The Holiday Challenge 2012

The year is slowly finishing, some people believe that the world is about to end (as if...) and the rest are either in the middle of the holidays frenzy or just are preparing for the time when the streets and shops will be almost impossible to navigate because of the crowds.

So... time for a little unusual holiday challenge to end the year of challenges. No, we are not reading Holiday related books. Or family related. Or whatever you connect this time of the year with.

In the place where I grew up, the big holiday was New Year and not Christmas. And in that day, it was time to make your wishes for the new year. But it is also the time when you wish all the good things to other people. But it is also the time to share your dreams. So this year's Holiday challenge is about wishes and sharing.

You can participate in 2 ways:
- Read a book about (or set in) a place or country you always wanted to go but you haven't done it yet
- Read a book you share with someone else in Club Read 2012 - just pick someone, look at the books you share with them and read it (and if the person you share the book with decides to read it as well, that will be even better).

Happy reading and happy holidays!

PS: Anyone want me to read a book we share, just let me know :)

That sounds like fun! I will definitely participate.

Read a book about (or set in) a place or county you always wanted to go but you haven't done it yet I'll be doing the other option, not this one, because the place that I most want to go is Sri Lanka (and as I just said on another thread, I won't consider going there until their tyrannical government changes). But the reason I won't do this option is because I've just been reading and writing a lot about Sri Lanka, and I'm a little burnt out on that topic! I need a break from their violent, angry world. At this point, I'm only interested in the fantasy Sri Lanka, as shown in these pictures:

Nice pictures :)

Excellent pair of challenges! I'll have to decide which one to do.

>4 RidgewayGirl:

You can always do both if you are so inclined :)

Interesting topic, that's for sure! I must say that as I am getting older, I have already been to most places I ever wanted to go to, or have reached a point of lesser desire. There aren't that many places I had a long-term longing for. Many places I have lived in were longed for at some time; there are now few places I specifically desire to go, and they would not fit into the category "always wanted to go to".

The place I truly always wanted to go to for a long time, but postponed by nearly two decades, was the German city Trier, which I was able to visit in 2010. I travelled a lot that year, and that summer was also lucky to satisfy a long-term fad of arriving at Barcelona over sea (by ship from Civitavecchia, i.e. Rome).

There is only one place I always wanted to go to (but not any more!) This was Indonesia. I was going to fulfill that wish, but was frustrated from doing so in 1991.

If I participate in this challenge, then the choice will be Indonesia. However, I will also see what the others are reading, and may join them in the second challenge.

I checked whether it would be possible to spice up the second challenge by reading a book from the vous et nul autre list, but I only share a wish listed book with Dan, and while sharing several volumes by Victor Segalen, Lolawalser is not a member of Club Read.

Thanks for the challenge, AnnieMod!

I've been so crazy busy, I haven't been thinking much about what I'm reading, but I'll mull this over and pick something!

New Year was much bigger in our family too.

I have always wanted to go to Stavanger, preferably by boat, so it may take some time to find a book that suits, short of sagas. Suggestions welcome!

I hadn't thought of the vous et nul autre list until edwin mentioned it, but like him, I didn't get any help there. I have decided to make my selection totally random by taking the next book in the Connection News feature that I share with whoever adds it and that currently sits on the TBR shelf.

>6 edwinbcn:

Ignore the club membership bit if you want - it is there because the challenge is here but... shared books are shared books after all.

Hmmm.....is it cheating if I pick Unclay, which I share with dmsteyn, arubabookwoman and janepriceestrada, but which I got solely due to dmsteyn's review?

Nope :)