Merry Christmas everyone! Hope you have a great time unwrapping your presents, dig into those Christmas pudding and have a great time with family and friends.
The year of 2011 is almost ended and I have my eye on a few new reading challenges next year. So here is my sign-up post for all challenges that I hope to participate next year:
It is with sheer trepidation that I am signing up to two challenges of reading off my shelves again. This madness of acquiring books without reading them cannot go on and I agree with the host that the purpose of this challenge is to:
“decrease the size of the stack, not let it metastasize all over your bookshelves like some kind of fascinating but ultimately dangerous literary cancer.”
So that’s what I wanted to do. For Off the shelf challenge, I’ll be aiming for 30 books to read.
Making A Dint – Choose 30 books to read
What is my current book hoarding crisis situation right now?
The stats for reading own books this year hasn’t been impressive. I have read 21 books from my shelf this year, many which are acquired the same year. 
At Christmas day, I have 240 unread books at home, I aim to read about 15 % (about 35 books) of the total unread books. If at weak resolve I acquire more books in 2012, that will skew my 15% target and I’ll never be able to achieve it.
Roof Beam Reader 2012 tbr pile challenge : I’m also joining Roof Beam Reader’s TBR challenge. They are all one of the same challenge why sign-up for more you’d say? Well, the more pressure the better. This madness of not reading from my own shelf is going too far!!!
So here’s another try for the 12 next year and two alternates:
- Captain Corelli’s Mandolin – Louis De Bernieres
- The Bird Song – Sebastian Faulk
- Crime and Punishment – Fyodor Dostoyevsky
- My Name is Red – Orhan Pamuk
- A Fine Balance – Rohinton Mistry
- Fingersmith – Sarah Waters
- The Dark Side of Love – Rafik Schami
- Enduring Love – Ian McEwan
- A Suitable Boy – Vikram Seth
- The Moor’s Last Sigh – Salman Rushdie
- Wolf Totem – Jiang Rong
- The Poisonwood’s Bible – Barbara Kingsolver
- White Teeth – Zadie Smith
- Small Island – Andrea Levy
Middle Eastern Challenge 2012: I consider reading books about Middle Eastern and North Africa my yearly staple. The new year with no exception.
I am joining Tea and Books reading challenge as well. First because the button is absolutely gorgeous, and I do have several chunksters of more than 700 pages to get through. So if I try out for the Chamomile Tea level at 2 books and achieve it I may feel motivated enough to drink Earl Grey after that!
Non-fiction non memoir challenge: Again I can’t see the year goes by without reading any non-fiction. They are my guilty pleasure and I will endeavour to read more in the new year than what I read this year.
Graham Greene Reading Challenge: Like Carrie I’m reminded how I love The Quiet American, when I first introduced to Graham Greene, since then I read another 3 of his novels.
The Quiet American by Graham Greene
The End of the Affair By Graham Greene
The Heart of the Matter By Graham Greene
The Power and The Glory, Graham Greene
For this challenge, I’m getting my feet wet (level title) with 2 Graham Greene books read for 2012. I’ll join in on the Brighton Rock readalong and maybe read “The Man in Havana” or “The Comedian” or “The General’s consul”. There are so many to choose from!
Over 2 years I have accummulated a lot of books written by Indian Authors and this year I’ll be taking this opportunity to participate in the South asian challenge!
These are some of the books I have in my shelf which qualifies:
- Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai
- Fasting, Feasting by Anita Desai
- The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh
- A Suitable Boy, by Vikram Seth
- A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
- Tiger Hills by Sarita Mandanna
- and a few Salman Rushdie’s books
Just off the boat: 1-3 books
This land is my land?: 4-6 books
Fully assimilated: 6+ books
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All challenges run from January 1, 2012 through December 31, 2012. That’s the way I like it. Gives me enough time to plod along at the beginning of the year and do the last sprint sometime at the end of the year!
For this reason I’ll have to take a rain check on some reading challenges that expects me to read books by category, and read one every month or read vigorously for the entire month on Charles Dicken (as much as I want to read Dicken soon but I can’t commit to posting about him every Tuesday) or books from European countries. It’s a little intense and restrictive for me.
That’s seven challenges (not counting TBR challenges which are of the same nature) so far that I have signed up. I’ll be watching out for the Japanese Literature Challenge later this year.
What about you? How did you do this year and how many have you sign up for the new year?
Oh my! What a lot of challenges! But it will be a lot of fun trying to do them all.
I did pretty good with my (few) challenges this year – except for one that I devised myself – I only read 1 of 10 books for that one.
