2025 Reading Challenge discussion
ARCHIVE 2016
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Kiwi’s 2016 challenges and book log
Kiwi wrote: "Really interesting Deborah, thank you for the link. I took the test and I was surprised by the result (Stimulator), as I do like to make deatiled plans but I am also known for carrying them through..."I kept meaning to come back and it took a more meandering route to do so than I had anticipated.....haha! Stephen Kosslyn and Wayne Miller have two books on the subject in print.
Thank you Deborah, I'll looked them up
Kiwi wrote: "Challenge 6: Famous people challenge Read at least 8 biographies: 2/8
✔.Memoirs of Hadrian by Marguerite Yourcenar
✔.Julius Caesar by Philip Freeman
3.The Eagl..."</i>
Aha! Kiwi, you <i>can't</i> read [book:The Eagle and the Raven as a biography! It's a novel. I recommend Boudicca: The Warrior Queen for a biography - but read the novel anyway, it's fab! :)
Memoirs of hadrian is not either, my challenge, my rules :D
hahaha! sure you can - but it's not a biography, all the same.(pettifogging pernicketty picker of nits, c'est moi)
"an account of someone's life written by someone else." good enough for me
Bella wrote: "Thanks, Kiwi! Wow, the Cathars took heresy to a whole other level than the Lollards. I'm not up to spending $45 on a book, but thanks for telling me about it. I added it to my wishlist so I can be ..."yikes! this post has me going.....
heresy, by definition, is more than a difference of opinion and 'should' constitute a direct threat to orthodox theological belief. Thus Martin Luther's 94 Theses and Nuremberg cathedral door.....That is, a non-believer is not a heretic, s/he is merely a non-believer. However, try telling that to some people..... ;) Most of what is orthodoxy and what is heresy was defined in the 4-5th century (with further refinements to follow, naturally) at the likes of the Council of Nicea and the Council of Carthage. Some of the so-called heresies sound extremely sensible - Pelagian heresy, for instance, rejected the concept of Original Sin and was widely taught in England at the time as an orthodoxy - until it was nobbled by Augustine of Hippo. Eh? Why would anyone be in FAVOUR of a concept like Original Sin?
Of course, people creatively kept dreaming up new heresies for the orthodoxy to be outraged by......no change there. Thus the Cathars, eventually. And Lollardry. Anything to be different haha!
Julian of Norwich, thus, was not heretical because her beliefs raised no threat to the orthodox beliefs but actually supported them. She fell into the category of 'mystics' (which even the Church of England has some of), the spooky-woos of the Church. Perhaps the original of these would be Mary Magdalene (the Magnificat: Luke:1:46-55)
re Boudicca - yup - but not fiction - however, I do agree with you, really - and often the biographical fiction can convey more than the (allegedly objective) non fictional biography. If anything is a fiction, objectivity is it. The only trouble with biographical fiction is that it's harder to call the author on their overt lies and made up bits (tut!) when they are unscrupulous enough to call themselves a historian.
(There's a clue there about a certain author who irritates the bejasus outta me in that way......)
Did you ever finish Uprooted? I never saw it listed other than when you first started it. Just wondering.
Hi Alison, yes, I did. Here is the link to my short review. Unfortunately it wasn't a great read for me , are you a fan?
Except for My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry (2 stars), I encountered a very good patch with my recent reads:Gold A Pictorial History of The Australian Goldrush 3.5 stars
The Complete Fairy Tales 4.5 stars
Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life 3.5 stars
I’m currently reading The Choice. February’s almost over; time to start planning my march reads…
last book for the month: The Choice, 3 stars (stretched :), I'm still reading Belle, leftover from February’s chick-lit/romance monthly theme.The stats for February:
# Books read: 29
# Pages read: 8,793
Average Rating: 3.21
Best book of the month: Julius Caesar (NF) / Alas Babylon (F)
Best yield/payoff book: Euphoria (6 challenges)
Challenges completed (2):
• Times Gone By (February Group Challenge) 6/5
• Challenge thirteen: Full House Reading Challenge 25/25
I’m pleased with the reading progress so far this year, however in the coming months my reading pace will slow down as I’m taking some courses and the time dedicated to reading will inevitably be reduced.
