CHALLENGE: 3rd Canadian Book Challenge

Happy Canada Day, and what a perfect time to sign up for the next version of the Canadian Book Challenge hosted by johnmutford at the Book Mine Set. I feel like I'm cheating by participating in this challenge, because these are all books I would read anyway. We have so many great authors and books here.

Don't you just love the retro Canadian flag in the button? The rules are the same as last year - from July 1st, 2009 through to Canada Day 2010, read 13 books. I am going free form here, and just reading any 13 books. A little peek around my house finds the following books that I own which, as always, I hope to read:

• Searching for Bobby Orr, Stephen Brunt July 6/09
  
• The View from Castle Rock, Alice Munro July 4/09
• The Lizard Cage, Karen Connolly July 13/09
  
• The Gargoyle, Andrew Davidson Aug 4/09
  
• Falling, Anne Simpson July 6/09
• The Nine Lives of Charlotte Taylor, Sally Armstrong Dec 12/09
  
• Clara Callen, Richard B Wright July 10/09 Giller Winner 2001
  
• Fifth Business, Robertson Davies Aug 11/09
  
• The Bishop's Man, Linden MacIntyre Aug 13/09
• No Time for Goodbye, Linwood Barclay Aug 27/09
• Souvenir of Canada, Douglas Coupland Sep 14/09
• Vinyl Cafe Diaries, Stuart McLean Dec 19
• Still Life, Louise Penny Aug 29/09
• The Jade Peony, Wayson Choi
• The Incident Report, Martha Baillie 01/27
• The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, Alan Bradley 01/29
  
• Good to a Fault, Marina Endicott 12/28/09
  
• Dead Cold, Louise Penny 02/07
• Nellie McClung, Charlotte Gray 02/09
• Nikolski, Nicolas Dickner 02/19
  
• Deloume Road, Matthew Hooton 02/27
• The Book of Negroes, Lawrence Hill 03/08
  
• Through Black Spruce, Joseph Boyden 03/17
• The Age of Persuasion, Terry O'Reilly & Mike Tennant 05/30
• Generation A, Douglas Coupland 05/14
• Motorcycles & Sweetgrass, Drew Hayden Taylor 06/03
• The Cruellest Month, Louise Penny 06/13
  

• Microserfs, Douglas Coupland
• The Calling, Inger Ash Wolf
• The Colony of Unrequited Dreams, Wayne Johnston
• Lost Highway, David Adams Richards

Actual list may vary as per my whims.


Here's my wrap-up for last years challenge, books listed, and a small survey.



Books Read:
Crow Lake by Mary Lawson
The Birth House by Ami McKay
Before Green Gables by Budge Wilson
Exit Lines by Joan Barfoot
The Outlander by Gil Adamson
The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields
A Complicated Kindness by Miriam Toews
Mercy Among the Children by David Adams Richards
No Great Mischief by Alistair MacLeod
The Stone Angel by Margaret Laurence
High Spirits by Robertson Davies
Too Close to Home - Linwood Barclay
Remembering the Bones - Frances Itani
plus a few I read after I completed the challenge
DeNiro's Game - Rawi Hage
A Celibate Season - Carol Shields and Blanche Howard
Fugitive Pieces - Anne Michaels

John says:
Before we leave, a few facts about the 2nd Canadian Book Challenge:
1. The most popular book was Andrew Davidson's The Gargoyle, followed by Lawrence Hill's The Book of Negroes and a three way tie for third between Brian Francis' Fruit, David Adams Richards' Mercy Among The Children and Steven Galloway's The Cellist of Sarajevo

2. But don't worry, the women authors were left out in the cold. The most popular author was Lucy Maud Montgomery, followed by Robert Munsch and Margaret Atwood who tied for 2nd, and again Andrew Davidson in 3rd.

3. Of the 100 participants, 44 completed the challenge (13 or more), while many of the rest put in valiant efforts

A few survey questions for the participants, if you wouldn't mind...
1. What was your least favourite book and most favourite read for the challenge?
I can't pick my favourite book - Before Green Gables, and Crow Lake were among my top ten reads last year, and I expect The Outlander and DeNiro's Game to make it this year's list. No Great Mischief and Mercy Among the Children were both excellent, touching my Maritimer soul.
Least favourite? I'd put A Complicated Kindness, The Stone Diaries, and Fugitive Pieces as books that underwhelmed me, mostly based on their buildup, prize winning status and the general raves from other reviewers.

2. Any authors or books you want to read more because of the challenge?
I certainly plan to read two of the most popular books from the challenge last year, The Gargoyle and The Book of Negroes this year.

3. Any comments or complaints about how to make the challenge better?
nope, I am happily signing up for more, and will do my part to promote Canadian literature.