2023 AW Reading Challenge! Oh my goodness, GET IN!

[AbelCM]

Read The Psychedelic Explorer's Guide, by James Fadiman. This was for the "being the you you want to see in the world" (self-help) category. I guess someone could read it for self-help reasons, but the advice parts (how to have the best chance for a positive experience) were pretty minimal compared to the chapters about research studies and the history of the struggle to legalize research. I had a couple of nits to pick (p-values are listed but not effect size, the book is one-sidedly credulous, etc.), but I was only reading it for research for a character in my in-progress novel, and it was moderately useful as far as that went. Pretty basic stuff, but there were some good first-person accounts (the numbered list of observations written by an engineer was my favorite) and the chapter on the prevalence of longterm (1+ year) effects was interesting.

1. 23rd Year, 23rd Letter: The Woman in White, by Wilkie Collins
2. Senior moments: Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont, by Elizabeth Taylor
3. You really shouldn’t have: Godel, Escher, Bach, by Douglas Hofstadter (this is also "get on with it already" and "doorstopper")
4. Article free in ’23: Good Morning, Midnight, by Jean Rhys
5. Wisdom of the ancients: Confessions, by St. Augustine
6. Being the you you want to see in the world: The Psychedelic Explorer’s Guide, by James Fadiman DONE
7. Just the facts, Ma’am: Lost in Math: How Beauty Leads Physics Astray, by Sabine Hossenfelder
8. War is hell: Homage to Catalonia, by George Orwell
9. No hablo: The Copenhagen Trilogy, by Tove Ditlevesen
10. Keep up with the Joneses: Kafka on the Shore, by Haruki Murakami
11. Anyward, ho!: The Rings of Saturn, by W.G. Sebald
12. Family of choice: The Man Who Loved Children, by Christina Stead DONE

 

[moondust]

Happy days are here again: The Birds by Daphne du Maurier Read
23rd Year, 23rd Letter: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
Setting sail: Moby Dick by Herman Melville
Keep up with the Joneses: The Catcher in the Rye by J.D.Salinger
Skipping class: King Lear by William Shakespeare
Just the facts, Ma’am: Culture and Imperialism by Edward W. Said
No hablo: Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevsky
Animal house: The Secret Life of Flies by Dr. Erica McAlister Read
Get on with it already: The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
Earth, wind, and fire: Fen, Bog and Swamp: A Short History of Peatland Destruction and Its Role in the Climate Crisis by Annie Proulx
East meets West: She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan
Peekaboo I see you: Meet me in Another Life by Catriona Silvey

 

[Chris P]

Happy days are here again: The Birds by Daphne du Maurier Read
23rd Year, 23rd Letter: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
Setting sail: Moby Dick by Herman Melville
Keep up with the Joneses: The Catcher in the Rye by J.D.Salinger
Skipping class: King Lear by William Shakespeare
Just the facts, Ma’am: Culture and Imperialism by Edward W. Said
No hablo: Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevsky
Animal house: The Secret Life of Flies by Dr. Erica McAlister Read
Get on with it already: The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
Earth, wind, and fire: Fen, Bog and Swamp: A Short History of Peatland Destruction and Its Role in the Climate Crisis by Annie Proulx
East meets West: She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan
Peekaboo I see you: Meet me in Another Life by Catriona Silvey

Welcome! You have some great (and quite large!) books on that list.

 

[oneblindmouse]

The Girl who Heard Dragons by Anne McAffrey (Bits and pieces). I really enjoyed these 14 short stories, only one of which involved the gorgeous dragons for which McAffrey is so well known. Three of the stories were classic sci-fi, about spaceship battles against evil weasel-like Khalians, while another two involved time travel. The remaining stories were non-sci-fi fiction, mostly contemporary, although one was set during the American Civil War, but all included elements of mystery or the spirit world and showed McAffrey’s enviable imagination and superb story-telling ability. A fun read, with some very memorable and haunting stories. I also enjoyed the humourous introductory chapter in which McAffrey recounts how people react on discovering her identity.

