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Terri B's 2019 challenge
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Stolen from Kristen B and OshizuREADING STATS FOR 2019
Authors
Female: 35
Male: 35
Trans/Nonbinary (Self-Identified by Author):5
POC: 23
llustrators:3
Length
Shortest book: 105
0-200 pages:10
201-500 pages:15
501 - 1000 pages: 1
1001+ Pages:
Longest book: 656 (574 before notes)
Audio Book length:
longest: 17 hrs 13 min
shortest:4 hours 27 min
Audience
Adult:27
YA:2
Middle Grade:
Young Children:
Genre (Work in Progress)
Historical fiction:
History: 1
Political process/theory: 3
Literary fiction: 2
Memoir/biography:5
Travel:1
Mystery: 1
Poetry: 1
Science: 5
Speculative Fiction
-Dystopian/Utopian:2
-Fantasy:1
-Horror:
-Magical Realism:
-Sci-Fi: 3
-Weird/Surreal:
-Other Spec Fic:
Thriller:
True crime:
Other Fiction:
Other Nonfiction:
Religion/spirituality:2
Special Designation
Audiobook:4
E-Book:
Essay(s):4
Lectures:1
Experimental:
Picture Book:
Poetry:1
Sequential (Comics, etc.):1
Series:
Short Fiction:1
Graphic Novel: 2
Books in Translation:
Italian:1
Polish:1
Greenlandic:1
Japanese:1
Spanish:
Danish:
Passes the Bechdel Test [Two women, preferably named, who have a conversation about something other than a man:
Yes:9
No: 1
N/A:21
reply | flag *
Stats is so big this year you all might get me to do them this year. I hope you have an awesome year.
Good luck Terri! Adding reviews is something I always forget to do, it's a good companion goal :)
Good idea with the stats! I might have to do the same.
Adriana wrote: "Good idea with the stats! I might have to do the same."I borrowed this list from somebody else, so I am fairly sure I will be making changes to this list.
Tears in the Darkness: The Story of the Bataan Death March and Its Aftermath
by Michael Norman
Book 1 of 75:
An audio book:
This book was written by Michael Norman and Elizabeth Norman.
This is an interesting book. It tells of the events leading up to the Bataan Death March as well as the aftermath. Some of the scenes described were truly horrifying. Almost made me cry!
What I found especially interesting is that this book described events from the point of view of the US Japanese and Filipino soldiers.
The reason I did not give this book 4 stars was because I thought the story went on too long. Perhaps others would not mind its length. Also the narrator's voice was kind of monotonous.
I'd rather read the book. I listen to most of my audio books when I am running or doing strength training. An audio book would be okay I suppose. Just depends on what format you like and why.
For me, the important thing in listening to an audio book while exercising is listening to a book where I don't always need to pay attention to the book in order to get some enjoyment out of it. Thus, my audio books tend towards non-fiction or comedy. I have a hard time following the plot of story (Tears of Darkness does follow various people throughout the book, so I missed details that I wished I hadn't).I enjoyed "A Wolf Called Romeo" and "American Fire: Love, Arson, and Life in a Vanishing Land", for example. I also sometimes get books on both kindle and audio, so I have two ways to finish the book. I have a Kindle that keeps track of both methods.
Book 2 of 75
The Fur Person by May SartonMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
A delightful book for for the cat lover. Sarton really knows her cats.
This book is about how a Gentlemanly Cat becomes Tom Jones, fur person (a cat that allows itself to be loved by a human in the proper way).
This novella is a feel good book with lovely descriptions of cat behavior.
View all my reviews
3 of 75:
Jackson Rising: The Struggle for Economic Democracy and Black Self-Determination in Jackson, Mississippi by Kali AkunoMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Jackson, MS was and is a place where an experiment in democracy and socialism is emerging. In a series of over 20 essays the reader learns the history of Jackson, Mississippi's foray into an alternative economic city that truly values the majority Black population, is eco-friendly and non-capitalistic as much as possible.
Much is repeated in these essays, so parts of the book get rather tedious. However, if one wants to know about the bolts and nuts on how to start a society based upon cooperation with other humans and the environment, then this book is a good place to start.
Much of this book is heavy reading, filled with lots of left-wing jargon, but much of this is necessary because the authors of this essay are writing about the past and present Jackson, MS which is beginning an alternate decolonial, eco-aware and socialist vision of society.
If you are truly a leftie (not liberal Democrat), then you may find inspiration in these essays.
