The 2019 AW Book Reading Challenge! New year, new categories, new books and new friends

PickledHorseradish · Jan 16, 2019

This looks like fun. I think I'll jump in, albeit a few days late.

East meets West: A book taking place in Asia (Turkey to Japan, Siberia to Vietnam) - The Quiet American by Graham Greene
Doorstoppers: A book more than 600 pages. A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James
Be the change you want to see: A book about a sociopolitical issue. We Fed an Island by José Andrés with Richard Wolffe
The heart and mind of a writer: An author memoir or collection of essays by an author. The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe
Anyward, ho!: A travel novel (any genre, including non-fiction). Passage to Juneau by Jonathan Raban
Crossing the (color) lines: A book about a person of color (PoC), any variety, written by an author of the same variety. Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid
The butler might have done it: A mystery. By Gaslight by Steven Price
QUILTBAG: A book with a major LGBTQ+ character or about an LGBTQ+ issue. Patsy by Nicole Dennis-Benn. This one is on pre-order and will be here in June. I can't wait.
No hablo: A book originally written in another language (i.e., a translation). Havana Blue by Leonardo Padura
Still time for more chapters: A memoir/biography by/about someone who’s still alive (as of January 1). A Perfect Union of Contrary Things by Sarah Jensen and Maynard James Keenan
Succinct: A book with a one-word title. Moonraker by Ian Fleming
I’ve met them!: A book by someone you have seen in person (either know, seen at a book fair, heard at a speaking engagement, in line at the ATM, whatever). Gone Wild by James W. Hall

Brightdreamer · Jan 16, 2019

Hooray for progress, people!

And just finished my second Challenge read: Spellslinger, by Sebastien de Castell. At fifteen, Kellen has less than a year to complete the mage trials of his people, the Jan'Tep; if he fails, he is declared powerless, worthless, relegated to servant status and a shame upon his high-ranked family. Unfortunately, what little magic he ever had seems to be fading. He tries using trickery and bluffing, but that won't fool his masters for long... only he sees no other choice, not until he meets the stranger who introduces him to a whole new kind of magic, a whole new way of looking at the world - and a whole new mess of trouble, as he finds himself up to his neck in treachery and a plot that could bring his people to their knees and make himself very dead.

It starts fun and witty, but soon the wit starts feeling a little thin as characters turn out to be more obtuse than they ought to be, particularly the narrator Kellen. Some themes are repeated a little too often, not to mention Kellen's repeated surprise and disgust at how sadistic his peers can be (does he not learn?), and women have a way of devolving into objects related to Kellen rather than entities in their own right. I don't remember the other book I've read by de Castell (Traitor's Blade) feeling this hollow beneath the voice and action, if that makes any sense. Not horrible, and it reads fast, but I feel no need to continue the series as I don't really want to revisit the world or the characters.

Still deciding if I should build on momentum and start another challenge book, switch to an extra credit, or try tackling another title from the TBR pile.

Challenge Status:

That old black magic: A paranormal novel. - Lockwood & Co.: The Whispering Skull, Jonathan Stroud
The Name Of This Book Is Secret, Pseudonymous Bosch (Started 1/7, Finished 1/12)
Just the (alternative) facts, Ma’am: An alternate history. - Bitter Seeds, Ian Tregillis
By its cover: A book you know nothing about, chosen solely by the FRONT cover (no reading the jacket flap, back cover blurb, or reviews). - For a Muse of Fire, Heidi Heilig
Back in the day: A historical of any genre. - The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, Jacqueline Kelly
You might also like. . .: A book recommended by someone real, or by a bot. - Skyward, Brandon Sanderson
QUILTBAG: A book with a major LGBTQ+ character or about an LGBTQ+ issue. The Tiger's Daughter, K. Arsenault Rivera
My hometown: A book by a local author. - Discount Armageddon, by Seanan McGuire
Tuesdays with Balaam’s Ass: A book with a non-human (animal or fantastic creature) main character. - Endling, by Katherine Applegate
Who was that, again?: A book about a person you know little about. - Born a Crime, Trevor Noah
Spellslinger, Sebastien de Castell (Started 1/14, Finished 1/16)
What you read: A book you loved as a child. - Fur Magic, Andre Norton

Extra Credit: Get On With It, Already!

1 - The Tropic of Serpents, Marie Brennan (Book 2 of the Memoirs of Lady Trent)
2 - The Wall of Storms, Ken Liu (Book 2 of the Dandelion Dynasty)
3 - The Shadow Throne, Django Wexler (Book 2 of the Shadow Campaigns)
4 - The Infinite Sea, Rick Yancey (Book 2 of the 5th Wave trilogy)
5 - Morning Star, Pierce Brown (Book 3 of the Red Rising series)
6 - Arabella and the Battle of Venus, David D. Levine (Book 2 of the Arabella of Mars series)
7 - The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There, Catherynne M. Valente (Book 2 of the Fairyland series)
8 - Across the Great Barrier, Patricia C. Wrede (Book 2 of the Frontier Magic series)
9 - The Alloy of Law, Brandon Sanderson (a Mistborn novel)
10 - Legion of Flame, Anthony Ryan (Book 2 of the Draconis Memoria series)
11 - Green Mars, Kim Stanley Robinson (Book 2 of the Mars trilogy)
12 - Binti: Home, Nnedi Okorafor (Book 2 of the Binti trilogy)

Chris P · Jan 17, 2019

Welcome, PickledHorseRadish! I enjoyed Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. The 60s has been so mythologized it was really enlightening to me to read a first-hand account.

