Stina’s Comments (group member since Dec 11, 2016)

Stina’s comments from the Challenges from Exploding Steamboats group.

I'm claiming 2 points for The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I bought a new copy when the movie came out, and I started reading it again but got distracted. I needed an audiobook for a road trip, so I borrowed the CDs from the library. I think I like this book better every time I read it!

Mary wrote: "I started this book in hardback, way back when Barack Obama first became a serious contender for the office of US President. I thought I should learn more about this person. I never finished it. I ..."

Maybe I should try audio for that one. I really want to read it, and I started it in 2012, but I always find political books daunting.

Finish any book that you lost or misplaced -- or, oh, I don't know, packed for a move and still haven't unpacked it -- at least one month previously. You are not required to actually locate the copy you lost. I'm not that cruel.

I'm claiming two points for Winnie-the-Pooh. This was a charming classic that I abandoned in high school. At the time, I just needed it to memorize one story for a speech tournament event. I loved the cast for this production, but the sound was very quiet, even when I cranked my CD player to the max.

I'm claiming two points for Witness for the Prosecution. This is a great collection of nine Agatha Christie short stories, including the titular classic. If you're looking for the 11-story version, search for The Witness for the Prosecution and Other Stories instead.

Sometimes you just can't pick up a book where you left off. As long as you've started the book, set it aside for at least one month, and then re-started it at the beginning, it counts.

I'm claiming 2 points for A Game of Thrones. The audiobook was 28 CDs long, so I lost count of how many times I had to return it to the library and re-request it. I didn't love it, but I liked it, and I found it helpful for watching the TV show.

Finish a book that you most recently abandoned in 2014. (I realize not everybody keeps track of exactly when they abandon a book, so you're on your honor to use your best judgment.)

Finish reading an abandoned (for at least one month) book that you were reluctant to start the first time. Perhaps it was a school assignment, or maybe a book club pick you voted against. It still counts even if you wound up liking it after all!

Finish reading a nonfiction book that you have abandoned for at least a month. Most essay collections would count for this, but poetry collections should be strongly autobiographical in focus. I'll allow most "creative nonfiction," but it's probably best to ask first.

The idea is to rescue all those books you've abandoned. Completing a book that you have previously started reading but that has lain unread by you for at least one month earns you one point if you list it in the "unprompted" discussion thread OR two points if you list it in one (and only one) of the "prompt" discussion threads.
- You are encouraged but not required to link to your book rating/review, but you must clearly indicate that you have completed it and are claiming your point(s).
- For the sake of my sanity, you will not be allowed to move a book to another thread once you have claimed its point(s).
- You may complete each prompt only once. If you rescue another qualifying book for a prompt, it will need to be posted in the "unprompted" thread, where it will count for only one point instead of two points.
- Participation and points are determined by discussion activity, not by the challenge tracker feature, which is completely optional. I'm using the shelf named book-rescue-2018 to track mine, but you can name your tracking shelf whatever you want.

If you are uncertain if a book qualifies for a prompt, or if you'd like a prompt to be tweaked a little, ask in the discussion thread. That way I can, if need be, make the official clarification or change available to all participants.

Each participant who matches or beats my score at the end of the challenge also earns a bonus point.

Each point earned is an entry into a prize drawing at the end of the year.

How'd it go for you? I rescued only 11 books in 2017, so I'm really hoping to do better this year! I'll give y'all till noon this Friday (January 5th) to make posts declaring your points, and then I will hold the prize drawing. Remember, every point is a chance to win, so don't count yourself out if you didn't do as well as you'd hoped.

The prize winner can select one of the following:
- A new trade paperback copy of The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
- A like-new trade paperback copy of The Handmaid's Tale *with* a BookCrossing registration and bookplate
- A $10 donation in your name to a human rights/welfare organization of your choice
- A $10 bookstore gift card (default to Amazon, but will consider indie/local/international options)

These 27 prompts reflect uncompleted prompts from my 2017 Personal Reading Challenge and various other challenges I foolishly took on. The first 10 are summer-specific for me, but don't feel like you need to limit yourself to seasonal reading. The asterisk indicates that I've failed it at least two years in a row and must complete it before I can count any other prompts as completed. (You are perfectly welcome to ignore this self-flagellation.)

