The 2017 AW Reading Challenge! A "Pick 12" Choose Your Own Adventure

mrsmig

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ChrisP, I somehow managed to avoid having it assigned to me in high school, so I figured it was about time I read it.
 

Cobalt Jade

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The City Of Seattle Public Library has also started a reading challenge, a kind of book bingo. You get a form at the library divided into 25 squares, and read a book of the topic listed in that square. The center square is a freebie. This challenge runs throughout the summer. I'm gonna double-deep with some of these ;-) Well, not that much, because the categories are different. There's a chance to win prizes which I like. The one other time I did a SPL reading challenge, I won something. (I think a Starbucks card? Memory's hazy.)

I did finish another one, the excellent Harm by British SF author Brian Aldiss, who at the time my chosen book was published, 2007, was in his eighties. (!) I can only hope I write as long. Harm was the story of a young half-Muslim English writer who is imprisoned and tortured in a near-future London because of a seditious line in his humorous novel. As he is interrogated, he creates another story in his mind, that of a character on a recently colonized planet where society is not doing so well because of idealics and politics. It was a fascinating read, I blazed through it on my lunch hours which was not the case with Cinder, my previous read, which was a damn chore. I wonder why I could read something difficult and thought-provoking so readily, and something simple and spoon-fed, so slowly? Anyway, the book was not so much about Islam as about the paranoid environment after Al-Qaeda and ISIS terrorist attacks. Christianity actually figured in the story more, used as a plot element but neither derided nor espoused.

One of the things I liked about the book, and a thing I have never before seen done properly before, was how the protagonist creates the dream world he goes to, written in a way similar to the progression of real, REM-type dreams, where there's a bare skeleton of a place and situation at first that is later sketched out as the mind sleeps along, incorporated pieces of real-world recent events and memories also. The author explains this away as the hero's affliction of multiple personality disorder, which seems too obvious -- it's really about the creative process of a writer, whether or not they are dreaming, in coming up with a character and a situation, then musing it and adding more elements.

Next up is Yellowtail, because I've got an interest now in reading some Native American stuff. Wow, I'm only four more books away from finishing!



  1. Coming to a theater near you: A book made into a major motion picture. (Stardust by Neil Gaimon) FINISHED ***
  2. East meets West: A book taking place in Asia (anywhere in Asia; Turkey to Japan, Siberia to Indonesia) (Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See) FINISHED *****
  3. What you read: A book you loved as a child. (CHANGED: A Wrinkle Out of Time, by Madeleine L'Engle)
  4. Loose ends: A book you started last year and haven’t yet finished. (Cinder by Marissa Meyer) FINISHED *
  5. No hablo: A translation. (The King of the Fields, Isaac Bashevis Singer)
  6. Out of the park on first at bat: A debut. (Faeries of Dreamdark: Blackbringer, by Laini Taylor) FINISHED **
  7. Huh, I never knew that: A book in a new-to-you genre. (The Aviary Gate, by Katie Hickman. It's Historical Romance.) FINISHED ***
  8. Rainbow warrior: A book with a color in the title. (Yellowtail, Crow Medicine Man and Sun Dance Chief, an Autobiography told to Michael Oren Fitzgerald)
  9. Who was that, again?: A book about a person you know little about. (The Secret History of the Mongol Queens, How the Daughters of Genghis Khan Rescued His Empire, by Jack Weatherford)
  10. God’s mansion has many rooms: A book based in a religion not your own. (Harm, by Brian W. Aldiss) FINISHED *****
  11. Ye olde booke shoppe: A book written before 1700. (Gilgamesh.) FINISHED ***
  12. Three-color mythology: A graphic novel or comic book. (Tiger Lung, by Roy Simon) FINISHED *****
 

Chris P

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Sounds like a great book, Cobalt. I had high hopes for John Updike's Terrorist being more like how you decribe Harm. However, I though Updike missed a chance to really connect with the radical mindset. Orhan Pamuk in Snow did this really well.
 

mrsmig

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Finished THE CATCHER IN THE RYE, my No Cliff Notes this time selection. I'm sure it was ground-breaking in its day but I don't think it's aged well. The protag seems more like an angsty 14 year-old than a person on the cusp of adulthood, and I found most of his interactions with and constant judgment of his peers tiresome. It wasn't until Phoebe came on the scene that I found a character I could like. Somehow I think my teenaged self wouldn't have liked this any better than my grown self did.

