Your Challenge for March 2017

[Heather]

A new month! Another beginning! Onward lovers of books!

This is great! It seems that we have several people participating in their own challenges! There are probably many more of you who are also reading that choose not to post anything. Nothing wrong with that!

I hope everyone is enjoying their chosen books so far! I know I am!

If you would like to keep us updated on what you're reading, want to post a review, or just state whether you enjoyed the book or wouldn't recommend it to your worst enemy. Let us know!

Way to go art lovers!

[Heather]

So it is now 5 March (or maybe 6 March for some of you) .
Who has begun and finished a book (or more) so far? What did you think?

[Heather]

Luís wrote: "And I'm reading too Pleasures and Days... Proust is ... PROUST!!"

That's great, Luis! Yes...Proust.
I'm still reading (among other books of course) Proust Was a Neuroscientist

Now it is discussing Gertude Stein and how hear ideals are now in line with what we are only recently discovering scientifically in neuroscience. Excellent!

[Heather]

The month is about half over...How are we doing on our personal challenge?

Is anyone still keeping up with their goal? Have you lost sight of your self-challenge? Has anyone already exceeded their challenge and actually want to create a new challenge for themselves?

Do tell!

[Lobstergirl]

I really don't plan in advance what books I'm going to read for pleasure - I own tons of books I still haven't read, and I occasionally go to the library to get things I don't own but have on a "to-read" list.

But I do happen to be reading an art book right now, Art and Beauty in the Middle Ages by Umberto Eco. The main reason I picked this one up at random (off my shelf) was because it's short, and the last nonfiction book I read was quite long (The Whisperers: Private Life in Stalin's Russia).

It's fairly interesting, heavily reliant on the primary sources of the Middle Ages and antiquity. I never knew that Pythagoras was the go-to guy on music/music history for these time periods. He developed the idea of the "music of the spheres," where each planet had a different pitch or tone, which were inaudible to human ears. I know a decent amount about classical music from the baroque forward, but am woefully ignorant of the earliest kinds of music and ideas about music.

[Ker Metanoia]

Heather wrote: "The month is about half over...How are we doing on our personal challenge?

Is anyone still keeping up with their goal? Have you lost sight of your self-challenge? Has anyone already exceeded their..."

An editor gave me her copy of The Federalist Era 1789-1801, so I'm reading this now.

From 23, I've downgraded my goal to 17 books this year. Looking at our editorial calendar, though, it still feels like a tall order. But well, that's the challenge, I guess.

[Heather]

Lobstergirl wrote: "I really don't plan in advance what books I'm going to read for pleasure - I own tons of books I still haven't read, and I occasionally go to the library to get things I don't own but have on a "to..."


You are reading Umberto Eco. Excellent writer! I have to admit, and maybe it was just this particular book, but I started reading his Foucault's Pendulum. Maybe it's just because I didn't understand the complex mathematics, physics, etc. described in just the first few chapters. I felt it was too complicated for me. I admit, I didn't finish it.

Then my friend who teaches Italian in high school sent me his Il nome della rosa all in Italian. Yes, I speak the language, but some of his words even in the English language I have to pull out a dictionary! Reading it in Italian seemed impossible and because of the length of the book and difficulty in another language, her, being a teacher of Italian took 3 years to read it! How am I supposed to read that? I haven't yet. I don't have the rest of my life to dedicate to one book!

So I commend you, Lobstergirl for your reading!

[Heather]

Luís wrote: "I'm reading a travel book. Journey to Portugal: In Pursuit of Portugal's History and Culture

I'm really enjoying it, at the moment. I'm also reading [book:Twenty-Four Hours in the Li..."

That's great that you can enjoy what you are reading Luis. Admittedly, that genre wouldn't be my taste, but I am very happy you are satisfied with your reading!

[Heather]

Ker Metonia wrote: "An editor gave me her copy of The Federalist Era 1789-1801, so I'm reading this now.

From 23, I've downgraded my goal to 17 books this year. Looking at our editorial calendar, though, it still feels like a tall order. But well, that's the challenge, I guess.

Man of my own kind! This month has been a bit different and a lot more difficult for me to focus on reading anything at all. Due to other things going on, some health reasons, I find I can't dedicate the time nor attention to anything these days. So I might have to reduce my goal a bit, also, for the year.

But as you said "that's the challenge!" Yes, it is!