2016 Reading Challenge

mrsmig

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70% in now to Once and Future King. I hate to say it, but I'm starting to skim. It's a shame because it's the Crusades, a period in history I love reading about, but I just can't connect to the however well written second-hand accounts. White's descriptions are delightful as always but Arthur is completely passive as are the returning knights recounting their tales.

The latter part of the book is hard for me, too, although I think it's more the general air of sadness (and the inevitable, looming downfall of the Arthurian ideal), as well as the loss of Merlyn, whose whimsical character keeps so much of the earlier portion of the book lively.

I started my Book That Intimidates Me: Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth. So far I'm finding it an easy, interesting read.
 

mrsmig

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Well, I finished The Pillars of the Earth and have mixed feelings about it. It starts off so strong and I was in awe of Follett's ability to keep so many plotlines going at once. About three-quarters of the way through, though, it's like he runs out of energy. The plotting gets saggy and predictable, the characterizations (so strong in the beginning) become forced and the dialogue feels stale. Worse, almost every new section starts with a character standing around remembering stuff that's already happened - as if Follett feared the reader wouldn't remember. Don't get me wrong, it's still a good book - but it could easily have been 100 pages shorter.

Book published this year: Here I Am, Jonathan Safran Foer

Book I can finish in a day: Orphan Train, Christina Baker Kline DONE
Book I've been meaning to read: The Door, Magda Szabo
Book recommended by local librarian or bookseller: TBA
Book I should have read in school: Animal Farm, George Orwell DONE
Book chosen for me by a loved one: The Garden of Fresh Possibilities, Kim Smith
Book banned at some point: Holes, Louis Sachar DONE
Book I previously abandoned: The Path Between the Seas, David McCullough
Book I own but have never read: Billy Bathgate, E.L. Doctorow DONE
Book that intimidates me: The Pillars of the Earth, Ken Follett DONE
Book I've read already at least once: Harpo Speaks, Harpo Marx DONE
 
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Chris P

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You got through Pillars of the Earth in three days? :hail: Wow. Great work.

Your assessment seems common of the longer books I've attempted lately: either losing steam or having trouble getting started. I'll probably still attempt Pillars some day, though. It looks like the type of thing it would do me good to read.
 

mrsmig

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Up until that 3/4 mark, it really had me engaged, which was why I was so very disappointed when it started to fall apart. I think at one point I actually shouted "Oh, come ON" because a character was once again standing around having thoughts about stuff that had already happened. One of the things I liked initially about the book was Follett's dialogue, which had an authentic period feel without resorting to "olde English," but intrusive contemporary terms started creeping in in the latter sections. A woman being referred to as "sexy" was a real eye-roller.
 

Chris P

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I'm nearing the end of Once and Future King. My initial guess was right, that the voice aged with Arthur. As a child, the voice is very full of wonder and innocence. As the characters age and begin to see interior logical contradictions, they struggle with being sinners holding up a moral code. Now that Arthur is older still, he is able to see the consequences of his decisions and is tempted to go against the very system he built for selfish reasons. Now Arthur's struggling against someone too young (Mordred) to have reconciled this conflict in himself: Mordred is driven by anger as his own moral code and can't see the consequences of it.

It's this struggle against moral ambiguity that strikes me the most re-reading this book as an adult. These struggles motivate people, and nobody really knows if they are doing the right thing since going against the moral code in certain circumstances often seems equally right. I also found the attraction between Lancelot and Guinevere much more realistic than when I read this as a teenager. I don't have my own Guinevere as a real person for whom I've never let go, but I recognize the youthful holding on to an ideal of love. I see it in others and I understand it. I like how White gave us a true show (not tell) of the moment Lancelot and Guinevere fell in love. It was realistic without having to drive the point into the ground like too many other stories have.
 

