Challenges 2017

Book Beginnings on Fridays



Hosted by Rose City Reader. "Please join me every Friday to share the first sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name.  

I joined this Friday 18 October 2013 and my book beginnings so far are (for beginnings check the posts):



The Classic Club


Here is my reading list for 50 Classic books to read:

 Spin list 2017


1. Portrait of a Lady by Henry James
2. The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot
3. Goodbye to Berlin by Christopher Isherwood
4. Karin Lavransdotter by Sigrid Undset
5. Buddenbrooks by Thomas Mann
6. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce
7. Women in Love by D.H. Lawrence
8. A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams
9. Richard III by William Shakespeare
10. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
11. The Overcoat and Other Stories by Nikolaj Gogol
12. Sweet Bird of Youth by Tennessee Williams (Spin # 15)
13. The Taming of a Screw by William Shakespeare
14. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen 
15. Tom Jones by Henry Fielding
16. Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
17. Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
18. The Divine Comedy by Dante
19. The Go-Between by J.P. Hartley
20. Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder

BACK TO THE CLASSICS 2017

Back to the classics are hosted by Karen @ Books and Chocolate. I participated with six books in 2016 and almost made it. For 2017 I will be bold and go for 12 classics. Most of them already on my shelves since long, and they are also included in other challenges.

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The challenge is the same as last year, 12 classic books, but with slightly different categories. You do not have to read all 12 books to participate in this challenge!

Complete six categories, and you get one entry in the drawing

Complete nine categories, and you get two entries in the drawing

Complete all twelve categories, and you get three entries in the drawing

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Here are the books I will read for each category.

1. A 19th century classic - any book published between 1800 and 1899 - George Elliot - The Mill on the Floss (published 1860)

2.  A 20th century classic - any book published between 1900 and 1967. Just like last year, all books MUST have been published at least 50 years ago to qualify. The only exception is books written at least 50 years ago, but published later, such as posthumous publications - Farewell to Berlin by Christopher Isherwood (published 1939)

3.  A classic by a woman author - Kristin Lavransdotter by Sigrid Undset

4.  A classic in translation.  Any book originally written published in a language other than your native language. Feel free to read the book in your language or the original language. (You can also read books in translation for any of the other categories) - Buddenbrooks by Thomas Mann (from German, reading in Swedish)

5.  A classic published before 1800. Plays and epic poems are acceptable in this category - Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare (published 1597) 

6.  A romance classic. I'm pretty flexible here about the definition of romance. It can have a happy ending or a sad ending, as long as there is a strong romantic element to the plot - Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

7.  A Gothic or horror classic. For a good definition of what makes a book Gothic, and an excellent list of possible reads, please see this list on Goodreads - The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

8.  A classic with a number in the title. Examples include A Tale of Two Cities, Three Men in a Boat, The Nine Tailors, Henry V, Fahrenheit 451, etc. An actual number is required -- for example, Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None would not qualify, but The Seven Dials Mystery would - One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Márquez

9.  A classic about an animal or which includes the name of an animal in the title.  It can be an actual animal or a metaphor, or just the name in the title. Examples include To Kill a Mockingbird, Of Mice and Men, The Metamorphosis, White Fang, etc. If the animal is not obvious, please clarify it in your post - Riding the Iron Rooster by Paul Theroux

10. A classic set in a place you'd like to visit. It can be real or imaginary: The Wizard of Oz, Down and Out in Paris and London, Death on the Nile, etc - The Story of San Michele by Axel Munthe

11. An award-winning classic. It could be the Newbery award, the Prix Goncourt, the Pulitzer Prize, the James Tait Award, etc. Any award, just mention in your blog post what award your choice received - The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (Pulitzer Prize)

12. A Russian classic. 2017 will be the 100th anniversary of the Russian Revolution, so read a classic by any Russian author - Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoj

Many of them rather thick books, so a little bit of a challenge. But that what challenges are for. Most of them are books I wanted to read for a long time, and it seems that time has now come.


WHERE ARE YOU READING?



Hosted by Book Dragon's LairThis one is all about places. It counts cities, counties, and fictional locations too. Read a book set in a location for each letter of the alphabet. For detailed guidelines please go to link above.


