Challenges 2022

I will join just a few challenges this year. There are so many interesting ones I would like to participate in, but I feel it takes away time from my new goal of more disciplined reading. Disciplined reading sounds really rather boring. I do hope though, that reading in 'themes' will give me an overall more interesting take on reading. I therefor add a challenge of my own. As usual the main aim is to lower the number of books on my TBR shelves. I do know, that I would also like to catch up with new books (since the books on my shelves have become rather old), recommendations from fellow bloggers and the possibility to borrow books at the library (not to increase the number of TBRs). On top of the ones listed below I always join Paris in July, hosted by Tamara@Thyme-for-tea, and Nonfiction November hosted by Rennie@What'snonfiction and associates. 

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My own challenge will be guided by a theme for each month, and I hope to read a couple of books within that theme. Furthermore, for each month I would like to read at least:

• a nonfiction from my TBR shelves chosen by a random generator
• a fiction from my TBR shelves chosen by a random generator
• a translated novel outside of the English- and Swedish speaking countries 
• a classic tale
• a book from my Wish list

Themes

January - Nordic writers (inspired by AnnaBookBel's challenge FINDS

February - Antiquity (Greek gods and other tales)

March - Women (anything about female achievements)

April - Explorers and discoveries

May - Literature history (learn more about authors, their work and lives)

June - The Last Kingdom (reading the books on which the series is based, books 9-13)

July - Paris in July (anything French and Parisian) 

August - Beach reading (crime and feel good)

September - Reading about Greece (history and Greek authors)

October - Classics

November - Nonfiction, Novellas and German literature (joining these challenges)

December - Russia (Russian authors and/or tales from Russia) 

WRAP UPS

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

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Novellas in November

Novellas in November is hosted by Cathy of 746 Books and Rebecca of Bookish Beck. Will try to combine my reading with German Literature Month.

1 – 7 November: Short Classics - The Sandman by E.T.A. Hoffmann (German author)

8 – 14 November: Novellas in Translation - Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (I presume the original is in German). Aha, another one for German Lit month. 

15 – 21 November: Short Non-Fiction - The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (96 pages)

22 – 28 November: Contemporary Novellas - The Ballad of the Sad Café and Other Stories by Carson McCullers (wanted to read something by her for some time, and it seems to be a good one to start with. I hope she can count as contemporary. 

29/30 November: My Month in Novellas/ New to my TBR - so far all of the above are new to me and ending up on my shelves. 

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German Literary Month

German Literature Month is hosted by Lizzy’s Literary Life. It is the first time I participate and I will just have to see how many books I can read. Hopefully, at least one a week, according to the schedule:

Week 1 – First time for everything - The Sandman by E.T.A. Hoffmann

Week 2 – Second Helpings - I rarely re-read books but I have read The Trial by Kafka so will choose another book by him -  Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

Week 3 – Firm Favourites (Author or Publisher, if stated)  - Rainer Maria Rilke,  some of his poems. 

Week 4 – Something Different - Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse 

Week 5: Read as you please / group read (Book 21) - The Life and Opinions of Tomcat Murr – E T A Hoffmann (trans. Anthea Bell). If I can find it and have time. 

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The Project is hosted by AnnaBookBel (head over to her website for more information). FINDS stands for Finland, Iceland, Norway, Denmark and Sweden) and is a challenge to read books from the Nordic countries. Each of the countries have a lot of good authors, many thrillers which I am sure you are aware of, but there are also other really good genres. The project runs from beginning of January to beginning of February, one book from each country for each week. My scheme is: 

January 3-9 – DENMARK – The Last Good Man by A.J. Kazinski - Read

January 10-16 – NORWAY – Blå (The End of the Ocean) by Maja Lunde - Read

January 17-23 – SWEDEN – Kapet av Skåne, Stormaktssveriges viktigaste triumf by Ingvar Bengtsson Read

January 24-30 – FINLAND – Ten Shrews by Arto Paasilinna Read in April

January 31- February 6 – ICELAND - The Shadow District and Petsamo by Arnaldur Indridason Read

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Whitney @ The Unread Shelf is hosting this challenge, together with the Unread Shelf Community. They came up with the following helpful tools in order to lower the number of books on your TBR shelves. Here are my books to read. 

