Announcing The Ireland Reading Challenge 2014

Carrie from Books and Movies has hosted the Ireland Reading Challenge for the past number of years and I have always enjoyed participating - books set in Ireland or by Irish authors are a favorite genre of mine - and it was great to see the variety of books read by the partipants. Carrie was looking for a new host for the challenge and I am glad to take it over - thanks to Carrie for all the excellent work in hosting this challenge until now. I haven't changed much (other than the start and end dates) - why mess with a good thing?!

 Here are the guidelines:

 ~ The challenge runs from January 1, 2014 to November 30, 2014.

 ~ Any books read for this challenge can also apply to other challenges you are working on.

~Re-reads are allowed.

 ~ Any book written by an Irish author, set in Ireland, or involving Irish history or Irish characters, counts for the challenge – fiction, non-fiction, poetry, audiobooks, children’s books – all of these apply.

 ~ Choose your commitment level:
 Shamrock level: 4 books
 Luck o’ the Irish level: 6 books
Kiss the Blarney Stone level: 8 books
Ceilidh level: 10+ books

 ~ Sign up below and feel free to copy the button at the top of this post and put it into your sign-up post or on your blog

You don’t have to list your books ahead of time – just have fun reading throughout the year.

 ~ I will add a Mr. Linky for reviews and wrap-up posts and you can always get to the info page or review link-up via the links in my sidebar (look left).

Credit

Adh mor ort! (Good Luck to you!)

Sunday Salon - January 13, 2013 - 2013 challenges

Happy Sunday! I hope you all had a good weekend. This was a rough week at work - I kept wondering how we were only 8 days into the new year  - so I was happy to have two days of down time. I spent some time working on the blog and planning my 2013 challenges and here are my sign-ups:

7 Continents, 7 Billion People 7 Books - I love to travel and when I can't do it in person, I like to do it in my books so this challenge grabbed my attention.  The purpose of this challenge is to explore the world by reading 7 books each from a different angle:

The challenge: to select and read seven books, each belonging to one of the following categories:
- the 7 countries with the most population

- the 7 highest countries in the world

- the 7 oldest countries of the world

- one of the 7 megacities of the world

- the 7 countries with the most immigrants

- the 7 richest (or poorest) countries

- the 7 most rainy (or dry) countries

The Ireland Challenge - This will be my third year participating in this one and it is one of my favorites.  I love Ireland and its authors so this challenge is perfect for me!  This year I will be participating at the Kiss The Blarney Stone level (8 books).  Some picks: The Forgotten Waltz by Anne Enright,  A Week in Winter by Maeve Binchy, City of Hope by Kate Kerrigan, Empty Family by Colm Toibin

British Books Challenge I am an anglophile and really enjoy books set in the UK and by British authors.  This challenge requires 12 books (which I failed at last year) so I will need to be more intentional about reading British authors rather than just reading along and figuring I will hit the target. Some titles to consider this year  - Family Pictures by Jane Green, The Line Of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst, A Week in December by Sebastian Faulks, Serving Victoria by Kate Hubbard

What's In a Name 6  - this is another repeat challenge for me but I finally finished it last year so I am encouraged to try again!  I love how the categories really get me thinking about books that could qualify.  The challenge is to read one book in each of the following categories:

1. A book with up or down (or equivalent) in the title: TBD
2. A book with something you'd find in your kitchen in the title: Yes, Chef by Marcus Samuelson
3. A book with a party or celebration in the title: TBD
4. A book with fire (or equivalent) in the title: TBD
5. A book with an emotion in the title: Tapestry of Love by Rosy Thornton
6. A book with lost or found (or equivalent) in the title: And Then I Found You by Patti Callahan Henry

Southern Literature Challenge - this will be my second year participating in this challenge too.  Last year I read three books but this year I am going to try for four at the "Y'all come back now" level.  A few choices for this challenge are Whistlin' Dixie in a Nor'easter by Lisa Patton, Looking For Me by Beth Hoffman, The Help by Kathryn Stockett (I might be the only person left not to have read this book!)

Off the Shelf - my shelves are overflowing so anything that motivates me to read what I already have sounds like a good idea! This is the first time I have joined this challenge but I am looking forward to thinning the unread books in my collection.  In my effort to get off to a good start, some of the books I have identified  for the challenges above are currently on my shelf and soon to be off the shelf. I am joining at the "trying" level (15 books)

Immigrant Stories Challenge - I am hosting this challenge again this year and am looking forward to seeing what the participants read and also featuring some great new immigrant stories and their authors.  Some that I have in my sights for this year are American Dervish by Ayad Aktar, Fresh Off The Boat by Eddie Huang


Are you joining any reading challenges this year?

Sunday Salon: January 6, 2013

Happy New Year! (yes, I know it is the 6th already but this is the first TSS since we welcomed 2013). I hope you all had a nice holiday season and New Year and are settling into 2013. My family was here until Wednesday this week and it was great to spend so much time with them. I went back to work on Wednesday and, although I first wondered why I hadn't just taken vacation until Monday the 7th, now I am glad to have three days under my belt and not walking into a firestorm at the office tomorrow. The short week definitely helped ease me back into work!

