2019 TBR Cleanup Challenge

[Lowell]

Dj wrote: "So what did you find disappointing about Princess Bride? "

well.. I found that the author's interludes to be overly long and more filled with obnoxious snarky self-deprecation. In fact, the film adaptation took the author's idea of "my dad read this to me" and actually used it as the interludes, instead of someone writing about how that happened... or his ex wife.. or how Stephen King was going to 'abridge' the sequel... or.. or... yeah. This is my main complaint - the execution of the central conceit of the (meta)story felt very lackluster.

my secondary complaint may be less fair. The dialogue in the film sparkles- it's fast, witty, and generally very VERY well done. The dialogue in the book conveys the same meanings, but without any of the wittiness I was hoping for.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

This is one of the few exceptions to the general rule that the book is better than the movie for me, too.

I read the book twice, and the second time I was able to more appreciate it for what it was, and I think it does what it means to do well, but man, this movie...I point to this and Gaiman productions when people say authors should stay off the production team.

[Dj]

Lowell wrote: "Dj wrote: "So what did you find disappointing about Princess Bride? "

well.. I found that the author's interludes to be overly long and more filled with obnoxious snarky self-deprecation. In fact,..."

Thanks. I may have to move this down on my reading list then.
I have been worried that this would be one of those rare books that the movie was better than the book.

[CBRetriever]

I'm going to agree with the book (The Princess Bride) not being as good as the movie and I'm one of the rare ones for whom the movie wasn't my cup of tea either.

[Mareike]

Finally managed to cross another one off of this list:

1. Oldest book Die Leiden des jungen Werther - Band I (The Sorrows of Young Werther)
2. Work of art Harry Potter: A History of Magic
3. Novella or short story collection The Secret Loves of Geeks
4. Title is a question How Long 'til Black Future Month?
5. Ugly cover (and please share it!)
6. Has inspired other art forms Les rois maudits - L'intégrale
7. Your initials are in the title Death in Ten Minutes: Kitty Marion: Activist. Arsonist. Suffragette.
8. A book recommended to you Margot & Me
9. A book that intimidates you Future Home of the Living God
10. Reminds you of a song Anything Goes: A History of American Musical Theatre
11. Buddy read (do not need to participate) Parable of the Talents
12. Book with a luck symbol
13. The 6th book Middlesex
14. Last in a series
15. One Hit Wonder The House of Impossible Beauties
16. Hidden Gem The Girl in the Road
17. Someplace you want to go Passing Strange
18. Get On the Bandwagon The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet
19. Words in Title in Alphabetical Order Perfume River
20. Graphic or illustrated novel

[Helena]

Laura wrote: "And the other is Colleen McCullough with Tim. This was one of the most bittersweet, heartbreaking and uplifting books I have ever read! I still need to write my review for it. And I will be definitely reading more of her...."

Hi Laura, Colleen McCullough has some great novels. One of her best known novels is The Thorn Birds.

I haven't read the book, but many years ago I saw the TV Mini Series. I very much enjoyed the story in the mini series, so I am betting the book will be really good.

I also back up CBRetriever's recommendation for Schindler's List. The movie has more emotional impact, but the book breathes more believable life into the man that Schindler was.

[CBRetriever]

Tim was made into a movie as well with Mel Gibson as Tim

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_(film)
and later remade for US TV as Mary and Tim

[Laura]

Thank you girls!! :)

I did read Schindler's List but way before I even knew about GR and then saw the movie several times over. And I do like the book more.
To my shame though, I didn't bother to check that the author was Australian. And I wanted to box my own ears when you mentioned it.

The same goes for Garth Nix! Read almost all the books and didn't know where the author was from!! Damn! I wonder if I'm the only one who doesn't really pay attention to the back cover and author description when they love his books.