One left! Looking forward to reading about GOATS!!!!

[x] 1. Coming to a theatre near you - THE FRENCH LIEUTENANT'S WOMAN by John Fowles (and I've never seen the movie, so I'm coming to it with no expectations)
[x] 2. I remember that! - A TIME TO DIE: THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE KURSK TRAGEDY by Robert Moore
[x] 3. Bits & pieces - THE YEAR'S BEST DARK FANTASY AND HORROR 2016 edited by Paula Guran
[x] 4. What you read - BEAUTIFUL JOE by Marshall Saunders
[x] 5. I've met them! - THE WATERWORKS by E.L. Doctorow
[x] 6. No Cliff Notes this time - THE CATCHER IN THE RYE by J.D. Salinger
[ ] 7. Step by step - THE BACKYARD GOAT: AN INTRODUCTORY GUIDE by Sue Weaver
[x] 8. Ripped from the headlines - THUNDERSTRUCK by Erik Larson
[x] 9. Wow. Nice. - SNUFF by Terry Pratchett
[x] 10. Revenge of the nerds - ATOMIC ACCIDENTS: A HISTORY OF NUCLEAR MELTDOWNS AND DISASTERS by James Mahaffey
[x] 11. Better known for... BOSSYPANTS by Tina Fey
[x] 12. Gramma would have loved this - TWO YEARS BEFORE THE MAST by Richard Henry Dana[/QUOTE]
 

Chris P

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Finished THE CATCHER IN THE RYE, my No Cliff Notes this time selection. I'm sure it was ground-breaking in its day but I don't think it's aged well. The protag seems more like an angsty 14 year-old than a person on the cusp of adulthood, and I found most of his interactions with and constant judgment of his peers tiresome. It wasn't until Phoebe came on the scene that I found a character I could like. Somehow I think my teenaged self wouldn't have liked this any better than my grown self did.

My high school English teacher would be so proud of you! If she's right, you have absolutely picked up on Holden's character. Holden hates adults and adulthood (notice how he called everyone he doesn't like "Old"? Old Stradlater, etc.). Therefore, the only likeable character, as narrated by Holden, is the only child in the entire book.

I liked that teacher in high school, and the more I read the more I recognize how excellent of a teacher she was.
 

Siri Kirpal

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Sat Nam! (literally "Truth Name"--a Sikh greeting)

Catcher in the Rye was too new to be textbook material in my day. Lots of kids read it, but from what I heard, the book sounded like a long ramble with someone with a high octane negative attitude. So, no thanks; I don't intend to read it, ever.

Blessings,

Siri Kirpal
 

mrsmig

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Yeah, I couldn't wait to be done with it. I found Holden so exasperating.

I did notice how he only connected with the children in the story, and how his memories of his late younger brother seemed almost envious - as if Allie dying before he reached adulthood elevated him to some special place. And of course Holden's inability to "step across the threshhold" and actually lose his virginity is so blatantly about not wanting to grow up.
 
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mrsmig

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Aaaaaaand I've finished my Step by step selection (THE BACKYARD GOAT) and with that, completed my second round of the Challenge! I enjoyed reading about goat raising although it made me decide there's too much work involved, so I'll just have to satisfy myself watching other people's videos.

There's just too much time left in the year not to attempt a Third Round. I'll be back once I've perused the master list and decided on my titles.

