Irfken's 12 Book Challenge

[Irfken]

Well I started out with making this a 6 book challenge but I surpassed that so I've made it for 10 books as every year I barely manage 12 books even though I have grand pipe dreams of at least reading 20+.

Thus far I've managed:

1) which was a disappointment. The TV show is infinitely better.

2) which was absolutely brilliant in every way.

3) which just became an all-time favorite.

4) which was a thrilling blast from the past

5) which wasn't all that it was cracked up to be.

6) , an instant favorite. Absolutely magical.

7) , a decent enough read with some excellent chapters.

8)

9) - It's the best book I've read this year and I can't wait for the sequel, absolutely beautiful and heartbreaking.

10) - A great book of quiet intensity, charm and beauty. It was a slam-dunk read, absolutely heartfelt, mature and gorgeous.

[Irfken]

After doing some spring cleaning, I came across a lot of my old Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew books so rereading The Emerald-Eyed Cat Mystery was nostalgia overload and wonderful fun.

I'm so loving The Chronicles of Prydain. As a fan of high fantasy, it really doesn't get much better than this.

[Susy]

Irfken wrote: "Well I started out with making this a 6 book challenge but I surpassed that so I've made it for 10 books as every year I barely manage 12 books even though I have grand pipe dreams of at least read..."

Nice going Irfken! Wishing you the best of luck with your new goal!

I have 3) and 6) on my TBR and just added 2).

How did you like Murder on the Orient Express?

[Irfken]

I just finished . As a kid I'd unwittingly watched the film starring Alfred Molina, I'd caught it well after it started but I've always known the solution of the story since then which in a way did take away from the reading experience but also added extra dimensions.

[Irfken]

Susy wrote: "Irfken wrote: "Well I started out with making this a 6 book challenge but I surpassed that so I've made it for 10 books as every year I barely manage 12 books even though I have grand pipe dreams o..."

Hey Susy. Thanks for support. :) Murder on the Orient Express is a good mystery albeit a bit too stolidly written. It reads so directly and can come off as matter-of-fact. I prefer my mysteries with rich writing, character interaction and exploration of hidden depths. This book has layers but they aren't well explored, everything is quite obvious and the characters are one-note, it's also a bit hurried. I would have loved some more atmosphere.

[Blagica , Challenges]

“I have always imagined paradise will be a kind of library.” I hope you find a corner in Paradise with some great books!!

[Irfken]

Blagica wrote: "“I have always imagined paradise will be a kind of library.” I hope you find a corner in Paradise with some great books!!"

Thanks, that really made my afternoon.

[Irfken]

I just finished The Silver Music Box by Mina Baites and it's one of the best works of historical fiction I have ever read and is certainly the best and most beautiful work of WWII fiction I have ever had the pleasure of reading. In my opinion it puts mediocre albeit highly buzzed about books like The Nightingale and the plain awful Salt to the Sea to shame. It lacks all the uncomfortable pretension of All the Light We Cannot See and is exactly the kind of book I've been aching to read for over a decade. It follows the trials and tribulations of a Jewish family, their loves and struggles through WWI and WWII. It centers around a beautiful music box a father made for his son and how such a small object can hold so much pain, joy, sorrow and history. It's the story of a family and a people through love, evil and war and the search for family and identity, I have never read a book that captures humanity and emotion so powerfully. I am truly moved to tears and I rarely cry when reading. It's a translated book and a great and important one that I would implore everyone to read especially in today's times.

[Blagica , Challenges]

Hoping July is a great month full of great books!

[Irfken]

Blagica wrote: "Hoping July is a great month full of great books!"

Thanks, I hope so too. :)

[Susy]

Irfken wrote: "I just finished The Silver Music Box by Mina Baites and it's one of the best works of historical fiction I have ever read and is certainly the best and most beauti..."

Sounds interesting though I must say I did love The Nightingale and Salt to the Sea so maybe we just have different taste in books. You wrote so passionately about this book that I feel I must try it out (and also I've been wanting to read some WWI books).

[Irfken]

Susy wrote: "Irfken wrote: "I just finished The Silver Music Box by Mina Baites and it's one of the best works of historical fiction I have ever read and is certainly the best ..."

The Silver Music Box is a brilliant book. I was surprised I loved it so much. It's not just the story and the language but the characters that tugged at my heartstrings. If I were a good writer, this is the kind of book I'd wish I could write. If you ever get a chance to read it, let me know. Another book with a similar writing style, from what I can tell from it's synopsis, is The Lost Letter by Jillian Cantor. I hope to read it this year as well. I love books that tell stories that flit between time periods.

[Susy]

Irfken wrote: "Susy wrote: "Irfken wrote: "I just finished The Silver Music Box by Mina Baites and it's one of the best works of historical fiction I have ever read and is certai..."

There’s a second instalment coming out later this year, did you know?

[Irfken]

Susy wrote: "Irfken wrote: "Susy wrote: "Irfken wrote: "I just finished The Silver Music Box by Mina Baites and it's one of the best works of historical fiction I have ever rea..."

Yes, I'm eagerly awaiting it. I think it's already out in the original German but the English translation should be available in November.

[Irfken]

I completed Persuasion by Jane Austen and I had my breath taken away, a BBC miniseries played in my head. I felt I was living the book which is such a rarity. It's a beautiful book and has a quiet intensity, charm and heartfelt depth the likes of which contemporary novels could never achieve. I started out not being enthused and ended up falling in love with a masterful work of art and a great and wonderful heroine. It's a book to be adored, read and reread. I cried! I never cry when I read but here I was in a state of unabashed emotion.