My Tom Wolfe story: In 2014, I went on a bus tour of the West with my parents. We were at cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde National Park, and as we were walking a park employee in uniform walked past, and I smiled when I saw his name was Tom Wolfe.
After he'd passed, the tour guide said. "That was Tom Wolfe, the writer."
My jaw dropped. "THE Tom Wolfe?" I asked.
"Yep," the guide said. "He volunteers his summers out here for us."
"Bonfire of the Vanities Tom Wolfe?"
"That's him."
I nearly broke from the group and went running back to meet him when I remembered what Bonfire Tom Wolfe looked like. The burly, long-bearded sixty-something mountain man on the path behind me was hardly the literary world's beloved octagenarian metrosexual.

Chris P · Jan 17, 2019

Brightdreamer said:
I read that last year - definitely an eye-opener. What struck me was how the writing style seemed almost modern compared to other books from that period that I've read; the version I read had two forewords by contemporaries, both (IIRC) white abolitionists, that had the typical over-the-top phraseology, but Douglass's words flowed much more naturally and smoothly. Also, his observations on how slave-owning changed the white people around him were interesting, making monsters out of men and women, and how religion mostly made them even worse as they used the Bible to justify brutality (the bit at the end where he talks about there being two Christian churches in America with antithetical ideas rings very true today.)

I was struck by the prologues too. The two writers seemed to fall over themselves, almost to the point I thought they might be exploiting Douglass as justification for their views. It also seemed to have a air of "white people have approved this message" to give it weight. I think the formal style of the time was overly stilted, and Douglass's un-formally educated style was much more conversational and therefore "modern." I too couldn't help drawing comparisons to modern Christianity, and reflected that although the slavery laws changed very rapidly as a result of the war, attitudes didn't, nor did the religious leanings that justified slavery in the first place. I have yet to run into anyone anywhere who thinks slavery should come back, but I can definitely see the mindset that allowed it, and the Jim Crow that followed it, to flourish.

Chris P · Jan 17, 2019

Another short one: Charlotte's Web by E. B. White. I watched the movie when I was little, and surprisingly remember most of it, particularly as I read along. Fern adopts a runt piglet set to be culled, and names him Wilbur. Wilbur lives the good life, making friends in the barnyard, including with Charlotte, the spider that lives in his doorway. Wilbur learns that he is to be slaughtered that autumn, and Charlotte embarks on a mission to save him. She writes messages to the humans in her web, and Wilbur's fame spreads. It's easy to overthink this one, but Charlotte represents belief in someone for their own sake, while Templeton the rat is mostly too selfish to care. In the end, Wilbur matures and believes in himself because of Charlotte, and can disregard Templeton's naysaying. I know this is a children's book, and despite the message I found the story to be overly linear with no intensity, and the writing simplistic to the point of being boring. I've read other books/stories that did this much more interestingly and effectively without being over kids' heads.

2. That old black magic: A paranormal novel. The Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman
7. Doorstoppers: A book more than 600 pages. Mexico - James Michener
13. Learn the Quadrille: A regency romance. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
14. Crossing the (color) lines: A book about a person of color (PoC), any variety, written by an author of the same variety. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave - Frederick Douglass Done 1/14/19
17. Back in the day: A historical of any genre. My Name is Red - Orhan Pamuk
19. Support the home team: A book by a fellow AWer. A Dangerous Fiction - Barbara Rogan
24. Down on the farm: A book featuring farmers, agriculture, or taking place in an agrarian setting. Charlotte's Web - E. B. White Done 1/17/19
27. Halcyon days: A bestseller or book published the year you turned 21. The English Patient - Michael Ondaatji
29. You might also like. . .: A book recommended by someone real, or by a bot. Where the Crawdads Sing - Delia Owens
33. Happy days are here again: A book published between 1945 and 1960. Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
37. Read it again, Sam: Reread a book you have already read. Freedom - Jonathan Franzen Done 1/14/19
43. Still time for more chapters: A memoir/biography by/about someone who’s still alive (as of January 1). Educated - Tara Westover

Chris P · Jan 18, 2019

I got started on Pride and Prejudice. Ooof! This is going to be a tough one. The words just seem to bounce in one eye and out the other, and I get to the end of the (thankfully short) chapters wondering what the world is going on and who all these people are and what the big issue seems to be. I started reading the Spark Notes a few chapters ahead, and that's keeping me focused.

Helix · Jan 19, 2019

[ ] I remember that!: The Bridge by Enza Gandolfo.
[ ] That old black magic: Dyschronia by Jennifer Mills.
[ ] East meets West: On the Java Ridge by Jock Serong.
[ ] Be the change you want to see: No Friend But The Mountain: Writing from Manus Prison by Behrouz Boochani.
[ ] Crossing the (color) lines: Too Much Lip by Melissa Lucashenko.
[ ] Do you read about the land down under?: Flames by Robbie Arnott. Set in Tasmania. I'm about a third of the way through this. It's hard to categorise. I'm not sure if it's a novel or a series of overlapping short stories. Each chapter/story is in a different voice, ranging from that of a fisherman who hunts tuna with the help of a seal to that of a rakali (native water rat), and they are all part of a bigger narrative arc. The first chapter/story is one of the most arresting pieces I've read in a while. (And the rakali story is quite affecting.) I'm not sure this book is for everyone, but I'm enjoying it. It's about a man who is trying to find his sister. Sort of.
[X] The butler might have done it: White Night by Anne Cleeves. Just finished this one. Entertaining tale, but I'm not sure I'm convinced by the ending.
[ ] Down on the farm: The Lost Man by Jane Harper.
[ ] Better known for . . .: Cedar Valley by Holly Throsby.
[ ] No hablo: Drive Your Plow Over The Bones of The Dead by Olga Tokarczuk.
[ ] Still time for more chapters: Grant & I by Robert Forster. [ ] I’ve met them!: The Distant Echo by Val McDermid. Crime!

