Just one more! Of course I have to participate in Becky’s Inklings Mini-Challenge!

From Becky’s post:

January 2008-December 2008

Options: Read two C.S. Lewis books (fiction or nonfiction) and/or watch films based on his life or his works. In addition, read two books by J.R.R. Tolkien and/or watch films based on his works. Biographies of the two men would also work. Also reading the two books by James A. Owen that feature these two as fictional characters would work. The books are Here There Be Dragons and Search for Red Dragon.

(There are some exceptions, qualifications and whatnot; if you want to see them, go read the challenge post!)

My list:

1. Miracles by C.S. Lewis.
2. The Children of Hurin by J.R.R. Tolkien.
3. The Road to Middle Earth by Tom Shippey.
4. Here There Be Dragons by James A. Owen.

EDIT: I just changed my list, hehe. Becky included Here There Be Dragons on the challenge list, and apparently it features Lewis, Tolkien and Charles Williams as characters? MUST READ. I also decided Splintered Light didn’t really count as a biography (I was being cheap, so sue me!) Since I read A Severe Mercy so recently, I thought I’d read two Tolkien-related works instead of two Lewises.

I’ve worked up the courage to add a short story crest to my forum signature at my critique group, Dreaming in Ink, and to add a tentative title to my Work-in-Progress crest. What that means is that I’ve got a little image in my signature that is tantamount to an announcement that I’m writing a short story, and that I’m committed enough to writing a novel that I selected a name for it. Ah, commitment. That thing in my writing life I’ve been avoiding so carefully.

I’ve also signed up for two challenges at Dreaming in Ink. My choices are conservative: Novel Challenge Level I, New Material - Student Level (complete three to four chapters totaling at least 12,000 words in two months), and World Builder Challenge - Student Level (3,000 words per week, 24,000 words total). All the same, I feel daring. I think it’s time for a little push out the door.

Kate is hosting the Short Story Reading Challenge. I’ve always hated short stories, being repeatedly tortured at school with them, but since I’ve discovered that yes, there really are High Fantasy short stories, and yes, some of my favourite authors really do write bite-sized stories as well as novels, I’m going to give the format another try.

Naturally, I’m going for Option 5: “This is the custom option under the rubric of which you can tailor your reading list to best meet your personal reading aspirations. You might wish to craft a list that focuses on a particular place, or era, or genre.”

I will read 25 Fantasy short stories in 2008, by at least 10 different authors. That’s two stories a month plus one, because even numbers irk me with their perfect symmetry. The stories will be chosen as I go because I’m capricious that way.

I made a couple of changes to my list for the Mythopoeic Award Challenge, and if you look to your right—*waves gracefully*—you will notice I have moved the blogroll closer to the top, the better to see you with my dears.

And finally, the last challenge I’m allowing myself to participate in this year: Cardathon Challenge, a challenge for fans of Orson Scott Card. Participants read and then review (at the site or on their own blogs) books written, edited or reviewed by Orson Scott Card.

So far, I’ve only read his classic books on writing, Characters & Viewpoint and How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy, both incredibly helpful and surprisingly interesting for how-to-write books. (Okay, I did make an ill-fated attempt at Hart’s Hope, but I’m squeamish, okay?) Since I’ve read his books on writing over and over, I’m looking forward to reading some more of his fiction. The real deal, as it were. Not sure which of his recommended books I’ll be reading, but I know I have at least one unread Kate Elliot on my shelf, and probably others from the list.

I’m also going to be taking part in The Sci-Fi Experience, not a challenge so much as an encouragement to read and review science fiction. Since I’ll no doubt be doing that this year anyway, I figure, why not share?

Here’s my own list for the Mythopoeic Award Challenge (which I’m running here at Foxy Writer!)

1. Red Moon and Black Mountain by Joy Chant.
2. Inkheart by Cornelia Funke.
3. Unicorn Mountain by Michael Bishop.
4. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrel by Susanna Clarke.
5. Solstice Wood by Patricia A McKillip.
6. Owl in Love by Patrice Kindl.
7. The Ladies of Grace Adieu by Susanna Clarke.

Unicorn Mountain sounded strange, and I like strange, so I figure that’s my total shot in the dark for this challenge. Although, I guess the same could be said for Owl in Love.

[EDIT: I've made some adjustments in the list since including the nominees list as part of the challenge. I'll still be reading A Midsummer Tempest, but since it's on my list for What's In A Name?, I swapped it out here with Inkheart, currently sitting on my shelf, loaned to me by one of my nieces possibly more than a year ago. I also have too much non-fiction waiting to be read here, so I swapped The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion with The Ladies of Grace Adieu.]

When filling out my NaNoWriMo profile I was dismayed to discover that I couldn’t add any new books to the “favourite books” field, and that I haven’t added any in a long time, maybe since the first year I participated in NaNoWrimo. What that means is that it’s been years since I read a novel I really loved, aside from Harry Potter. That is just sad. Clearly, I have not been reading my share.

So, in the interest of doing better next year (since the 50 Books Challenge is a wash this year), I’m taking on another challenge: Annie’s What’s In A Name Challenge.

Those who take the challenge must choose six books to read in a year, each book’s title meeting a certain criteria (the criteria being decided by Annie). The books must be read between January 1st, 2008 and December 31st, 2008. (Check out Annie’s post for more info.) I’ve decided to read three books that are currently sitting unread on my shelves, and three books that I don’t yet own (which means I get to buy more books, heehee!)

MY “WHAT’S IN A NAME?” CHALLENGE LIST

1. A book with a colour in its title.
Scarlet (Book Two of the King Raven Trilogy) by Stephen R. Lawhead.

2. A book with an animal in its title.
Harrowing the Dragon* by Patricia A. McKillip.

3. A book with a first name in its title.
The Grand Sophy* by Georgette Heyer.

4. A book with a place in its title.
A Song For Arbonne* by Guy Gavriel Kay.

5. A book with a weather event in its title.
A Midsummer Tempest by Poul Anderson.

6. A book with a plant in its title.
Roots and Branches: Selected Papers on Tolkien by Tom Shippey.

*indicates books I already own.

Reading Scarlet will require reading Hood first, book one in the King Raven Trilogy. That’s fine by me since I’m going to take the 50 Books Challenge again next year. Tuck is not going to be out for quite awhile, I hear.

It was pretty tough finding a book I wanted to read with a weather event in the title! I ended up going to the Mythopoeic Society’s list of past Mythopoeic Fantasy Award finalists (a great resource for fantasy). A Midsummer Tempest won the MFA in 1975, yet sadly is out of print. How does that happen anyway?

It is typically obscure of me to choose Roots and Branches as my “plant” book title for this challenge. I’ve wanted to read one of Shippey’s works on Tolkien for awhile now, so I figured this was as good an excuse as any, hehe. This one is a selection of essays.

(via SeasonalPlume.net.)