjoying. Or just don't remember reading. It might be interesting to see how your perceptions may have changed.

So that is what I shall need to do. I've discovered it after 7 months of the year are past. That gives me only 5 months to go. Aarti has very kindly agreed to accomodate this late joiner.  So considering the constraints of time, I'll choose not to specify which level I'll aim for, but just list my books and start reading them, taking them as I finish them. Here goes with my list:

Swami and friends by R.K.Narayan
Winnie the Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner by A.A.Milne
Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Caroll
What Katy did at School by Susan Coolidge
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
The Animals of Farthing Wood by Colin Firth
The Hobbit by J.R.R.Tolkien
Anne Frank- The Diary of a Young Girl
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
King Solomon's Mines by Sir H. Rider Haggard
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K.Rowling
The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
A Town called Dehra by Ruskin Bond
A flight of Pigeons by Ruskin Bond
All Things Bright and Beautiful by James Herriot
Train to Pakistan by Khushwant Singh
The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie
Laughing Gas by P.G.Wodehouse

I listed the books on my reading wish-list (I'm calling it that as I'm not sure how many I'll be able to manage!) and then went through it once. Except for Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, the rest are what could be called  "vintage". I hope that does not put me under "old"! These are more or less books which have shaped the way I relate to literature. Not counting the ubiquitous Enid Blyton books that I have devoured in childhood, as A does now. Also, I had said a few. Never mind, it does no harm to dream!

Also, To Kill a Mockingbird is a favourite and I wouldn't like to exclude it from this list, I shall be entering a blog-post I did last month as my entry for it. I think that should be OK as it comes within the time frame of this challenge.

Thanks, Aarti, for hosting this challenge. Here is a button that you can post on your blog if you do participate.

I would also like to share this great news with everyone. One of my favourite bloggers, Zoe of Playing by the Book, had featured an interview of Katie Cleminson, author and illustrator of  Wake Up! a picture book for children. Zoe had declared a giveaway for the best comment on that post. And I've just got a mail from Zoe saying that I've won the book for A and me. Yippee!