The Man Booker challenge is on.
Goal: Read all of the winners of the Man Booker Prize (formerly the Booker prize)
Deadline: whenever you finish. Could be months for some, years for other. This is a marathon
Rules: make your own
Why the Man Booker Prize?
No fancy reason. I met with someone for work who was reading the 2013 winner, and we engaged in a discussion about his wife's tradition of buying the winner every year when it is announced and immediately reading it. It sounded right up my alley. But first, I had to find out what this Man Booker prize was all about.
Upon researching the prize, I learned some information that made it attractive:
- The award began in 1969, therefore the number of books on the list is a manageable 35.
- The criteria: Best Work of Fiction for that year for books written in English by citizens of the Commonwealth of Nations. Pretty straightforward rules.
- No U.S. authors on the list (until now) which forces me to diversify my exposure.
- I had not read a single winner on the list, which made starting it a fresh adventure.
My personal rules:
- Book must be in paper form (sorry, Kindle)
- I must have purchased the book from an independent bookstore or used in person (sorry, Amazon!)
- If I read two books in a row that I hate, I am allowed to abandon my goal of reading the entire list.
