The 2017 AW Reading Challenge! A "Pick 12" Choose Your Own Adventure
- Thread starter Chris P
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Sat Nam! (Literally "Truth Name"--a Sikh greeting)
Don't worry, CJ. It's only August.
By the standards of mrsmig and oneblindmouse, I'm a slowpoke too.
Blessings,
Siri Kirpal
Don't worry, CJ. It's only August.
By the standards of mrsmig and oneblindmouse, I'm a slowpoke too.
Blessings,
Siri Kirpal
I think it was well into November last year before I finished. And the only challenge is to yourself, not others!
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My current updated list:
1. Loose Ends: Truth & Beauty by Ann Patchett. Done. [Beautifully written memoir of Patchett's friendship with Lucy Grealy. Liked the writing; didn't like Grealy.]
2. What You Read: Mopsa the Fairy by Jean Ingelow. Done. [Episodic and sometimes confusing, but lovely details.]
3. What Your Great-Grandparents Read: The Sketch Book by Washington Irving. Done. [Could also be Bits & Pieces, a mixed bag, some soporific, some delightful.]
4. You Really Shouldn't Have: Ladder of Years by Anne Tyler. Done. [How I got it was more dramatic than the book. Book is now out of the house.]
5. No Cliff Notes This Time: Othello by William Shakespeare. Done.
6. Bits & Pieces (or No Hablo): Forty Poems by Juan Ramon Jimenez translated by Robert Bly. Done.
7. I've Met Them: Playing with Fire by Tess Gerritsen.
8. Ripped from the Headlines: The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher by Kate Summerscale.
9. Support the Home Team: Of Marriageable Age by Sharon Maas [AKA aruna] Done. [Complicated, but worth the read.]
10. Fired from the Canon: The Late Scholar by Jill Paton Walsh Done.[A fun read, but not true to the canon.]
11. Better Known For...: The Toughest Show on Earth by Joseph Volpe. Done. [Frank, fearless, funny and inspirational.]
12. Enter, Stage Whichever it was: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by JK Rowling. [Or maybe it should be whatever the category was named with the book based on a movie.]
Extra-curricular:
1. Becoming Finola by Suzanne Strempek Shea Done. [Fun, but not well edited.]
Sat Nam! (Literally "Truth Name"--a Sikh greeting)
Just finished my Better Known For... selection. Joseph Volpe is the only person to become general manager of the Met Opera from the back of the house. He started there as an apprentice carpenter. (He'd also worked as a stagehand on Broadway.) He -- and his cowriter Charles Michener -- is/are frank and fierce and funny. I'm a huge fan of opera, but the story might appeal to anyone who likes a story of someone who's worked their way up the ladder.
Blessings,
Siri Kirpal
I took a short break from this list to do some other reading - finished THE NIX, BORN SURVIVORS (a nonfic about three young wives who not only survived the Nazi death camps, but each had a baby during the final throes of the Third Reich) and THE INDIFFERENT STARS ABOVE (another nonfic, about the Donner Party). I started OSLO but can't seem to get up a head of steam on it, so since I'm nonfic'd out at the moment, I'm going to try A MAN CALLED OVE next and see what all the fuss is about.
Still haven't chosen my They've been watching us title - I should go back through this thread and see what others recommend.
[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
Still haven't chosen my They've been watching us title - I should go back through this thread and see what others recommend.
[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
Finished A MAN CALLED OVE. I thought it was thoroughly predictable and awkwardly written, but I got a tad choked up at the end because it's still a sweet story.
[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
[x] 12. What everyone else was reading: A MAN CALLED OVE by Fredrik Backman
[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
[x] 12. What everyone else was reading: A MAN CALLED OVE by Fredrik Backman
Thanks for the take on A Man Called Ove. My wife started it, and although she thought it was funny she also thought it was starting a bit too heavy. I'll let her know your take.
I finished my first Extra Credit: The Handmaid's Tale. Thoroughly rewarding! I loved how she varied up the fertility symbolism of eggs, flowers, birds, etc. It wasn't the same old symbols over and over, they were different each time but still conveyed the message. The last 5% of the version I had was what looked like a fictionalized anaylsis of the book. I gave up after a few pages. Is this bit worth reading?
I finished my first Extra Credit: The Handmaid's Tale. Thoroughly rewarding! I loved how she varied up the fertility symbolism of eggs, flowers, birds, etc. It wasn't the same old symbols over and over, they were different each time but still conveyed the message. The last 5% of the version I had was what looked like a fictionalized anaylsis of the book. I gave up after a few pages. Is this bit worth reading?
