Monday, March 16, 2009

Challenge: Colorful Reading

OK, I generally avoid challenges because I have so many reading lists going that I do not like to fracture my attention any more than it already is. But I came across this Colorful Reading Challenge sponsored by Lost in Books and it captured my fancy. I tried to ignore it, but this past weekend (when I was finally unpacking my 800+ TBR books that have been in boxes for the past six months) I realized that I could complete the challenge without acquiring a single book. So I decided to indulge in a challenge with the excuse that it will help me pick from the overwhelming selection. The official rules are "to read 9 books with 9 different colors in the title. Six colors are required, while the last 3 can be your choice. Books may be overlapped with other challenges. At least 6 of the books should be new to you." Reading must take place in 2009. The six required colors are blue, red, white, black, silver, gold. Here is my list, subject to change at whim (like if I find a copy of Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates and ditch the cookbook): BLUE: My Blue Notebooks: The Intimate Journal of Paris's Most Beautiful and Notorious Courtesan by Liane de Pougy RED: Red Square by Martin Cruz Smith WHITE: White Teeth by Zadie Smith BLACK: Black Cherry Blues by James Lee Burke SILVER: The Silver Palate Cookbook by Julee Rosso GOLD: Towers of Gold: How One Jewish Immigrant Named Isaias Hellman Created California by Dinkelspiel, Frances GREEN: Blue Planet in Green Shackles: What Is Endangered: Climate or Freedom? by Vaclav Klaus YELLOW: A Yellow Raft in Blue Water by Michael Dorris BROWN: Bad Boy Brawly Brown by Walter Mosely It was harder than I thought to find the three extra colors, since I have already read A Clockwork Orange and The Color Purple. I had a couple of "scarlet" choices, but I figure that is too close to red.

7 comments:

  1. What a fun challenge! Unpacking will be a challenge too - but it'll be fun to reorganize, realphabetize.... ( can you tell I work in a library!)

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  2. I am so excited you are doing this challenge! What an honor that it is the one challenge you decided to participate in this year! Now, I thought I had a lot of books, but 800+ TBR books? Wow. You have some serious reading to do! I also love going through books again while unpacking (which I also did last weekend after I moved). I look forward to reading your reviews and I like your blog so much I am adding you to my favorites!

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  3. I'm so glad you decided to do this challenge too. Have fun.

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  4. Love it! Happy St. Patrick's Day!

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  5. OK, I confess that one of the reasons I decided to do this challenge was that, by happenstance, I am currently listening to Black Cherry Blues (which technically could count as three choices!) on my iPod and am reading Tower of Gold. I figure I have a running start!

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  6. Gilion, I'm sure Amanda would be happy to lend you her copy of Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates since you're the one who gave it to her!

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  7. Ha! Tell Amanda that I won't borrow back her Silver Skates book! :)

    I'm in kind of an '80s nostalgia mood, so I am looking forward to reading The Silver Palate cookbook.

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