[x] 1. Coming to a theatre near you - THE FRENCH LIEUTENANT'S WOMAN by John Fowles (and I've never seen the movie, so I'm coming to it with no expectations)
[x] 2. I remember that! - A TIME TO DIE: THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE KURSK TRAGEDY by Robert Moore
[x] 3. Bits & pieces - THE YEAR'S BEST DARK FANTASY AND HORROR 2016 edited by Paula Guran
[x] 4. What you read - BEAUTIFUL JOE by Marshall Saunders
[x] 5. I've met them! - THE WATERWORKS by E.L. Doctorow
[x] 6. No Cliff Notes this time - THE CATCHER IN THE RYE by J.D. Salinger
[x] 7. Step by step - THE BACKYARD GOAT: AN INTRODUCTORY GUIDE by Sue Weaver
[x] 8. Ripped from the headlines - THUNDERSTRUCK by Erik Larson
[x] 9. Wow. Nice. - SNUFF by Terry Pratchett
[x] 10. Revenge of the nerds - ATOMIC ACCIDENTS: A HISTORY OF NUCLEAR MELTDOWNS AND DISASTERS by James Mahaffey
[x] 11. Better known for... BOSSYPANTS by Tina Fey
[x] 12. Gramma would have loved this - TWO YEARS BEFORE THE MAST by Richard Henry Dana
 

Siri Kirpal

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Sat Nam! (Literally "Truth Name"--a Sikh greeting)

Very impressive, mrsmig!

Am taking a break from formal reading while I take care of my mother, who has vascular dementia. When her caregiver returns and Mr. Siri & I return home, I'll resume. Meanwhile, I'm perusing research materials and glancing at Mom's old books, when I have the chance.

Blessings,

Siri Kirpal
 

mrsmig

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::rubs hands together::

Okay, here is Round Three of my 2017 AW Reading Challenge! Twelve new categories, twelve new books, lots of new-to-me authors and heavier on the fiction side this go-round.

[ ] 1. East meets West: THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING by Rudyard Kipling
[ ] 2. No hablo: MEMOIRS OF A POLAR BEAR by Yoko Towada
[ ] 3. My hometown: AMERICAN FIRE: LOVE, ARSON & LIFE IN A VANISHING LAND by Monica Hesse (from the DC Metro area; close enough)
[ ] 4. Namesakes: THE LITTLE FRIEND by Donna Tartt
[ ] 5. Out of this world: RED RISING by Pierce Brown
[ ] 6. Enter stage right: OSLO by J.T. Rogers
[ ] 7. Counting your chickens: STATION ELEVEN by Emily St. John Mandel
[ ] 8. They've been watching us: A SALOON-KEEPER'S DAUGHTER by Drude Krog Janson
[ ] 9. Crossing the (Color) lines: THE WOMAN WARRIOR by Maxine Hong Kingston *
[ ] 10. Who was that, again?: FALL FROM GRACE: THE TRUTH & TRAGEDY OF 'SHOELESS' JOE JACKSON by Tim Hornbaker
[x] 11. Holy moly some authors like to use lots of words: BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE by Aron Ralston
[ ] 12. What everyone else was reading: A MAN CALLED OVE by Fredrik Backman

I've already begun #11 (Holy moly etc), which is written by that back-country trekker who got pinned by a boulder and had to self-amputate his hand in order to get free. I'm already finding it a little overwritten, so that professional distance may get me past the squicky details to come.

*I was actually taking an acting class from her husband Earll back in the day, a year or so before THE WOMAN WARRIOR came out, just as she was gaining traction as an author.

ETA: Finished BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE. Not a bad read, but it felt somewhat padded, especially in the beginning. At least the prose turned a good bit less purple as I got deeper into the story - which is still an amazing one, whether I liked the book or not.

On to THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING.
 
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oneblindmouse

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On my last book!!! Birdsong by Sebastian Faulkes. I found it a bit slow to start with, but am now enjoying it.

My list stands as follows:

1. I've met them! - The Red Sari by Javier Moro. DONE
2. East Meets West - A Daughter of the River by Hong Ying. DONE
3. Support your home team - Ageless erotica: an anthology DONE
4. Halcyon Days - Devil Water by Anya Seton. DONE
5. What your great grandparents read: Cosas de encantamiento by Bernal Díaz del Castillo DONE
6. Out of the park at first on bat. A debut. The light between oceans by M. L. Stedman DONE
7. Who was that again? Elfrida, the first crowned queen of England, by Elizabeth Norton. DONE
8. Loose ends Bright Tapestry by Margaret Pearson. DONE
9. Step-by-step How to Outwit Aristotle & 34 other really interesting uses of philosophy by Peter Cave DONE
10. Earth, wind and fire. The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humbolt's new World, Andrea Wulf. DONE
11. Feast your ears: Birdsong by Sebastian Faulkes ONGOING
12. Holy Moly: The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell. DONE


I'm feeling inspired by mrsmig, so I'm planning a second reading challenge for when I finish this book.
 

