Challenges

2013

60 Books [January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2013]

Initially I set out to read same number of books as last year but the sizes of books I am reading this year would make this perhaps impossible. Thus, to be realistic and not to transform the joy of reading into a chore and therefore a bore, I have revised this figure to 60. The Russian Classics are chunksters (huge, mostly more than 450 pages). The implication here is that though I might read less number of books, I will end up reading more number of pages. Read more here.

The Year of Russian Literature [January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2013]
I have not read any Russian literary output. I might have read a poem or two, not sure. But that do not count if one is referring to reading and appreciating Russian Literature. Don't get me wrong, a poetry anthology qualifies, but a single poem is not good enough to say I have read and could appreciate Russian Literature. By the way, I am not even sure of this. Thus, in this year, it is one of my challenges [minor] to read Russian literary works to compensate for this. Authors I look forward to reading include:

1. Leo Tolstoy:
1. War and Peace
2. Anna Karenina
3. Others
2. Fyodor Dostoevsky:
1. Crime and Punishment
2. The Brothers Karamazov
3. The Idiot
4. Notes from the Underground
5. Others
3. Vladimir Nabokov:
1. Lolita
2. Others
4. Mikhail Bulgakov
1. The Master and Magarita
2. Others
5. Nikolay Gogol:
1. The Government Inspector
2. Others
6. Others

This challenge is to read Russian literature and therefore any Russian literary product counts towards this challenge. Read more here.

Non-Fiction [January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2013]
I am setting a target to read several non-fiction books on the following themes:

1. Development, Culture and the Human Mind;
2. Thought and Language;
3. Philosophical, Political and Economic writings about nation states and humanity;

Click here for suggested books.

Alain Mabanckou [January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2013]

I also hope to read this much-talked about writer, especially his books:

1. African Psycho; and 
2. Broken Glass

Other Non-African Writers [January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2013]

There are some writers of whom I have to make a conscious effort to read. This include, most especially, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Umberto Eco, Kobe Abe, and Mario Vargas. Click here for the entire list.

2012

Chunkster Reading Challenge [January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012]
I chose the chubby chunkster. The Chubby Chunkster is for those who only want to dabble in tomes but are not want to make too much commitment. It requires the participant to read 4 books with pages of 450 or more. Read more here.

70 Books [January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012]

This year the challenge is to read 70 books excluding single stories but could include short story and poetry anthologies.

100 Shots of Short [January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012]

I have joined Kinna in her perennial challenge of reading 100 short stories in a year, which replaces the Reading the Caine Prize for African Writing 2009 - 2011 shortlists challenge. These short stories could be taken from anthologies or any other place. All the short stories in an anthology would count toward this challenge and still be considered as a single book toward the 70 books challenge. Click here for progress.

African Literature Reading Challenge [January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012]

More on this to come from Kinna. Read the more here. This has replaced the Africa Reading Challenge. 

2011

Reading the Caine Prize for African Writing 2009-2011 Shortlists [August 22, 2011 to December 31, 2011]
Replaced with the 100 Shots of Short
This challenge came along because I felt bad not reading the shortlists. Thus, I instituted this challenge to bring me up to speed with the shortlists. Note that this is a short story prize awards (and not books). This competition will become an annual affair after this backlog has been cleared. Consequently, every year, I will read the shortlisted short stories, review them and deduce that which I think will win. Follow my progress:

• Caine Prize 2009 Shortlists
• Caine Prize 2010 Shortlists
• Caine Prize 2011 Shortlists

Commonwealth Writers Prize for Africa Region Winners Reading Project [February 02, 2011 to ... ]

I borrowed this reading project from a colleague, Geosireads. This is to help me read those novels that are acclaimed. This challenge is not time bound and the books are in two categories: Best Book and Best First Book. Click here for the list of winners.

Africa Reading Challenge [January 1, 2011...]
Complemented by the African Literature Reading Challenge

This blog is about promoting African literature. However, with the abundance of novels coming from countries like South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya, one needs such a challenge in order not to concentrate ones reading on a few countries. This Africa Reading Challenge is meant to diversify my readings.

2009

Top 100 Books to be Read in Five Years [Start Date: October 27, 2009; Ended: October 27, 2014]

This is the first challenge I set for my self when I started my reading journey in June 2009. Click here to read my reading resolution, which keeps on changing.