I enjoyed The Dinosaur Lords a lot, but by the reviews, it's not for everyone. I'd call it a slow, sumptuous read.
The 2018 AW Reading Challenge. Now with added breadth and depth.
- Thread starter Chris P
- Start date
I enjoyed The Dinosaur Lords a lot, but by the reviews, it's not for everyone. I'd call it a slow, sumptuous read.
I finished THE ENCHANTED TYPEWRITER, which had moments of being amusing but ended up being too precious for my taste. It hasn't aged well.
I have moved on to PLAYING WAR, which my brother assures me will move more quickly after the introduction, but to read the introduction anyway. I am persevering.
[ ] 1. Get on with it already: A book that’s been on your TBR (to be read) list for over a year. TIGANA by Guy Gavriel Kay. It's been in my TBR pile since 2012.
[x] 2. Freebies: A book you (legally) obtained without paying for. THE RIVER OF CONSCIOUSNESS by Oliver Sacks. A Christmas gift from my husband.
[ ] 3. Bits and pieces: An anthology (poetry, short stories, whatever). THE SIN EATER by Wild Musette Press. Since I just sold a short to these folks, I guess I better read their previous anthology.
[ ] 4. Namesakes: A book by an author who shares your first or last name (maiden name counts). PLAYING WAR: WARGAMING AND U.S. NAVY PREPARATIONS FOR WWII by John M. Lillard, who happens to be my younger brother. This was his PhD thesis, published a year ago, and has the potential to be rather dry. Knowing my brother, it won't be.
[x] 5. Support the home team: A book by a fellow AWer. THE COLD BETWEEN by Elizabeth Bonesteel (aka lizmonster).
[ ] 6. Keep up with the Joneses: A book by someone everyone else seems to have read but you have not. AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A FACE by Lucy Grealy.
[x] 7. Tuesdays with Balaam’s Ass: A book with a non-human (animal or fantastic creature) main character. THE HIDDEN LIVES OF OWLS by Leigh Calvez. It's not a novel, but...OWLS.
[x] 8. Lol random: Go to Gutenberg.org, click “Book Search,” click “Random” and pick any of the books that show up. THE ENCHANTED TYPEWRITER by John Kendrick Bangs.
[x] 9. Just the facts, Ma’am: Nonfiction on any subject. TINDERBOX: THE IROQUOIS THEATRE DISASTER 1903 by Anthony P. Hatch.
[ ] 10. Where is that, again?: A book about a place you know little about. A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW by Amor Towles. Takes place entirely in the Hotel Metropol in Moscow.
[ ] 11. You might also like. . . : A book recommended by library or bookstore staff, online or in person. FIERCE KINGDOM by Gin Phillips
[ ] 12. Pixies and Dryads and Elves, oh my!: A high fantasy. PAWN OF PROPHECY by David Eddings.
I have moved on to PLAYING WAR, which my brother assures me will move more quickly after the introduction, but to read the introduction anyway. I am persevering.
[ ] 1. Get on with it already: A book that’s been on your TBR (to be read) list for over a year. TIGANA by Guy Gavriel Kay. It's been in my TBR pile since 2012.
[x] 2. Freebies: A book you (legally) obtained without paying for. THE RIVER OF CONSCIOUSNESS by Oliver Sacks. A Christmas gift from my husband.
[ ] 3. Bits and pieces: An anthology (poetry, short stories, whatever). THE SIN EATER by Wild Musette Press. Since I just sold a short to these folks, I guess I better read their previous anthology.
[ ] 4. Namesakes: A book by an author who shares your first or last name (maiden name counts). PLAYING WAR: WARGAMING AND U.S. NAVY PREPARATIONS FOR WWII by John M. Lillard, who happens to be my younger brother. This was his PhD thesis, published a year ago, and has the potential to be rather dry. Knowing my brother, it won't be.
[x] 5. Support the home team: A book by a fellow AWer. THE COLD BETWEEN by Elizabeth Bonesteel (aka lizmonster).
[ ] 6. Keep up with the Joneses: A book by someone everyone else seems to have read but you have not. AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A FACE by Lucy Grealy.
[x] 7. Tuesdays with Balaam’s Ass: A book with a non-human (animal or fantastic creature) main character. THE HIDDEN LIVES OF OWLS by Leigh Calvez. It's not a novel, but...OWLS.
[x] 8. Lol random: Go to Gutenberg.org, click “Book Search,” click “Random” and pick any of the books that show up. THE ENCHANTED TYPEWRITER by John Kendrick Bangs.
[x] 9. Just the facts, Ma’am: Nonfiction on any subject. TINDERBOX: THE IROQUOIS THEATRE DISASTER 1903 by Anthony P. Hatch.
[ ] 10. Where is that, again?: A book about a place you know little about. A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW by Amor Towles. Takes place entirely in the Hotel Metropol in Moscow.
[ ] 11. You might also like. . . : A book recommended by library or bookstore staff, online or in person. FIERCE KINGDOM by Gin Phillips
[ ] 12. Pixies and Dryads and Elves, oh my!: A high fantasy. PAWN OF PROPHECY by David Eddings.
Ah! My first 5/5 rating of the challenge for this year: The Collector by John Fowles. Frederick, a lonely bachelor and hobby entomologist becomes obsessed with Miranda, a woman he only sees from afar on the street. After winning the lottery (or the horse races, or whatever "the pools" mean in 1960s English slang), Frederick buys an old country home, chloroforms and kidnaps Miranda then locks her in the cellar. The first half of the book is told in Frederick's simple, semi-educated and awkward voice, and the second half is Miranda's diary. Instead of going back and forth, Fowles lets the story *almost* conclude in Frederick's narrative before starting over from the beginning in Miranda's before reaching the *almost* end. I also got tones of Samuel Richardson's Pamela, written in the 1740s, where a man keeps Pamela prisoner in his house for the first half of the book (which is Pamela's letters--never sent--to her family). I also got a Silence of the Lambs vibe, without the canibalism but with the entomology, and I wonder just how much one book influenced the other and the next.
From an artsy booky standpoint, there is a lot to love here. The change in narrator and telling the same story twice ended up working super well. I kept getting hints of Holden Caulfield, only to have Catcher in the Rye be one of the books Miranda insist Frederick read. She also nicknames him Caliban, one of the characters in Shakespeare's The Tempest (which I haven't read so those references are lost on me). In Miranda's diary, she goes on and on about G.P., a man she has ambivalent feelings toward in her prior free life. Then, sidelong in the course of no more than four lines, Fowles tells us the meaning of the book: Frederick is old, stodgy smothering England that is keeping her prisoner in her life just as much as the character Frederick is keeping her prisoner in the cellar. G.P., for all his promiscuity, artsy-fartsiness and worldliness, is freedom.