Chris P · Jan 20, 2019

I'm giving up on Pride and Prejudice. Life's too short. I read a chapter summary on Spark Notes, and despite a scene or two looking familiar, I totally had no idea that's what was going on. No matter how much I either try to concentrate on it, or go with the flow and absorb it, or what I do, this just isn't happening.

Oh, and someone needs to talk to Ms. Austen about dialog tags. I got frustrated paging back after every exchange of puffed-up soliloquies (nobody has a conversation; they just preach at each other) to remind myself who was talking to who. And when there are tags, they "cried," which makes them all sounds like immature drama hounds.

I'll have a new and modern Regency Romance title selected soon (I've earned something more engaging and--why not?--steamy after this).

Cobalt Jade · Jan 20, 2019

This looks like fun. I think I'll jump in, albeit a few days late.

Readers can jump in at any time. No need to apologize!

I'm giving up on Pride and Prejudice. Life's too short.

That's the way I felt about the book. I can't remember if I had to read it in high school English or not, but I know I did try at some point, and it was... twittering. A lot of high-pitched twittering that went in one ear and out the other. I think I'll try again to see if it has the same soporific effect on me.

I finished up The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N. K. Jemison. Wow! I'll give five stars. I haven't read a lot of current fantasy, that is, fantasy published since 2001, and I can say the adult stuff has come a long way from Dragonlance and The Belgariad. The HTK is a parlor fantasy, by which I mean 90% of the action occurs in the same locale, with the same people. A young woman is chosen by her grandfather to become one of the heirs to his vast, theocracy-governed kingdom, but she must best two other heirs. And along the way she discovers the gods have installed in her the soul of a deceased goddess in a plot by them to become free. The gods are currently the slaves of the theocracy's rulers and must do their bidding. The story is part Beauty and the Beast, part mystery, and part The Dying Earth. The tone is very wry, very Vancian, but also very humanistic and emotional. At the end, I'd had a wrenching yet entertaining experience. I don't think it's for everyone -- there's a level of abstraction there that's a 180 from more traditional Tolkienesque fantasy. But for those who want to see what the genre is capable of, I recommend it.

Chris P · Jan 20, 2019

I swapped out Pride and Prejudice for a title released last year, A Wicked Kind of Husband by Mia Vincy. I had to chuckle at the variations on the themes of the titles in the Regency Romance section of Amazon. People seem to have a thing for naughty dukes. I lean toward the opinion that most genre titles have at least a touch of tongue-in-cheekiness, and so far A Wicked Husband is delivering nicely. Quite fun so far!

2. That old black magic: A paranormal novel. The Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman
7. Doorstoppers: A book more than 600 pages. Mexico - James Michener
13. Learn the Quadrille: A regency romance. A Wicked Kind of Husband - Mia Vincy
14. Crossing the (color) lines: A book about a person of color (PoC), any variety, written by an author of the same variety. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave - Frederick Douglass Done 1/14/19
17. Back in the day: A historical of any genre. My Name is Red - Orhan Pamuk
19. Support the home team: A book by a fellow AWer. A Dangerous Fiction - Barbara Rogan
24. Down on the farm: A book featuring farmers, agriculture, or taking place in an agrarian setting. Charlotte's Web - E. B. White Done 1/17/19
27. Halcyon days: A bestseller or book published the year you turned 21. The English Patient - Michael Ondaatji
29. You might also like. . .: A book recommended by someone real, or by a bot. Where the Crawdads Sing - Delia Owens
33. Happy days are here again: A book published between 1945 and 1960. Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
37. Read it again, Sam: Reread a book you have already read. Freedom - Jonathan Franzen Done 1/14/19
43. Still time for more chapters: A memoir/biography by/about someone who’s still alive (as of January 1). Educated - Tara Westover

Brightdreamer · Jan 21, 2019

Chris P. - I made it through Pride and Prejudice (not as hard to get through as the unabridged Moby Dick, but challenging, definitely); it helps to know that Austen wasn't necessarily writing with a straight face, poking at then-contemporary tales of manners and rank and what passed for romance. Definitely not worth forcing yourself to get through if the words are bouncing off, though; been there, done that, never regretted walking away.

Cobalt Jade - The fantasy genre has come quite a long ways indeed from the Dragonlance era. Well worth your time to explore some more recent offerings, if you were impressed with HTK.

Just started a third Challenge title after a quick palate-cleanser: Endling #1: The Last, by Katherine Applegate, a middle-grade fantasy about Byx, last member of her sapient doglike race, and the search for answers about her people's disappearance. So far, quite enjoyable, and it promises to tackle some weighty issues (as I've come to expect from Applegate, ever since her Animorphs days, which never shied away from a thorny topic on account of the audience's age. Her newer stuff's only getting better and better, with great imagination and an utter mastery of simple-yet-significant prose.)

If I finish before the end of the month, I think I'll try for an extra credit book next.

