Challenge Wrap-Up

2011 was a great year for the participants of the Foodies Reading Challenge. We had over 100 participants and together we read 328 food related books. We read new books, some classics, and a few books off our shelves. We had quite a few favorites and some that missed the mark. Most importantly, we had a good time reading.

The result is an excellent list of good food books. I hope you’ll explore each of our categories in the tabs above. Click on the title of a book and it will take you to the participant’s thoughts about the book. Feel free to leave a comment about your own thoughts.

Thanks so much to all the participants. Thanks for all your enthusiasm and faithfulness.

This challenge has a part two. The Foodies Read 2 will run during 2012. Here the button to go there.

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Third Quarter Wrap-Up: July Through September

Readers are enjoying more foodie books than ever. Your reading does not seem to have slowed down at all, and that’s great. At this point in the challenge, I’m happy to report these numbers:

Cookbooks Read: 107

Fiction Read:  78

Memoirs and Biographies Read:  53

NonFiction Read:  40 

I’m amazed at the variety of books being read by the participants in this challenge. Yes, there are some cases in which a few people are reading the same books. But, overall, you have roamed widely among this genre.

I love the comments you share when you come to report on a book read. The Nonfiction section is small in numbers but the books seem especially interesting, judging by the comments. Keep adding your comments about the book and also let us know when you’ve completed the challenge.

As an incentive or reward for posting your review links here, I’ve gathered a few food books to give away to randomly drawn participants. Each book entered this past quarter on a category page was given a number and I entered them into random.org. Participants who read more than one book had their name entered for each book read. Each winner can choose a book from those listed on the Giveaway Page. We’ll start with the first winner, then the second winner and the third. And, the winners are:

Louise from A Strong Belief In Wicker

Nari from The Novel World

Jayme from Beach Reader

Her Royal Orangeness from Only Orangery

Congratulations to the winners and to all the participants who have completed the Foodies Reading Challenge. For the rest of us – we still have three months left to complete our goals. Good luck to all.

Quarterly Wrap-Up: April Through June

Three more months have passed and I’m happy to report the challenge is still going strong. It’s my pleasure to welcome seven new participants. We are now over 100. It’s really never to late to join in and read some good food books.

I’m impressed with our growing list of food books. We now have a total of 216 books. For this second quarter that’s 40 more cookbooks, 32 food-related fiction, 14 memoirs/biographies and 21 non-fiction. Good for us!

Of course, it’s not just about the numbers. Among the books on the lists you’ll find a nice depth to the quality of books we’ve read. Check the lists out (tabs above) if you need suggestions for something good to read. Visit the participant’s review sites, and don’t forget to say Hi.

As an incentive or reward for posting your review links here, I’ve gathered a few food books to give away to randomly drawn participants. Each book entered this past quarter on a category page was given a number and I entered them into random.org. Participants who read more than one book had their name entered for each book read. Each winner can choose a book from those listed on the (newly created) Giveaway Page. We’ll start with the first winner, then the second winner and the third. And, the winners are:

• Heather @ GirliChef
• Diana @ Adventuring Through Life Reading Books
  
• Nan @ Letters From a Hill Farm

Congratulations to the winners and congratulations to the rest of us – Let’s keep reading those wonderful books that foodies love.

Quarterly Wrap-Up: January Through March

I am so pleased and really quite amazed at the wonderful response to the Foodie’s Reading Challenge. After only three months, the challenge is progressing quite nicely. We have a total of 93 participants and all together we’ve read 109 books. Here’s how it looks (as reported through March 31)

• 40 Cookbooks
• 30 Food related novels
• 30 Memoirs and Biographies
• 9 Non Fiction books focusing on food

Congratulations to all participants and good luck with your future efforts in this challenge.

For me, I’ll confess this challenge has led to a little indulgence in some very tasty treats, but many of you are using this challenge to explore a healthier lifestyle via food. Whatever your goal in the challenge, I hope you’re having a good time.

2011 – What Have You Read?

Challenge Participants: As you read a book which qualifies for this challenge, please record it on the page that matches the type of book you read.

There is a page for each of four categories of foodie books. See the page tabs above or click on the categories below.

Cookbooks are defined as books that are primarily collections of recipes.

Fiction for this challenge is any novel in which food is a major part of the story.

Memoirs, Biographie Etc. For this part of the challenge a book qualifies if it is focused around food and is in the form of a memoir, a biography, an autobiography, or a personal essay or narrative.

Non-Fiction is any book focused on a particular food or food in general. It may also be a book about a method of food preparation or about the food industry or a diet guide or whatever. Use your own judgement here

Record the book you read in the comment section on that particular page with your name and the title of the book. Bloggers leave a link to your review. Non-bloggers, leave a short synopsis and/or  your thoughts.

I will consolidate all the books we read, by category, on each page. By the end of the year we’ll have a wonderful list of good food books.

Join the Challenge

One thing we all have in common is the need to eat food. Some of us also have a strong need/desire to read about food. I’m one of them, are you?  Such people are known as Foodies – people who love to talk, read, watch food tv, or anything else with a food theme.

If that description fits you, I invite you to join me in the Foodie’s Reading Challenge for 2011. Together we’ll explore the world of good food writing. That may take the form of a cookbook or a biography or even a novel centered around food. (See the definition for a food book in the right sidebar.)

Here’s how it works:

1. Decide how many food books you want to read in 2011 and choose your level of reading.  Keep in mind this is a challenge – a throw-down. Go a bit beyond what you think you can really do. Levels:

• Nibbler: 1 to 3 books
• Bon Vivant: 4 to 6 books
• Epicurean: 7 to 9 books
• Gourmet: 10 to 12
• Glutton: More than 12

2. Grab the challenge button and write a post on your blog so we can spread the word. No blog? That’s okay. Sign up in the comments section.

3. As you read each book for the challenge, come back here and tell us about it. On January 1st I’ll provide pages so you can post links for your reviews. Non-bloggers will use the comment section.

Guidelines:

• You don’t need a pre-selected list of books.
• Crossing over with other challenges is fine.
• Any book format is allowed (print, audio, ebook)

Prizes:

To encourage you to return here and tell us what you read, there will be a prize at the end of each quarter. I’ll use Random.org to select from all the books you tell us about. Each book read will be one more chance to win.

Sign Up Here: Sign in using Mr. Linky below. Put your name or blog name on the first line and your blog address on the second line. Non-bloggers will use the comment section.