Cobalt Jade

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mrsmig you are on ROUND THREE already? That's really impressive!
 

mrsmig

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Thanks, Cobalt Jade. I'm understudying a Broadway show and consequently have a lot of down time backstage - without books I think I'd lose my mind.

I finished my East meets West selection: THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING and really enjoyed it. I didn't realize what a short book it is - more of a novella than a novel, but it's held up very well over the years. I'm nearly finished with my Namesakes pick (Donna Tartt's THE LITTLE FRIEND). The writing is quite good but I'm finding the story depressing, and am happy it's just about done. Next up is THE WOMAN WARRIOR, my Crossing the (Color) lines selection.


[x] 1. East meets West: THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING by Rudyard Kipling
[ ] 2. No hablo: MEMOIRS OF A POLAR BEAR by Yoko Towada
[ ] 3. My hometown: AMERICAN FIRE: LOVE, ARSON & LIFE IN A VANISHING LAND by Monica Hesse (from the DC Metro area; close enough)
[x] 4. Namesakes: THE LITTLE FRIEND by Donna Tartt
[ ] 5. Out of this world: RED RISING by Pierce Brown
[ ] 6. Enter stage right: OSLO by J.T. Rogers
[ ] 7. Counting your chickens: STATION ELEVEN by Emily St. John Mandel
[ ] 8. They've been watching us: A SALOON-KEEPER'S DAUGHTER by Drude Krog Janson
[ ] 9. Crossing the (Color) lines: THE WOMAN WARRIOR by Maxine Hong Kingston
[ ] 10. Who was that, again?: FALL FROM GRACE: THE TRUTH & TRAGEDY OF 'SHOELESS' JOE JACKSON by Tim Hornbaker
[x] 11. Holy moly some authors like to use lots of words: BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE by Aron Ralston
[ ] 12. What everyone else was reading: A MAN CALLED OVE by Fredrik Backman

ETA: Finished THE LITTLE FRIEND. Onward!
 
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oneblindmouse

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I've finished my twelfth book!! Birdsong by Sebastian Faulkes. Wow! What a book! I'm so glad I left it for last as it was quite a finale. I'm a big fan of Faulkes, but this is clearly the best I've read by him so far. A heartbreaking tale set amidst the horror of trench and tunnel warfare in the First World War. Haunting descriptions. Probably not for the faint hearted.

So my list of books read is:

1. I've met them! - The Red Sari by Javier Moro. DONE
2. East Meets West - A Daughter of the River by Hong Ying. DONE
3. Support your home team - Ageless erotica: an anthology DONE
4. Halcyon Days - Devil Water by Anya Seton. DONE
5. What your great grandparents read: Cosas de encantamiento by Bernal Díaz del Castillo DONE
6. Out of the park at first on bat. A debut. The light between oceans by M. L. Stedman DONE
7. Who was that again? Elfrida, the first crowned queen of England, by Elizabeth Norton. DONE
8. Loose ends Unfinished. Bright Tapestry by Margaret Pearson. DONE
9. Step-by-step How to Outwit Aristotle & 34 other really interesting uses of philosophy by Peter Cave DONE
10. Earth, wind and fire. The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humbolt's new World, Andrea Wulf. DONE
11. Feast your ears: Birdsong by Sebastian Faulkes DONE
12. Holy Moly: The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell. DONE

Following in Mrsmig's footsteps, I'm taking the plunge and setting myself a second reading challenge for 2017 with the following new areas and titles.

