Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Challenging



I've decided to participate in two reading challenges this summer (so far). The first is The Rejuvenate and Renew Reading Challenge hosted by mjmbecky at One Literature Nut. So what are the rules of the challenge?

  • Choose any three non-fiction books that deal with a topic you've wanted to learn more about. This could be money & finance, home decorating, budget tips, weight loss, nutrition, beauty & fashion, writing, religion, philosophy, literary theory, or even a biography. (You get the picture.) Basically, take three how to or self help books that you've been wanting to read, and join in!
  • Read these books between June 1st and September 1st.
  • Sign up by posting a simple comment below. (I didn't want to make things too complicated for this first challenge...for myself, or for anyone else!)
  • Take the button created above and post in your own blog, with a link back here so that we can all see what everyone is reading.
  • Review your books, and once a week I'll put up a post that you can link your own post/review.
  • Enjoy finding out more about what everyone else is learning this summer!
I decided to do this challenge because I already wanted to read some books on Egyptian Art and Buddhism (see post about that here), so this seemed like an extra incentive to get that done. Here are the books I've chosen for mjmbecky's challenge:


Shop Indie Bookstores


Temples, Tombs, & Hieroglyphs by Barbara Mertz--Barbara Mertz is better known as Barbara Michaels or Elizabeth Peters; but before she became a mystery writer, she got a doctorate in Egyptology. I've always thought it would be interesting to read one of her nonfiction books.


Shop Indie Bookstores


Symbol & Magic in Egyptian Art by Richard H. Wilkinson--I bought this book months ago at the suggestion of Harmony0stars, who said it was the best book about Egyptian Art she'd ever read. I haven't had a chance to read it yet, but I'm looking forward to it.


Shop Indie Bookstores


A Concise Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism by John Powers--This was the most promising book on Buddhism I could find at my library. I reserve the right to trade it out for Hardcore Zen, Punk Rock, Monster Movies, & the Truth About Reality by Brad Warner if I can manage to afford it or order it on ILL.




I've also decided to do another challenge, The 4 R's Challenge hosted by Jennifer at Literate Housewife and Nicki from Fyrefly’s Book Blog. What is the challenge?

The 4 Rs stand for Recommend, Read, Review, and Repeat.
We see this four-part challenge happening over a three month cycle.
The only obligati0ns are to sign up, provide a little information
about yourself, be open to other’s suggestions, read one book, review it (on a blog, in LibraryThing, etc.), and join us again for the fall installment. What could be easier than that?

  • Recommend ~ (this
    is where the Secret Santa part got us started) We’ve created a forum
    for all 4 Rs participants. On the forum, you introduce yourself, tell
    us a little bit about yourself as a reader, and let us know why you’re
    joining the challenge. If you are a member of LibraryThing or another
    similar site, include a link so that we can look through your
    electronic library. Also let us know if you have a blog. Provide any
    information you think would be important to someone wanting to
    recommend a book to you. Once you’ve introduced yourself, others can
    stop by and give you suggestions on books they think you’ll enjoy.
  • Read ~ After
    your fellows 4 Rers provide recommendations for you, select one of
    those books to read. You can of course read more than one, but this
    challenge only requires that you select one. You don’t have to buy
    this book. Feel free to bookmooch, paperback swap, or visit your local
    library.
  • Review ~ Once
    you’ve read your book, let us know what you think. Post your review on
    your blog, on Amazon, on LibraryThing, or even within the forum. For
    those of you who do not have blogs, we’d be happy to post your review
    on the 4 Rs website if you’d like.
  • Repeat ~ If
    this challenge is as much fun for you as we’re hoping it will be, stick
    around for the next round in the fall. We’re planning to hold one each
    spring, summer, and fall. We think the holidays are hectic enough on
    their own, so we’ll break from December through Feburary.

Doesn't sound too difficult. I'm looking forward to getting some good recommendations.

If you want to join any of these challenges, feel free to check out the blogs above--the more the merrier! And if you have any reading challenges you're participating in this summer, feel free to share them in the comments.







Powered by ScribeFire.

----------------
Now playing: Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Maps (Live)
via FoxyTunes

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...