Diane's trying again in 2014

[Diane]

Well. I did not complete all my tasks for 2013. In fairness, I was more than on-track when Real Life took a nose dive. LOL. This year I expect more changes; hopefully more good changes than negative ones. :)

I plan to read 50 books this year.

Of those 50, I would like at least 30 to be books I already own OR books I have borrowed from the library

My favorite part of reading life last year was my personal mini-challenges so I think I will keep those up and be a little simple about it.

*** Additional Personal goals****
Read 3 books recommended by another reader or reading group, particular attention given to recs by my girls.

Read 3 books by authors I should have read OR books I should have read by now (I found this challenge had overlaps last year so why not combine)

Read 3 books that challenge me in some way and help me grow as a person, may be self-help, educational, political/current event, other non-fiction, or fiction.

*****Abandoned Book Pile ******


Happy Reading 2014 everyone!

[Diane]

#1 Exploring J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit by Corey Olsen

I FINALLY finished this book. Even though I started it in 2013, I am counting it for 2014.
Fans of The Hobbit should really enjoy this in-depth analysis of the book. I attempted to read this book and The Hobbit in tandem but I found that reading that way bogged both books down.
I gave it 3 stars simply because at times I had to drag myself to read it. However I should give it an extra half because it made me realize why so many people are fans of The Hobbit.

[Tiffany, Administrator]

Diane wrote: "Well. I did not complete all my tasks for 2013. In fairness, I was more than on-track when Real Life took a nose dive. LOL. This year I expect more changes; hopefully more good changes than negative ones. :)"

Here's to happy things in 2014! :)

[Diane]

#2 All She Was Worth by Miyuki Miyabe
The first thing you need to know about me as a reader is that I love mystery/crime/noir novels. It's like chocolate and peanut butter to me. This novelist has an entry on 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die, but this particular novel is not it. That said, this novel was full of all the things a goof crime, mystery, noir novel should have. I enjoyed it. It was not however what I think of as particularly Japanese, in that the writing was good but not jaw-droopingly beautiful. The ending was abrupt and sparse but the rest of the novel was not. I enjoyed it, but it did not make me catch my breath as other Japanese novels have. I would highly recommend it to other fans of mystery/crime/noir, and I will seek out her other novels. I picked it up at my local HPB, and it gave me far more than $3.99 worth of enjoyment. :)
I gave it 4 stars.

[Diane]

ABANDONED The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
First abandoned book of the year. It was an audiobook picked up at the library with the thought that I could knock out at least a couple of Boxall's 1001 books this year by driving in the car. Um, but not THIS audiobook. The white narrator faking a very bad Indian accent was grating and distracting. For reference sake, I am still married to a man of Indian descent so I am quite familiar with Indian accents in all shapes and forms, and I enjoy them very much. As soon as I heard this narrator I picked up the CD cover with the "this guy is NOT Indian" notion. Not sure why they could not have used an Indian narrator. A British-Indian accent is so beautiful but probably not appropriate for the entrepreneur Indian narrator. I would love to try it again on paper but not now. Oh, and I have a non-reader friend who has suggested I be more brutal about abandoning books I am not enjoying. So, my abandoned pile may grow. :)

[Diane]

#3 Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
This was a dusty book that I picked up on clearance years ago at my local used book store. I attempted to read this once and put it back on the shelf. I'm not a fan of magical realism, but I really enjoyed this very sensual novel.

Boxall's 1001 book
Dusty book

#4 The Call of the Wild by Jack London
This was a very, very dusty book. :) The book was my father's and is likely to be over 50 years old with its teal leatherette cover but no publishers date on the inside. It was also one of my father's favorite books. I can see why, although many parts made me very sad. I plan to pass it on with Zytrec because the mold was a bit much for me -- old dusty book.
Boxall's 1001 book
Dusty book -- 50 years old
Book I should have read before now -- Dad asked me more than 30 years ago to read this book. Too bad he's not around to discuss it with me.

2014 Tally to Date
Dusty/borrowed books: 2
Boxall books: 2
Books I should have read by now: 1

[Diane]

I have been reading a collection of short stories called Obabakoak, a Boxall book, but it has been slow going… so I took a break this weekend and picked up...

#5. Detroit: An American Autopsy by Charlie LeDuff
I've seen Charlie LeDuff making the rounds on talk shows for the last year, discussing this book and the state of Detroit. I throughly enjoyed him on Anthony Bourdain's new show on CNN. In my opinion, those two men are cut from the same cloth: drink and swear too much but tell the truth and have a surprising amount of compassion and empathy for men who on the outside appear to be total SOBs. (No offense to these men's mothers but no one would ever refer to either of them as a "gentleman".) The book was as brutal as one would expect it to be about the murder capital of the US, as truthful and unflinchingly honest as one would expect from an SOB, and as sympathetic and kind as one would expect from one of the city's native sons. If you care about Detroit, the state of US cities, the current political wars in which citizens are the collateral damage, read this book. I gave it four stars but really more like 4.5. I recommended the book to a friend within an hour of finishing it. Granted my friend grew up in Detroit….
Borrowed from the library