View all my reviews
4 of 75: 
The Wasted Vigil by Nadeem AslamThis novel is set in Afghanistan between June 2003 and August 2007.
The lives of several people intersect in this beautifully written story: an expat English doctor, his Afghani wife, a CIA agent, a Russian woman looking for her Soviet soldier son, a jihadi, and an American special forces soldier .
While well-written this novel is very sad and at times is brutal. Neither the US, Afghanistan nor the Soviet Union come out unscathed in this memorable book.
5/75:
The Nightspinners by Lucretia GrindleMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
The story was okay, I don't think I would read another novel by the author though. The novel was rather slow paced and the ending was kind of unbelievable. Not really sure if I bought the suspect's willingness to confess when he wasn't under duress.
View all my reviews
6/75:
Squarriors Vol. 1: Spring by Ash MaczkoMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
A squirrel version, sort of, of" Watership Down". After all the humans disappear, squirrels and some other animals become intelligent. At first it is a squirrel eat squirrel world. But one squirrel wants to live in peace with not only other squirrels, but other animals as well. Lots of gore in this comic book. The art work is full of blood and gore as squirrel battle each other and fall victim to their natural enemies.
The book is printed on heavy glossy paper and the color illustrations are well done.
View all my reviews
7/75:
Granta 12: The True Adventures of The Rolling Stones by Bill BufordMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Granta #12 was published in 1984. It contains 10 stories, the main being by Stanley Booth about the Rolling Stones.The Rolling Stones story didn't really interest me since I have never been a Rolling Stones fan.
The stories I especially liked were:
"Resistance by Gunter Grass - posits the question on how to resist nuclear weapons in West Germany.
"Prison Scribe" by Breyton Breytenbach - while a political prisoner in South Africa Breytenbach is asked to write letter for inmates and others. This leads to some dilemmas for the author.
"Christmas in Nicaragua" by Peter David - Davis describes the situation in Sandinista-run Nicaragua as he see it. An interesting read about Nicaragua, the Sandinistas, the US government involvement in Nicaragua, and the possible winners and losers under a Sandinista government.
View all my reviews
8/75:
The End of Eternity by Isaac AsimovMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
The End of Eternity by Isaac Asimov is an interesting read. Not much for character development, this book is interesting for the questions it asks. I found the last third of the book much more engaging that the first 2/3 of the book.
In the book Eternity is an Earthly organization that engages in time travel and tries to control time to make Earth more safe.
Is this a good idea? Asimov attempts to answer this and other questions about humanity's future.
Interesting questions to ponder.
View all my reviews
9/75:
Radical Dharma: Talking Race, Love, and Liberation by Angel Kyodo WilliamsMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Rated 5 stars for content, not quality of writing.
Three black, queer Buddhist teachers specifically target US Buddhists in creating a society that seeks liberation for oppressed people in the US. The authors are not afraid of a messy conversation.
Some of my favorite passages from the book:
"The politics of respectability and the hidden rules of politeness that silently govern white belonging to "polite Society" demand that love remain personal. The further the love is from some norm, the more behind closed doors, in the closet, relegated to corners of guilt, laden with shame it must be. The result of having "privatized" love is we are not comfortable with its raw, unabashed, unapologetic, unmitigated expression. Love for one another, especially across lines of difference, has been taboo for the overwhelming part of our national lives. - page 104
From Rev. Angel: meditation is not the primary practice for most Buddhists in the world. The thick number of people who practice meditation would be here in the States and in the UK. I think it's not an accident that white convert sanghas are putting such strong emphasis on non-relational ways of developing their sanghas.... We can use anything, even a practice of liberation, to further our neuroses. What walking the Buddha's path calls us to do is to shine the light on the path of neuroses and to do exactly the opposite. We don't have t know what the outcome is; we just have to know we have a neurosis around hyper-individualism in this society and disconnection and distraction and we are increasingly out of relationship with each other, no matter ho many Facebook friends we have. - page 164
View all my reviews
10/75:
In the Land of Invisible Women: A Female Doctor's Journey in the Saudi Kingdom by Qanta A. AhmedMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Dr. Qanta Ahmed, a British Pakistani takes a job in Saudi Arabia. She thinks she will not have any serious cultural problems in Saudi Arabia, because she is a Muslim. She quickly finds out she is wrong. This book is her memoir of her life in Saudi Arabia and reflects her experience there.
I found this book fascinating, because it dealt with a society that I did not know much about. She describes the ultra orthodoxy there and how it harms women mainly, but also harms men there.
