Hosted by Terri at Weekly Geeks.
Reading Challenges: a help or a hurt? Do you find that the reading challenges keep you organized and goal-oriented? Or, do you find that as you near the end of a challenge that you've failed because you fell short of your original goals? As a result of some reading challenges, I've picked up books that I would have otherwise never heard of or picked up; that, frankly, I have loved. Have you experienced the same with challenges? If so, which ones? Do you have favorite reading challenges?
As we pass the halfway point of 2009, how are you doing with your reading challenges? Did you participate in any challenges this year?
I love reading challenges. I just discovered them last year and they are perfect for me. I'm disabled and in poor health. I can't go out to libraries, bookshops, book clubs or anything else. The only hobby left to me is reading and while it's decreasing I still read about 150 books of literary fiction every year. I love talking about good books almost as much as I enjoy reading them and having a blog lets me do that. Reading challenges allow me to do even more of it, with people who are interested in the same challenge themes and genres.
Reading challenges also alert me to good reading recommendations for myself and the opportunity to recommend good books to others. This is the main purpose of my blog. Challenge also help me to keep better records of what I read. I've joined about 40 and only left 2 or 3 incomplete, usually because I joined late. The trick for me is to join challenges of the kind of books that I know I'm going to read anyway. I'm a mood reader so I read what I like and then find that it usually fits into a challenge somewhere, often more than one. I've always read award winners, library books, new authors, chunksters, literature in translation, essays, classics, etc. anyway so those challenges are a snap for me. And I have the luxury of more reading time than most people do. And there's no such thing as failing if I don't meet a reading goal. There are no consequences, it's just a fun to do. Lest you think I'd join any reading challenge, the list of those that hold no interest for me is actually longer than those that do.
My favourite challenges are focused on specific countries or cultures, the more different from my own the better. I especially enjoy all the awards Challenges, and Japanese lit, Jewish lit, German lit, Orbis Terrarum, last year's Africa challenge (we need another one), Lost in Translation, Diversity Rocks, 21 Cultures, War Through the Generations, Chunksters, What an Animal, Canadian Books, and LibraryThing Authors.
I'd like to see others such as French, African American, Irish, or Scandinavian literature etc. Yup, reading challenges are my new hobby. Sign me up and I'll meet you on the links page.