My Top TBR for 2022

Read: 0/10 

1. Baker, Carlos - Ernest Hemingway (NF)
2. Berggren, Laurence - Columbus, The Four Voyages (NF)
3. Bojs, Karin - Min europeiska familj, De senaste 54000 åren (NF)
4. Desmond/Moore, Adrian/James - Darwin's Sacred Cause, Race, Slavery and the quest for Human Origins (NF)
5. Gabaldon, Diana - The Scottish Prisoner
6. Hough, Robert - The Final Confession of Mabel Stark
7. Lawrence, D.H. - Women in Love
8. Madame X - My Notorious Life
9. Sebag Montefiore, Simon  - Sashenka
10. Saramago, Jose - Historien om Lissabons Belägring Reading

Monthly Reading Challenge

Read: 1/12

January - The book you've been putting off reading -  Presidentskan (La Regenta) by Leopoldo Alas Clarín Reading

February - A title you couldn't resist - The Magdalene Legacy (NF) by Laurence Gardner 

March - A memoir or biography -  Priset på vatten i Finistère by Bodil Malmsten (read in April)

April - A book by an indie publisher or small press 

May - The shortest unread book on your shelf - Kära Agnes by Håkan Nesser and The Overcoat and Other Short Stories by Nikolaj Gogol

June - A book about a journey (Warriors of the Sword by Bernard Cornwell) Reading

July - A book set in a country or culture different than your own - Värmevåg by Sten Rosendahl (SF)

August - A book chosen by your friends or family - The Childhood of Jesus by J.M. Coetzee

September - A book that represents the reader you want to be - The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (Although I am not sure what this title means  

October - A book that makes you nervous - The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turston 

November - A title that starts with the first letter of your name - 

December - A classic book -  

Bonus Challenges

A book in translation - Binas historia (The History of Bees by Maja Lunde (Norwegian)

A book bought for the cover -

A science/technology nonfiction - 

The most recently acquired book on your shelf - Fyrmästarens dotter ("The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter) by Ann Rosman

A book about/of poetry -

A book about nature -

A book made into a movie or TV series - The Collini Case by Ferdinand Von Schirach

A book about a season or phase of life - Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim

A book about food or cooking - 

A book set in your hometown or state - 

A book about art or artist - Kvinna sedd bakifrån (Woman Seen from the Back) by Jesper Wung-Sung

A modern retelling of a classic book - 

Yearlong Challenges

Book flights - Read two or more books connected by themes, subjects, settings, etc.

Maja Lunde - Climate series (#1, 2 and 3)

The History of Bees - The End Of The Ocean - Przewalski's Horse 

Finish a series - Read all the books from a series on your unread shelf - Honoré de Balzac x 3 (ebooks) from La Comédie Humaine - Ferragus, The Duchesse de Langeais and The Girl With the Golden Eyes 

The longest book - Commit to finishing the longest book on your unread shelf this year - The Tower by Uwe Tellkamp (961 pages) Reading / The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber (874 pages) Reading

Read your collections - Read the books you've been collecting - authors, subjects, publishers, or more.

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My reading list for 50 Classic books to read:  I have read 28 of the 50 books on the list. Halfway through.

My 1-50 classics (including a label with the 51-100 classics)

My Spin List (as of 1 January 2022)

1. The Master and Margarita by Michail Bulgakov
2. Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Carter (Reading)
3. Daisy Miller by Henry James
4. The Seahawk by Rafael Sabatini.   
5. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoj
6. Women in Love by D.H. Lawrence
7. Child Harold by Lord Byron
8. House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
9. The Red and the Black by Stendhal
10. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
11. Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak 
12. The Wings of the Dove by Henry James (last spin)
13. Sons and Lovers by D.H. Lawrence
14. Tom Jones by Henry Fielding
15. To Have and Have not by Ernest Hemingway
16. Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
17. The Razor's Edge by W. Somerset Maugham
18. The Brothers Karamazov by Fjodor Dostoevsky
19. The House on the Strand by Daphne du Maurier
20. A Writer's Notebook by Somerset Maugham

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I read the books for January until April last year. The rest of the books I will try to finish 2022. The project was hosted by Liz Dexter @ Adventures in reading, running and working from home.  Head over there for her very interesting and insightful reviews on all books by Anne Tyler. 

• Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant (1982)
• The Accidental Tourist (1985)
• Breathing Lessons (1988)
• Saint Maybe (1991)
• Ladder of Years (1995)
• A Patchwork Planet (1998)
• Back When We Were Grownups (2001)
• The Amateur Marriage (2004)
• Digging to America (2006)
• Noah’s Compass (2010)
• The Beginner’s Goodbye (2012)
• A Spool of Blue Thread (2015)
• Vinegar Girl (2016)
• Clock Dance (2018)
• Redhead by the Side of the Road (2020)

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I have 'upgraded' my TBR shelves, meaning, I will also include e-books. 

