The Reading Challenge Group discussion
Personal Challenges - 2015
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Kiwi’s 2015 reading chronicles
The Reptile Room, a solid 3 stars for this enjoyable YA novel, I will be continuing the series to find out what the Baudelaire orphans are be up to.The 10pm Question, I feel bad to rate a NZ book only 1 star, but I wasn't interested in the story nor the characters, apparently is a popular book, just not for me.
Defending Elysium, 2 stars. Once again I'm disappointed by the Sanderson's novellas as much as I love him for his larger works (Mistborn and Stormlight Archive series).
The Eagle of the Ninth, 3 stars, my short review:
A classic of the historical fiction genre set in Roman Britain during the second century AD. A good companion to the MOOC run by Newcastle University (Hadrian's Wall: Life on the Roman Frontier available online at Futurelearn) as many elements covered in the course are also present in the book (the castrum structure and Roman military organization, entertainment and religious customs, jewellery objects, relationships with slaves and local tribes, etc).
The novel has some confusion about dates. In the introduction the author suggest 117AD as the year of the disappearance of the Legio IX Hispana, however later in the book it refers to the death of the emperor Trajan occurring before the legion was lost (Trajan death occurred in 117 AD, at Gazipaşa, Turkey). This generic reference ties up with other historical sources, which maintain that the legion was still in action until at least 120 AD. Nonetheless, it is clear that the novel is well researched and, as far as I can tell, historically accurate. Well worth a read.
Continuing Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind and just started The Snow Child.
Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell Finally Mr Sanderson! this novella gets a full 4 stars from meThe Snow Child:
What is the snow child? Is she a Russian fairy tale creature out of a blue leather-bound children book? Or the an elderly couple living in a remote homestead and trying to cope with the painful loss of a premature child? Or is she a semi-feral girl, the daughter of a drunken trapper left to fend for herself in the woods? The possibilities and the true nature of the mysterious girl are the subjects of this charming novel where the beauty and isolation of the Alaskan winter landscape is the true protagonist.
If you like magical realism this book is for you.
In August I’d like to complete the two remaining challenges (except for the two monthly ones which are ongoing till the end of the year). So my planned reads will include:* The Man of Property (TBR favourite genre – classics)
* A Scanner Darkly (SF&F 2015 Bookshelf Challenge)
Plus:
* The Nightingale (read-along)
* The Age of Innocence (group read)
* Some mystery books for August monthly fiction (Murder at the Vicarage and The Beautiful Mystery but probably I will read more)
* Christie: A Family's Tragic Loss and a Mother's Fight for Justice or Phenomena: The Lost and Forgotten Children True story/True crime/Current Events for August monthly non-fiction
* A few books for the Bingo
* A couple of books that I already own to clear up my bookshelves :)
Redwall:In this first book of the Redwall series, we follow Matthias’ adventure on his quest to find the lost sword of Martin the warrior. He and his friends will need to solve a number of riddles, deal with quarrelsome sparrows, handle a band of shrews and confront a powerful adder. All these feats in order to defend Redwall Abbey against Cluny the scourge army of rats.
A fun read full of brave and cute furry creatures. 3 ½ stars
The Murder at the Vicarage:
Classic murder mystery investigation brilliantly solved by shrewd Miss Marple. What I liked most about the book is Agatha Christie’s humour. 3 ½ stars
Favourite quotes:
Melchett is a wise man. He knows that, when it is a question of an irate middle‐aged lady, there is only one thing to be done ‐ to listen to her.
Nothing is more dangerous than the well-meant efforts of the younger generation to assist you and show their sympathy.
His poems have no capital letters in them, which is, I believe, the essence of modernity.
During all this, Mary had been extracting eyes from potatoes with such energy that they had been flying round the kitchen like hailstones. At this moment one hit me in the eye and caused a momentary pause in the conversation.
Continuing Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind which is far better than I expected and The Man of Property.
The Man of Property, 3 stars:I blame the superb TV mini-series for partially spoiling my reading experience this classic, probably I was expecting too much. I loved the adaptation and I decided to read the book to see how the author explored the intimate relationships within the Forsyte extended family and how incompatible temperaments can lead to marriage dissolution, as it is in the case of Soames and Irene.
I was not disappointed by Galsworthy’s style and his descriptions of the characters’ weaknesses and their family relationships were splendid.
On the other hand, I did not feel close to any of the characters and I found the pace of the story a bit patchy: some parts were riveting others (e.g. when Galsworthy’s goes on a tangent with some minor character reflections) too slow. My 3 stars rating reflects this inconsistency and the fact that surprisingly, in the end, I did not like any of the characters.
