Reading Challenges

After taking a look at several reading related blogs, I’ve seen that many blogging readers participate in “reading challenges.” The main prize seems to be the pride of checking a book off your list, and the joy of reading something new or different from your usual selection. But I still might have more to learn about readerly ‘street cred.’ I’ve decided to undertake a few (when the blog goes live, I’ll sign up officially).

One is “TBR Challenge 2008”, in which you assemble a list of twelve books that have been on your “to be read” list and plan on finishing them over the course of the year. Readers also select up to twelve ‘alternates,’ in case they decide that one of their first selections isn’t quite their cup of tea. I’ve included my list, and throughout the year, as I complete books, I’ll be updating you on my progress.

1. Middlemarch by George Eliot

2. Tristram Shandy by Laurence Sterne

3. Saturday by Ian McEwan

4. The Dower House by Annabel Davis Goff

5. The Unconsoled by Kazuo Ishiguro

6. Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire

7. Still Life by A.S. Byatt

8. Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

9. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

10. The Wings of the Dove by Henry James

11. The Black Prince by Iris Murdoch

12. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

My Alternates:

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope

Hard-Boiled Wonderland And The End Of The World by Haruki Murakami

Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

Tom Jones by Henry Fielding

Clarissa by Samuel Richardson

The Ambassadors by Henry James

The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman

(Some of these are books that I’ve received as gifts over the years, all are available through NUCat, and if they’re checked out, try reserving through NExpress).

Have any of you ever undertaken either organized or impulsive reading challenges? How did they go? And have you read any of the books? (Not too many spoilers, please!)

The Future of food

The Future of food is a DVD that we have in the library’s collection. It is a documentary about GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) crops such as Canola, Corn and Soy. This film gives the average viewer a basic understanding of how food crops are genetically modified and how GM crops may effect consumers. The primary focus is on plant agriculture in the United States. I think the film maker would be a great guest speaker at one of your author talks.

Learning Something New

In the April, 2008 issue of The Atlantic Monthly, the cover article is about the lives of paprazzi who follow Britney Spears in order to catalog almost every occurance in her increasingly chaotic life.  One might think that a reputable publication such as The Atlantic having a story about Ms. Spears is a sign of a new low for the news media, I certainly did.  So I read the article, and wouldn’t you know it, it really opened my eyes to something I didn’t even realize I knew nothing about.  Paparazzi work really hard.  I mean it.  These guys are camped out all hours of the day and night hoping to get a shot that will make them a lot (and I mean a lot) of money.  In addition, the paps (as they are called), and the company they work for, sell these pictures to every news outlet in the world.   I’m not really going to get into it in this blog but I recommend that you read the article.  If you do read it please note the language is graphic at times.

For Dog Lovers

If you like dogs or any animal really, you’ll enjoy Street Dogs by Traer Scott.  She’s a photographer who documented stray dogs in Mexico and Puerto Rico.  There are some astonishing photographs and the stories will just break your heart.  You can see some of her shots at her web site.

Meet Author Beth Helms

Beth Helms is the next featured speaker in the Library’s Meet the Author series. She’ll be discussing her novel Dervishes Tuesday, March 18 at 6 pm in the ISSI, 405 Ell Hall. Dervishes explores the lives of the wife and daughter of an American diplomat living in Ankara, Turkey in 1975. Helms, winner of the 2003 Iowa Short Fiction Award, draws on her childhood experiences living abroad in the Middle East to write this compelling story. Turkish cuisine will be served at the event! This talk and book-signing is sponsored by NU Libraries, the International Student and Scholar Institute (ISSI), and the NU Bookstore. A campus map is available here. Ell Hall is building 52.