1. 23rd year, 23rd letter and/or War is hell: Williwaw by Gore Vidal FINISHED
2. Vast Critical Acclaim: The Overstory by Richard Powers FINISHED
3. Article-free in ’23: Utz by Bruce Chatwin FINISHED
4. Undiscovered gems: Death on the Riviera by John Bude FINISHED
5. Bits and pieces: The Girl who Heard Dragons by Anne McAffrey FINISHED
6. No hablo: The Gospel according to Jesus Christ by José Saramago
7. How we got to where we are: A People Betrayed: A History of Corruption, Political Incompetence and Social Division in Modern Spain, 1874-2018 by Paul Preston IN PROGRESS
8. Doorstoppers: The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists by Robert Tressell
9. Get on with it already: Lincoln by Gore Vidal
10. Peekaboo I see you: Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
11. Keep up with the Joneses: Sea of Tranquility by Emily St John Mandel
12. East meets West: A Strangeness in my Mind by Orhan Pamuk

 

[Cobalt Jade]

Crossed two off my list. Ties That Bind edited by David Isay was a collection of personal anecdotes from people who participated in the storycorps project. This was a series of oral histories from everyday people in the format of a dialogue between two of them, with one being "the most important person" in the other's life. These were preserved at The Library of Congress. Shortly after the program's founding it was picked up by NPR (National Public Radio) which began airing some of them. This book is a collection of those interviews and highlights human spirit and resiliency: stories are told of the relationships between parents and children, bosses and employees, teachers and students, even between the mother of a murdered man and his murderer. Really diverse and eye-opening stuff. One of my former tenants and her mom even participated in this project (but they aren't in the book.)

1959 by Fred Kaplan is a sociopolitical history book about various events of that year that "broke the barriers" and opened up new frontiers in music, media, politics, and even sex. It was an eye-opener to me because I had never heard of any of this stuff. The birth control pill, for example, came to be because of the efforts of two women, both independently wealthy, who saw their work come to fruition in their old age. The author draws parallels between all the people, so revolutionary artists like Rothko rubbed shoulders with Norman Mailer who attended the concerts of many jazz experimenters like Ornette Coleman. The book was perhaps too heavy on jazz music (the author's specialty) but I didn't mind, however I would have liked more emphasis on the space program. A very good read.


1. 23rd Year, 23rd Letter: A book whose title begins with the letter W. OPEN


14. Article free in ’23: Read a book whose title doesn’t contain “a” “an” or “the.” **FINISHED**
1959, Fred Kaplan
An argument for the year that shaped the modern world as we know it.


15. East meets West: A book taking place in Asia (Turkey to Japan, Siberia to Vietnam).
The Granta Book of India
Anthology of stories, memoirs, poems, articles, about India originally published in the Granta literary journal.


18. Local hero: A book by a local author.
Violin Down, John Weller
I met him at work one day – he’s the assistant conductor of the Seattle Symphony -- and he gave me a copy!


19. Wisdom of the ancients: Read any work more than 1000 years old.
Saga of the Volsungs
I had this one for last year’s challenge but didn’t get to it, so I am going to try again.


27. Bits and pieces: An anthology (poetry, short stories, whatever). **FINISHED**
Ties That Bind, David Isay
Stories of love and gratitude from the first ten years of Storycorps.


30. Doorstoppers: A book more than 600 pages.
The Ruin of Kings, Jenn Lyons
Fantasy.


31. No hablo: A book originally written in another language (either a translation or in the original if you’d like!).
Open, but probably an experimental Russian novel about a man who lives his whole life on the subway, if I can find it.


33. Keep up with the Joneses: A book everyone else seems to have read but you have not.
For Whom the Bell Tolls, Ernest Hemingway
I have not read anything, ever, by “Papa.”


38. Animal house: A book about animals in any way.
The Panda’s Thumb, Stephen Jay Gould or Kraken, China Mieville
A toss-up here. I like Gould but I've never read anything by Mieville and want to start.


39. Vast Critical Acclaim: A book that has won a prestigious award.
The Sparrow, Mary Doria Russell
Philosophical science fiction about an encounter with aliens.


41. After the fall: A post-apocalyptic or dystopic book.
The Fall of Numenor, J.R.R. Tolkien, ed. By Patrick Silbey
Tolkien’s reworking of the Atlantic myth.

