Looking Forward
January 4, 2009

Welcome to the New Year! And to BiblioBuffet’s third birthday party! Please, have some champagne and join the celebration. We opened our doors on January 6, 2006. And having been having a lot of fun ever since. Though a couple of our original writers are no longer with us, others have joined. And I’d like to give them a special thank you:

• Nicki Leone: A Reading Life. Nicki is now Managing Editor of BiblioBuffet as well as having been a valued contributor from day one. Her passion for good books, fine reading, exceptional writing, and thoughtful critiques has made her an essential part of what we promise when we say “writing worth reading.”
• Henry Carrigan: Readings. When Henry first e-mailed me to ask about becoming a contributor after reading one of Nicki’s pieces I nearly fell over. His credentials were amazing, so I grabbed him. And he has been lighting up BiblioBuffet with his erudite, insightful and thought-provoking pieces ever since. He is a treasure truly beyond measure.  
• Anne Michael: Seasoned Lightly. Anne has been with BiblioBuffet since its beginning, turning her ever-curious eye and quirky perspective on darn near everything. Fun-loving, caring, supportive, and a good friend, Anne is a delight to have on the team.
• Laine Farley: On Marking Books. It took me several months to persuade Laine to join BiblioBuffet, but the effort was worth it because her contributions on bookmarks are always entertaining, always worth reading. She is also one of a relative few, though the number is growing, of those who share my passion for these bits of paper and their role in world history. Finally, she is as wonderful in person as she is in prose as I had the chance to discover earlier this year.
• Andi Miller: The Finicky Reader. Andi came to us with a wonderful proposal and has been entertaining readers ever since. Her ability to handle a blog, a teaching career, graduate school, reading, and writing her column amazes me, not least because she does each of them so well. We are the fortunate ones to have her.
• Lev Raphael: BibliOpinions. Lev came to BiblioBuffet through Nicki with whom he has long shared an ongoing literary-based pen pal relationship that is now conducted via e-mail. He has become a valued semi-regular contributor to BiblioBuffet, offering erudite and strongly opinionated pieces that provoke worthy controversy. We adore him.  
• Lauren Roberts: From the Editor’s Desk, On Marking Books. If I were to leave myself out as I did in the initial draft, Nicki would admonish me. So I want to note that BiblioBuffet is a dream that has come true for me. I could not achieve what I have without every contributor here, but what you see flows from a vision of what I believed could and should happen. 

Because of BiblioBuffet’s birthday, the beginning of a new year is a double celebration for me. But how about you? Do you celebrate a new year by making resolutions? If so, what types are they—positive ones, determined ones, commitment ones, fun ones? Or do they tend to be of the “losing weight” variety?

Losing some weight is probably good for a lot of us, but how much fun is that kind of resolution? A better one would be taking up a sport we have always wanted to try such as tennis or kayaking or backpacking. We might then lose weight because of it but it sure would be a damn sight better than taking up tennis or kayaking or backpacking in order up to lose weight.

Reading challenges can feel the same way. There are a lot of fun ones, but who wants to feel they “have” to participate? Reading is something we do for fun, for relaxation, for learning and for growth. In other words, we should do it for ourselves. It shouldn’t be something we do for someone or something else.

But reading challenges, like sports, can be approached from one of two ways. If we read because we want to read we are more likely to read the books we choose with continued enthusiasm. But if we read them because we have signed up for a challenge, it is possible that we will experience the same dwindling of interest that accompanies a weight-loss resolution. That’s not to say it’s not fun to participate in them if they feel right. They might just fit our interests perfectly. In that spirit, I have listed a few below that seem particularly interesting if a reading resolution sounds like fun. 

The Victorian Challenge is for those with a fascination with this time period. Any books that were written during the Victorian era, books set during that period, or books (including biographies) about that period are eligible. This seems one of those where it is easy to maintain enthusiasm because the reason for taking it up initially is a positive one (“I am interested in the subject.”) rather than a negative (“I should learn more about this period.”).

With the 2009 Science Book Challenge you choose three nonfiction books that relate, in some way, to this year’s theme of “Nature’s Wonders.” Books can include those that look at how science operates, focus on particular scientists or on science’s relationship to its surrounding culture; they can be popularizations of science, history, biographies, anthologies, and even books about engineering, math and technology. They can also be old as well as new.  

What’s in a Name 2 seems like it might be particularly interesting since it provides intriguing categories with sufficient room for individual preferences. It’s a year-long challenge so the six books are do-able. Her categories are: (1) a book with a “profession” in its title; (2) a book with a “time of day” in its title; (3) a book with a “relative” in its title; (4) a book with a “body part” in its title; (5) a book with a building” in its title; (6) a book with a “medical condition” in its title.

The 9 Books for 2009 Challenge struck me funny. You pick nine books off your TBR (to be read) stack so you might actually get a chance to read those you want to read. There are nine categories into which you post your choices: long, free, dusty, used, letter, strange, distance, alive or not, and cover. 

For those looking for more, A Novel Challenge is hosting a year of mini-challenges: reading a collection of short stories; a play; a nonfiction book; reading two essays from the same collection; going to a book event; borrowing a library book; reading a book by an author new to you; making a donation (monetary to a literacy organization or a book to anyone); promoting literacy; participating in a buddy read or group discussion; reading a book outside your comfort level or from a genre you don’t normally read; and reading a classic. Here is an opportunity to spread your literary wings over a variety of interests.