PLACE
READ
AAmsterdam, the Netherlands (Unsolved Mysteries of Amsterdam by Martijn J. Adelmund)Read April
BBrussels, Belgium (Charlotte Brontë's Secret Love by Jolien Janzing)Read April
CChagar Bazar, Syria (Come, Tell Me How You Live by Agatha Christie MallowanRead March
D
E
F
G
HHastings, England (To be a Lady: Story of Catherine Cookson by Cliff GodwinRead January
IIndia (Kim by Ridyard Kipling)Read March
J
K
LLondon, England (The First Murder by The Medieval Murderers)Read January
MMississippi river, US (The Last Girls by Lee Smith)Read February
N
O
PPerth, Scotland (Effie by Suzanne Fagance Cooper)
QQuito, Eucador (All Roads Lead to Austen by Amy Elizabeth Smith)Read January
R
SStockholm, Sweden (Lisbeth by Ragnhild Hallén)Read January
T
U
VVerona, Italy (Romeo and Juliet by William ShakespeareRead February
WWittenburg, Germany (Dr Luther and Mr Hyde by Per Svensson)Read January
X
Y
Z
Å
Ä
Ö


KEYWORD READING CHALLENGE 2017


Claudia at My Soul Called Life is hosting the 2017 Keyword Reading Challenge. Sounds like another great challenge so I am in. How does it work? Claudia has chosen six keywords associated with each month in 2017. Our task is to read one book each month whose title includes one or more of the keywords for that month. As usual I will head for my TBR shelves first. If I don't find anything there, I will look for a suitable book elsewhere. After all, one has to read some new books as well!

Here are the 2017 Key Words

MONTHKEY WORDSREAD
JANCourt, Fall, Of, Way, Deep, ThousandTo Be a Lady: Story of Catherine Cookson by Cliff Godwin
FEBAnd, Rose, Promise, Every, Deception, BlazingRomeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
MARShall, Go, By, Silence, Her, SagaThe Go-Between by J.P. Hartley
APRFrom, Trigger, Tale, His, Crown, MistThe Rake and His Honour by Beth Elliot
MAYFour, Wind, All, Fury, Days, Shade
JUNWithout, Know, Good, Watch, One, Have
JULBefore, Final, All, Freedom, Life, Dream
AUGSun, Infinite, Big, My, Wherever, Most
SEPSand, From, Between, Ever, Reasons, Clash
OCTDarker, You, Ashes, Out, House, Sea
NOVPlace, War, Heart, Why, Give, Meet
DECForget, Twilight, Only, Crystal, On, Will




The Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge 2017


The 2017 Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge is hosted by Escape With Dollycas. It s the first time I participate here. The idea is to read one book for each of the letters in the Alphabet. Go to link to see the rules. Since I am Swedish and we have three more letters than the English alphabet, I added them. Just for the fun of it. 


BOOKREAD
AAll Roads Lead to Austen by Amy Elizabeth SmithRead February
BBarkhes döttrar by Bodil MårtenssonRead February
CCharlotte Bronntë's Secret Love by Jolien JanzingRead April
DDr Luther & Mr Hyde by Per SvenssonRead January
EEffie by Suzanne Fagence CooperRead February
F(The) First Murder by the Medieval MurdersRead January
G(The) Go-Between by L.P. HartleyRead March
H(The) Holy Grail, History, Myth, Religion by Giles Morgan Read February
I
J
KKapare och pirater i Nordeuropa under 800 år by Lars Ericson WolkeRead March
LLisbeth by Ragnhild HallénRead January
MMrs Jordan's Profession by Claire TomalinRead March
NNorse Mythology by Neil GaymanRead March
O
P
Q
RRomeo and Juliet by William ShakespeareRead February
SSweet Bird of Youth by Tennessee WilliamsRead March
TTo The Lighthouse by Virginia WoolfRead March
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
Å
Ä
Ö

Mount TBR Reading Challenge 2017



Hosted by My Reader's Block

Challenge Levels:

Pike's Peak: Read 12 books from your TBR pile/s
Mount Blanc: Read 24 books from your TBR pile/s
Mt. Vancouver: Read 36 books from your TBR pile/s
Mt. Ararat: Read 48 books from your TBR piles/s
Mt. Kilimanjaro: Read 60 books from your TBR pile/s
El Toro: Read 75 books from your TBR pile/s
Mt. Everest: Read 100 books from your TBR pile/s
Mount Olympus (Mars): Read 150+ books from your TBR pile/s

Books read from my TBR shelves (before 1/1/2017):

1. Dr Luther and Mr Hyde by Per Svensson
2. Lisbeth by Ragnhild Hallén
3. To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
4. The Medieval Murders - The First Murder by various authors
5. All Roads Lead to Austen by Amy Elizabeth Smith
6. Effie by Suzanne Fagence Cooper
7. A Circle of Sisters by Judith Flanders
8. The Last Girls by Lee Smith
9. Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
10. The Holy Grail, History, Myth, Religion by Giles Morgan
11. Kapare och Pirater by Lars Ericson Wolke
12. Mrs Jordan's Profession by Claire Tomalin
13. Sweet Bird of Youth by Tennessee Williams
14. The Art of Fiction by David Lodge
15. The Go-Between by J.P. Hartley
16. Charlotte Brontë's Secret Love by Jolien Janzing
17. Unsolved Mysteries of Amsterdam by Martijn J. Adelmund

What's in a Name 2017



The challenge runs from January to December and is hosted by The Worm Hole. During this time you choose a book to read from each of the following categories. (Examples of books you could choose are in brackets – translations and other languages most definitely count!):
  • A number in numbers (84, Charing Cross Road; 12 Years A Slave; 31 Dream Street) - The World Around in 80 Days by Jules Verne
  • A building (The Old Curiosity Shop; I Capture The Castle; House Of Shadows; The Invisible Library; Jamaica Inn) To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
  • A title which has an ‘X’ somewhere in it (The Girl Next Door; The Running Vixen) - Kansler Axel Oxenstierna 1 & 2 by Gunnar Wetterberg
  • A compass direction (North and South; Guardians Of The West; The Shadow In The North; NW) - Civilisation - The West and the Rest by Nial Ferguson
  • An item/items of cutlery (The Subtle Knife; Our Spoons Came From Woolworths) - The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean
  • A title in which at least two words share the same first letter – alliteration! (The Great Gatsby; The Luminous Life Of Lilly Aphrodite; Gone Girl; The Cuckoo’s Calling) - Riding the Iron Rooster by Paul Theroux

European Reading Challenge 2017



Hosted by Rose City Reader. This is the second time I participate, and I will go for the five star (deluxe entourage) with means to read at least five books by different European authors or books set in different European countries.

The Go-Betwen by J.P. Hartley (UK)
Goodbye to Berlin by Christopher Isherwood (Germany)
Nåden har ingen lag by Torgny Lindgren (Sweden)
Stalin, the Red Tsar by Simon Sebag Montefiore (Russia)
Pansarhjärta by Joe Nesbo (Norway)

Full House Reading Challenge 2017




Hosted by Kathryn at Book Date. You should read books related to the criteria in the grid. Here are the books I will read. 


ThemeBookRead
Non fictionKapare och Pirater/Privateers and Pirates by Lars Ericson WolkeMarch
On TBR for 2+ years Blondie by Joyce Carol Oates
More than 500 pagesBuddenbrooks by Thomas Mann
Page TurnerEffie by Suzanne Fagence CooperJanuary
Middle Grade BookLisbeth by Ragnhild HallénJanuary
2017 publishedNorse Mythology by Neil GaimanMarch
Published pre 2000An Instant of the Finger Post by Iain Pears (1997)
UK/European authorThe Book of Disquiet by Fernando Pessoa (Portuguese)
Back List book from fav. authorShirley by Charlotte Brontë
Book from a listKim by Ridyard KiplingMarch
Award WinnerThe History of the Siege of Lisbon by Jose Saramago
Book about booksAll Roads Lead to Austen - A Yearlong Journey with Jane by Amy Elizabeth SmithJanuary
Book from childhood
Diversity bookDr Luther and Mr Hyde by Per SvenssonJanuary
Australian/NZ author
Western
USA/Canadian authorLord John and the Hand of Devils by Diana Gabaldon
Not really for you
Attractive coverThe Last Girls by Lee SmithFebruary
Borrowed -

READ 52 BOOKS IN 52 WEEKS





I have found another challenge to help me lower my TBR shelves. One book a week for 2017. The challenge is hosted by Robin Of My Two Blessings

Reading starts from January 1 to December 31, 2017. Books may overlap with other challenges. Create a post linking to Robin's blog. For more info visit the website link above. 

1. To Be a Lady: Story of Catherine Cookson by Cliff Godwin
2. Dr Luther & Mr Hyde by Per Svensson
3. To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
4. The Medieval Murders - The First Murder by various authors
5. All Roads Lead to Austen by Amy Elizabeth Smith
6. A Circle of Sisters by Judith Flanders
7. The Holy Grail, History, Myth, Religion by Giles Morgan
8. The Empress of South America by Nigel Cawthorne
9. Agneta Horn by Karin Milles
10. Norse Mythology by Neil Gayman
11. Mrs Jordan's Profession by Claire Tomalin
12. The Art of Fiction by David Lodge
13. The Go-Between by J.P. Hartley
14. Charlotte Brontë's Secret Love by Jolien Janzing
15. The Golden Sovereigns by Jocelyn Carew
16. The Borden Murders: Lizzie Borden and the Trial of the Century by Sarah Miller
17. 


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