Leslie's Print Climb

[Leslie]

I think I might try 2 threads in 2016, one for print and one for electronic media (ebooks & digital audiobooks). I need the push to read my print books & in 2015, I found that they were falling behind my Kindle books.

Either that or I will just count print in my climb!

I will pick & choose my titles as I go, but here are some books I would like to get to in 2016:

mysteries by Michael Dibdin, Andrea Camilleri and Ngaio Marsh (or some of the many other authors I own!)
books by Rafael Sabatini, Zoé Oldenbourg, Manning Coles

Underworld
The Beach
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Quartet in Autumn
Purge
Palace Walk
The Road
A Fine Balance
Atonement
Snow Country
The Shrimp and the Anemone
The Group
Cat’s Eye
The Moviegoer
I Capture the Castle
Wapshot Chronicles
The Years with Ross
Tropic of Cancer

[Bev]

Good luck with both climbs!

[Cath]

I've read three of those, Jonathan Strange, Quartet in Autumn and I Capture the Castle. All were good. Good luck with the challenge again this year, Leslie. :-)

[Leslie]

Cath wrote: "I've read three of those, Jonathan Strange, Quartet in Autumn and I Capture the Castle. All were good. Good luck with the challenge again this year, Leslie. :-)"

Thanks Cath! Are you also climbing in 2016? I will look for your thread.

[Leslie]

January Progress: 5 print, 13 total {acquired 19}

Paperback books (and hardcovers!)
1. *Madame Bovary (abandoned) (1/4)
2. Schott's Original Miscellany (1/19)
3. Riders to the Sea (1/28)
4. The Art Forger (1/28)
5. The Patience of the Spider (1/31)

and additional formats:
Kindle books
1. *Dom Casmurro (1/8)
2. *The Diary of a Provincial Lady (1/12)
3. *Under Western Eyes (1/17)
4. *The Diary of a Nobody (1/26)
5. *The Magnificent Ambersons (1/30)

Audiobooks
1. *Tess of the D'Urbervilles (1/11)
2. And Still I Rise: A Selection of Poems Read by the Author (1/18)
3. *Go Tell It On the Mountain (1/21)

* means the book is on the Guardian's 1000 Novels Everyone Should Read list

[Louise]

Have a good climb Leslie :-)

[Leslie]

Thanks Louise!

[Leslie]

Step #1 is a book I have decided to give up on. Madame Bovary has been sitting on my shelf unread for about 20 years & I should have let it sit a while longer! 1½*

[Leslie]

Jessika wrote: "Oh no! Sorry your first book was a bummer."

Ah well, it happens. At least I can be pretty sure they will get better from here!

[Bev]

Leslie wrote: "Jessika wrote: "Oh no! Sorry your first book was a bummer."

Ah well, it happens. At least I can be pretty sure they will get better from here!"

My first two were a bit lacking, so I feel your pain. Fortunately the one I'm reading at the moment is much better!

[Leslie]

Not making a very impressive start to the year with only one print book done so far, especially as I have acquired 9 new books since the start of the year!!

[Bev]

Leslie wrote: "Not making a very impressive start to the year with only one print book done so far, especially as I have acquired 9 new books since the start of the year!!"

Well...I've read 6 and added 13, so I'm not doing much better. And there will definitely be a few more I still have a good portion of a Half Price Books gift certificate to spend..... (Like I'm not going to buy more without the gift certificate. LOL)

[Leslie]

Bev wrote: "Leslie wrote: "Not making a very impressive start to the year with only one print book done so far, especially as I have acquired 9 new books since the start of the year!!"

Well...I've read 6 and ..."

Perhaps we need a 12 step program Bev!

[Bev]

Apparently. At least I do. But I think you have to be willing to address the problem. I'm not sure I am. :-)

[Leslie]

Bev wrote: "Apparently. At least I do. But I think you have to be willing to address the problem. I'm not sure I am. :-)"

No, I am not either - which I guess is part of the problem!

[Leslie]

Print #2 is a small hardcover book I received as a gift years ago (perhaps over 10 years ago!) - Schott's Original Miscellany. While more a book to dip into rather than read straight through, I found myself enjoying this more than I had expected to. There were a considerable number of entries that made me laugh aloud, such as Hamlet's famous speech rendered into pig Latin! And I did find some useful bits of information (as the previously unknown to me weather proverb "Halo round the sun or moon/Rain or snow is coming soon"). 4½*

[Leslie]

Print #3 is a play in a collection (I don't think it would be described as an omnibus) - Five Great Modern Irish Plays is the hardcover book I own. Book #3 is Riders to the Sea which is one of the 5 plays in the collection. Very very short one act play (16 pages) but packs a punch. 3½*

[Leslie]

Print #4 was The Art Forger which I have owned since 2013 when the author came to our local book fair. I had thought it was crime fiction & certainly crime plays a role but it was more of a literary fiction. Quite enjoyable & informative. 3½*

With this book, I have met my goal of 4 print books per month. It has been a struggle but hopefully I can keep this pace (or increase it!).

