Bookbuster Challenge Book Lists

[Bkwmlee]

Just realized I didn't post an updated list yet so here it is...completed 14 out of 26 books so far. Also, my list has changed ALOT since I last posted...

A – The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (COMPLETED in May)
B – The Idiot by Elif Batuman (COMPLETED in May)
C – Wild Boar / Murder in San Jose / French Kiss (various plays) by Candice Chong
D – All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (COMPLETED in January)
E – MacArthur’s Spies: the Soldier, the Singer, and the Spymaster Who Defied the Japanese in World War II by Peter Eisner (COMPLETED in May)
F – Last Things by Betta Ferrendelli (COMPLETED in February)
G – The Little French Bistro by Nina George (COMPLETED in June)
H – From Sand and Ash by Amy Harmon
I – The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
J – All the Flowers in Shanghai by Duncan Jepson
K – Gone: A Girl, A Violin, A Life Unstrung by Myn Kim (COMPLETED in May)
L – The Barrowfields by Phillip Lewis (COMPLETED in April)
M – The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham (COMPLETED in January)
N – Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
O – Regarding Anna by Florence Osmund
P – The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
Q – One For the Books by Joe Queenan
R – The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir by Jennifer Ryan (COMPLETED in March)
S – The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See (COMPLETED in February)
T – The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley by Hannah Tinti (COMPLETED in March)
U – In the Beauty of the Lilies by John Updike
V – Memories Before and After The Sound of Music by Agathe Von Trapp
W – Theresa Smith at the Court of Heaven by Polly Walshe (COMPLETED in March)
X – History’s Fiction: Stories from the City of Hong Kong by Xu Xi
Y – All the Best People by Sonja Yoerg (COMPLETED in April)
Z - The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

[Pat]

On my last one. Xinran. Thanks for recommending as starting off well. Great challenge although I've not marked them all down on my headings for this challenge- somehow have lost 3. Too lazy to work out which. I am a Leo and that's my excuse.

A- A god in ruins. Kate Atkinson
B - SPQR: A history of ancient Rome. Mary Beard
C -Don't Tell Mum I Work on the Rigs, She Thinks I'm a Piano Player in a Whorehouse. Paul Carter
D- A dying light in Córdoba Lindsey Davis
E - Dark tides by Chris Ewan
F Claire Fuller. Our endless numbered days
G- Problem to solution. Evan George et al
H - Leap In: A Woman, Some Waves and the Will to Swim. Alexandra Heminsley
I The horse boy, Rupert Isaacson
J Sculptors daughter. Rove Jansen
K-You are therefore i am. Satish Kumar
L - A house in the sky. Amanda Lindhout
M - The Tidal Zone. Sarah Moss
N- Liz Nugent. Lying in Wait
O- Natural causes. James Oswald
P-Rest. Why you get more done when you work less. Alex Soojung-Kim Pang
Q Freya. Anthony Quinn.
R-Set in darkness. Ian Rankin
S- The January Man. Christopher Somerville.
T - The 12 lives of Samuel Hawley. Hannah Tinti
U- Die for you. Lisa Unger.
V- Mr Golightly's holiday. Salley Vickers
W - Watching Eddie. Camilla Way
X- Xinran Sky Burial
Y-Six Four. Hideo Yokoyama
Z-The lady of sorrows. Anne Zouroudi

[Pat]

I've done it! I'm not sure I've ever finished a challenge so quickly. All thanks to Paul for his inspiration.....Now to numbers challenge....which I may not complete due to tome that I see for my August book club book.

[Rebecca]

Well done for finishing so quickly, I think I'm about 7 away. But, don't tease us, what is the tome?

[Pamela]

Well done Pat, finishing with months to spare!

[Jason]

Well done Pat, I still can't believe you didn't go with my recommendation for Z. :-)

[Pat]

I was tempted Jason. I may read it yet. Maybe Paul could do a challenge where this is a compulsory book. I can't believe I've finished either. A more indolent year obviously

[Pat]

Marion Molteno, Uncertain light is the tome. We often get tomes for our book club reads. As my last 2 books, recommended by Book Vipers peeps for X and Z, demonstrate, slim volumes are often better. It's how you use the words that count, not how many there are. Anna Karenina was good though.

