For the past two years, I have hosted reading challenges dedicated to a specific author. It gave me the little bit of push I needed to read more of their work. Even though the response by other bloggers wasn’t huge, I enjoyed the challenges and read more deeply from authors I wanted to read in the first place.
The past couple of months, I have been thinking about all the books I’ve always meant to read. The list is extensive – and I’m sure many of you can relate! So, I decided that this year’s challenge is not going to be limited to one author. I’m going to challenge myself to read twelve books I’ve always meant to read, one each month of 2013. I’m hoping that some of you will want to read the same books, and thus each month will be like a read-along.
In order to get the most participation from you, my fellow readers, I’m going to give you a long list of books to vote on. You can join me for one book, two, five, or even all twelve! Simply leave your top five choices in the comments below. On December 28th, I’ll post the twelve titles that got the most votes, and a schedule of which books we’ll read each month.
I really meant to get this post up last month, so there would be longer to pick the books and be ready to start by January 1st, but I’m thinking that many of you probably have a lot of these books sitting on your to-read shelf, just like I do. Once I know the winning books, I will choose a short one for January, in case it takes some of us a week or so to get our hands on a copy.
Here are the books we’ll be choosing from:
Middlemarch by George Eliot
1984 by George Orwell
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Love in a Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding
Bleak House by Charles Dickens
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
Forever by Pete Hamill
The Local News by Miriam Gershow
My Antonia by Willa Cather
Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner
An Equal Music by Vikram Seth
The Complete Stories by Flannery O’Connor
Again, leave your top five picks in the comments below. Once we have our titles and a schedule, I’ll post a challenge sign-up page that you can link your blog to. Happy reading!
Twitter: bookdragonslair
says:
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
Gina, book dragon´s last post ..Happy Monday
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Gina – glad you’re joining in!
Oh man, Carrie, you PUSHED my buttons.
My first response when I read the title of your post on Facebook—I actually muttered it to the air—was “all of William Shakespeare.”
But when I read your list, it was as if you were living with me in my house. Middlemarch is one of my all-time favorites, a book with the best quotes. And Willa Cather is a win at any time, in any place. But I do have several on my shelves and I actually checked out Cold Comfort Farm from the library last week to have for that delicious week of reading after Christmas.
Here are my hearty, now-I’m-determined-to-read-them-whether-you-pick-them-or-not votes:
1. Flannery!
2. Cold Comfort
3. Remains
4. Catcher
5. Faulkner
This is a splendid book challenge, Carrie!
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Carol – I’m so glad I pushed your buttons! LOL
Of all the reading challenges I’ve heard about so far, this sounds the most exciting because I tried restricting myself this year to reading books based on location i.e.. Scandinavia/Middle East but it felt too wide open with limitless possibilities.
Based on the fact that I have read a few of the titles on the list already, the ones I haven’t read but would like to are:
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
The Complete Stories by Flannery O’Connor
Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
The Local News by Miriam Gershow
Simmy´s last post ..Weekend Book Haul
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Simmy – glad you’re joining us!
Twitter: hcstringer
says:
I’d just like to mention that Cold Comfort Farm is one of my favourite books. Laugh out loud hilarious. Stella Gibbons wrote it after working at a “women’s magazine” in the ’30s – a job that required her to read hundreds of overwrought romance stories. Whenever I see some couple in public going at it like bunnies, I always think, “Ah, the sukebind must be in bloom.” She also put asterisks next to the paragraphs she thought were best written “to save the critics time.” Haha!
She puts *asterisks* next to paragraphs!!
Helen, you just made my day. That is rich.
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Helen – I really hope Cold Comfort Farm is one of the top twelve!
I thought it was funny that you posted this today given my own post about the Classics I want to read.
I don’t know that I want to commit outright to reading any particular book (although I am going to tackle War and Peace this coming year) from the list, but I may join in depending on the reading schedule.
My five picks would be
Middlemarch by George Eliot
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
Bleak House by Charles Dickens
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
The Local News by Miriam Gershow
The Historian is one of my favorite novels! And I adored The Woman in White. Pillars of the Earth was also really good.
Literary Feline´s last post ..Reading The Classics
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Wendy – glad to hear I’ve got some good ones on the list!
Twitter: BethFishReads
says:
Awesome challenge!! Hummmm. I wasn’t going to sign up for any except my own this year. But I like the sound of this.
Beth F´s last post ..Today’s Read & Giveaway: Two Graves by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Candace – I hope you cave in and join us!
Here are my choices.
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
Love in a Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
Thanks for inspiring me to hit my TBR list/pile/bookshelf……
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Ange – you’re welcome – glad you’re jumping in!
1) My Antonia
2) Grapes of Wrath
3) Bleak House
4) A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
5) Forever
Susan´s last post ..Life of Pi
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Susan – good choices!
Twitter: Vasilly
says:
Count me in for The Grapes of Wrath and Forever.
Vasilly´s last post ..Sunday Salon
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
V – got your votes!
Great, great list! I’ve read most of them, and any that you pick are going to be SO worth your while. Have fun!
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Thanks, Michelle!
Great list! My top 5 picks are:
Middlemarch by George Eliot
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
Bleak House by Charles Dickens
Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
My Antonia by Willa Cather
Darlene´s last post ..2013 YA/MG Fantasy Challenge
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Darlene – got your votes!
This looks interesting. I took a brake from most challenges last year because I got burned out. Some of my TBR is on this list though and I like the concept.
My top five would be:
Bleak House
1984
Complete Stories
Catcher in the Rye
Cold Comfort Farm
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Brittanie – I can so relate to burning out on reading challenges! I don’t do nearly as many as I used to.
Middlemarch
The Woman In White
Pillars of the Earth
Happy Holidays!
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Elisabeth – Great choices!
1984 by George Orwell
Love in a Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Eve – finally a vote for Bridget Jones!
Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
1984 by George Orwell
Love in a Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
Kailana´s last post ..Saturday Snapshot – December 22, 2012
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Kelly – I’m glad you’re joining!
Twitter: Joannainbxl
says:
I wouldn’t do all 12 but I hope to join you for a few. My votes are here:
Love in the time of cholera
The historian
Pillars of the earth
The woman in white
1984
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Joanna – glad to have your votes!
I read some of those this year, but still have more of them, so thanks for the push to get on with it.
My votes:
Middlemarch
1984
Bleak House
As I Lay Dying
Angle of Repose
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Kristen – you’re welcome – glad you’re joining!
Angle of Repose
As I Lay Dying
Bleak House
Cold Comfort Farm
My Antonia
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
LCooper – thanks for voting!
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
Bleak House by Charles Dickens
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Thanks for voting, Ann Marie.
Twitter: bookingit
says:
Great idea!
I’d be interested in joining you for
Middlemarch by George Eliot
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
The Local News by Miriam Gershow
We’ll see how the timing works out, but this could be fun!
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Laura – Great – I hope you can join in on at least a few of them!
My five picks will be:
Middlemarch, by George Eliot
Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger
Bleak House, by Charles Dickens
Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett
The Complete Stories, by Flannery O’Connor
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Mona- got your votes!
Twitter: Fresh_Ink_Books
says:
I’ve read a number of those on the list so I have to vote for those not read yet:
Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner
An Equal Music by Vikram Seth
Bleak House by Charles Dickens
My Antonia by Willa Cather
Forever by Pete Hamill
Sandra´s last post ..Library Loot 14 – 20 November
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Sandra – glad you’re joining us!
Angel of Repose Bleak House As I Lay Dying Woman In White The Historian
A tree grows in brooklyn
Grapes of wrath
Catcher in the rye
the woman. In white
Forever