Of all the reading challenges, I have the most fun with What’s in a Name, hosted by The Worm Hole. I like browsing through my TBR stack to find titles that fit the challenge categories.
The challenge is simple – read one book that fits each of the five ‘categories’ –
A reference to time: The Violet Hour by Katherine Hill
A position of royalty: Memoirs of an Ex-Prom Queen by Alix Kates Shulman
A number written in letters: Ten Things I Learnt About Love by Sarah Butler
A forename or names: Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey; Tony Hogan Bought Me an Ice-cream Float Before He Stole My Ma by Kerry Hudson; A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
A type or element of weather: Cold Spring Harbor by Richard Yates; Arctic Summer by Damon Galgut
The category I found the easiest was Names. In contrast, finding a book with a reference to royalty in the title was trickier.
The books I enjoyed the most out of those I read for this challenge – Tony Hogan Bought Me an Ice-cream Float Before He Stole My Ma, A Man Called Ove and Cold Spring Harbor – at least one of these titles will appear on my favourite books for 2014 list.
The book I enjoyed least? Arctic Summer – I had so much looked forward to this book and it fell miserably short (but I know some people who have put it on their favourites list – what did I miss?).
I’m glad I finally got around to reading Jasper Jones and while I didn’t love it as much as some, the cricket match scene still lingers – brilliant writing. Likewise, the lists and the delicate nature of Ten Things I Learnt About Love also linger – I’ll look forward to reading more from Butler.
The categories have been announced for the 2015 What’s in a Name challenge – I’m already planning.
this sounds like an interesting challenge – I might give this a go. Of the books you’ve listed I’ve got several waiting to be read but I’ve not actually STARTED any of them! I’m intrigued and interested in Kerry Hudson’s most – would you recommend it?
Hudson’s book is remarkable – I’m still thinking about it and it is amongst best books I read this year. That said, it might not be everyone’s cup of tea (the language is pretty full-on in some bits!). I’ve got her second book, Thirst, waiting in my summer reading stack – looking forward to it.
As a Glaswegian I think it’s fair to see we emerge from the womb from pretty full on language and then we get worse from there on!!!! So as that wouldn’t deter me at all! I will have to give this first go then from the mountain waiting by my desk (one of these days I know these books will slide off the pile and bury me underneath them!). I didn’t know Kerry Hudson had a new book out – if I enjoy Tony Hogan then I will look out for that