Upstaged: A play.
1. The Book of Mormon by Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone Done
2. A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
3. The Iceman Cometh by Eugene O'Neill
I’ve met them!: A book by someone you have seen in person
4. What Unites Us by Dan Rather Up next
5. Luka and the Fire of Life by Salman Rushdie Done
6. The Ninth Hour by Alice McDermott
You might also like. . . : A book recommended by library or bookstore staff, online or in person.
7. The Collector by John Fowles Done
8. Sapphira and the Slave Girl by Willa Cather
9. The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
I know exactly where that is!: A book taking place in a location you know well (Washington, DC).
10. It Can't Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis Done
11. Cane by Jean Toomer
12. The Beautiful Things that Heaven Bears by Dinaw Mengestu Done
From an artsy booky standpoint, there is a lot to love here. The change in narrator and telling the same story twice ended up working super well. I kept getting hints of Holden Caulfield, only to have Catcher in the Rye be one of the books Miranda insist Frederick read. She also nicknames him Caliban, one of the characters in Shakespeare's The Tempest (which I haven't read so those references are lost on me). In Miranda's diary, she goes on and on about G.P., a man she has ambivalent feelings toward in her prior free life. Then, sidelong in the course of no more than four lines, Fowles tells us the meaning of the book: Frederick is old, stodgy smothering England that is keeping her prisoner in her life just as much as the character Frederick is keeping her prisoner in the cellar. G.P., for all his promiscuity, artsy-fartsiness and worldliness, is freedom.
Upstaged: A play.
1. The Book of Mormon by Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone Done
2. A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
3. The Iceman Cometh by Eugene O'Neill
I’ve met them!: A book by someone you have seen in person
4. What Unites Us by Dan Rather Up next
5. Luka and the Fire of Life by Salman Rushdie Done
6. The Ninth Hour by Alice McDermott
You might also like. . . : A book recommended by library or bookstore staff, online or in person.
7. The Collector by John Fowles Done
8. Sapphira and the Slave Girl by Willa Cather
9. The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
I know exactly where that is!: A book taking place in a location you know well (Washington, DC).
10. It Can't Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis Done
11. Cane by Jean Toomer
12. The Beautiful Things that Heaven Bears by Dinaw Mengestu Done
Finished The Worm Ouroboros. Now THAT was an epic! Everything was so, so, over-the-top: there was lots and lots of English language porn (think 18th-century poetry), sky porn, landscape porn, food porn, mountaineering porn, Galadriel porn. Three manly-man lords get embroiled in a war with a neighboring "evil empire" ruled by a sorcerer-king, with a nude wrestling match, a magical storm, the loss of a brother who is exiled to the top of a frozen mountain peak, and his rescue; there's an immortal Queen on the mountain who makes her entrance with a momentous chord and intrigue among the sorcerer-kings court, including a Lady MacBeth subplot, and manticores, hippogriffs, a treacherous advisor... The book was most digestible in small doses, not more than 50 minutes reading time each session. I's call it more of a pastiche of a Northern European saga than a story that utilizes those mythic elements in its own way, like Tolkien did with Lord of the Rings. Unlike LOTR, I don't think Eddison was totally serious about his work, even though, like Tolkien, he was also a scholar of older European literature. I could tell he was having a rollicking time with the writing and was pretty impish about it as well. For example, many of the characters and places were names he used for a childhood make-believe game he played with his friends. Once I got over the hurdles of those names -- among them Fax Fay Faz, Impland, Pixyland, and Lord Spitfire -- and the language -- I was heartily entertained, and in finishing reading, I miss it now.
Next up: City of Fortune
1. Get on with it already: A book that’s been on your TBR (to be read) list for over a year. Hermetech, by Storm Constantine
2. Freebies: A book you (legally) obtained without paying for. The One Gold Slave, by Christian Kennedy (A giveaway from the author)
DONE **
3. Setting sail: A book taking place mostly or all on water. City of Fortune, by Roger Crowley (a history of Venice) IN PROGRESS
4. I remember that!: A book about a historical event that took place in your lifetime. Where Wizards Stay Up Late, by Katie Hafner and Matthew Lyon (about the creation of the Internet)
5. My hometown: A book by a local author. Reamde, by Neal Stephenson
8. Bits and pieces: An anthology (poetry, short stories, whatever). Undead Worlds, A Reanimated Writers Anthology (Zombie stories)
24. War is hell: A book about war, on the lines or the homefront, fiction or nonfiction. A Delicate Truth, by John Le Carr
34. Who was that, again?: A book about a person you know little about. The Other Boleyn Girl, Philippa Gregory
29. Keep up with the Joneses: A book by someone everyone else seems to have read but you have not. Twilight, by Stephanie Myers; Wicked, by Gregory Maguire (one of these, haven't decided yet)
38. Coming to a theater near you: A book made into a major motion picture. Albert Nobbs, by George Moore DONE *****
48. The butler might have done it: A mystery. Antiques Swap, by Barbara Allen
49. Pixies and Dryads and Elves, oh my!: A high fantasy. The Worm Ouroboros, by E. R. Eddison. That's as High Fantasy as it gets. DONE *****
Next up: City of Fortune
1. Get on with it already: A book that’s been on your TBR (to be read) list for over a year. Hermetech, by Storm Constantine
2. Freebies: A book you (legally) obtained without paying for. The One Gold Slave, by Christian Kennedy (A giveaway from the author)
DONE **
3. Setting sail: A book taking place mostly or all on water. City of Fortune, by Roger Crowley (a history of Venice) IN PROGRESS
4. I remember that!: A book about a historical event that took place in your lifetime. Where Wizards Stay Up Late, by Katie Hafner and Matthew Lyon (about the creation of the Internet)
5. My hometown: A book by a local author. Reamde, by Neal Stephenson
8. Bits and pieces: An anthology (poetry, short stories, whatever). Undead Worlds, A Reanimated Writers Anthology (Zombie stories)
24. War is hell: A book about war, on the lines or the homefront, fiction or nonfiction. A Delicate Truth, by John Le Carr
34. Who was that, again?: A book about a person you know little about. The Other Boleyn Girl, Philippa Gregory
29. Keep up with the Joneses: A book by someone everyone else seems to have read but you have not. Twilight, by Stephanie Myers; Wicked, by Gregory Maguire (one of these, haven't decided yet)
38. Coming to a theater near you: A book made into a major motion picture. Albert Nobbs, by George Moore DONE *****
48. The butler might have done it: A mystery. Antiques Swap, by Barbara Allen
49. Pixies and Dryads and Elves, oh my!: A high fantasy. The Worm Ouroboros, by E. R. Eddison. That's as High Fantasy as it gets. DONE *****
Cobalt, I haven't read much high fantasy in years, and you've made me nostalgic. I LOVE when I finish a book and miss it. Miss the characters. Miss that world. It would make me want to go there, even if I was just a simple farmer. And after reading some battle scenes, especially if I was a simple farmer! I like both of my arms to stay attached.
