The Reading Challenge Group discussion
Personal Challenges - 2015
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Kiwi’s 2015 reading chronicles
Finished The Sum of You: The Six Forces that Shape Your Personality by Alan Graham, an enjoyable serendipity non-fiction read. 4 starsmy review
Currently reading Last Argument of Kings by Joe Abercrombie, the last book in his First Law trilogy.
Added yet another challenge: The Sci Fi Challenge from the group The Reading For Pleasure Book Club. I had forgotten about this one!
Finished Last Argument of Kings, the last book in the First Law trilogy, 4 stars my reviewCurrently reading Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder. A childhood favourite :-)
Awww, I love anything by Laura! You should get out "Pioneer Girl", her autobiography which was published a few months ago.
Thanks for the tip Camille, have you read that book? do you think Little house is a memoir or rather work of fiction?
I was surprised to see how much un-PC the book is, with the accounts of corporal punishment, songs about "darkies", etc.
It is definitely a trip down memory lane, I used to watch the TV series with my cousins on Sunday afternoons and laugh at what Laura was up to!
I know some content sounds a bit an-PC, but the historical context has to be taken into account. Laura grew up in the late 19th century and wrote in the early 20th century, when it was considerer "normal" to call a Black person a "Negro". It is also quite patronising towards Native Americans as people were at the time.I finished reading Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography last week and love it. The fact that it is annotated is very interesting as you get literally a ton of information about people, places, animals, events, objects, etc.
I always thought the Little House books were a memoir until I did a course on the writing of Laura Ingalls Wilder. I would say it is a work of fiction based on her real life. When you read the autobiography, you can see many, many similarities, but there are a few differences as well, especially because it was orginally written for children.
You can see it is a topic I am interested in, sorry for the novels!!
The TV series are so different from the book, but still really enjoyable!
yes, Camille, agree with you, even what was normal few decades ago seems strange nowadays, every time I need a bit of information I look it up online even though I know I have books that have the info I need (one upon a time there were encyclopedias :-). It's easy to forget how things change in few decades let alone in a century.
I was also surprised of all the details included in the little house book about husbandry, cheese making and meat smoking etc. It is apparent that the target audience are children with intent at being educational as well as entertaining.
It did teach me how to survive in a blizzard! Which I will probably never need, but it's good to know ;-)I like these little details as it makes it so real and so easy to imagine their everyday life.
Finished another couple of books for my challenges: The War of the Worlds and The Bell Jar, 3 and 2 stars respectively.
I wasn't a fan of The War of the Worlds. The only thing that made it fun is that I lived in the area where the story is taking place, so I knew exactly where he was. I know it was written a long time ago, but it is one of the rare stories where I think the film is better. Maybe because I saw it before reading the book.
Kiwi wrote: "Sci-Fi Challenge for The Reading For Pleasure Book Club"I really like this challenge. I think I will incorporate it into my SFF reading - nice way to look for new books :)
I liked the book Camille, but it shows its age (especially when you consider that flight hadn't started yet then and one of the characters points to the fact that Martians are capable of flight as a sign that Earth is doomed). I bet it was funny recognising the places where the story takes place. Wells goes in so much details about the villages, their buildings and commons, I even looked up some of the villages to get an idea of the setting
@Karen, glad you are participating Karen the more the merrier!
Mod
Finished a few books: The Bell Jar, I, Claudius, 2 stars and 4 stars respectively.Also finished a couple of non-fiction books on Roman art and architecture: Roman Art and The Architecture of Ancient Rome.
My current interest is the gold rush era, so I'm reading a couple of NZ non fiction books: Goldfields Of Otago: An Illustrated History and Arawata Bill: The Story of Legendary Gold Prospector William James O'Leary.
I have yet to decide my next fiction book :)
I just finished a charming novella The Uncommon Reader, 4 stars my review and with this book I completed another challenge (Decade).I also finished Arawata Bill: The Story of Legendary Gold Prospector William James O'Leary, the last read for this month's NF challenge (biography). Another 4 stars review
Finished another couple of books, Ribbons of Grace an historical novel set in Arrowrown (NZ) goldfields, 2 stars and Tales from Schwartzgarten: 2: The Woebegone Twins a dark YA, 3 stars, below is my review for the latter bookThe book is about two twins (Greta and Feliks) living with an eccentric aunt who smokes cigars and prepares famous vanilla puddings (the parents abandoned them and later died) and Karloff, the resident parrot. Aunt Gisela used to be a movie actress but to help ends meet, takes in a lodger Mr Morbide (a fellow horror movies actor). The misfortunes of the twins have just started… aunty dies and the twins end up first in the local reformatory for maladjusted children and later are adopted by Olga Van Veenen, a peculiar writer of murder stories for children.