 

[Ink-Soul]

Finished listening to Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman for the "Feast your ears on this" category. First of all, what an amazing voice Gaiman has! I could listen to him narrating stories for hours. I was familiar with most of the stories thanks to the great podcast Norse Mythology - The Unofficial Guide, so while there weren't many surprises, I enjoyed the way Gaiman adapted those tales. It's easy to follow without diminishing the characters and their stories. I wish some stories had been longer, especially the Ragnarok part, which was fantastic, but I understand that Gaiman set out to tell the stories as close to the original texts as he could instead of writing a full-on retelling. And he accomplished this task quite well!

Almost done with The Last Kingdom too, so I'll be back here in the next couple of days x) I've also started reading "A Comissão Chapeleira", a book in Portuguese (which would replace The Brothers Karamazov), but I'm really struggling with this book and don't know if I'll finish it.

1. 23rd Year, 23rd Letter: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
2. Get on with it already: The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell
15. East meets West: The Other Man by Farhad J. Dadyburjor (India)
17. The sporting life: Catch and Cradle by Katia Rose
19. Wisdom of the ancients: Paradise Lost by John Milton (1667)
25. Just the facts, Ma’am: The World Without Us by Alan Weisman
30. Doorstoppers: Fairy Tale by Stephen King
31. No hablo: The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
33. Keep up with the Joneses: The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
35. Once upon a time: Ash by Malinda Lo (READ)
48. Do you read about the land down under?: Times Like These by Ana McKenzie
50. Feast your ears on this: Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman (READ/LISTENED TO)

 

[Ink-Soul]

Three of the stories were classic sci-fi, about spaceship battles against evil weasel-like Khalians, while another two involved time travel.

This sounds class! Added to my list

 

[mrsmig]

I also finished two books on my list, although both were short and written for younger audiences: my Animal house choice, An Elephant in the Garden, and my No hablo selection, My Sweet Orange Tree.

The first was YA, sweet and sentimental, and there's not much more to say than that. The latter is a book I read when I was in my early teens, and the first book I ever wept over. For the longest time I couldn't find it again, because for some reason I'd remembered it as My Sweet Lemon Tree, but last year I went down a research rabbit hole and discovered my mistake. It's a classic Brazilian children's book, and on re-reading it I don't wonder that I cried: the main character, five year-old Zeze, is a willful but sensitive child of a poor family, and while there's sometimes affection at home, more often there's anger and violence. Zeze's only friend is a sweet orange tree, which he imagines can speak. Eventually Zeze makes friends with Valadares, a wealthy older man in town, but things go downhill from there.

I doubt My Sweet Orange Tree would pass muster as a children's book today. Violence against children aside, the relationship between Zeze and Valadares feels a bit squicky, especially when Valadares is meeting Zeze in secret, buying him sweets, taking him for car rides and cuddling him. I didn't have those feelings when I read it at 12-13, but they very much got in my way this time (and needless to say, there was no crying on this read, either).


1. 23rd Year, 23rd Letter: A book whose title begins with the letter W.
Wild Geese: A collection of Nan Shepherd's Writings, by Nan Shepherd.

2. Get on with it already: A book that’s been on your TBR (to be read) list for over a year.
Almost Everything: Notes on Hope, by Anne Lamott.

3. Like your life, only not: A book focused on a significant event you will experience this year
The Loved One, by Evelyn Waugh Finished

4. You really shouldn’t have: A book bought for you as a gift.
The Society of the Crossed Keys, by Stefan Zweig Finished

5. First in, last out: A book by or about an indigenous person or people.
The Blessing Way, by Tony Hillerman Finished

6. Skipping class: A book you didn’t read in high school, but other classes did.
To Sir With Love, by E.R. Braithwaite

7. No hablo: A book originally written in another language
My Sweet Orange Tree, by José Mauro de Vasconcelos Finished

8. Keep up with the Joneses: A book everyone else seems to have read but you have not.
The Book of Cold Cases, by Simone St. James

9. Setting sail: A book taking place mostly or all on water.
The Sea Shall Embrace Them, by David W. Shaw

10. Animal house: A book about animals in any way.
An Elephant in the Garden, by Michael Morpurgo Finished

11. Vast critical acclaim: A book that has won a prestigious award.
Tinkers, by Paul Harding

12. I remember that!: A book about a historical event that took place in your lifetime.
Spare, by Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex

 

[Ink-Soul]

It's a classic Brazilian children's book

Intriguing. I remember hearing about My Sweet Orange Tree, but I'm not sure if I knew it was Brazilian. But yeah, considering the date it was published, I doubt it follows the same standards we have today for children's fiction. (Captains of the Sand by Jorge Amado has a similar problem, although that would be considered YA.)