I decided to abandon A Scanner Darkly a third in. I must be in a reading slump because I've also started The Nightingale but not liking it very much...
I recently got The Eagle of the Ninth. I started it but wasn't unthralled by it. You made me want to give it another go before I give up altogether.
Camille wrote: "I recently got The Eagle of the Ninth. I started it but wasn't unthralled by it. You made me want to give it another go before I give up altogether."It was a good read for me Camille, but I have a passion for the classic period, so I might be a bit biased :)
Finished Christie: A Family's Tragic Loss and a Mother's Fight for Justice for this month non fiction challenge (True story/True crime/Current Events). I rated it 4 stars, my review:This book conveys Tracy Marceau’s torment, the unbearable pain of a mother who has been witness to her child killing. Christie was murdered in her home on 7 November 2011, after a disturbed young boy had kidnapped and assaulted her in September 2011, and while awaiting trial on the charges, was bailed by the court to an address just 300 metres from Marceau's home, despite calls from Christie and the police to not grant bail.
Her death was preventable and it was facilitated by the judge decision to release her attacker on bail, that decision was sound in the legal sense but contrary to common sense. The family launched a campaign with the aim of changing the bail’s act and making the judges, who make decisions on whether violent offenders are allowed out of prison or not, accountable for such decisions. It is called “Christie’s Law.
I admire Tracy’s strength in her decision to go public to raise awareness on our country laws deficiencies, where the right of the accused is higher that the victim right to feel safe in her own home. She is a remarkable woman fighting to avoid the chance of another family tragedy, in Tracy’s words “It will not bring Christie back, but perhaps it will save someone else”.
The first-hand accounts of what happened the day Christie died as well as the consequences on her family members are gut wrenching. Heart-breaking but an important book to read.
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, fantastic read, 5 stars:Extensive mix of human history, philosophy, economics and other social sciences. I found this book informative, entertaining, challenging, thought provoking and sometimes uncomfortable (in a good way). I can see how this book could be considered controversial.
It would be a great choice for a book club: many topics are bound to generate interesting group discussions. A brilliant book, I can recommend this book highly enough!
The Nightingale, disappointed by this book only 2 stars, here's why:
The historical aspect is what attracted me to the book: the role of French women and resistance during WWII. Unfortunately, I don’t think Hannah managed to pull it off.
The characters’ development lack depth, it felt only superficial and unauthentic. I have the impression that the author dutifully studied the events of the period and then built characters and a story around it, but the result lacks soul, it doesn’t feel like “lived” but rather “staged”.
The rebellious Isabelle is too perfect and artificial, not only she is beautiful but courageous, brave and even heroic, but from the beginning so “right”: (view spoiler)
Vianne had more potential, she is the meek wife left at home with a small child and she is friend to a neighbour who is also a Jew. A handsome German captain (sporting a de rigueur iron cross) is billeted to her house; some attraction between the two is unavoidable.
Lots of action happens and the reader will not get bored but I was expecting the characters to develop and mature as the story progressed, but it never happened. The writing, especially at the beginning, is too flowery and includes plenty of clichés. In the descriptions, there is such a profusion of adjectives and similes that are distracting rather than evocative. The dialogues are equally disappointing, peppered by corny “mon dieu” and “merde” and even some of the most moving episodes felt melodramatic.
What bothered me most is that, although the historical facts are there, the atmosphere is not and the characters sensibilities and actions are too modern for the period. I did not get the sense of what the life of women living in Nazi occupied France was really like and the horror of anti-Semitism felt simplified and trivialized, everything in the book is so black and white.
I am clearly in the minority and I know this review will not be popular with some of my Goodread friends who loved this book. That’s OK, we like what we like and we can agree to disagree in this case. I don’t normally write long reviews but with this one I took the time to explain the reasons why I rated it an OK read, it could have been better.
Finished Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Nagasaki atomic bomb. 3 starsCurrently reading Half Way Home (first book by one of my favourite authors) and Cathedral. I read a couple of stories of the latter but did not enjoyed them much (I have a feeling I won't be a fan of precisionist realism)
I decided to abandon Cathedral, but finished:Half Way Home, 2 stars
Whose Body?, 3 stars
The Beautiful Mystery, 4 stars, my thoughts:
I had a fascination with mysteries set in monasteries since I read The Name of the Rose. This book is successful in reproducing the abbey atmosphere, the repetitive simple monastic life and the obscure religious order close-knit community (the Gilbertines was founded
around 1130 and closed down in 16th century at the time of the Dissolution of the Monasteries).