[Danielle]

This is what I 've done so far

The green line:

William Somerset Maugham: The Razor's Edge
Patrick Ness: A Monster Calls
Anna Pasternak: Lara: The Untold Love Story and the Inspiration for Doctor Zhivago
Hanya Yanagihara: The People in the Trees
Evelyn Waugh: A Handful of Dust

For the blue line:

Georges Simenon: The Strangers in the House
Mario Vargas Llosa: The Bad Girl
Andrew Sean Greer: The Confessions of Max Tivoli
Moses Isegawa: Wie niet horen wil.

[Pat]

Wonderful

[Bkwmlee]

I'm down to 8 more books pending for this challenge. I know there are only 3 months left but I'm pretty intent on getting this completed. Luckily I don't have many books scheduled for November and December so the remaining 8 books will definitely get priority (if I don't get to them before then).

Below is my updated list:

A – The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (COMPLETED in May)
B – The Idiot by Elif Batuman (COMPLETED in May)
C – Wild Boar / Murder in San Jose / French Kiss (various plays) by Candice Chong
D – All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (COMPLETED in January)
E – MacArthur’s Spies: the Soldier, the Singer, and the Spymaster Who Defied the Japanese in World War II by Peter Eisner (COMPLETED in May)
F – Last Things by Betta Ferrendelli (COMPLETED in February)
G – The Little French Bistro by Nina George (COMPLETED in June)
H – Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (COMPLETED in August)
I – The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
J – All the Flowers in Shanghai by Duncan Jepson
K – Gone: A Girl, A Violin, A Life Unstrung by Myn Kim (COMPLETED in May)
L – The Barrowfields by Phillip Lewis (COMPLETED in April)
M – The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham (COMPLETED in January)
N – Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng (COMPLETED in September)
O – Regarding Anna by Florence Osmund
P – The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry (COMPLETED in September)
Q – The Alice Network by Kate Quinn (COMPLETED in August)
R – The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir by Jennifer Ryan (COMPLETED in March)
S – The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See (COMPLETED in February)
T – The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley by Hannah Tinti (COMPLETED in March)
U – In the Beauty of the Lilies by John Updike
V – Memories Before and After The Sound of Music by Agathe Von Trapp
W – Theresa Smith at the Court of Heaven by Polly Walshe (COMPLETED in March)
X – History’s Fiction: Stories from the City of Hong Kong by Xu Xi
Y – All the Best People by Sonja Yoerg (COMPLETED in April)
Z - The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

[Danielle]

Goal reached - I did 14 authors

The green line:

William Somerset Maugham: The Razor's Edge
Albert Camus: The Plague
Patrick Ness: A Monster Calls
Anna Pasternak: Lara: The Untold Love Story and the Inspiration for Doctor Zhivago
Hanya Yanagihara: The People in the Trees
Evelyn Waugh: A Handful of Dust
Beppe Fenoglio: Ruin

The blue line:

Shusako Endo: Silence
Susanna Jones: When Nights Were Cold
Georges Simenon: The Strangers in the House and The Train
Mario Vargas Llosa: The Bad Girl
Andrew Sean Greer: The Confessions of Max Tivoli
Moses Isegawa: Wie niet horen wil.
Doris Lessing: The Good Terrorist

[Jason]

Well done Danielle. what did you think of Silence?

[Paul]

Well done Danielle

[Pat]

well done

[Patricia]

Jason wrote: "Well done Danielle. what did you think of Silence?"

I was going to ask the same question. I just finished it a few weeks back.

[Jason]

Did you like it?

[Danielle]

I have to admit that I had doubts about 'Silence'. I was afraid there would be too much violence, but that wasn't the case. I rather liked it as it more than just a story on faith, doubt and redemption. It is also a story on clashing world views and assimilation. What struck me was that the Japanese catholics gave their own interpretation to the lithurgy and doctrine based on their own cultural background which is of course logical, but it sheds an interesting and different light on the phenomenon of conversion by catholic missionaries

[Patricia]

Danielle wrote: "I have to admit that I had doubts about 'Silence'. I was afraid there would be too much violence, but that wasn't the case. I rather liked it as it more than just a story on faith, doubt and redemp..."

I agree with your statements. I was concerned that it would be too heavy and dreary based on the first few pages of the prologue. I like historical fiction, but this sounded like it was going to be heavy on names, dates, and places I couldn't relate to or remember long enough to get into the story line. I'm glad I pushed on through the opening pages. I connected with the characters and found myself rooting for them. I also came away with a better understanding of the history and culture. That, for me, makes for a good book. I've found myself talking about it with friends and family--also a sign that it has merit.