1. The History of Bees by Maja Lunde
2. Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim
3. The End Of The Ocean by Maja Lunde
4. Last Train Home by Deborah Swift
5. Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
6. Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell
7. Ferragus by Honoré de Balzac
8. Feel Better in 5 by Dr Rangan Chatterjee
9. Confessions of an English Opium-Eater (e-book) by Thomas De Quincey
10. Den Sorgsne busschauffören från Alster by Håkan Nesser
11. Städa hållbart (Sustainable Cleaning my transl.) by Ellinor Sirén
12. Antikens religioner by Ingvild S Gilhus and Einar Thomassen
13. Allt eller inget by Simona Ahrnstedt
14. Med hjärtat som insats by Simona Ahrnstedt
15. Alltid hos dig by Maria Ernestam
16. En enda risk by Simona Ahrnstedt
17. The Magdalene Legacy by Laurence Gardner
18. The Secret Place by Tana French
19. The Iliad by Homer
20. Jar City by Arnaldur Indridason
21. Le Duchesse de Langeais by Honoré de Balzac
22. The Girl With the Golden Eyes by Honoré de Balzac
23. Kapet av Skåne by Ingvar Bengtsson
24. Eftertankar by Finn Bergstrand
25. Kalmarunionen by Dick Harrison
26. Konungens sändebud by Tua Burlin
27. Dackefejden by Tomas Blom
28. Ten Shrews by Arto Paasilinna
29. Kära Agnes by Håkan Nesser
30. Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen
31. Life Short, Rytkönen Long by Arto Paasilinna
32. The Collini Case by Ferdinand von Schirach
33. The Overcoat and Other Short Stories by Nikolaj Gogol 
34. Linnés arvinge by Samuel Åhman
35. Lucy by Jamaica Kincaid
36. Carambole by Håkan Nesser
37. Flugan och evigheten by Håkan Nesser
38. Algblomning by Sten Rosendahl
39. Ödesmark by Stina Jackson
40. Halvmördaren by Håkan Nesser
41. Snablar by Arto Paasilinnaa
42. Kepler by John Banville
43. Sturemorden, ett blodigt maktspel by Tomas Blom
44. The Boy from the Woods by Harlan Corben
45. La jeune fille et la nuit (The Reunion) by Guillaume Musso
46. Sara Lisa von Linné by Tomas Tullberg
47. The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley
48. Hur mycket pengar behöver man egentligen by Eric Skopal
49. Värmevåg by Sten Rosendahl
50. Intimacies by Katie Kitamura
51. The Witch Elm by Tana French
52. Fyrmästarens dotter (The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter) by Ann Rosman
53. Stormvakt by Kristina Ohlsson
54. A Fatal Inversion by Barbara Vine
55. Przewalski's Horse by Maja Lunde
56. Redigera framgångsRIKT by Monica Ivesköld
57. The Brooklyn Follies by Paul Austen
58. Into the Water by Paula Hawkins
59. A Very English Scandal by John Preston
60. The Tales of Ensign Ståhl by Johan Ludvig Runeberg
61. Mordet på Gustav III by Dick Harrison
62. The Childhood of Jesus by J.M. Coetzee
63. Tycho Brahe och hans tid by Håkan Håkansson (Ed.)
64. En bok om Emanuel Swedenborg by Olof Lagercrantz
65. Kingdom of Shadows by Barbara Erskine
66. The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole
67. Vathek by William Beckford
68. Dissolution by C.J. Sansom
69. Nordiska Gudasagor by Katarina Harrison Lindbergh
70. Violeta by Isabel Allende
71. The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turston
72. Death Comes to the Archbishop by Willa Cather
73. Livläkarens besök (The Visit of the Royal Physician) by Per-Olov Enquist
74. Fifty Plants that Changed the Course of History by Bill Laws
75. The Bridge of Little Jeremy by Indrajit Garai
76. The Sandman by E.T.A Hoffmann
77. The Chatham School Affair by Thomas H. Cook
78. Metamorphoses by Franz Kafka
79. How do we look? The Eye of Faith by Mary Beard
80. Metamorphoses by Franz Kafka
81. Malma station by Alex Schulman
82. Master Georgi by Beryl Bainbridge
83. The Lodger, Shakespeare on Silver Street
84. Girig-Sverige by Andreas Cervenka
85. Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk by Nikolai Leskov
86. Skånska stenar berättar by K. Arne Blom/Jan Moen
87. Vikings by Martin J. Dougherty