I have to say that after NaNoWriMo I wasn't really looking for another challenge. After all, I do have my wip grant challenge, but that is getting a bit lost in the rewrite. I realised (skip this bit if I've mentioned it before) that I quite like action, but by starting with the action there was no build up of the friendship between Ella and Morgane. Also, a part of Ella's character that I deemed important was completely ignored in the first draft. In building up the friendship and putting the swimming back in, the story is now wandering off (over dramatic off stage horror scream).
So, as I was saying I wasn't looking for another challenge, but this one just jumped out at me. I was reading Lucy Coates blog over at Scribble City Central and she mentioned casually that she was going to take part in a book challenge. Oooh, I thought. She introduced new readers to Becky of the The Bookette blog and the concept of the challenge. So, then I tootled over to The Bookette blog to have a look and this is what I found...
The BBC (hee hee) is a reading challenge where bloggers sign up to read books by British writers throughout 2011.
The books can be in print or out. Old or new titles. They can be from any genre and for any age.
The idea is for British bloggers to read 12 titles by 12 British authors over 2011 and to review one of the books each month. I will be an International Friend what with not living in Blighty any more and I choose to take part in the Royal Family challenge (the other option was Winston Churchill and 6 books, but that doesn't strike me as much of a challenge). There is also a chance to earn a crown if you read 50 books, but where I think I can do 12 easily, I think I may have to resort to cheating to achieve 50 (e.g. picture books of the sort: Is that Bunny Blue Ears? NO! Is that Bunny Blue Ears? NO!)
The thing is that I can also use this challenge to help me. One piece of advice that Lynne Garner gave away for free the other day was: well [you] should research other books already published in the same genre, who has published them, why [your] book different?
So, I shall try to do that.Now what shall I read? Well, I will be looking to Becky's site for some recommendations for a start, followed by Celia Rees recommendation of the independent online magazine: Armadillo, which is full of children's book news, reviews and interviews. I found it very useful yesterday and may have picked my next class reader. In fact maybe that's what I will start with: The Ogre of Oglefort. I don't know if Eva counts as she was born in Vienna, before ending up in Devon, but there we go, tis my choice. Now I just need to get it before January!
January : Shadow Forest by Matt Haig
January: The Memory Cage by Ruth Eastham
3. February: Ravenwood by Andrew Peters
4. March: The Crowfield Curse by Pat Walsh
5. June: Stoneheart by Charlie Fletcher
6. June: The Demon Collector by Jon Mayhew
7. July: Firebrand by Gillian Philip
8. July: The Blackhope Enigma by Teresa Flavin
9. July: Puddle Goblins by David Melling
10. August: The Book of Dead Days by Marcus Sedwick
11. August: The good man Jesus and the scoundrel Christ by Philip Pullman
4 comments:
Hello Michele Helen! How very nice to make your acquaintance. Welcome to the British Books Challenge. After many discussions regarding who can count as a British author, I've decided birth place is irrelevant as long as they lived and worked in Britain for a significant length of time. So of course, Eva Ibbotson is a great writer to read. I hope that the challenge helps you toward your goal. Best of luck.
Thanks Becky. I'm really rather looking forward to it. I also got another recommendation for Mr. Gum by Andy Stanton, so that's two books on my list.
LOVE all the reading and writing going on around here... but just curious about one thing.
for 50 books, is it a *real* crown? ;p
Our Jon Mayhew is coming out with some this year, I believe, and he counts as a UK author! :D
Scarlett & Viaggiatore
I don't think it's a real crown Scarlett, no! Hey maybe, you should do a US equivalent. And have you read Mortlock? I was thinking of doing it, but I've already read it, it's great, the paperback is out soon. He's also up for loads of awards at the mo! Do you think his talent will rub off? ;)
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