Tuesday, January 01, 2008

CHALLENGE | Short Story Reading Challenge 2008

It's a new year, so what else is there to do but sign up for the Short Story Reading Challenge?

Hosted by Kate S., this reading challenge may yet prove to be my undoing -- because the short story form is something I seem to have difficulties with. I'm not sure why. I just don't take to it as well as the novel -- and writing about the short stories I've read -- I'm practically handicapped here.

I'm opting for a more relaxed approach, which is to read (at least) 10 short stories by 10 different writers for 2008. With the Russian Reading Challenge coming up, I suspect there will be quite a lot of Russians on the plate.

I have nothing definite planned -- as all my previous reading plans for short stories have come to nothing. I'm going to list a few stories from books I already own, and add to it as time pass:

  1. "The Bear Came Over the Mountain" by Alice Munro
  2. "Sonata" by Jackie Kay
  3. "The Nose" by Nikolai Gogol
  4. Something by Anton Chekhov
  5. Something by Grace Paley
  6. Something by Nikolai Leskov
  7. Something by Mercè Rodoreda, from My Christina & Other Stories

Meanwhile, maybe you would like to visit the Short Story Reading Challenge Blog for more.

5 comments:

Stefanie said...

Happy New Year!

Anonymous said...

I am really looking forward to thie challenge. I have picked fairy tale and urban fantasy tales as that's what I like, but I did just pick up a load of short stories by Gogol and Chekhov I hope to read soon too. I only rad my first Russian literature last year and really enjoyed it.

Carl V. Anderson said...

I'm definitely going to be reading alot more short stories this year. It is a type of story that I really do enjoy.

Iliana said...

Oh no, I didn't need to know about this challenge - now I'm tempted! I was just thinking that I need to read more short stories too.

darkorpheus said...

Stefanie Happy New Year to you too.

Rhinoa I hope you enjoy Gogol. His short stories are funny.

Carl You have an advantage over me then. I wish I "get" short stories more.

Iliana Do sign up if you want -- it's pretty flexible, and you have a whole year to complete it.