Next year I’m taking it easy, but still signed up to 3 or so challenges.
Happy Christmas, Jo!
Posted by Judith / Leeswammes | December 25, 2011, 2:32 pmJudith,
… I’m still catching up with this year’s challenge and I’ll be posting about it soon.
What are you doing here on Christmas Day?? LOL.. Happy Christmas to you too Judith! I’m the same, I’m good with other challenges except the one that I devised.
I try to refrain (not very much) next year! My average was 10 a year.
Posted by JoV | December 25, 2011, 2:43 pmWow Jo. That’s an inspirational list of challenges ! My bookshelf is growing and tipping dangerously to the never-going-to-be-touched side so maybe it’s high time I start cutting down on buying and finding more time to read read and read
Merry Christmas and a Wonderful New Year to you !!
Posted by Joanna | December 25, 2011, 2:40 pmJoanna,
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you too!
Then you should join me on the TBR and read from the shelf challenge then!
Posted by JoV | December 25, 2011, 3:00 pmThose challenges look wonderful, Jo, and you are so successful with them I’m sure you’ll complete them all!
Good luck with reading from your shelf, sounds like you could open your own library 
Merry Christmas!
Posted by Bina | December 25, 2011, 5:31 pmBina,
but I’ll do my best next year! Happy New Year to you!
Thanks for your kind words Bina. Not so successful this 2011. Didn’t complete TBR as I hope to.
Posted by JoV | December 27, 2011, 8:27 pmGreat challenges, Jo! I am so glad you’re joining me for the Middle East Challenge. And, I loved the Southwest Asia challenge when I did it two years ago
Posted by Helen | December 25, 2011, 7:07 pmThanks Helen. Look forward to more Middle Eastern Lit.
Posted by JoV | December 27, 2011, 7:40 pmMerry Christmas to you, too, JoV, and good luck with all those challenges you have lined up for 2012! I’d like to put a dent in my TBR next year as well, but unlike you I’m too disorganized to figure out the number of titles I’d like to read from it. I also want to use the library more, so my goal is really less acquisitions more than slimming down on the TBR stack. Cheers!
Posted by Richard | December 25, 2011, 7:57 pmRichard,
Merry Christmas to you! Assuming you have read everything you got on your shelf, library loan is the way to go, otherwise you’ll fall into the same trap as I did this year, i.e. reading more of library books and not reading enough off my shelf!
Posted by JoV | December 27, 2011, 7:42 pmWhile not officially joining any of your (three) read-from-my-own pile challenges, I do feel compelled to do the same. Not buy, just read what I have.
I see several wonderful titles in this post which I, too, want to read such as A Fine Balance and My Name is Red.
Already I’m looking forward to 2012!
Posted by Bellezza | December 25, 2011, 8:58 pmBellezza,
Making a book list as such makes me look forward to 2012 a little more! I hope you get to read A Fine Balance and My Name is Red soon!
Posted by JoV | December 27, 2011, 7:43 pmMy goodness, that is a lot of challenges! I’ll only be doing the usual few…
…and they can wait until next year – merry Christmas!
Posted by Tony | December 25, 2011, 11:22 pmTony,
Good idea… challenges can wait! Happy new year.
Posted by JoV | December 27, 2011, 7:44 pmSome great challenges-consider strongly adding some R. K. Narayan to your Indian reads-I want to read A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry in 2012 also-On Rushdie I have one of his books as an E-File and pretty sure will get it in 2012-if you have not read Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh it is a very good historical novels-I have two or three e books of Ghosh and will read some of his work in 2012
I hope 2012 is a great reading year for you
Posted by Mel u | December 26, 2011, 4:24 amMel,
I hope 2012 is a great reading year for you too! Yes, how can I forget R.K. Narayan? I’ll put that into the list, thanks for reminding me on that one.
Posted by JoV | December 27, 2011, 7:45 pmWelcome to the Graham Greene Challenge! And good luck with all the other ones you’re joining, too.
Posted by Carrie K. | December 26, 2011, 4:36 amCarrie K,
Thanks. Won’t miss out on Graham Greene for the world.
Posted by JoV | December 27, 2011, 7:46 pmWhat an inspiring list of challenges. Just like the last year, I am tempted to steal some off from your list. I am particularly interested in Off the Shelf and Tea and Books. The latter sounds challenging (well that is why it is called a challenge, isn’t it?) but I think I can do it. I am not signing up for TBR, the last year was a big failure, I am not doing it again.