  Challenges
Looking back, I did pretty well with challenges in 2012 - a first for me. I think it was because I was measured in my sign-ups and the levels to which I committed for each challenge so I am planning to do that again this year. In the meantime, I want to wrap up the challenges I took part in for 2012. I wrapped up successful completion of the Ireland Challenge and The South Asian Reading challenge in an earlier TSS post, but here is the read-out on the others:

 What's In a Name 5: Finally, I finished this one! I love how the categories really make me think and hunt for books that fit. What I read (links for my reviews):
Topographical Feature: Dune Road by Jane Green
Something You Would See In the Sky: The Uncommon Appeal of Clouds by Alexander McCall Smith
Creepy Crawly: Little Bee by Chris Cleave
Type of House: The Bungalow by Sarah Jio
Something You Can Carry in a Pocket, Purse: Recipes for a Perfect Marriage by Morag Prunty
Something You Find on a Calendar: The Year of the Gadfly by Jennifer Miller

British Books Challenge : I signed up for 12 books but only finished 7 - there is always next year!
I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella
Another Piece of My Heart by Jane Green
Dune Road by Jane Green
Little Bee by Chris Cleave
Gold by Chris Cleave
The Uncommon Appeal of Clouds by Alexander McCall Smith
The Queen: A Life in Brief by Robert Lacey

Southern Literature : I definitely want to do this one again - I had some other books picked out for this year but reached my commitment level with others so I have a pile all ready to go for 2013!
The Good Father by Diane Chamberlain
Midwife's Confession by Diane Chamberlain
Blue Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews (review not posted yet)

Mount TBR: This is a much needed challenge for me and I am ashamed to admit I did not succeed - I will try harder in 2013 (running out of places to put the books).  I cleared 7 books off the shelves - goal was 12.

I will post about my selected challenges for 2013 next week.  For those of you still considering challenges, I will be hosting my Immigrant Stories Challenge again this year.  I hope you will considering participating or helping to spread the word about the challenge!

Downton

Downton Abbey is back, Downton Abbey is back!  I am counting down the minutes till 9 tonight when I can settle in with the Granthams! Right before the holidays, I hosted a giveaway for the newest Downton book - The Chronicles of Downton Abbey.

Selected by Random.org, the winner is Carrie from Fitness and Frozen Grapes!  Enjoy!

Have a great week!

The Sunday Salon: Dec 9, 2012 - Challenges

It's been an overcast weekend here in NY and I am feeling a little under the weather which means I have accomplished very little over the past two days. This Christmas to-do list is looming next to me - I need to get a least a few things done! I have the cards out and am going to get those started today for sure. Do you have holiday tasks scheduled today?

As the end of the year nears, I am wrapping up my 2012 reading challenges. After three years of attempting challenges, I think this is the first where I have completed most of them (there are still some DNF's in there unfortunately).   I am also excited to see all the reviews people have linked to the challenge that I am hosting - The Immigrant Stories Challenge. You can check them out here.  I am going to host again in 2013 so look for the sign-up info soon!

Today I am going to wrap up two challenges for which all the reviews are posted (I have finished others but the reviews of some are still pending).

Ireland Reading Challenge  - This challenge is hosted by Carrie at Books and Movies.  My Mom is from Ireland and I have always enjoyed books set in Ireland so this is an easy one for me.  This year I joined at the Kiss the Blarney Stone level (6 books) and I read:

Heart and Soul by Maeve Binchy
Whitethorn Woods by Maeve Binchy (audio)
Solace by Belinda McKeon
When Summer Is In the Meadow by Niall Williams and Christine Breen
Lola's Secret by Monica McInerney
Recipes for a Perfect Marriage by Morag Prunty

South Asian Challenge is hosted by Swapna at S. Krishna's Books. I read a lot from this part of the world so I have joined this challenge for the past few years. This year I read five books:

The World We Found by Thrity Urmigar
Miss New India by Bharati Mukherjee
Little Princes by Conor Grennan
And Laughter Fell From The Sky by Jyotsna Sreenivasan
The Good Muslim by Tahmima Anam

Do you do reading challenges?  How have you done on yours so far?

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!

Wrap Up Post: NY Challenge

Well, I have finished my first challenge!! Yahoo!! Ok - it only took one book to finish it but never mind - its an accomplishment!

Jill at Fizzy Thoughts hosted the NY Challenge to get people excited for BEA being held in NYC next week (next week - that came up quickly!). The rules were simple - read one book set in NY between the start of the challenge and May 15th. Jill also hosted 3 mini-challenges:

Feb: Create a list of ten things about NY - I wrote about my ten favorite places to read in NYC - maybe you can visit one or two if you are in town for BEA?
Heather from Age 30+ . . . A Lifetime of Books won the prize that month for her post on her ten favorite things about NY - her post draws attention to some of NYC's best so check it out before you come to the city for BEA!

Mar: Jill combined NY with women's history month and asked us to write about a "woman, NY, history" - I chose to write about Jackie Onassis and I won the prize that month! I received a lovely Strand coffee mug, pen and tin of mints. Thanks, Jill!

Apr: We were asked to compose a poem - my life at work fell apart that month and I could not summon any creative juices (there are few there to begin with!) so I did not participate in the April mini-challenge. But check out the poem written by Jenna from Little Bird - it was the winner that month!

For the challenge, I read a book I had been waiting to read for some time - Brooklyn by Colm Toibin (review here). It is a quiet story about an Irish immigrant living in Brooklyn in the 50's.

Thanks to Jill for hosting an excellent challenge and I look forward to welcoming everyone to the Big Apple next week!

Challenges

Once again I am hosting the Immigrant Stories Challenge - to sign up for The 2013 Immigrant Stories challenge, go here.

Click here to see my list of 2013 challenges.
Click here to link to my 2011 Challenge Sign-Ups
Click here to link to my 2010 Challenge Sign-Ups and Wrap-Ups