1. Wow! Nice! Caín by José Saramago
2. No cliff notes this time: The Last of the Mohicans by J. Fenimore Cooper.
3. What the greatest generation to post-millennial are reading: In the Skin of a Lion by Michael Ondaatje 4. No hablo: Simple stories by Ingo Schultz 5. Enter stage right: Los intereses creados by Jacinto Benavente.
6. Bits and pieces: The Tree House (poems) by Kathleen Jamie
7. You might also like: The Skull Mantra by Eliot Pattison
8. Crossing the colour lines: The other hand by Chris Cleave
9. Rainbow warrior: Crome yellow by Aldous Huxley
10. Out of this world: The ship who sang by Anne McAffrey
11. Tuesdays with Balaam’s ass: Me llamo Lucas y no soy perro by Fernando Delgado
12. You really shouldn’t have: The tobacconist by Robert Seethaler
 

mrsmig

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Finished THE WOMAN WARRIOR, my Crossing the (Color) lines selection. I found it a tough read. I liked the author's writing a great deal, but I found her mother's whinging, bullying character hard to stomach. I've moved on to my Counting your chickens pick: STATION ELEVEN. So far I'm really enjoying it.


[x] 1. East meets West: THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING by Rudyard Kipling
[ ] 2. No hablo: MEMOIRS OF A POLAR BEAR by Yoko Towada
[ ] 3. My hometown: AMERICAN FIRE: LOVE, ARSON & LIFE IN A VANISHING LAND by Monica Hesse (from the DC Metro area; close enough)
[x] 4. Namesakes: THE LITTLE FRIEND by Donna Tartt
[ ] 5. Out of this world: RED RISING by Pierce Brown
[ ] 6. Enter stage right: OSLO by J.T. Rogers
[ ] 7. Counting your chickens: STATION ELEVEN by Emily St. John Mandel
[ ] 8. They've been watching us: A SALOON-KEEPER'S DAUGHTER by Drude Krog Janson
[x] 9. Crossing the (Color) lines: THE WOMAN WARRIOR by Maxine Hong Kingston
[ ] 10. Who was that, again?: FALL FROM GRACE: THE TRUTH & TRAGEDY OF 'SHOELESS' JOE JACKSON by Tim Hornbaker
[x] 11. Holy moly some authors like to use lots of words: BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE by Aron Ralston
[ ] 12. What everyone else was reading: A MAN CALLED OVE by Fredrik Backman
 

mrsmig

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I've finished not only my Counting your chickens pick (STATION ELEVEN) but my No hablo selection as well (MEMOIRS OF A POLAR BEAR). I liked the first for its premise and story, even though I thought it got a bit flabby toward the end, and the second for the imagery, although there were a few peculiar turns of phrase that made me wonder if something got lost in the translation.

I think I'm ready for some non-fic now, so I'm moving on to AMERICAN FIRE.


[x] 1. East meets West: THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING by Rudyard Kipling
[x] 2. No hablo: MEMOIRS OF A POLAR BEAR by Yoko Towada
[ ] 3. My hometown: AMERICAN FIRE: LOVE, ARSON & LIFE IN A VANISHING LAND by Monica Hesse (from the DC Metro area; close enough)
[x] 4. Namesakes: THE LITTLE FRIEND by Donna Tartt
[ ] 5. Out of this world: RED RISING by Pierce Brown
[ ] 6. Enter stage right: OSLO by J.T. Rogers
[x] 7. Counting your chickens: STATION ELEVEN by Emily St. John Mandel
[ ] 8. They've been watching us: A SALOON-KEEPER'S DAUGHTER by Drude Krog Janson
[x] 9. Crossing the (Color) lines: THE WOMAN WARRIOR by Maxine Hong Kingston
[ ] 10. Who was that, again?: FALL FROM GRACE: THE TRUTH & TRAGEDY OF 'SHOELESS' JOE JACKSON by Tim Hornbaker
[x] 11. Holy moly some authors like to use lots of words: BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE by Aron Ralston
[ ] 12. What everyone else was reading: A MAN CALLED OVE by Fredrik Backman
 

Chris P

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Kudos for all of those takkng extra credit challenges!

I'm flying through the final book of my main challenge: About a Boy by Nick Hornby. I hadn't remebered that I'd seen the movie until I got to the part where Will invents a fictional child named Ned and the single parents support groups scene. I know I've seen the movie, but I can't remember anything that happens beyond the scene I'm currently reading. It's cute and heartfelt at turns without ge​tting sappy. For humor, it's the type of thing I'd like to write.
 

mrsmig

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My hometown selection, AMERICAN FIRE, was excellent. I enjoy a well-written true crime book and as I visited Virginia's Eastern Shore and kind of loved it (except for the mosquitos), I found the book really compelling.