Finished my second Doorstopper challenge, James Islington's sprawling epic fantasy The Shadow of What Was Lost, first in his Licanius trilogy. Twenty years ago, failing prophecies led to the fall and slaughter of the land's Augurs and the essential enslavement of their Gifted assistance, who are now bound by four Tenets. To violate these is to have one's power stripped and become a Shadow, the only people more reviled than the now-hated Gifted. Three friends Davian, Wirr, and Asha become part of great events and great changes that may see the return of the Augurs... or the return an ancient and forgotten evil.
To summarize: ergh... A few nice ideas, but "sprawling" here doesn't begin to describe it. Too many names, often introduced with too little connection to the immediate story, plus too little indication of whether they're people or places or things or races or whatever, not to mention Rampant Capitalization and a return of the dreaded aesthetic apostrophe: apostrophes that serve no linguistic or world-building purpose other than to make ordinary arrangements of letters look somewhat more exotic. I'm no neophyte to the epic genre, but when it's over halfway through the book and I still have to pause at a name to remember who or what it is and how it should be relevant, something's gone wrong in the telling. Many of the elements feel lifted from other epics, only lightly redressed. (A Boundary in the north, behind which evil forces lurk and plot, is failing after being neglected... seems a bit familiar...) The characters aren't exactly much to write home about either, unfortunately, making it even harder to immerse. The male-heavy (and white-heavy) cast and overall writing style feel oddly anachronistic, like something written in the 1980's or so. As for the titular Licanius, it's barely even in the book. Toss in some subtle-as-a-sledgehammer religious subtext, and that's about it. Despite a few glimmers of promise here and there, it just wasn't my cup of cocoa.As I've been looking for a nice, immersive epic fantasy to enjoy, I found it extra disappointing. Will need a brain-clearing break before heading on to Sanderson, for sure...
Updated list:
Get on with it already: A book that’s been on your TBR (to be read) list for over a year. DONE
+ Illuminated Manuscripts, Janice Anderson - STARTED 2/2, FINISHED 2/3 +
+ Scat, Carl Hiaasen - STARTED 1/16, FINISHED 1/19 +
+ Midnight for Charlie Bone, Jenna Nimmo - STARTED 1/23, FINISHED 1/27 +
Freebies: A book you (legally) obtained without paying for.
- Writing with Power, Peter Elbow
+ The Girl who Drank the Moon, Kelly Barnhill - STARTED 2/15, FINISHED 2/18 +
TBA
Who was that, again?: A book about a person you know little about.
+ The Black Count, by Tom Reiss - STARTED 2/15
- The Invention of Nature: Alexander Von Humboldt's New World, Andrea Wulf
+ Ryan Higa's How to Write Good, by Ryan Higa - STARTED 2/18, FINISHED 2/18 +
Doorstoppers: A book more than 600 pages.
+ The Shadow of What Was Lost, James Islington - STARTED 2/19, FINISHED 2/26 +
+ The Grace of Kings, Ken Liu - STARTED 1/8, FINISHED 1/15 +
- Words of Radiance, Brandon Sanderson
To summarize: ergh... A few nice ideas, but "sprawling" here doesn't begin to describe it. Too many names, often introduced with too little connection to the immediate story, plus too little indication of whether they're people or places or things or races or whatever, not to mention Rampant Capitalization and a return of the dreaded aesthetic apostrophe: apostrophes that serve no linguistic or world-building purpose other than to make ordinary arrangements of letters look somewhat more exotic. I'm no neophyte to the epic genre, but when it's over halfway through the book and I still have to pause at a name to remember who or what it is and how it should be relevant, something's gone wrong in the telling. Many of the elements feel lifted from other epics, only lightly redressed. (A Boundary in the north, behind which evil forces lurk and plot, is failing after being neglected... seems a bit familiar...) The characters aren't exactly much to write home about either, unfortunately, making it even harder to immerse. The male-heavy (and white-heavy) cast and overall writing style feel oddly anachronistic, like something written in the 1980's or so. As for the titular Licanius, it's barely even in the book. Toss in some subtle-as-a-sledgehammer religious subtext, and that's about it. Despite a few glimmers of promise here and there, it just wasn't my cup of cocoa.As I've been looking for a nice, immersive epic fantasy to enjoy, I found it extra disappointing. Will need a brain-clearing break before heading on to Sanderson, for sure...
Updated list:
Get on with it already: A book that’s been on your TBR (to be read) list for over a year. DONE
+ Illuminated Manuscripts, Janice Anderson - STARTED 2/2, FINISHED 2/3 +
+ Scat, Carl Hiaasen - STARTED 1/16, FINISHED 1/19 +
+ Midnight for Charlie Bone, Jenna Nimmo - STARTED 1/23, FINISHED 1/27 +
Freebies: A book you (legally) obtained without paying for.
- Writing with Power, Peter Elbow
+ The Girl who Drank the Moon, Kelly Barnhill - STARTED 2/15, FINISHED 2/18 +
TBA
Who was that, again?: A book about a person you know little about.
+ The Black Count, by Tom Reiss - STARTED 2/15
- The Invention of Nature: Alexander Von Humboldt's New World, Andrea Wulf
+ Ryan Higa's How to Write Good, by Ryan Higa - STARTED 2/18, FINISHED 2/18 +
Doorstoppers: A book more than 600 pages.
+ The Shadow of What Was Lost, James Islington - STARTED 2/19, FINISHED 2/26 +
+ The Grace of Kings, Ken Liu - STARTED 1/8, FINISHED 1/15 +
- Words of Radiance, Brandon Sanderson
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It has been a very long time, but I'm back! Stalled with one of my book club books, but was able to get back to these this week.
I finished You Haven't Changed a Bit, and Other Stories. It's one of the ones where I know the author and am therefore a little biased, but I thought this was a well written collection. Overall impression is that the stories are quiet and each sad in their own way.
