Tuesday, January 24, 2012

My Tentative List for the Mixing It Up Challenge

I'm going for all 16 categories in the Mixing It Up challenge, and this will be my base post for that challenge.  Below are the categories, with tentative reading choices for each one.  As I complete a book in any category, I'll replace the tentative choices with a link to a response.

Classics

Finished:  Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.  Am reading this in anticipation of Masterpiece Classic's stateside airing of its new production in April.  Response here.

Biography

Finished:  Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson.  I enjoyed both Isaacson's engaging style, and getting a more three-dimensional understanding of Einstein's character than the cartoonish mental image I had before.  Response here.

Cookery, Food, and Wine

Finished:  Literary Feasts:  Recipes From the Classics of LiteratureResponse here.
History

Finished:  Bloodlands by Timothy Snyder.  Response here.

Modern Fiction

Finished:    An Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro.  Response here.

Graphic Novels and Manga

Finished:  Maus: A Survivor's Tale by Art Spiegelman.  Response here.

Crime and Mystery

Finished:  The Adventures and Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  Response here.

Horror

Finished:  Casting the Runes and Other Ghost Stories by M. R. James.  Response here.  

Romance

Finished:  Julie and Romeo by Jeanne Ray.  I went with this one because it isn't a "romance novel," most of which I would rather do almost anything than read.  Response here.

Science Fiction and Fantasy

Finished:  The Island of Dr. Moreau by H. G. Wells.  Response here.
Travel

Finished:  The Narrow Road to the Deep North and Other Travel Sketches by Matsuo Basho.  Response here.
Poetry and Drama

Finished:  The Revenger's Tragedy by Tourneur.  Response here.

Journalism and Humor

Finished:  Something Fresh by P. G. Wodehouse.  Response here. 

Science and Natural History

Finished:  Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain.  Response here.

Children's and Young Adult

Finished:  The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum.  Response here

Social Sciences and Philosophy

Finished:  The Social Contract by Jean-Jacques Rousseau.  Response here.

Please do make suggestions for any and all categories; none of this is written in stone except the first two, which I'm already reading.  Ideas are thin on the ground for several categories here and I welcome help!

10 comments:

  1. That's an interesting challenge idea! You have some great books as possibles. How about Nicholas Sparks for romance?

    -Nancy@5M4B

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    1. I hadn't thought of him, but you're right, he's romantic without being "romance."

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  2. Since you like Bryson, you could try "A Short History of Nearly Everything" for Science and Natural History. Here are some other ideas in that category:
    How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming by Mike Brown
    The Eternal Frontier by Tim Flannery
    The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
    The Brain That Changes Itself by Norman Doidge

    I enjoyed seeing your list. I like the idea of picking books from different categories. Good luck on the challenge!

    Sarah

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    1. Thank you so much for these suggestions! I'm heading to the library today and will look for these.

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  3. Cool challenge! It sounds like you have a pretty good list already. Sparks might be a good idea for a romance book. Have you watched The Notebook? If I think of any other suggestions, I'll leave another comment. :)

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    1. I haven't seen The Notebook, and am not very familiar with Sparks, but you are the second person to suggest him for romance, so maybe I should take a look!

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  4. Welcome to Mixing It Up Amy! I've changed your Linky link to this one as well, so I can keep up with what you're reading...

    Congrats on finishing a couple of categories already! You've got some great ideas up there - and Nicholas Sparks is definitely great for a little romance. Pretty much any of his books, some chocolate and a box of tissues, and you're sorted for a day... :)

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    1. Hi Ellie! As a matter of fact, I've found and read a romance called "Julie and Romeo" by Jeanne Ray. Link to my review is in the updated post under Romance above.

      Thanks for changing the link for me...

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  5. Hi Amy! Just checking in to mark our three-month mark (eek) - I can't believe you're over half way to a full house (with a cherry on top) already... I'm glad you managed to find a romance that wasn't too romancey, haha - I haven't decided yet whether to do the same, or whether to embrace my grandmother's book tastes and go all-out Mills and Boon for a day! Anyway, you've got categories toppling like dominoes and I... well, haven't... so I'll leave you to it, go back to my book, and just say HAPPY READING until my next drive-by hello! :D

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    1. Hi! I didn't realize I had read half the categories, lol. Yep, I love to read, and I like that your challenge is forcing me to broaden my horizons and read things I otherwise wouldn't.

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