 

[Jlombardi]

Finished listening to Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman for the "Feast your ears on this" category. First of all, what an amazing voice Gaiman has! I could listen to him narrating stories for hours. I was familiar with most of the stories thanks to the great podcast Norse Mythology - The Unofficial Guide, so while there weren't many surprises, I enjoyed the way Gaiman adapted those tales. It's easy to follow without diminishing the characters and their stories. I wish some stories had been longer, especially the Ragnarok part, which was fantastic, but I understand that Gaiman set out to tell the stories as close to the original texts as he could instead of writing a full-on retelling. And he accomplished this task quite well!

Gaiman adds a lot of dry wit and humor to the stories that I enjoy. I read several academic translations in college, and Gaiman just cranks the entertainment value up on them to eleven. The only person that comes close is Jason Weiser, the host of the Myth and Legends podcast imo.

​

 

[Ink-Soul]

Gaiman adds a lot of dry wit and humor to the stories that I enjoy. I read several academic translations in college, and Gaiman just cranks the entertainment value up on them to eleven. The only person that comes close is Jason Weiser, the host of the Myth and Legends podcast imo.

I haven't read the original poems, so I can't really compare, but I loved Gaiman's interpretations. Oh, I have this podcast on my to-listen list x)

 

[Ink-Soul]

Finished The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell, my "Get on with it already" choice. And I'm glad I got on with it! I had a bit of trouble with the narrator's voice; I'm not sure what bothered me, but it didn't click until around 20% into the novel, and even then there were some parts that threw me off. That personal issue aside, the story and the characters were great. This is a historical period that I don't know much about, so I'm glad Cornwell opted for a grounded version of events instead of, say, adding mythology into it. Curious to know where Uhtred will go next.

1. 23rd Year, 23rd Letter: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
2. Get on with it already: The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell (READ)
15. East meets West: The Other Man by Farhad J. Dadyburjor (India)
17. The sporting life: Catch and Cradle by Katia Rose
19. Wisdom of the ancients: Paradise Lost by John Milton (1667)
25. Just the facts, Ma’am: The World Without Us by Alan Weisman
30. Doorstoppers: Fairy Tale by Stephen King
31. No hablo: The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
33. Keep up with the Joneses: The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
35. Once upon a time: Ash by Malinda Lo (READ)
48. Do you read about the land down under?: Times Like These by Ana McKenzie
50. Feast your ears on this: Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman (READ/LISTENED TO)

 

[moondust]

Welcome! You have some great (and quite large!) books on that list.

I don't make things easy for myself xD

 

[mrsmig]

I finished my Keeping up with the Joneses selection, Simone St. James' The Book of Cold Cases. A traumatized young woman who writes a blog about unsolved murders decides to investigate one in her own small Oregon town. Part detective yarn, part paranormal chiller, this book doesn't succeed in either genre. I found the story implausible, the writing pedestrian and the pacing often leaden. I confess I skimmed the final quarter of the book because I couldn't wait for it to be over.

1. 23rd Year, 23rd Letter: A book whose title begins with the letter W.
Wild Geese: A collection of Nan Shepherd's Writings, by Nan Shepherd.

2. Get on with it already: A book that’s been on your TBR (to be read) list for over a year.
Almost Everything: Notes on Hope, by Anne Lamott.

3. Like your life, only not: A book focused on a significant event you will experience this year
The Loved One, by Evelyn Waugh Finished

4. You really shouldn’t have: A book bought for you as a gift.
The Society of the Crossed Keys, by Stefan Zweig Finished

5. First in, last out: A book by or about an indigenous person or people.
The Blessing Way, by Tony Hillerman Finished

6. Skipping class: A book you didn’t read in high school, but other classes did.
To Sir With Love, by E.R. Braithwaite

7. No hablo: A book originally written in another language
My Sweet Orange Tree, by José Mauro de Vasconcelos Finished

8. Keep up with the Joneses: A book everyone else seems to have read but you have not.
The Book of Cold Cases, by Simone St. James Finished

9. Setting sail: A book taking place mostly or all on water.
The Sea Shall Embrace Them, by David W. Shaw

10. Animal house: A book about animals in any way.
An Elephant in the Garden, by Michael Morpurgo Finished

11. Vast critical acclaim: A book that has won a prestigious award.
Tinkers, by Paul Harding

12. I remember that!: A book about a historical event that took place in your lifetime.
Spare, by Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex

 

[Ink-Soul]

Simone St. James' The Book of Cold Cases.