Challenge Status:

That old black magic: A paranormal novel. - Lockwood & Co.: The Whispering Skull, Jonathan Stroud
The Name Of This Book Is Secret, Pseudonymous Bosch (Started 1/7, Finished 1/12)
Just the (alternative) facts, Ma’am: An alternate history. - Bitter Seeds, Ian Tregillis
By its cover: A book you know nothing about, chosen solely by the FRONT cover (no reading the jacket flap, back cover blurb, or reviews). - For a Muse of Fire, Heidi Heilig
Back in the day: A historical of any genre. - The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, Jacqueline Kelly
You might also like. . .: A book recommended by someone real, or by a bot. - Skyward, Brandon Sanderson
QUILTBAG: A book with a major LGBTQ+ character or about an LGBTQ+ issue. The Tiger's Daughter, K. Arsenault Rivera
My hometown: A book by a local author. - Discount Armageddon, by Seanan McGuire
Tuesdays with Balaam’s Ass: A book with a non-human (animal or fantastic creature) main character. - Endling#1: The Last, by Katherine Applegate (Started 1/21)
Who was that, again?: A book about a person you know little about. - Born a Crime, Trevor Noah
Spellslinger, Sebastien de Castell (Started 1/14, Finished 1/16)
What you read: A book you loved as a child. - Fur Magic, Andre Norton

Extra Credit: Get On With It, Already!

1 - The Tropic of Serpents, Marie Brennan (Book 2 of the Memoirs of Lady Trent)
2 - The Wall of Storms, Ken Liu (Book 2 of the Dandelion Dynasty)
3 - The Shadow Throne, Django Wexler (Book 2 of the Shadow Campaigns)
4 - The Infinite Sea, Rick Yancey (Book 2 of the 5th Wave trilogy)
5 - Morning Star, Pierce Brown (Book 3 of the Red Rising series)
6 - Arabella and the Battle of Venus, David D. Levine (Book 2 of the Arabella of Mars series)
7 - The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There, Catherynne M. Valente (Book 2 of the Fairyland series)
8 - Across the Great Barrier, Patricia C. Wrede (Book 2 of the Frontier Magic series)
9 - The Alloy of Law, Brandon Sanderson (a Mistborn novel)
10 - Legion of Flame, Anthony Ryan (Book 2 of the Draconis Memoria series)
11 - Green Mars, Kim Stanley Robinson (Book 2 of the Mars trilogy)
12 - Binti: Home, Nnedi Okorafor (Book 2 of the Binti trilogy)

mrsmig · Jan 22, 2019

I finished my Tag Team selection: Stephen King/Peter Straub's The Talisman, a book that was far longer than it needed to be. I actually found myself growing annoyed as I got deeper into the book; it felt like the authors could have used a good strong editor to say, "boys, you're just being self-indulgent now." By the final 100 pages I was only skimming because I was so eager to be done with it, and irritated by the sloppy writing (there's a fair amount of head-hopping, and at one point, a first-person narrator intrudes, for just a single sentence, and never reappears). I was also bugged by the fact that in a cast of hundreds, there's only one major female character, who spends most of the book being sick and waiting on the hero to rescue her. The hero, incidentally, is one of those 12 year-old white boys that King so often chooses as a protag. So bleah - not an enjoyable read for me at all.

[ ] 6. Just the (alternative) facts, Ma'am: Everfair by Nisi Shawl
[ ] 9. Best friend: Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley
[ ] 10. The heart and mind of a writer: Congratulations, By the Way by George Saunders
[ ] 11. Anyward, ho! The Old Ways: A Journey on Foot by Robert McFarlane
[ ] 27. Halcyon Days: Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
[ ] 28. Keep up with the Joneses: Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
[ ] 29. You might also like... Behind the Throne: A Domestic History of the British Royal Household by Adrian Tinniswood
[x] 31. Tag team: The Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub
[x] 35. No hablo: The Weaver by Emmi Itaranta
[ ] 39: Tuesdays with Balaam's Ass: Bird Sense: What It's Like to Be a Bird by Tim Birkhead
[ ] 42. Literary literal alliteration: The Urban Bestiary: Encountering the Everyday Wild by Lyanda Lynn Haupt
[ ] 47: Succinct: Floodpath by John Wilkman

Not sure what I'm going to tackle next.

Brightdreamer · Jan 22, 2019

mrsmig - Sounds like a bleah read, indeed...

Finished another Challenge book (Endling#1: The Last, by Katherine Applegate). Byx was the runt of her pack, always too slow and clumsy and full of questions. She never dreamed she'd be the last survivor: not just of the family and pack, but her entire species of doglike dairnes. The all-powerful human Maduro has been exterminating them, possibly related to their traditional role as truth-tellers between the six speaking Governing Species of the land. Alone in a world that's too big and too terrifying, Byx finds few friends and too many enemies. The only think keeping her from lying down and joining her kin in death is a thin sliver a hope that an old legend about a lost island sanctuary of dairnes may be based on reality, and her mother always told her it was never wrong to hope... unless the truth says otherwise.

Somewhere on the line between older children's and younger middle grade, Endling continues Applegate's streak of books with imaginative concepts, great characters, and thorny issues at their hearts, in this case matters of extinction, politically-corrupted science, and a tendency to pretend that the other fellow's problems aren't yours (until it's too late; though humans are the chief power-grabbers and killers here, the other races are not entirely without some blame for the fate of the dairnes, even knowing how important the dairnes were to interspecies peace.) Byx struggles with feelings of hopelessness and anger, while other characters have their own troubles to deal with. It's a great story with some powerful moments (and no little death and pain; if you're considering this for a younger reader, do be warned that, while it's not graphic, there is death and slaughter on the page, and Applegate doesn't blunt hard topics or talk down to readers by pretending things are easy that are not), and it automatically adds the second book to my TBR pile if/when I can get my hands on it - not even sure it's out yet, but I'm looking forward to it.

