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2017 Individual Challenges
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Rumpelteazer's 2017 Challenge
I ran through Christie when I was a kid but I don't remember all the ones I read. I do remember enjoying Orient Express.
I thought Christie was okay. A couple of years ago I read a book of Miss Marple shorts. However, to me it's more something to read when I don't know what to read or need something simple.I had to laugh last week when I saw a piece about the film. In which the writer remarked that all the characters looked guilty. It made me wonder if he/she knows the story or not.
LOL
I had already decided to focus on my active series this summer. And now I've decided to try something new (for me).I've downloaded a randomizer app, in which you can enter your own lists and let the randomizer choose one. I've made a list with my current active series and I will let the app choose what I read. I can let it choose again if it picks a series I've just read. Also, I am allowed to read one non series book for each two series books I read.
I'm going to try this out this month. If it works for me I'll keep going the rest of the summer.
Summer of Night by Dan Simmons.I really liked this book, a great summer read. It's obviously inspired by Stephen King's It, which is why I read it. I love how the author manages, like King, to paint the picture of a summer vacation, which feels endless to the kids, the dread of things happening in a small town and the way the kids are not believed by the adults.
However, it won't get full marks from me. To me it's unclear what the baddy is. Sure, it's a bell. But the blurb hints at vampires, but it's not a traditional vampire. How does it influence people, how does it raise the dead and the monsters, how and why did it create them. In Stephen King's It there's a chapter which gives the origin of the baddy. This book gives some history, but it doesn't tell what it is and what it's motivations are. At the end of the book one of people influenced (I assume) by the baddy talks the kids, the main character trying to fight the evil, and tells them something like "and now is the time to tell you about the master's plans to create a new Dark Age", but he continues that he can't be bothered to do so because the kids will be killed and won't live to see the Dark Age.
There are two further books in the series, which I plan to read this summer, hopefully more will be revealed in those.
Day Four by Sarah Lotz.Sequel to The Three, and I thought it was better than its predecessor. It a more traditional horror thriller, you get some glimpses of how it is connected to the first story (it isn't a continuation of that storyline), but only at the end the link is made and a bit more of the veil is lifted. It isn't fully clear yet what's behind the incidents of both books so my guess at least one, possible more books will follow.
Now, onwards with the next book in The River series, as I was told to do by the randomizer app. After that I'll allow can read a stand alone book, maybe two, since I've read 5 series books in a row.
You're doing great! I'm currently all over the place. but what I need to start doing is reading books I own. Where's the app for that, lol?
MrsJoseph wrote: "You're doing great! I'm currently all over the place. but what I need to start doing is reading books I own. Where's the app for that, lol?"
Well, after reading a couple of pages of the next The River book I realized I wasn't just not in the mood for it but that the series had gotten repetitive and the characters were still the same as at the start of the series. So I decided to shelve the series and the randomizer told me to read the second Others book, which was a great choice.
So far this year I've been doing well with reading books that I already have. Except for new and next books in series I like I bought only a few new books. I did get a lot of Amy Cross books, but those were freebies, so I don't count those.
Bianca wrote: "MrsJoseph wrote: "You're doing great! I'm currently all over the place. but what I need to start doing is reading books I own. Where's the app for that, lol?"
Well, after reading a couple of pag..."
I'm so moody... I pick up all sorts of things lately. But I have tried to read more books that I own this year. Not that it's really worked, lol. Lots of library books however.
My problem is that if I buy a new book and not read it within a couple of weeks it's likely not to be read for a long while, if ever. So I stopped buying books on a whim. As a result I've been reading books on my Kindle and not letting them pile up (and the wiping them when I reset my Kindle).Early last month I wasn't in the mood for anything, luckily I was able to get over it quickly.
This is my exact problem! I think I do the same thing...except I have a hard time controlling the book buying...
Lol, I've been able to control myself better with book buying, my wishlist on Amazon, however, has exploded. It's time to go through it again and delete books I've lost interest in. However, it's also dangerous, going through my wishlist, as I always end up buying at least a couple of books.
