You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion
Challenges: Monthly
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March 2017 - Bubble and Squeak
I read the Trilogy before I read the Hobbit, and you don't really need the backstory because it is recapped in The Fellowship.
Casceil wrote: "I read the Trilogy before I read the Hobbit, and you don't really need the backstory because it is recapped in The Fellowship."(I stand corrected)
: )
I listened to The Hobbit and the LOTR books on audio. I don't think I could have made it through them reading the printed versions. They are available on Kindle Unlimited with Narration if you are a subscriber. I really enjoyed all of the books, but there was definitely some slow parts that I probably would have fallen asleep during if reading.
Casceil wrote: "TrudyAn, You might find it easier to get interested in The Fellowship of the Ring, (the first book of the trilogy), rather than the Hobbit. I have always found the Hobbit less appealing f..."Maybe that is the way to go. I have those on my physical shelf as well. It's tough to start a book when I have a preconceived notion I'm not going to like it.
TrudyAn wrote: "Casceil wrote: "TrudyAn, You might find it easier to get interested in The Fellowship of the Ring, (the first book of the trilogy), rather than the Hobbit. I have always found the Hobbit ..."Give it a chance. I used to reread it every ten years or so.
I have only two that I started and refused to finish. I had three but gave Sandstorm a third chance and ended up liking it. The two still shelved are Florida Roadkill and Presumed Innocent.
TrudyAn wrote: "Maybe that is the way to go. I have those on my physical shelf as well. It's tough to start a book when I have a preconceived notion I'm not going to like it"Sometimes those turn out to be great reads. I'd rather be pleasantly surprised by a book I'm ambivalent about than to be to be disappointed by one I'm really excited over.
I may try to do this. I have a few. There is at least one that I thought of immediately, I Am Malala. Like many others, I also have a shelf for "unfinished" books!
Sarah wrote: "Also Iron Council which i read as a buddy read with Esther years ago. I got quite far but it wasn't doing anything for me. A shame as it's the last book in the series and i loved the first two books. Not sure if i can remember what was going on now though. .."
i was thinking about this one as well... If i can find it. i have another one i started way back, one of the Safehold series.... And.... Ok quite a few possibilities....
I for one, love The Hobbit. I have never finished the Fellowship of the Ring as I always get stuck in Tom bloody Bomberdill and can never get out.
Meghna wrote: "I have quite a long list for this category. I better get started! :) This seems like to good way to stop discovering new books for a month, and finish what I have!"Welcome Meghna! Lovely to have you jump in and join us.
Remember, this challenge is for one book only. You can read multiples, but only one will count for scoring.
Meghna wrote: "I have quite a long list for this category. I better get started! :) This seems like to good way to stop discovering new books for a month, and finish what I have!"Welcome to YLTO, Meghna. I'm afraid you'll never stop discovering new books with this group. We try to get you reading them with challenges and activities, but it's had to resist adding new books when you see what everyone else is reading. I'm looking forward to see what you are reading. They may end up on my wishlist. Hehehe!
Rusalka wrote: "I for one, love The Hobbit. I have never finished the Fellowship of the Ring as I always get stuck in Tom bloody Bomberdill and can never get out."I sympathise... I just speed read / skip the Bomberdill bit. Totally airy fairy and unnecessary if you ask me!
Annerlee wrote: "Rusalka wrote: "I for one, love The Hobbit. I have never finished the Fellowship of the Ring as I always get stuck in Tom bloody Bomberdill and can never get out."I sympathise... I just speed read / skip the Bomberdill bit. Totally airy fairy and unnecessary if you ask me! .."
I think that was kinda a tribute for the children, since J.R.R. Tolkien included many characters from his previous works in this epic.
I guess I'm the odd duck. I liked old Tom.
KimeyDiann wrote: "I guess I'm the odd duck. I liked old Tom."Nah, my old housemate's favourite part of the books is Tom. We have arguments about this still.
Rusalka wrote: "Thank you Dawn for the explanation. Does that make more sense Mariab? And don't worry, sometimes I am incredibly unclear.And Kristie, you good too? Sounds like you've got it though, but just chec..."
Yes, it is clear now; silly me, sometimes I can drown in a glass of water...
Annerlee wrote: "Casceil wrote: "TrudyAn, You might find it easier to get interested in The Fellowship of the Ring, (the first book of the trilogy), rather than the Hobbit. I have always found the Hobbit ..."I love this particular character of the Serie! I have searched for years now a book Tolkien had (supposedly) written about him, with no avail!
Mariab wrote: "Yes, it is clear now; silly me, sometimes I can drown in a glass of water... "Not at all! You bi/tri/quadruple lingual people blow my mind.
I've started my retry of The Fallen. It is on audio, so I can't exactly say how many pages I had finished with the first time I tried to read it. Judging by how much I have listened to so far, I think I gave up at the end of disk 1. Would it be acceptable to take the # of pages from the book's GR page and divide by the number of disks to get an approximation? I'm actually enjoying the book quite a bit more this time. I don't think it is going to be a 5 star, blow-my-socks-off-fantastic book or anything, but it is holding my interest so far.
I am laughing because you have me checking each book against the potential score to see which one will give me the most points. So, far, all I can come up with is 7 points, and that is for the only book that I happened to have any YLTO reason for reading it at the time that I started it. I guess I will finish Tipping the Velvet for this challenge.
KimeyDiann wrote: "I've started my retry of The Fallen. It is on audio, so I can't exactly say how many pages I had finished with the first time I tried to read it. Judging by how much I have listened to..."I don't know how Rusalka will rule on that, but I figure it out by the percentage. So if I listened for 1 hour of a 10 hour book, I've listened to 10%. Then I translate that to the equivalent in pages based on the hardcover edition of the book.