Still stalled out on my last couple of books. I've decided to swap out two of the categories for ones that suit my current mood, so instead of They've been watching us I'm going with Steady there, cowboy (selection: E.L. Doctorow's WELCOME TO HARD TIMES) and I'm changing up my Who was that, again? choice for Elie Wiesel's NIGHT. (I know who Wiesel was but I never read his actual story.) Sticking with OSLO even though I can't seem to get going with it right now.
[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
[x] 8. Steady there, cowboy: WELCOME TO HARD TIMES by E.L. Doctorow
[x] 9. Crossing the (Color) lines: THE WOMAN WARRIOR by Maxine Hong Kingston
[ ] 10. Who was that, again?: NIGHT by Elie Wiesel
[x] 11. Holy moly some authors like to use lots of words: BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE by Aron Ralston
[x] 12. What everyone else was reading: A MAN CALLED OVE by Fredrik Backman
ETA: Finished WELCOME TO HARD TIMES in a single day. Bleak enough to compare to Cormac McCarthy, but I think it's one of Doctorow's best books.
[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
[x] 8. Steady there, cowboy: WELCOME TO HARD TIMES by E.L. Doctorow
[x] 9. Crossing the (Color) lines: THE WOMAN WARRIOR by Maxine Hong Kingston
[ ] 10. Who was that, again?: NIGHT by Elie Wiesel
[x] 11. Holy moly some authors like to use lots of words: BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE by Aron Ralston
[x] 12. What everyone else was reading: A MAN CALLED OVE by Fredrik Backman
ETA: Finished WELCOME TO HARD TIMES in a single day. Bleak enough to compare to Cormac McCarthy, but I think it's one of Doctorow's best books.
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My current updated list:
1. Loose Ends: Truth & Beauty by Ann Patchett. Done. [Beautifully written memoir of Patchett's friendship with Lucy Grealy. Liked the writing; didn't like Grealy.]
2. What You Read: Mopsa the Fairy by Jean Ingelow. Done. [Episodic and sometimes confusing, but lovely details.]
3. What Your Great-Grandparents Read: The Sketch Book by Washington Irving. Done. [Could also be Bits & Pieces, a mixed bag, some soporific, some delightful.]
4. You Really Shouldn't Have: Ladder of Years by Anne Tyler. Done. [How I got it was more dramatic than the book. Book is now out of the house.]
5. No Cliff Notes This Time: Othello by William Shakespeare. Done. [A classic take on jealousy, gullibility and trust.]
6. Bits & Pieces (or No Hablo): Forty Poems by Juan Ramon Jimenez translated by Robert Bly. Done.
7. I've Met Them: Playing with Fire by Tess Gerritsen.
8. Ripped from the Headlines: The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher by Kate Summerscale.
9. Support the Home Team: Of Marriageable Age by Sharon Maas [AKA aruna] Done. [Complicated, but worth the read.]
10. Fired from the Canon: The Late Scholar by Jill Paton Walsh Done.[A fun read, but not true to the canon.]
11. Better Known For...: The Toughest Show on Earth by Joseph Volpe. Done. [Frank, fearless, funny and inspirational.]
12. Enter Stage Right: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay by JK Rowling. Done. [Fantastic!]
Extra-curricular:
1. Becoming Finola by Suzanne Strempek Shea Done. [Fun, but not well edited.]
So, I've just finished my Enter Stage Right selection, which could also be Holy Moly or Coming to a Theater Near You. I didn't expect to like this one very much. I didn't expect Rowling's ability to convey the teeming madness of life with vividness and humor to translate well into theatrical works. I hadn't liked the HP movies much and stopped at #4. So I was pleasantly surprised by how good this was; it's my favorite for the year so far.
Blessings,
Siri Kirpal
My current updated list:
1. Loose Ends: Truth & Beauty by Ann Patchett. Done. [Beautifully written memoir of Patchett's friendship with Lucy Grealy. Liked the writing; didn't like Grealy.]
2. What You Read: Mopsa the Fairy by Jean Ingelow. Done. [Episodic and sometimes confusing, but lovely details.]
3. What Your Great-Grandparents Read: The Sketch Book by Washington Irving. Done. [Could also be Bits & Pieces, a mixed bag, some soporific, some delightful.]