I also started my first extra-credit book, the second in Nnedi Okorafor's Binti trilogy.

Challenge Status:

That old black magic: A paranormal novel. - Lockwood & Co.: The Whispering Skull, Jonathan Stroud
The Name Of This Book Is Secret, Pseudonymous Bosch (Started 1/7, Finished 1/12)
Just the (alternative) facts, Ma’am: An alternate history. - Bitter Seeds, Ian Tregillis
By its cover: A book you know nothing about, chosen solely by the FRONT cover (no reading the jacket flap, back cover blurb, or reviews). - For a Muse of Fire, Heidi Heilig
Back in the day: A historical of any genre. - The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, Jacqueline Kelly
You might also like. . .: A book recommended by someone real, or by a bot. - Skyward, Brandon Sanderson
QUILTBAG: A book with a major LGBTQ+ character or about an LGBTQ+ issue. The Tiger's Daughter, K. Arsenault Rivera
My hometown: A book by a local author. - Discount Armageddon, by Seanan McGuire
Endling#1: The Last, Katherine Applegate (Started 1/21, Finished 1/22)
Who was that, again?: A book about a person you know little about. - Born a Crime, Trevor Noah
Spellslinger, Sebastien de Castell (Started 1/14, Finished 1/16)
What you read: A book you loved as a child. - Fur Magic, Andre Norton

Extra Credit: Get On With It, Already!

1 - The Tropic of Serpents, Marie Brennan (Book 2 of the Memoirs of Lady Trent)
2 - The Wall of Storms, Ken Liu (Book 2 of the Dandelion Dynasty)
3 - The Shadow Throne, Django Wexler (Book 2 of the Shadow Campaigns)
4 - The Infinite Sea, Rick Yancey (Book 2 of the 5th Wave trilogy)
5 - Morning Star, Pierce Brown (Book 3 of the Red Rising series)
6 - Arabella and the Battle of Venus, David D. Levine (Book 2 of the Arabella of Mars series)
7 - The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There, Catherynne M. Valente (Book 2 of the Fairyland series)
8 - Across the Great Barrier, Patricia C. Wrede (Book 2 of the Frontier Magic series)
9 - The Alloy of Law, Brandon Sanderson (a Mistborn novel)
10 - Legion of Flame, Anthony Ryan (Book 2 of the Draconis Memoria series)
11 - Green Mars, Kim Stanley Robinson (Book 2 of the Mars trilogy)
12 - Binti: Home, Nnedi Okorafor (Book 2 of the Binti trilogy) (Started 1/22)

mrsmig · Jan 25, 2019

I finished Lily and The Octopus (my Best friend selection), which was a quick read. I was hoping for something more than a "this is the story of my wonderful dog and the Huge Life Lesson I learned from said dog" tearjerker, and the midsection of the book was certainly a departure from the usual narrative - but that departure was so over the top that I kept stifling giggles at stuff which was, I think, supposed to be deadly serious (e.g. a dachshund firing a full-sized harpoon gun). Once that extended sequence was over I was back in all-too-familiar territory. I liked that the narrator was a gay man - that gave the book some special twists - but overall, I've read so many books of this ilk that no tears were, in fact, jerked.

[ ] 6. Just the (alternative) facts, Ma'am: Everfair by Nisi Shawl
[x] 9. Best friend: Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley
[ ] 10. The heart and mind of a writer: Congratulations, By the Way by George Saunders
[ ] 11. Anyward, ho! The Old Ways: A Journey on Foot by Robert McFarlane
[ ] 27. Halcyon Days: Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
[ ] 28. Keep up with the Joneses: Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
[ ] 29. You might also like... Behind the Throne: A Domestic History of the British Royal Household by Adrian Tinniswood
[x] 31. Tag team: The Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub
[x] 35. No hablo: The Weaver by Emmi Itaranta
[ ] 39: Tuesdays with Balaam's Ass: Bird Sense: What It's Like to Be a Bird by Tim Birkhead
[ ] 42. Literary literal alliteration: The Urban Bestiary: Encountering the Everyday Wild by Lyanda Lynn Haupt
[ ] 47: Succinct: Floodpath by John Wilkman

Up next: The Urban Bestiary: Encountering the Everyday Wild. I just realized how many of my selections feature animals.

Chris P · Jan 25, 2019

mrsmig said:
(e.g. a dachshund firing a full-sized harpoon gun).

You have more self control than I do if you stifled that laugh.

I understand your expected formula on dog books. Years ago, I came across Dara: The Autobiography of a Chesapeake Bay Retriever. It walked a straight line between being sugar sweet and overly intense, not really achieving either. It was interesting to read a non-human POV, but it didn't seem very doglike, which I think would have added more of the flavor the author was going for.

mrsmig · Jan 26, 2019

Chris P said:
You have more self control than I do if you stifled that laugh.

I understand your expected formula on dog books. Years ago, I came across Dara: The Autobiography of a Chesapeake Bay Retriever. It walked a straight line between being sugar sweet and overly intense, not really achieving either. It was interesting to read a non-human POV, but it didn't seem very doglike, which I think would have added more of the flavor the author was going for.