Oh, damn, I have this one on my to-read list

 

[mrsmig]

Oh, damn, I have this one on my to-read list

And you may enjoy it. It wasn't my cup of tea.

 

[oneblindmouse]

I finished my Get On With It Already selection: Lincoln by Gore Vidal. The second in Vidal’s celebrated series of U.S. historical novels, this one relates Lincoln’s fraught presidency during the American Civil War, combining the political - the Union, slavery, ambition, corruption – with the personal – Lincoln’s goals and achievements, his troubled marriage, the deaths of two of his four young sons, the threats to his life – and ending, of course, with his assassination. The reader sees Lincoln through the eyes of very different people: his shopaholic wife, his devoted secretary, his political supporters, his rivals, and his assassin. I enjoyed the book although I was unfamiliar with most of the characters, but would have appreciated a map in order to better understand the intricacies of the Civil War.

1. 23rd year, 23rd letter and/or War is hell: Williwaw by Gore Vidal FINISHED
2. Vast Critical Acclaim: The Overstory by Richard Powers FINISHED
3. Article-free in ’23: Utz by Bruce Chatwin FINISHED
4. Undiscovered gems: Death on the Riviera by John Bude FINISHED
5. Bits and pieces: The Girl who Heard Dragons by Anne McAffrey FINISHED
6. No hablo: The Gospel according to Jesus Christ by José Saramago
7. How we got to where we are: A People Betrayed: A History of Corruption, Political Incompetence and Social Division in Modern Spain, 1874-2018 by Paul Preston IN PROGRESS
8. Doorstoppers: The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists by Robert Tressell
9. Get on with it already: Lincoln by Gore Vidal FINISHED
10. Peekaboo I see you: Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
11. Keep up with the Joneses: Sea of Tranquility by Emily St John Mandel
12. East meets West: A Strangeness in my Mind by Orhan Pamuk

 

[Ink-Soul]

I finished Venus and Aphrodite - A Biography of Desire by Bettany Hughes for the Just the Facts, Ma'am category. This wasn't on my original list (again, sorry lol), and while I plan on reading my original pick, I feel like this one deserves the spot. In this book, historical Bettany Hughes traces the evolution (or, in some cases, devolution) of Aphrodite's myth and cult since even before her birth in the foam. As non-fiction goes, this one is shorter and has a language that's easy to follow. Because of its shorter lengths, some points weren't as developed as I would like. This said, it's still a great book that I recommend to everyone who wishes to know more about Aphrodite beyond the figure of the shallow, over-sexualised woman that our modern society adores.

1. 23rd Year, 23rd Letter: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
2. Get on with it already: The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell (READ)
15. East meets West: The Other Man by Farhad J. Dadyburjor (India) (Note: I'll change this one too because I started reading this and couldn't finish the first chapter.)
17. The sporting life: Catch and Cradle by Katia Rose
19. Wisdom of the ancients: Paradise Lost by John Milton (1667) (IN PROGRESS)
25. Just the facts, Ma’am: Venus and Aphrodite - A Biography of Desire by Bettany Hughes (READ)
30. Doorstoppers: Fairy Tale by Stephen King
31. No hablo: The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
33. Keep up with the Joneses: The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
35. Once upon a time: Ash by Malinda Lo (READ)
48. Do you read about the land down under?: Times Like These by Ana McKenzie
50. Feast your ears on this: Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman (READ/LISTENED TO)

 

[Ink-Soul]

Lincoln by Gore Vidal. The second in Vidal’s celebrated series of U.S. historical novels, this one relates Lincoln’s fraught presidency during the American Civil War, combining the political - the Union, slavery, ambition, corruption – with the personal – Lincoln’s goals and achievements, his troubled marriage, the deaths of two of his four young sons, the threats to his life – and ending, of course, with his assassination.