4. You Really Shouldn't Have: Ladder of Years by Anne Tyler. Done. [How I got it was more dramatic than the book. Book is now out of the house.]
5. No Cliff Notes This Time: Othello by William Shakespeare. Done. [A classic take on jealousy, gullibility and trust.]
6. Bits & Pieces (or No Hablo): Forty Poems by Juan Ramon Jimenez translated by Robert Bly. Done.
7. I've Met Them: Playing with Fire by Tess Gerritsen.
8. Ripped from the Headlines: The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher by Kate Summerscale.
9. Support the Home Team: Of Marriageable Age by Sharon Maas [AKA aruna] Done. [Complicated, but worth the read.]
10. Fired from the Canon: The Late Scholar by Jill Paton Walsh Done.[A fun read, but not true to the canon.]
11. Better Known For...: The Toughest Show on Earth by Joseph Volpe. Done. [Frank, fearless, funny and inspirational.]
12. Enter Stage Right: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay by JK Rowling. Done. [Fantastic!
]Extra-curricular:
1. Becoming Finola by Suzanne Strempek Shea Done. [Fun, but not well edited.]
So, I've just finished my Enter Stage Right selection, which could also be Holy Moly or Coming to a Theater Near You. I didn't expect to like this one very much. I didn't expect Rowling's ability to convey the teeming madness of life with vividness and humor to translate well into theatrical works. I hadn't liked the HP movies much and stopped at #4. So I was pleasantly surprised by how good this was; it's my favorite for the year so far.
Blessings,
Siri Kirpal
Great to see more progress! I'm getting caught up on a couple other reading projects, including beta reading a fellow (lapsed) member's novel. I'm looking forward to my last two extra curriculars.
mrsmig: I know very little about Doctorow. I might check this one out.
Siri: Thanks for the review of Fantastic Beasts. I too gave up after the fourth HP movie or so, and never had a chance to read the books. I remember Roger Ebert remarking when the first HP movie came out that he didn't think the quiddich scene could be filmed (he was very impressed), and that Rowling really excelled at action scenes. It's good to see this is true.
mrsmig: I know very little about Doctorow. I might check this one out.
Siri: Thanks for the review of Fantastic Beasts. I too gave up after the fourth HP movie or so, and never had a chance to read the books. I remember Roger Ebert remarking when the first HP movie came out that he didn't think the quiddich scene could be filmed (he was very impressed), and that Rowling really excelled at action scenes. It's good to see this is true.
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Chris, I've read all the Harry Potter books and loved them. Just didn't think they translated that well to film.
Daniel, maybe you could do short books or find enough kids picture books that hit 12 categories. Anyway, welcome!
Blessings,
Siri Kirpal
Chris, I've read all the Harry Potter books and loved them. Just didn't think they translated that well to film.
Daniel, maybe you could do short books or find enough kids picture books that hit 12 categories. Anyway, welcome!
Blessings,
Siri Kirpal
Finished my Who was that, again? choice: Elie Wiesel's NIGHT. Short, but devastating. I swear I'm going to finish OSLO before next week ends, but I keep finding other books to read. I'm on a nonfic kick at the moment.
[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
[x] 8. Steady there, cowboy: WELCOME TO HARD TIMES by E.L. Doctorow
[x] 9. Crossing the (Color) lines: THE WOMAN WARRIOR by Maxine Hong Kingston
[x] 10. Who was that, again?: NIGHT by Elie Wiesel
[x] 11. Holy moly some authors like to use lots of words: BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE by Aron Ralston
[x] 12. What everyone else was reading: A MAN CALLED OVE by Fredrik Backman
[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
[x] 8. Steady there, cowboy: WELCOME TO HARD TIMES by E.L. Doctorow
[x] 9. Crossing the (Color) lines: THE WOMAN WARRIOR by Maxine Hong Kingston
[x] 10. Who was that, again?: NIGHT by Elie Wiesel
[x] 11. Holy moly some authors like to use lots of words: BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE by Aron Ralston
[x] 12. What everyone else was reading: A MAN CALLED OVE by Fredrik Backman
Or pick a mini-challenge. The only requirement is that you expand your horizons to whatever degree you are comfortable and have time for (with a modicum of effort to make it an actual challenge, of course
). I thought a book a month was realistic for most people, and although I am way ahead this year, I struggled to get last year's done.And yes, there will be one in 2018 too. I'm revising the category list and welcome any and all suggestions.