Chris P

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Book published this year: The Caine Prize for African Fiction anthology, due out in July
Book I can finish in a day: Max's Revenge: A wedding, a party and a plate of dog food stewby Sally Gould DONE
Book I've been meaning to read: City on Fire by Garth Risk Hallberg. DONE
Book recommended by local librarian or bookseller: Chernobyl by Svetlana Alexievich
Book I should have read in school: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee DONE
Book chosen for me by a loved one: Gods at War by Kyle Idleman
Book banned at some point: Beloved by Toni Morrison
Book I previously abandoned: Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Book I own but have never read: 1000 Acres by Jane Smiley
Book that intimidates me: Last Night in Twisted River by John Irving (just because it's long)
Book I've read already at least once: The Once and Future King by T.H. White DONE


Finished Once and Future King. Despite the slow parts around 70%, it really picked up and was well worth the re-investment of time. While it was all about the story and fantasy when I read it years ago, this time the philosophy and interior workings of Arthur, Lancelot and Guinevere really caught me especially in the last 2/3 of the book.

Up next: Last Night in Twisted River. One of our members is interested in hearing my take on it, and I've been promising her I'd get to it so we can discuss.
 

Chris P

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Last Night in Twisted River is starting out good and strong. It's going fast.
 

Chris P

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I've only gotten to about 40% of Twisted River. I've not not had much of a chance to read.

It's a good book, but Irving seems to struggle with transitions. It's like there's something he needs to happen to get to the next part he wants to write, but doesn't quite know how to get there.
 

mrsmig

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I used the New York Public Library's staff recommendations to choose (finally!) my Book Recommended by a Local Librarian or Bookseller: Larissa MacFarquar's Strangers Drowning: Grappling with Impossible Idealism, Drastic Choices, and the Overpowering Urge to Help. It sounds interesting and the subject matter is something that ties in with the main theme of my fantasy series, so I'm going to view it as research. I just bought my Kindle copy and will be starting it as soon as I finish my current book (not one of my Challenge titles).

Book published this year: Here I Am, Jonathan Safran Foer
Book I can finish in a day: Orphan Train, Christina Baker Kline DONE
Book I've been meaning to read: The Door, Magda Szabo
Book recommended by local librarian or bookseller: Strangers Drowning: Grappling with Impossible Idealism, Drastic Choices, and the Overpowering Urge to Help, Larissa MacFarquar
Book I should have read in school: Animal Farm, George Orwell DONE
Book chosen for me by a loved one: O Garden of Fresh Possibilities, Kim Smith
Book banned at some point: Holes, Louis Sachar DONE
Book I previously abandoned: The Path Between the Seas, David McCullough
Book I own but have never read: Billy Bathgate, E.L. Doctorow DONE
Book that intimidates me: The Pillars of the Earth, Ken Follett DONE
Book I've read already at least once: Harpo Speaks, Harpo Marx DONE
 
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Brightdreamer

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I've officially started my Book I've Been Meaning to Read (Childhood's End, by Arthur C. Clarke), and I just got past the prologue bit on the Book That Intimidates Me (Moby Dick, by Herman Melville.) I expect I can push through CE at this point, and it's too soon to tell how I'll do with MD, but it's a start.

And I'm about 2/3 through Wonderbook - I want to do as many of the exercises as I can manage as I go, but I have a side project with a deadline, and that's been eating most of my creative energy, so it's slowed my reading progress to a crawl. Hopefully, I'm closing in on the finish line on that.
 

Chris P

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Several of us are reading Last Night in Twisted River. We are discussing it in the Afterwords thread. Feel free to participate.
 

Chris P

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Book published this year: The Caine Prize for African Fiction anthology, due out in July
Book I can finish in a day: Max's Revenge: A wedding, a party and a plate of dog food stewby Sally Gould DONE
Book I've been meaning to read: City on Fire by Garth Risk Hallberg. DONE
Book recommended by local librarian or bookseller: Chernobyl by Svetlana Alexievich
Book I should have read in school: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee DONE
Book chosen for me by a loved one: Gods at War by Kyle Idleman
Book banned at some point: Beloved by Toni Morrison
Book I previously abandoned: Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Book I own but have never read: 1000 Acres by Jane Smiley
Book that intimidates me: Last Night in Twisted River by John Irving (just because it's long) DONE
Book I've read already at least once: The Once and Future King by T.H. White DONE


That's five books in five months. Not bad for me, but then again I read one of those books in a day.

