Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Book Suggestions

For those of you who may be wondering what books to read for this challenge, here are some links to book lists:

You can also search for more books there with appropriate tags like 'bibliomania' or tag mashups like 'bibliophile, fiction' or any other keywords you'd like to try.

Amazon's Listmania is another great source for suggestions. Here's one I found called Books About Books. (Check the sidebar on the right for similar lists.)

You can also check out my blog for books I've read in the past few years that I've categorized as Books About Books. Some of my favorites include People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks, The Polysyllabic Spree and Housekeeping vs. The Dirt, both by Nick Hornby (the third in the collection, Shakespeare Wrote for Money is on my own BBC challenge list), The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows, The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett, and So Many Books, So Little Time by Sara Nelson.

And of course, one of the best ways to find book suggestions is to peruse the challenge book lists created by the folks who have already signed up for the challenge.

Do you have any more suggestions for ways to find suitable books or are there any books in particular you would recommend for this challenge?

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Challenge Buttons

Challenge buttons in various sizes:



Announcing the 2010 Bibliophilic Books Challenge!

Like many other book bloggers, I enjoy reading books about books and reading. I've been spending my time lately perusing my home library and also browsing Amazon for suitable suggestions to offer my husband as Christmas gifts for me, his favorite bibliophile. What I noticed is that while I've read quite a few books about books, I also own or want quite a few more that I haven't read. And then I thought, that would probably make for a good reading challenge. So here it is, the 2010 Bibliophilic Books Challenge!

The challenge will be to read a set number of books that focus on books or reading. These can be fictional works, such as The Eyre Affair or The Shadow of the Wind; or non-fiction works such as 84, Charing Cross Road or The Polysyllabic Spree. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of books out there that would fit this challenge.

The challenge begins on January 1, 2010 and ends on December 31, 2010. You must sign up for the challenge by January 31st, 2010.

Only books read during the challenge will count. You may reread books as well as cross-reference books with other challenges.

You do not need to make out a list when you sign up and you can change your mind on particular book selections throughout the challenge. I like to have flexibility for my reading whims!

There are three levels for you to choose from:

  • Bookworm: Read three books
  • Litlover: Read six books
  • Bibliomaniac: Read twelve books

  • Beginning in January, I will have separate posts here for you to link to your reviews for the challenge and I will also host periodic prize drawings for bookish items.

    Please sign up using the Simply Linked form below. Please put your blog name and link to your sign-up post, not your general blog address.