I'm giving myself a little break from the list to read a few other things (another true crime book; a Stephen King novella) but that won't take me long.

[x] 1. East meets West: THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING by Rudyard Kipling
[x] 2. No hablo: MEMOIRS OF A POLAR BEAR by Yoko Towada
[x] 3. My hometown: AMERICAN FIRE: LOVE, ARSON & LIFE IN A VANISHING LAND by Monica Hesse (from the DC Metro area; close enough)
[x] 4. Namesakes: THE LITTLE FRIEND by Donna Tartt
[ ] 5. Out of this world: RED RISING by Pierce Brown
[ ] 6. Enter stage right: OSLO by J.T. Rogers
[x] 7. Counting your chickens: STATION ELEVEN by Emily St. John Mandel
[ ] 8. They've been watching us: A SALOON-KEEPER'S DAUGHTER by Drude Krog Janson
[x] 9. Crossing the (Color) lines: THE WOMAN WARRIOR by Maxine Hong Kingston
[ ] 10. Who was that, again?: FALL FROM GRACE: THE TRUTH & TRAGEDY OF 'SHOELESS' JOE JACKSON by Tim Hornbaker
[x] 11. Holy moly some authors like to use lots of words: BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE by Aron Ralston
[ ] 12. What everyone else was reading: A MAN CALLED OVE by Fredrik Backman
 

Cobalt Jade

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Nine down, three to go, Wooo-hooo!

Finished the Rainbow Warrior pick, Yellowtail, Crow Medicine Man and Sun Dance Chief, but it wasn't what I had expected. I thought it would be more of a biography, instead it was an ethnological examination of the Sun Dance religion of the Crow. Maybe it should have been my God's Mansion selection. Certainly it was more philosophical and dealt more with spirituality than the Aldiss book. It made me think, but was long-winded at times. More of something for a college student in Sociology 101 to read.



  1. Coming to a theater near you: A book made into a major motion picture. (Stardust by Neil Gaimon) FINISHED ***
  2. East meets West: A book taking place in Asia (anywhere in Asia; Turkey to Japan, Siberia to Indonesia) (Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See) FINISHED *****
  3. What you read: A book you loved as a child. (CHANGED: A Wrinkle Out of Time, by Madeleine L'Engle)
  4. Loose ends: A book you started last year and haven’t yet finished. (Cinder by Marissa Meyer) FINISHED *
  5. No hablo: A translation. (The King of the Fields, Isaac Bashevis Singer)
  6. Out of the park on first at bat: A debut. (Faeries of Dreamdark: Blackbringer, by Laini Taylor) FINISHED **
  7. Huh, I never knew that: A book in a new-to-you genre. (The Aviary Gate, by Katie Hickman. It's Historical Romance.) FINISHED ***
  8. Rainbow warrior: A book with a color in the title. (Yellowtail, Crow Medicine Man and Sun Dance Chief, an Autobiography told to Michael Oren Fitzgerald) FINISHED **
  9. Who was that, again?: A book about a person you know little about. (The Secret History of the Mongol Queens, How the Daughters of Genghis Khan Rescued His Empire, by Jack Weatherford)
  10. God’s mansion has many rooms: A book based in a religion not your own. (Harm, by Brian W. Aldiss) FINISHED *****
  11. Ye olde booke shoppe: A book written before 1700. (Gilgamesh.) FINISHED ***
  12. Three-color mythology: A graphic novel or comic book. (Tiger Lung, by Roy Simon) FINISHED *****
 

mrsmig

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Well, nuts. I'm going to have to change two of my selections. I started RED RISING (my pick for Out of this world) but after 100 pages or so, had to stop. I just couldn't bear it. I always hate it when the hero has a beautiful young wife whose sole purpose is to get fridged so the hero can be motivated to action, but when it's followed by pages and pages of the hero suffering to be remade into a superman (a la Deadpool or Wolverine, but without the redeeming black humor or Hugh Jackman), then I'm out. I'm reading George R.R. Martin's TUF VOYAGING instead. So far, so good.

My They've been watching us pick is proving troublesome as well, mostly because I can't find it as an ebook and the paperback is ridiculously expensive. I'll have to do some research to find another choice; for now I'm leaving it blank.