Her description of her pilgrimage to Mecca is well worth reading. I now can see why this pilgrimage can be so life changing for the participants. Malcolm X, for example, was very much changed after his pilgrimage to Mecca.
For me, one of the most touching stories is her description of a young camel jockey and the injuries he suffered before his death. She describes what this young slave's short life must have been like.
One of her last chapters is about what her life was like in Saudi Arabia just after 9/11 in the US. If her observations are correct, then I am not surprised that the hijackers were all from Saudi Arabia.
View all my reviews
11/75:
The Test by Sylvain NeuvelMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
In the near future, Britain tests potential citizens through a virtual reality test. This is a story of one such test.
This disturbing story is disturbing because it could happen in the not so distant future As other reviewers have stated, it could be a story out of "The Black Mirror" universe.
This short story raises an some important questions - such as what is permissible in the name of national security? Who decides who gets to be a citizen, and what is permissible in deciding who gets to become a citizen.
View all my reviews
12/75:
The Blind Watchmaker by Richard DawkinsMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
I finished listening to this book over the course of many runs. I learned why evolution is the truest, best explanation of life arising from a simple organism to increasing complex organisms.
Dawkins and his co-narrator. Lalla Ward do an great job in explaining various aspects of evolution
and various evolutionary theories. This is not light listening, Dawkins covers lots of ground. Some topics discussed include randomness, mutations and what is it, the evolutionary tree or cladistics, embryology, and survival of the fittest.
Interestingly Dawkins has an interesting take on cooperation and why cooperation is important for evolution.
Recommended if you have the time to spare to learn about evolution.
It took me a long time to get through this because of the subject matter and also the narration was fairly monotone. That is why I welcomed the female narrator. Gave me a break from listening to her husband.
View all my reviews
13/75:
A Feminist Companion To Matthew by Amy-Jill LevineThis is the first book in a new series of books written about the New Testament using feminist hermeneutics. There are eleven critical studies included in this volume. All of the deal with the women in Matthew. Some of the essays deal with the woman with the hemorrhage, the five foolish virgins, and the Canaanite woman.
These essays are written for the academic or the educated non-professional who is familiar with theological terms and literary theory.
I found the essays interesting and worth reading. Recommended for the appropriately educated person who is interested in the interpretation of Matthew from a feminist perspective. (less)
14/75:
The Collapsing Empire by John ScalziMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I rather enjoyed this space opera. The novel takes place in a universe where all most human inhabited planets are connected by a flow (not Earth) that makes interplanetary travel possible. All plants, except one not self-sufficient (hence the interdependency) and need resources from other planets in order for human beings to survive. Then a scientist discovers that the flow will soon turn off. When that happens, humans are doomed on most of the planets.
I rather enjoyed this book, and I enjoyed that there was a female ruler who had to determine how best to get around male privilege.
I plan to continue reading this series.
View all my reviews
15/75:
The Long Sunset by Jack McDevittMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
It was okay. I enjoyed the alien races, but at the end I felt that it fell short. I felt like there could have been more follow up in this book. I looked to see if there was another book in this series that explained how things turned out, but sadly there was not. This book is crying out for a sequel.
As to the writing. It is good. I felt the plot moved rather quickly.
I do not plan to read another book in this series.
View all my reviews
16/75:
The Ukrainian and Russian Notebooks: Life and Death Under Soviet Rule by IgortMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Excellent graphic novel. Panels are done in sepia and the hardback version is printed on heavy stock non-glossy paper. The images are well-done and suited for the somber stories contained withi the book.
The first notebook is about the Ukrainian famine, purposely created by Stalin. Igort interviewed several famine survivors their stories are included her. These are horrific stories of starvation, roundups, deportations and even cannibalism. Millions died due to this famine that Stalin imposed upon the Ukraine.
The last half of the book is about the murder of Anna Politkovskya, a journalist and human rights activist. She criticized Putin and the Second Chechen War. She advocated for Chechen victims of human rights abuses committed by Russian forces. Eventually Anna Politkovskaya was assassinated, as were other members of the newspaper she worked for.
A postscript ends this amazing book. It is about the Russian invasion of the Crimea and the war in the Ukraine.
View all my reviews
17/75:
The Road to Oxiana by Robert ByronIn 1933 Robert Byron sets off the Oxiana or the Amur Darya river area (border of Afghanistan and Russia) to visit and photograph various architectural sites along the way. His objective is to eventually find the Tower of Qabus.