Last Night in Twisted River could have been just as good at 2/3 its length. The last 20% of the book is a "mopping up" of plot lines that didn't need to be done, in my opinion. I don't mind it if not all of the subplots and hints at foreshadowing aren't tied up in a nice bow. I enjoyed it overall, though.

I just started Beloved. I'm not exactly sure what's going on, which isn't a good sign for me. I'm willing to go along for the ride for a while, and a narrative is starting to emerge. I can see a lot of good directions it could take.
 

Chris P

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Beloved is hypnotic. I confess I cheated and read the first paragraph of the Wikipedia article of the book, and that little bit of spoiler has really drawn me in.
 

Brightdreamer

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Just cleared my Book I've Been Meaning To Read. Childhood's End, by Arthur C. Clarke: the arrival of extraterrestrial Overlords in the 1980's signals the beginning of the end for humanity's planetbound existence. Some nice ideas and imagery, though so bound to religion and New Age junk, not to mention the background assumptions of the mid-1950's, that it loses some of its luster in 2016. Still, I'm glad I finally read it, and it is still rather iconic in the history of sci-fi.

And I'm not quite 200 pages into my Book That Intimidates Me (Moby Dick). Melville badly needed an editor. Seriously, did he not trust the audience to dissect the tale's symbolism themselves? Did he really have to waste several chapters explaining, and re-explaining, how Profound he's being? They say that if you have to explain yourself repeatedly, you weren't clear enough the first time around... or he just loves the sound of his own literary voice. Ergh... but I'm pushing ahead anyway. I'm sure there's a pony in there somewhere...

My updated list:
Book published this year: Behind the Canvas, by Alexander Vance DONE
Book I can finish in a day:The One And Only Ivan, by Katherine Applegate DONE
Book I've been meaning to read: Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke DONE
Book recommended by local librarian or bookseller: The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black DONE
Book I should have read in school: Animal Farm, by George Orwell (Fiction, an allegory in which farm animals overthrow humans, thinking to build a better society)
Book chosen for me by a loved one: The Boys in the Boat, by Daniel James Brown DONE
Book published before I was born: Watership Down, by Richard Adams DONE
Book banned at some point: TBA
Book I previously abandoned: Etiquette & Espionage, by Gail Carriger DONE
Book I own but have never read: Wonderbook , by James Vandermeer (Nonfiction, a writing book that looks very different) (Halfway)
Book that intimidates me: Moby Dick, by Herman Melville (Fiction, the classic tale of a whaling captain's obsession)(Started)
Book I've read already at least once: The Princess Bride, by William Goldman (Fiction, a "hot fairy tale"/tongue-in-cheek story of classic adventure and True Love, and basis for the popular move - I read it a very long time ago)

ETA - Didn't want to double-post... Anyway, just finished my Book Recommended by a Bookseller (The Darkest Part of the Forest, by Holly Black, YA fantasy about a modern-day town with old-school faeries lurking in the woods.) Not bad, with some interesting ideas and faeries rooted in the elder tales, when they were terrifyingly alien beings of unpredictable character and morality, but ultimately I grew frustrated with the characters (particularly the heroine), and the ending felt a little too clean. 3.5/5 stars.
 
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mrsmig

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I finished Strangers Drowning... and thought it was an interesting book, although it was a bit of a slog and never really seemed to come to any conclusion. Wasn't quite what I thought it was going to be, I guess. I started The Door, and it's much easier going.


