The Fifty Book Challenge

At the start of 2006, my friend lunacia proposed the Fifty Book Challenge, versions of which have been around online for at least the last four years. The idea is simple - each person taking on the challenge agrees to read at least fifty books in a given calendar year. For some us, this will make little difference to familiar reading habits. For others it may be a bit of strain, but our hope is that it'll provide an exciting opportunity to explore the world of books, to get hold of good recommendations and to encounter new favourites. We hope that it will encourage people to push themselves a bit as readers. We hope it'll be educational, and we hope it'll be fun.

What Sort of Books Count?

The rules for this challenge are very relaxed. You can count non-fiction books; you can count anthologies; you can count children's books; if you run out of time and are determined to complete the challenge anyway, you can count Mr. Men books. We ask only that you try to enter into the spirit of the thing and use your judgement as to what it is or is not sensible to include. Nobody will be impressed (and you probably shouldn't be too impressed with yourself, unless you're under five) if you've read only Mr. Men books. Graphic novels count, as do anthologies of such work, but individual comics do not. You can count individual books of the Bible, and nobody's going to expect you to treat The Complete Works of Shakespeare as a single entry. On another note, it is okay to include books which you're re-reading.

Who Will Be the Witness?

The Fifty Book Challenge is really about personal commitment. There won't be a test afterwards; no-one will come round to knock on your door and ask what happened at the end of chapter eight. We do, however, encourage you to keep a public record of your reading if you are able to. Make a list on a webpage or post to an appropriate thread in a participating newsgroup or web forum (there are no formal rules for such participation, so if you can get together a group of interested regulars you can start this anywhere). If possible, write small reviews of what you read - even if it's just a couple of sentences, it'll make it possible for interested readers to determine what might appeal to them. At the end of the year, people taking the challenge can compare lists and discuss how their reading habits differ.

What if I Can't Afford Fifty Books?

Try to make use of your local library system. Tell them about your involvement with the Fifty Book Challenge. If you have difficulty accessing a library, you can always make use of the free e-books (including many popular classics) available from Project Gutenberg. Furthermore, lots of us involved in this year's challenge are borrowing books and swapping them with friends.

My Fifty Books

I'm using this space (amongst others) to keep a list of the books I read in 2009. I do still have some eye damage caused by my stroke at the end of 2006, so reading can be physically difficult, but I've had two years to pull myself together now, and this year I intend to read the whole fifty.

1. The Shock Doctrine, by Naomi Klein. An extraordinarily thorough account of the legacy of the laissez-faire neo-liberal experiment, and extremely timely, this is a book I'd recommend to anyone who thinks economics is dull. I was a little dubious about it at first, as Klein's description of a certain set of experiments I'm familiar with seemed hasty and ignored important details, but her persistence and the depth of her other work gradually won me over. I expect this book will be still more interesting to younger readers who don't remember the Pinochet regime or the days of Apartheid, but it will still provide a new way of looking at history for many who do. It should be mandatory reading for those who like to protest that they're being exploited or oppressed.
2. After Theory, by Terry Eagleton. A light and highly accessible guide to the development of postmodernist ideas, this book is let down by the author's snide tone and petulant attitude toward popular culture. Others seem to think it witty, but it's easy to score points by sniping at people who are in no position to defend themselves - it's lazy. Eagleton seems to be popular because he's brought genuine talent as a writer, and a certain journalistic flair, to a field ordinarily dominated by those who have, at best, acquired these skills as secondary concerns. He undoubtedly has some skill as a sociologist too, but this would be more convincing if he were to display at least the basics of skill as a social agent.

Check out my lists for 2006, 2007 and 2008.

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Last updated 31st January, 2009