Friday 18 November 2011

Mixing It Up Challenge 2012



As I mentioned before I've decided to do a couple of challenges for the first time. The Mixing it Up Challenge is one of them. I love the idea of branching out and trying a range of genres so I have decided to go for gold and do all 16 genres. For many of the books I'll be trying to also incorporate some of my 100 must-read book challenge books so that will help me to start crossing them off the list too.

I've listed a couple of options for each just in case I can't get ahold of a particular book easily.

This will be my main post throughout the year for this challenge and I will update it along the way with all the books I read for the challenge.

Classics
COMPLETE (click for review) - The Woman In White (Wilkie Collins)

Biography - Enchantment. The Life of Audrey Hepburn (Donald Spoto)
Plus I'm giving myself an extra challenge of watching at least one of her movies I haven't seen yet. This is probably going to be very easy to do as I haven't yet seen My Fair Lady so that's a good place to start.

Cookery, Food & Wine - Animal, Vegetable, Miracle (Barbara Kingsolver)

History - New York (Edward Rutherford)

Modern Fiction -
So many books on my bookshelf that are sitting un-read could be in this category so I think I'll just grab one of those. Good excuse to get through some of them!

Graphic Novels & Manga  -
Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes (Neil Gaiman)
Anya's Ghost (Vera Brosgol)
Persepolis (Marjane Satrapi)

Crime & Mystery -
Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
The Godfather, Mario Puzo

Horror -
I really don't like Horror so if I'm going to do one I might as well make it a classic. So I'm going to read an Edgar Allan Poe. Would love your suggestions on which one to read?!

Romance -
The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)

Science Fiction & Fantasy -
Dune (Frank Herbert)
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
The Hobbit (JRR Tolkien)
Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
The Chrysalids (John Wyndham)

Travel
Maphead (Ken Jennings)
Notes From A Small Island (Bill Bryson)
A Single Swallow (Horatio Clare)

Poetry and Drama
Possession (AS Byatt) - Does this one count? As poetry is only one of it's narratives?
The Inferno (Dante)

Journalism and Humour -
A Confederacy of Dunces (John Kennedy Toole)
Cold Comfort Farm (Stella Gibbons)

Science and Natural History -
A Short History of Nearly Everything (Bill Bryson)

Childrens and Young Adult -
Alice's Adventures In Wonderland (Lewis Carrol)
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (CS Lewis) I did read this as a child but I don't remember it very well so want to read it again.

Social Sciences and Philosophy -
This genre I really haven't had any luck finding something for. Does anyone have any suggestions?
Thanks to Ellie's comment below I've been able to get a few possibilities on my list. I think this genre will depend a lot on what I can find at my local library.
The Happiness Hypothesis (Jonathon Haidt)
Empire: What ruling the world did to the Birtish (Jeremy Paxman)
The Night the Angels Came (Cathy Glass) - OR any of hers really
Human Planet (Dale Templar)
The Devil's Cup (Stewart Lee Allen)
A History of the World in Six Glasses (Tom Standage)