My Challenges

The Challenge:  Read any non-fiction book(s), adult or young adult. That's it. You can choose anything. Memoirs? Yes. History? Yes. Travel? Yes. You get the idea? Absolutely anything that is classified as non-fiction counts for this challenge. I always like levels in my challenges, so here are mine: Dilettante--Read 1-5 non-fiction books Explorer--Read 6-10 Seeker--Read 11-15 Master--Read 16-20 This challenge will last from January 1 to December 31, 2013. You can sign up anytime throughout the year. I am not limiting the challenge to bloggers. You can also link to a review you wrote on another site, such as GoodReads or LibraryThing. Crossovers with other challenges are acceptable, and feel free to read your books in any format you like. I'm signing up at the Seeker level. I'll track my progress here. Don't Know Much About Mythology: Everything You Need to Know About the Greatest Stories in Human History but Never Learned by Kenneth C. Davis The Wild Trees: A Story of Passion and Daring by Richard Preston A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain Apologies to My Censor by Mitch Moxley Mountainfit by Meera Lee Sethi Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind: A Bestseller's Odyssey from Atlanta to Hollywood by Ellen F. Brown and John Wiley, Jr. The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe The Trivia Lover's Guide to the World: Geography for the Lost and Found by Gary Fuller The Heroine's Bookshelf: Life Lessons, from Jane Austen to Laura Ingalls Wilder by Erin Blakemore The Commitment: Love, Sex, Marriage, and My Family by Dan Savage The Bite of the Mango by Mariatu Kamara and Susan McClelland NPR Favorite Driveway Moments: Radio Stories That Won't Let…

Details: I'll be hosting the Books in Translation Reading Challenge again for 2013. I failed pretty miserably at it last year, reading only two when my goal was 4-6. Oops. I hope to do better this year. The goal is obviously to read translations of books, from any language into the language(s) you're comfortable reading in; they don't have to be in English. You can read any genre and any age range. Crossovers with other challenges are fine. Any format that you choose is also acceptable. The challenge will run from January 1 through December 31, 2013. Reading Suggestions: Looking for suggestions? I have a shelf on GoodReads you can check out. There's also a Listopia list on GoodReads. Last year's linked reviews are a great resource. I am not limiting the challenge to bloggers. You can also link to a review you wrote on another site, such as GoodReads or LibraryThing. Levels: Levels:Beginner: Read 1-3 books in translationConversationalist: 4-6Bilingual: 7-9Linguist: 10-12 My Personal Progress I'm committing to the Conversationalist level at 4-6 books. I'll track my progress here. Doctor Zhivago by Boris PasternakBalzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Sijie Dai, translated by Ina Rilke, read by B. D. WongThe Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery, translated by Alison AndersonLabyrinths: Selected Stories and Other Writings by Jorge Luis Borges, translated by various Sign Up and Link Your Reviews! I hope you'll join me!  Sign up anytime throughout the year by linking below! Post your reviews here as well. Enter your name or your blog name and the title of the book in parentheses. Example: The Introverted Reader (The Bookseller of Kabul) 1. Maphead's Book Blog2. Lizzy Siddal3. Darlene @ Darlene's Book Nook4. Joy @ A Little Reading5. Tanya @ Girlxoxo6. Aleksandra @ Aleksandra's Corner7. TracyK @ Bitter Tea…

Photo Attribution I'm a little late to post this, but I am hosting the 2013 Southern Literature Reading Challenge this year. Sign up and link your reviews below. The rules: Read a book(s)--non-fiction or fiction of any genre, for any age group--written by an author from the South and set mostly in the South. Definitions of the South are flexible, so I've decided to define it the way I want. That's the fun of hosting your own challenge, right? :-) The states:South CarolinaGeorgiaAlabamaNorth CarolinaVirginiaTennessee MississippiLouisianaKentucky West VirginiaTexasArkansasFlorida Please keep in mind that this is a Southern literature challenge. It's possible to find books set in each of these states that are not Southern in nature or feeling. Use your best judgment when choosing your books. Levels: Level 1--C'mon in the house! Read 1 book. Level 2--Pull up a seat and stay a while! Read 2 books Level 3--Have a glass of sweet iced tea, honey. Read 3 books Level 4--Y'all come back now, y'hear! Read 4 books The challenge will run from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2013. You can join in anytime throughout the year. I am not limiting the challenge to bloggers.  You can also link to a review you wrote on another site, such as GoodReads or LibraryThing. Crossovers with other challenges are acceptable, and feel free to read your books in any format you choose. I'm signing up at the Y'all Come Back Now level. I'll track my progress here. The Dry Grass of August by Anna Jean MayhewOral History by Lee SmithSummer Rental by Mary Kay AndrewsThe Big Beautiful by Pamela DuncanThe Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder by Rebecca Wells, read by Judith IveyMargaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind: A Bestseller's Odyssey from Atlanta to Hollywood by Ellen F. Brown and John Wiley,…

