Kiwi’s 2015 Reading Challenges

[Bionic Jean]

:)

[Overbooked ✎]

Thanks for the tip Amber

[Amber]

No problem. :)

[[deleted user]]

Kiwi wrote: "Giorgia, I read Station Eleven last month and gave it a 4 stars my review. Hope you'll like it

Let me know when you want to read Blood Song we can do a read-along :-)"

I'd love to set up a read-along for Blood Song! I'll write on the topic to see if someone else wants to join us.

Would it be OK for you to start reading it around mid April?

[Overbooked ✎]

I'm sure I can rearrange my reads to whatever suits :-) thanks Giorgia for organising it

[Overbooked ✎]

Finished Last Argument of Kings, the last book in the First Law trilogy, 4 stars my review

Currently reading Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder. A childhood favourite :-)

[Overbooked ✎]

Finished another couple of books for my challenges: The War of the Worlds and The Bell Jar, 3 and 3 stars respectively.

[Overbooked ✎]

Finished I, Claudius, 4 stars, I really enjoyed this book, my review
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 :)

[Overbooked ✎]

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

[[deleted user]]

We read The Uncommon Reader in the group a while back, Kiwi. It was brilliant and well recieved!

[Overbooked ✎]

Agree Heather, it was a very enjoyable read.

[Overbooked ✎]

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 book

The 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.

[Overbooked ✎]

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.

[Overbooked ✎]

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).

[Leslie]

Kiwi wrote: "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..."

I am not surprised by that -- I devoured it in about 2 days when I first read it! Of course, little else got done :P

Was Omelas your first Le Guin? I adore her The Earthsea Trilogy...

[Erica]

So glad you're enjoying Pillars of the Earth Kiwi. He's a terrific writer and storyteller. The sequel is just as good too :)

[Overbooked ✎]

@Leslie, haha, it's always a good sign when you get lost in a book.
yes it is my first Le Guin, I have A Wizard of Earthsea on my TBR. I've heard a lot of good things about her books, is "The Ones Who Walk..." typical of her style?

@Erica, good to know the World Without End is just as good, I hate disappointing sequels :-)

[Greg]

Kiwi, I think the style is somewhat representative of the concept driven novels she wrote, but some other books are completely different.

I completely agree that in her concept driven books, the concepts are better than the characters & execution (The Left Hand of Darkness, The Lathe of Heaven, The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas, etc), though for me, the concepts are definitely fascinating enough to carry them.

The Earthsea novels are quite different and also fantastic in a different way. In those ones, the execution and language are deeply satisfying in themselves.

[Greg]

Heather wrote: "We read The Uncommon Reader in the group a while back, Kiwi. It was brilliant and well recieved!"

Agree completely!

[Overbooked ✎]

Thanks for the answer Greg!

[Leslie]

Kiwi - I agree with Greg's assessment regarding Le Guin.

[Overbooked ✎]

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.

[Greg]

Looking forward to hearing what you think of Death of a Salesman Kiwi! I liked it a lot & found it extremely moving. When it was chosen for a group read in another group though, some people saw it very differently than I did.

I liked Spoon River Anthology too. Interesting how it tells the story of the whole town & a fairly quick read.

[Overbooked ✎]

Greg wrote: "Looking forward to hearing what you think of Death of a Salesman Kiwi! I liked it a lot & found it extremely moving. When it was chosen for a group read in another group though, some p..."
I hope I will like it as much as you did, I don't know much about plays.

I find that I can't read poetry fast, even with Spoon River which is free-form. Some epitaphs are quite obvious, with others I find myself trying to understand the significance between the lines.
I like the fact that some pieces cross reference each other, like the estranged couples, spurned lovers or father/child relationships disclosing the different point of view.
How much of the gossip and scandals in this little town are revealed in few sentences!

[Overbooked ✎]

Chrissie asked about the inaccuracies I refer to in my review of Pillars of the Earth, so here is my explanation:

I read for two main reasons: to learn and to be entertained. I choose this book for my History challenge to learn more about the historical period, but for me, Pillars fitted more in the latter category.
Even though you get an excellent overall idea of life during the 12th century from reading this book, historically I couldn’t help but notice some mistakes. The most obvious one is linking one of his characters to Thomas Becket assassination. Follett obviously included this episode to appeal to readers (being a memorable event), but for me it was a huge stretch and it didn't do much for the book ending either.
Another one that I can remember at the beginning of the book is a description of Aliena of Shiring (a young lady) wearing a short dress (that showed her knees), I have checked some sources but I haven’t found any evidence of female wearing short dresses in that period.
There were other things I found odd but, as I said in my review, I tried hard “not to notice” preferring to read the book as a work of "historical fantasy" rather than treating it as historically accurate.