[Laura]

Very good!

[Bev]

Glad you were able to meet your print goal!

[Leslie]

Bev wrote: "Glad you were able to meet your print goal!"

Me too -- but you know as well as I do that it is always easiest to keep resolutions in January! :/

[Bev]

Leslie wrote: "Bev wrote: "Glad you were able to meet your print goal!"

Me too -- but you know as well as I do that it is always easiest to keep resolutions in January! :/"

True... :-)

[Leslie]

I managed to squeeze in one more book before the end of January by spending the day reading The Patience of the Spider. I am really enjoying this Italian mystery series.

[Leslie]

Thanks Jessika!

[Leslie]

February Progress: 4 Print, 14 total {acquired: 8}
Year to date: 9 print, 27 total {27 acquired}

Paperback books (and hardcovers!)
6. The Sense of an Ending (2/2)
7. *Blacklist (2/22)
8. *Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (2/24)
9. The Playboy of the Western World (2/28)

and additional formats:
Kindle books
6. Alaeddin and the Enchanted Lamp (2/3)
7. Jill the Reckless (2/6)
8. *Hunger (2/12)
9. Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen (2/16)
10. *Penrod (2/22)
11. Miss Buncle's Book (2/23)
12. *Just William (2/26)

Audiobooks
4. Aladdin and the Enchanted Lamp (2/3)
5. Jump at the Sun (2/8)
6. Beautiful Creatures (2/14)
7. John Ball's In the Heat of the Night (2/15)

* means the book is on the Guardian's 1000 Novels Everyone Should Read list

[Cath]

Wow, Leslie, you're doing really well! :-)

[Leslie]

Cath wrote: "Wow, Leslie, you're doing really well! :-)"

Thanks, it was an excellent reading month for me overall. But I still acquired more than I read -- guess it is a good thing I decided to keep track this year! And I picked up a couple of more short stories today - but they are by Sayers so that doesn't count, right!?

[Nathalie]

Leslie wrote: "Step #1 is a book I have decided to give up on. Madame Bovary has been sitting on my shelf unread for about 20 years & I should have let it sit a while longer! 1½*"

Leslie wrote: "Bev wrote: "Apparently. At least I do. But I think you have to be willing to address the problem. I'm not sure I am. :-)"

No, I am not either - which I guess is part of the problem!"

Madame Bovaryis also on my list. I hope I like it better than you do. I have read 5 books, but added 8 to my mountain. Couldn't stop myself.

[Leslie]

Good luck with Madame Bovary Nathalie! I guess that a lot of us here have the book-acquiring bug :)

[Leslie]

First one of the month is my 5th print book, The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes. While it wasn't exactly my kind of thing, it kept me interested & was easy to read. One of these days, I am going to learn my lesson and stop buying Man Booker Prize-winners! 3½*

[Bev]

Leslie wrote: "First one of the month is my 5th print book, The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes. While it wasn't exactly my kind of thing, it kept me interested & was easy to read. One of thes..."

Leslie, you and had about the same reaction to this one (I gave it 3 stars). I really like Barnes overall, but this one didn't live up to my anticipation.

[Leslie]

Bev wrote: "Leslie wrote: "First one of the month is my 5th print book, The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes. While it wasn't exactly my kind of thing, it kept me interested & was easy to re..."

Oh, that is good to hear. This was my first experience with Barnes so I am glad to hear that others are better. Do you have a favorite or recommendation which I should try?

[Cath]

but they are by Sayers so that doesn't count, right!?

Absolutely not, Leslie! LOL!

I've not bought any books at all this month which is pretty much unknown for me. I did reserve three from the library yesterday though, so I'm not applying for sainthood just yet... ;-)

[Bev]

Leslie wrote: "Oh, that is good to hear. This was my first experience with Barnes so I am glad to hear that others are better. Do you have a favorite or recommendation which I should try? "

His short story collection A History of the World in 10½ Chapters is fantastic. I also enjoyed Nothing to Be Frightened Of and The Porcupine.

[Leslie]

Thanks Bev!