Moving on to Dying on Second by E.C. Bell, as it seems like I'm going through all the ones where I know (or have met) the authors first
1. Get on with it already: American Gods by Neil Gaiman (on the list since 2012)
2. Freebies: Fire & Ice by Patty Jansen
5. My hometown: The Coyote Kings of the Space-Age Bachelor Pad by Minister Faust
8. Bits and pieces: You Haven't Changed a Bit, and Other Stories by Astrid Blodgett
15. Still time for more chapters: A Twisted Fate - My Life with Dystonia by Brenda Currey Lewis
21. Loose ends: The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
25. I’ve met them!: Few and Far by Alison Kydd
31. Just the facts, Ma’am: The Insanity Machine by Kenna McKinnon
35. Doorstoppers: A Perfect Heritage by Penny Vincenzi
36. A real scream: Doctor Sleep by Stephen King
43. That old black magic: Dying on Second by E.C. Bell
48. The butler might have done it: The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny
I finished You Haven't Changed a Bit, and Other Stories. It's one of the ones where I know the author and am therefore a little biased, but I thought this was a well written collection. Overall impression is that the stories are quiet and each sad in their own way.
Moving on to Dying on Second by E.C. Bell, as it seems like I'm going through all the ones where I know (or have met) the authors first
1. Get on with it already: American Gods by Neil Gaiman (on the list since 2012)
2. Freebies: Fire & Ice by Patty Jansen
5. My hometown: The Coyote Kings of the Space-Age Bachelor Pad by Minister Faust
15. Still time for more chapters: A Twisted Fate - My Life with Dystonia by Brenda Currey Lewis
21. Loose ends: The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
31. Just the facts, Ma’am: The Insanity Machine by Kenna McKinnon
35. Doorstoppers: A Perfect Heritage by Penny Vincenzi
36. A real scream: Doctor Sleep by Stephen King
43. That old black magic: Dying on Second by E.C. Bell
[FONT="]Finished another one:
The butler might have done it: a mystery. Treason by the book by Jonathan Spence. This was a struggle, as it turned out to be less a mystery than a highly detailed non-fiction account of sedition in 18th-century Imperial China, based on contemporaneous documents from that era. When the Emperor Yongzheng is informed of a plot to overthrow him, he deals with it in a way that surprises not only all his advisors, but the entire country. Instead of having the chief conspirator executed by the ‘death of a thousand deaths’ (i.e. slicing), he tries to convince him of the error of his ways, and between them they write a book heavy on literature and Confucian philosophy, refuting these erroneous beliefs. Hundreds of copies of this book are then published and sent to all corners of the Empire. What is truly amazing is the powerful all-seeing and all-meddling bureaucratic system that enables information to travel fast throughout such a vast land, with the result that the conspirators are quickly arrested. This system is essential if the Emperor is to rule over a vast and restless country that his Manchu ancestors had only invaded eighty years earlier. The story is a fascinating insight into the systems of governance and police detection in 18th-century China, but is not for the lay reader, but more for the scholar.[/FONT]
[FONT="]
[/FONT]
[FONT="]Updated challenge:[/FONT]
[FONT="]
[/FONT]
[FONT="]1. Howdy, stranger: The Road Home by Rose Tremain DONE [/FONT]
[FONT="]2. Do you read about a land down under? The People in the trees by Hanya Yanagihara DONE[/FONT]
[FONT="]3. Vast critical acclaim: The buried giant by Kazuo Shiguro DONE [/FONT]
[FONT="]4. Freebies: Burial rites by Hannah Kent DONE[/FONT]
[FONT="]5. Run for the border: Life in Mexico by Frances Erskine Inglis, Madame Calderón de la Barca[/FONT]
[FONT="]6. Anyward ho! Rambles in the footprints of Don Quixote by Henry David Inglis. [/FONT]
[FONT="]7. War is hell: The Dust that Falls from Dreams by Louis de Bernières[/FONT]
[FONT="]8. The butler might have done it: Treason by the book by Jonathan Spence DONE[/FONT]
[FONT="]9. Out of the park on first bat: The tiger’s wife by Téa Obreht DONE [/FONT]
[FONT="]10. What your great grandparents read: Elizabeth: exiles of Sibepy8ria by Madame Cottin DONE[/FONT]
[FONT="]11. Get on with it already: Bone Mountain by Eliot Pattison[/FONT]
[FONT="]12. Loose ends: The man in the queue by Josephine Tey.[/FONT]
The butler might have done it: a mystery. Treason by the book by Jonathan Spence. This was a struggle, as it turned out to be less a mystery than a highly detailed non-fiction account of sedition in 18th-century Imperial China, based on contemporaneous documents from that era. When the Emperor Yongzheng is informed of a plot to overthrow him, he deals with it in a way that surprises not only all his advisors, but the entire country. Instead of having the chief conspirator executed by the ‘death of a thousand deaths’ (i.e. slicing), he tries to convince him of the error of his ways, and between them they write a book heavy on literature and Confucian philosophy, refuting these erroneous beliefs. Hundreds of copies of this book are then published and sent to all corners of the Empire. What is truly amazing is the powerful all-seeing and all-meddling bureaucratic system that enables information to travel fast throughout such a vast land, with the result that the conspirators are quickly arrested. This system is essential if the Emperor is to rule over a vast and restless country that his Manchu ancestors had only invaded eighty years earlier. The story is a fascinating insight into the systems of governance and police detection in 18th-century China, but is not for the lay reader, but more for the scholar.[/FONT]
[FONT="]
[/FONT]
[FONT="]Updated challenge:[/FONT]
[FONT="]
[/FONT]
[FONT="]1. Howdy, stranger: The Road Home by Rose Tremain DONE [/FONT]
[FONT="]2. Do you read about a land down under? The People in the trees by Hanya Yanagihara DONE[/FONT]
[FONT="]3. Vast critical acclaim: The buried giant by Kazuo Shiguro DONE [/FONT]
[FONT="]4. Freebies: Burial rites by Hannah Kent DONE[/FONT]
[FONT="]5. Run for the border: Life in Mexico by Frances Erskine Inglis, Madame Calderón de la Barca[/FONT]
[FONT="]6. Anyward ho! Rambles in the footprints of Don Quixote by Henry David Inglis. [/FONT]
[FONT="]7. War is hell: The Dust that Falls from Dreams by Louis de Bernières[/FONT]
[FONT="]8. The butler might have done it: Treason by the book by Jonathan Spence DONE[/FONT]
[FONT="]9. Out of the park on first bat: The tiger’s wife by Téa Obreht DONE [/FONT]
[FONT="]10. What your great grandparents read: Elizabeth: exiles of Sibepy8ria by Madame Cottin DONE[/FONT]
[FONT="]11. Get on with it already: Bone Mountain by Eliot Pattison[/FONT]
[FONT="]12. Loose ends: The man in the queue by Josephine Tey.[/FONT]
Started reading another Freebie book: Writing With Power, by Peter Elbow, about writing (obviously.) Literally just started it the other night, so I don't have much to say about it.