Since the dog isn't the POV character, author Rowley avoided that issue. It was clear that the dachshund/harpoon section was an extended dream/hallucination sequence, but ultimately it felt like padding to me. It might have worked if the author had incorporated glimmers of this fantastical element into the earlier portions of the book; there are some scenes where the POV character and the dog talk to each other, but it felt like the typical pet-lover-attributing-human-traits-to-the-pet behavior, and not full-on fantasy.

Brightdreamer · Jan 27, 2019

Finished my first extra credit - Binti: Home, book 2 of the Binti trilogy by Nnedi Okorafor. Taking up a year after the first novella, Home starts with Binti's illusion of having found balance between her old isolationist tribal traditions and her new life at offworld Oomza university collapsing around her. Not only does she now have alien DNA, but she has never fully processed the trauma of the slaughter that took place on her journey out, nor has she dealt with the hurt feelings she left behind when she turned her back on community expectations to reach for more. She returns home to complete a traditional pilgrimage, reconnecting with the Seven gods and hopefully finding the peace she needs... but she is not the same person who left home, and may never be that person again. And when her new friend, the alien Okwu, travels with her, it may restart a centuries-old war.

Like the first book, this installment reads fast. Unlike the first, it does not stand alone; it ends on a cliffhanger. Okorafor continues to draw on deep tribal traditions (and intertribal prejudices) to craft a complex world, not to mention a complex psychological background for her far-future Binti: though the earth has been severely altered by shifting climate and generations-long interstellar contact, still traditions linger, sometimes continuing to do harm to future prospects for peace and understanding. The tale blends metaphysics with mathematics, making Binti's journey as much a spiritual quest as a physical one; in this future, technology has sufficiently advanced to be nearly indistinguishable from magic on some levels, and the "harmonizing" Binti and her family do to create communication astrolabes is borderline wizardry. Okwu is, in some ways, too alien to be much help; it is nominally a friend, but can contribute little to Binti's struggle, not understanding humans emotionally at all. Though it takes a bit to pick up and Okorafor's style sometimes takes parsing (at least to an American reader), it's still a good story.

I have Other Things to do before I push on in the challenge, so I'll be back at it in early February.

Challenge Status:

That old black magic: A paranormal novel. - Lockwood & Co.: The Whispering Skull, Jonathan Stroud
The Name Of This Book Is Secret, Pseudonymous Bosch (Started 1/7, Finished 1/12)
Just the (alternative) facts, Ma’am: An alternate history. - Bitter Seeds, Ian Tregillis
By its cover: A book you know nothing about, chosen solely by the FRONT cover (no reading the jacket flap, back cover blurb, or reviews). - For a Muse of Fire, Heidi Heilig
Back in the day: A historical of any genre. - The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, Jacqueline Kelly
You might also like. . .: A book recommended by someone real, or by a bot. - Skyward, Brandon Sanderson
QUILTBAG: A book with a major LGBTQ+ character or about an LGBTQ+ issue. The Tiger's Daughter, K. Arsenault Rivera
My hometown: A book by a local author. - Discount Armageddon, by Seanan McGuire
Endling#1: The Last, Katherine Applegate (Started 1/21, Finished 1/22)
Who was that, again?: A book about a person you know little about. - Born a Crime, Trevor Noah
Spellslinger, Sebastien de Castell (Started 1/14, Finished 1/16)
What you read: A book you loved as a child. - Fur Magic, Andre Norton

Extra Credit: Get On With It, Already!

1 - The Tropic of Serpents, Marie Brennan (Book 2 of the Memoirs of Lady Trent)
2 - The Wall of Storms, Ken Liu (Book 2 of the Dandelion Dynasty)
3 - The Shadow Throne, Django Wexler (Book 2 of the Shadow Campaigns)
4 - The Infinite Sea, Rick Yancey (Book 2 of the 5th Wave trilogy)
5 - Morning Star, Pierce Brown (Book 3 of the Red Rising series)
6 - Arabella and the Battle of Venus, David D. Levine (Book 2 of the Arabella of Mars series)
7 - The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There, Catherynne M. Valente (Book 2 of the Fairyland series)
8 - Across the Great Barrier, Patricia C. Wrede (Book 2 of the Frontier Magic series)
9 - The Alloy of Law, Brandon Sanderson (a Mistborn novel)
10 - Legion of Flame, Anthony Ryan (Book 2 of the Draconis Memoria series)
11 - Green Mars, Kim Stanley Robinson (Book 2 of the Mars trilogy)
12 - Binti: Home, Nnedi Okorafor (Book 2 of the Binti trilogy) (Started 1/22, Finished 1/27)

Cobalt Jade · Jan 27, 2019

Finished Tales from Watership Down by Richard Adams. This is not so much a sequel, as is said on the cover, but a sort of coda/appendix, as in how Tolkien included several of them after the "official" ending of Return of the King ("Well, I'm home.") Half was more rabbit mythology, El-Ahrairah tales, and half told what happened in the new Watership Down rabbit warren after the defeat of General Woundwart. I don't think any of this could have stood on its own, one would have to have read and enjoyed the previous book, which I had read at age 13. It's still one of my all-time favorites, so I enjoyed this brief re-visit, even though the new history was less of a novella and more of a series of incidents. If there was a theme to the book, it was the importance of even-handed, inclusive, yet decisive, leadership. Adams even managed to right some wrongs with the original story, in that the female rabbits received more of a voice, and he hints that the does are in fact the ones responsible for cultural transmission in rabbit society.

