Welcome back Reading Challenge alums, and welcome all new comers! As we enter this year with hope on the horizon, see if you can get out of your comfort zone, tackle a new vista, turn a new page, do something DARING! Book-wise, at least.
HOW IT WORKS: Each us chooses 12 books, each one fitting one of the categories below of our choosing to read and discuss throughout the year. We each read our own 12, unless you have titles in common with another reader and want to discuss; that’s cool when that happens.
WINNING: No matter if you finish all 12, finish 12 and add extra credit later, or don’t quite finish your 12, it’s all good. You’re a winner at this if you declare yourself so.
RULES: Have fun. That is all.
SPOILERS: Please read the sticky in this forum regarding spoilers [okay, so a teensie bit of a suggestion, if not a rule as such].
THE LIST (the part you were waiting for):
HOW IT WORKS: Each us chooses 12 books, each one fitting one of the categories below of our choosing to read and discuss throughout the year. We each read our own 12, unless you have titles in common with another reader and want to discuss; that’s cool when that happens.
WINNING: No matter if you finish all 12, finish 12 and add extra credit later, or don’t quite finish your 12, it’s all good. You’re a winner at this if you declare yourself so.
RULES: Have fun. That is all.
SPOILERS: Please read the sticky in this forum regarding spoilers [okay, so a teensie bit of a suggestion, if not a rule as such].
THE LIST (the part you were waiting for):
- Year of the Ox: 2021 is the year of the Ox in the Chinese Zodiac. Choose a book published in any year of the Ox: 2021, 2009, 1997, 1985, 1973, . . . (keep subtracting by 12 to go earlier).
- It’s all fun and games: A book about games, gambling, or gamers in some way.
- Let’s go clubbing!: A book in a celebrity’s book club (from such as, but doesn’t have to be: https://bookriot.com/celebrity-book-clubs/)
- No Cliff Notes this time: A book that’s required reading in most high schools or universities.
- Laughing Matters: A humorous or satirical book.
- The Other Side: A book about or taking place in the afterlife.
- Out of Time: A book involving time travel.
- Girls chase boys chase girls (or any combination thereof): A book with a love triangle.
- Waxing lyrical: A book with the same title as a popular song (or well-known lyric).
- 21st Century, 21st Year, 21st Letter: A book by someone whose first or last name begins with the letter U.
- Dearly Departed: A book by an author who died within the past four years.
- I spy: A book featuring spies or espionage.
- Holiday cheer: A book focusing on a holiday.
- Better known for . . .: A book by someone who’s famous for something other than writing.
- That old black magic: A paranormal novel.
- East meets West: A book taking place in Asia (Turkey to Japan, Siberia to Vietnam).
- Family drama: A book following three or more generations of a family.
- Best friend: A book with a dog on the cover.
- Another’s Mother Tongue: Any book in the foreign language of your choice.
- Alma mater matters: A book about or taking place at a school, college or university.
- Keep up with the Joneses: A book everyone else seems to have read but you have not.
- Tag team: A book by more than one author.
- Ye olde booke shoppe: A book written before 1800.
- Read it again, Sam: Reread a book you have already read.
- Local hero: A book by a local author.
- Locked up: A book taking place in a prison, mental institution or treatment center.
- Succinct: A book with a one-word title.
- Matryoshka books: A book mentioned or discussed inside another book.
- What you read: A book you loved as a child.
- I’ve met them!: A book by someone you have seen in person (either know, seen at a book fair, heard at a speaking engagement, in line at the ATM, whatever).
- Howdy, stranger: A book about immigrants or immigration, or with an immigrant main character.
- Verboten: A banned book.
- What your parents read: Any novel from the year you were born.
- Not available in stores: Beta read someone’s unpublished work.
- After the fall: A post-apocalyptic or dystopic book.
- Bits and pieces: An anthology (poetry, short stories, whatever).
- Out of this world: A book taking place in space or on another planet.
- Freebies: A book you (legally) obtained without paying for.
- Face your fears: A book that intimidates you, for any reason.
- Namesakes: A book by an author who shares your first or last name.
- Holy moly some authors like to use an awful lot of words: A book whose title is more than six words long.
- Lol random: Go to Gutenberg.org, click “Book Search,” click “Random” and pick any of the books that show up. http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?sort_order=random Hit “refresh” for a new list if none of these grab you.
- Out of the park on first at-bat: A debut.
- Epic Odyssey: Read an epic poem (or any poem more than 25 pages long).
- Feisty feline fiesta: A book with a cat on the cover.
- Pixies and Dryads and Elves, oh my!: A high fantasy.
- Run for the border: A book about or taking place in Central or South America.
- How we got to where we are: A book about the politics of your country (history or current events, but published in the last 5 years).
- Vast critical acclaim: A book that has won a prestigious award.
- Like a novel, only real: Creative nonfiction.
Lolita is one of my all-time favs, BTW. Tale of Two Cities kept coming up when I was looking for my "locked up" books, and it intimidated me too which is why I looked for something else. I'll be interested to hear what you think. I read David Copperfield last year, and was highly impressed.
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