Reading Challenge

Speaking of renewing....It's not secret that I'm a reader. And this New Year comes with a new challenge to read. Recently one of my friends created a reading challenge that is challenging me to renew an interest in breaking out of my literary ruts.

The challenge is to choose 5 books for 5 categories and read them in the course of a year. But you can check out the Challenge here in more detail. And I challenge You to join me! You can choose your own categories, but if you want some ideas, here are mine:

1. Chick Lit (I'm a self-proclaimed book snob and I haven't touched one of these...so this is a stretch. I'm starting with Confessions of A Shopaholic, but I'll need some help choosing after that. Please give me any suggestions you may have!)
2. Russian Literature (Having studied literature I feel like not taking the Dostoevsky class was a mistake because I want to read his works, and well his fellow Russian authors, but outside of class it always seems too daunting. So here we go!)
3. Biography (If I want my life to be a great story, and I believe that others' lives are, then why not read some?)
4. Fantasy (I love Lewis, I love Tolkien, I love Gaiman, but again - here comes the snob - I've steered clear of some of the more 'nerdy' fantasy novels. So here's my chance to atone. Again, suggestions would be much appreciated)
5. The Man Booker 2012 Shortlist (or 5 of the 6....The Man Booker Prize is an award given to 'the best novel in the opinion of the judges' it is a prize which 'aims to promote the finest in fiction by rewarding the best novel of the year written by a citizen of the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth, or the Republic of Ireland'. Since I don't usually get a chance to read current authors and their works, this sounded like a perfect way to do just that.)