Updated list:
Get on with it already: A book that’s been on your TBR (to be read) list for over a year. DONE
+ Illuminated Manuscripts, Janice Anderson - STARTED 2/2, FINISHED 2/3 +
+ Scat, Carl Hiaasen - STARTED 1/16, FINISHED 1/19 +
+ Midnight for Charlie Bone, Jenna Nimmo - STARTED 1/23, FINISHED 1/27 +
Freebies: A book you (legally) obtained without paying for.
+ Writing with Power, Peter Elbow - STARTED 2/27
+ The Girl who Drank the Moon, Kelly Barnhill - STARTED 2/15, FINISHED 2/18 +
TBA
Who was that, again?: A book about a person you know little about.
+ The Black Count, by Tom Reiss - STARTED 2/15
- The Invention of Nature: Alexander Von Humboldt's New World, Andrea Wulf
+ Ryan Higa's How to Write Good, by Ryan Higa - STARTED 2/18, FINISHED 2/18 +
Doorstoppers: A book more than 600 pages.
+ The Shadow of What Was Lost, James Islington - STARTED 2/19, FINISHED 2/26 +
+ The Grace of Kings, Ken Liu - STARTED 1/8, FINISHED 1/15 +
- Words of Radiance, Brandon Sanderson
Updated list:
Get on with it already: A book that’s been on your TBR (to be read) list for over a year. DONE
+ Illuminated Manuscripts, Janice Anderson - STARTED 2/2, FINISHED 2/3 +
+ Scat, Carl Hiaasen - STARTED 1/16, FINISHED 1/19 +
+ Midnight for Charlie Bone, Jenna Nimmo - STARTED 1/23, FINISHED 1/27 +
Freebies: A book you (legally) obtained without paying for.
+ Writing with Power, Peter Elbow - STARTED 2/27
+ The Girl who Drank the Moon, Kelly Barnhill - STARTED 2/15, FINISHED 2/18 +
TBA
Who was that, again?: A book about a person you know little about.
+ The Black Count, by Tom Reiss - STARTED 2/15
- The Invention of Nature: Alexander Von Humboldt's New World, Andrea Wulf
+ Ryan Higa's How to Write Good, by Ryan Higa - STARTED 2/18, FINISHED 2/18 +
Doorstoppers: A book more than 600 pages.
+ The Shadow of What Was Lost, James Islington - STARTED 2/19, FINISHED 2/26 +
+ The Grace of Kings, Ken Liu - STARTED 1/8, FINISHED 1/15 +
- Words of Radiance, Brandon Sanderson
- Joined
- Sep 20, 2011
- Messages
- 8,943
- Reaction score
- 3,152
Sat Nam! (Literally "Truth Name"--a Sikh greeting)
Finished A Midsummer Night's Dream. This may be the shortest of Shakespeare's plays and one of the liveliest. I've seen it performed twice, once on stage and once on film. With the exception of a few eye rolls at the denseness of the men, I enjoyed reading it immensely.
Current List is now:
3 by Alice Hoffman
Faithful
The Probable Future Done
The Dovekeepers
3 Get on with it Already!
Lila by Marilynne Robinson Done
The Painted Drum by Louise Erdrich or Jazz by Toni Morrison
The Forgotten Garden or The Distant Mirror by Kate Morton
3 Like a Novel, Only Real
Vita Nuova by Dante Alighieri Done
Balancing Heaven and Earth by Robert A. Johnson with Jerry M. Ruhl
TBD
3 Categories, 1 Each
God's Mansion Has Many Rooms
Heirs to Forgotten Kingdoms: Journeys into the Disappearing Religions of the Middle East by Gerard Russell
Upstaged/ /Seasons in the Sun
A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare Done
Howdy, Stranger
The Caretaker by A.X.Ahmad
Scheduled Extra Credit:
Bits & Pieces [to be read throughout the year]: The Collect Poems of Theodore Roethke
Tag, You're It: The Light Between Oceans (I didn't ask Chris or oneblindmouse, but both recommended it.)
Unscheduled Extra Credit:
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle Done
I've been working on Heirs to Forgotten Kingdoms, but it's slower than I thought it'd be.
Congrats to everyone on good progress.
Blessings,
Siri Kirpal
Finished A Midsummer Night's Dream. This may be the shortest of Shakespeare's plays and one of the liveliest. I've seen it performed twice, once on stage and once on film. With the exception of a few eye rolls at the denseness of the men, I enjoyed reading it immensely.
Current List is now:
3 by Alice Hoffman
Faithful
The Probable Future Done
The Dovekeepers
3 Get on with it Already!
Lila by Marilynne Robinson Done
The Painted Drum by Louise Erdrich or Jazz by Toni Morrison
The Forgotten Garden or The Distant Mirror by Kate Morton
3 Like a Novel, Only Real
Vita Nuova by Dante Alighieri Done
Balancing Heaven and Earth by Robert A. Johnson with Jerry M. Ruhl
TBD
3 Categories, 1 Each
God's Mansion Has Many Rooms
Heirs to Forgotten Kingdoms: Journeys into the Disappearing Religions of the Middle East by Gerard Russell
Upstaged/ /Seasons in the Sun
A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare Done
Howdy, Stranger
The Caretaker by A.X.Ahmad
Scheduled Extra Credit:
Bits & Pieces [to be read throughout the year]: The Collect Poems of Theodore Roethke
Tag, You're It: The Light Between Oceans (I didn't ask Chris or oneblindmouse, but both recommended it.)
Unscheduled Extra Credit:
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle Done
I've been working on Heirs to Forgotten Kingdoms, but it's slower than I thought it'd be.
Congrats to everyone on good progress.
Blessings,
Siri Kirpal
- Joined
- Mar 24, 2009
- Messages
- 724
- Reaction score
- 105
- Location
- Alberta, Canada
- Website
- www.bdwilson.ca
Hey, look at that, if I make more time for reading, I finish books! Imagine that 
Finished Dying on Second on Friday. I enjoyed it, so I'm going to go back and grab the first three. It also left off in an interesting place for the series arc, so I'll be watching for the next one.
I've started The Insanity Machine, which is my non-fiction choice. Those sometimes take me longer to read, but it's less than 200 pages, so that might balance the time out.
