Reading England 2015 Challenge hosted by o @ Behold the Stars.
The Goal - to travel England by reading, and read at least one book per however many counties of England you decide to read.
The Rules:
- This challenge begins on the 1st January 2015 and ends on 31st December 2015, but of course if you really get into it then keep it going :)
- You can sign up any time between now and the end of 2015. Only books read after 1st January 2015 count, though.
- Choose a level (below), but do not feel obliged to pick your books or even your counties beforehand.
- Because this is a classics blog, I'd encourage people to read classic novels, but how you define classics is up to you.
- You are not limited to English authors. Henry James, for example, is American but his novel The Turn of the Screw is set in Essex, and so he counts for the challenge.
- It would be grand if you blogged about the books you read for each county but you don't have to. If you do, you don't have to feel obliged to give any information about the county in general other than, maybe, "This is my review of x which is set in the county of x". You could also include a description of the landscape in your posts, but again you don't have to.
- You do not have to read the books in their original language, translations are accepted (I only read in English so I would never dream of making other people read in their second language!)
- Audio books, Kindles, and whatnot are accepted too.
- Poetry, plays, biographies, and autobiographies count as well as novels
The Levels:
- Level one: 1 - 3 counties
- Level two: 4 - 6 counties
- Level three: 7 - 12 counties
- Level four: 12 + counties
o has added a list of titles under their counties which will be a great help.
As this will probably be my one challenge for 2015 I am going for Level 3: 7 - 12 counties.
I was so excited when I first read this challenge as it fitted perfectly into the plans I was struggling to formulate for the blog's future. I know I want change, I know I want to focus on the classics .......and I love the 'you don't have to' of this challenge - no pressure. I will be blogging but in the future in more of a journaling way rather than reviewing .
For now I'm having fun sorting through my books and planning my itinerary.
Yay! I'm so glad that you're joining too, Cat! And I am really excited that you're going to focus on journalling over reviewing on your blog. That's what I really love about read-alongs ....... the journaling aspect and that you can just let your thoughts flow instead of having to corral them into a coherent review. I'm so looking forward to your future posts!
ReplyDeleteI am so looking forward to this and I'm looking at it as my 2015 project. So nice to actually feel really enthusiastic about something again.
DeleteIsn't this a great idea?! I've been rifling through books trying to work out where they're set, and I'm wondering how many counties Trollope might cover.
ReplyDeleteBanging the drum for my own county for just a moment, I have to say that Wilkie Collins' 'Rambles Beyond Railways' about his walking tour of Cornwall is wonderful,
I've only read the Barsetshire ones and I know that is imaginary.
DeleteThanks for the Collins tip which has been added to my evergrowing list. Sounds as if it might be something a little different , a travelogue, to read alongside novels.
Thanks for the Collins tip! :)
DeleteGood luck! I'm thinking of going for either level 3 or 4 - I do want at least a book a month :)
ReplyDeleteI was thinking a book a month too but you never know what life might throw at you so have left some leeway with level 3. Can't wait to begin.
DeleteI'm looking forward to this challenge. I love that your planning your itinerary!
ReplyDeleteJoy's Book Blog