[x] 1. East meets West: THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING by Rudyard Kipling
[x] 2. No hablo: MEMOIRS OF A POLAR BEAR by Yoko Towada
[x] 3. My hometown: AMERICAN FIRE: LOVE, ARSON & LIFE IN A VANISHING LAND by Monica Hesse (from the DC Metro area; close enough)
[x] 4. Namesakes: THE LITTLE FRIEND by Donna Tartt
[ ] 5. Out of this world: TUF VOYAGING by George R. R. Martin
[ ] 6. Enter stage right: OSLO by J.T. Rogers
[x] 7. Counting your chickens: STATION ELEVEN by Emily St. John Mandel
[ ] 8. They've been watching us: TBD
[x] 9. Crossing the (Color) lines: THE WOMAN WARRIOR by Maxine Hong Kingston
[ ] 10. Who was that, again?: FALL FROM GRACE: THE TRUTH & TRAGEDY OF 'SHOELESS' JOE JACKSON by Tim Hornbaker
[x] 11. Holy moly some authors like to use lots of words: BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE by Aron Ralston
[ ] 12. What everyone else was reading: A MAN CALLED OVE by Fredrik Backman
 

oneblindmouse

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I've started with some of the shortest books on my list, to get them out of the way.

Crome yellow by Aldous Huxley was disappointing, but then it was his debut novel. It annoyed me when the characters spouted on about their pet peeves or beliefs, which did nothing for the story.

The tobacconist by Robert Seethaler was also very disappointing. It had potential (a teenage country bumpkin befriends an aged cancer-ravaged Sigmund Freud and falls in love with a prostitute in Vienna during Hitler's annexation of Austria) but was incredibly boring until the last chapter. Even the gorgeous picture on the cover couldn't outweigh the frustration I felt as I plodded through it.

On the other hand, Benavente's classic Los intereses creados is a satirical play that, although published in 1907, is still surprisingly funny and relevant in today's corrupt times. Much more entertaining than I'd anticipated.

Lastly, I'm not quite sure what to make of Me llamo Lucas y no soy perro (which is probably YA). It is almost two books in one. The first half is an utterly delightful story told by Lucas, a dog who wants to be a child. It is lighthearted and describes to perfection a labrador's outlook on life, which had me laughing out loud (I've had several labradors). But the second half of the book is an unexpectedly sad tale á la Black Beauty. I've lent it to my 30-something daughter as I'm curious to see her take on it.

I've started The ship who sang by Ann McAffrey, and I'm loving it! And I'm dipping into a book of poetry.

My list now stands as follows:
1. Wow! Nice! Caín by José Saramago
2. No cliff notes this time: The Last of the Mohicans by J. Fenimore Cooper.
3. What the greatest generation to post-millennial are reading: In the Skin of a Lion by Michael Ondaatje
4. No hablo: Simple stories by Ingo Schultz
5. Enter stage right: Los intereses creados by Jacinto Benavente DONE
6. Bits and pieces: The Tree House (poems) by Kathleen Jamie ONGOING
7. You might also like: The Skull Mantra by Eliot Pattison
8. Crossing the colour lines: The other hand by Chris Cleave
9. Rainbow warrior: Crome yellow by Aldous Huxley DONE
10. Out of this world: The ship who sang by Anne McAffrey ONGOING
11. Tuesdays with Balaam’s ass: Me llamo Lucas y no soy perro by Fernando Delgado DONE
12. You really shouldn’t have: The tobacconist by Robert Seethaler DONE
 

mrsmig

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I finished TUF VOYAGING, my substitute Out of this world selection, a short story collection by George R.R. Martin. It was largely enjoyable but ultimately not terribly satisfying (I'm convinced Tuf is a Mary Sue stand-in for Martin, and he becomes almost insufferably preachy by the final story). Still haven't decided on a They've been watching us selection. Once again, I think I'm going to give this list a rest and read something else. A friend has given me THE NIX to try; that may be next.

