The Easy Challenge - 2014

[MK]

LuAnn wrote: "You are ROCKIN' this challenge, MK!"

heh, ty, LuAnn! Signing up for bookclubs on goodreads has certainly broadened the usual genres I tended to gravitate to, that's for sure. Four of those selections were just from this group, btw! :p I tried to read forward to the George Smiley #5 selection that is this month's (January's) read. I hadn't read any of them, so it seemed like I shouldn't jump in at number 5 (heh). They ended up filling in two of the twelve slots ...

Actually, looking at the books, all but 1 was filled in because of book club groups, either directly as group reads, or indirectly as suggestions, addons, side reads, etc

[Franky]

Impressive MK!

You should consider moving up to the hard challenge.

[MK]

Franky wrote: "Impressive MK!

You should consider moving up to the hard challenge."

TY! heh ... I made an entry in all three, wasn't sure which was right :-p

[Janet]

I just completed Winter Garden for the historical fiction genre. I loved this book. I have completed 4 out of 12 genres and I am starting I Capture the Castle as my romance genre selection.

[Kendra]

Ok, here's what I have so far.


Classics -

Fantasy -

Graphic Novels - Will O' the Wisp

Historical Fiction - And the Mountains Echoed (finished 2/27/14)

Horror -

Literary Fiction -

Mystery -

Non Fiction - The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York (finished 1/23/14)

Romance -

Science Fiction - Ender's Game(finished 6/20/14)

Thriller -

Young Adult -Lady of Devices (finished 7/31/14)

[Karen]

Hi. I just joined the group today but find that I already have a good start for 2014 having read two literary fiction books - one a translation. This looks like it is going to be fun.

Have since been working hard on a list. Nothing written in stone yet but a good start. Also figured out the posting logistics!

Easy Challenge

Finished 12/12

Classics: Finished The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner on 2/26/14
Fantasy: Finished The Great Night by Chris Adrian on 3/2/14.
Graphic Novels: Finished The Canterville Ghost: The Graphic Novel by Oscar Wilde and Sean Michael Wilson 6/24/14 and Amulet, Vol. 1: The Stonekeeper by Kazu Kibuishi 6/25/14
Historical Fiction: Finished Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides on 3/22/14
Horror: Finished At the Mountains of Madness by H. P. Lovecraft 9/30/14
Literary Fiction: Finished Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter on 2/3/14
Mystery: Finished The Roman Hat Mystery by Ellery Queen 4/1/14
Non Fiction: Finished Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise by Ruth Reichl 4/19/14
Romance: Finished Atonement by Ian McEwan 4/8/14
Science Fiction: Finished Emperor Mollusk versus The Sinister Brain by A. Lee Martinez on 3/23/14
Thriller: Finished The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy 6/22/14
Young Adult: Finished The Giver by Lois Lowry on 2/18/14.

[Gaby]

I'm doing the easy challenge.

Classics The Sound and the FurybyWilliam Faulkner
Fantasy A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
Graphic Novels Epileptic by David B.
Historical Fiction The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Horror The Turn of the Screwby Henry James
Literary Fiction Infinite Jestby David Foster Wallace and not an easy read, but the more I read the more I appreciate DFW's genius! Done!
Mystery The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
Non Fiction : Finished Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemptionby Laura Hillenbrand 4/24/14
Romance The Rosie Project Done!
Science Fiction Cloud Atlas
Thriller Gone Girl Done!
Young Adult : Finished The Fault in Our Stars by John Green 2/19/14

[Leanne]

I've just finished my first book towards this challenge! Non-fiction - The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything by Ken Robinson. I like some of the ideas but wasn't very impressed overall - it just got boring, which was why it took me so long to finish!

I'm currently reading my classic choice - Jane Eyre. I've had this book on my shelf for about 15 years and I'm really enjoying it so far.

Looking ahead to my literary fiction choice, I want to read The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox but want to check this counts as literary fiction? I have read one other book by Maggie O'Farrell, The Hand That First Held Mine, and I would definitely count it as literary fiction. What do others think?

[Franky]

Leanne wrote: "I've just finished my first book towards this challenge! Non-fiction - The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything by Ken Robinson. I like some of the ide..."

To me, the genre literary fiction is so broad that I think it could include a wide range of books, so I think that one would fit.

Jane Eyre, a classic indeed. Have you watched any of the many film versions of that book?

[MK]

Franky wrote: "To me, the genre literary fiction is so broad that I think it could include a wide range of books, so I think that one would fit."

I had a hard time trying to decide if The Light Between Oceans or The Forgotten Garden were Literary Fiction, or Historical Fiction. Historical Fiction almost seems to be a subset of Literary Fiction.