Roll on March!
After creeping for so long, I thought I would give you my thoughts for the past couple of months. I am SO excited you liked "Middlesex"- I tend to doubt the Oprah Book Club books and it is on my list to read this year. To hear that it is funny is even better. :)I am super disappointed you didn't like the Black Ships (harkening back to an earlier post on the Times Gone By post). I think I will still read it (maybe not this year) but my expectations are far diminished now.
And that book on neuroscience you read looks fascinating to me. Had to add that one to my TBR list (as well as an earlier thriller you 5-starred, because anything suspenseful done right is worth reading). But back to the neuroscience book, I feel OCD-ish with some things but not others and I am hoping that the book you read will help with figuring out why the heck that is.
Thanks for friending me, too! I never know how these internet things are really supposed to work. (A by-product of eschewing technology for so long, I am afraid. I am still intimidated by the smart phone I got two years ago. A computer in my pocket? Why?) Anyway, going to try to comment more often as I see things that perk my interest. :)
I wasn't sure about Middlesex either because I have been disappointed by popular books before, often they do not live up to the hype for me. I have to say that Middlesex was really worth it, I hope you'll enjoy as much as I have.re:Black ships, I love the history and mythology of the classical period so I notice when authors deviate or take liberties with their stories, in this case it didn't work for me. I know this book has been very popular with my friends (who then recommended it to me) and they enjoyed the story. Probably I'm too picky, but I can't help it, we like what we like, right?
Definitely have a look at Mindsight, fascinating subject.
Thank you for accepting my friend request Stephanie :)
Kiwi wrote: "I wasn't sure about Middlesex either because I have been disappointed by popular books before, often they do not live up to the hype for me. I have to say that Middlesex was really worth it, I hope..."Good to know about "Black Ships." I know one other person who has read it, and she thought it was okay...so, three stars in the Goodreads terminology. Combined with your reaction, I feel like that's enough to temper my expectations anyway because the description of it is awesome and I probably would be super disappointed when I read it. This way, if I do end up really liking it, I will be pleasantly surprised.
I probably won't read it until next year though, I seem to have my year planned out for me as of now (which I prefer (because I am borderline OCD, as I said), but I am slowly accumulating a list of books that I need to find a way to read next year- there are just too many). I feel like I already have more books on my TBR list than I could possibly read in my lifetime, but I keep adding more. Oh well, at least it will be fun. :)
Stephanie (R-A) wrote: "I know one other person who has read it, and she thought it was okay...so, three stars in the Goodreads terminology...."I know some people use 3 stars to mean OK but according to Goodreads 2 stars rating means OK (mousing over the stars: 1 star = did not like it; 2 stars = it was OK; 3 stars = I liked it; 4 stars = I really liked it; 5 stars = it was amazing). It seems that I'm in agreement with your friend.
BTW, I don't mean to be a nitpicker, just a clarification so that you know how I rate, I wouldn't want to give the impression I didn't care for a book when I liked it :)
Stephanie (R-A) wrote: "I feel like I already have more books on my TBR list than I could possibly read in my lifetime, but I keep adding more. Oh well, at least it will be fun. :) ..."
A lifetime of reading, one book at a time, and as you say it will be fun!
Imagine running out of books to read, that's a scary thought!
Time to work on my personal challenges, in March I’d like to read:A Chunkster: Dark Fire
New2Me: The Grand Sophy ?
TBR favourite genres- Fantasy: Gardens of the Moon , plus a classic: TBD
History: Ransom and probably another one
A couple of books remain to complete Bookriot’s challenge, I’d like to knock off at least one of these and two or three for the Popsugar challenge. We’ll see …
Currently readingYou're Never Weird on the Internet, that is proving really funny and Belle, which contain more sex scenes than I expected, but this book was a present so I feel I need to read it :P
Finished:Belle, Received as a gift, lovely thought but unfortunately it wasn’t my cup of tea, 2 stars
You're Never Weird on the Internet:
I’ve never heard of Felicia Day until I picked up this book to fill one of the tasks of the Popsugar challenge (A book written by a celebrity). I listened to her audiobook and I enjoyed it very much.