Posted by Anamika | December 26, 2011, 5:59 amAnamika,
I’ll let you know when I’m reading to gobble up A Suitable Boy. Last year TBR wasn’t particularly great for me due to lack of discipline in library loan. I think both Off the Shelf and Tea and Books will give me the extra push I need to read some chunksters and forget about the counting numbers of books read, instead think about how many great epics I will read next year.
Posted by JoV | December 27, 2011, 7:47 pmWow…you have a lot of challenges.I haven’t begun challenge hunting yet
Probably later, early january
Posted by Novroz | December 26, 2011, 9:05 amNovroz,
Tough to ignore these challenges when it pops up on my radar. I’m sure there are more to come next year that you get to choose.
Posted by JoV | December 27, 2011, 7:49 pmHey, Jo!
First of all, thanks for your list of challenges. It has saved me from having to hunt for the challenges on my own. *shame* Lol.
Anyway, I am very much interested with both Middle East Challenge and South Asian Challenge. Time to expand my reading horizon. I will definitely sign them up.
Also, I will sign up for Non-Fiction Non-Memoir Reading Challenge as I have vowed to read more nonfiction (particularly books on self-improvement, business, psychology and politics) since my uni library has a great collection of them so I better make full use of it before I graduate.
In case u haven’t known, as announced in Budget 2012, Malaysian government is giving out RM200 book voucher to all the local students (primary to tertiary education).. I am particularly thrilled about it and can’t wait to enjoy using in January.
Let’s make 2012 a fruitful year with lots of reading. A Happy New Year to u!
Posted by Ting | December 26, 2011, 1:53 pmTing,
You are serious?!! RM200 for ALL students? not just selective ones? and how are they going to do that? Are they officially giving out on a single day or in schedule? or claim it yourself kind of thing? Anyway, I’m happy with my library, charity shops and Amazon.co.uk, but with the lack of alternatives in Malaysia, I’m happy that every student is getting a RM200 vouchers.
Let me know what you are reading for Middle East, South Asian and Non-fiction, non-memoir challenge. It will be great to compare notes.
Posted by JoV | December 27, 2011, 7:52 pmSorry, I got my info wrong. Obviously not ALL, but only students in matriculation, form 6 and (local and public) higher learning institutions. The eligible students will claim using their student card or IC from their respective schools or institutions starting next month. Then we can redeem the book vouchers (only valid from 1st Jan till 31st March 2012) from all participating book shops. I just hope they don’t limit the kind of books we can buy with it.
Sure, I will list them down once I have got more time!
Posted by Ting | December 29, 2011, 6:14 pmTing,
Ah..that makes sense. but textbooks are expensive and I’m sure RM200 is not enough for those foreign textbooks. oh well, better than nothing. Hope to see your list soon!
Posted by JoV | December 31, 2011, 1:48 amThat’s a lot of challenges! Thanks for including the Non-Fiction Non-Memoir challenge in your list. I hope you enjoy it!
Posted by Julie | December 27, 2011, 3:07 amJulie,
I will do. Lots of business and management books I’m suppose to read up. They will not be particularly popular with my blog readers but it is essential for my livelihood!
Posted by JoV | December 27, 2011, 7:54 pmThose challenges look serious.
I see you’ve got The Poisonwood Bible on the list and I can only say it’s an excellent choice. Also, “Letters from Thailand” by Botan would be a good addition to your Immigrant Stories Challenge. Just sayin’.
I hope you’re enjoying the holidays.
Posted by Delia (Postcards from Asia) | December 27, 2011, 3:17 pmDelia,
I’ll check out “Letters from Thailand”, by title, already I’m liking it. I hope you are enjoying the hols too, even though I must say everyday feels like hols in the Tropical.
Posted by JoV | December 27, 2011, 7:56 pmOnly if you’re not working, Jo, only then…:)
Posted by Delia (Postcards from Asia) | December 28, 2011, 12:56 pmDelia – thanks for the “Letters from Thailand” recommendation for the Immigrant Stories Challenge – I will add it to the suggested reading list!
Posted by booksnyc | December 29, 2011, 2:37 amYou have chosen some fun looking challenges for 2012. enjoy. I picked a few as well – 6 worked perfectly for me in 2011.
Posted by Diane@BibliophileBytheSea | December 28, 2011, 1:38 amDiane,
All the very best in 2012 challenges!
Posted by JoV | December 28, 2011, 7:50 pmThis sound like great challenges ! I’m probably going to participate in at least one, probably two or three or these. THANKS for promoting them !!!
Posted by maphead | December 28, 2011, 3:41 pmMaphead,
I’ll be interested to know which 3 you have chosen. Obviously non-fiction non-memoir!