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Sat Nam! (literally "Truth Name"--a Sikh greeting)
My current updated list:
1. Loose Ends: Truth & Beauty by Ann Patchett. Done. [Beautifully written memoir of Patchett's friendship with Lucy Grealy. Liked the writing; didn't like Grealy.]
2. What You Read: Mopsa the Fairy by Jean Ingelow. Done. [Episodic and sometimes confusing, but lovely details.]
3. What Your Great-Grandparents Read: The Sketch Book by Washington Irving. Done. [Could also be Bits & Pieces, a mixed bag, some soporific, some delightful.]
4. You Really Shouldn't Have: Ladder of Years by Anne Tyler. Done. [How I got it was more dramatic than the book. Book is now out of the house.]
5. No Cliff Notes This Time: Othello by William Shakespeare. Done. [A classic take on jealousy, gullibility and trust.]
6. Bits & Pieces (or No Hablo): Forty Poems by Juan Ramon Jimenez translated by Robert Bly. Done.
7. I've Met Them: Playing with Fire by Tess Gerritsen. Done.
8. Holy Moly: Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford.
9. Support the Home Team: Of Marriageable Age by Sharon Maas [AKA aruna] Done. [Complicated, but worth the read.]
10. Fired from the Canon: The Late Scholar by Jill Paton Walsh Done.[A fun read, but not true to the canon.]
11. Better Known For...: The Toughest Show on Earth by Joseph Volpe. Done. [Frank, fearless, funny and inspirational.]
12. Enter Stage Right: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay by JK Rowling. Done. [Fantastic!]
Extra-curricular:
1. Becoming Finola by Suzanne Strempek Shea Done. [Fun, but not well edited.]
I've just finished my "I've Met Them" selection. I knew the girl who became Tess Gerritsen in kindergarten. She was my best friend, but I didn't recognize the name until I saw the connection in her mother's obit. Tess is a pen name; Gerritsen is her married name. And we lost contact after both of us moved to different states. "Tess" is ethnically Chinese; her mother was a mandarin from a wealthy family who was studying in the US when the revolution broke out in China; her father was an American born Cantonese seafood chef; friends arranged the marriage so the mother could stay here and not be killed.
Playing with Fire ought to have been a fast read, but it contains one of my triggers, an evil child subplot, so I had to take breaks. The writing is excellent. It's not a Rizzoli and Isles book. It's two stories, one a modern day psycho thriller, the other a historical tale of the Holocaust in Italy. What links the two stories is music, which is why I picked this particular book. You can bet the musical details and the medical details are spot on. A few of the details in the Jewish section seem a bit off or too vague. But yes, if you don't have my trigger, this would be a fast and thrilling read.
I do want to read The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher sometime. But Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is calling to me, so I'm switching my last selection.
Blessings,
Siri Kirpal
My current updated list:
1. Loose Ends: Truth & Beauty by Ann Patchett. Done. [Beautifully written memoir of Patchett's friendship with Lucy Grealy. Liked the writing; didn't like Grealy.]
2. What You Read: Mopsa the Fairy by Jean Ingelow. Done. [Episodic and sometimes confusing, but lovely details.]
3. What Your Great-Grandparents Read: The Sketch Book by Washington Irving. Done. [Could also be Bits & Pieces, a mixed bag, some soporific, some delightful.]
4. You Really Shouldn't Have: Ladder of Years by Anne Tyler. Done. [How I got it was more dramatic than the book. Book is now out of the house.]
5. No Cliff Notes This Time: Othello by William Shakespeare. Done. [A classic take on jealousy, gullibility and trust.]
6. Bits & Pieces (or No Hablo): Forty Poems by Juan Ramon Jimenez translated by Robert Bly. Done.
7. I've Met Them: Playing with Fire by Tess Gerritsen. Done.
8. Holy Moly: Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford.
9. Support the Home Team: Of Marriageable Age by Sharon Maas [AKA aruna] Done. [Complicated, but worth the read.]
10. Fired from the Canon: The Late Scholar by Jill Paton Walsh Done.[A fun read, but not true to the canon.]
11. Better Known For...: The Toughest Show on Earth by Joseph Volpe. Done. [Frank, fearless, funny and inspirational.]
12. Enter Stage Right: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay by JK Rowling. Done. [Fantastic!
]Extra-curricular:
1. Becoming Finola by Suzanne Strempek Shea Done. [Fun, but not well edited.]
I've just finished my "I've Met Them" selection. I knew the girl who became Tess Gerritsen in kindergarten. She was my best friend, but I didn't recognize the name until I saw the connection in her mother's obit. Tess is a pen name; Gerritsen is her married name. And we lost contact after both of us moved to different states. "Tess" is ethnically Chinese; her mother was a mandarin from a wealthy family who was studying in the US when the revolution broke out in China; her father was an American born Cantonese seafood chef; friends arranged the marriage so the mother could stay here and not be killed.