This book may not be for everyone (it helps if you like the socially awkward, videogames obsessed neurotic personality and have a wicked sense of humour). I connected with her geeky persona and found her very funny.
This is another example of this year reading serendipity. 3.5 stars rounded up.
Ransom, 4 stars:This book recounts the events in the last books of the Iliad in a surprisingly modern way, but it retains the power and elegance of the ancient text. I was impressed by Malouf’s ability to express the humanity of the characters and his enchanting language skills. I really liked how the author seamlessly weaved the tales of an unknown character, Somax, with the famous heroes and gods.
While I loved the tender dialogue between Priam and Hecuba, I think that Malouf spent too much time narrating Priam and Somax journey to the Myrmidons camp. I felt that the later exchange between Priam and Achilles, that should have been the climax of the story, was, comparatively, too brief. Sadly, in this retelling, Andromache's lament is missing.
The book concludes with Priam’s tragic end by the hand of Achilles' son. While this episode is not part of the Iliad (it is present in the Aeneid), I think this inclusion makes sense and it is a fit ending to a great story. Overall, it is a brilliant novel.
Favourite quotes:
The chance to break free of the obligation of being always the hero, as I am expected always to be the king. To take on the lighter bond of being simply a man. Perhaps that is the real gift I have to bring him. Perhaps that is the ransom.
The image I mean to leave is a living one. Of something so new and unheard of that when men speak my name it will stand forever as proof of what I was. An act, in these terrible days, that even an old man can perform, that only an old man dare perform, of whom nothing now can be expected of noise and youthful swagger. Who can go humbly, as a father and as a man, to his son’s killer, and ask in the gods’ name, and in their sight, to be given back the body of his dead son. Lest the honour of all men be trampled in the dust.
At his feet, the body whose quiet he can accept now as a mirror of his own. So long as he sits here, there can be no conflict between them. They are in perfect amity. Their part in the long war is at an end.
Dark Fire, 3.5 starsOthello and CliffsComplete Othello, 3.5 stars each
The Round House, 4 stars, my thoughts:
This novel is set on an Ojibwe reservation in North Dakota and begins with the rape of a tribal judge’s wife. The mystery is viewed through the lenses of her son, thirteen year-old Joe Coutts. Having lost his innocence, Joe’s tale develops into an unusual coming of age story in the unfamiliar (for me) Native American world of tribal legends, way of life and customs.
There are many serious moral issues to be reflected upon: Should it matter where a crime was committed when it comes to bringing the perpetrator to justice? Could an unselfish act like organ donation be bitterly regretted later on? Would betrayal of a friend be justified if it were the only way to escape an abusive relationship? When “The Law” lets you down how far would you go to seek justice? Is your soul the price to pay for retribution?
The author narration is matter of fact, no affectation, not even quotation marks for direct speech, unmediated and powerful, it effectively communicates the underlying tension.
In reading this book, I experienced a roller-coaster of emotions, I was disturbed by the horror of the rape but moved by Linda’s story, I laughed at Grampa’s (Mooshum) birthday present and was touched by Sonja’s low sense of self-esteem, and what to make of Granma Thunder’s passionate anecdotes and advice?
I loved how the author’s narration expressed the nuanced but strong bonds of friendships and family among the well-drawn characters and how she directly describes the impact of decisions upon other people’s lives.
This is how I like an emotional book to be, deeply moving but not manipulative. This powerful novel delivers a lot more than the crime thriller story one can assume from its cover.
Favourite quotes:
Lots of men cry after they do something nasty to a woman. I don’t have a daughter anymore. I thought of you like my son. But you just turned into another piece a shit guy. Another gimme-gimme asshole, Joe. That’s all you are.