Sounds good! I've read a few things about Lincoln (and saw his characters in some films), and he seems like a fascinating figure, but I've never read anything as complex and as detailed as this book. Might give it a try in the future!

 

[mrsmig]

I really enjoyed my Vast critical acclaim selection, Paul Harding's Pulitzer Prize-winning first novel Tinkers. It's a father-son story, with rich detail and a dense, evocative narrative. I'd really like to go back and read it again sometime, because I'm sure I missed some things.

I'm going to take a little break from the Challenge and catch up on some other reading - I'm overdue to read some short stories for AW's 2023 Short Story Reading Thread.

1. 23rd Year, 23rd Letter: A book whose title begins with the letter W.
Wild Geese: A collection of Nan Shepherd's Writings, by Nan Shepherd.

2. Get on with it already: A book that’s been on your TBR (to be read) list for over a year.
Almost Everything: Notes on Hope, by Anne Lamott.

3. Like your life, only not: A book focused on a significant event you will experience this year
The Loved One, by Evelyn Waugh Finished

4. You really shouldn’t have: A book bought for you as a gift.
The Society of the Crossed Keys, by Stefan Zweig Finished

5. First in, last out: A book by or about an indigenous person or people.
The Blessing Way, by Tony Hillerman Finished

6. Skipping class: A book you didn’t read in high school, but other classes did.
To Sir With Love, by E.R. Braithwaite

7. No hablo: A book originally written in another language
My Sweet Orange Tree, by José Mauro de Vasconcelos Finished

8. Keep up with the Joneses: A book everyone else seems to have read but you have not.
The Book of Cold Cases, by Simone St. James Finished

9. Setting sail: A book taking place mostly or all on water.
The Sea Shall Embrace Them, by David W. Shaw

10. Animal house: A book about animals in any way.
An Elephant in the Garden, by Michael Morpurgo Finished

11. Vast critical acclaim: A book that has won a prestigious award.
Tinkers, by Paul Harding Finished

12. I remember that!: A book about a historical event that took place in your lifetime.
Spare, by Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex

 

[Fi Webster]

I really enjoyed my Vast critical acclaim selection, Paul Harding's Pulitzer Prize-winning first novel Tinkers. It's a father-son story, with rich detail and a dense, evocative narrative. I'd really like to go back and read it again sometime, because I'm sure I missed some things.

I haven't yet read Harding's Tinkers, but have been keenly interested in it 'cause of reviews saying that the author's greatly influenced by the American Transcendentalist movement (i.e., he channels Emerson).

I've noticed that many reviewers had trouble with the novel's paucity of plot. I'm curious to hear, Donna, whether you were comfortable, in your reading of Tinkers, with its being more essayistic in style than a more conventional plot-driven novel.

Another way of asking that question: is there plenty of storytelling within the various father-son narratives, despite there not being (so I've read) a dominant overarching plot?

 

[mrsmig]

The style definitely took some getting used to, but the lack of a strong plot line didn't bother me. It was more like a series of interconnected vignettes centered on a single family, with fatherhood and death a common theme. The storytelling is most definitely present, but it isn't spoon-fed to the reader. You have to work at it a bit.

I'm about halfway through my Skipping class choice: To Sir With Love. It hasn't aged very well.

 

[mrsmig]

Finished with To Sir, With Love. This is an autobiographical work about the author's experiences in post WWII London, where he is forced to take a job teaching teenagers in a rough East End neighborhood. A black man from British Guiana, he struggles both with prejudice and with his surly, combative students. As I mentioned above, it hasn't aged very well, but this is less about the author's somewhat stilted style and more about his off-putting habit of detailing the physical attributes (particularly the breasts) of every woman he encounters (and no, he doesn't do it with the men). It's creepy enough when he does this with adult women, but when he does it with his female students - ick.

1. 23rd Year, 23rd Letter: A book whose title begins with the letter W.
Wild Geese: A collection of Nan Shepherd's Writings, by Nan Shepherd.

2. Get on with it already: A book that’s been on your TBR (to be read) list for over a year.
Almost Everything: Notes on Hope, by Anne Lamott.

