TSS: Plans for 2011 taking shape

So, yes, umm…I’ve been quiet the last week, actually probably the past few weeks. There are reasons and most of them are really small and stupid and unfortunately I think things might continue being quite until the end of January since I am once again thesising. And although that involves a great deal of reading, it isn’t really the kind of reading one blogs about. BUT I will be posting sign ups for the Nordic Challenge at the end of November so keep some space in your challenge schedule . And if any of you are good at button making please get in touch with me, I could really do with a hand

I am starting to keep an eye out for challenges and events coming next year and there are some up or announced already that have me really intrigued. I like challenges because they allow me to expand my reading. Consider books I otherwise wouldn’t have. I know a lot of people are saying they will be joining less challenges next year, and that might be the case for me as well, but the challenges I do join are important to me. And when I do join challenges I do try and include some challenges that allow me to read books I would have read no matter what the challenge.

So the first challenge that has caught my eye isn’t so much a challenge as a reading group (from about page). It is a year of reading feminist classics to try and understand the historic context of the feminist movement and most of the books are already on my tbr list. For example in January the book is A Vindication of the Rights of Women by Mary Woollstonecraft. Now I’ve read parts of it but not the whole thing, definitely want to read that one. Then in March we have A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen which will fit nicely with those wanting to do the Nordic Challenge. Then there is The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir from which the title for my last dissertation came (again I read parts but not the whole thing). Yeah I kinda have to do this. I had actually planned on reading a lot of these books during 2011 anyway, but discussing them with others seems like an even better idea. So count me in. I like it because it also feels like a nice continuation on Women Unbound which I loved.

S.Krishna is continuing her South Asian Author Challenge next year and as I really enjoyed the books I read for it this year I have every intention of continuing with this one this year. I have some ideas about which books I want to read but I am also looking for some more suggestions. List and sign up to come.

I am also planning a year long read of the Volokhonsky and Pevear translation of War & Peace. I plan on reading a chapter a day and that way it should take me the full year to read it. This plan has the wiggle room to read ahead or catch up should I need it.

I want to read books for The Classic Circuit, January’s selection is set to be either Romans or Greeks (I’ve voted for the Romans since I just finished The Odyssey (review on 19/11)). But I also want to leave room for other authors or periods as the year progresses. It would have been great to do the ones at the end of this year but I just don’t have the time right now *sigh* stupid school.

In addition to this I don’t actually know what I will be doing in the spring. I graduate with my teaching degree in January and I am currently applying for jobs. I’ve also applied to continue grad school part- or full time depending on the job situation. I will definitely be going to school part time and if I do I will be studying two Swedish courses language structure and language and identity. I need these courses to qualify to teach Swedish in addition to English. If I am studying full time I will also be adding four literature courses so that could significantly add to my reading lists. I hope I won’t be doing all of these courses since that would mean that I didn’t get a job and I desperately want a job but…

Since some of the books I plan on reading are quite thick (War & Peace and The Second Sex are definite chunksters) other challenges will probably be geared towards smaller or easier books.

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