Reading Projections for 2012

January 01, 2012

I have already reviewed my readings in 2011. This post deals with my reading projections for 2012. Broadly, I don't expect anything to change from last year regarding the types of books I read: the challenges began last year and years before will continue. However, to help expand my reading and push myself, I will join one or two other challenges; one or two because challenges could be disincentive to reading when they become too taxing.

Old Challenges

To begin with, my Top 100 Books Reading Challenge, which is in its fourth* third year this year and only about 30 percent complete, will continue. I will merge my Africa Reading Challenge with the new one Kinna will be organising so that the rules that I will apply will come from Kinna. Thus, officially my ARC challenge has ended. There are only about two or three stories left on the Caine Prize Shortlist reading challenge. These short stories together with the new shortlist that will be coming out this year will be part of the 100 Shots of Short Stories Kinna has been running for some time now. Finally, the Commonwealth Writers Prize for Africa Region Winners Reading Project, a long term reading project, will also go on as usual.

New Challenges

70 Books Reading Challenge

The first challenge I signed onto this year was to read 70 books this year (excluding single stories but including anthologies). This challenge came about through a twitter conversation with Kinna, where I confessed that I wasn't able to meet my target of 60 this year. We've challenged each other to read approximately 6 books per month to meet this new target.

100 Shots of Short Stories

The next challenge is the 100 shots of short stories. Kinna has been running this challenge for sometime and I decided to join in this year. I've had a copy of The Best American Short Stories for 2004 for close to two years and this is how I want to deal with it. Again, the Caine Prize for African Writing shortlist will be read for this challenge also. Furthermore, I will use the internet a lot. This challenge will help me forage into authors whose works remain a virgin to me, most especially the Lusophone writers such as Macheda, recommended to me by Wuthering Expectations. If the Commonwealth Writers Short Story Prize release the shortlist, I would read them for this challenge.

Africa Reading Challenge

As already explained, Kinna will be hosting this challenge. She will speak more about it on her page. It's simply to help us read more writers on the continent.

Non-Reading Changes

Last year my writing suffered severely; I wrote little poetry including haiku, which means that my Haiku from Ghana blog suffered. This year I will work to develop a writing attitude - that early morning writing that writers are fond of using. I want to do more of short-story writing and this will require dedication. To ensure that my reading does not suffer, I'll be watching less and less TV to free up some time for reading and writing.

I thank all my readers and those who comment for making 2011 a happy year here at ImageNations. I hope 2012 will even be better. ImageNations will continue to read more of African-authored books, irrespective of the popularity of the author. If things work out properly and I am not disappointed as I was in 2011, I will bring you interviews with authors.

Welcome to 2012.
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Upon further check I realised that the challenge officially began in October 27, 2009; hence it's in its third year