Karen failed last time so why not go higher?

[Jemidar]

I've slipped back too. There's way too many shiny new books out there!

[Karen·]

Number 14. Nearly back on track.

My review of

[Karen·]

And almost slipping in under the wire for May to complete the three per month:

My review of Lady Susan, The Watsons, Sanditon.

[Jemidar]

Yay!! :-D.

[Karen·]

Phew! Last day of June, and I've squeezed one more in at the last moment, which puts me up to 16. Oh dear. I should be on 18. Never mind.

I recently read Histoire Du Chevalier Des Grieux Et De Manon Lescaut, thinking that it would count for the TBR challenge as it's been on my shelves forever, but when I cracked it open, I discovered copious pencil notes in the margins, all in my writing, and all the way through to the end. So I must have read it before. Ooops. So I have not counted it.

[Karen·]

Ancient paperback that has been knocking around here forever: I think it entered our marriage with my husband. Being British, I didn't get The Bridge of San Luis Rey at school: I found it both tedious and fascinating.
My review:

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Dear me. It's near the end of July and I still haven't managed to get half way up the pile. I am reading THREE at the moment that all qualify, but they are great big fat ones, certainly not an easy way to play catch up. Lots of new interesting books that I'd like to crack open straight away!

[Karen·]

OK: I just read Thomas Mann's Death in Venice. Now I know I've seen the film, and I've had this since my student days, but it looks so pristine, not a pencil note in the margin anywhere, that I do believe I never read it before. Number 18.

And number 19 is Hilary Mantel's Bring Up the Bodies, terrific!

Reviews to follow, sometime.

[Karen·]

I'm three behind right now, at least. I need to look out a couple of short ones!

[Jemidar]

Yep, I couldn't get through these challenges if I didn't have some shorts to help me along the way!

[Karen·]

Nice fast read:
The Spectre of Alexander Wolf

That takes me up to 20 - still shy of target.

[Karen·]

Here's my review of Der Tod in Venedig.

Warning: it's quite long!

[Karen·]

And a review of Bring up the Bodies done late in the evening, I'm afraid. A tired review.

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

[Karen·]

A slightly less tired review, this time of the Gazdanov book:

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

I should be reading more and writing less.

[Karen·]

Another one, fantastic book, moving and inspiring. I'd recommend it to anyone and everyone.

My review of Sostiene Pereira, which I in fact read in German (if I'm going to read a translation, it doesn't matter too much whether it's translated into English or German), one that's been on our shelves for a while.

I should finish the next volume of Proust by the end of August, so that I'd almost be back on track - not quite though: that'd be 22, and it should be 24. Two behind, a bit like last year.

[Karen·]

Here we are! Up to 22, which was my sum total for last year.

I finished Sodom and Gomorrah this evening. I liked this one the best of the Recherche so far.

[Jemidar]

Congrats! I reached my final total for last year today too so we're definitely getting better at this :-).

[Karen·]

Thanks Jem. I don't know if I'm getting much better at this.

Anyway, here's a review of vol 4 of Proust.

[Karen·]

I was tidying shelves today and found that I actually have a copy of Mario und der Zauberer/Unordnung und frühes Leid, so I've decided to put that into my tally, even though I actually read it online (is that cheating?)

So I'm at 23. Almost within the laid-out track.

[Bev]

·Karen· wrote: "I was tidying shelves today and found that I actually have a copy of Mario und der Zauberer/Unordnung und frühes Leid, so I've decided to put that into my tally, even though I actually read it onli..."

It's not cheating--as long as you owned the book (hard copy/audio/electronic) prior to 2013. I've read a couple online when a dedicated search did not produce a book that shows up on my spreadsheet as "owned" or when I know it's in one of the inaccessible boxes in the garage....

[Karen·]

Thanks, Bev. Owned prior to 2013, definitely. It's a faded orange student version, with my maiden name in a childish hand inside. I must have had it since I was at uni. That's a few years back now.

[Karen·]

PS, Bev, charming new avatar!

PPS My review of Mario und der Zauberer/Unordnung und frühes Leid.

[Bev]

·Karen· wrote: "PS, Bev, charming new avatar!


thanks!

[Karen·]

And HERE is my review of Nine Lives.

I love William Dalrymple.

[Jemidar]

All caught up and back on target. Yay! :-)

[Karen·]

That's true. 12 to go: actually, that is going to be hard going, because we're away at the end of October on a special trip for my hubby's 60th, and I've got all these lovely NEW books to prepare for ......... India!!!

[Jemidar]

Oh wow. At least if you don't make it up all the way to the top of Mt. Vancouver, you can say you had a great side tour of India :-).

[Karen·]

Number 25 was Swimming Home, an interesting little book, if a bit depressing.

[Karen·]

Back from a fascinating holiday on Buddha's trail. I have at last finished vol 5 of Proust's work - some catching up to do!

[Karen·]

Phew! Well, it's the end of the year, and I have finished Proust, which is an achievement to be proud of, even if I did manage to miss the top of the mountain here. However, my attitude is that a challenge should be a challenge, it should push you a little. I may not have managed the 36, but I did make it up higher than last year, and if I had gone for the challenge below this one, why, then I would have stopped at 24!

[Bev]

·Karen· wrote: "Phew! Well, it's the end of the year, and I have finished Proust, which is an achievement to be proud of, even if I did manage to miss the top of the mountain here. However, my attitude is that a c..."

Congrats on making it higher than last year. And double-congrats on finishing Proust!

[Jemidar]

Congrats on both reading more than last year and on finishing Proust! Both are worthy achievements :).

[Susan]

Congratulations on finishing Proust and climbing higher than before on your mountain!

[Karen·]

Thank you Bev. Thank you Jemidar. Thank you Susan.

Hope to see you all again next year.

Now to go and check in at the waystage post.