Bianca wrote: "Lol, I've been able to control myself better with book buying, my wishlist on Amazon, however, has exploded. It's time to go through it again and delete books I've lost interest in. However, it's a..."lol!
I put things on my wishlist to get them OUT of my cart. O_O cause I keep like 300+ items in my cart.
I always want to buy something....
Right now I have these books teasing me:
Shadow Fall
Shadow Chase
The Last Herald-Mage (omnibus to replace the 3 MMPB I have currently)
Dare to Go A-Hunting
*****LOVE ****After the Crown - SUCH a great space opera!
The Obelisk Gate - trying to decide to buy THIS edition or wait to see if Subterranean will release a limited edition. They did one for book 1 in this series and... WOOOOO that cover is gorg.
The Cloud Roads - I really should get a copy for my library. I have several of them.
I don't use my cart except when I buy a physical item from Amazon.Luckily, I'm currently in the mood for rereads. My next read will be The Mist and next month, when I'm house sitting I'm going to reread It in preparation for the new film. That'll make four rereads, which is kinda unheard of, plus I'm thinking of rereading Jane Eyre in autumn, though it remains to be seen if I'm still in the mood by then.
Tomorrow I'll go to Amsterdam until Monday (for the Russell Howard performance I purchased tickets for a year and a half ago). Tonight I'll finish my current book and start the next, and I have at least two dozen books on my Kindle, but I got nervous (haven't got access to my Calibre collection), so I added a bit more.
Murder of Crows by Anne Bishop.Great book, can't wait to read the next one (even if I know I should pace myself).
The Mist by Stephen King.My third reread of the year, though it was one of the first books in English I read, which was in 1994, so I couldn't remember much of the story. Just bits and pieces, which I most likely remembered from the film a couple of years ago. On Thursday the tv series based on this book will start, so I wanted to reread it before getting into that. A very enjoyable read and a very quick one, it did take me a couple of days because I went away for the weekend and had less time to read.
It looks like I have a Stephen King summer planned, wanting to reread both It and The Body (Stand by Me). I realized that Stephen King books to me are summer read, except The Shining (winter).
Bianca wrote: "Murder of Crows by Anne Bishop.Great book, can't wait to read the next one (even if I know I should pace myself)."
:-D
I gotta get over ths slump
The Living and the Dead in Winsford by Hakan Nesser.Meh. I kept on reading because I hoped for a good twist at the end, which didn't happen.
Bianca wrote: "The Living and the Dead in Winsford by Hakan Nesser.Meh. I kept on reading because I hoped for a good twist at the end, which didn't happen."
Don't you hate that? The only thing worse is figuring out the twist before you're 1/2 through.
MrsJoseph wrote: "Don't you hate that? The only thing worse is figuring out the twist before you're 1/2 through. "The first twist came about 1/3 of the way in and I guessed it right from the beginning. Even worse is that several of the thread of the story are left unsolved, and those aren't the less important ones but at least one very important one. Oh well.
The Chalk Pit by Elly Griffits.Very good, though my usual gripe with these type of crime/mystery books: why do the main characters or a family member or friend of them get caught up in the crime? Even without that the story would have been good.
Meanwhile, I'm trying to hold off starting my reread of It again. I promised myself to reread it when I'm house/dog sitting, which is still two and a half weeks away.
On a better note; the weather has turned and it has cooled down considerably (when It's hot I tend to take a very long nap on my afternoons off, which is when I normally read). This week brings milder temperatures and a lot rain: perfect reading weather.
Bianca wrote: "The Chalk Pit by Elly Griffits.Very good, though my usual gripe with these type of crime/mystery books: why do the main characters or a family member or friend of them get caught u..."
My pet peeve is almost the same thing: it's when the civilian gets the law enforcement professional talk them into letting the civilian come along/get involved. It's always a facepalm moment for me.
Mount Dragon by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child.A fun thriller.