That’s why I did it, I thought. And I was satisfied right then. So she could give her colander a shake. She didn’t have to look behind her, or fear he would sneak up on her. She could pick her bush beans all day and nobody was going to bother her.
Any judge knows there are many kinds of justice—for instance, ideal justice as opposed to the best-we-can-do justice, which is what we end up with in making so many of our decisions.
And there was that moment when my mother and father walked in the door disguised as old people. I thought the miles in the car had bent them, dulled their eyes, even grayed and whitened their hair and caused their hands and voices to tremble. At the same time, I found, as I rose from the chair, I’d gotten old along with them. I was broken and fragile.
In all those miles, in all those hours, in all that air rushing by and sky coming at us, blending into the next horizon, then the one after that, in all that time there was nothing to be said. I cannot remember speaking and I cannot remember my mother or my father speaking. I knew that they knew everything. The sentence was to endure. ….We passed over in a sweep of sorrow that would persist into our small forever. We just kept going.
After the round house, I feel I need something light. I've decided to start The Grand Sophy, my very first Georgette Heyer
The Grand SophyI’m no book snob, but I must admit I was sceptic when one of my good friends suggested Georgette Heyer’s novels. There is a lot of horse talk and a great deal of drama, but this book was such a fun read. I’ve added Georgette Heyer to the list of authors to reach for when in need of entertaining and light read. Thank you for the gentle nudge my friend, you were right, this was fun! :D
3.5 stars
Currently reading Shards of Honour and I've just started The Almond Tree
Quick update:Shards of Honour, 2 stars
The Almond Tree, 3 stars
The Granny, 3 stars
How to be a Grrrl: by Lucy van Pelt, 2 stars
With The Almond Tree I completed Book Riot's Read harder challenge!
I'm almost finished with Gardens of the Moon and also reading a short novel: The Young Wan
Gardens of the Moon, 3 stars:Phew, finally finished! This book required all my attention and patience (not a virtue I possess in abundance). I liked the complex world that Erikson created, Moon's Spawn floating fortress idea, the Bridgeburners and many other great characters.
On the other hand, the paranormal (view spoiler) is not my kind of fantasy. I think that the author writing style (with an increasing number of questions left unanswered as the story progresses) doesn’t suit me. To avoid further frustration, I’ve decided not to continue this series.
The Young Wan, 2.5 starsQuick and easy read, still funny and heart-warming but the profanities (view spoiler) were unnecessary IMO. Agnes parents love story was also too fairy-tale and predictable. For these reasons, I enjoyed this prequel less than The Granny
What Was Mine, 3.5 starsA great psychological thriller about a snatched baby, any mother’s nightmare. The focus of this novel is not the crime itself but family relationships, motherhood most of all. The story unfolds via short chapters from multiple POVs.
I really liked this book, it has an excellent pace and thoughtful psychological probing, Helen Klein Ross is a talented writer and I’ll look forward to her next book.
Pompeii, 3 stars and A Child al Confino: A True Story of Escape in War-Time Italy, 3.5 stars:
Interesting memoir, the war seen through the eyes of a child. Enrico’s fear, hopes, curiosity, interests, complicated family relationships; it all sounded so real to me. I loved the story at beginning, the time spent in Austria, then the Nazi invasion and the move to Italy. The final part was also thrilling with vivid descriptions of his escape to the monastery in the mountains and his post-war life. The middle part, where Enrico describes his many months spent in Ospitaletto, was perhaps too detailed and dull at times due to the domesticity and the limited experiences that the little village offered.
A great story of human resilience and love.
A couple of duds for me:Microserfs, 2 stars
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, 2 stars:
Beautiful writing but I found the constant loneliness and incommunicability themes were too bleak for my liking. The feeling of alienation was depressing. I seem to have trouble with these types of books, I had the same experience reading The Bell Jar, both were not my cup of tea.
Carson McCullers’ talent is undeniable but this classic is not going to rank among my favourites.