I don't think any other talking-animal story since has matched what Adams did with Watership Down, honestly. It had the perfect storm of myth, adventure, theme, and human irony.

Not sure on what I will start on next.

4. What you will read to your grandchildren: A children's book (middle grade or younger).
A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Madeleine L’engle
Picked because it's been hanging around here for a while and I want to see what's going on with the Murry kids.

5. East meets West: A book taking place in Asia (Turkey to Japan, Siberia to Vietnam)
The Last Samurai, the Life and Battles of Saigo Takamori, by Mark Ravina
Japanese history.

6. Just the (alternative) facts, Ma’am: An alternate history.
The Years of Rice and Salt, Kim Stanley Robinson
What if all of Caucasian Europe had died during the Great Plague?

9. Best friend: A book with a dog on the cover.
Being a Dog, Alexandra Horowitz
Loved her previous book, Inside a Dog.

14. Crossing the (color) lines: A book about a person of color (PoC), any variety, written by an author of the same variety.
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, N.K. Jemison
Wanted to read this author for a while. DONE

17. Back in the day: A historical of any genre.
A Murder in Thebes, Anna Apostolou
Alexander the Great turns amateur detective!

18. Do you deliver?: A book where food, cooking, restaurants, chefs, etc. play a major role.
American Pie, Pascale Le Draoulec
A gift from a now-deceased friend.

25. Flights of fancy: A book in which airplanes figure prominently.
Jet Age, Sam Howe Verhovek.
The rivalry between the British Comet passenger jet and the Boeing 707.

28. Keep up with the Joneses: A book everyone else seems to have read but you have not.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Hunter S. Thompson
I don't know what I will find in here.

39. Tuesdays with Balaam’s Ass: A book with a non-human (animal or fantastic creature) main character.
Tales from Watership Down, Richard Adams
Talking rabbits. DONE

48. Matryoshka books: A book mentioned or discussed inside another book.
Reading Lolita in Teheran, Azar Nafisi
Self-explanatory.

49. What you read: A book you loved as a child.
A Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula K. LeGuin
How did this one hold up through my adult eyes?

Chris P · Jan 27, 2019

I was astonishingly old (like, in my mid-twenties) before I knew that Watership Down was not about submarines in the Second World War. True story. I think I had it confused with Sink the Bismarck, believe it or not.

I finished my replacement Regency romance: A Wicked Kind of Husband, by Mia Vincy. What fun! Cassandra's nineteen-year old sister Lucy is living a life of brandy-fueled dissipation, and to save Lucy and her family's reputation, Lucy needs to be introduced to society and married off. Quick! (Because that always works). But with their father in the grave and their mother's mind crumbling with grief and opium, there is nobody through which Lucy can be introduced. Perhaps Cassandra's husband Joshua can help. There is just one problem: Cassandra has met her husband exactly once in their two years of marriage, on their disaster of their arranged wedding night before Joshua had Cassandra carted off to the wilds of Warwickshire to stay out of his business--official or "otherwise." Both Cassandra and Joshua are completely likable characters, the (at first caustic then sweet) chemistry between them is delightful, and the steamy scenes are tastefully and effectively done. I like the modern envisioning of empowered women in historical settings. The book hit a slow part at about the 60% mark, and in my opinion never really recovered although it did pick up. I have a theory, though: I think Mia Vincy might be the pen name of a male author. The sex scenes seemed male-oriented to me (focused on visuals and thrilling experimentation rather than intimacy) and the author goes into much more heart-felt depth on Joshua's emotional processing than Cassandra's (especially regarding the climax scene). I hate to generalize based on male and female reading tastes, but it did have me wondering. I can't tell if the POV is omniscient or head hopping, but in either case it didn't bother me until the "he" and "she" pronouns got confusing in a couple places. Although this book won't have me waiting on the edge of my seat for the next books in the characters' universe--this really isn't my genre--the book was fun and had a lot of heart.

2. That old black magic: A paranormal novel. The Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman
7. Doorstoppers: A book more than 600 pages. Mexico - James Michener
13. Learn the Quadrille: A regency romance. A Wicked Kind of Husband - Mia Vincy Done 1/26/2019
14. Crossing the (color) lines: A book about a person of color (PoC), any variety, written by an author of the same variety. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave - Frederick Douglass Done 1/14/19
17. Back in the day: A historical of any genre. My Name is Red - Orhan Pamuk
19. Support the home team: A book by a fellow AWer. A Dangerous Fiction - Barbara Rogan
24. Down on the farm: A book featuring farmers, agriculture, or taking place in an agrarian setting. Charlotte's Web - E. B. White Done 1/17/19
27. Halcyon days: A bestseller or book published the year you turned 21. The English Patient - Michael Ondaatji
29. You might also like. . .: A book recommended by someone real, or by a bot. Where the Crawdads Sing - Delia Owens
33. Happy days are here again: A book published between 1945 and 1960. Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
37. Read it again, Sam: Reread a book you have already read. Freedom - Jonathan Franzen Done 1/14/19
43. Still time for more chapters: A memoir/biography by/about someone who’s still alive (as of January 1). Educated - Tara Westover[/QUOTE]

Myrealana · Jan 29, 2019

I finished Seveneves.

I severely disliked this book. It sounded interesting-end of the world and all that-but Neal Stephenson apparently never met a scientific idea he couldn't talk to death. He seems to have never heard the advice "Show, don't tell." He tells and tells and tells. I was listening on Audio, and not once, not twice but THREE TIMES, I had to sit through a 30-minute lecture on orbital mechanics in order to get to the next plot point. If my book club ever again picks a Stephenson book, I'll give that meeting a hard pass.