[Leslie]

Step #7 in my climb is a V.I. Warshawski mystery, Blacklist. In addition to the mystery, Paretsky has included a big dose of social commentary about the U.S. in the days post-9/11. 4*

[Leslie]

#8 in my hike is the looong book Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell in hardcover. An interesting idea but way too long and I could see what the end would be when there was still 400 pages to go. 3*

[Bev]

Good on you for tackling that doorstop! I have a really hard time with books that add on WAY more pages than necessary (which to me seems to be a real trend in modern publishing......).

[Leslie]

Bev wrote: "Good on you for tackling that doorstop! I have a really hard time with books that add on WAY more pages than necessary (which to me seems to be a real trend in modern publishing......)."

I have noticed that too (especially in the recent mysteries) - I blame it on the lack of editors now.

I am about to embark on an even longer book -- Don Quixote! Can't blame this one on modern publishers though :D

[Cath]

Good for you for tackling these doorsteps, Leslie. I read JS&MrN last year and am eyeing up the other doorsteps I have and wondering which I should try for Mount TBR. I have some interesting ones but the spirit is not madly willing at the moment. ;-)

[Leslie]

Cath wrote: "Good for you for tackling these doorsteps, Leslie. I read JS&MrN last year and am eyeing up the other doorsteps I have and wondering which I should try for Mount TBR. I have some interesting ones b..."

If I like them, I can whiz through an 800 page book. The problem is with ones that I am more lukewarm about - they can feel like they are taking forever!

[Bev]

Leslie wrote: "I am about to embark on an even longer book -- Don Quixote! Can't blame this one on modern publishers though :D "

Don Quixote is great though. Or at least I thought so when I read it back in college. I wonder if I would think so now. Although....I have read Middlemarch within the last few years and I loved it too. I think it makes a difference when I step into classic literature. I expect a different mindset and narrative style. I just think it's so weird that so many modern books have turned into doorstops when I'd think people's attentions spans were getting shorter--what with tweeting and whatnot.

[Leslie]

Bev wrote: "Leslie wrote: "I am about to embark on an even longer book -- Don Quixote! Can't blame this one on modern publishers though :D "

Don Quixote is great though. Or at least I thought so when I read i..."

Glad to hear it! I have added it to the group bookshelf, as some of us are reading it as a buddy read - I hope that is OK.

[Leslie]

I managed to get one more print book done in Feb. - The Playboy of the Western World by Synge. I liked this one - a black comedy of sorts. 4*

That brings me to 4 Print, 14 total {acquired: 8} for the month and 9 print, 27 total {27 acquired} for the year. At least I am breaking even at this point!

[Leslie]

March Progress: 5 Print, 12 total {acquired: 7}
Year to date: 14 print, 39 total {34 acquired}

Paperback books (and hardcovers!)
10. *A Prayer for Owen Meany (3/10)
11. Black Plumes (3/13)
12. Juno and the Paycock (3/18) (contained in the omnibus Five Great Modern Irish Plays)
13. And Quiet Flows the Don (3/21)
14. Last Seen Wearing (3/26)

and additional formats:
Kindle books
13. *Castle Rackrent (3/1)
14. *Lark Rise (3/19)
15. *Over to Candleford (3/30)
16. The Devil's Disciple (3/30) (contained in the omnibus The Plays of Shaw)

Audiobooks
8. Mr. Rickey Calls a Meeting (3/1)
9. *Lord of the Flies (3/5)
10. The Living (3/21)

* means the book is on the Guardian's 1000 Novels Everyone Should Read list

[Bev]

Leslie wrote: "I have added it to the group bookshelf, as some of us are reading it as a buddy read - I hope that is OK."

Absolutely!

[Leslie]

Jessika wrote: "Best wishes on your Don Quixoite undertaking!"

Thanks Jessika!

[Leslie]

Step #10 in my climb was a book I picked up a year ago at my local library's book sale, A Prayer for Owen Meany. I liked this better than the other Irving I have tried but am still scratching my head a bit about what it all means... 4*

[Leslie]

#11 is a Golden Age mystery that has been languishing on my shelf for over 5 years, Black Plumes. This is the first non-Campion mystery by Margery Allingham that I have read. It was fun but I found the solution to be fairly obvious. 3*

[Bev]

Leslie wrote: "#11 is a Golden Age mystery that has been languishing on my shelf for over 5 years, Black Plumes. This is the first non-Campion mystery by Margery Allingham that I have read. It was f..."

It's been a while since I read this one. I like Allingham more for the period and the characters than for plotting--I don't think she's quite as good at that as, say, Christie.