Mixing It Up Challenge 2012
Feel like branching out a little for 2012? Then this challenge might just be for you!
Welcome to my first challenge! The premise is really very simple. It's
all about mixing up your reading, pushing your boundaries and exploring
new genres. Take a look at the categories below, and choose one book
for each category. It's that easy! You can choose to try anything from
a gentle 4 to the full 16 different genres, and the book you pick for
each is entirely up to you!
Before we look at the boring stuff like Rules and How to Join In, check out...
~ THE CATEGORIES ~
1.
CLASSICS
This can be any classic work, from Alcott to Zola. Always fancied
trying Great Expectations, or finally feel like tackling Jane Eyre?
Now's your chance! From the fun to the frightening, the gentle satire
to the all-out swashbuckling epic, there are hundreds of years' worth of
books to choose from.
2.
BIOGRAPHY
This can be modern or historical, biography or autobiography. From the
latest celebrity autobiography to an academic biography of Henry VIII -
it all counts! Perhaps you fancy a book on your favourite classic movie
star, athlete or musician?
3.
COOKERY, FOOD AND WINE
Ideas for this one range from a delectable cookery book to a food memoir
(like Nigel Slater's Toast or Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential),
a book on wine to the history of marmalade.
4.
HISTORY
More scope to indulge a whole range of interests here, including local
history, military history or world history. It might be a biography of
Anne Boleyn, a book on World War II aircraft, a study of the American
civil war, or something with a much smaller focus, like Bill Bryson's At
Home or Mark Kurlansky's Salt: A World History. Whatever floats your
boat!
5.
MODERN FICTION
This covers literary and popular fiction, so you can't really go wrong
with this one. From Sophie Kinsella to Haruki Murakami, Wilbur Smith to
Isabel Allende, Jenny Colgan to Kate Mosse, you should be able to find
something to fit your tastes!
6.
GRAPHIC NOVELS AND MANGA
This will be an entirely new genre for me, but I'm looking forward to
hitting the library to see what all the fuss is about! First on my 'to
check out' list will be Neil Gaiman's Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes
and Alan Moore's V for Vendetta.
7.
CRIME AND MYSTERY
This category will cover everything from the genteel Agatha Christie and
the scrummy Hannah Swensen Mysteries by Joanne Fluke, through Henning
Mankell and Stieg Larsson, to the gruesome forensics of Martina Cole and
Val McDermid. You could even delve into some gritty true crime if
that's more your style.
8.
HORROR
One for Hallowe'en, perhaps! Maybe a modern writer like Stephen King or
James Herbert, or you could turn to the classics with Edgar Allen Poe
or the ghostly writings of M.R. James? Some YA novels would also fit
into this category - Darren Shan, or Lindsey Barraclough's Long Lankin -
but no paranormal romance!
9.
ROMANCE
I'd say the cheesier the better for this one, but it's up to you! Mills
and Boon, paranormal romance, chick lit fluff, whatever. Personally
I'll be browsing our Mills and Boon shelf at the shop and pulling out
the trashiest title I can find! :)
10.
SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY
Again, plenty of scope here. From the hilarious characters of Terry
Pratchett's Discworld to Tolkien's epic Lord of the Rings, Charlaine
Harris's Southern Vampire Mysteries to Frank Herbert's Dune, you can go
modern or classic, and pick from any number of sub-genres.
11.
TRAVEL
The world is your oyster, as it were! Maybe you're going somewhere
interesting on holiday and want to read up on it first? Rough Guides,
Lonely Planet guides, that kind of thing. You could pick a Bill Bryson
(always popular) or choose a book on a particular city, country or
continent, like Francesco da Mosto's Venice or one of Michael Palin's
books. Then there are all the delectable memoirs by people who've moved
abroad and opened a taverna/olive farm/vineyard!
12.
POETRY AND DRAMA
This could be a novelty collection of limericks, a collection by a
particular poet, or if that sounds a bit daunting, a single, longer
narrative poem. How about 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner', 'Hiawatha'
or 'The Waste Land'? My particular favourite is probably Christina
Rossetti's 'Goblin Market', which is more like a simple fairytale that
just happens to rhyme. Or you could choose a play - how about Ibsen,
Miller, Shakespeare or the brilliantly witty Wilde?
13.
JOURNALISM AND HUMOUR
This one might take a little more thinking about, but it should be a bit
of fun! Journalism collections can range from Nick Hornby's
Shakespeare Wrote for Money to Marian Keyes's Under the Duvet, Jeremy
Clarkson's The World According to Clarkson to Bill Bryson's Notes from a
Big Country. Anything that's been published in a newspaper or magazine
first! Humour could be a book of cartoons, a novelty joke book or The
Wicked Wit of Oscar Wilde!
14.
SCIENCE AND NATURAL HISTORY
Again, this one throws the doors wide open for you to follow your
interests. Always fancied learning more about space? Are you curious
about the life of Charles Darwin? Or got a lifelong love for a
particular animal? There are some wonderful 'popular science' books
around too, including things like The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,
David Attenborough's natural history books, and the entire works of the
brilliantly funny Mary Roach.
15.
CHILDREN'S AND YOUNG ADULT
This leaves the way open for pretty much anything, whether it's reading
The Hungry Caterpillar or The Magical Faraway Tree to your kids,
revisiting the joys of The Secret Garden or Treasure Island, or
devouring something from the modern tide of YA. Lots of dystopian
fiction, coming-of-age novels and supernatural shenanigans to choose
from!
16.
SOCIAL SCIENCES AND PHILOSOPHY
Another wide area! Books on society and women (Female Chauvinist Pigs,
Living Dolls), books on society and children (Toxic Childhood,
Nurtureshock), books on how television and the internet are affecting
our lives, Jostein Gaarder's Sophie's World, books on Freud or Marx...
Hopefully that's started a few ideas bouncing around and whetted your appetite for 2012!
~ LEVELS OF PARTICIPATION ~
•
MEASURING JUG: Playing it safe with 1-4 categories
•
CUPCAKE MIX: Livening things up with 5-8 categories
•
MIXING BOWL: Branching out with 9-12 categories
•
TWO-TIER CAKE: Getting ambitious with 13-15 categories
•
ALL THE TRIMMINGS AND A CHERRY ON TOP: Going for gold with the full 16!
~ HOW TO PARTICIPATE ~
• Read one book from each of the challenge categories, using the
guidelines above. Don't use the same book for more than one category!
• The challenge will run until December 31st 2012, so you can sign up any time during the year.
• Create a blog post for the challenge, to keep track of what you've
read. Add review links for each completed book so we can see how
you're getting on. My post, for example, looks like THIS.
• The URL you leave in the Mr Linky MUST be a direct link to your
challenge post, not to your blog homepage - I don't have time to comb
through several months' worth of posts searching for it as the year
wears on!
• Leave a comment on this post with your blog name (so I can match you
to your Linky entry) and your chosen level of participation.
• Bookmark this post so you can come back later! I'll be adding links
to update posts over the year, plus you'll have the category guidelines
handy if you need them!
• At the end of the year, everyone who has read along and hit their
chosen target will be entered into a bookish giveaway. Prizes to be
determined!