The murder victim is the prior and choirmaster, close to the abbot but generally considered strong minded and hard to handle. The investigation soon reveals a hidden rift among the monks: those is in favor of recording of the Gilbertines' chants, which would provide much needed financial rewards to the abbey, and those who would remain faithful to the original vow of silence and solitary life, away from the secular world.
This was my first novel by inspector Gamache series, but is not a good place to start. I would have probably appreciated more the private lives and interior struggles of the characters had I read the previous books in the series. In addition to solving the mystery, Chief Inspector Gamache and his collegue Jean Guy Beauvoir have to face their own demons, the memories and the effects of a botched up warehouse operation in which four officers died.
The inquiry is impeded by the actions of Sylvain Françoeur, Gamache superior, who harbours a resentment towards him and the arrival of Frère Sébastien, a Dominican monk, nicknamed “the hound of the Lord” (the Dominican order's mission was to teach and preach: to employ the power of reason in support of faith, on the negative side they were often recruited as inquisitors by the Catholic Church).
I really liked both the characters and the story, which is centred on “the beautiful mystery” of Gregorian chants. This book made me want to start at the beginning of the series with Still Life.
Nice review, Kiwi. You make this sound really interesting.Some people were raving about this series to me and said it should be read in order, so you can follow what happens to all the characters. I read book 1 and liked the inspector and the story fine, but -- I'll just say I sensed a superior attitude, and maybe I gave up on the series too quickly. Now I think I'll just jump ahead to book 8 one of these days.
Thank you Brenda. For me, the book was very enjoyable even without knowing the characters, although it is obvious that is part of the series (i.e. there are references to past events and the end is clearly a clue for things to come). Having read the first book, it should make it easier for you.I hope you'll like The Beautiful Mystery, happy reading!
following my interest in ancient Greece history, I've read recently:A History of Greece, 1300 to 30 BC, 2 stars
Ancient Greece: An Illustrated History, 3 stars
Ancient Greece: From Prehistoric to Hellenistic Times, 4 stars
currently continuing with another two books:
Ancient Greece: A Political, Social, and Cultural History and The Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Greece
Also read:
The Age of Innocence, I am surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. A fascinating portrait of New York’s fin de siècle high society, their views on propriety and the personal choices that it forced upon its members. 3 ½ stars
Phenomena: The Lost and Forgotten Children, sad book on the reality of mental hospitals, 3 stars.
The Big Sleep, 2 stars, great movie but disappointing book.
Antigone, 3 stars.
I love "The Age of Innocence"!" Phenomena" sounds interesting, thanks for the rec.
You're welcome Camille, I hope you'll like it
The Ruins of Gorlan, YA fantasy, 3 stars, which allowed me to complete my third BINGO square. I've now run out of bingos :(The Blackhouse, excellent mystery, 4 stars, my thoughts:
I really enjoyed this mystery and I am happy to see that it is the first of a trilogy. I loved the evocative descriptions of the windswept island landscapes (the setting is Lewis Island, part of the Outer Hebrides, off Scotland), the descriptions of the people and their stories. The protagonist, Fin Macleod is a troubled detective in a failing marriage and who has recently lost his only son. He left the island 18 years before, but is now sent back to investigate the murder of a local man. In the book, Fin’s past unravels through the memories of his childhood and youth and eventually he will confront the ghosts of his past. The ending was a bit predictable, but overall a splendid read, I’m looking forward to reading the next book.
abandoned The Winter Rose:I wanted something light and fluffy for a change. I bought the book ages ago because I liked reading The Tea Rose so I decided to read the sequel to clear my physical shelves. Unfortunately, despite having low expectations for the book, I can’t bring myself to read another 600+ pages to finish it. I guess my tastes have moved on, oh well... life is too short to read books that don’t interest me any longer, this goes into the "to donate pile" and I'll be onto the next book.
Finished A Betrayal in Winter, 3 stars:
Sequel to A Shadow in Summer, this fantasy novel has an original oriental setting (a pseudo Chinese world) and an emphasis on magic based economics rather than the usual military power struggle. If you prefer royal murders, court conspiracy, political intrigue and Machiavellian characters rather than bearded magi, magic swords and epic battles this series is for you.
Finished and thoroughly enjoyed a couple of books on the Cathars, one fiction: Stigmata, 3 1/2 stars ( my review)
and the other non fiction:
The Cathars: The Most Successful Heresy of the Middle Ages, 4 1/2 stars, ( my review)
Almost finished another couple of books on Ancient Greece, currently reading Poison Study and planning my September reads
In August I reached my goal of 180 books for the year. Looking back, I have abandoned 9 books, that's 5% of the total (the actual percentage is a little less since I read at least 3 books that are not in GR). I'm very happy about this result because this year I really pushed myself to pick books outside my comfort zone of tried-and-true authors and genres, so there was potential for disaster.In September I will continue to chip off my TBR (I read 100 Books from my pre 2015 list Yay!).
