Since there are few things in the blogosphere duller than a reading challenge sign-up post (possible exceptions: the Teaser Tuesdays meme and over-caffeinated bloggers who prattle on about "discussions" they've just had on Twitter), please bear with me as I share how excited I am to join the Orbis Terrarum 2010 Challenge hosted by Bethany of Dreadlock Girl! Although I've decided to eschew almost all reading challenges this year in favor of a number of shared reads with good friends and the old-fashioned idea of reading what I want when I want instead, I love Bethany's concept of reading a book a month from a different country based on the author's nation of origin. That really speaks to me for some reason. On a personal note, I'm also very fond of this challenge because I've met many of my favorite bloggers (e.g. Claire, Emily, Gavin, Sarah, and the super friendly Bethany herself) as a direct result of our participation in it during previous OT campaigns. In any event, click here for more details on this year's challenge or click here for a round-up of what I read for last year's event. I'll also be hosting a film mini-challenge of some sort for this year's event, and will keep you posted once Bethany and I iron out the details. Cheers!
1) Roberto Bolaño's La literatura nazi en América [Nazi Literature in the Americas] (Chile)
2) Georges Perec's Life A User's Manual [La Vie mode d'emploi] (France)
3) Naguib Mahfouz's Miramar (Egypt)
4) Roberto Arlt's Los siete locos [The Seven Madmen] (Argentina)
5) Flannery O'Connor's A Good Man Is Hard to Find and Other Stories (USA)
6) Rodrigo Rey Rosa's El cojo bueno [The Good Cripple] (Guatemala)
7) Maj Sjöwall's and Per Wahlöö's The Laughing Policeman (Sweden)
8) Thomas Bernhard's Wittgenstein's Nephew (Austria)
Roberto Arlt's Los siete locos [The Seven Madmen], a distinct possibility for my Argentina pick.
I am off challenges this year it has to be said, this one sounds interesting though. I will watch from the sidelines.
ResponderBorrarCan I just say I think your sentence "there are few things in the blogosphere duller than a reading challenge sign-up post (possible exceptions: the Teaser Tuesdays meme and over-caffeinated bloggers who prattle on about "discussions" they've just had on Twitter)" maybe my favourite from a blog this year.
I'm still up-in-the-air about whether or not I'll officially join this challenge again. It was one of the most rewarding reading experiences I've ever encountered, but my plate is already pretty full... It's so tempting though!
ResponderBorrarWell this certainly does not look like the typical challenge sign-on post. Especially love all the question marks. Very enlightening. (laughing)
ResponderBorrarNo challenges for me this year but will definitely hang about your film mini-challenge and pretend I am not taking part.
Orbis Terrarum holds such a special place in my heart, too! Don't know if I'll join again this year - last year I joined two months late as I recall, so maybe I'll continue that tradition. I seem to have sort of lost my challenge mojo this year. But I am intrigued by her new option to go in-depth in the literature of one country, rather than spreading out. I could try to read a French book a month for the rest of the year...food for thought!
ResponderBorrarPS - I actually kind of like challenge posts. But I also heartily enjoy the pledge drive on my local NPR station, so take that for what it's worth.
SOOOOOO glad to have you!! And you always say the nicest things about the challenge- I love it!
ResponderBorrarYes, we'll get those details ironed out for sure, I'll shoot an email back to ya.
Also, I was thinking-- when you do do those group reads I would love to post a link to them on the OT blog so others could participate. Oh, seriously I just need to email you!
ResponderBorrar*Simon: Glad I could provide a laugh...on a reading challenge sign-up post at that! It seems a lot of people are off challenges this year, but this one is irresistible for me. Hope you enjoy the view from the sidelines!
ResponderBorrar*Sarah: Having one's plate full with reading is certainly another common theme this year. You and Frances are reading, what, 1800 pages this month with your Dostoevsky, Perec and Proust novels? Yikes!
*Frances: Let's pretend I was aiming for cultivating an air of mystery more than enlightenment, ha! Will keep you posted (literally) on the film thing at some point.
*Emily: I joined Orbis about six months late the first year and had to scramble to complete the task! May have to steal your all-France idea if you continue to stay on the fence--at least, Argentina and France are the two countries where I could see most enjoyably spending the entire challenge with one country's literary giants (Italy and Spain running a distant third and forth).
*Bethany: Thanks, I'm super excited about the challenge! Will await your e-mail for more info or whatever. Cheers!