Sunday 19 October 2008

The Sunday Salon: Announcing Two Challenges

Two new challenges I'm hosting, now looking for participants.

The Rescue Challenge
In this weeks Booking Through Thursday people were asked about those books which just linger on the shelves for years, never making it to the top of the pile. Which got me thinking about a new challenge, The Rescue Challenge. Help rescue those unloved books from the obscurity of the bottom of the tbr pile.
There would be two parts to the challenge, the first would be to get rid of any books you know deep down you will never read, so whether you bookmooch, bookcross, give them away to a charity shop these books will take up less of your space and have the opportunity to be read.
The second part of the challenge, will be to set up a pool of those unloved books and read between 3-6 of them between Nov 1st 2008 - Dec 31st 2009.
Books can definitely count for other challenges as well, in fact this will probably urge you to read them, and you set yourself the amount of books you'd like to read. The prize, is simply space on your shelves and freeing yourself of guilt when you once again sweep past that copy to reach for a shiny new book.
List of Participants here

I'm going to aim to read 4 of these, all have been on my shelves for more than 3 years:
A Suitable Boy - Seth
Arthur and George - Barnes
Sister of my Heart - Divkrum
Glasgow - Freud
Acts of Mutiny - Beavan
Big Sur - Kerouac
Alias Grace - Atwood
The Robber Bride - Atwood
The Swimming Pool Diaries - Hollinghurst
Heart Songs - Proulx
The Woodlanders - Hardy
War and Peace - Tolstoy
Adam Bede - Eliot
North and South - Gaskell
Love in a Time of Cholera - Marquez

Exploration: Latin American Reading Challenge
This challenge will run for 4 months, between the 1st January - 30th April 2009. The aim is to read a 4 books from Latin America, these can be fiction or non-fiction the mix is up to you. The books can be used as part of other challenges, but must be finished between the dates of the challenge. I will supply a small prize drawn from the names of those people who finish the challenge.
I've shown below a couple of options you may want to follow:
Free Choice: Read any four Latin American books
Mix it Up: Read a variety of fiction and non-fiction Latin American books
Author Challenge: Read a variety of work from just one author.
States: Read a book from a variety of the different states of Latin America
Magic Realism: Latin America is famous for producing the Magic Realism genre, you may decide just to read books fitting this genre.

Just so everyone is clear as to what will count as Latin America, I found this handy definition:
The Spanish-speaking, Portuguese-speaking, and French-speaking countries (except Canada) of North America, South America, Central America, and the West Indies. The 20 republics are Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela. The term Latin America is also used to include Puerto Rico, the French West Indies, and other islands of the West Indies where a Romance tongue is spoken. Occasionally the term is used to include Belize, Guyana, French Guiana, and Suriname.

List of Participants here
Reviews here

For now pick which option you would like to participate in, create a list or a pool of books you'd like to read (these can be changed at any point).
My List: (Free Choice)
Love In a Time of Cholera - Marquez
The House of Spirits - Allende
Easter Island - Vandebes
Bel Canto - Patchett
The Agero Sisters - Garcia
The Notebooks of Don Rigoberto - Llosa
The Empress of South America - Cawthorne


Signing up for the challenges: if you'd like to sign up for either of these, please leave a comment below with the challenge you'd like to join and a link to your pool of books. Anyone without a blog can list their pool in the comments. I'll then create a participants list. I'll also create a post where people can leave links to their reviews once the challenges are up and running.

37 comments:

Shana said...

Katrina, I'm definitely there for the Latin America challenge.

You've got some great ones on your list. House of Spirits is my favorite by Allende. The Aguerro Sisters is excellent, too.

I'll get my list made up soon and come back with a link.

Shana
Literarily

Shana said...

Katrina - Is that map image the button you want to use for the challenge? Should we add some text to it? I was going to post it on my blog ...

Shana
Literarily

katrina said...

Thanks for joining, would like a button but lacking the knowledge to create one...

Sharon said...

Terrific challenges! I am interested in both of them but need to consider my "pools". I'll provide links when I post about them.

Shana said...

Katrina, I'll just use the map image when I post about this challenge, or maybe something like a globe showing Mexico, Central America and South America. I found an image of one of Diego Rivera's works that would be cool to use.

Shana
Literarily

katrina said...

Shana sounds good

Ex Libris welcome along x

Unknown said...

I'm looking forward to this challenge! Here's my post.

raidergirl3 said...

good for you hosting a challenge.

I'll probably do the Latin American one. It'll be a while before I get organized, but I'll come back with a pool of books. I'm not ready to sign up for a new slate of challenges for next year yet, but I am trying to read the world, and this will help for that area of the world.

Jenny said...