Are you a Sherlock Holmes fan? Since 2009 marks the 150th birthday of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle join the Baker Street Challenge by choosing a goal of three, four, five or seven books (each one representing a different tier) either from the Holmes canon, Holmes stories by other authors, books about Doyle or the Holmes phenomenon, or other works by Doyle.

For those with an interest in learning more about the world through literature, the World Citizen Challenge is likely to be of interest. Six categories of books—politics, economics, history, culture or anthropology/sociology, worldwide issues, and memoirs/biographies—and six levels of participation means you can participate to your level of comfort. In addition, there will be monthly mini-challenges. 

Diversity Rocks! Challenge was set up to “ensure racial and ethnic diversity in the authors we read.” It is an opportunity to learn about books and authors that may not be easy to find in bookstores and impossible online unless you already know about them. Five levels of challenges offer a wide range of commitment time and energy. 

For those who like their challenges with a little discord, The Year of Reading Dangerously Challenge is a worthy one. In 2009, you will select twelve books that you (rather than anyone else) deem “dangerous,” whether they include books that have been banned, subjects that make you uncomfortable, authors you fear, etc.  Now this could be a remarkable experience.

Somewhat unusual is the Art History Reading Challenge. It’s quite simple. You read six books, fiction and nonfiction, on the subject of art history. It matters not what genre the books are in—anything from historical fiction to graphic novels is welcome. For anyone looking to enlarge their knowledge of art, this is a challenge that might prove exciting.  

Other intriguing challenges include the Shakespeare Challenge for 2009, which involves reading anything about or related to Shakespeare or by him, and the Centuries Reading Challenge where you are encouraged to read four to six books (fiction, nonfiction, plays, collections of poetry, short stories, or essays, etc.) published in four different centuries.

If you prefer to create your own, I have come up with challenges for those who’d like to “challenge themselves.” Unlike most challenges which ask you to register and keep track on a blog or website (and frequently offer prizes), these are ideas that you can use and track on your own.

Read three novels that have the number “3” or “three” in the title (not including volume number).

Read one book originally published on each continent: Australia, Europe, Antarctica (for obvious reasons you will read a book about this continent), South America, North America, Africa, Asia.

Make up a name; if there is an author by that name, read her or his book.

Make a meal of books by searching out books that have the name of a food in the title. Read as you would eat; look first for one with an appetizer, then a soup, a salad, an entrée, a vegetable and a dessert. Don’t compromise and use cookbooks or books that gear themselves specifically to food (such as chef mysteries). Instead, look for books like Broccoli and Other Tales of Love by Lara Vapnyar or One Man’s Meat by E.B. White.

Read a book each month whose title has the name of that month in it or that corresponds in some way to an observance for that month. Give yourself extra points if they are not nonfiction. Here is a link with notes on monthly, weekly and daily observances.

Read a book that was first published in each of the twentieth century’s decades (00s, 10s, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s).

Read, with an open mind, two diametrically opposed political books on the same subject.

Read one fiction and one nonfiction book on the same subject.

Read a fiction or nonfiction book that is not a guidebook about a place you never want to visit; read another book about a place you have always wanted to visit. They can be general (i.e., jungle) or specific (i.e., Moscow).

Read a book that is less than 100 pages. Read another book that is at least 1,000 pages.

Reread a book you remember hating in high school.

Read a book in a genre you wouldn’t dream of being caught dead reading.

Take to the air or sea by reading a book whose main plot or theme revolves around it.

Read a book each month by an author whose birthday is in that month. You can find lists here and here.

Even if challenges are not your thing, you may still want to check in to some of those blogs from time to time to see if any of the participants have posted books you haven’t yet heard about but which sound interesting. In that way, the various challenges can also act as recommended reading lists. From all of us at BiblioBuffet to all of you: Happy reading in 2009!

Upcoming Book Festivals:
Unfortunately, there are none this week.

The Pub House:
Cune Press specializes in serious but “engaging” nonfiction on topics of “public importance.” Their mission is to create books that “bridge the cultures” by “promoting insight, dialogue and mutual understanding within the US and beyond.” Among their specialties are African American, American Life, Anti-War, Arab & Islamic Culture, Art & Design, Essays & Memoir, Fiction & Poetry, History, Humor, Jewish Culture, Middle East and Africa, Oral History, Reading & Writing, Syria, Theater, and Travel. They published a favorite, recently read, book, The Road to Damascus, but a few of their others include the wonderful Lost Arrow and Other True Stories, the unusual The Soldier, the Builder & the Diplomat, and Africa, Africa!, a superb collection of short stories set in the mid-1960s.   

Of Interest:
Writers: Cune Press (above) is also starting up an unusual project for experienced writers. They will be sponsoring a collection of online magazines by teams of editors and writers who “have a distinctive message that will make an important contribution to ongoing public dialogue.” Those accepted must agree to publish for five years. Cune will provide start-of-the-art software, hosting space, bandwidth, and assistance in developing content, branding and traffic to the site, as well as national media attention. For more information or to apply, contact them at cunepress2003 -at- hotmail.com. 

This Week . . .
OMG, these are libraries! Thanks to D and M of Curious Expeditions (“Travelling and Exhuming the Extraordinary Past”) who favor libraries more than anything else for these, well, extraordinary pictures. 

Until next week, read well, read often and read on!

Lauren