2014 Tally to Date
Dusty/borrowed books: 3
Boxall books: 2
Books I should have read by now: 1

[Diane]

#6 Falling Man by Don DeLillo
This was my first Don DeLillo novel but since he has 7 more on Boxall's list, this will likely not be my last. I listened to this as an audiobook , and I think I would have enjoyed it more written word. He started far too many vignettes with pronouns which made it hard to realize he changed scenes and which characters were in the scene.
Overall though an interesting portrait of life after 9/11 for New Yorkers. I would read more of his books. I gave it 3 stars.
Boxall's 1001 books to read before you die
Borrowed from the library

2014 Tally to Date
Dusty/borrowed books: 4
Boxall's 1001 books: 3
Books I should have read by now: 1

[Diane]

#7 Obabakoak by Bernardo Atxaga
A collection of short stories from Basque. Magical realism. Took me forever, but good. 4 stars
Boxall book

#8 Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened by Allie Brosh Funniest book I have read in a long time. I laughed until I had tears in my eyes. Great "chapter" -- it's a graphic "novel" -- on depression. Read the blog and laugh! 4 really big and funny stars!!
Borrowed from the library
Recommended

#9 Freakin' Fabulous: How to Dress, Speak, Act, Eat, Sleep, Entertain, Decorate, and Generally Be Better Than Everyone Else by Clinton Kelly
Cute, fast, easy to read, some good recipes but not much is new, if you are fabulous like me!! LOL
Borrowed from the library

#10 This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett
My first 5 star read of the year. I listened to the audiobook which was read by the author, and it was like having coffee with a good and wise friend!! :) I highly recommend this book, particularly as an audiobook! 5 stars!!
Borrowed from the library
Challenge and grow

2014 Tally to date:
Dusty/borrowed books: 7
Boxall's 1001: 4
Recommendation: 1
Challenge and grow: 1
Books I should have read by now: 1

[Diane]

Since I last posted, I have taken a new, full-time job. Which I love, but kinda cuts into my reading time. LOL
But I'm pleased with my numbers for the last two months. And I am so loving work and just incredibly happy in general!!

11. Takedown Twenty by Janet Evanovich
Did I read #19 in the Stephanie Plum series?? No?? does it matter?
I told myself I was done with this series, but just started a new Full-time job (See above and Go Me!!) with a relatively long and traffic filled commute. I needed fluff to distract me and this called to me from the library shelf. It did the job.
2 stars
borrowed from the library

12.Perv: The Sexual Deviant in All of Us by Jesse Bering
not for the faint of heart but light in some places. The chapter on paedophia and the true different classifications of it and his suggestion on "controlling" it are interesting and would make a heated book club discussion. Aside from that, it gave me a new appreciation for being a woman and having a fluid sexuality. It also gave me huge amounts of understanding and compassion for an acquaintance who has a foot/shoe fetish. "Oh, that's why he stares at my feet" ;) and a mutual friend then asked "does it make you feel uncomfortable?" My response "Nope… and I wear awesome shoes." LOL Wait does this mean I can count it as a book that helped me grow as a person or expand my mind?! Sure, why not
4 stars
borrowed from the library
Challenged me, Expanded my mind and/or added brain cells

13. The Venetian's Wife: A Strangely Sensual Tale of a Renaissance Explorer, a Computer, and a Metamorphosis by Nick Bantock
not sure what to think of this one. Anything I say would probably ruin it. I've had it on my shelf for years and read it for a "Graphic novel" challenge… or did I read Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened for that challenge?? oh well this one is off my shelf any which way.
3 stars
Dusty book

14. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
Not my favorite Jane Austen, but that's simply because it wrapped up a zillion loose ends in, like, the last 15 minutes of the audiobook. It was 11 hours, give the climax more than 11 minutes, please. But fun to listen to during my commute, although the scratched library CDs were highly highly annoying.
4 stars
Borrowed from the library
Boxall's 1001 books

15. The Maltese Falcon by the incomparable Dashiell Hammett
Thank goodness Mr. Hammett is no longer with us or I would write him maddeningly love letters and send him liquor. okay maybe not… I haven't sent Tim Dorsey any ridiculous fan letters… yet. ;) although it is less that I crush on Mr. Dorsey and more that I have a serious crush on Serge Storms. Nope I think I have a crush on Mr. Dorsey too...
but I digress ….
Maltese Falcon. Noir at its best. Amazing. Brilliant. Dark, but with flashes of humor and lightness. Subtle and just yummy yummy. I think The Thin Man is still my favorite… because I love the banter the drinking and… the movies it spawned and the clothes and Myrna Loy.
Wait I only gave The Thin Man three stars and Maltese Falcon 5 stars??
okay this is perfection and serious and amazing, whereas The Thin Man is fun. If you have not read Dashiell Hammett, put any one of his books at the top of your TBR pile.
5 stars.
Boxall's 1001 books
Dusty book
Books I should have read by now

2014 Tally to date:
Dusty/borrowed books: 12
Boxall's 1001 books you must read before you die: 6
Recommendation: 1
Challenge and grow: 2
Books I should have read by now: 2