Sunday Salon: February 26, 2012

It has been a while since I have done a Sunday Salon - I am glad to be getting back to it! Work has been out of control lately and it has impinged on my blogging for sure. Case in point - it is almost the end of February and I still haven't posted about my selected 2012 challenges! Well, that ends now - here goes:

Mount TBR Challenge: Hosted by Reader's Block: I am sure you have seen me comment here before about just how many books are on shelves waiting to be read so this challenge is much needed! I am joining at the Pike's Peak level which requires me to read 12 books that were on my shelves prior to Jan 1, 2012. One per month - totally doable!

What's In a Name 5 hosted by Beth Fish Reads: I have attempted this challenge for the past two years but always seem to miss by one book or so. Here are this year's categories:

• A book with a topographical feature (land formation) in the title: Black Hills, Purgatory Ridge, Emily of Deep Valley 
• A book with something you'd see in the sky in the title: Moon Called, Seeing Stars, Cloud Atlas 
• A book with a creepy crawly in the title: Little Bee, Spider Bones, The Witches of Worm 
• A book with a type of house in the title: The Glass Castle, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, Ape House 
• A book with something you'd carry in your pocket, purse, or backpack in the title: Sarah's Key, The Scarlet Letter, Devlin Diary 
• A book with a something you'd find on a calendar in the title: Day of the Jackal, Elegy for April, Freaky Friday, Year of Magical Thinking  

The British Books Challenge hosted by Overflowing Library: The goal of this challenge is to read books by British authors and the requirement is 12 books (again, one per month). I love Britain and especially books by her authors so this one was a no-brainer for me!

Memorable Memoirs Challenge hosted by Betty and Boo Chronicles I love a good memoir so this might not be much of a challenge but I love to participate every year. My goal is to read between 5 and 9 memoirs this year. My participation as a voting memoir of the memoir category for Indie Lit Awards should give me nice head start on this one - I have 5 memoirs to read by the end of Q1.

  Battle of the Prizes (British Version) hosted by Rose City Reader In this challenge, participants are asked to read one winner of the James Tait Black Prize, One winner of the Booker Prize and one book that has won both prizes. The link to the challenge includes lists of books for each category. Some options for me this year are Lotus Eaters and Secret Scripture (Booker) and Line of Beauty and The Sea (James Tait).

The Ireland Reading Challenge hosted by Books and Movies: Ireland holds a special place in my heart and my shelves overflow with books set there and/or written by Irish authors. My goal is to read at the Ceilidh level (10 books). I attended an event on Thursday night at the Center for Fiction and picked up a book I will read for this challenge - Solace by Belinda McKeon. The event included Colm Toibin and Belinda McKeon, two Irish authors, in discussion. It was a great night!

South Asian Challenge hosted by S. Krishna's Books In this challenge, we are asked to read books by South Asian authors. I enjoy books set in this region and have signed up to read 4 books.

  Southern Literature Challenge hosted by Introverted Reader I am excited to include some Southern reads in my reading this year. I will be joining at Level 3 (Have a glass of sweet iced tea, honey") which means I am reading 3 books.

  Europa Editions Challenge : I joined this one last year but failed miserably! I am determined to read at least two Europas this year. Europa has some great books in the collection including some with Immigrant themes which is a special interest of mine.

Finally, I will be joining the other participants in the challenge I am hosting - Immigrant Stories Challenge 2012 I am excited to be hosting this one again - last year's challenge participants read some great books for the challenge and I hope to include some of them in my own picks this year.

Well, there you have it - the challenges have been set out - now off to read! Enjoy the week!