Except sometimes it appears a subset of Romance ;-).

[MK]

I have never read a Graphic Novel before. So, I was doing some browsing around, and came up with a list of 7 possibilities. Does anyone have any comments, good or bad, about any of these books:

Graphic Novels, possibilities:
Watchmen, by Alan Moore
Maus I : A Survivor's Tale : My Father Bleeds History, by Art Spiegelman
The Sandman, Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes, by Neil Gaiman
Fun Home, by Alison Bechdel
Blankets, by Craig Thompson
Laddertop, Volume 1, by Orson Scott Card
Fables, Vol. 1: Legends in Exile, by Bill Willingham


I was looking at Sandman, b/c I'm really loving Neil Gaiman right now. Except I really do have a hard time processing horror, and it does tend to keep me awake at night ;-), so I'm not too keen on anything TOOO creepy/scary.

[Diane]

I really enjoyed Watchmen. I read it last year for this challenge.

[Michael, Mod Prometheus]

For non graphic novel readers, I normally recommend
The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman
Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth by Chris Ware
The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
Ghost World by Daniel Clowes

[Leanne]

Hey Franky, no not seen any of the film versions so I'm completely new to the story (which is nice and often rare when it comes to renowned classics!)

MK, I love the sandman graphic novels-well, I've only read the first one but I really liked it. I didn't find it kept me awake at night :-)

[MK]

TY for your comments, Diane, Michael, and Leanne :)
Will be trying to fit one of them in, in March, I hope. (Feb's stacked full already :p)

[Brenda]

MK wrote: "I have never read a Graphic Novel before. So, I was doing some browsing around, and came up with a list of 7 possibilities. Does anyone have any comments, good or bad, about any of these books:

Gr..."

My first graphic novel on recommendation was The Complete Maus and it was completely amazing! Such a great, inspirational book, and a good introduction to graphic novels:) Good luck!

[MK]

Thank you, Brenda! Kinda starting to looking forward to checking out this completely new (to me) genre :-).

[Brenda]

Hope you enjoy MK:)

[MK]

Brenda wrote: "Hope you enjoy MK:)"

I suspect I will :).

[Katie]

How FUN!! I'm in, and I've even read a few already in 2014:

Classics Alice in Wonderland
Fantasy: Teen Spirit
Graphic Novels: Marbles Mania Depression Michelangelo and Me
Historical Fiction: Timebound
Horror Hollow City
Literary Fiction
Mystery: Thirteen Reasons Why
Non Fiction: Gulp
Romance: The Rosie Project
Science Fiction: Legend Legend 1
Thriller: Cuckoo's Calling
Young Adult: Remember When

[Karen]

Finished my first book since I officially started the challenge - The Giver by Lois Lowry for Young Adult. Wasn't the book I intended to read but I guess that's how it goes sometimes!

[JoAnne]

I am finished with:
Easy Challenge

Classics The Thirty-Nine Steps
Fantasy Ruby Red translated from German
Graphic Novels Troublemaker: Book 2
Historical Fiction My Notorious Life
Horror Another Little Piece
Literary Fiction Last Night at the Lobster
Mystery The Black Country
Non Fiction The Wolf of Wall Street
Romance Last Chance Knit & Stitch
Science Fiction The Long Earth
Thriller Gone
Young Adult The Magnolia League

[M.L.]

Wow - congrats!

[M.L.]

I read my first for this challenge -
Mystery, And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie - brilliantly plotted and revealing psychological profiles of each person.

It is one of the best known 'locked room' (island in this case) mysteries and a former group read.

[MK]

Well done, JoAnne! Did you discover any new genres that you enjoy?

[JoAnne]

MK wrote: "Well done, JoAnne! Did you discover any new genres that you enjoy?"

no - still iffy on graphic novels though...thank you for asking.

[JoAnne]

Flash Beagle wrote: "Wow - congrats!"

Thanks, Flash...still working on the Hard and Insane levels..

[JoAnne]

Karen wrote: "Finished my first book since I officially started the challenge - The Giver by Lois Lowry for Young Adult. Wasn't the book I intended to read but I guess that's how it go..."

What did you think of the ending? Message me so we won't spoil the book for anyone..

[Karen]

JoAnne wrote: "Karen wrote: "Finished my first book since I officially started the challenge - The Giver by Lois Lowry for Young Adult. Wasn't the book I intended to read but I guess th..."

Will message you soon - thinking about what I thought about the ending!

[Karen]

Finished The Sound and the Fury for my Classic book. Loved it. Will be reading more Faulkner!