[x] 1. East meets West: THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING by Rudyard Kipling
[x] 2. No hablo: MEMOIRS OF A POLAR BEAR by Yoko Towada
[x] 3. My hometown: AMERICAN FIRE: LOVE, ARSON & LIFE IN A VANISHING LAND by Monica Hesse (from the DC Metro area; close enough)
[x] 4. Namesakes: THE LITTLE FRIEND by Donna Tartt
[x] 5. Out of this world: TUF VOYAGING by George R. R. Martin
[ ] 6. Enter stage right: OSLO by J.T. Rogers
[x] 7. Counting your chickens: STATION ELEVEN by Emily St. John Mandel
[ ] 8. They've been watching us: TBD
[x] 9. Crossing the (Color) lines: THE WOMAN WARRIOR by Maxine Hong Kingston
[ ] 10. Who was that, again?: FALL FROM GRACE: THE TRUTH & TRAGEDY OF 'SHOELESS' JOE JACKSON by Tim Hornbaker
[x] 11. Holy moly some authors like to use lots of words: BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE by Aron Ralston
[ ] 12. What everyone else was reading: A MAN CALLED OVE by Fredrik Backman
 
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Chris P

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And that's me done! Wow, it's been quite a year of reading! I knocked out some daunting titles, shortened my TBR list, and had some fun in the meantime.

  1. Coming to a theater near you: About a Boy - Nick Hornby Done
  2. No hablo: Love in the Time of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez Done
  3. Rainbow warrior: The Color Purple - Alice Walker Done
  4. Still time for more chapters: An American Demon - Jack Grisham Done
  5. What you read as a child: The Woodshed Mystery - Gertrude C. Warner Done
  6. I’ve met them!: Commonwealth - Ann Patchett Done
  7. Be the change you want to see: White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America - Nancy Isenberg Done
  8. Lol random: The Discovery of the Source of the Nile - John Manning Speke Done
  9. He did drone on a bit: A Strangeness in My Mind - Orhan Pamuk Done
  10. Support the home team: Mr Katz is a Zombie - Margaret Lesh Done
  11. Be your own boss: I Hate that You Bloody Left Me - Heather Hill Done
  12. Ye olde booke shoppe: The Romance of Tristan and Iseult - M. Joseph Bedier Done

My final book was About a Boy by Nick Hornby. It was really sweet, but I thought the ending, although realistic, was not as madcap as the first 75% of the book was. I like that it took on the subject of depression and suicide as courageously as it did.

Now I'm off to troll this thread for a three-book extra credit challenge, and pick three books from your lists.

ETA: Settled on:

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
The Light Between the Oceans by M.L. Stedman
Golden Hill:A Novel of Old New York by Francis Spufford

Thanks for the inspirations!
 
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Siri Kirpal

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Sat Nam! (literally "Truth Name"--a Sikh greeting)

Congrats, Chris!

Likewise, oneblindmouse. I'm impressed you're tackling a second challenge.

Blessings,

Siri Kirpal
 

oneblindmouse

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I've just finished The ship who sang by Anne McAffrey, for my Out of this World challenge, and I absolutely loved it! I should probably read more sci-fi. I'd read most of her dragon series years ago, which I greatly enjoyed, but this was very different. I've seen her dragon series criticised as being sexist, but I wouldn't call this one sexist at all as the main character is a highly intelligent and feisty female brain in charge of a spaceship. I shall definitely keep an eye out for the other books in this series. What a discovery!

I shall now go for one of the longer books in my challenge:

1. Wow! Nice! Caín by José Saramago
2. No cliff notes this time: The Last of the Mohicans by J. Fenimore Cooper.
3. What the greatest generation to post-millennial are reading: In the Skin of a Lion by Michael Ondaatje
4. No hablo: Simple stories by Ingo Schultz 5. Enter stage right: Los intereses creados by Jacinto Benavente DONE
6. Bits and pieces: The Tree House (poems) by Kathleen Jamie ONGOING
7. You might also like: The Skull Mantra by Eliot Pattison
8. Crossing the colour lines: The other hand by Chris Cleave
9. Rainbow warrior: Crome yellow by Aldous Huxley DONE
10. Out of this world: The ship who sang by Anne McAffrey DONE
11. Tuesdays with Balaam’s ass: Me llamo Lucas y no soy perro by Fernando Delgado DONE
12. You really shouldn’t have: The tobacconist by Robert Seethaler DONE
 
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