Another episode where it required the reader’s suspension of disbelief was when Aliena's bails of wool “burst up in flames”. Although wool can be ruined by fire, wool does not ignite easily and will often self-extinguish, this example is a mistake that is not due to historical accuracy but to common knowledge:-)

Despite the criticism above I did really enjoy the story, I would recommend the book to others as an entertaining read. It’s likely that I will continue the series and I'll definitely read more of Ken Follett books :)

[Chrissie]

I don't appreciate historical fantasy, so I think the inaccuracies will upset me.

Thank you for explaining.

[Overbooked ✎]

No problem Chrissie, I'm normally quite critical when it comes to historical fiction too, this book is the exception.

[Overbooked ✎]

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

[Overbooked ✎]

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!

[Greg]

Glad you enjoyed your vacation Kiwi! :)

[Overbooked ✎]

Thanks Greg !

[dely]

Kiwi wrote: "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, moun..."

It seems you had a wonderful time! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[Angela M]

Kiwi, so glad you had a nice break . It's always so good to get away !

[Leslie]

Kiwi wrote: "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, moun..."

Sounds like a wonderful vacation! Autumn can be such a great time for outdoors activities. But I'm glad to see you back posting again :-)

[Overbooked ✎]

Thanks dely, Angela and Leslie! It was great to switch off for a few days, no phone calls and no internet! ... but I'm glad to be back :p

Just started my next reads: The Crowfield Curse and Life After Life.

[Overbooked ✎]

The Crowfield Curse, 3 stars

A 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.

[Overbooked ✎]

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!

[Overbooked ✎]

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 ...

[Overbooked ✎]

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

[Overbooked ✎]

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...

[Overbooked ✎]

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)

[Susan]

Kiwi wrote: "I might as well read one of my maso read: [book:The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy..."

Kiwi, have you seen the TV series? I found it hilarious, but I don't know anyone who enjoyed the books, which is odd, considering that it was a bestseller.

[Overbooked ✎]

Susan I haven't seen the TV series but I don't do well with absurdist humor, I am not a fan of Monty Python either, (btw, there is an article online about this topic link so it seems it’s not just me :-)

I gave the book 2 stars. I'm also not a fan of Terry Pratchett (**shock**) and so finding humor books that I enjoy seems to be a problem for me, but I keep trying!

[Leslie]

Susan wrote: "Kiwi, have you seen the TV series? I found it hilarious, but I don't know anyone who enjoyed the books, which is odd, considering that it was a bestseller. ..."

I loved the books (which I read before there was a TV show) but then again, unlike Kiwi, I do like absurdist humor (Monty Python, Terry Pratchett, PG Wodehouse, Topper, etc). So Susan, now you know one person who did :)

[Pink]

Kiwi, I'm similar to you in not finding absurdist humour very funny, in fact I don't like any that Leslie mentioned above! I prefer satire, or black comedy in my books, but it's rare that I find anything that actually makes me laugh out loud.

[Greg]

I don't generally like absurdist comedy, but I do like humor that comes from real human foibles (and I think P G Wodehouse and Terry Pratchett do have that in spades despite the general silliness, Molière is another). I very much enjoy black humor / satire as well. I find myself often laughing out loud with books (and also crying on occasion).

But I had started The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: A Trilogy in Four Parts once, and it didn't really grab me. Maybe one time I'll try again. Leslie and Kiwi, is there human comedy / satire of human behavior as well, or is it all mostly silliness?

[Leslie]

Greg, I think that it is more satire of science fiction rather than of human behavior or social mores. But I read it long ago. I suspect that if this style of humor isn't your cup of tea it will strike you as mostly silliness.

[Monica]

Kiwi wrote: "I've just started The Lies of Locke Lamora for this month fiction challenge (Fantasy) ..."

Enjoyed this one, Kiwi. I'll watch for your review.

[Overbooked ✎]

Pink wrote: "I prefer satire, or black comedy in my books, but it's rare that I find anything that actually makes me laugh out loud. ..."

I feel the same Pink.

@Greg I agree with Leslie, it is mostly science fiction satire, but a lot of simple nonsense as well.

Leslie, I did like P G Wodehouse, which I seem to remember you suggested in the Bingo Challenge? but I've only read the first book of the series. I did like Jeeves, I might continue the series.

I don't seem to have the same problem with emotional books, I can cry with a moving book more often than laugh out loud with a humorous one.

@Monica, I'm enjoying The Lies of Locke Lamora quite a lot, I'm finding the setting (a pseudo-Venice in the early modern era) quite refreshing, a departure from the typical British-type medieval era.
The plot is twisted and the characters well developed, although there is some violence it is more about intrigue and scheming, you might like it :-)

[Pink]

Kiwi, I've only read the first book of Jeeves too, which I wasn't overly keen on, though I have heard it isn't the best one, so maybe I should continue too.