Challenge levels:
Just A Keek (a little look): 1-4 books read
The Highlander: 5-8 books
The Hebridean: 9-12 books
Ben Nevis: 13+ books
Details:
Read and review Scottish books -any genre, any form- written by a Scottish author (by birth or immigration) or about or set in Scotland.
Challenge runs January 1 to December 31, 2014
Books you read may count for other challenges.
You don't have to have a blog to participate. If you have a blog, post a challenge sign-up and link that post (not your home page) to the links below. Grab a copy of the challenge badge if you want to post it too. If you don't have a blog let me know in a comment below that you are participating and what level you are aiming for.
Post your review on your blog and link the review to the Read Scotland 2014 Review Page I'll be putting up the first of the year. If you don't have a blog and still want to review you can:
1: post a review at any bookseller that allows reviews, and link to it
2: send me a review by email and I will post it here for you.
3: Join the group I started at Goodreads HERE
Or you can also just let us know how your coming along in the comments below the links on the review page.
All that remains is for me to choose the level I want to aim for. I think I'll go for The Hebridean - 9 to 12 books. This might be a bit ambitious of me but it's OK to double up and I can already see that I'll be able to do that easily.
A few books I found on my shelves and Kindle that will suit this challenge. (This is not a list to stick to religiously, just some ideas for my own use.)
Margaret Oliphant - Miss Marjoriebanks
Tobias Smollett - Travels Through France and Italy
John Buchan - Huntingtower
Peter May - The Lewis Man
Dorothy Wordsworth - Recollections of a Tour Made in Scotland
Ann Lindsay - Seeds of Blood and Beauty: Scottish Plant Explorers
Barbara Erskine - Kingdom of Shadows
Tales of Terror from Blackwood's Magazine (It was a Scottish magazine.)
John Muir - The Story of my Boyhood and Youth
Stef Penney - The Tenderness of Wolves
Katherine Pathak - Aoife's Chariot
Neil Oliver - A History of Scotland
George MacDonald - The Back of the North Wind
Derek Cooper - The Road to the Isles
Robert Louis Stevenson - Selected Letters
Sir Walter Scott - The Antiquary
A few authors whose books I don't own but which I'd like to read:
D.E. Stevenson
Gavin Maxwell
Katherine Stewart
Mairi Hedderwick
John and Carole Barrowman (Hollow Earth series)
Gavin Esler
Val McDermid
Joesphine Tey
Linda Gillard (Cauldstone)
And there will doubtless be others I'll come across as I read and absorb what others read for this challenge. Looking forward to starting and many thanks to Peggy for hosting this.
Books actually read:
1. Consider Phlebas - Iain M. Banks
2. Letters from the Horn of Africa - 1923-1942 - Sandy Curle, ed. Christian Curle
3. Sisters of Sinai: How Two Lady Adventurers Found the Hidden Gospels by Janet Soskice
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11 comments:
Oh no, don't tell me Peter May is Scottish. I have several books by him that I want to read. I won't be reading anything but books for this challenge.
Tracy: Yes, he is. I feel the same way about reading Dorothy L. Sayers for the Vintage Crime challenge! LOL.
I think challenges can be addictive - and add to the TBR piles!!
Anyway I'm glad you're doing this too and am looking forward to your reviews - especially of the Dorothy Wordsworth book, which I may have to acquire too!
I have a few of the same authors, although with different titles on my provisional list! This promises to be an interesting challenge.
Margaret: I'm going to try not to add to my TBR pile but suspect I that might be rather futile!
I just emailed you about the DW book which is free for Kindle, along with several others on my list such as the Margaret Oliphant book.
It does indeed promise to be an interesting challenge.
good lord woman! lol I think we finally found something we are not "sisterly" about! I don't do "commitment" well.. mainly things like "how many books I will read" lol..while you eat that up! lol.. I do love that you challenge yourself though!
Cath, I have Margaret Oliphant too and didn't realize she was Scottish until I started this challenge! I'm looking forward to reading D.E. Stevens and Peter May too. And several Compton MacKenzies! I've read 2 of his and they are funny. Glad you decided to join!
I look forward to your reviews. I've read very little Scottish literature other than Anna Buchan.
Oh, and of course Dorothy Emily Stevenson! Sometimes I dream of taking a whole year and just reading her books.
Pat: I've found that I need to do something like this in order to force myself to read from my tbr pile. LOL. It works for me but I know it wouldn't work for everyone.
Peggy: I didn't know Margaret Oliphant was Scottish either, or D.E. Stevenson. My library has several of the latter in large print so that'll suit me nicely. I think I read some Compton McKenzie when I was younger but am not sure. One to look into.
Nan: I haven't read a lot of Scottish lit either, Robert Louis Stevenson is about it really... oh, Alexander McCall Smith I've a lot of, which is why I probably won't be reading him for this challenge.
I've read one D.E. Stevenson, Miss Buncle's Book, which I loved. Utterly charming. I will certainly try to read a couple more next year.
I will be only "hovering" over all the posts. :)
I do love Scotland, though. I never do well with challenges. I stress too much about it.
Have a great day, and I hope your challenge is going well.
Elizabeth
Silver's Reviews
My Blog
Elizabeth: I hope you enjoy your hovering. :-)
Sadly, I've never been to Scotland but am hoping to put that right this coming autumn.
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