Currently reading:The Denniston Rose
Mindfulness: A practical guide to finding peace in a frantic world
and
The Eagle and the Raven
The Denniston Rose, 4.5 stars rounded up:A splendid novel set in Denniston, a small mining community of NZ in the 1880s. It is a great story and the characters so three-dimensional that pop out of the pages. I loved this book and highly recommend it.
It's the last day of the month and time for March summary:# Books read: 20
# Pages read: 7,250
Average Rating: 3.15
Best book of the month: (NF) You’re never weird on the internet / The Denniston rose (F)
Best yield/payoff book: Ransom (3 challenges)
Challenges completed:
• Challenge 10: Book Riot's Read Harder challenge 24/24
Currently planning my April reads ...
Cold in July, 3 stars.I’ve joined another couple of group reading challenges!
The goal for April is to complete the Popsugar challenge (only one book remaining) and work on my other ones, so here is my initial list:
Popsugar: The Bartender's Tale ?
Famous people: The Eagle and the Raven (currently reading)
New 2 Me: The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski (+ fantasy-month)
TBR Mystery: The Lewis Man
TBR Children: Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
Recommended: The Kitchen House ?
The Eagle and the Raven, 2.5 stars (DNF after about 500 pages) and Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, 3.5 stars rounded up.
Currently reading The Bartender's Tale
The Bartender's Tale, 3.5 stars - Popsugar challenge completed!The Lewis Man, 4.5 stars:
I liked this second book in May’s trilogy even more than the first.
Fin Macleod, who left the police and has returned to Lewis, gets involved in the investigation of the body of a murdered man discovered in a peat bog. DNA indicates that the victim was related to a local man, Tormod Macdonald, who is McLeod ex-girlfriend father and is now suffering from dementia. The story is told from Fin’s perspective, but also from Tormond’s. These memories from the old man were my favourite parts together with the beautiful descriptions of the windswept landscapes and the hardy people who inhabit the solitary Hebrides islands.
I’m looking forward to the series conclusion but I’m going to save it as a treat for later.
Half way through Knife and I'm going to start The Last Wish soon
I can't believe you are already done with the Pop Sugar Challenge! I am maybe a quarter of the way there. Awesome job!
Stephanie (R-A) wrote: "I can't believe you are already done with the Pop Sugar Challenge! I am maybe a quarter of the way there. Awesome job!"Thanks Stephanie, thanks to this group there are so many challenges to choose from that we are spoiled for choice and there are always new ones popping up!
Good luck with your Popsugar challenge, I hope you're having fun choosing and reading the books for it.
Knife, 3 stars andThe Last Wish for my new2me authors, a very pleasant surprise 3.5 stars rounded up:
On paper, this novel should not have been my cup of tea and yet… there is more bloodshed than I would normally like in my fantasy, but I really liked this interpretation of old fairy tales mainly thanks to the author’s credible characterisation. This was a lot of fun, different to your run-of-the mill fantasy retelling.
I absolutely loved Geralt, the white-haired witcher, a clever but troubled anti-hero. I credit the audio version, read by Peter Kenny, to my high rating too, I highly recommend it!
Polish authors are an unknown to me, so I am glad I saw this series recommended in one of the fantasy forums and I wonder how many wonderful authors we are missing out on, because they haven’t been translated yet. I’m happy that I gave Sapkowski a try, I can’t wait to read his next book in this series!
Currently reading:for my Take a Chance challenge: Watchmen, oh boy, I have just started but this is so not my cup of tea
and ....
The Spartans: The World of the Warrior-heroes of Ancient Greece
plus slowly continuing with Mindfulness: A practical guide to finding peace in a frantic world
abandoned Watchmen, The Spartans: The World of the Warrior-heroes of Ancient Greece, 3 stars
From the author’s background and credentials I was expecting a more rigorous and formal approach. The mostly unstructured format of this book (with frequent digressions from the topic) makes the narrative fluid, like a lecture. On the other hand, it makes it harder, later on, to find relevant information, to use the book as reference and causes the author to repeat himself often.
The cameos sections on the biographies of important Spartan figures and in particularly the one on Cynisca (the first woman to win at the Olympic Games) were interesting.