Book published this year: Here I Am, Jonathan Safran Foer
Book I can finish in a day: Orphan Train, Christina Baker Kline DONE
Book I've been meaning to read: The Door, Magda Szabo
Book recommended by local librarian or bookseller: Strangers Drowning: Grappling with Impossible Idealism,
Drastic Choices, and the Overpowering Urge to Help,
Larissa MacFarquar DONE
Book I should have read in school: Animal Farm, George Orwell DONE
Book chosen for me by a loved one: O Garden of Fresh Possibilities, Kim Smith
Book banned at some point: Holes, Louis Sachar DONE
Book I previously abandoned: The Path Between the Seas, David McCullough
Book I own but have never read: Billy Bathgate, E.L. Doctorow DONE
Book that intimidates me: The Pillars of the Earth, Ken Follett DONE
Book I've read already at least once: Harpo Speaks, Harpo Marx DONE

That leaves just four books. I may have to change my "book chosen for me by a loved one" because it's just awful - I think my mother picked it because the cover was pretty and it's about gardening. She gave me another book recently which looks more interesting. The Foer book isn't due for release until September, so I can't start on that for a couple of months. Which leaves the McCullough book about the Panama Canal. Oy.
 
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oneblindmouse

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Great thread! Even though we're already half-way through the year, I'll work out my own list and post it.
 

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Great thread! Even though we're already half-way through the year, I'll work out my own list and post it.

Never too late to start! (Well, unless you're posting in late December... ;) )

And I just finished my Book I Own But Have Never Read: Wonderbook, by Jeff Vandermeer, an illustrated writing guide. Very imaginative, pushing into surreal and occasionally overwhelming, it is indeed a different kind of writing guide, with lots of ideas presented in unique ways. I expect I'll be returning to it as I work through my own writing issues.

Eight down, four to go - and I really need to pick my banned book at some point... I suppose I could double-up with Animal Farm, but I feel I should dig a little deeper.

My updated list:
Book published this year: Behind the Canvas, by Alexander Vance DONE
Book I can finish in a day:The One And Only Ivan, by Katherine Applegate DONE
Book I've been meaning to read: Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke DONE
Book recommended by local librarian or bookseller: The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black DONE
Book I should have read in school: Animal Farm, by George Orwell (Fiction, an allegory in which farm animals overthrow humans, thinking to build a better society)
Book chosen for me by a loved one: The Boys in the Boat, by Daniel James Brown DONE
Book published before I was born: Watership Down, by Richard Adams DONE
Book banned at some point: TBA
Book I previously abandoned: Etiquette & Espionage, by Gail Carriger DONE
Book I own but have never read: Wonderbook , by Jeff Vandermeer DONE
Book that intimidates me: Moby Dick, by Herman Melville (Fiction, the classic tale of a whaling captain's obsession) (Ongoing)
Book I've read already at least once: The Princess Bride, by William Goldman (Fiction, a "hot fairy tale"/tongue-in-cheek story of classic adventure and True Love, and basis for the popular move - I read it a very long time ago)
 

mrsmig

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And I just finished my Book I Own But Have Never Read: Wonderbook, by Jeff Vandermeer, an illustrated writing guide. Very imaginative, pushing into surreal and occasionally overwhelming, it is indeed a different kind of writing guide, with lots of ideas presented in unique ways. I expect I'll be returning to it as I work through my own writing issues.

OOOooo, I've thought about treating myself to that! Glad to hear it worked well enough for you that you'd go back to it.
 

oneblindmouse

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My updated 2016 Book Challenge:

Book published this year: Strange Destinies by Guillermo Rubio Arias-Paz DONE
Book I can finish in a day: How it works: The Mum (Ladybirds for grownups) by Joel Morris DONE
Book I've been meaning to read: Riña de gatos by Rduardo Mendoza DONE
Book recommended by local librarian or bookseller: South of Broad by Pat Conroy DONE
Book I should have read in school: can’t decide between Los Pazos de Ulloa by Emilia Pardo Bazán or The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens.
Book chosen for me by a loved one: Notorious R the like and times of Ruth Bader Ginsberg by Irin Carmon DONE
Book published before I was born: Los Cuatro Jinetes del Apocalipsis by Vicente Blasco Ibañez DONE
Book banned at some point: Coños by Juan Manuel de Prada (Erotica) DONE
Book I previously abandoned: The ground beneath her feet by Salman Rushdie CURRENTLY READING
Book I own but have never read: either The thousand autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell
OR The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom by Slavomir Rawicz.