I do occasionally fail to finish a book. I just went through my 'did not finish' shelf and there is no way I am going back to any of them, whatsoever, at all. None of them deserve a second chance. Those books are long gone, ex-books, books-that-have-ceased-to-be-part-of-my-consciousness.Instead, I will bake a cake, just for a change - : ) Inwill bring it here to class.....er....whatever we are. Besides, I suffered enough last week from those *choke choke* romance thingys!
*faints, on soft part of ground*
it's not on my shelf but I also never finished The Lord of the Rings....maybe I should try that again? *ponders* I was fairly uninspired by The Hobbit but I gather that bears no comparison.I feel entirely uninspired by this idea!
Deborah wrote: "it's not on my shelf but I also never finished The Lord of the Rings....maybe I should try that again? *ponders* I was fairly uninspired by The Hobbit but I gather that bears ..."I feel uninspired by the thought too, though I will undoubtedly get to it some day.
Deborah wrote: "*faints, on soft part of ground* ..."If you are going to faint, at least make sure there is soft ground to fall on. LOL!
Oh, TrudyAn....I don't think I will.Janice.....it's a cheeky quote from Eccles in The Goon Show :) I still hear that voice.....
(omigod, now she's confessing to hearing voices......summon the Black Maria!)
Mind you.....unusually for me, I enjoyed the film! (LOTR)
Janice wrote: "KimeyDiann wrote: "I've started my retry of The Fallen. It is on audio, so I can't exactly say how many pages I had finished with the first time I tried to read it. Judging by how much..."Sorry been pondering this one while at work. I was independently working towards Janice's fix. Now I know you are using discs instead of an audio file you can see the percentage of. So yes I would take the number of discs, divide the most popular edition on goodreads by that, and use that amount of pages.
Only someone who reads almost exclusively paper books would have thought this was a reasonably easy challenge! lol
Deborah wrote: "Janice.....it's a cheeky quote from Eccles in The Goon Show :) I still hear that voice....."Great, now I have the Ying Tong Song stuck in my head.
ying tong ying tong ying tong ying tong ying tong yiddle I po!(Rusalka - you know you love it!)
What an excellent challenge, (and Bubble & Squeak ain't bad either!).
At the end of last month, I started and then stopped reading The Essex Serpent. I just couldn't get into it but I still really want to read it as I have heard a lot of positive reviews. I have also been able to re-renew from the library so I think this must be a sign!
At the end of last month, I started and then stopped reading The Essex Serpent. I just couldn't get into it but I still really want to read it as I have heard a lot of positive reviews. I have also been able to re-renew from the library so I think this must be a sign!
Anna wrote: "What an excellent challenge, (and Bubble & Squeak ain't bad either!).At the end of last month, I started and then stopped reading The Essex Serpent. I just couldn't get into it bu..."
I'm reading The Essex Serpent for this challenge too :)
*deep bass voice* YIDDLE I POOOOOOOOOOOH!
Hahaha, you two are good singers!
Lisa wrote: "Anna wrote: "What an excellent challenge, (and Bubble & Squeak ain't bad either!).
At the end of last month, I started and then stopped reading The Essex Serpent. I just couldn't g..."
How far did you get the first time around Lisa? I only managed about 20 pages or so.
At the end of last month, I started and then stopped reading The Essex Serpent. I just couldn't g..."
How far did you get the first time around Lisa? I only managed about 20 pages or so.
As I was walking by my bookcase this morning, my eye landed on the book I've earmarked for this challenge. Lo and behold, there's a bookmark in it! LOL! Meant to be?
Definitely, Janice! What book is it?
Kristie wrote: "Definitely, Janice! What book is it?"What the Body Remembers
I started it for a challenge or toppler a couple years ago. I'll have to look back over the threads.
ooooh! that looks like a book for me, Janice!
I agree! That looks so interesting. I look forward to seeing what you think of it.
Janice wrote: "Kristie wrote: "Definitely, Janice! What book is it?"What the Body Remembers
I started it for a challenge or toppler a couple years ago. I'll have to look back over the threads."
You'll definitely have to let me know what you think of that one. I've had it on my shelf for about 10 years.
I also found a fortuitous bookmark last night in the book I am debating.
I am attempting (again) to read Lab Girl. I've started it more than once, I think for an annual challenge, and my bookmark was at p. 31. This time I have started over from the beginning, and I'm already at p. 59! I don't know why I find it so hard to finish non-fiction books, even when I like them a lot.
Kristie wrote: "I agree! That looks so interesting. I look forward to seeing what you think of it."I thought so much about it before that I quit reading it before page 50. Just saying. LOL! I'm really hoping it was one of those cases where I wasn't in the right frame of mind for it. Keep your fingers crossed.
Or maybe it's one that you just need get through the beginning and it gets much better. Could end up being a 5 star read. ;) Fingers crossed that it isn't terrible as it's a bit of a chunkster.
It is a bit of a chunkster isn't it? I have a couple of books to read first and then I can tackle it.
You'll love this one...!! A book club & more
Books mentioned in this topic
The Essex Serpent (other topics)The Essex Serpent (other topics)
Bitterblue (other topics)
What the Body Remembers (other topics)
Howl’s Moving Castle (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
David Mitchell (other topics)John Shors (other topics)
J.R.R. Tolkien (other topics)
Diana Wynne Jones (other topics)
Susanna Clarke (other topics)
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I'm pretty sure Librivox has this one if you want to try it. I usually have pretty good luck with the narrators.