[Leanne]

I finished my choice for graphic novels - The Complete Maus. Really enjoyed it - I studied German at university so you'd think I'd be sick of literature about the holocaust, but I liked how this Spiegelman dealt with the subject matter in this format.

On the whole though, I still think I prefer something a bit more fantasy-related when it comes to graphic novels :)

[MK]

Karen, I haven't tried any Faulker since high school :o. I remember his stream of consciousness being very difficult. Maybe I'll have to try it again ...

Leanne, thx for posting your graphic novel review! I'm going to try to do that genre in April. Brand new genre for me :)

[Gaby]

Karen wrote: "Finished The Sound and the Fury for my Classic book. Loved it. Will be reading more Faulkner!"
Great idea! I have been meaning to read Faulkner. I will change my choice. Thanks for posting.

[Karen]

Finished a fantasy entry - The Great Night by Chris Adrian. Again, not the book I originally selected and I will probably try to read my original choice - American Gods by Neil Gaiman as I really didn't care for The Great Night. Fantasy is not a genre I am comfortable with so I feel like I should give it another shot.

[Karen]

Gaby wrote: "Karen wrote: "Finished The Sound and the Fury for my Classic book. Loved it. Will be reading more Faulkner!"
Great idea! I have been meaning to read Faulkner. I will change my choice..."

Hope you are still thanking me after you read him! The Sound and the Fury - particularly the first two sections - was challenging, to say the least. Appreciate it for what it is, Faulkner as a modernist author taking on the newly pioneered technique of stream of consciousness, and enjoy it. And keep your Cliff or Spark Notes handy!

[MK]

Filled my "Romance" slot with a male author ;-)
- Second Sight, by David Williams - Mar 2, 2014

Just "Literary Fiction" and "Graphic Novels" to go, for Easy Challenge, then I can move over to the next level.


The Literary Fiction is proving tricky. Every time I *think* I've filled it, when I check the genre on goodreads, the first genre that turns up is "Historical Fiction".

[Kelsey]

I will edit when I've fulfilled each.

Classics
Fantasy The Amber Spyglass 8th July 2014
Graphic Novels Pearl of Pandaria 2 Sept 2014
Historical Fiction Gillespie and I 3 Oct 2014
Horror The Walking Dead, Vol. 05: The Best Defense 3 Sept
Literary Fiction The Circle 4 February 2014
Mystery Back on the Market 5 October 2014
Non Fiction The Peculiar Life of Sundays19 March 2014
Romance
Science Fiction A Canticle for Leibowitz 25 January 2014
Thriller Gone Girl 24 October 2014
Young Adult The Subtle Knife 2 July 2014

[Andrea]

I kept going back and forth on doing this but since I have until the end of the year... Plus, it's not like I'm going to get fired for not finishing….heh heh. I've never read a graphic novel or a true science fiction. Not looking forward to Romance but I'm sure that's a wide genre.

01/04/14 Classics - The Return of Sherlock Holmes
04/08/14 Fantasy - The Princess Bride
04/04/14 Graphic Novels - The Encyclopedia of Early Earth
03/02/14 Historical Fiction - Lonesome Dove
04/16/14 Horror - NOS4A2
00/00/00 Literary Fiction - Frog Music
02/07/14 Mystery - Last Bus to Woodstock
02/04/14 Non Fiction - I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban
00/00/00 Romance - Outlander
04/13/14 Science Fiction - Never Let Me Go
03/26/14 Thriller - Dark Places
00/00/00 Young Adult - The Book Thief

[MK]

MK wrote: "... The Literary Fiction is proving tricky. Every time I *think* I've filled it, when I check the genre on goodreads, the first genre that turns up is "Historical Fiction"."

Found a literary fiction title that isn't historical fiction!

August Is A Wicked Month by Edna O'Brien.

The book is from the middle sixties, and was somewhat scandalous when published, although not apparently as scandalous as the author's first book, The Country Girls, which was banned in Ireland, the author's home country ;-).

August..., like Country ... acknowledges openly female sexuality. From reviews, it sounds like the writing is excellent, though the story might be somewhat of a gut punch/depressing at the end. Not sure, hard to tell sometimes from reviews. Edna O'Brien herself sounds very interesting. In the 2 photos on goodreads, her eyes look very intelligent, but also very unhappy. Wonder if that's true or not. Anyway, here is her bio, from goodreads:

Edna O'Brien Author profile
born in Tuamgraney, County Clare, Ireland December 15, 1930
gender female
website http://www.openroadmedia.com/authors/......
genre Literature & Fiction

About this author
Edna O’Brien (b. 1930), an award-winning Irish author of novels, plays, and short stories, has been hailed as one of the greatest chroniclers of the female experience in the twentieth century. She is the 2011 recipient of the Frank O’Connor Prize, awarded for her short story collection Saints and Sinners. She has also received, among other honors, the Irish PEN Award for Literature, the Ulysses Medal from University College Dublin, and a lifetime achievement award from the Irish Literary Academy. Her 1960 debut novel, The Country Girl, was banned in her native Ireland for its groundbreaking depictions of female sexuality. Notable works also include August Is a Wicked Month (1965), A Pagan Place (1970), Lantern Slides (1990), and The Light of Evening (2006). O’Brien lives in London.

[Josh]

First time attempting the challange so if I make any rookie errors your comments are welcomed:


Classics - The Keepers of the House Feb 7th
Fantasy - The Hope We Seek Mar 19th
Graphic Novels -
Historical Fiction - The Sentinels of Andersonville Apr 19th
Horror - A Monster Calls Feb 2nd
Literary Fiction - The Oxygen Man Jan 20th
Mystery - The Kept Feb 28th
Non Fiction - The Race Underground: Boston, New York, and the Incredible Rivalry That Built America's First Subway Feb 26th
Romance - The Biology of Luck Jan 8th
Science Fiction - A Place Without a Postcard Apr 5th
Thriller - The Pen Name May 25th
Young Adult - Rooftoppers Apr 7th

[Tory]

Classics: The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (going to re-read)
Fantasy: The Magicians by Lev Grossman (read... finally!)
Graphic Novels: Watchmen by Alan Moore (read)
Historical Fiction: Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides (read)
Horror: The Monk by Matthew Gregory Lewis
Literary Fiction
Mystery: Déjà Dead by Kathy Reichs (read)
Non Fiction: Madonna by Andrew Morton (read)
Romance
Science Fiction
Thriller
Young Adult: Allegiant by Veronica Roth (read)

[Tory]

Q: How can I easily verify which genre a book is in?

[Franky]

Tory wrote: "Q: How can I easily verify which genre a book is in?"

When you look up a book, you can see on the right side what genres it has been tagged by members.

[Leanne]

I finally finished my third book of the challenge, the classic "Jane Eyre". I really enjoyed this - I love reading classics but hsvr tended to steer away from anything too romantic - it just turns me right off, all the swooning women desperate to make an advantageous match. but Jane is almost tge antithesis of this - and was a likeable narrator who stuck to her principles but wasn't so perfect as to be unbelievable. The story moved at a nice pace but as with many classics there are a couple of intense exchanges that go on a bit too long!

Thoroughly enjoyed it :-)

[Mary, Quiet Observer]

I'm thinking of reading jane eyre for my classic novel. I nearly did it in high school but they moved me to a different class.
I've been watching a YouTube adaptation of the book and loving it so keen to read the original too

[Tory]

I loved Jane Eyre. I read it so I could better appreciate Jasper Fforde's The Eyre Affair, which is hilarious, BTW.

I was reading a used copy of Jane Eyre while travelling and found out there was a missing page! It was an important page as something profound had occurred at the orphanage on it. The first thing I did when we got home was download and print the page so I could continue reading. I now take multiple books travelling - even on short trips :)

[Leanne]

Tory wrote: "I loved Jane Eyre. I read it so I could better appreciate Jasper Fforde's "The Eyre Affair", which is hilarious, BTW.

I was reading a used copy of Jane Eyre while travelling and found out there wa..."

Oooh I have a copy of The Eyre Affair so I'm glad you've said that! Will have to read that soon, would it fit into any of the genres in the challenge?

Finding a missing page in a book is my idea of a nightmare! Not surprised you now take loads of books!

[Sally906]

Well I only have one more to read and I will have completed the challenge, maybe at the end of the year I will look to see if I have inadvertently read enough of the genre to do the 24 or 36 book challenges - but for now i will be happy once I have read the last one and can tick this challenge off. I will try for the insane next year though for sure!!!


Classics - The Nargun and the Stars by Patricia Wrightson
Fantasy - Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman
Graphic Novels - Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
Historical Fiction - Local Customs by Audrey Thomas
Horror - Hollow City by Ransom Riggs
Literary Fiction - Lost Voices by Christopher J. Koch
Mystery - Unnatural Habits by Kerry Greenwood
Non Fiction - If I Tell You... I'll Have to Kill You edited by Michael Robotham
Romance -Unleashing Mr. Darcy by Teri Wilson
Science Fiction - Alienated by Melissa Landers
Thriller -The Cry by Helen Fitzgerald
Young Adult - The Last Shot by Michael Adams

[Brenda]

Congratulations Sally! Very well done:)

[Katie]

Only one left!