Book Awards Reading Challenge Wrap-Up

Books completed:

• The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon (Pulitzer 2001)
  
• The Color Purple by Alice Walker (Pulitzer 1983)
  
• Beloved by Toni Morrison(Pulitzer 1988)
  
• Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami (World Fantasy Award 2006)
  
• Little, Big by John Crowley (World Fantasy Award 1982)
  
• Thomas the Rhymer by Ellen Kushner (World Fantasy Award 1991)
  
• The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin (Hugo 1970 and Nebula 1969)
  
• Midnight's Children by Salman Rushie (Booker Prize 1981)
  
• The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishuguro (Booker Prize 1989)
  
• The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy (Booker Prize 1997)
  
• Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson (Newbery Medal 1978)
  
• On Beauty by Zadie Smith (Orange Prize 2006)
  

Best book I read for the challenge?
Ohh, a tricky question. A lot of the books I read for this challenge became new favourites of mine. I cannot possibly pick just one. I think my absolute favourites were The God of Small Things (I think I have mentioned this before, but it's been months since I've read this book, and every now and then the ending still comes to my mind and makes me want to cry), The Remains of the Day, The Color Purple, Thomas the Rhymer, On Beauty and The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay.

Book I could've done without?
It is a pleasure to say none.

Any new authors? Will I read them again?
Yup, lots of new authors. In fact, the only ones that weren't new to me were Salman Rushdie, Ursula Le Guin and Haruki Murakami. I am definitely going to read these new to me authors again. I have already read another book by Michael Chabon in the meantime, and I am eager to read more Zadie Smith (so much that I mooched White Teeth the other day). I am sad that there is no more fiction by Arundhati Roy to read, but one day I'll read her non-fiction. I have Love and Jazz by Toni Morrison to read, and I MUST read more Kazuo Ishiguro and John Crowley and Ellen Kushner.

Best thing about the challenge?
I think that nothing beats the fact that this challenge made me discover some new favourite books. Many of them were books I had been meaning to read for years, but who knows when I would have found the time and motivation. Also, the challenge blog was a very rich source of reading suggestions. Some books were read by several challenge participants, and it was interesting to see so many different takes on the same book. Thank you, 3M, for hosting what is one of my favourite challenges to date.