1. Get on with it already: American Gods by Neil Gaiman (on the list since 2012)
2. Freebies: Fire & Ice by Patty Jansen
5. My hometown: The Coyote Kings of the Space-Age Bachelor Pad by Minister Faust
8. Bits and pieces: You Haven't Changed a Bit, and Other Stories by Astrid Blodgett
15. Still time for more chapters: A Twisted Fate - My Life with Dystonia by Brenda Currey Lewis
21. Loose ends: The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
25. I’ve met them!: Few and Far by Alison Kydd
31. Just the facts, Ma’am: The Insanity Machine by Kenna McKinnon, with Austin Mardon
35. Doorstoppers: A Perfect Heritage by Penny Vincenzi
36. A real scream: Doctor Sleep by Stephen King
43. That old black magic: Dying on Second by E.C. Bell
48. The butler might have done it: The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny
Finished Dying on Second on Friday. I enjoyed it, so I'm going to go back and grab the first three. It also left off in an interesting place for the series arc, so I'll be watching for the next one.
I've started The Insanity Machine, which is my non-fiction choice. Those sometimes take me longer to read, but it's less than 200 pages, so that might balance the time out.
1. Get on with it already: American Gods by Neil Gaiman (on the list since 2012)
2. Freebies: Fire & Ice by Patty Jansen
5. My hometown: The Coyote Kings of the Space-Age Bachelor Pad by Minister Faust
15. Still time for more chapters: A Twisted Fate - My Life with Dystonia by Brenda Currey Lewis
21. Loose ends: The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
31. Just the facts, Ma’am: The Insanity Machine by Kenna McKinnon, with Austin Mardon
35. Doorstoppers: A Perfect Heritage by Penny Vincenzi
36. A real scream: Doctor Sleep by Stephen King
Great to see so much progress, everyone!
Another one in the books (pun intended) for me: What Unites Us by Dan Rather. It's a pretty straightforward collection of essays on Rather's musings on patriotism. Largely autobiographical, Rather addresses various topics such as the environment, public schooling, science, the arts, etc. As much of an optimist as I try to be, I found Rather's optimism inspiring at times but more often, well, I'm not sure if naive is the word I'm looking for, or nostalgic, or perhaps I'm just finding myself wishing I could be as optimistic as he is. I was much more inspired when I saw him speak earlier this winter, but the writing and his philosophy I found not very challenging or innovative. He tries to connect things to current events, but offers few solutions other than "remember who we used to be and could be again." I don't think we'll be talking about this book in another five years, so I'm going to rate it "meh" at 2.5 of 5 stars.
Upstaged: A play.
1. The Book of Mormon by Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone Done
2. A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
3. The Iceman Cometh by Eugene O'Neill
I’ve met them!: A book by someone you have seen in person
4. What Unites Us by Dan Rather Done
5. Luka and the Fire of Life by Salman Rushdie Done
6. The Ninth Hour by Alice McDermott
You might also like. . . : A book recommended by library or bookstore staff, online or in person.
7. The Collector by John Fowles Done
8. Sapphira and the Slave Girl by Willa Cather
9. The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
I know exactly where that is!: A book taking place in a location you know well (Washington, DC).
10. It Can't Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis Done
11. Cane by Jean Toomer
12. The Beautiful Things that Heaven Bears by Dinaw Mengestu Done
Another one in the books (pun intended) for me: What Unites Us by Dan Rather. It's a pretty straightforward collection of essays on Rather's musings on patriotism. Largely autobiographical, Rather addresses various topics such as the environment, public schooling, science, the arts, etc. As much of an optimist as I try to be, I found Rather's optimism inspiring at times but more often, well, I'm not sure if naive is the word I'm looking for, or nostalgic, or perhaps I'm just finding myself wishing I could be as optimistic as he is. I was much more inspired when I saw him speak earlier this winter, but the writing and his philosophy I found not very challenging or innovative. He tries to connect things to current events, but offers few solutions other than "remember who we used to be and could be again." I don't think we'll be talking about this book in another five years, so I'm going to rate it "meh" at 2.5 of 5 stars.
Upstaged: A play.
1. The Book of Mormon by Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone Done
2. A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
3. The Iceman Cometh by Eugene O'Neill
I’ve met them!: A book by someone you have seen in person
4. What Unites Us by Dan Rather Done
5. Luka and the Fire of Life by Salman Rushdie Done
6. The Ninth Hour by Alice McDermott
You might also like. . . : A book recommended by library or bookstore staff, online or in person.
7. The Collector by John Fowles Done
8. Sapphira and the Slave Girl by Willa Cather
9. The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
I know exactly where that is!: A book taking place in a location you know well (Washington, DC).
10. It Can't Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis Done
11. Cane by Jean Toomer
12. The Beautiful Things that Heaven Bears by Dinaw Mengestu Done
Last edited:
Finished my brother's book PLAYING WAR, which was well-written but far too esoteric a topic for me. Given that it's his thesis, the dryness was to be expected, I suppose. Now I'm hoping he'll write something else, because I'd love to read something by him that isn't constricted by the thesis format.
I don't know what I'm going to read next. I'm leaning toward finishing the Wild Musette anthology (I'm about halfway through), just to mark it off my list, but after that I think I'm ready for a novel, since most of my reading this year has been nonfic.
[ ] 1. Get on with it already: A book that’s been on your TBR (to be read) list for over a year. TIGANA by Guy Gavriel Kay. It's been in my TBR pile since 2012.
[x] 2. Freebies: A book you (legally) obtained without paying for. THE RIVER OF CONSCIOUSNESS by Oliver Sacks. A Christmas gift from my husband.
[ ] 3. Bits and pieces: An anthology (poetry, short stories, whatever). THE SIN EATER by Wild Musette Press. Since I just sold a short to these folks, I guess I better read their previous anthology.
[x] 4. Namesakes: A book by an author who shares your first or last name (maiden name counts). PLAYING WAR: WARGAMING AND U.S. NAVY PREPARATIONS FOR WWII by John M. Lillard, who happens to be my younger brother. This was his PhD thesis, published a year ago, and has the potential to be rather dry. Knowing my brother, it won't be.
[x] 5. Support the home team: A book by a fellow AWer. THE COLD BETWEEN by Elizabeth Bonesteel (aka lizmonster).
[ ] 6. Keep up with the Joneses: A book by someone everyone else seems to have read but you have not. AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A FACE by Lucy Grealy.
[x] 7. Tuesdays with Balaam’s Ass: A book with a non-human (animal or fantastic creature) main character. THE HIDDEN LIVES OF OWLS by Leigh Calvez. It's not a novel, but...OWLS.
[x] 8. Lol random: Go to Gutenberg.org, click “Book Search,” click “Random” and pick any of the books that show up. THE ENCHANTED TYPEWRITER by John Kendrick Bangs.
[x] 9. Just the facts, Ma’am: Nonfiction on any subject. TINDERBOX: THE IROQUOIS THEATRE DISASTER 1903 by Anthony P. Hatch.
