Challenge Chat, Questions and Recommendations

[Leslie]

Jean wrote: "Where are we putting the Caribbean in the "Around the World" challenge, please?"

I was thinking about that since I picked up the Derek Walcott poetry... I guess North America??

[Bionic Jean]

Leslie are you looking over my shoulder? I just picked up his Collected Poems, 1948-1984 from the library this morning, which prompted my question!!

I suppose geographically St Lucia sits between North America, South America and Africa. I tend to think the Caribbean should have its own category - but then you could say that about a lot of islands - so I'll happily put it in the North America continent slot :)

I was staggered to find he's currently Professor of Poetry at the University of Essex! That must be why it was so easy to get hold of him in the Essex Public Library service then!

[Leslie]

I would recommend The Good Earth if anyone wants a book set in China for their Asia category. I am now reading the nonfiction Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea which will complete Asia for me...

[LauraT]

Leslie wrote: "I would recommend The Good Earth if anyone wants a book set in China for their Asia category. I am now reading the nonfiction [book:Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea|61786..."

My mom was born in 1939. In Italy at that time a lot of people believed in controlling kids. She was forbidden to read this book, and when she did it anyway and was discovered she had a lot of problems!!! I loved to read it years ago; it maybe time for a reread

[Leslie]

How are people doing on this so far? I have finished 6 books for it but have 3 continents with nothing yet (Africa, Australia, and Antarctica -- why do so many continents begin with A?)...

[Bionic Jean]

Hoping to make some more progress later in the month. What seems to happen for me is that I read the monthly reads/readalongs/personal challenges I'd decided on first, and then "fill up" with a random "Around the World" one.

[Leslie]

Jean wrote: "Hoping to make some more progress later in the month. What seems to happen for me is that I read the monthly reads/readalongs/personal challenges I'd decided on first, and then "fill up" with a ran..."

Yes, me too but I keep signing up for so many readalongs!! So many people are reading such interesting books!

[Bionic Jean]

;)

[Pink]

I read something for most continents quickly for this challenge, but have nothing for South America or Antarctica yet.

[Dhanaraj]

Austarlia: The Songlines is our April group read.

[Leslie]

Pink wrote: "I read something for most continents quickly for this challenge, but have nothing for South America or Antarctica yet."

I picked up The Feast of the Goat by Mario Vargas Llosa on my last visit to the library as a book for South America, but I don't know if I will have time to get to it before it needs to be returned...

[LauraT]

I'm really behid my normal reading schedule these days: things to finish at home, relatives who have arrived from Sardinia to visit, a lot of things to do at work. Hope I'll start reading again next week!!!

[Tweedledum]

Can you help please. I tried to update my yearly challenge thing so I could enter a book I have just read but which was not on the original list and this is the message I got..... And keep getting. The shelf is there ok under my books though

... ["User shelf name not entered."]
I will read books for this challenge.
Enter a shelf name for this challenge:

Only books on this shelf will count toward this challenge.
cancel| leave challenge
Jan 05, 2014 11:11PM · like

My shelf is called around the world in 2014

Thanks

[Dhanaraj]

I can not help you in this case. I am an illiterate in this sense.

[Jenny]

hm, generelly all you have to do is add the book to the shelf you've set up in which case it will show up in the challenge. Is the problem that you want to change the amount of books to read for the challenge as well? Have you tried entering the shelf-name or does it then duplicate the shelf?

[Tweedledum]

Everytime I put the shelf name in it sends me a little red message saying I haven't done that which I have just done!

[Leslie]

Tweedledum wrote: "Everytime I put the shelf name in it sends me a little red message saying I haven't done that which I have just done!"

I just checked and you are all set. All you have to do now is put the books you are using for the challenge on that bookshelf! You don't need to do anything more with the challenge interface.

edit: I just took a quick look at your shelves and you have two very similar - "around the world 2014" and "around the world in 2014". Perhaps you created the challenge with one and are putting books in the other, if your problem is that they aren't showing up on the challenge...

[Leslie]

I would like to revisit this discussion:

Jean wrote: "Leslie wrote: "Jean wrote: "Where are we
putting the Caribbean in the "Around the World" challenge, please?"

I was thinking about that since I picked up the Derek Walcott poetry... I guess North America??"