Sci-Fi is this month fiction theme, so many books to choose from…I might even attempt a colossal read this month. I will start with Nexus.
Non fiction looks more challenging: Science/Maths/Technology, maybe something by Michio Kaku, which is a new author for me. I got How to Cut a Cake: And Other Mathematical Conundrums from the library, I’ll go from there.
Also planning to read more fantasy and books from my physical shelves.
Congratulations!If you can't find a book on GR, I can add it for you, I am a GR Librarian :-)
Thank you Camille.What is required to add a book in GR, I assume its ISBN, do you need the cover?
The missing books are local NZ ones, I have returned the ones that I have read to the library, but it would be useful to know, just in case I come across another one ... thanks for offering :)
You need the ISBN and some info, but some books don't have a cover. If you do get a cover from the Internet, it has to be an Amazon one or one from the publishing house, or you can take a picture yourself. Some books don't have all the information filled in, so it's not the end of the world if there isn't everything in the description :-)
Thank you Camille,I'll keep that in mind
Oops forgot to update this thread for a while...Poison Study, 3 stars
a couple of history books, leftover from last month: Ancient Greece: A Political, Social, and Cultural History, 5 stars and The Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Greece, 4 stars.
Afterparty, a pleasant surprise, 4 stars
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, 3 stars
The Secret Garden, 3 stars
How to Cut a Cake: And Other Mathematical Conundrums, disappointing: 2 stars
and finally, I just finished The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making, my thoughts:
With this book I purposely slowed down my reading, only a few chapters at a time, so not to miss the beautiful poetic writing and imagery. It’s strange, I don’t normally like nonsense or allegory type literature (I didn’t particularly like Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass nor The Little Prince) but this book somehow enchanted me, it brings magical, evocative and dreamlike narrative to a different level. The story made sense to me in its whimsical way and the characters have all their individual features and peculiar ways, not all of them lovely (view spoiler), my favourites? the wyverary called A-Through-L or Ell for short, Lye, the soap golem and Gleam the orange paper lantern. 3 ½ stars rounded up.
Favourite quotes:
It is well known that reading quickens the growth of a heart like nothing else.
I cannot help that readers will always insist on adventures, and though you can have grief without adventures, you cannot have adventures without grief.
Why worry about a thing that may never come to pass? Do not ruin today with mourning tomorrow.
“One can always bear more love,” the Wyverary purred.
Just started The Whistling Season and love it already...How come I've never come across Ivan Doig before?I've also added a number of books to my TBR, its size was getting dangerously low, currently standing at 297, it looks healthy again :)
For this month genre challenge, sci-fi:Nexus, 3 stars and The Man Who Fell to Earth, 2 stars.
The highlight of this month is The Whistling Season, absolutely loved this book, 5 stars and I wish I could give it more!
Almost finished The Curse of Chalion, so sad this adventure is coming to an end.
Will soon need to decide what to read next, probably I will take a hiatus from sci-fi, maybe a mystery?
Bull Mountain, 3 1/2 stars, my thoughts:Great crime novel. I loved how the author described Bull Mountain nature scenes, the characters personalities and the family relationships down the generations. It is quite brutal and violent but also moving (view spoiler) and I’m very surprised how much I enjoyed this book. 3 ½ stars.
and Mistress of the Art of Death, the bad ending spoiled this promising novel for me:
Interesting medieval mystery about the investigation of three tortured and murdered Cambridge children and the locals blaming the resident Jews. Good character development with the primary role of the murder investigator being cast as a fiercely independent medic woman of no religious convictions.
On the negative side, I found that the protagonist actions and views were too modern for her times and I didn’t like the romance, to me it felt corny more often than not. However what it brought my rating down was the over the top ending (view spoiler)which dragged on too long.
One warning about the audio version: the narrative, having frequent POV changes, is confusing at times. 2 1/2 stars
Mod
Thanks Jenny for your comment.GR and the groups have encouraged me to read more in the last few years, the challenges work well for me but some people do not like the pressure that comes with them. Good luck with your challenges next year no matter what the target is. Happy reading!
Mod
The Summer Book, 3 starsThe Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark, 4 stars
Out of the Easy, 2 stars
Protector, 3 stars
and Around a Greek Table: Recipes & Stories Arranged According to the Liturgical Seasons of the Eastern Church, 5 stars, my review:
This book is a gem. Not only it includes a treasure trove of delicious recipes but it takes the reader on a journey into Greece itself. The book is organised according to the Orthodox Church liturgical calendar of the Easter season, the Pentecost season, Advent, the Twelve Days of Christmas, Theophany (Epiphany), the Great Sarakostí (Lent) and finally Holy Week, each season has its own stories and traditional foods.