Starting his journey in Venice her records his travels in Cyprus, Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Persia (now Iran), Afghanistan, Persia again, then Afghanistan and then finally going home to via India. Written as a diary, Byron's writings are no mere collection of things he did and sights he saw. He is a keen observer of what goes around him, people's customs and the landscape. This book is on of the best travel books I have ever read. He is witty, observant and his style is breezy.
We meet all sorts of people along the way - locals, various imperialist functionaries and other travelers. It is also an interesting read now, because of the political backstory - the rise of Hitler, Western imperialism and the Soviet Union for example.When he mentions the Buddhas of Banyam the ones blown up by the Taliban), he mentions how they were awfully made they were. He did not like them and apparently others had been slowly destroying parts of these Buddhas for some time. Appears like the Taliban just finished the job.
"Shibar (c. 9,000ft., 24 miles from Bamian), June 9th - I should not like to stay long at Bamian. Its art is unfresh. When Huan Tsang came her, the Buddhas were gilded to resemble bronze, and 5,000 monks swarmed tin the labyrinths beside them...150 years later the monks were finally extirpated. One can imagine how the Arabs felt about them and their idols in the blood-red valley. Nadir Shah must have felt the same 1,000 years later when he broke the legs of the larger Buddha." page 271
I really enjoyed the writing. The one big thing I did not like about it his book was that Robert Byron and product of his time and culture was definitely an imperialist and did enjoy the benefits of empire.
18/75:
Lost Time: Lectures on Proust in a Soviet Prison Camp by Józef CzapskiMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
It is amazing that the author was lecturing about Proust in a Soviet prison camp. Firstly because he was one of the few Polish officers who was not killed by the Soviets when they invaded Poland during World War II. Secondly that he gave camp lectures on Proust.
I did have a bit more desire to read Proust, but the lectures did not convince me. Frankly, I don't want to read novels written by the man. I guess I am not much for romances and love stories. I did get an understanding about why some people think Proust is such an important writer.
View all my reviews
19/75:
Last Night in Nuuk by Niviaq KorneliussenMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This short book tells the interconnected stories of loves gained and lost in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland. Each of the 5 chapters is told from the vantage point of one of the characters.
I thought this book was interesting because it dealt with what it means to be indigenous and also treated gender fluidity quite deftly. The characters inner lives and feelings are handled well by the author.
One interesting method the author uses is to tell part of the stories thorough phone screenshots. I thought that was quite clever and appropriate since so much communication is made by using a smartphone.
Interesting book.
View all my reviews
20/75:White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism
by Robin DiAngeloI listened to this audio book during my easy runs. As a White person, DiAngelo is speaking to other white people about what White fragility is and how to counteract it. She has some good pointers.
Until White people in the US stop seeing racism mainly on an individual level and start seeing institutionalized racism, racism will be here to stay.
Dear fellow White people bear in mind that racism in the US is a White person's problem foisted upon People of Color. Learn to recognize racism and fight against it.
21/75:Shatner Rules: Your Guide to Understanding the Shatnerverse and the World at Large
by William ShatnerI listened to this short book during my runs. Shatner does his own narration, and he is hilarious! Pompous he may be, but this guy is funny.
Well if you ever enjoyed Star Trek or Boston Legal, you will probably like this book. I would recommend the audio edition so you can listen to Shatner!
22/75:A Beautiful Work In Progress
by Mirna ValerioI enjoyed Mirna's memoir of her running career. I follow her blog and also see her modeling Skirt Sports running wear. I found it interesting to learn how she became an ultrarunner. As an Athena ultrarunner, I could relate to some of the grief thinner people give to to fat people who workout.
Thank you, Mirna Valerio for helping many people realize their inner athlete!
23/75:Finding Gobi: The True Story of a Little Dog and an Incredible Journey
by Dion LeonardDuring a multi-stage race through the Gobi Desert, ultrarunner Dion Leonard gets adopted by a scruffy little dog that he names Gobi. Gobi manages to complete the week long race with Dion Leonard. After their journey together Leonard vows to adopt the dog.
This book would be a good read for dog-lovers or runners. I enjoyed the book. Having run more that a few trail races, I have seen dogs and cats show up on the race course with no owner. Usually the runners and volunteers take care of the animal while the race happening (which could be more than a couple of days if high mileage ultras are part of the event). Then either the animal is adopted by one of the runners or the owner is found. So this story was very believable to me.
Not only is it amazing that a little stray dog could complete a multi-stage ultras in the Gobi Desert, but Gobi's journey to get to Leonard in Scotland is truly wonderful story.