Now that the first half of the year is over I took a look at my stats. Even if this is a year is a non-challenge year for me I'm doing well. I'm 9-10 books ahead of schedule, I've read 2000 pages more than during the first half of an average year and I've only had one book I didn't finish. I've also tried out sixteen new authors so far. I am liking the randomizer app to choose which series I'm reading next, so I'll keep doing that, although if I'm really in the mood for a certain series I will read a book from that.
Whispers Under Ground by Ben Aaronovitch.A great read.
Now, it seems that summer is not only time for rereading Stephen King's It, but also for some long historical novel like The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, Gone with the Wind and The Thorn Birds. I can't find anything in my library that catches my fancy, so I will need to look for something new.
True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey.The story itself is good, the writing style, however, makes it a slog. It is written by Ned Kelly, who stopped going to school when he was 12. So, not much in punctuation besides a sentence starting with a capital and ending with a period. Also, many spelling mistakes and wrong words used ("of" instead of "have"). Which results in having to regularly reread sentences and paragraphs in order to make sense of them.
Through a Glass, Darkly by Donna LeonA good read.
I've been looking at which books I've reread so far this year and I know for certain I read four before. However, I think I might have read Summer of Night, but I'm not entirely sure. Some scenes were very familiar, however I read a lot of horror and you regularly find things that are inspired by/ripped off from other books. If I read it it would have been in the 1990s when I read the whole English horror section. I know for sure I don't own the book myself.
The question is if I should count it as a reread or not.
Vision in Silver by Anne Bishop.A great read, only two left in the series before I'm up to date.
Now it's time to visit Robert Gray in Derry, Maine again. The parts set in the 1950s are my favourite, so I think I'll speed read through the 1980s parts this time.
Those look like some good reads! (ha!good reads)I'm not really reading anything - too many video games.
I'm very happy with my book selection so far this year. Only one I didn't finish and a couple of mehs.From Saturday on I'm house sitting for three and a half weeks, traditionally I read more than average. This year I want to be creative with my watercolour (basically justifying the fact that over the last year I bought five sets of watercolours). Although chances are that some time during the last week I realize I haven't done much, if anything, with all my supplies and go on a creative frenzy to justify having taken all those supplies with me.
Video games are cool too. Earlier this year I was addicted to Stardew Valley for a while, might pick up playing again during the house sitting.
Bianca wrote: "I'm very happy with my book selection so far this year. Only one I didn't finish and a couple of mehs.From Saturday on I'm house sitting for three and a half weeks, traditionally I read more than..."
Honestly, that sounds rather amazing.
The house sitting?I like it, although I have to do everything myself being on my own means I don't have to be social and Luca doesn't mind if I keep reading while I'm reading or watching tv. I work a day less a week than I normally would, so although I'm not on vacation I do have enough time to introvert and recharge my batteries.
Weird book cravings strike again. This time I'm in the mood for horrors set in the woods. However, a whole bunch deal with "horny, inbred family of cannibals" (or things in that vein), which is not what I'm looking for. I did manage to add a bunch to my Amazon wishlist, which I think of separating in multiple lists.I'm still reading It, should finish it on Sunday or Monday, but I won't read another horror next, I need something different. Probably the next Jeremy Logan, which are usually fun and easy reads.
It by Stephen King.A good reread. It took a while, so not very good for my book count, but it was very good for my average length of the books I've read (390).
Now starting my sixth reread this year, The Third Gate by Lincoln Child. I read it in 2012, when it was just released. I didn't realise it was part of a series and hadn't read the first two books. I'm now making my way through the series, which means rereading this one.
The Third Gate by Lincoln Child.It amazed me how much I remembered of this book after almost exactly five years (originally read it July 30 - August 1 2012) and over 500 books. Especially since although this book was good enough but not seriously good.
My next book is Ghost Story by Peter Straub. I read Shadowland in 2013 and wasn't that impressed. However, I know that over the last couple of years my tastes have changed, so I thought I would give him another try. I think I might have read The Talisman, which he wrote together with Stephen King, during my initial Stephen King and books in English binge in 1994 or 1995. Can't remember what I thought about it. If I like this book I might give his other books a try.
