Charbel's 2014 Reading Challenge

[Charbel]

Enjoy :)

[Amber]

Thanks you too. :)

[Bionic Jean]

You're really getting through your challenge well Charbel - and there have been some interesting but tough reads in there too! You should give yourself a pat on the back :)

[Charbel]

Thanks Jean.

[Charbel]

Total Books read in February: 12

[[deleted user]]

Charbel wrote: "Total Books read in February: 12"

Impressive! :)

[Charbel]

Thanks. I think that was the fastest reading pace I've ever reached.

[Charbel]

Inspired by Leslie's challenge and Jean's reads, I decided to make my challenge more colourful. So I added book covers. Not very inventive, I know, but it's not bad.

[Bionic Jean]

Looks good, Charbel! :) I'm very tempted to put more in mine.

[Charbel]

Thanks Jean. It did take a good deal of effort, but at least I got it done.

[Bionic Jean]

A bit like decorating. At first you think "Why on earth did I ever start this?!" Then when it's finished you can sit back and admire it all! ;)

[Charbel]

I guess you're right. Though I usually have this thing about never being fully satisfied with my "work".

[LauraT]

Good work!

[Charbel]

Thanks Laura!

[LauraT]

;-)

[Leslie]

Charbel wrote: "Inspired by Leslie's challenge and Jean's reads, I decided to make my challenge more colourful. So I added book covers. Not very inventive, I know, but it's not bad."

Looks good!

[Charbel]

Thanks!

[Charbel]

There's a possibility that I might finish fiction part 2 before part 1. Is that weird?

[Bionic Jean]

LOL Charbel! I don't think so, no. What makes it "part 2"? They're not consecutive are they? So if it's ones you thought of more recently then you'll be more inclined to want to read them. That's my theory anyway. :D

And I think you're making really good progress as some of these are definitely challenging reads :)

[Charbel]

Thanks Jean. They're not really consecutive, the system is arbitrary. It's based on what book I actually thought of first, when I add enough books to one list, I create a new part.

[Leslie]

Charbel wrote: "Thanks Jean. They're not really consecutive, the system is arbitrary. It's based on what book I actually thought of first, when I add enough books to one list, I create a new part."

Well then that answers your question - if the parts are arbitrary then there is no reason why you should finish Part 1 before Part 2. :-)

[Charbel]

I guess you're right. Thanks Leslie.

[Leslie]

If it makes you feel any better, it looks like I will finish Category #10 before getting even one done in Category #3 in my personal challenges!

[Charbel]

25 down, 75 to go!

[Leslie]

Charbel wrote: "25 down, 75 to go!"

That seems to be right on track as we are about a quarter through the year :)

[Charbel]

Yes, my challenge is going smoothly.

[Charbel]

Nonfiction Part 3:

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain.
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach.
Les triomphes de la psychanalyse by Pierre Daco.

[Charbel]

Is it a Sherlock Holmes novel written by Horowitz?

[Charbel]

It sounds interesting. I might not be able to read it in this challenge as I have a lot of books that I don't want to put off anymore, but thanks for the recommendation Lynne!

[Charbel]

On the advice of a very close (and honest) friend I decided to add a new category to the challenge. She said that in order to really get something out of this challenge I should try reading something out of my comfort zone. She suggested that I might explore more feminine literature (not to be confused with romance, they're books that have women as heroines and that are all about woman power) as a start, she even suggested a book to begin with. I need a lot of recommendations so please feel free to send as many as you can.
So Here It Is:

Out-Of-My-Comfort-Zone: All About Women

The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger .
Une vie by Guy de Maupassant .
The Woman Destroyed by Simone de Beauvoir.

[Charbel]

And along with this category comes a new shelf: All About Women. Now to go through what I've read and see what qualifies.

[dely]

Must the book also be written by a female author?

I can recommend you:
The Woman Destroyed by Simone de Beauvoir
The Hours by Michael Cunningham
Beside the Sea by Véronique Olmi

Another good book with a woman as the main character is A Woman's Life by Guy de Maupassant.
Also Emile Zola has written good books with female characters, for example Therese Raquin or Nana.

This book was written for women and it is also funny: He's Just Not That Into You: The No-Excuses Truth to Understanding Guys by Greg Behrendt but I don't know if a man may like it.

[Charbel]

Thanks a bunch Dely! No they don't have to be written by women. They also don't have to be fiction.

[dely]

Charbel wrote: "Thanks a bunch Dely! No they don't have to be written by women. They also don't have to be fiction."

Fine, so you can also read Guy de Maupassant's A woman's life.
I really loved the first four books I recommended you, they are really good (though I don't know the genre you like the most).

[Charbel]

Update:

2 books to finish nonfiction part 1.
2 books to finish classics part 1.
1 book to finish nonfiction part 2.

[Charbel]

Afraid that I might fall behind in my April reading, but I'll try to minimize the damage as much as I can.

[Charbel]

Thankfully back on track with this challenge!

[Bionic Jean]

Well done Charbel! I admire how you've stuck to your guns. All those books crossed out, and no sign of a "Oh I meant to read that, but read this one instead!" Very organised :)

[Charbel]

Jean wrote: "Well done Charbel! I admire how you've stuck to your guns. All those books crossed out, and no sign of a "Oh I meant to read that, but read this one instead!" Very organised :)"

Thanks Jean! It's not easy as I keep getting new books, but it's best to stick to the challenge.

[Charbel]

Nearly done with Nonfiction part 1. Now I just have to pray that my university library still has that copy of Antimatter!

[Charbel]

Hooray! Nonfiction part 1 is completed!
Two books read so far in May.

[Charbel]

Finally read The kite Runner! Here's my review if anyone is interested.

[Alice]

Charbel wrote: "Finally read The kite Runner! Here's my review if anyone is interested."

Your review has made me even more determined not to read his second and third books: A Thousand Splendid Suns and And the Mountains Echoed!

[Charbel]

Alice wrote: "Charbel wrote: "Finally read The kite Runner! Here's my review if anyone is interested."

Your review has made me even more determined not to read his second and third books: A Thousand Splendid Su..."

I don't think I'll be reading A Thousand Splendid Suns either.

[Bionic Jean]

Reading both your reviews has made me push this author down my list a bit!

[Charbel]

Sorry for ruining it for you Jean!

[Pink]

Great review Charbel. A Kite Runner is the only Hosseini book I've read and I did really enjoy it...but I can imagine that all his books follow a similar style and theme.

[Charbel]

Thanks Pink. I think if I had read The Kite Runner first, I would have been more impressed by it.

[Pink]

That's probably true, now you've experienced his style in 2 books, enough to see that although he writes well, he style is too repetitive for you. I have both of his other books on my shelf, though I probably won't get to either of them too soon.

[Charbel]

I recommend leaving a considerable gap of time between the two books. Come to think of it, that's what I should have done!