24/75:
Living Bird: 100 Years of Listening to Nature by Gerrit VynMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is an excellent book not only for the coffee table but for reading! Lavishly illustrated on thick semi-glossy paper it contains essays and photographs, taken by Gerrit Vyn, about various aspects of birds and bird watching and what the reader can do to help birds today.
Barbara Kingsolver wrote the forward. The book is divided into the following sections:
"Introduction - How Birds Can Save the World" by John Fitzpatrick
"The Secret Lives of Birds" by Scott Weidensaul
"Inspiration Aloft" by Lyanda Lynn Haupt
"Beacons of Our Planet" by John Fitzpatrick
and "The Coming Decades" by Jared Diamond
Recommended for the bird enthusiast and nature--lover.
View all my reviews
25/75:
She Has Her Mother's Laugh: The Powers, Perversions, and Potential of Heredity by Carl ZimmerMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a well-written book about heredity - mainly how heredity works/does not work in human beings.
Filled with stories that illustrate his points, this book may be big but it doesn't take as long to read as one would expect because he writes in a rather breezy and light manner.
Zimmer writes about the past, present and future of genetics and heredity as we human understand it.
Fascinating.
Recommended for people with a general interest in science and genetics.
View all my reviews
Awesome job so far keep it up!
26/75:
What a Fish Knows: The Inner Lives of Our Underwater Cousins by Jonathan BalcombeMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This wonderful book explores the lives of fishes. Using science and stories about human beings relationships with fish, Jonathan Balcombe makes a very compelling case that fish are sentient creatures that need to be treated much better by humans than they currently are.
The following are some areas that Balcombe explores:
1. Why most humans lack empathy in their treatment of fish
2. How fish feel, experience and think about their reality
3. Fish using tools
4. Fish sex and care of offspring
5. Fishing, both commercial and recreational
6. The rather dismal future of marine life
This book uses science to teach the reader how to treat fish and the implications of eating fish at the environmental level.
View all my reviews
27/75
Princeps' Fury by Jim ButcherMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I enjoyed this book. The canim and the Alerans work together to defeat a common enemy - the vord.
The reader learns more about the characters and the evil vord.
View all my reviews
28/75:
Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia KobabeMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Maia Kobabe writes about eir gender queer identity and eir struggles as a non-binary human being in this excellent graphic novel memoir.
Absolutely fascinating read, and I feel that I have learned how to be more interacting with people and eir gender identity.
Thank you Maia! Best graphic novel I have read in a long time.
View all my reviews
29/75:a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4..." style="float: left; padding-right: 20px">
Tokyo Ueno Station by Miri YūMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book is simple, yet elegant and very sad.
We learn of Kazu, a homeless man who winds up in Tokyo's Ueno Park. We learn about his life, how he became homeless and the homeless people who live around Ueno Park. His flashbacks about his life are moving and well told.
As Kazu reminisces about his life, the reader also learns about some of Ueno's history and Japanese Buddhism.
Recommended.
View all my reviews
30/75:
I Could Pee on This: And Other Poems by Cats by Francesco MarciulianoMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Funny poems written by cats. I very much enjoyed these short poems by felines. Now I understand my cats and why they do what they do. Ultimately, cats just don't give a fig about you, but they tell you why in these poems.
View all my reviews
31/75:
2:46: Aftershocks: Stories from the Japan Earthquake by Jake AdelsteinMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
This short book is filled with various stories of a page of two about different peoples experiences of the aftermath of the Great Tohoku Earthquake and the resulting tsunami. Many of the authors are not professional writers, but each writer does tell of their experience of the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami.
Most of the contributors seem to be expats. Very few of the writers seem to be Japanese nationals.
If this book was not written to raise money for the Japanese Red Cross, I probably would not recommend it. The quality of the writing is not that great. I read it primarily because I lived in Japan many years ago, and my heart felt like it was being torn apart when I heard of the earthquake.
View all my reviews
You have read some very interesting books this year. Keep up the great reading!
2022 Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
The Road to Oxiana (other topics)A Feminist Companion To Matthew (other topics)
The Wasted Vigil (other topics)
Tears in the Darkness: The Story of the Bataan Death March and Its Aftermath (other topics)
Shatner Rules: Your Guide to Understanding the Shatnerverse and the World at Large (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Nadeem Aslam (other topics)William Shatner (other topics)
Robert Byron (other topics)
Amy-Jill Levine (other topics)
Michael Norman (other topics)
More...
I will go for 75 books. I did finish over 50 books for 2018, but I did not update my list. So a related challenge is to write some review for every book that is counted for the 2019 challenge.