Pour of Tor's Provisional Challenge List
Wednesday, May 30, 2007 by Sycorax Pine
Hallo, all!
Although I had sworn off challenges for a while, this one proved so tempting because of its subject, its ability to be combined with other challenges, and its long time scheme that I couldn't even remotely resist it.
So, on to my (provisional. VERY provisional.) choices. I have tried to choose a number of Australian works, to fit in with my Year of Down Under Challenge (indicated by an asterisk in the list below). After December, the list may change to take into account the country I will be focusing on in 2008. I have also tried to spread my list of 12 evenly through a number of prizes, choosing at most 2 works from any single prize (although some of the works won more than one prize, and I am tricksy about this). But because I can never be truly strict with myself, I have also included a list of works that can serve either as alternates for my main list (should any book prove unappealing) or as "extra credit" reads. Here is the first draft of the list:
Although I had sworn off challenges for a while, this one proved so tempting because of its subject, its ability to be combined with other challenges, and its long time scheme that I couldn't even remotely resist it.
So, on to my (provisional. VERY provisional.) choices. I have tried to choose a number of Australian works, to fit in with my Year of Down Under Challenge (indicated by an asterisk in the list below). After December, the list may change to take into account the country I will be focusing on in 2008. I have also tried to spread my list of 12 evenly through a number of prizes, choosing at most 2 works from any single prize (although some of the works won more than one prize, and I am tricksy about this). But because I can never be truly strict with myself, I have also included a list of works that can serve either as alternates for my main list (should any book prove unappealing) or as "extra credit" reads. Here is the first draft of the list:
- The Bone People by Keri Hulme - BOOKER
- Gilead by Marilynne Robinson - NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE
- *Oscar and Lucinda by Peter Carey - MILES FRANKLIN
- *Dirt Music by Tim Winton - MILES FRANKLIN
- *The Secret River by Kate Grenville - COMMONWEALTH
- *Gould's Book of Fish by Richard Flanagan - COMMONWEALTH
- Small Island by Andrea Levy - ORANGE
- Samuel Pepys: the Unequalled Self by Claire Tomalin - WHITBREAD
- Citizen Vince by Jess Walter - EDGAR
- Hyperion by Dan Simmons - HUGO
- Parable of the Talents by Octavia E. Butler - NEBULA
- *The Great Fire by Shirley Hazzard - NATIONAL BOOK AWARD
- *Cloudstreet by Tim Winton - MILES FRANKLIN
- A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth - COMMONWEALTH
- *The True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey - BOOKER
- Home Truths by Mavis Gallant - GOV. GENERAL'S
- Neuromancer by William Gibson - HUGO/NEBULA
- English Passengers by Matthew Kneale - WHITBREAD/MILES FRANKLIN
- The Collected Stories of Katherine Anne Porter - NATIONAL BOOK AWARD
- The Known World by Edward P. Jones - NBCC/PULITZER
- Austerlitz by W.G. Sebald - NBCC
- Motherless Brooklyn by Jonathan Lethem - NBCC
- Tehanu by Ursula K. Le Guin - NEBULA
- Waiting by Ha Jin - PEN/FAULKNER
- March by Geraldine Brooks - PULITZER
- Empire Falls by Richard Russo - PULITZER
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Ooooooh, wonderful list, Ariel!!! I look forward to discussing Australian books with you too (I gave you a response to the comment you left on my post as well)!
Welcome, Pour of Tor!
Great list! I own Dirt Music but haven't got to it yet. Concentrating on one country for a year is very interesting. I may join you next year depending on what country you select.
Gilead is one of my favorites, but some in this group (Wendy :-) didn't like it. I have heard a lot about The Secret River so I may have to try that one, too.
Again, welcome!