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Archive Personal Challenges 2016
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Carolyn reads the Chunksters in 2016
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Have fun:)
I think that's one reason I avoid them for bedtime reading but I also don't like carting them around in my bag to read on the way to work. I'll have to hope I don't get RSI!
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Have fun, Carolyn. Better prop the books on your lap, or on a book seat (or whatever it is they're called), to be on the safe side!
You will certainly feel "a tome" with this challenge Carolyn!Good luck ;))
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You're right Phrynne - I certainly will. No excuses now! Also looking forward to the Hobb :)
Phrynne wrote: "I started reading Robin Hobb but didn't get caught up in it. I will have to try again one day:)"Robin Hobb sometimes enthrals me, and sometimes not. I'm not sure why.
Phrynne wrote: "I started reading Robin Hobb but didn't get caught up in it. I will have to try again one day:)"From memory, I think her books take a bit to get into and the plot can get quite complex.I loved both the Tawny Man and the Farseer trilogy so I have a feeling I'll enjoy this new series.
Good luck with it all. Why are books getting bigger? So difficult to carry around.
Deb wrote: "Good luck with it all. Why are books getting bigger? So difficult to carry around."I don't know that bigger is a problem (except for the carrying maybe), but bigger means more reading :)
Leonie wrote: "Deb wrote: "Good luck with it all. Why are books getting bigger? So difficult to carry around."I don't know that bigger is a problem (except for the carrying maybe), but bigger means more reading :)"
Bigger can definitely be good Leonie! There's nothing like getting stuck into a really good epic of a novel (or even a trilogy ) and still not wanting it to end. I think I'm going to enjoy all the chunky books I have sitting on my shelf :)
January. First up will be:#1 Chunky book: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, 491 pages (not so chunky but it is January!) 4★
review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#1 Skinny book: Woman with a Blue Pencil by Gordon McAlpine 5 ★
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#2 Skinny book: Crooked Heart by Lissa Evans 4★
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#3 Skinny book: The Alchemist's Daughter by Katharine McMahon 2★
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Great idea. I tend to target skinnier books but at the moment am reading a 1100 page monster! The Red Queen
Oh this is a great idea! I'm guilty of cherry picking slimmer books too when reading in bed. I have IQ84 complete trilogy in one book waiting on myself shelf..So big and heavy!
I'd really love to read both those books Laura and Stef. Maybe after this challenge :)
February:#2 Chunky book: Heartstone by C.J. Sansom, 694 pages, 5★
review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#4 skinny book: Rush Oh! by Shirley Barrett 3.5★
review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#5 skinny book: City of Thieves by David Benioff 4.5★
review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
March:#3 Chunky book: The Dust that Falls from Dreams by Louis de Bernières, 528 pages 3.5★
review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#6 skinny book: What Angels Fear by C.S. Harris 4★
review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#7 skinny book: Monkeewrench by P.J. Tracy 5★
review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#8 skinny book: The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein 5★
review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#9 skinny book: The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri 4★
review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
April:#4 Chunky book: The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair by Joël Dicker, 615 pages, 4★
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#10 skinny book: Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys 4.5★
review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#11 skinny book: A Royal Pain by Rhys Bowen 3.5★
review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#12 Skinny book: You by Caroline Kepnes (433 pages, only just skinny!) 4★
review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#13 skinny book: The House of Frozen Dreams by Seré Prince Halverson 5★
review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
You're doing well with your chunkies.
Thanks Catsalive. I'm still having to force myself to put down the skinny books and choose a fat one! Will have to see if I can last the year :)
May:#5 Chunky book: Fool's Assassin by Robin Hobb 640 pages 4.5★
review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#14 skinny book: Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon 3★
review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#15 skinny book: Spirits of the Ghan by Judy Nunn 4.5★
review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#16 skinny book: The Secret River by Kate Grenville 5★
review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
June:#6 Chunky book: The Snowman by Jo Nesbø, 550 pages 4★
review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#17 skinny book: The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney 4★
review: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
#18 skinny book: The One-in-a-Million Boy by Monica Wood 5★
review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
July:#7 Chunky book: Skippy Dies by Paul Murray 660 pages 5★
review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#19 skinny book When Gods Die by C.S. Harris 4★
review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#20 skinny book Where the Trees Were by Inga Simpson 4★
review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#21 skinny book Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman 5★
review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Good idea to maintain a balance between chunks and skinnies, Carolyn. I've just finished a 600 pager, which I enjoyed very much, but it was so awkward to hold and especially to read in bed! It got a bit exhausting LOL. Deliberately chose a modest 300 pager to follow, which I knocked off in 2 days!