Playing with Fire ought to have been a fast read, but it contains one of my triggers, an evil child subplot, so I had to take breaks. The writing is excellent. It's not a Rizzoli and Isles book. It's two stories, one a modern day psycho thriller, the other a historical tale of the Holocaust in Italy. What links the two stories is music, which is why I picked this particular book. You can bet the musical details and the medical details are spot on. A few of the details in the Jewish section seem a bit off or too vague. But yes, if you don't have my trigger, this would be a fast and thrilling read.
I do want to read The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher sometime. But Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is calling to me, so I'm switching my last selection.
Blessings,
Siri Kirpal
I finished the second of my extra credit: The Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman. I think McCardey read it as part of the challenge.
What a nifty book! Totally worth the read and a sweet, uplifting (in its way) story. A couple living by themselves on an island 100 miles off the Australian coast in the 1920s suffer three miscarriages, and two weeks following the last on a boat washes ashore containing a dead man and a healthy newborn. They decide not to report the incident, and keep the baby for their own. Of course, it can't be quite that simple. What struck me was that nobody in the book sets out to do anything wrong; the story is driven by people who are trying to do what's right. There are no bad guys at all. I found the (almost) ending very sweet and hopeful. I think it could have ended at the end of the main story (the honeysuckle scene), and didn't need the adult Lucy Grace scene at the very end. I wasn't totally convinced by Tom's dedication to duty, and I never warmed up to Hannah as much as I could have. I half want to see the movie, but half want to let the book be what it was and not confuse it with someone else's representation.
What a nifty book! Totally worth the read and a sweet, uplifting (in its way) story. A couple living by themselves on an island 100 miles off the Australian coast in the 1920s suffer three miscarriages, and two weeks following the last on a boat washes ashore containing a dead man and a healthy newborn. They decide not to report the incident, and keep the baby for their own. Of course, it can't be quite that simple. What struck me was that nobody in the book sets out to do anything wrong; the story is driven by people who are trying to do what's right. There are no bad guys at all. I found the (almost) ending very sweet and hopeful. I think it could have ended at the end of the main story (the honeysuckle scene), and didn't need the adult Lucy Grace scene at the very end. I wasn't totally convinced by Tom's dedication to duty, and I never warmed up to Hannah as much as I could have. I half want to see the movie, but half want to let the book be what it was and not confuse it with someone else's representation.
Chris P, that sounds like exactly the sort of thing I've been wanting to read (I've been on a steady diet of nonfic and am ready for something new). Thanks for the recommendation!
And yes, I AM going to finish OSLO. One day soon.
And yes, I AM going to finish OSLO. One day soon.
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- Sep 20, 2011
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- 8,943
- Reaction score
- 3,151
Sat Nam! (Literally "Truth Name"--a Sikh greeting)
I'll try to keep that one in mind, Chris. Sounds like something I'd enjoy. I know that we writers are supposed to go for conflict, but I find myself impatient with books that are nothing but conflict. Let's have some genuine good guys for a change.
Blessings,
Siri Kirpal
I'll try to keep that one in mind, Chris. Sounds like something I'd enjoy. I know that we writers are supposed to go for conflict, but I find myself impatient with books that are nothing but conflict. Let's have some genuine good guys for a change.
Blessings,
Siri Kirpal
Started The Secret History of the Mongol Queens, How the Daughters of Genghis Khan Rescued His Empire, by Jack Weatherford. So far, so good! It's colloquially written, yet a little dense because of the subject matter (I know absolutely nothing about Mongolian history.)
Still making progress!
