Mini Reading Challenges

As I was doing my blog-hopping around the book blogsphere, I happened to stumble upon Becky's from Becky's Books Reviews' Mini Challenges by Becky. The mini-challenges hosted by Becky are small and focused reading challenges. A miniature reading challenge where the minimum number of books is much smaller than that of most full-sized reading challenges. I know that I'm loaded with a lot of reading challenges for this year and next year but I just couldn't help myself. I love joining Reading Challenges as it is helping me a great deal to read many books and to discover genres that I haven't read before.

She has many Mini Challenges to choose form depending on your reading interests. I made the year 2010 as the year I will read Historicals and Classics so I've decided to join three of her mini challenges which also fit with my 2010 project. The challenges I've chosen also exposes me to authors I haven't read before. The Mini-Challenges I've signed up for are as as follows:

French Revolution Mini-Challenge

I've picked up the French Revolution Mini-Challenge because I've always found the French Revolution a fascinating time period. Aside from reading and watching The Man in the Iron Mask by Alexandre Dumas, I haven't had the chance to read much about it but I'm hoping this challenge will get me motivated.

This challenge begins October 1, 2009 and ends December 31, 2010.

Read two books (or watch two movies) set during the French Revolution. These can be nonfiction or fiction.

Books To Read:
1) Marie Antoinette: The Journey by Antonia Fraser
2) Queen of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette Wore to the Revolution by Caroline Webber


Elizabeth Gaskell Mini-Challenge

I've heard so many praises for Elizabeth Gaskell's works and I'm embarassed to say that I haven't read anything written by her so I'm hoping this challenge will help me change all that.

This challenge begins January 1, 2009 and ends June 1, 2010.

Read and/or watch TWO works by Elizabeth Gaskell. This can include watching two movie adaptations of her novels, reading two books (could be novels or short stories) or a combination of both (reading one book and watching one movie adaptation).

Books To Read:
1) North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
2) Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell

Movie Adaptations To Watch:
1) North and South: BBC Mini-series


Leo Tolstoy Mini-Challenge

Haven't read anything by Leo Tolstoy. But I'm very interested in his book Anna Karenina so I've decided to join.

The Leo Tolstoy Mini-Challenge will start January 1, 2009 and go through until August 31, 2010.

The goal of this one is to read two of his books.One movie may be substituted in the place of one of the books, if you want.

1) Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
2) War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy


To everyone who's doing these Mini Challenges, good luck to all of us. Happy reading!