Take Another Chance Challenge

Announcing The Take Another Chance Challenge

Jenners over at "Find your next book here decided to create a new set of challenges for 2010. This year, the challenge will be called Take Another Chance. Like last year, the challenge is all about taking chances with your reading by finding books to read in unusual or random ways. Unlike last year, I'm offering different levels of participation and a longer time frame to encourage greater participation and decrease frustration.

I decided to jump in on this one as well, just because it seemed like I could manage to spread my wings into area of reading I neglect.
Basic Information

* The challenge will run from January 1, 2010 until December 31, 2010.

* Here are the participation levels. Feel free to do whatever level you want. You can also switch up or down midway through the challenge.

A Small Gamble: Complete any 3 of the 12 challenges described below.
A Moderate Gamble: Complete any 6 of the 12 challenges described below.
Gambling It All: Complete all 12 of the challenges described below.

* Each challenge you complete and link up in the correct Mr. Linky spots (which will be posted on January 1, 2010) will earn you entries into a prize drawing at the end of the challenge. Some of the challenges are harder and will earn you more entries. If you complete all 12 challenges, you will earn 5 extra entries into the drawing.

* The prize is a book of the winner's choice from Amazon (worth $25 or less).

* Crossover books from other challenges is fine.

So here are the 12 challenges for you to pick from. The "easier" challenges are listed first, followed by the harder challenges that are worth more entries into the prize drawing.

The 12 Challenges

Challenge 1: Read Your Doppelganger (worth 1 entry)
Find an author who has either the same initials, the same first name, the same last name, or the exact same name as you. Read a book by this author and write a post about it. (If you try to keep your identity anonymous on your blog, you don't have to reveal what part of the author's name is the same as your name.)

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This was a tough one to find, but I did it. I decided on, Chances, Pamela Nowak.




Challenge 2: Blogroll Roulette (worth 1 entry)
Find a blogroll at either your book blog or a book blog you like that has at least 15 book blogs on it. Go to Random.org and, using the True Random Number Generator, enter the number 1 for the min. and 15 for the max. and then hit generate. Then find the blog that is that number on the blogroll you selected. (For example, if you get 10 at Random.org, then count down the list of blogs until you get to the tenth one). Go to that blog and pick a book to read from the books that they have reviewed on their blog. Read it and write a post about it. Be sure to link to the blog post you picked the book from!
I chose this book from Everything distils into reading




Challenge 3: 100 Best Book (worth 1 entry)
Choose one of the lists below and go to the link provided. Choose a book to read from the list that you haven't read before. Read the book and write about it.

* Radcliffe's Rival 100 Best Novels List
* Top 100 Sci-Fi Books
* 100 Best Romance Novels of the 20th Century
* 100 Best Mystery Novels
* 100 Best Non-Fiction Books (pick from either Board List or Reader List)
* 2009 Best Books for Young Adults

I had to choose, The Best Mystery Novels category, it's just so. And my choice (because I've read almost all the others) is The Innocence of Father Brown, G.K. Chesterton.





Challenge 4: Prize Winner Book (worth 1 entry)
Pick one of the major literary awards from the list below. Click on the link for the award you picked. You will find a brief description of the award and links to past winners. Pick one of the past winners, read the book and write about it.

* Booker Prize
* Caldecott Medal
* National Book Award
* National Book Critics Circle Award
* Newbery Medal
* Nobel Prize for Literature
* PEN/Faulkner Award
* Pulitzer Prize
* Commonwealth Writers' Prize
* EMMA Awards


In this challenge, I had to choose a Pulitzer Prize winner, just because I'm always telling S. Vincent, he better not be just playing on the computer he'd better come up with a Pulitzer Prize winning novel. So this was his gift to me this Christmas.
The Road, Cormac McCarthy.



Challenge 5: Title Word Count (worth 1 entry)
Go to Random.org and, using the True Random Number Generator, enter the numbers 1 for the min. and 5 for the max. and then hit generate. Find a book to read that has that number of words in the title. Read the book and write about it.




My word count was 4 so I chose Mistress of the Sun, Sandra Gulland



Challenge 6: Genre Switch-Up (worth 1 entry)
Go to this list of book genres and pick a genre that you have NEVER read before. Find a book from that genre, read it, and write about it. Note: If you seriously cannot find a genre that you have never read, then pick the genre that is as far away from what you normally read.
Challenge #6 and #7 are going to really be the test for me. I stick to the old faithful genres. But I picked one I have never read and that is Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carrol, I always thought this was a bizarre tale and never read it, but now that I'm thinking of "down the rabbit hole", maybe I should know what I'm talking about.




Challenge 7: Break A Prejudice (worth 1 entry)
We all have reading prejudices--authors we don't like, genres we don't like, or even publishers we don't like. For this challenge, think of a reading prejudice you have and then find a book that is an example of this type of book. Read the book and then write about the reading prejudice you had BEFORE you read the book and how reading the book either changed your prejudice or reinforced it.


Breaking a Prejudice is a toughy as well. I don't do graphic novels so here it goes. and I'll have you know I also don't do Brian K. Vaughn and here he is.







Challenge 8: Real and Inspired (worth 2 entries)
Many authors or books inspire others to pay homage to them by writing another book inspired by the original work. For this challenge, read both an original work and a book inspired by that original work. Write about both books in one post. Note: This might require some research on your part and requires reading two books so it worth 2 entries.


I've always loved this story for some reason, so I chose to read works based on this, which is
King Rat, by China Mievele


Challenge 9: Same Word, Different Book (worth 2 entries)
Find two books that have the same word in the title. Read both books and write about them. (Worth 2 entries because you have to read two books).




For this challenge my word is "House" I've got both these books on my TBR pile and it's time to do it.


Challenge 10: Become A Character (worth 2 entries)
For this challenge, you can read any book you want. However, you have to write about the book as one of the characters from the book. The character can comment on his/her treatment by the author, other characters, the "untold story," what happened next, and so forth. You could even have two characters interviewing each other! Your imagination is the only limit. Because of the difficulty level of this challenge, it is worth two entries.

NO DECISION ON THIS CHALLENGE JUST YET.


Challenge 11: All in the Family (worth 2 entries)


The writing gene often runs in the family. For this challenge, you need to find two authors from the same family (either by blood or by marriage) and read a book by each of the authors and then write about both books. Because of the research involved and having to read two books, this challenge is worth two entries.

I don't have a difficulty picking for this challenge. I choose Michael Chabon and his wife Ayelet Waldman (hope they are still married). Murder Plays House, Waldman and The Adventures of Kavaler and Klay, Michael Chabon.



Challenge 12: Author Anthology Pick (worth 2 entries)
Find an anthology of your choice. Read at least 5 entries in the anthology. Of the 5 entries you've read, pick your favorite one and then find a book by that writer and read it. (If your first choice doesn't have a book, then pick your next favorite until you find a writer that has a book.) Write about the anthology, your favorite pick from the anthology, and the book you read by your favorite pick. Because of having to obtain and read two books, this challenge is worth two entries. Thanks to J.T. Oldfield at Bibliofreak who partially inspired this challenge.


For this one it will be Alfred Hitchcock presents: stories to be read with the door locked. and I shall follow-up with my writer of a book.