Sparta: The Warrior State of Ancient Greece, 4 stars:
Well organised and highly informative, this is an excellent insightful introduction book. The details of Spartan military campaigns are a bit sparse but to the benefit of a simple and clear exposition. A minor complaint is the lack of maps and an important dates timeline (on of my pet peeve in history books :). It is available in kindle format at a bargain price. Recommended.
Continuing in the non fiction, history vein, I'm currently reading: The Tigress of Forlì: Renaissance Italy's Most Courageous and Notorious Countess, Caterina Riario Sforza de Medici, interesting so far.and on the fiction front: The Kitchen House
Currently enjoying the school holidays, with more time for reading, bliss!latest reads:
83.The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom ****
84.The Tigress of Forlì: Renaissance Italy's Most Courageous and Notorious Countess, Caterina Riario Sforza de Medici by Elizabeth Lev ****
85.The Spartan WayThe Spartan Way by Nic Fields ****
86.Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie **
87.The Testament of Mary by Colm Tóibín ***
88.Goodbye, Mr. Chips by James Hilton ****
PS: another challenge completed: TBR slimming 60/60, Yay!
89.The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate by Ted Chiang ***90.Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold ***
This novel started really strong for me. I loved the author’s detailed attention to the main character (Lady Ista) characterization. I liked the idea of pilgrimage as an escape the royal court stiff environment, which is what you’d expect from a spirited mature woman in Middle-ages type setting. My interest waned when the demons turned up and became the focus of the story. I think I would have enjoyed this novel far more if the book were to continue as an historical novel rather than paranormal fantasy. I loved Lois McMaster Bujold writing style but not enough to read the next in the series. 2.5 stars rounded up.
91.Fool Me Once by Harlan Coben ****
I enjoyed this novel, but not as much as I hoped. The story is solid and the pace great, it even fooled me, as I didn’t guess the ending, it’s the protagonist that wasn’t to my tastes. Military or ex-military characters are popular these days, surely Maya fits into the expected stereotype of a traumatised ex-soldier, but her leathery personality and too cold attitude was not my cup of tea (even if it all made sense in the end). 3.5 stars rounded up
The Pecan Man, 4 stars:Sweet but not saccharine novel that starts with tragedy and cover-up lies but develops into a great heart-warming story. It may not be completely original and it may remind of many others books that deal with racial prejudice, but I loved Ora, the narrator, her reflections on the nature of colour discrimination felt real to me. I look forward to reading more of Cassie Dandridge Selleck’s work.
I should mention that the audio version read by Suzanne Toren contributed to this thoroughly enjoyable read.
Favourite quote:
The older I get, the less I care what people think of me, but I care a great deal about people knowing my business.
Monthly summary:# Books read: 20
# Pages read: 6,585
Average Rating: 3.40
Best book of the month: (NF) The tigress of Forli / The Lewis Man (F)
Best yield/payoff book: Mrs Frisby and the rats of the NIMH (5 challenges)
Challenges completed:
• Challenge TBR slimming on 22/4/16
With April gone, it’s time for a yearly recap! My 2016 main goal was to reduce the long-standing books on my TBR, I’m happy to see that is going well. My overall TBR count hasn’t decreased much but the number of pre-2016 books has gone down significantly.
Yearly challenges are also going well, with 5 completed to date:
Here’s the breakdown, it’s fairly spread out, as expected:
Most of my reads this year have been from new to me authors (71.74%), and I rated about a third of these (33.70%) 4 or 5 stars.Other stats for the year so far:
2025 Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
The Lewis Man (other topics)Jungle of Stone: The True Story of Two Men, Their Extraordinary Journey, and the Discovery of the Lost Civilization of the Maya (other topics)
Rain Dogs (other topics)
Rubbernecker (other topics)
Shutter Island (other topics)
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I liked the gutsy protagonist and the near future setting, not so much the cliché romance and rough sex scenes.
[book:Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situa..."
Yes, I found this very good - the humour was balanced by her VERY good depiction of depression. And in that medium made it more understandable than words can.