Book that intimidates me: either The dreamer of the calle de San Salvador: Visions of sedition and sacrilege in Sixteenth-century Spain, by Roger Osborne, OR Sarum: the novel of England, by Edward Rutherford (They both look long and heavy)
Book I've read before: The Turquoise by Anya Seton DONE

I've also added my own personal challenges in areas that particularly interest me:
Book in Spanish: A flor de piel by Javier Moro DONE
Book in French: La classe de neige by Emmanuel Carrére DONE
Book of non-fiction: Existentialism: a graphic guide DONE
Book on English history: The Lost Tudor princess: Margaret Lennox by Alison Weir DONE
Book on Spanish history: Decidme cómo es un arbol by Marcos Ana DONE
Book on psychology: Jung: a graphic guide DONE
Book on language: Troublesome Words by Bill Bryson DONE
Book of poetry: El Amor y los Ángeles by Rafael Alberti DONE
 

mrsmig

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Finished The Door. I liked it well enough, but got a little impatient with it toward the end. My mom sent me a new book for my birthday so I'm substituting that for my previous (unreadable) Book Chosen By a Loved One.

Book published this year: Here I Am, Jonathan Safran Foer
Book I can finish in a day: Orphan Train, Christina Baker Kline DONE
Book I've been meaning to read: The Door, Magda Szabo DONE
Book recommended by local librarian or bookseller: Strangers Drowning: Grappling with Impossible Idealism, Drastic Choices, and the Overpowering Urge to Help, Larissa MacFarquar DONE
Book I should have read in school: Animal Farm, George Orwell DONE
Book chosen for me by a loved one: Selkirk's Island, Diana Souhami
Book banned at some point: Holes, Louis Sachar DONE
Book I previously abandoned: The Path Between the Seas, David McCullough
Book I own but have never read: Billy Bathgate, E.L. Doctorow DONE
Book that intimidates me: The Pillars of the Earth, Ken Follett DONE
Book I've read already at least once: Harpo Speaks, Harpo Marx DONE
 
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Chris P

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Great work everyone! Sorry for not checking in more frequently.

I'm closing in on the end of Beloved. Honestly, I've found it a very confusing read and i would be totally lost if I hadn't read through the Wikipedia article on it. Some great writing, and a compelling story, I've just had a lot of trouble following it.
 

Chris P

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Book published this year: The Caine Prize for African Fiction anthology, due out in July It's coming! Can't wait
Book I can finish in a day: Max's Revenge by Sally Gould DONE
Book I've been meaning to read: City on Fire by Garth Risk Hallberg. DONE
Book recommended by local librarian or bookseller: Chernobyl by Svetlana Alexievich
Book I should have read in school: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee DONE
Book chosen for me by a loved one: Gods at War by Kyle Idleman
Book banned at some point: Beloved by Toni Morrison Should be DONE tonight
Book I previously abandoned: Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Book I own but have never read: 1000 Acres by Jane Smiley
Book that intimidates me: Last Night in Twisted River by John Irving (just because it's long) DONE
Book I've read already at least once: The Once and Future King by T.H. White DONE

I think I'll take a break from the reading challenge and get into an anthology I got for Christmas. I have a trip coming with lots of airplane time and I seem to enjoy shorts on airplanes more than novels.

 

Chris P

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oneblindmouse: The Spanish books sound interesting. Have they been translated?

I'm also (for all of you) starting to think ahead to categories for next year's challenge. Any suggestions? I have a few already but I'd like to see what you come up with. Early, I know, but I love this idea.
 

mrsmig

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I'm also (for all of you) starting to think ahead to categories for next year's challenge. Any suggestions? I have a few already but I'd like to see what you come up with. Early, I know, but I love this idea.

Book Made Into a Major Motion Picture
Book In a Genre I Never Read
Book On a Topic I Find Baffling ;)
 

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Book Made Into a Major Motion Picture
Book In a Genre I Never Read
Book On a Topic I Find Baffling ;)

Oooh, those are some good ones! I'll have to think some more.

Close Friend or Relative's Favorite Book
Book You Loved As a Child