I'm not including my Abandoned Book Rescue fails on this list, as I will address them in the 2018 Abandoned Book Rescue challenge.

A forgotten classic
A book of short stories
A book you heard about online
A book that scares you
A book that became a movie
A book published this year
A book set on a different continent
A book based on a true story
The second book in a series
A book with a number in the title

* A book from Oprah's Book Club
An armchair travel book
A steampunk novel
A book with a month or day of the week in the title
A book set in a hotel
A book recommended by an author you love
Any novel by a Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master
A book about sports
A book set within 100 miles of your location
A nonfiction book about technology
A collection of poetry in translation on a theme other than love
The oldest book in your TBR pile/list
A book in translation
A book by an indigenous person
A book that takes place in your state
A book you picked based on its cover
A nonfiction book about nature

I will permit myself double- (and triple- and so on) dipping, but my goal will be to avoid that.

Summer Reading:
[X] A forgotten classic - My Cousin Rachel
[X] A book of short stories - The Fabulous Saga of Alexander Botts and the Earthworm Tractor
[X] A book you heard about online - Dad and Me in the Morning
A book that scares you - FAIL! Watch for next year's challenge, where this will be one of my very first reads -- or else!
[X] A book that became a movie - Howl's Moving Castle
[X] A book published this year - Witchmark
[X] A book set on a different continent - The Little Lion King
[X] A book based on a true story - Dandelion Wine
[X] The second book in a series - The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag
[X] A book with a number in the title - Six Wakes

Anytime Reading:
[X] * A book from Oprah's Book Club - Great Expectations
[X] An armchair travel book - Madam, Will You Talk?
[X] A steampunk novel - Owl Dance
[X] A book with a month or day of the week in the title - The Tuesday Club Murders
A book set in a hotel - FAIL! So yes, another book I have to read before making progress on this challenge in 2019.
[X] A book recommended by an author you love - Lovecraft Country (recommended by Daryl Gregory)
[X] Any novel by a Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master - Dandelion Wine
[X] A book about sports - Spinning
[X] A book set within 100 miles of your location - Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore
[X] A nonfiction book about technology - The Sinking of the Vasa: A Shipwreck of Titanic Proportions
[X] A collection of poetry in translation on a theme other than love - Odes to Common Things
[X] The oldest book in your TBR pile/list - Great Expectations
[X] A book in translation - The Little Paris Bookshop
[X] A book by an indigenous person - Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience
[X] A book that takes place in your state - Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore
[X] A book you picked based on its cover - The Ashelon Oracle Mysteries Revealed: A Guide to Interpreting the Cards
[X] A nonfiction book about nature - Better Homes and Gardens Complete Guide to Container Gardening

I've just borrowed I Am Malala to read for a book club. Do you think it fits this prompt?

Wow, that's odd. Not bad, I suppose, but strange.

How's it going? Which prompts do you have left? I have five left to complete:
A book with the word "Girl" in the title
A book about a sheriff
A book you haven't read since high school
A book at least 100 years older than you
A book from Oprah's Book Club

I ended up reading The Book Thief for this one. I was expecting to absolutely love this one, but I thought it was pretty meh most of the time.

Here's my list so far:
1. Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog: The Book
2. Uprooted
3. The Steampunk Tarot
4. Planetfall
5. Giants' Bread
6. Boudoirs to Brothels: The Intimate World of Wild West Women
7. Promises, Promises
8. Read My Pins: Stories from a Diplomat's Jewel Box
9. The Dark Days Club
10. Passing Strange
11. A Gathering of Shadows
12. Shutter, Vol. 1: Wanderlost
13. Murder at the Male Revue
14. We Have Always Lived in the Castle

I read Murder in G Major and Bad Science: Quacks, Hacks, and Big Pharma Flacks for this prompt.