[ ] 10. Where is that, again?: A book about a place you know little about. A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW by Amor Towles. Takes place entirely in the Hotel Metropol in Moscow.
[ ] 11. You might also like. . . : A book recommended by library or bookstore staff, online or in person. FIERCE KINGDOM by Gin Phillips
[ ] 12. Pixies and Dryads and Elves, oh my!: A high fantasy. PAWN OF PROPHECY by David Eddings.
I don't know what I'm going to read next. I'm leaning toward finishing the Wild Musette anthology (I'm about halfway through), just to mark it off my list, but after that I think I'm ready for a novel, since most of my reading this year has been nonfic.
[ ] 1. Get on with it already: A book that’s been on your TBR (to be read) list for over a year. TIGANA by Guy Gavriel Kay. It's been in my TBR pile since 2012.
[x] 2. Freebies: A book you (legally) obtained without paying for. THE RIVER OF CONSCIOUSNESS by Oliver Sacks. A Christmas gift from my husband.
[ ] 3. Bits and pieces: An anthology (poetry, short stories, whatever). THE SIN EATER by Wild Musette Press. Since I just sold a short to these folks, I guess I better read their previous anthology.
[x] 4. Namesakes: A book by an author who shares your first or last name (maiden name counts). PLAYING WAR: WARGAMING AND U.S. NAVY PREPARATIONS FOR WWII by John M. Lillard, who happens to be my younger brother. This was his PhD thesis, published a year ago, and has the potential to be rather dry. Knowing my brother, it won't be.
[x] 5. Support the home team: A book by a fellow AWer. THE COLD BETWEEN by Elizabeth Bonesteel (aka lizmonster).
[ ] 6. Keep up with the Joneses: A book by someone everyone else seems to have read but you have not. AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A FACE by Lucy Grealy.
[x] 7. Tuesdays with Balaam’s Ass: A book with a non-human (animal or fantastic creature) main character. THE HIDDEN LIVES OF OWLS by Leigh Calvez. It's not a novel, but...OWLS.
[x] 8. Lol random: Go to Gutenberg.org, click “Book Search,” click “Random” and pick any of the books that show up. THE ENCHANTED TYPEWRITER by John Kendrick Bangs.
[x] 9. Just the facts, Ma’am: Nonfiction on any subject. TINDERBOX: THE IROQUOIS THEATRE DISASTER 1903 by Anthony P. Hatch.
[ ] 10. Where is that, again?: A book about a place you know little about. A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW by Amor Towles. Takes place entirely in the Hotel Metropol in Moscow.
[ ] 11. You might also like. . . : A book recommended by library or bookstore staff, online or in person. FIERCE KINGDOM by Gin Phillips
[ ] 12. Pixies and Dryads and Elves, oh my!: A high fantasy. PAWN OF PROPHECY by David Eddings.
- Joined
- Mar 24, 2009
- Messages
- 724
- Reaction score
- 105
- Location
- Alberta, Canada
- Website
- www.bdwilson.ca
I finished The Insanity Machine. It's a book about schizophrenia by authors who have it and that firsthand experience was my primary interest. However, it's third person and they take a detached perspective for a lot of it, which means it's about as distant and general as I would have expected from someone interviewing them to get a secondhand account. So it was interesting, but disappointing.
I was going to read the memoir on my list next, but I've decided to trade off back to fiction first. I've started The Coyote Kings of the Space-Age Bachelor Pad, which is pretty long so it should be a bit before my next list update.
1. Get on with it already: American Gods by Neil Gaiman (on the list since 2012)
2. Freebies: Fire & Ice by Patty Jansen
5. My hometown: The Coyote Kings of the Space-Age Bachelor Pad by Minister Faust
8. Bits and pieces: You Haven't Changed a Bit, and Other Stories by Astrid Blodgett
15. Still time for more chapters: A Twisted Fate - My Life with Dystonia by Brenda Currey Lewis
21. Loose ends: The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
25. I’ve met them!: Few and Far by Alison Kydd
31. Just the facts, Ma’am: The Insanity Machine by Kenna McKinnon, with Austin Mardon
35. Doorstoppers: A Perfect Heritage by Penny Vincenzi
36. A real scream: Doctor Sleep by Stephen King
43. That old black magic: Dying on Second by E.C. Bell
48. The butler might have done it: The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny
I was going to read the memoir on my list next, but I've decided to trade off back to fiction first. I've started The Coyote Kings of the Space-Age Bachelor Pad, which is pretty long so it should be a bit before my next list update.
1. Get on with it already: American Gods by Neil Gaiman (on the list since 2012)
2. Freebies: Fire & Ice by Patty Jansen
5. My hometown: The Coyote Kings of the Space-Age Bachelor Pad by Minister Faust
15. Still time for more chapters: A Twisted Fate - My Life with Dystonia by Brenda Currey Lewis
21. Loose ends: The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
35. Doorstoppers: A Perfect Heritage by Penny Vincenzi
36. A real scream: Doctor Sleep by Stephen King
Great to see more progress. I'm going to start The Iceman Cometh today on a long plane flight. Being a play, I might actually finish it before I get where I'm going.
- Joined
- Sep 20, 2011
- Messages
- 8,943
- Reaction score
- 3,152
Sat Nam! (Literally "Truth Name"--a Sikh greeting)
It's been decades since I read The Iceman Cometh. I don't remember much of it, except that I liked it.
Blessings,
Siri Kirpal
It's been decades since I read The Iceman Cometh. I don't remember much of it, except that I liked it.
Blessings,
Siri Kirpal
I finished up THE SIN EATER, my Bits and pieces selection. Like most anthologies, it's a mixed bag, but overall I enjoyed the stories and poems.
Huh...I just realized I'm more than halfway through my list and it's only mid-March. I felt like I was reading sooooo slowly but I guess I'm not.
[ ] 1. Get on with it already: A book that’s been on your TBR (to be read) list for over a year. TIGANA by Guy Gavriel Kay. It's been in my TBR pile since 2012.
[x] 2. Freebies: A book you (legally) obtained without paying for. THE RIVER OF CONSCIOUSNESS by Oliver Sacks. A Christmas gift from my husband.
[x] 3. Bits and pieces: An anthology (poetry, short stories, whatever). THE SIN EATER by Wild Musette Press. Since I just sold a short to these folks, I guess I better read their previous anthology.
[x] 4. Namesakes: A book by an author who shares your first or last name (maiden name counts). PLAYING WAR: WARGAMING AND U.S. NAVY PREPARATIONS FOR WWII by John M. Lillard, who happens to be my younger brother. This was his PhD thesis, published a year ago, and has the potential to be rather dry. Knowing my brother, it won't be.