The author magically evokes the flavours and the smells of her homeland, intertwining the traditions, legends, festivals with her memories. The recipes are simple to follow and the author has taken time to explain them step-by-step and include variations and alternatives in case of some ingredients are not available.
I made me nostalgic of my vacation of many years ago on the islands: I wish I could pack my bags and go back for another visit.
Morsel from this book:
The late sun’s rays glistened with silver undertones on the grey rocks of the amphitheater, a white light with shadows. The silence was filled with sounds that only the outdoors far from civilization allows us to hear—the bells on the throats of goats, the whistle of a bird, the mooing of a cow—and I was surrounded by the numinous, by ancient presence. I spoke to women walking behind their goat flocks as they returned them home, their hands never stopping in the spinning, spinning of wool on the spindle. I was at home, in peace, “surprised by joy.”
I’m back from a relaxing trip to celebrate our wedding anniversary: great weather, enjoyed long walks along the beaches, chased seagulls and played tag with the kids, indulged in glorious food and generally relaxed with a book while the kids played. Just lovely!Now I’m catching up with the pile up of mails from when we were away and of course with Goodreads updates.
While on holiday, I have started another Bingo card, update on my reads:
A book that became a movie: This is Where I Leave You
A book with more than 250 pages: Plainsong (This has been years on my shelves so it doubles as hoarder’s)
A book with magic: The Witch's Boy
Currently reading:
The King Must Die, I was looking forward to reading this book and it is a good historical fiction/mythology book but I’m not liking the writer’s style that much and
Olive Kitteridge which I’m enjoying very much.
The King Must Die, disappointing 2 stars.A book your friend loves: Olive Kitteridge and me too, 4 stars.
At the moment I'm browsing for this month theme reads:
Fiction - Horror/Thriller &/OR Short Story Collections (this shouldn't be too hard, except I don't like gore, so I'll probably stay on the thriller side)
and Non-Fiction: Psychology (This looks more like a challenge...)
also planned for this month some YA and fantasy reads. Roll on October!
A book published this year: Little Black Lies, a good thriller, 3 starsYLTO crypto challenge: The Mysterious Howling, 3 stars
A classic: The Turn of the Screw, 2 1/2 starsThe second book in a series: Royal Assassin, 4 stars
currently reading: Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning and The Call of the Wild
I agree Sonya, it's a great read
A book with non-human characters: The Call of the Wild (reread), 4 starsMonthly non-fiction, Psychology: Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning, 4 stars
A book of science fiction: Bird Box, a solid 3 starsThe Crowfield Demon, 2 stars
Currently reading Augustus: The Life of Rome's First Emperor.
It's maybe a bit chicken and egg, the reading thing - do es reading a lot benefits people - or do they read a lot because they are that way wired (enquiring/introverted/academic - whatever)?Choosing books in a foreign language, Kiwi? That would slow me down, certainly!
Deborah wrote: "It's maybe a bit chicken and egg, the reading thing - do es reading a lot benefits people - or do they read a lot because they are that way wired (enquiring/introverted/academic - whatever)?..."
I'd like to think of it as a virtuous cycle, the more I read and the more I like what I read, the more I want to read :)
Regarding the idea that readers are also introvert, last year there was an interesting discussion in this group.... Found it !
A book about a famous person: Augustus: The Life of Rome's First Emperor by Anthony Everitt, 4 stars my reviewCurrently reading and very much enjoying My Cousin Rachel :)
My Cousin Rachel, absolutely adored it, can I give it 6 stars?Note to self: Daphne du Maurier challenge next year perhaps
just started 14 for this month's horror genre and as A book with a number in its title.
oh I loved My Cousin Rachel too! Have you not read du Maurier before? *amazed*You certainly can give it 6 stars - I have a special list for 5 1/2 and 6 star books. In fact - you can do anything you jolly well like, Kiwi! :D
haha, Deborah, I read Rebecca, Jamaica inn and my cousin Rachel before (in translation though), but I guess I forgot how good they were! I must see what other novels of hers I can find, have you got any recommendations?I rarely rate books 5 stars, only books that are worthy of re-reads, affected me or have special memories for me (e.g. some books I read my kids when they were little) so you may see I put in the same category the BFG with The Odyssey :P
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)
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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)
I think I will follow your lead Karen, I have a few other authors I'd like to try this year that are already waiting on my kindle, but I will definitely get the next book :)