Friday, January 7, 2011

Reading Challenges 2011

Keeping up with my NewYear Resolution to read more, I have decided to participate in a number of Reading Challenges this year. This is the first time I am participating in Reading Challenges and I found the concept very interesting. More than that, I wanted to set deadlines for myself so that I will stick to the habit and complete a set of books. Listed below are the reading challenges for this year.

1. What's in a Name


An interesting concept introduced by Beth - Between January 1 and December 31, 2011, read one book in each of the following categories (The books I have chosen is given right next to the category):

A book with a number in the title: 100 Years of Solitude, Gabreil Garcia Marques
A book with jewellery or a gem in the title: Garlic and Sapphires, Ruth Reichl
A book with a size in the title: All Creatures Great and Small, James Herriot
A book with travel or movement in the title: To be Decided (Any Suggestions?)A book with evil in the title: Murder on the Orient Express, Agatha Christie
A book with a life stage in the title: Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie

2. 2011 Global Reading Challenge



This challenge is hosted by Dorte. I am participating in the easy level in which I have to read one novel from each of these continents in the course of 2011:

Africa - No.1 Ladies Detective Agency
Asia - Midnight's Children
Australasia - Oscar and Lucinda, Peter Carey
Europe - 84 Charring Cross
North America - Garlic and Sapphires
South America (please include Central America where it is most convenient for you) - 100 Years of Solitude or Love in the time of cholera
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) - Twenty thousand leagues under the sea, Jules Verne

3. Foodie's Reading Challenge (My favourite ;) Yummmmmmy!!!)



This challenge is hosted by Margot and I am aiming at the 'Epicurean' level of reading, i.e. 7 to 9 foodie books in the year 2011. Given below are the books I chose.

Garlic and Sapphires Ruth reichl
Tender at the bone - Ruth reichl
My life in France - Julia Child
The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry: Love, Laughter, and Tears in Paris at the World's Most Famous Cooking School - Kathleen Flinn
A Homemade Life - Molly Wiezenberg
The Sweet Life In Paris: Delicious Adventures In The World's Most Glorious - And Perplexing - City by David Lebovitz (Paperback - 03-2011)
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - Mary Ann Shaffer
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl

4. South Asian Challenge



This Challenge is hosted by S. Krishna and I am hoping to be a South Asian Explorer, i.e. reading five books by South Asian Authors or book about South Asia. The ones I have chosen are:

Midnight’s Children – Salman Rushdie
Sea of Poppies – Amitav Ghosh
The Palace of Illusions – Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Immortals of Meluha - Amish Tripathi
Desirable Daughters - Bharati Mukherjee
Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time - Greg Mortenson, David Oliver Relin

Do you have any suggestions in this category? I am looking for some books by South Asian authors set in some other country. Suggestions please ...

5. Haruki Murakami Challenge



I have been longing to read books by this author for a long time, so when the challenge came up, I jumped at it. I am aiming for a 'Hajime' position, i.e. to read atleast one book by the author. If it gets interesting, I will read more books by the author.

There are several other reading challenges that are doing rounds in the blogs, but with my schedule, I can only afford to participate in these. If I finish all of these books well on time, I may take up some more :)

Happy Reading and do let me know if you have any reading suggestions for the titles mentioned.

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11 Comments:

At January 7, 2011 at 4:47 AM , Blogger Unknown said...

this has been a unique information. good.

 
At January 8, 2011 at 7:27 PM , Blogger Margot said...

Thanks for joining the Foodie's Reading Challenge. Your list looks fabulous. I've read the first two and I just this week finished A Homemade Life. All three are wonderful books. Since I know three on your list are great, I'm going to check out the rest.

Good luck with all your challenges.

 
At January 9, 2011 at 10:55 PM , Blogger Dewdrop said...

@vastudarshan
Thanks. Welcome to the blog !

@Margot: Thanks Margot. Thanks for the hosting the challenge. I am having so much fun with it :)

 
At January 9, 2011 at 11:42 PM , Anonymous Adele said...

Wow! Reading challenges! I'm definitely joining in at least a few. You have so many good choices. I LOVED Garlic and Sapphires, it was one of This Book Makes Me Cook's choices. Also Love in the time of Cholera, and Alexander McCall Smith is my favourite author, so Ladies Detective is a great choice. Thanks, I'm inspired!

 
At January 11, 2011 at 11:28 PM , Anonymous RaghuM said...

I think i should book mark all the books you have mentioned quite a good number ah, for me it's tough some times to find a good read.If possible try fitting in (not sure which league it belongs to :)) Guns Germs and Steel its definitely a good read.

 
At January 14, 2011 at 12:18 AM , Blogger Dewdrop said...

@Adele: Thanks. Hope you join and have fun with your challenges :)
@RaghuM: Nice suggestion. I will see where I can include it :) Have fun reading !

 
At January 19, 2011 at 10:48 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Do you have any suggestions of this category? I am looking for some books by South Asian authors set in some other country. Suggestions please ...

You could try getting hold of any Anita Nair books - Mistress, Lessons in forgetting (quite a point less book but the writing is superb) , LAdies coupe.
Also check out Kamala Das. She is a Legend..

 
At January 23, 2011 at 5:39 AM , Blogger tanabata said...

Thanks for joining the Murakami Challenge. I'm looking forward to hearing what you think of your first Murakami! Happy reading!

 
At February 2, 2011 at 3:20 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

A book with a size in the title: All Creatures Great and Small, James Herriot

Great choice, read All Things Bright and Beautiful before that if you can, not necessary though!

A book with travel or movement in the title: To be Decided (Any Suggestions?)

You have already listed 20000 Leagues Under the Sea later on, that is travel (League here being the measure of distance); another Jules Verne sci-fi would be Journey to the Center of the Earth - good, but I liked 20000 Leagues better!

My Life in France will give you the Cordon Bleu experience you have mentioned somewhere else in your blog :) for the cook in you, excellent choice!

South Asian category - Vikram Seth?

Read most of the books on your What's in a Name, Global Reading Challenge and South Asian Challenge, though I am yet to read Haruki Murakami and the Foodie's Challenge too!

Happy Reading!!

Pooj

 
At February 3, 2011 at 9:23 PM , Blogger Dewdrop said...

@sliceofmylyfe: I have read Anita Nair's Ladies Coupe. Quite a nice book :)
Do you have any suggestions from Kamala Das's works?

@tanabata: Thanks. I am so looking forward to reading my first Harumaki book :)

@Pooj: Yes, I picked up a James Herriot on your suggestion. Isn't "All things great and small" the first book to be read, even before "beautiful and bright?". I searched a little bit and that is the info I got.
'A Suitable Boy' by Vikram Seth is something I want to read, but it is too huge a book, would have to span it across months.
Hope you like some books in the Foodie and Harukami reading challenges :)

 
At April 18, 2011 at 5:27 AM , Blogger mohit said...

Must be an enjoyable read Lessons In Forgetting by Anita Nair. loved the way you wrote it. I find your review very genuine and orignal, this book is going in by "to read" list.

 

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