I've decided to host one more challenge, the Books in Translation Reading Challenge. I think this one's pretty self-explanatory. The goal is to read translations of books. They don't have to be in English; whatever language(s) you're comfortable reading in is good. You can read any genre and any age range. Crossovers with other challenges are fine. Any format that you choose is also acceptable. The challenge will run from today, January 7, through December 31, 2012. Looking for suggestions? I have a shelf on GoodReads you can check out. There's also a Listopia list on GoodReads. I am not limiting the challenge to bloggers. You can also link to a review you wrote on another site, such as GoodReads or LibraryThing. Levels:Beginner: Read 1-3 books in translationConversationalist: 4-6Bilingual: 7-9Linguist: 10-12 I'm committing to the Conversationalist level at 4-6 books. I'll track my progress here. The Bookseller of Kabul by Åsne Seierstad, translated by Ingrid ChristophersonThe Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafón, translated by Lucia GravesThe Rose of Fire by Carlos Ruiz Zafón, translated by Lucia Graves I hope you'll join me!  Sign up anytime throughout the year by linking below! Post your reviews here as well. Enter your name or your blog name and the title of the book in parentheses. Example: The Introverted Reader (The Bookseller of Kabul) 1. Fiona2. Kathy aka Ruby3. Agata4. Meg5. Emma @ Words And Peace 6. Layers of Thought7. Mona8. JLS Hall @A Little Reading9. Dusky Literati10. Unabridged Chick11. a hot cup of pleasure12. Lizzy Siddal13. Debbie @ Exurbanis14. Ruby @ Year of reading my books (Winston, A Thousand Peaceful Cities)15. The Book Coop (Esther's Inheritance)16. Emma @ Words And Peace (St Gregory Palamas As a Hagiorite - Greece)17. Emma @ Words And Peace (Exploring the Inner Universe - Romanian)18. kpss19. Emma…

It's that time of year again--time to sign up for challenges! I've decided to host the 2012 Southern Literature Challenge this year. I personally read more Southern lit this year than I usually do because of this challenge, and I hope it encouraged a few of you to read it as well. The rules will be the same as last year. Read a book(s)--non-fiction or fiction of any genre, adult or young adult--written by an author from the South and set mostly in the South. Definitions of the South are flexible, so I've decided to define it the way I want. That's the fun of hosting your own challenge, right? :-) The states:South CarolinaGeorgiaAlabamaNorth CarolinaVirginiaTennessee MississippiLouisianaKentucky West VirginiaTexasArkansasFlorida Please keep in mind that this is a Southern literature challenge. It's possible to find books set in each of these states that are not Southern in nature or feeling. Use your best judgment when choosing your books. Levels: Level 1--C'mon in the house! Read 1 book. Level 2--Pull up a seat and stay a while! Read 2 books Level 3--Have a glass of sweet iced tea, honey. Read 3 books Level 4--Y'all come back now, y'hear! Read 4 books The challenge will run from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012. You can join in anytime throughout the year. I am not limiting the challenge to bloggers.  You can also link to a review you wrote on another site, such as GoodReads or LibraryThing. Crossovers with other challenges are acceptable, and feel free to read your books in any format you choose. Reading suggestions: I have a shelf on GoodReads with lots of books on it. There's also a Best Southern Literature list on GoodReads that readers have voted on that should give you lots of ideas.  Also, check out my…