3. Like your life, only not: A book focused on a significant event you will experience this year
The Loved One, by Evelyn Waugh Finished

4. You really shouldn’t have: A book bought for you as a gift.
The Society of the Crossed Keys, by Stefan Zweig Finished

5. First in, last out: A book by or about an indigenous person or people.
The Blessing Way, by Tony Hillerman Finished

6. Skipping class: A book you didn’t read in high school, but other classes did.
To Sir With Love, by E.R. Braithwaite Finished

7. No hablo: A book originally written in another language
My Sweet Orange Tree, by José Mauro de Vasconcelos Finished

8. Keep up with the Joneses: A book everyone else seems to have read but you have not.
The Book of Cold Cases, by Simone St. James Finished

9. Setting sail: A book taking place mostly or all on water.
The Sea Shall Embrace Them, by David W. Shaw

10. Animal house: A book about animals in any way.
An Elephant in the Garden, by Michael Morpurgo Finished

11. Vast critical acclaim: A book that has won a prestigious award.
Tinkers, by Paul Harding Finished

12. I remember that!: A book about a historical event that took place in your lifetime.
Spare, by Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex

 

[Chris P]

This one could have been a Doorstopper, but was about The Sporting Life: The Last Chairlift by John Irving.

Adam Brewster was conceived in Aspen, Colorado's Hotel Jerome, a Gilded Age holdover in which a wide variety of local ghosts from Aspen's days as a mining town hang out. Adam's mother Ray, 18 at the time, has a fling with a 14-year old boy for the sole purpose of getting pregnant with no strings attached. Not only will Adam's young father end up making his name in noir film, this is the only time Ray has or ever will have hetero sex. We learn about Ray's sexuality on her wedding night to an ambiguously sexual male (for now) English teacher when Adam walks in on Ray and one of her ski instructor roommates. What follows is Adam's life up to 2020, through his cousin Nora and her lover Em's noir stage careers, the English teacher's transition to female, Adam's marriage and parenthood, meeting his now-famous father, and the torch Adam carries for the first woman who really caught his eye. Oh, and ghosts.

Yes, there is a lot going on, and delightfully so. Although nearly 900 pages in the Kindle version, it kept me engaged with all the elements of Irving I've come to expect and appreciate. One of the reviews said it was too much Irving--like all of his tropes from other books had a class reunion--and this took a while to get over. But the writing is fresh and weighty, and any time I thought I knew what was going to happen I was pleasantly surprised. Irving keeps things simple without taking any easy ways out. Easily the best book of my Challenge this year so far, and in the top 5 any of the books I've done for the Challenge in the years I've been doing it.


1. 23rd Year, 23rd Letter: A book whose title begins with the letter W. Washington Black - Esi Edugyan
2. Get on with it already: A book that’s been on your TBR (to be read) list for over a year. Young Men and Fire - Norman Maclean
5. Undiscovered gems: A book with fewer than 1000 ratings on Goodreads but averaging 3.5 or more stars. Island People - Coleman Dowell DONE
10. Earth, wind, and fire: A book related to the Earth sciences (geography, oceanography, climate, etc.). Trees in Trouble - Daniel Mathews DONE
11. Ripped from the headlines: A true crime book. The Devil in the White City - Erik Larson
17. The sporting life: A book with an athlete main character, or about sports. The Last Chairlift - John Irving DONE
20. Skipping class: A book you didn’t read in high school, but other classes did. Watership Down - Richard Adams
25. Just the facts, Ma’am: Nonfiction on any subject. Bitch: On the Female of the Species - Lucy Cooke DONE
30. Doorstoppers: A book more than 600 pages. Chesapeake - James A. Michener DONE
31. No hablo: A book originally written in another language (either a translation or in the original if you’d like!). La Vallee - Bernard Minier
35. Once upon a time: A fairy tale retelling. Kaikeyi - Vaishnavi Patel
47. Peekaboo I see you: A book you saw someone else reading in public. A Frolic of His Own - William Gaddis

 

[Fi Webster]

Yes, there is a lot going on, and delightfully so. Although nearly 900 pages in the Kindle version, it kept me engaged with all the elements of Irving I've come to expect and appreciate.

Thanks for the tip, Chris. That novel definitely sounds "Garpy." That's a word the husband and I made up in the 1980s to describe things that harp on potential disasters occurring to oneself or one's loved ones.

I'm on board for a load of Irving tropes at a class reunion.