Bianca wrote: "Weird book cravings strike again. This time I'm in the mood for horrors set in the woods. However, a whole bunch deal with "horny, inbred family of cannibals" (or things in that vein), which is not..."lol
I see that's a pretty well traveled trope.
MrsJoseph wrote: "lolI see that's a pretty well traveled trope. "
Yep, iirc it's mocked in the movie The Cabin in the Woods (which mocks many horror tropes). I've read several Richard Laymon novels, so I've had my fill of inbred cannibals.
Another popular trope that, imho, has gotten old over the past couple of years is the one where the main character has lost a loved one, moves to a different city, often a remote village, and into an old house and things start to go bump in the night. If the main character is a child he or she isn't believe by his/her parent(s) when told about the goings on.
So, when I read a description telling me Johnny has lost his fiancée, moved to a cabin in the woods which is inhabited by a family of horny cannibals, I run away, fast ;).
LOLOL! I know, right?? I agree. Even the fantasy I've read with the trope is to be avoided.
I love haunted house (actually, pretty much haunted everything) horrors. But when I read certain keywords I will find something else. I'm not interested in cannibals, zombies, lost a loved one or single women buying/renting a haunted house and are helped to solve the mystery by a handsome man (usually either the sheriff or the contractor that was hired to redecorate/restore the house). Just like I've become allergic for books with silly subtitles, which they are doing to books by big time authors now, too.
I just click away the tab, thinking to myself there are other scares and thrills to be had without all the silliness.
I've become a book snob, I can remember that I basically downloaded everything that looked remotely interesting that was free and that I read series out of order (at uni in the UK I started with the longest ones in the series to get most out of my money).
My cousin reads True Crime only now (for the most part).
Ghost Story by Peter Straub.A good book. I would call it a psychological horror. It isn't your typical blood and gore splashing everywhere king of book. It builds up slow (it took a while for me to get into) and it doesn't depend on monsters jumping out. It does have a monster, but only the idea of a monster like that it scary enough.
Goodreads just recommended the series Fred, the Vampire Accountant to me. LOL. Apparently a humorous urban fantasy series and the first book promises, amongst other things, "chipper zombies".I'm almost tempted.
The Home Crowd Advantage by Ben Aaronovitch.Broken Homes by Ben Aaronovitch.
I hadn't seen that twist coming, as a result the next book has jumped up my TBR list.
Why does GR suddenly mark all the posts, except for the first one, as new for me?
Bianca wrote: "Why does GR suddenly mark all the posts, except for the first one, as new for me?"ALl of GR is crazy. I really don't even know how I got here except I'm clicking on random threads. ALL my threads (just about) are showing ALL the entries as new.
No matter how many times I click them.
(My OCD is going INSANE).
MrsJoseph wrote: "ALl of GR is crazy. I really don't even know how I got here except I'm clicking on random threads. ALL my threads (just about) are showing ALL the entries as new.No matter how many times I click them.
(My OCD is going INSANE). "
I just read the thread in the Feedback group.
My notification-OCD is also in overdrive (the same happens when my Facebook app doesn't want to remove the notification thingy after I've read all my notifications).
Alright you two, what have you done?! ;)My threads were fine earlier but now this one said I hadn't read anything except the first two posts.
I went through a couple months ago and got rid of the "New" marks too. This is annoying.
Dazrin wrote: "Alright you two, what have you done?! ;):-D
Misery loves company. ;)
Marked in Flesh by Anne BishopThis series gets better with each book. Only one more to go and I'm all up to date.
My house and dog sitting is almost over. They should return on Tuesdays. I'm so looking forward to sleeping in my own soft bed again. If I finish my current book, which should be doable, I'll have read 3485 pages in those three and a half weeks. Not bad.
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Suffer the Little Children (other topics)The Dreaming Void (other topics)
Artemis (other topics)
The Demon Crown (other topics)
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An okay mystery.