My 2008 Book Challenges

After posting about various book challenges this year, I am interested to join some of them. After considering many things, especially time, I finally choose 3 book challenges.

The Chunkster Challenge 2008, hosted by Dana.
The guidelines are:

• To qualify, the book must be 450 pps regular type OR 750 pps large text.
• You must read FOUR chunksters (one each quarter), you OBVIOUSLY may read more
• The Challenge will run Jan 7th, 2008 – Dec 20th, 2008. BUT any chunkster started after Jan 1 qualifies.
• THERE WILL BE PRIZES – one a quarter. Prizes to be determined later.
• Sharing reviews mandatory, format still to be determined.
• Join by leaving me a WEE comment. I will work on a list of active participants to be shared here. There is a sign-up deadline of March 1st, so tell your friends and neighbors but only until then.

And this is my list for the challenge:

1. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell – Susanna Clarke (1006 pages)
2. Labyrinth – Kate Mosse (702 pages)
3. Tetrarch – Ian Irvine (692 pages)
4. Shogun – James Clavell (1123 pages)

TBR (To-be-Read) Challenge, hosted by MizB.

The challenge is to read ONE “to-be-read” book from your collection each month during 2008. In other words, you create a list of 12 books that have been on your TBR List for at least 6 months or more, and then you read one of those twelve books a month from January 1st to December 31st, 2008.

This is my list (I don’t know if they let me list Indonesian books, but if they don’t, I just go on with this list, at least it will decrease 12 books of my TBR list hehehehe…)

1. Hogfather – Terry Pratchett
2. Thud! – Terry Pratchett
3. Edensor – Andrea Hirata
4. Emak – Daoed Joesoef
5. Neverwhere: A Novel – Neil Gaiman
6. Out – Natsuo Kirino
7. Perfume: The Story of a Murderer – Patrick Suskind
8. The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald
9. The Liebermann Papers: Vienna Blood - Frank Tallis
10. Gunung Jiwa – Gao Xingjian
11. Messiah – Boris Starling
12. The Sea of Trolls – Nancy Farmer

Celebrate the Author Challenge, hosted by Becky

The challenge is designed to “celebrate” author birthdays. Choose one author for each month of the year. Read at least one book a month. 12 authors. 12 birthdays. If you like, you can read MORE than that. If you’re really obsessive, you might want to “celebrate” all 52 weeks of the year. (But even I am not THAT zealous!) The challenge is designed to ‘celebrate’ the special bond–the connection–that occurs between the author AND the reader as well as the connection between readers. It is very easy to “bond” with other readers over certain works, certain authors, etc.

This is my list:

1. Umberto Eco
2. Ruth Rendell/Barbara Vine
3. Carl Hiaasen
4. Tom Clancy
5. Robert Ludlum
6. Pearl S. Buck
7. David Eddings
8. P.D. James
9. Truman Capote
10. Robert Jordan
11. Neil Gaiman
12. Jane Austen