Art history challenge

The Art History Reading Challenge, hosted by Nomad Reader, is another challenge I'm really looking forward to - art history, and artists' lives, have always held a bit of a fascination for me, and The Glass Room, by Simon Mawer, has been on my bookshelf ever since it was shortlisted for the 2009 Booker prize. So I'm going to go for the Fascinated category, which means I need to read six art-history related books in 2010.

Here's the details:

Do you love art? Do you love reading about art? Join The Art History Reading Challenge and challenge yourself to read at least 3 books about art in 2010. These books can be either fiction or nonfiction, and they can span every genre from historical fiction to graphic novel. Young adult and children's books count too. The challenge will last from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2010.

How much art needs to be in a book to qualify? Use your best judgment! I've read books I thought would be about art, and they weren't. I've read books I had no idea were about art, but they were. Relax, have fun and enjoy reading!

You can make your list in advance if you'd like, or you can read according to your whims. You may overlap your selections with those for other challenges.

This year there will be four levels of participation:

• Curious - Read at least 3 books about art, either fiction or non-fiction.
• Fascinated - Read at least 6 books about art, either fiction or non-fiction.
• Enamored- Read at least 9 books about art, either fiction or non-fiction.
• Utterly enchanted - Read at least 12 books about art, either fiction or non-fiction.

There will also be at least four extra credit assignments throughout the year to challenge you to take your curiosity, fascination, adoration and enchantment even higher. These will be completely optional, and you don't have to be signed up for the challenge itself to complete them. Either way, subscribe to this blog so you won't miss out!