2013 European Reading Challenge

Hi, everyone! Time for a 2013 Reading Challenge!!

This challenge is being hosted by Rose City Reader!

Here are the details copied from Rose City Reader's blog:

2013 European Reading Challenge

Welcome to the 2013 European Reading Challenge – where participants tour Europe through books.  And have a chance to win a prize.  Please join me for the Grand Tour!

The gist: The idea is to read books by European authors or books set in European countries (no matter where the author comes from). The books can be anything – novels, short stories, memoirs, travel guides, cookbooks, biography, poetry, or any other genre. You can participate at different levels, but each book must be by a different author and set in a different country – it's supposed to be a tour. (See note about the UK, below)

What counts as "Europe"? For this challenge, we will use the list of 50 sovereign states that fall (at least partially) within the geographic territory of the continent of Europe and/or enjoy membership in international European organizations such as the Council of Europe. This list includes the obvious (the UK, France, Germany, Spain, and Italy), the really huge Russia, the tiny Vatican City, and the mixed bag of Baltic, Balkan, and former Soviet states.

Note: Technically, the United Kingdom is one country that includes England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.  So one book from any one of these four should count as your one book for that one country. I'm not going to be a stickler about it because challenges should be about fun not about rules. However, when it comes to winning the Jet Setter prize, only one book from one of the UK countries will count.

Here is the list, in alphabetical order: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Macedonia, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and Vatican City.

Levels of Participation

Five Star (Deluxe Entourage): Read at least five books by different European authors or books set in different European countries.

Four Star (Honeymooner): Read four qualifying books.

Three Star (Business Traveler): Read three qualifying books.

Two Star (Adventurer): Read two qualifying books.

One Star (Pensione Weekender): Read just one qualifying book.

NOTE:  For 2013, we are abandoning the "Alternate Arrangements" categories we tried in 2012.  The idea was to choose books for the challenge according to particular themes: Agritourisimo (food books); Youth Hostel (YA books); and Culture Vulture (prize winners).  These weren't popular, so we'll stick with the basic package tour this year.

Jet Setter Prize

The participant who reads and reviews the greatest number of qualifying books (more than five) will get a $25 gift card to Powell's Books (can be used in store or on line).  Participants living in Europe (or anywhere else Book Depository goes) will get a $25-equivalent gift card to Book Depository.  If you live in a country where neither Powell's nor Book Depository will work, then sorry, you are out of luck.

Each book must be by a different author and set in a different country. This means that only one book from one of the four UK countries will count.  Only books reviewed count towards the prize.

Official Rules

• Read all books between January 1, 2013 and January 31, 2014.  I like having 13 months so there is extra time to finish after the holidays. 

• Sign up here using Mr. Linky under the "PARTICIPANTS" heading below. Please use a link to your challenge post, not your blog home page.   

• If you do not have a blog, please leave a comment below with the level you are signing up for, and your list of books if you want to name them now, and I will add you to the list.

• You do not have to commit to your choices now; you can change your mind about books at any time.

• Overlap with other challenges is allowed -- and encouraged! Have ideas for good overlapping challenge opportunities? Please leave links in comments.

• Re-reads count. Audiobooks count.  E-books count.  Self-published books count.

• As you progress, please link to your reviews on the review list page.  Reviews are not necessary, unless you are going for the prize, in which case only books reviewed count.  If you do not have a blog, put your reviews or reports in a comment on this post. When you finish, please link to your wrap-up posts on the wrap-up page.

• You can copy and paste the button. Or, if you want me to send you the code, please leave a comment with an email and I will. I cannot figure out the fancy ways of giving button instructions.

Ideas

My shelves are crammed with books set in European countries and/or written by European authors.  I hardly know where to begin!

But I could start with this list of books with French Connections, or this list of books set in Venice.

Other sources of inspiration:

The perpetual Nordic Challenge on Notes from the North.

Murder is Everywhere is a collaborative authors' blog about their mystery novels set in various international locations.

The World Literature Forum also has an active European literature forum. 

If you would like to join me in the challenge, click on the challenge badge at the beginning of this post.

I am aiming for TWO STAR (ADVENTURER) LEVEL (read 2 European books).

CHALLENGE UPDATE!
~ TWO STAR (ADVENTURER) LEVEL 
COMPLETED ON 7 MAY 2013
~ THREE STAR (BUSINESS TRAVELER) COMPLETED ON 16 MAY 2013

I will keep track of my progress below and link up my reviews:

1. UNITED KINGDOM: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (Christmas Books, Book #1)
2. SLOVENIA: Breed by Chase Novak 
3. CYPRUS: Agatha Raisin and the Terrible Tourist by M.C. Beaton (Agatha Raisin, Book #6)