… I suppose geographically St Lucia sits between North America, South America and Africa. I tend to think the Caribbean should have its own category - but then you could say that about a lot of islands - so I'll happily put it in the North America continent slot :)"

I am almost done with The Feast of the Goat by Mario Vargas Llosa. I chose this for South America, not knowing anything about it except that Mario Vargas Llosa is from Peru and the book was acclaimed. It turns out that it is set in the Dominican Republic which is the Caribbean rather than South America. So should this count as South America since the author is Peruvian, or North America because it is set in the Caribbean??

[LauraT]

I'd put it in South America ...

[Leslie]

I came across a thriller set in Antarctica the other day, The Atlantis Gene. Since this is the hardest continent, I thought I would share with everyone.

[Bionic Jean]

I've decided to include both the Arctic and the Antarctic, for my challenge, as you relaxed the rules! So here are some suggestions:

Non-Fiction:
Ice Bound: A Doctor's Incredible Battle for Survival at the South Pole by Jerri Nielsen(Antarctic)
Billy Connolly, Journey to the Edge of the World (Arctic)

Fiction:
Dark Matter: A Ghost Story by Michelle Paver (Arctic)
Who Goes There? by John W Campbell(basis for the film "The Thing" - OK if you like pulp fiction (Antarctic)
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (Arctic)

[Dhanaraj]

FRANKENSTEIN is one of my favourites. Have a great time, Jean.

[Bionic Jean]

That's one I've read already but not in 2014, Dhanaraj! I've read all the fiction ones and will be choosing between the first 2 for non-fiction. I do agree though, and think Frankenstein is definitely worth a reread, given time :)

[Charbel]

I'm currently struggling with Antarctica and South America, and would welcome any help!

[dely]

Charbel wrote: "I'm currently struggling with Antarctica and South America, and would welcome any help!"

Fiction or non-fiction?
I've liked: One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcí­a Márquez
The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende
The Postman: Il Postino by Antonio Skármeta. This is such a lovely book! I felt in love with it, much better than the film.

These are all for South America.

[Charbel]

Thanks dely. I'll see if I can find The postman.

[Leslie]

Charbel wrote: "I'm currently struggling with Antarctica and South America, and would welcome any help!"

I liked the memoir I read for Antarctica, Ice Bound: A Doctor's Incredible Battle for Survival at the South Pole, about a doctor at the South Pole science station discovering she has breast cancer. It is more about what life was like at the station than about her fight with cancer...

Otherwise, perhaps some of the explorers (Shackelton, etc)?

[Charbel]

Leslie wrote: "Charbel wrote: "I'm currently struggling with Antarctica and South America, and would welcome any help!"

I liked the memoir I read for Antarctica, [book:Ice Bound: A Doctor's Incredible Battle for..."

That memoir sounds interesting!

[Bionic Jean]

I still want to read it...

[Leslie]

Not sure what to do for your 2015 personal challenge? Here is a 52 book challenge to consider...

[Leslie]

It is mid-October & I have begun to think about next year's challenges. Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions for a group challenge?

[dely]

Leslie wrote: "It is mid-October & I have begun to think about next year's challenges. Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions for a group challenge?"

Lol, me too!

Sadly I don't have ideas for group challenges.

[Pink]

Hmm, ideas for challenges-

Read around the world (i.e. 10 books from 10 different countries)
Through the decades (people can choose whatever period they like)
Authors in translation/ Women in translation
Genre mix up (i.e. Poetry, drama, non-fiction, biography)
Read your name (one book starting with each letter of your name)
Monthly themes (members can vote on theme or mods decide)
Clear your shelves (books that have been on your shelf the longest/ over a certain length of time)

That's all I can think of for now :)

[Sam]

I am up to a Clear your shelves challenge :)
Apart from a TBR-centered challenge it would be cool to have an exploration-based one, I'm thinking Closing the gaps (any blog readers remember this?). So you would pick a genre or field you want to know more about and make a list of titles to close that knowledge gap. For example you pick a list of classics you haven't read yet but always wanted to. Or books about historical events. This challenge could be as broad or narrow as you wish.

[Joan]

This is only a vague idea but what about reading several books by a prolific author in the order of publication (or reverse). It might be interesting to see changes in style and common themes.