I've been looking for a simple, general non-fiction challenge. I can't find one, so I decided to host my own. I am very much a fiction reader, but I did pick up several non-fiction books last year and I mostly enjoyed them. I need a little push to keep reading them, and I thought some of you might as well. So here's my Dewey Decimal Challenge. Read any non-fiction book(s), adult or young adult. That's it. You can choose anything. Poetry? Yes. Memoirs? Yes. History? Yes. Travel? Yes. You get the idea? Absolutely anything that is classified as non-fiction counts for this challenge. I always like levels in my challenges, so here are mine: Dilettante--Read 1 non-fiction book. Explorer--Read 2 Seeker--Read 3 Master--Read 4 This challenge will last from January 1 to December 31, 2011. You can sign up anytime throughout the year. I am not limiting the challenge to bloggers. You can also link to a review you wrote on another site, such as GoodReads or LibraryThing. My Personal Progress: I'm shooting for the Master level. I'll track my progress right here. Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop by Lewis Buzbee Without Reservations: The Travels of an Independent Woman by Alice Steinbach Survival in Auschwitz by Primo Levi, translated by Stuart Woolf Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America by John M. Barry Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand The Lost City of Z by David Grann, read by Mark Deakins 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff Travels With Charley: In Search of Americ by John Steinbeck The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson, read by the author…

I am proud of my Southern heritage, troubled and imperfect as it may be, and I love to read books set in my region. It sometimes feels like we are a little under-represented in the publishing world, so I would love to encourage any of you who haven't read any Southern lit to give it a try!  And, of course, if you're already a fan, I would love to see what you're reading so that I can add to my ever-growing to-read list!  So here is my 2011 Southern Literature Challenge! Read a book(s)--non-fiction or fiction of any genre, adult or young adult--written by an author from the South and set mostly in the South. Definitions of the South are flexible, so I've decided to define it the way I want. That's the fun of hosting your own challenge, right? :-) The states:South CarolinaGeorgiaAlabamaNorth CarolinaVirginiaTennessee MississippiLouisianaKentucky West VirginiaTexasFlorida--as long as you find a book by a Florida author and/or set in Florida that feels Southern. Levels: Level 1--C'mon in the house! Read 1 book. Level 2--Pull up a seat and stay a while! Read 2 books Level 3--Have a glass of sweet iced tea, honey. Read 3 books Level 4--Y'all come back now, y'hear! Read 4 books The challenge will run from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2011. You can join in anytime throughout the year. I am not limiting the challenge to bloggers.  You can also link to a review you wrote on another site, such as GoodReads or LibraryThing. Reading suggestions: I have a shelf on GoodReads with lots of books on it. There's also a Best Southern Literature list on GoodReads that readers have voted on that should give you lots of ideas. I can't help but feel like there should be a reward for a…

It just came to my attention over the weekend that September 15-October 15 of every year is celebrated in the US as National Hispanic Heritage Month. According to http://answers.usa.gov, "During this time, America celebrates the culture and traditions of U.S. residents who trace their roots to Spain, Mexico and the Spanish-speaking nations of Central America, South America and the Caribbean." I think anyone would call me an all-American country girl. I am what I am. Somehow in the mountains of North Carolina, where we're not exactly known for our diversity, I found a Cuban man to marry. Or did he find me? It depends on who you ask. :-) He has enriched my life in so many ways, not least of which is by sharing his beautiful, vibrant culture with me. His family has always been welcoming and generous with their affection, and while I won't be moving to Miami (too overwhelming for me), I do wish that I could see more of them and hear more of their stories. I keep finding more and more to love about Hispanic culture. I tutored a Guatemalan lady in English.  One of my best friends is Puerto Rican.  An Argentinian lady and a Salvadorian lady work with me.  I love them all.  I am fascinated by their culture and their history and their heritage. I thought this would be a good time for me to learn a little more about--well, all of it. And then I thought some of you might want to join me. I know it's last minute, but I'll throw the offer out there. So here's the challenge:  just write one post that pertains to Hispanic culture in some way.  Review, personal story, recipe, you name it.  I can't make it any easier than that. My plans are vague,…