I have never entered a blog reading challenge before. I don't like to feel constrained in deciding what I am going to read next, and I don't get to enough books that I feel like I can join challenges that have deadlines and expectations about how many books you have to finish. At any given moment, there are a lot of compelling challenges happening around the book blogosphere, but I just haven't been tempted to join one.
Until now.
Booking Mama is hosting the Shelf DIscovery Challenge, which asks participants to read the collection of essays in Shelf Discovery: The Teen Classics We Never Stopped Reading - a book by Lizzie Skurnick about the books that changed our lives as teenagers - and to choose six books featured in Shelf Discovery to read over the next six months.
How exciting to revisit some of those YA books that I treasured and dogeared as a young reader in the 70s! (OK, and early 80s). I scanned through the table of contents (I haven't read the book yet, but I do have it thanks to HarperCollins (hi FTC!)), and there are so many to choose from.
Should I read one of the books that I read OVER AND OVER again as a kid, that I have practically memorized? Like Harriet the Spy or The Westing Game or All of a Kind Family? My daughters have been listening to All of a Kind Family on tape in the car, and I swear I can recite what happens in The Westing Game from memory. I think I will add Harriet the Spy to the list - I just bought it for my daughters a few months ago. Maybe we will read it together.
How about the ones about being a teenage girl that I read 30 years ago, but which I don't really remember that well... like The Cat Ate My Jumpsuit or Deenie or Jacob Have I Loved or Starring Sally J. Freedman As Herself?
Then there are the really sad ones, like Bridge to Terabithia (which I LOVED), or Island of the Blue Dolphins or Summer of My German Soldier?
Or I could go for the sci-fi books I loved when I read, but which I would never read now? Like A Wrinkle In Time or Ghosts I Have Been?
The rules of the challenge say that I have to choose 6 books now, but I can always revise the list as the challenge goes on. (And, of course, I am not limited to 6!). So, here is my initial list, which I am sure will change after I read Shelf Discovery:
1. The Cat Ate My Jumpsuit, by Paula Danziger (I remember loving this one).
2. Forever, by Judy Blume, which I don't think I ever read all the way through, only the dirty parts at summer camp when the counselors weren't looking.
3. Ghosts I Have Been, by Richard Peck, which I don't think I read.
4. Jacob Have I Loved, by Katherine Paterson, which I know I read, and which is about twins, and because I don't think I can stomach Bridge to Terabithia.
5. Summer of My German Soldier, by Bette Greene, which I never read.
and
6. Harriet the Spy, by Louise Fitzhugh.
I am excited for this challenge! Click over to Booking Mama's post to see who else is participating - and consider joining it yourself! (You don't have to have a blog to participate.) You can also follow the tweets at @bookingmama, #shelfdiscovery.
Wow! I'm so flattered that you agreed to do this challenge! It's going to be so much fun. I can't decide which six books I want to read which tells me I might need to read more!!!!
Posted by: Julie P. | October 29, 2009 at 04:28 PM
Wow I want to do this too! Brings back so many memories...I have read so many of the books listed. I forgot about Caroline Cooney and Lurlene McDaniel, "Don't Hurt Laurie" and "Julie of the Wolves". Oh and I loved "Flowers in the Attic" (talk about sneaking the dirty parts haha) and all of them! Very cool challenge!
Posted by: Larissa | October 29, 2009 at 05:17 PM
Harrie the Spy and Summer of My German Soldier are both on my list. I can't wait to get started!
Posted by: Kathy R (Bermudaonion) | October 29, 2009 at 06:30 PM
I join very few reading challenges, but couldn't resist this one. And I came thisclose to putting The Cat Ate My Gymsuit on my list, but decided to re-read three Madeleine L'Engle novels instead :-). Forever and Jacob I Have Loved (which I've never read) made my list too.
Have fun - you picked a great first challenge!
Posted by: Florinda | October 29, 2009 at 10:42 PM
I don't think I have read any of the ones that you are reading. maybe The summer of My German Shoulder but I don't remember that one holding my attention. Glad you joined in. This will be fun!
Posted by: Nicole | October 29, 2009 at 11:21 PM
Sounds like a lot of fun! Remember Flowers in the Attic? And the Boxcar Children? The Outsiders?
Nancy West wrote an interesting post about how Judy Blume updated her books with new technology (i.e., CD players instead of tape recorders): http://nancyshohetwest.com/lifes-a-streak-run.php
Wonder if anyone else has done that.
Posted by: Frugal Mama | October 30, 2009 at 06:50 AM
yeah! I'm so glad you joined up! Here's my list: http://bookshelfmonstrosity.blogspot.com/2009/10/yet-another-challenge.html
Posted by: A Bookshelf Monstrosity | October 30, 2009 at 09:27 AM
I know I'm going to end up reading several bonus books - they all looked good. Particularly Summer of my German Soldier. Glad you decided to join. Enjoy.
Posted by: Robin of M Two Blessings | October 30, 2009 at 08:57 PM
Have fun with the challenge! It is fun to see such enthusiasm.
Posted by: Care | November 01, 2009 at 10:58 AM
I just ordered this book from Amazon as I love Lizzie's column on Jezebel on this topic. I may have to re-read Harriet the Spy as well. This is so on.
Posted by: Vanessa M | November 03, 2009 at 03:54 PM