Enter Stage Right: Harry Potter and the Cursèd Child - Done
No CliffNotes This Time: Paradise Lost
She Did Drone On a Bit: Games Wizards Play - Diane Duane - Done
Three-Color Mythology: Mahouka Koukou no Yuutousei (the spin-off manga of Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei - "The Underachieving Student at the Magician's High School") - Satou Tsutamo - Done
Halcyon Days: Tunnels - Roderick Gordon - Done
Wow. Nice: Triss - Brian Jacques - Done
Loose ends: Eats, Shoots & Leaves - Lynne Truss - Done
Fired from the Canon: Project Synergy - Done
No Hablo: War and Peace - Done
LOL Random: This Side of Paradise - Fitzgerald
Counting Your Chickens: Four - Veronica Roth - Done
I've Met Her!: Incarceron - Catherine Fisher - Done
Extra Credit: Last Stand of Dead Men - Derek Landy - Done
GF Told Me to Read: Eleanor and Park - Rainbow Rowell - Done
Enter Stage Right: Harry Potter and the Cursèd Child - Done
No CliffNotes This Time: Paradise Lost
She Did Drone On a Bit: Games Wizards Play - Diane Duane - Done
Three-Color Mythology: Mahouka Koukou no Yuutousei (the spin-off manga of Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei - "The Underachieving Student at the Magician's High School") - Satou Tsutamo - Done
Halcyon Days: Tunnels - Roderick Gordon - Done
Wow. Nice: Triss - Brian Jacques - Done
Loose ends: Eats, Shoots & Leaves - Lynne Truss - Done
Fired from the Canon: Project Synergy - Done
No Hablo: War and Peace - Done
LOL Random: This Side of Paradise - Fitzgerald
Counting Your Chickens: Four - Veronica Roth - Done
I've Met Her!: Incarceron - Catherine Fisher - Done
Extra Credit: Last Stand of Dead Men - Derek Landy - Done
GF Told Me to Read: Eleanor and Park - Rainbow Rowell - Done
- Joined
- Sep 20, 2011
- Messages
- 8,943
- Reaction score
- 3,151
Indeed, great work.
I've attempted Paradise Lost at least twice. Beautiful, but I can't quite follow what's going on. It's a bit long for me to just go along for the ride.
I'm working through a non-challenge book right now before I start my final extra credit. Perhaps next week
I've attempted Paradise Lost at least twice. Beautiful, but I can't quite follow what's going on. It's a bit long for me to just go along for the ride.
I'm working through a non-challenge book right now before I start my final extra credit. Perhaps next week
I loved The Light between Oceans. We read it for our book club and I just couldn't put it down.
I finished my selected book of poetry, The Tree House by Kathleen Jamie, which a friend had recommended. It was ok.
I also read The Skull Mantra by Elliot Pattison. Brilliant! Loved it! A thriller set in Tibet. Fast paced and extremely accurate about political and social conditions in Tibet. Highly recommended. I've recommended it to my book club. I look forward to reading the sequels.
I also read The Other Hand by Chris Cleave. Although the plot had great potential, there were things that were very implausible, and I didn't understand the ending at all even though I reread it several times. Maybe I'm just thick. I expected a much more dramatic ending.
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 DONE 5. Enter stage right: Los intereses creados by Jacinto Benavente DONE
6. Bits and pieces: The Tree House (poems) by Kathleen Jamie DONE
7. You might also like: The Skull Mantra by Eliot Pattison DONE
8. Crossing the colour lines: The other hand by Chris Cleave DONE
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
I also read The Skull Mantra by Elliot Pattison. Brilliant! Loved it! A thriller set in Tibet. Fast paced and extremely accurate about political and social conditions in Tibet. Highly recommended. I've recommended it to my book club. I look forward to reading the sequels.
I also read The Other Hand by Chris Cleave. Although the plot had great potential, there were things that were very implausible, and I didn't understand the ending at all even though I reread it several times. Maybe I'm just thick. I expected a much more dramatic ending.
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 DONE 5. Enter stage right: Los intereses creados by Jacinto Benavente DONE
6. Bits and pieces: The Tree House (poems) by Kathleen Jamie DONE
7. You might also like: The Skull Mantra by Eliot Pattison DONE
8. Crossing the colour lines: The other hand by Chris Cleave DONE
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
Chris Cleave's Everyone Brave is Forgiven was almost my choice for this challenge under the Namesakes category, but I couldn't wait to read it and finished it a day or two early before 2017 began. Quite good, with memorable characters and scenes. I did find a couple scenes unlikely, and that ending seemed a little "okay we're done, boom" and over, but I was impressed enough to be interested in some of his other titles. Anyone read Little Bee? Does it live up to the hype?
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