I particularly like the characters in the Schwartzgarten Tales series. The adults are eccentric if not evil, in this book, the twins (who eats far too many sweets) are clever, but I would have preferred to know more about their personality, as to me, they are often treated as a pair rather than individually. The story, with its twist and turns, shocking events and adventurous escapes, keeps the reader’s attention alive till the end.
I personally preferred the first book in the series (Osbert the Avenger) because that story was less conventional (the boy takes his murderous revenge against the adults). In this second book, the twins’ chase-and-escape type of adventures are quite representative of the YA genre and sometimes feels repetitive.
With the exciting and scary plot and deliciously wicked evildoers, this book would suit older children who like adventures and the horror genre. Recommended to Lemony Snicket fans.
I've decided to start the new month with a colossal read: The Pillars of the Earth. I've been looking forward to reading this book, it is my first Ken Follett.Given the size of this book, I will probably read some smaller novels at the same time but I'm still deciding on my planned April reads.
I am also continuing A History of Roman Art.
Mod
My sister loves Pillars as well. I've always meant to read it but still haven't... I watched a few episodes of the TV adaptation, which was great, but I stopped as I wanted to read it first.Let us know how it goes!
I loved Pillars, but haven't tackled the sequel yet.
Thanks for the encouragement, the size of this book intimidates me considering that's in a small print!I see that the book has been divided in parts, that's good so I can take breaks :)
I saw the TV series a while back and I waited before reading the book. I like my books to have "surprises" so I was hoping to forget the story a bit. I have to say that the series had an impression on me as I'm remembering the scenes from the movie now that I'm reading the book.
Pillars is good, but will be a faster read than you think. I, too, still have to read the second book.I think you will enjoy!
Melissa, you are so right, I am reading Pillars at a fast rate, there is so much going on that I hardly notice the time I spend on reading it. So far it is an excellent read.In the meantime I finished a book on Roman architecture that I have started last month but will also fit this month non-fiction challenge being art related: A History of Roman Art, it's a 4 1/2 stars that I'm happy to round to 5 my review.
I also finally read a sci-fi novella I've been hearing a lot about: The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas. I liked the concept more than the writing itself (3 stars).
Finished The Pillars of the Earth, my first Ken Follett, but I won't be my last. 4 stars, brief review:I don’t normally like historical novels in which facts have been twisted for the sake of embellishing the novel itself. In the case of this book though, the story is so good that I feel compelled to turn a blind eye to the inaccuracies.
Ken Follett is a master storyteller, despite the size of the book, it is a very fast read. Recommended to readers who would enjoy the medieval setting without the pretension of a history lesson.
For this month genre read (Poetry and Plays) I've started Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters. I've been meaning to read this book in its entirety since high school when my teacher included some of its epitaphs in the curriculum. I'm enjoying it so far. I'm also planning to read Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller.
I've also started Crafts & Hobbies: 100 Days of Kindness - Spreading Happiness, Joy, and Love with 100 Acts of Random Kindness! for this month Non fiction read (Arts/Hobby/Skill related), a light and cute read.
At the library I've picked Holy Holidays!: The Catholic Origins of Celebration as a serendipity read but it's a bit of a disappointment.
This month reads will include Blood Song by Anthony Ryan, a fantasy novel which I'm going to buddy read, a couple of sci-fi novels for my Sci-fi challenge for another group and a book for my "Recommended by" challenge.
I expect April to be a busy month.
Kiwi wrote: "Finished The Pillars of the Earth, my first Ken Follett, but I won't be my last. 4 stars, brief review:I don’t normally like historical novels in which facts have been twisted for the..."
I saw Spoon River Anthology on stage way back when I was in college. I remember enjoying it, but not much else. Think I'll add it to my ever expanding TBR list.
That's interesting Becca, I've been told that someone organised a performance of Spoon River in a real cemetery, actors recited the poems while sitting near (or on) the tombs!Are you reading anything for this month genre challenge?
I'm reading Much Ado About Nothing. Reread Rime of the Ancient Mariner and read The Hunting of the Snark. I believe that Five O'clock Tea would also count as a play.
I also decided to read Spoon River Anthology. That fits in this month's genre too.
I finished:Spoon River Anthology, 3 stars
Crafts & Hobbies: 100 Days of Kindness - Spreading Happiness, Joy, and Love with 100 Acts of Random Kindness!, 2 stars
Tomorrow, When the War Began, 2 stars
I'm back from a short vacation (taking advantage of school holidays) enjoying the autumn in the South Island, we even got a little taste of snow!The whole family had an awesome time: hiking, mountain biking and picking fruit, we found walnuts, almonds, chestnuts, plums, apples, quinces, blackberries.
I also got some reading done in the evenings, managing to finish Blood Song by Anthony Ryan, I liked it but didn't love it, 3 solid stars.
Here is my review.
Now on to my lists deciding what to pick next!
Mod
Yes it was great, it's incredible how satisfying it is to find your own food and how tasty! The kids were running ahead in search of blackberries on the path, but even the adults had their fill and we had roasted chestnuts in the evenings.