I started The Ocean at the End of the Lane a couple of days ago on Kindle. It's a quick read, so I expect I'll be done within a week at the latest.

That old black magic: The Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman
Top of the heap: Old Man's War- John Scalzi (From NPR’s Top 100 Scifi/Fantasy list)
Just the (alternative) facts, Ma’am: The Years of Rice and Salt - Kim Stanley Robinson
Crossing the (color) lines: We Need New Names – NoViolet Bulawayo
By its cover: Slaves of the Switchboard of Doom: A Novel of Retropolis - Bradley W. Schenck.
Support the home team: TBD
Steady there, cowboy: Karen Memory – Elizabeth Bear
Keep up with the Joneses: The Final Empire (Mistborn #1) – Brandon Sanderson
You might also like. . .: The Atrocity Archives (Laundry Files #1) – Charles Stross. (My mother has been bugging me to read this one.)
QUILTBAG: TBD
Still time for more chapters: Becoming – Michelle Obama
Succinct: Seveneves – Neal Stephenson DONE 1/29/2019

oneblindmouse · Jan 30, 2019

I finished my Who was that again? Challenge: Alfred the Great by David Horspool. Though not long, this book was more tedious than I´d expected. The author goes into great detail separating the (very few) known facts about this West Anglo-Saxon king from the (very many) myths that grew up about him even in his own lifetime. Even so, I’m glad I read it, as I learned quite a bit.

1. Read it again, Sam: Memoirs of an invisible man, by H.F. Saint DONE
2. Doorstoppers: Tombland by C. J. Sansom DONE
3. Anyward, ho! The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen
4. Who was that again? Alfred the Great by David Horspool DONE
5. East meets West: The Lord of Death by Eliot Pattison
6. I remember that! La furia y el silencio: Asturias primavera de 1962 by Jorge M. Reverte IN PROGRESS
7. The butler might have done it: Heresy by S.J. Parris
8. Do you read about the land down under: Capricornia by Xavier Herbert
9. Succinct: She by Rider Haggard
10. Keeping up with the Joneses: Sapiens: A brief history of humankind by Yuval Noah Harari
11. Just the (alternative) facts, Ma’am: The Criminal Conversation of Mrs Norton by Diane Atkinson
12. Back in the day: historical, any genre. TBD. Either Queen of Tears by W.H. Wilkins OR A Great and Terrible King: Edward I and the Forging of Britain by Marc Morris

yesandno · Feb 2, 2019

I have been moving homes, in a very drawn-out way. I'll be back into this soon. Good to catch up on what the rest of you have been up to though!

Chris P · Feb 3, 2019

Oneblindmouse: that sounds very much like the "biography" of Pontius Pilate I read a long time ago by Ann Wroe, where the author pieced together the few facts in light of what we know about Judea and Rome at the time, and identified the sources of many of the myths that have developed over time. Interesting approach and I'm glad to see other following it.

Checking in that I'm about 100 pages into my doorstopper: Mexico by James Michener. This is the first Michener I've read, and I can see why he was popular. He provides enough detail to set the scene, but doesn't get overly bogged down in details. The reading is not challenging apart from the length, and the jumping around in time with different characters with similar names ("Wait, didn't he die in 1887?"). Turns out his history is not to be trusted, which is a shame.

Cobalt Jade · Feb 3, 2019

Wow. Seems James Michener was writing alternate history spec fic before the term was even coined! What with the Altomecs and fictional generals.

Also, Space, which featured a fictional NASA program and I believe astronauts landing on Mars...?

I read two of his books back in the day, The Fires of Spring (a coming of age story set in a carnival of the 1930s) and The Drifters (about hippies traveling through the Europe of the 1960s) and enjoyed them a lot. He was a prolific, widely bought author back in the day... I mean, his books were everywhere.

Verboten · Feb 4, 2019

Moving along. Poisonwood Bible is very long, but it's a good book. Hunger is a harsh, but very real look on how judgmental and harsh the human race can be.

1. A book on any top whatever list: The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner
2. Just the (alternative) facts Ma'am: Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
3. Do you deliver: Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain
4. Alma Matter: The Secret History by Donna Tartt
5. Down on the Farm: Giants in the Earth by O.E. Rolvaag
6. My hometown: Hunger by Roxane Gay--1/3 OF THE WAY THROUGH
7. Out of Africa: Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
8. By it's cover: Unholy Land by Lavre Tidhar
9. Best Friend: Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
10. The Heart and Mind of a Writer: Happiness by Heather Harpham
11. Keep up with the Joneses: Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver---1/2 WAY THROUGH
12. QUILTBAG: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

The 2019 AW Book Reading Challenge! New year, new categories, new books and new friends

Just Another Lazy Perfectionist

Likes metaphors mixed, not stirred

Likes metaphors mixed, not stirred

Likes metaphors mixed, not stirred

Likes metaphors mixed, not stirred

socially distancing

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Likes metaphors mixed, not stirred

Just Another Lazy Perfectionist

Write. Write. Writey Write Write.

Just Another Lazy Perfectionist

Write. Write. Writey Write Write.

Likes metaphors mixed, not stirred

Write. Write. Writey Write Write.

Just Another Lazy Perfectionist

Likes metaphors mixed, not stirred

I aim to misbehave

The new me

stagnationtown

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