[x] 5. Support the home team: A book by a fellow AWer. THE COLD BETWEEN by Elizabeth Bonesteel (aka lizmonster).
[ ] 6. Keep up with the Joneses: A book by someone everyone else seems to have read but you have not. AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A FACE by Lucy Grealy.
[x] 7. Tuesdays with Balaam’s Ass: A book with a non-human (animal or fantastic creature) main character. THE HIDDEN LIVES OF OWLS by Leigh Calvez. It's not a novel, but...OWLS.
[x] 8. Lol random: Go to Gutenberg.org, click “Book Search,” click “Random” and pick any of the books that show up. THE ENCHANTED TYPEWRITER by John Kendrick Bangs.
[x] 9. Just the facts, Ma’am: Nonfiction on any subject. TINDERBOX: THE IROQUOIS THEATRE DISASTER 1903 by Anthony P. Hatch.
[ ] 10. Where is that, again?: A book about a place you know little about. A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW by Amor Towles. Takes place entirely in the Hotel Metropol in Moscow.
[ ] 11. You might also like. . . : A book recommended by library or bookstore staff, online or in person. FIERCE KINGDOM by Gin Phillips
[ ] 12. Pixies and Dryads and Elves, oh my!: A high fantasy. PAWN OF PROPHECY by David Eddings.
Huh...I just realized I'm more than halfway through my list and it's only mid-March. I felt like I was reading sooooo slowly but I guess I'm not.
[ ] 1. Get on with it already: A book that’s been on your TBR (to be read) list for over a year. TIGANA by Guy Gavriel Kay. It's been in my TBR pile since 2012.
[x] 2. Freebies: A book you (legally) obtained without paying for. THE RIVER OF CONSCIOUSNESS by Oliver Sacks. A Christmas gift from my husband.
[x] 3. Bits and pieces: An anthology (poetry, short stories, whatever). THE SIN EATER by Wild Musette Press. Since I just sold a short to these folks, I guess I better read their previous anthology.
[x] 4. Namesakes: A book by an author who shares your first or last name (maiden name counts). PLAYING WAR: WARGAMING AND U.S. NAVY PREPARATIONS FOR WWII by John M. Lillard, who happens to be my younger brother. This was his PhD thesis, published a year ago, and has the potential to be rather dry. Knowing my brother, it won't be.
[x] 5. Support the home team: A book by a fellow AWer. THE COLD BETWEEN by Elizabeth Bonesteel (aka lizmonster).
[ ] 6. Keep up with the Joneses: A book by someone everyone else seems to have read but you have not. AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A FACE by Lucy Grealy.
[x] 7. Tuesdays with Balaam’s Ass: A book with a non-human (animal or fantastic creature) main character. THE HIDDEN LIVES OF OWLS by Leigh Calvez. It's not a novel, but...OWLS.
[x] 8. Lol random: Go to Gutenberg.org, click “Book Search,” click “Random” and pick any of the books that show up. THE ENCHANTED TYPEWRITER by John Kendrick Bangs.
[x] 9. Just the facts, Ma’am: Nonfiction on any subject. TINDERBOX: THE IROQUOIS THEATRE DISASTER 1903 by Anthony P. Hatch.
[ ] 10. Where is that, again?: A book about a place you know little about. A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW by Amor Towles. Takes place entirely in the Hotel Metropol in Moscow.
[ ] 11. You might also like. . . : A book recommended by library or bookstore staff, online or in person. FIERCE KINGDOM by Gin Phillips
[ ] 12. Pixies and Dryads and Elves, oh my!: A high fantasy. PAWN OF PROPHECY by David Eddings.
mrsmig: it's going to be pretty hard to beat your pace from last year! You did, what, three rounds of 12 last year?
I'm going faster than expected because many of my books are short. I only got halfway through Iceman Cometh on the plane due to mental fatigue, and should finish it up perhaps tonight even, if I feel like it.
I'm going faster than expected because many of my books are short. I only got halfway through Iceman Cometh on the plane due to mental fatigue, and should finish it up perhaps tonight even, if I feel like it.
ICEMAN is a tough read, I think.
If I hadn't had books to read last year, I think i would have lost my mind from all that sitting around backstage. I'm currently between projects (actorspeak for "unemployed") and one would think I'd be reading even more, but I'm not. It hasn't helped that my last couple of books have been pretty heavy.
Having said that, I started A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW last night and am just enjoying the hell out of it.
I'm not finding Iceman tough, so much, although it took me a bit to get into the flow of Rocky's and Joe's respective accents. I'm getting into the third act, and I have no idea how it's going to end. I've been too mentally exhausted (I'm in Tanzania this week and still jet lagged beyond all brain functioning) so I just can't focus on reading. I head back tonight and should finish it on the plane.
Tanzania! Wow - I don't wonder that you're jet lagged.
I don't fly very often, but the hubs and I are headed to Oregon in a couple of months to celebrate our 25th anniversary. I'm already anticipating a couple of good reads for the back-and-forth.
I don't fly very often, but the hubs and I are headed to Oregon in a couple of months to celebrate our 25th anniversary. I'm already anticipating a couple of good reads for the back-and-forth.
- Joined
- Sep 20, 2011
- Messages
- 8,943
- Reaction score
- 3,152
Sat Nam! (literally "Truth Name"--a Sikh greeting)
Yeah, Chris, Tanzania doesn't sound like the closest place in the world to Arlington VA. [Deadpan.] Hope the flight goes well, and hope your trip was enjoyable or successful and preferably both.
And mrsmig, hope you enjoy your trip to Oregon. Let me know if you'd like any tips on places to see, and give me a holler if you're in Eugene.
Blessings,
Siri Kirpal
Yeah, Chris, Tanzania doesn't sound like the closest place in the world to Arlington VA. [Deadpan.] Hope the flight goes well, and hope your trip was enjoyable or successful and preferably both.
And mrsmig, hope you enjoy your trip to Oregon. Let me know if you'd like any tips on places to see, and give me a holler if you're in Eugene.
Blessings,
Siri Kirpal
Thanks, Siri. We've visited Oregon in the past (although it's been nearly a decade since our last trip out there) and with a oceanfront view and a fireplace in our hotel room, all we need is a bottle of wonderful Willamette Valley pinot noir and each other to make a perfect anniversary week.
- Joined
- Sep 20, 2011
- Messages
- 8,943
- Reaction score
- 3,152
Sat Nam! (literally "Truth Name"--a Sikh greeting)
Ah, the Coast! Enjoy!
Blessings,
Siri Kirpal
Ah, the Coast! Enjoy!
Blessings,
Siri Kirpal