NZ south Island it's paradise in autumn, this year the fall was a little late, so the trees were just starting to change color, but we had a cold snap lasting a day and delivering snow up the mountains.
One of the many pics we took:
Glad you had a wonderful time Kiwi, and the picture is breathtaking!!!
Beautiful picture Kiwi - what a wonderful way to spend some down time.
The Crowfield Curse, 3 starsA lovely fantasy tale of an orphan raised in a 14th century abbey. I loved how the author accurately described the winter atmosphere of the forest and the life of the monks living in the abbey (there are a useful timetable of daily worship and a glossary at the end).
The middle ages setting reminded me a lot of the delightful and underrated 2009 animated movie “The Secret of Kells”. If you liked that movie, this book is for you.
Life After Life, 3 stars
The prose in this book is simply superb, often while I read and listened to the audio book narrated by Fenella Woolgar, I felt spell bound, completely was lost in the story.
The book makes you wonder whether a person inner core can utterly be shaped by the circumstances in their own life. Under different circumstances, can a submissive beaten wife be the same person as the strongly independent mistress of a high-ranking official? Or does a person have some core qualities that are independent of their upbringing or affected by their life history?
I must say that I loved this book for the first half but after a while I was bothered by the constant repetition and deja-vu and even the lyrical language didn’t avoid my feeling bored (view spoiler).
I think Kate Atkinson may have overdone the concept and made the book unnecessarily long, still, I am likely to read more of her books.
I also finished a classic Australian collection of poems for this month fiction challenge, The Man from Snowy River and Other Verses, sadly 2 stars only.
The Baker's Daughter: Timeless Recipes from Four Generations of Bakers for this month non-fiction genre challenge, 2 stars.The Sense of an Ending, wasn't for me. 2 stars
Killing Floor by Lee Child, excellent, 4 stars.
My next read wil count for my hoarder's challenge, it's an historical fiction novel with a mystery twist, Dissolution. It's been on my shelves for ages!
Just finished Dissolution for my History challenge, I've finished all the periods but I'll read a couple of books more. I liked Dissolution a lot and rated rated it 4 stars, my review.I'm currently reading a novella: Perfect State, and The House of the Scorpion is up next for my sci-fi challenges.
Also planning my May reads ...
I abandoned The House of the Scorpion, and I read Among the Hidden instead.Currently reading The Diary of a Young Girl.
I have joined another couple of challenges, I just couldn't resist. I know I might have a problem :D
One of them is the Original Bingo, it runs for 3 months. I had so much fun with the other bingo this year, it's good way to read books you would not normally pick up. Looking forward to it
Finished Redshirts, a disappointing 2 stars. I'm not having much luck with sci-fi novels at the moment, I might as well read one of my maso read: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, it's a second try: I attempted to read this book a few years ago and ended up abandoning it...
With The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and The Secret Life of Bees I completed another couple of challenges for this year.I've just started The Lies of Locke Lamora for this month fiction challenge (Fantasy)
Finished Saga, Volume 1 for a sci-fi challenge and a book out of my comfort zone, not my cup of tea, 2 stars and The Lies of Locke Lamora, really liked it, 4 stars.Now reading Crime and Punishment
Finished Crime and Punishment, and completed my maso challenge for the year. Now reading The Complete Maus, this graphic novel is about the holocaust, even if graphic novels are not my favourite reading material, I'm finding it fascinating.
Also reading Nine Princes in Amber, the first book in a classic fantasy series, but I'm not enjoying it that much, I guess the genre taste has moved on since the 70s :)
Finished a couple of great books: The Complete Maus my review and Theft of Swords my review, 5 and 4 stars respectively. Highly recommend both !Currently reading The Illustrated Man for my sci-fi challenge.
James and the Giant Peach, 4 stars and The Illustrated Man 3 stars.Currently reading: A Wizard of Earthsea :)
The Reading Challenge Group
Books mentioned in this topic
The Goldfinch (other topics)Bootlegger's Daughter (other topics)
The Grownup (other topics)
The Middle Ages: An Illustrated History (other topics)
The Gospel of Loki (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Simon Schama (other topics)Mike Wallace (other topics)
John Green (other topics)
Christian Cameron (other topics)
Barry S. Strauss (other topics)
John Green can write quality YA. I liked this novel despite it contains topics like drinking, smoking and dangerous pranks which I don't endorse. The meaning of life and reflections on mortality have long been subjects of teen fascination and angst, so nothing new here, but Green brings these old themes to modern perspective and he describes them well. I most probably would have loved this book in my teens years, now I rate it a solid 3 stars.
I rated the fault in our stars higher than this novel but I have become more strict in my book rating lately. Still, I believe Green is currently one of the few YA authors that can write well, sometimes is a bit too sentimental for me or maybe I'm just getting old ;-)