I've been setting up both my Underdog blog and the TBR Challenge list these last few days and already finished one book for the ugliest cover. I also ordered a few of the books recommended here so I should be able to get down to reading business by the weekend. :)

The Thorn Birds sounds like an awesome read too. I'm ordering that today also.

Thank you everyone for the recs. These are all wonderful titles!

[Laura]

Tim was made into a movie? Thank you!
That's a must see for me!! I loved the story.

[Suzanne]

SciFi and Fantasy Book Club
2019 TBR Challenge
Duration: 6/21/2019 - 12/31/2019

Progress: 11 out of 20

All right y'all, time to find books to read for 2019! As in previous years, we are supplying prompts, you supply the books that fit them! If you want to share with us why they were the ones you chose, all the better!

1. Oldest book = The Illiad by Homer

2. Work of art

3. Novella or short story collection = Even Tree Nymphs Get the Blues by Molly Harper - ***** - 9/30/2019


4. Title is a question

5. Ugly cover (and please share it!) = Patience by Daniel Clowes - *** - 9/26/2019 - 180 Pages


6. Has inspired other art forms

7. Your initials are in the title = Losing Control by Nina Croft - *** - 10/1/2019 - 250 Pages

8. A book recommended to you = A Princess in Theory by Alyssa Cole - ***** - 9/23/2019 - 360 Pages

9. A book that intimidates you = Joyland by Stephen King - ***** - 9/23/2019 - 283 Pages


10. Reminds you of a song

11. Buddy read (do not need to participate)

12. Book with a luck symbol

13. The 6th book

14. Last in a series = Falling Stars by V.C. Andrews - **** - 9/29/2019 - 416 Pages


15. One Hit Wonder

16. Hidden Gem = Slouch Witch by Helen Harper - ***** - 9/2/2019 - 342 Pages

17. Someplace you want to go = Cloche and Dagger by Jenn McKinlay - ***** - 9/6/2019 - 281 Pages - England

18. Get On the Bandwagon = The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate by Gary Chapman - ***** - 9/11/2019 - 204 Pages

19. Words in Title in Alphabetical Order = American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang - ***** - 10/2/2019 - 240 Pages

20. Graphic or illustrated novel = Péplum by Blutch - * - 9/27/2019 - 114 Pages

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Woot!! Glad you're joining us, Suzanne!

[Laura]

CBRetriever wrote: "Tim was made into a movie as well with Mel Gibson as Tim

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_(film)
and later remade for US TV as Mary and Tim"

Saw the movie yesterday and loved it. Found it on youtube
here's the link

I loved the book more though! Somehow the Tim I had pictured in my mind while reading the story was a lot better.
Thank you again for letting me know about it.

[Laura]

SciFi and Fantasy Book Club
2019 TBR Challenge
Duration: 6/01/2019 - 12/31/2019

Progress: 3 out of 20

1. Oldest book

2. Work of art

3. Novella or short story collection

4. Title is a question

5. Ugly cover (and please share it!)
For this category I chose Transformation by Carol Berg. The cover is not ugly per se but cheesy like hell and even a bit ridiculous:
And the other edition is not much better either:

Contrary to the cover, the book was AWESOME! And it's already up on my shelves of favourites.
Here is my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

This book has over 6000 ratings but
Carol Berg has written 17 individual books (I am not counting the anthologies where one of her stories was published) with a total number of 35856 reviews up till today.
That will give her an approximate 2109 reviews per title if we split. Therefore I'm counting it. And I'll be also reading more of her because she's awesome.

6. Has inspired other art forms

7. Your initials are in the title

8. A book recommended to you

9. A book that intimidates you

10. Reminds you of a song
For this I chose Simple Jess by Pamela Morsi - 2618 GR ratings

It reminds me of Matthew Mole's Jess's Song
, as well as his
It's Simple child

This book was mixed bag and I both adored parts of it and hated others. Ended up in rating it a 3.
here's my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

11. Buddy read (do not need to participate)

12. Book with a luck symbol

13. The 6th book
The 6th book that was offered for free by an author on r/Fantasy
The Dubious Tale of the Winter Wizard by Nick McNeil

Started it today

14. Last in a series

15. One Hit Wonder

One hit? I wonder!?
For this I chose Rogues Academy Saga: Quest of Kings by Jason Russell

A book with 0 ratings and 0 reviews. And it was definitely a hit. I rated it a 4.5.
my review

16. Hidden Gem

17. Someplace you want to go

18. Get On the Bandwagon

19. Words in Title in Alphabetical Order

20. Graphic or illustrated novel

Because I am just now setting up a book review and cover art blog dedicated to Fantasy and Romance and in particular The Underdogs,
The Magic Book Corner

I have decided to complete this challenge also with Underdogs. Great books, from either established authors or upcoming self-published ones, from big publishing companies or little unknown ones - the only criteria I'll keep is that the book has under 3000 GR ratings.

And since I'm looking for great titles, even if I chose a certain book for one of the challenge categories, I will not keep it up here unless it's a minimum 4 star rating for me. I'll keep looking until I find a great one so that I can fill in this list with only awesome reads.

I will also include books by authors that are lower rated in general (with most of their books having around or less than my 3000 limit). From those authors I will choose even higher rated books.

[Donnally]

For #6, I'd like to nominate East of Laughter. Here is the cover: . By the way, despite the cover, I give this book 5 stars.

[Donnally]

I apologize. East of Laughter was intended for #5 -- ugly cover (not #6). Please observe the wrists. I don't think I've ever seen wrists bent like that.

[Meredith]

I am up to 13 out of 20

5. Ugly cover (and please share it!):
2. Work of art: I changed my selection to A Taste of Honey because I just read it and *chef’s kiss*
1. Oldest book: Three Men in a Boat, oldest book on my TBR pile, published in 1889.

[Donnally]

1. Oldest Book: The Devil's Elixirs by E. T. A. Hoffmann, published 1816. One scary Gothic tale.

[Laura]

@Donnally - I added East of Laughter to my TBR. Sounds like a great book and the cover is indeed horrid.
You are right about the wrists. Kind of unnatural.

[Raucous]

Donnally wrote: "I apologize. East of Laughter was intended for #5 -- ugly cover (not #6). Please observe the wrists. I don't think I've ever seen wrists bent like that."

Wow. That's a remarkable cover. It's the eyes that got to me. That and the weird perspectives. Maybe that's part of why the wrists look so wrong. Oh - and the shading, the way her head attaches, ...

Searching for more on this book led me to a site that's dedicated to bad covers. The entry for this book:

http://www.goodshowsir.co.uk/?p=9839

[Sandpiper]

1. Oldest book I'm glad I read this. It was darkly enjoyable!
2. Work of art I love the artwork on the cover. Top marks for drawing me in as a reader however the story was ok but wasn't as good as I anticipated. I will be reading the sequel.
3. Novella or short story collection a super little book.
4. Title is a question It's a question I've asked myself on numerous occasions.
5. Ugly cover (and please share it!) a mushroom cloud is both scary and ugly.
6. Has inspired other art forms I think the book and the tv show are equally as good as one another.
7. Your initials are in the title Thanks to DJ for the list of SC suggestions but I was sorting out my ebook library and stumbled upon Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson which I really enjoyed.
8. A book recommended to you I loved this book
9. A book that intimidates you ancient poetry
10. Reminds you of a song The title initially reminded me of Tubular Bells by Mike Oldfield. The whole book is written in a musical way so it works both ways.
11. Buddy read (do not need to participate) I read this with my husband.
12. Book with a luck symbol
13. The 6th book
14. Last in a series I'm glad I read the trilogy. I found them a bit long winded and repetitive.
15. One Hit Wonder
16. Hidden Gem
17. Someplace you want to go Before or after the war!
18. Get On the Bandwagon
19. Words in Title in Alphabetical Order can't get more in alphabetical order than this.
20. Graphic or illustrated novel If you are a fan of the TV series this fills in some of the gaps. A rollercoaster of a read.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Nice, Sandpiper!!

I got a good chuckle off of your interpretation for #4 and #19!

[Donnally]

Shouldn't Beowulf be the pick for #1 oldest book? (instead of or in addition to #9)

[CBRetriever]

depends on the definition you choose of oldest book: publication date or purchase date

[Dj]

Laura wrote: "Thank you girls!! :)

I did read Schindler's List but way before I even knew about GR and then saw the movie several times over. And I do like the book more.
To my shame though, I didn't bother to ..."

I generally never read about the author. I have something of the same deal of authors that I do for Rock Stars. I like Nugent's music a lot better when I don't hear about his politics and general insanity.

[Dj]

Sandpiper wrote: "1. Oldest book I'm glad I read this. It was darkly enjoyable!
2. Work of art I love the artwork on the cover. To..."

After reading Art of War you should give On War a look. You will find that you really can use to many words to describe something.

[Dj]

Sandpiper wrote: "1. Oldest book I'm glad I read this. It was darkly enjoyable!
2. Work of art I love the artwork on the cover. To..."

Books with SC
Six of Crows
Sorcery and Cecelia
Space Chronicles (deGrasse Tyson)
The Spanish Civil War
A Spell for Chameleon
The Summer Country

Hope that helps out a little

[Laura]

Finished my book for 10. Reminds you of a song

For this I chose Simple Jess by Pamela Morsi - 2618 GR ratings

It reminds me of Matthew Mole's Jess's Song as well as his
It's Simple child

This book was mixed bag and I both adored parts of it and hated others. Ended up in rating it a 3.
here's my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Laura]

Dj wrote: "Laura wrote: "Thank you girls!! :)

I generally never read about the author. I have something of the same deal of authors that I do for Rock Stars. I like Nugent's music a lot better when I don't hear about his politics and general insanity

Sometimes what you hear about the author does put you off a bit from his books. I recently read a not very friendly article about Nicholas Sparks and even though I love his books that particular stuff made want to stuff the remaining unread paperbacks I have of his in the darkest corner of my cupboard.

[Lowell]

Two Down! It turns out, I really liked Trail of Lightning a lot more than I thought I was going to, based on some DNFs in my feed. It was like Tony Hillerman writes The Dresden Files... but written by an author for whom the cultural signifiers are much more personal. And that's pretty awesome. I am definitely looking forward to continuing the series.

Completed:


In Progress:


On Deck:

[CBRetriever]

with authors it's a bit more difficult because once you find out something bad about them, you start seeing instances of their "bad" in their books. Marion Zimmer Bradley is a case in point

I'm enjoying reading about other people's lists and why they chose the books they did for those categories, especially since I'm done with my list and can now cheer on those who are still working (or struggling) through theirs.

[Anna]

We have a thread on problematic faves

[CBRetriever]

I know and I went back on thread topic with my second paragraph

[Anna]

CBR, I didn't mean to say you were off topic, just letting people know we also have that thread! :) I always assume there are people lurking and some of them might be new, and not aware of all the different things the group has discussed before they joined.

[CBRetriever]

aha, thank you

[Anna]

I admit that was a bit brief, I've even left off the period, like I meant to continue but just gave up mid-sentence :D

[Dj]

Laura wrote: "Dj wrote: "Laura wrote: "Thank you girls!! :)

I generally never read about the author. I have something of the same deal of authors that I do for Rock Stars. I like Nugent's music a lot better whe..."

Yeah it can change your view of their work and at worst it can spoil your enjoyment. I generally try to avoid that. Sometimes though it isn't as easy as others.

[Dj]

Lowell wrote: "Two Down! It turns out, I really liked Trail of Lightning a lot more than I thought I was going to, based on some DNFs in my feed. It was like Tony Hillerman writes T..."

Tony Hillerman writes the Dresden Files...hmmm, I am sure there is something wrong with that somewhere, but it sure would have made the Dresden Files more readable from my PoV

[Helena]

Aha! Finally finished Caliban's War. Now on to another book!

[Helena]

And finished Beyond Cyberbullying: : An Essential Guide for parenting in the digital age. It was my book that intimidates me; and it turned out to be a surprisingly easy and fast read. Well laid out too. The subject matter is no longer terrifying!

[Laura]

Finished my book for 15. One Hit Wonder

One hit? I wonder!?

For this I chose Rogues Academy Saga: Quest of Kings by Jason Russell

A book with 0 ratings and 0 reviews. And it was definitely a hit. I rated it a 4.5.
my review

And I also started the 6th book
For this particular task I chose the 6th book offered for free by an author on r/Fantasy:


Fingers crossed this is also a good one.

[colleen the convivial curmudgeon]

First update since April. Really lagging on this one, with just one more down. Have a few in the line up, though:


1. Oldest book - Fever 1793
2. Work of art - Artful
3. Novella or short story collection - The Wanderer in Unknown Realms
4. Title is a question - Who Killed Sherlock Holmes?
5. Ugly cover (and please share it!) - White Trash Zombie Gone Wild

✔️ 6. Has inspired other art forms - Lethal White
7. Your initials are in the title - A Creature of Moonlight or A College of Magics
✔️ 8. A book recommended to you - Bite Club!
9. A book that intimidates you - 11/22/63
10. Reminds you of a song - Masquerade
✔️ 11. Buddy read (do not need to participate) - Dragon Wing
12. Book with a luck symbol - Juniper Berry
13. The 6th book - Carnival of Souls
14. Last in a series - Sword and Pen
15. One Hit Wonder - Jack of Shadows
16. Hidden Gem - The Case of the Missing Moonstone
17. Someplace you want to go - The Malice of Fortune
✔️ 18. Get On the Bandwagon - A Discovery of Witches
19. Words in Title in Alphabetical Order - The Bullet-Catcher’s Daughter
20. Graphic or illustrated novel - The Absolute Sandman, Volume Two

[Anthony]

I had a very slow start to my reading year but have picked up the pace in the last month or so, and have knocked off 5 on my list. I also switched out a couple of titles.

1. Oldest book East of Eden

2. Work of art the summer tree (Fionavar Tapestry #1)

3. Novella or short story collection Skin Folk

4. Title is a question How Long Till Black Future Month?

5. Ugly cover (and please share it!) City of Illusions

6. Has inspired other art forms The Once and Future King

7. Your initials are in the title Suldrun’s Garden

8. A book recommended to you The Breath of the Sun

9. A book that intimidates you Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell

10. Reminds you of a song The Killing Moon

11. Buddy read (do not need to participate) The Rook

12. Book with a luck symbol Luck in the Shadows

13. The 6th book red threads of fortune

14. Last in a series Ship of Destiny

15. One Hit Wonder Bridge of Birds

16. Hidden Gem Heroes Die

17. Someplace you want to go Blue Mars

18. Get On the Bandwagon Ninefox Gambit

19. Words in Title in Alphabetical Order Blackfish City

20. Graphic or illustrated novel Persepolis

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Wow! Really catapulting ahead! Great job!

[Karen]

1. Oldest book - Asprin, Robert Myth-nomers and Im-pervections
2. Work of art - Shen, Fu Six Records of a Floating Life
3. Novella or short story collection -
4. Title is a question -
5. Ugly cover (and please share it!) -
6. Has inspired other art forms -
7. Your initials are in the title -
8. A book recommended to you -
9. A book that intimidates you -
10. Reminds you of a song -
11. Buddy read (do not need to participate) -
12. Book with a luck symbol -
13. The 6th book - Moorcock, Michael The Fortress of the Pearl (The Elric Saga, #8)
14. Last in a series -
15. One Hit Wonder -
16. Hidden Gem -
17. Someplace you want to go -
18. Get On the Bandwagon -
19. Words in Title in Alphabetical Order -
20. Graphic or illustrated novel -

[Hank]

I finished 19/20 back in April and have hit my summer non-reading wall. If I were smarter I would front load the kindle and dead tree books and save the audios for when I am outside doing stuff but that level of planning is beyond my personality.

[Lowell]

Hank wrote: "I finished 19/20 back in April and have hit my summer non-reading wall. If I were smarter I would front load the kindle and dead tree books and save the audios for when I am outside doing stuff but..."

I'm in that wall myself a bit, between being in the seriously busy season at work and with lots of personal life occurring. I'm barely 10% of the way through our group read this month (once and future king, audio), for instance... and I only hit about 22% of the way through my print copy of Alif the Unseen...

[colleen the convivial curmudgeon]

Knocked a few more off my list, for a grand total of a whopping 7 - and that's after changing out a few of the originally planned books:


1. Oldest book - Fever 1793
2. Work of art - Artful
3. Novella or short story collection - The Wanderer in Unknown Realms
✔️ 4. Title is a question - Who Killed Sherlock Holmes?
5. Ugly cover (and please share it!) - White Trash Zombie Gone Wild

✔️ 6. Has inspired other art forms - Lethal White
7. Your initials are in the title - A Creature of Moonlight or A College of Magics
✔️ 8. A book recommended to you - Bite Club!
9. A book that intimidates you - 11/22/63
10. Reminds you of a song - Masquerade
✔️ 11. Buddy read (do not need to participate) - Dragon Wing
12. Book with a luck symbol - Juniper Berry
13. The 6th book - Carnival of Souls
✔️ 14. Last in a series - The Shepherd's Crown
15. One Hit Wonder - Jack of Shadows
16. Hidden Gem - The Case of the Missing Moonstone
17. Someplace you want to go - The Malice of Fortune
✔️ 18. Get On the Bandwagon - A Discovery of Witches
19. Words in Title in Alphabetical Order - The Bullet-Catcher’s Daughter
✔️ 20. Graphic or illustrated novel - The Umbrella Academy, Vol. 1: The Apocalypse Suite

[DivaDiane]

I finished another book from the challenge! So far I’ve done (1,6x2, 9, 14, 18) and just finished Black Matter, by Blake Crouch fulfilling No. 11 - Buddy Read

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

I'm only at 5 completed...yikes.

1. Oldest book - The Republic of Thieves
4. Title is a question So You Want to Talk About Race
5. Ugly cover (and please share it!) A Dirty Job
7. Your initials are in the title - The Sudden Appearance of Hope
9. A book that intimidates you - The Library at Mount Char
10. Reminds you of a song - Troubled Waters
12. Book with a luck symbol - The Red Threads of Fortune
13. The 6th book - Midnight's Children
14. Last in a series - Gotta rework this one
15. One Hit Wonder - Palimpsest
16. Hidden Gem - Beyond the Starline
17. Someplace you want to go - Wyrd Sisters
18. Get On the Bandwagon - The Raven and the Reindeer
19. Words in Title in Alphabetical Order - Moon Over Soho
20. Graphic or illustrated novel - I have so many for this. Hoping maybe Welcome to Lovecraft

Finished:

2. Work of art - For colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf
3. Novella or short story collection - All Systems Red
6. Has inspired other art forms - Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
8. A book recommended to you - Assassin's Apprentice
11. Buddy read (do not need to participate) - Gardens of the Moon

[Monica]

Allison wrote: "I'm only at 5 completed...yikes."

Hey Allison, maybe I can help. I know you just finished Becoming. If that is not a bandwagon (#18), then there is no such thing as bandwagon! So if you are open to deviating from your plan...