Posted by JoV | December 28, 2011, 7:52 pmAbsolutely !
Posted by maphead | January 5, 2012, 3:00 pmGlad you are on board for the Immigrant Stories Challenge this year! I am doing many of the same other challenges you are doing so it will be good to check-in throughout the year on what we are each reading.
Posted by booksnyc | December 29, 2011, 2:39 amBooksnyc,
Will do. Do check-in time and again, it will be great to encourage one another.
Posted by JoV | December 29, 2011, 5:04 pmoh – and btw – Glass Palace and Inheritance of Loss are two of my favorite Southeast Asian author books. Hope you enjoy them too!
Posted by booksnyc | December 29, 2011, 2:41 amBooksync,
I can’t wait.
Posted by JoV | December 29, 2011, 5:05 pmahh.. The unread book challenge. I guess I need something like that too, there are far too many now lying unread.
I think buying books and reading them are two very separate activities and I bet you will still buy more and that unread pile will keep growing :p
Everyone who reads has a unread pile. May be there should be some unread book exchange club
Posted by driftwood | December 30, 2011, 7:21 amDriftwood,
What’s why the host of unread challenge wants you to achieve a certain % on your unread books, rather than how many you bought. I think there should be a unread book exchange club too!
Posted by JoV | December 31, 2011, 1:52 amCrime and Punishment almost made my list – but I’ve got so many chunksters on it, I had to pass on some. I hear good things about A Suitable Boy and The Poisonwood Bible… and White Teeth is pretty fantastic. Good luck & thanks for taking the challenge!
Posted by Roof Beam Reader | December 30, 2011, 6:06 pmRoof Beam Reader,
Likewise, thanks for hosting it. Hope Crime and Punishment make it to your list one day!
Posted by JoV | December 31, 2011, 1:53 amgood luck as for me no challenges next year just read as I want for a year ,all the best stu
Posted by winstonsdad | December 31, 2011, 12:58 pmStu,
That’s the best really but because I’m tempted it’s hard to say no to these wonderful challenges!
Posted by JoV | December 31, 2011, 8:59 pmI haven’t technically signed up for any challenges for 2012 yet but I’m pretty certain I will be signing for the Mental Illness Advocacy challenge again, also contemplating a Terry Pratchett reading challenge as well. Looking at your list I think I might have to go check out the Tea and Books Reading Challenge
Posted by jessicabookworm | December 31, 2011, 5:38 pmJessica,
Do sign up for Tea and Books!
Somehow I can’t read Terry Pratchett. I tried but I couldn’t read on. The MIA sounds good. I like to read 1 or 2 books, will that qualify?
Posted by JoV | December 31, 2011, 9:03 pmAh I must admit I think Terry Pratchett is an aquired taste…like marmite
I think the lowest level for the MIA reading challenge is four books but I’d double check that for yourself.
Posted by jessicabookworm | January 1, 2012, 9:04 pmJessica,
I think you are right. I thought 4 books is quite a big commitment for me therefore I didn’t sign-up. If it’s 2, I would go for it.
Posted by JoV | January 1, 2012, 9:31 pmI did pretty badly, only completing three challenges. This year, I’m hoping to make a dent in my tbr pile, which I failed to do last year :/ Like you, I’m participating in the South Asian challenge, but this year I haven’t selected any books beforehand. A Suitable Boy is a bit too daunting (huge!) but I did tick off The Inheritance of Loss last year. Looking forward to your review of that book
Posted by Chinoiseries | January 3, 2012, 8:25 pmChinoiseries,
If you are up to it, we can read A Suitable Boy together. Make it less painful for you than going it alone.
Posted by JoV | January 5, 2012, 10:55 pmInspired you and a few of my other favorite bloggers, I’ve signed up for a number of challenges. Here’s a link to my challenge page:
http://maphead.wordpress.com/2012-challenges/
Posted by maphead | January 5, 2012, 2:58 pmMaphead,
I thought it’s great that everyone sign up to the unread challenge, TBR of some sort.. common problem for book lovers who are unable to read from our own shelves… wait till you hear what’s coming from the publishing world in 2012!
Posted by JoV | January 5, 2012, 11:04 pmReally exciting challenges here. Good luck with reading off your shelf – if it makes you feel better I’m sure I’ve got over 500 unread on my shelves now :S Oops. heh
Posted by amymckie | January 20, 2012, 12:09 amAmy,
Thanks! Darn that buying ban anyway!
Posted by JoV | January 20, 2012, 9:36 am