I agree Mary - I mainly read paperbacks in bed at night so the big books take me 1-2 weeks to get through and are heavy and clumsy. So it's nice to space them out with smaller books - plus I have so many sitting on my shelf that I want to read :)
August:#22. Skinny book: Live Bait by P.J. Tracy 4★
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#8 Chunky book: The Leopard by Jo Nesbø 740 pages 5★
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
September:#23. Skinny book: Six Years by Harlan Coben 5★
review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#9. Chunky book: Lamentation by C.J. Sansom - 673 pages 5★
review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
October:#24. Skinny book: Why Mermaids Sing by C.S. Harris 5★
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#10 Chunky book: A Madness of Angels by Kate Griffin 613 pages 3.5★
review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
November: #11. Chunky book: The Lake House by Kate Morton - 592 pages, 4.5★
review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#25. Skinny book: Abandoned Women: Scottish Convicts Exiled Beyond the Seas 3.5★
review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
# 26. Skinny book: The Strangler Vine by M.J. Carter 3★
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
December: Since I'm travelling until a week before Christmas with a small suitcase, I'm going to have to cheat and make this month's chunky an ebook, one that's been on my tbr for a while#12. Chunky book: The Tower of Ravens - 576 pages 4★
review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
# 27. Skinny book: Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris 5★
review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#28 Skinny book: The Nightmare Place by Steve Mosby 4★
review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Nice work on your chunksters, Caroline.
Thanks Catsalive! They do take a bit longer to get through than the regular sized books!
So I'm calling this challenge done. 39 paperbacks read this year from my bookshelf, 11 chunkies (plus one 500+ page ebook on holiday) and 28 regular sized books. Since Nature abhors a vacuum, the space has already been filled by new paperbacks but at least some of the long time extra big books have finally been read :)
Carolyn wrote: "So I'm calling this challenge done. 39 paperbacks read this year from my bookshelf, 11 chunkies (plus one 500+ page ebook on holiday) and 28 regular sized books. Since Nature abhors a vacuum, the..."
Well done Carolyn! Especially as this challenge includes chunksters, that makes it an even more impressive victory.
Lol...love that you have filled the void already, it's like digging a hole in sand isn't it!? :D
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Aussie Readers
Books mentioned in this topic
The Nightmare Place (other topics)The Tower of Ravens (other topics)
Behind Closed Doors (other topics)
The Strangler Vine (other topics)
Abandoned Women: Scottish Convicts Exiled Beyond the Seas (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Steve Mosby (other topics)B.A. Paris (other topics)
M.J. Carter (other topics)
Kate Morton (other topics)
Kate Griffin (other topics)
More...
In 2015 I started a Bookshelf of Unread paperbacks and challenged myself to read 50 of them. I just managed to do that, however, as I mainly read paperbacks in bed I've been guilty of cherry picking the slimmer volumes and now my bookshelf is being overrun by big, fat books.
So in 2016 I intend to read at least one chunky paperbook (450+ pages) per month as well as at least two skinny ones. My goal is therefore to read 12 chunky and 24 skinny paperbacks from my bookshelf by the end of the year.
The books chosen may include (but are not limited to):
The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Faber
The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing
Along the Infinite Sea by Beatriz Williams
Heartstone by C.J. SansomLamentation by C.J. SansomThe Dust That Falls from Dreams by Louis de BernièresThe Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair by Joël DickerThe Snowman by Jo NesbøThe Leopard by Jo NesbøFool's Assassin by Robin HobbThe Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
Never Coming Back by Tim Weaver
The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Kay Penman
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo