Anne’s Comments (group member since Dec 26, 2014)

Anne’s comments from the 2017 Reading Challenge group.

Margo wrote: I am having problems finding books that take place in the 1500s and 1600s. My searches do not seem to work even in Goodreads.
Any suggestions?


Try searching by the century:

16th century (January 1st, 1501 through December 31st 1600)
17th century (January 1st, 1601 through December 31st 1700)

Here's a list of historical fiction that takes place in the 17th century:

https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...

Or a list of books about the 16th century:

https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=17...

Station Eleven - Emily St. John Mandel

This is one of those books I'd been meaning to read, but just hadn't because I had so many other things going. I was browsing the audiobooks at the library and there it was, so I decided to give it a go. The reader was decent, and I enjoyed the story. Though there was an incident towards the end that I was surprised didn't get more discussion or treatment as the plot wrapped up. No matter!

The Curious Nature Guide - Clare Walker Leslie

What a beautiful book! A combination of inspiration to observe nature around you, and ideas for keeping a nature journal. Full of gorgeous watercolors, drawings, and photos.

High-rise by J.G. Ballard

This book was published in 1975, and has that feel of modernity on the cusp of the technological revolution.

The inhabitants of a 40-story high-rise apartment building quickly devolve into a chaotic mess of rivalry between the upper and lower floors. That's putting it mildly... anarchy reigns and the characters grow more and more violent, paranoid, and deranged. You'll be shuddering by the end, but sucked into wondering what will happen to everyone.

Jennifer wrote: "Will there be folders for each category? Last year, I enjoyed going to the category folder and reading what others selected for the category. This offered a great opportunity to discover new books ..."

Unfortunately, no. Goodreads only allows 100 folders, and no folders within folders. If you're curious what other people are reading, take a quick skim through the discussion thread for that category. People are already sharing their suggestions and the books that they've finished. I'm sure they'll fill up quick! It's not quite as handy as scanning the folder titles, but it's nice to see what people have to say about their choices for the different categories.

Sarah wrote: "Are we allowed to double dip? Because some books fit in more than one category."

Sure! It's up to you. :-)

Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World - Rachel Ignotofsky

I really enjoyed this book about 50 women of science who often faced big hurdles to get their educations, let alone excel in their chosen fields. Perfect for middle or high school girls who may be inspired to follow in their footsteps. I also loved the artwork.

I don't normally read craft books from beginning to end, but I did with this one! One of my personal goals this year is to learn a couple of new art/craft related things, including hand lettering. This is a nice starter book, especially if you want to see a lot of different styles and media (watercolor, ink, etc.).

Nancy wrote: "Three cheers for Anne! And best wishes for your husband's health in 2017 (yours, too, of course). Your pulling this together at the last minute with everything else going on is above and beyond the..."

Thanks Nancy! Things are looking up for 2017. That's a great tip about the email, I never would have known. I'll make you a moderator in the meantime.

There's not a lot to do - this is a pretty mellow group. But if you want to do polls, or mini-challenges, or whatever - go for it!

Victoria (RedsCat) wrote: "I'm going to try to read one in the original language, instead of a translation:)"

Wow! I don't know any other language well enough to do so. :-(

Okay - there should now be a discussion thread started for each category!

I look forward to seeing what everybody reads this year.

HAVE FUN!!!

Share your challenge books about different cultures here.

And the season doesn't have to be in the title!

Share your challenge books with a month in the title here.

Not sure which authors were born the same year as you? This site is a great source (and could be handy for other categories as well):

https://www.fantasticfiction.com/years/

Reading books for work? Share them here!

Controversial books here!

A great way to find a new author!

A few suggestions:

http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by...

http://flavorwire.com/415153/50-works...

Tackle those bookshelves!