My adventures in 2011

Only a few hours left until 2012 is here and I’ve been going through my archives, thinking about what I got up to in 2011. I have to say it has been a very good year. In 2011 I…

Got a Master of Science. Woohoo!

Fell in love with Tuscany (read my posts here, here and here).

Played out my 19th century fantasies in The Georgian House and Cliveden House.

Spent blissful days pottering about in the beautiful english countryside in the spring (here) and in the autumn (here and here).

Finally met Michelle in real life and she is as lovely as I expected her to be.

Swam in clear, turquoise waters and had some delicious food back home (see my pictures here).

Discovered more lovely places in London, like the wonderfully victorian Highgate village (follow my steps here).

Embraced the festive spirit all December long (check out my twitter for #Christmas).

I can’t wait for the new year, I’m hoping it will be even more exciting! What was the most memorable experience of 2011 for you? What are you looking forward to in 2012?

Presenting: The Russians – Reading Challenge for 2012

I’ve been thinking about creating my own reading challenge for the new year. It’s not going to be particularly strict and structured, I just hope it will be an incentive to read the books I’ve been meaning to read for a while but never actually got to it. I would be thrilled if other people joined me as well. So, without further delay, here are The Russians!

What is this challenge about? I’ve selected six important (in my opinion) Russian authors. I plan on devoting two months of the new year on each one, which, since I’ll be reading other books as well, means that I’ll probably read a couple of novels or a handful of short stories by each author. In a couple of cases, I have already read perhaps the more famous works by some so I’ll be exploring some of their less known ones. Here is the schedule along with a -very tentative- reading list:

January – February: Alexander Pushkin

• Eugene Onegin
• Boris Godunov
• The Captain’s Daughter

March – April: Nikolai Gogol

• How Ivan Ivanovich Quarrelled with Ivan Nikiforovich
• The Portrait
• The Nose

May – June: Fyodor Dostoyevsky

• Crime and Punishment
• The Idiot
• The Brothers Karamazov

July – August: Leo Tolstoy

• Anna Karenina
• The Death of Ivan Illyich

September – October: Anton Chekhov

• The Seagull
• Uncle Vanya
• Three Sisters
• The Cherry Orchard

November – December: Anna Akhmatova

• Requiem
• Poem Without a Hero

Bonus: Mikhail Lermontov

• A Hero of our Time
• Demon

I’m very excited to start this challenge, I have only ever loved all the books by Russian authors I’ve read. I’d love it if you are keen on joining me. Feel free to choose any or all the authors I’ve selected and pick any of their works that you want to read. You can use the icon above in your reviews or discussion posts. Any comments, suggestions or questions you have are welcome in the comments below. Here’s to discovering more great russian literature in 2012!