2012 Challenges

See those little icons, (actually called “buttons” in the book blogging world) on the right-hand column of my blog ? Many  of those refer to different reading challenges I’ll be participating in throughout the course of this year. Some of you might ask, “what is a challenge” ? A challenge is a bit like a reading contest in which book bloggers try to read as books as possible in which all of those books represent a specific theme. Commonly after posting reviews of these particular books, bloggers will then post a link to their reviews on a central website so other bloggers can access those reviews and read them. Experience has shown me it’s a convenient and intellectually stimulating way to both learn about various subjects and authors, not to mention a great opportunity to meeting other book bloggers.

Here is a brief run-down on my reading challenges for 2012.

2012 Middle East Reading Challenge. Hosted by Helen of Helen’s Book Blog, this challenge is pretty self-explanatory. It encompasses any fiction and non-fiction books devoted to the people, leaders, history, religion etc. of this region. Last year, Helen has defined the boundaries of this region as the nations surrounding the Arabian peninsula. This year, probably in response to the sweeping changes brought about last year’s Arab Spring Helen has enlarged the boundaries of the challenge to include the North African countries of Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco. Ya know,  since I’m gonna read these kind of books ANYWAY, why not sign up for her challenge ?

2012 Non-Fiction Non-Memoir Reading Challenge.  Since I read mostly nonfiction, deciding to sign up for this challenge was another no brainer. Hosted by Julie of My Book Retreat, the purpose of this challenge is make people read more nonfiction that isn’t memoirs, biographies or essay collections. I have selected the “Master’s Degree” level which means I must read 25 of these kind of books over the course of the year.

2012 Dewey Decimal Challenge. Hosted by the “Introverted Jen” at The Introverted Reader, this yet another challenge to make people read more nonfiction. I’ve selected the “Master” level which means I’ll be reading 16-20 nonfiction books before the end of the year. Heck, that’s nothing.

2012 Unread Book Challenge. Hosted by Jen of The Hopeful Librarian, the purpose of this rather straightforward challenge is to get people to simply read all those unread books that have piling up all over the house, apartment or other dwelling. Since I already possess a huge personal library of unread books, believe me, this is MY kind of challenge !

2012 Off The Shelf Reading Challenge. In many ways an identical twin to the above mentioned challenge, this one is hosted by the team of Bonnie, Sarah and Adam on their blog Book Ardour. In order to encourage readers to read only those books that have been lying around unread, according to the rules of this challenge only those books acquired before 2012 are eligible for consideration. I have selected the “Making a Dint” level which means I’m hoping to read 30 of my books before the end of the year.

2012 Mt. TBR Reading Challenge. Shall we make it identical triplets ? Bev from My Reader’s Block is hosting a similar challenge called the 2012 Mt. TBR Reading Challenge. I’ve signed up for the “Mt. Vancouver” level which means I’ll be reading at least 25 books from my personal library. I’m hoping to exceed that number and read 40, which would put me atop  “Mt. Ararat.”

The 2012 African Reading Challenge. Hosted by Kinna of Kinna Reads, the rules are rather simple. To quote Kinna, “5 books.  That’s it.  There will be no other levels.  Of course, participants are encouraged to read more than 5 books.  Eligible books include those which are written by African writers, or take place in Africa, or are concerned with Africans and with historical and contemporary African issues. Note that at least 3 books must be written by African writers.” Her host page features a ton of helpful information and suggestions for any aspiring challenge participant.

The 2012 Support Your Local Library Reading Challenge. Hosted by the Eclectic Bookshelf, as you might have guessed the purpose of this challenge is to inspire people to read more library books. There are four levels to this challenge and since I’ve opted for level 4 I’m hoping to read at least 37 library books before year’s end.

Old Books Reading Challenge

Old Books Reading Challenge. Last but not least, this challenge is solely a creation of my own. I have a huge personal library and many of these books are over 30, 40 and 50 years old. Year after year they just sit there just waiting to be read. And what do I do about it-nothing. I keep going to the public library to get new ones or worse, buy more. This must change. Therefore, I’m hoping this challenge that I created last year will somehow force me keep reading some of the books I already own. It’s also an effective way for me to spotlight a few old and forgotten books that have still have considerable merit, despite not being on The New York Times notable book list or talked about on NPR.