Mini-Challenge 2008

THE MINI-CHALLENGE 2008

Sponsored by ANovelChallenge owner, Wendy (caribousmom)

1. Complete all twelve mini-challenges from January 1st through December 31st of 2008 and become eligible for some fun prizes at the end of the year. DO NOT start this challenge prior to January 1, 2008.

2. Challenges may be completed in any order and may overlap other challenges. Work through them at your own speed.

3. Participants must EITHER post their progress (and reviews if appropriate) to their blog with links to this group OR directly to this group.

4. After completing each challenge, go to the database and record the completion date in the correct column next to your name.

Here are the challenges:

1. Read a short story – review it

I completed a whole book of short stories this week, My Mistress’s Sparrow is Dead. They all centered on the theme of love. One of my favorites was the last story, “The Bear Came Over the Mountain.” An elderly woman is growing increasingly forgetful and her husband finds he has to put her in a nursing home. Within a short time, the woman meets an elderly man and they form a strong attachment. The husband at first feels very awkward being around his wife and her new admirer. But he grows to see the relationship is helpful to her and begins to support it.

A fascinating story in a book of fascinating stories.

2. Read a children’s book  – review it

I’ve read over a hundred children’s books this year, so it is hard for me to pick out just one!  Some of my favorites were Middle School is Worse than Meatloaf (interesting format), Winnie the Pooh (great characters), Battle of the Labyrinth (new Percy Jackson book), Elijah of Buxton (new Christopher Paul Curtis), Because of Winn-Dixie, The Westing Game, How to Steal a Dog, and Holes. But best of all I loved Never Cry Wolf, a book that was described to me as being a child’s book. Never Cry Wolf is the Story of a man who heads off into the wilds of Canada to study wolves. Boy, does he learn a lot! Everything he was told about wolves he finds is wrong.

3. Read a poem – tell us about it

4. Read a banned book – review it

One of the books I read this year that is on many banned book lists is The Giver. It’s called a children’s book, but I found it to be a book almost anyone would love. The Giver is the story of a boy who lives in a society where everything is controlled, from learning to ride a bicycle to finding a job. The boy in the story has reached the age where he is to be given his assignment for a job and he learns he is to be the Receiver of Memory, the one person in the society who holds all the memories of the world. It is a difficult job, as the boy learns.

5. Give a book away (you may donate to charity, give a book to a friend, leave a book “in the wild” to be found by another reader…as long as you do not sell it!) - post why you chose the book you did and where it went

I released 42 books the first week of the year.

6. Read two (2) articles from any one magazine – tell us about them

7. Read a classic (for this challenge a classic is defined as a piece of literature which has stood the test of time, has literary merit, is widely read,  and was published prior to 1970) – review it

For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway 

I was expecting to loathe this book. It was nothing like I expected. 

Yes, For Whom the Bell Tolls is about war. There are all the horrors of war in this book. But nothing was extraneous, gratuitous, undeserved. And the book was about so much more than just war. Hemingway delves into relationships and honor and courage and heroism.  

It is a great book.

8. Go to a book event and then tell the group about your experience (book events may be library events, author readings, seminars/lectures pertaining to books or reading, etc…)

In April, I went with a friend to see Cokie Roberts talk about her new book, Ladies of Liberty. She told many stories about the writing of the book and about her experiences with women in politics. She told us she is now working on children’s versions of her two books about woman and politics.

9. Read an essay – tell us about it

10. Read something inspirational – tell the group why it inspired you

I read Sundays in America this week. It is a book about the author’s yearlong attempt to visit many different Christian churches and find the one that was right for her. I have always wanted to visit other churches and this book may have inspired me to go out and visit some.

11. Read a book written by a “new-to-you” author – review it

12. Participate in a group or buddy read and discussion (this can be either a face to face book club, an on line group, or a blog/buddy read). Tell the group what you read and with whom; give us a review!

I’m participating in an online group discussion this month with a classics groups. The book is For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway. Usually when I read a book with a group, I sit back and read all the posts. This time, I am attempting to jump in and post a few comments. That should take me out of my comfort zone pretty fast!

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