I need to join the rescue challenge. Sounds like a very good idea I was just looking at a few of those on the bottom of my headboard today. I'll post 4 to begin with.
The elevator-Angela Hunt
74 Seaside Ave-Debbie Macomber
Alaska Twilight-Colleen Coble
Take me home-Dean Hughes (Hearts of the Children series) This one isn't even mine so I need to get it done and give it and the next book in the series back to their owner.

katrina said...

Welcome all, please come back and post when you create your lists x

1morechapter said...

I'm in!
Link.

Anyone can use the button I made if they wish.

Sandra said...

I so have to do this one.

SueFitz said...

I need to joing the rescue challenge. My TBR are getting old.

Sharon said...

Here's the link to my post about the Latin American Challenge:

http://exlibris.typepad.com/ex_libris/2008/10/latin-american.html

Joseph said...

Thank you for hosting the challenge. Please count me in!

Unknown said...

Looking forward to the Latin American challenge. I've posted three of the four books I'll read on my blog.

http://restlessreader.com/?p=1530

Anonymous said...

I would love to join the Latin American challenge. However, if the books aren't in English, I can't participate. I will do some research on authors and then post a link to my reading list.

Grilsgood said...

Well, I didnt' see that I had signed up, so maybe i didnt'. I will try.

katrina said...

Girlsgood. which challenge did you wnat to sign up with?

Unknown said...

Count me in! Judy

bethany (dreadlock girl) said...

I will for sure do the Latin America Challenge!!! YAY, it is my fave :)

do you still need a button? I'd be willing to make a couple, I love dinkin' around with photo editors :)
email me: bethany(dot)canfield(AT)gmail.com

Anonymous said...

Can you email me a button. I can't seem to get one uploaded. Thanks. My email address is vseverin62@gmail.com.

Anonymous said...

ohh I read "Like Water for Chocolate" - a book on Magic realism and fell in love with Latin America picturized there!

i am in for this challenge too Thanks A LOT

in a lil while i will update my blog this challenge :)

Iliana said...

Hi Katrina - Count me in! Thanks for hosting. You can check out my challenge picks here: http://www.bookgirl.net/?p=1118

Anonymous said...

I want to join this challenge :-)
Though I have NOT really decided on what I will be reading!

I have wrote about this challenge in my post here -
http://test-veens.blogspot.com/2008/11/my-challenges.html

Thanks Katrina!

Kitty said...

Great idea for a challenge. Count me in. My post is here.

Anonymous said...

I'd like to sign up for the first one. Here is the link: http://j-kaye-book-blog.blogspot.com/2008/12/new-book-challenge-rescue-challenge.html

Richard said...

¡Hola Katrina!

I'd love to join the Latin American Reading Challenge. It sounds awesome. My list of libros can be found at: http://caravanaderecuerdos.blogspot.com/2008/12/exploration-latin-american-reading.html . Thanks so much for hosting this!

Sandra said...

I've posted about the Latin America Reading Challenge. Sign me up please,here's my link: http://freshinkbooks.blogspot.com/2008/12/latin-american-reading-challenge-2009.html

Unknown said...

I used to belong to a Latin book group on Yahoo!, but it shut down. Count me in!

Judy/Intergalactic Bookworm

http://intergalacticbookworm.blogspot.com

joanna said...

Count me in for both of these Katrina! My posts are here:

http://lostinagoodstory.blogspot.com/2008/12/rescue-challenge.html

http://lostinagoodstory.blogspot.com/2008/12/latin-american-reading-challenge.html

Elizabeth U. said...

Hi Katrina,

I'd like to participate in your Latin American challenge.

Here's a link to my list.

eel said...

Hi, Katrina! I'd like to participate in your Latin America challenge. I'm doing to 'free choice' option (I think) and I have my list here:
http://wing-heart.org/books/challenges_09latin.php
Thank you!

Libreria said...

Hi Katrina, thanks for hosting these great challenges. I choose THE RESCUE CHALLENGE.

Have listed it in my blog http://libreriabookstogo.blogspot.com/2009/01/2009-reading-challenges.html

Will go through my TBRs over the weekend and post my selection.

My email is libreria04 at gmail dot com.

Now, I also have to figure out how to organize the overlaps in my challenges... oh what fun it is to read and play :-)

Triccie

Book Dragon said...

I'm joining the Rescue Challenge! I almost cried when I say the graphic. My books will be at BookDragon's Rescue

Bob & Muffintop said...

I'd like to join the Latin American reading challenge- free choice. My list is posted here.

Mel u said...

Ok this seems like a fun Challenge to me. I will read four novels by Roberto Bolano- By Night In Chile, Nazi Literature in the Americas, 2666 and Savage Detectives. I just finished 2666. It is a true masterpiece as proclaimed everywhere.