It’s the new year! New challenges are beckoning us, as are new books. But let’s not forget the really old ones!

How about a mini-challenge (with a giveaway) to remind you?

The Really Old Classics Challenge runs from October 2008-July  31, 2009. We’ve had three months to read, and there are seven months left. To join the challenge, remember, you choose how many really old classics (pre-Shakespeare) you want to read between now and July 31 and then you read those books.

For those who have joined the challenge, how are you doing with your challenge goals?

Other books have been beckoning me, so I’ve only finished 2 out of my goal of 5. Never fear! There is lots of time left; The Odyssey is waiting for me this month.

I guess it’s time I give you some motivation to get a least one of your books read. This is a mid-challenge mini-challenge to get at least one of them read by the end of February, which is the halfway point of the challenge.

To give you a little motivation to remember the really old classics, I’d like to giveaway a book of your choice. It can be up to $15 value, and I’ll cover the shipping. It also doesn’t have to be a really old classic — it can be any book that you want.

This is a giveaway for someone who is participating in the Really Old Classic Challenge and that is reading and reviewing the books. If you don’t have a blog, you can leave a your thoughts about the book in the comments to the reviews post.

To enter the giveaway, first you must join the challenge. Visit this post for how to do that. If you’ve already joined, you already are half way there. Then, read at least one really old classic and review it by February 28, 2009. Come back and leave a link to your review on the reviews post, so I know you’ve reviewed it for the challenge. The more really old classics you review by February 28, 2009, the more entries you’ll get for the random drawing. (If you’ve already posted a review link, you’re already entered.)

On March 1, 2009, I’ll randomly select one of the participants that has reviewed a really old classic (and left me a link so I know about it). That person will be the winner of the book of their choice.

I’ll give another reminder in February. In the mean time, I certainly hope you enjoy reading your really old classic(s)!