2015 Reading Challenge

[Beth]

What is your reading challenge for next year? I think I'm going to keep it around 50-70 a year. I think the 50 is probably too easy but I don't want to feel I have to rush through books to complete the challenge.

[Sparrow Knight]

I have soooo many books I haven't read sitting on my shelves, which have become double-rowed & stacked on the floor. So I think my personal challenge will be to buy no more books in 2015 & read the ones I have already.

I thought having a Kindle would help w/the overflow, so there's a wealth of reading in there, too. And it hasn't helped w/the overflow. :\

A lot of the books I haven't read are non-fiction. Right now I've re-taken up "What a Plant Knows", a book I started last spring & put down. It's really a fascinating book, I think I just got distracted by reading fiction, which requires less attentiveness overall.

[Jack]

Reading is always a bit of a challenge when you have a kid. Most of my reading gets done during my commute on the train or late at night once he's asleep so I can't through books as fast as I would like to. My goal is to finish out the Fleming Bond cannon, read some nonfiction Bond books, and tackle a few YA Young Bond books by the summer. I also want to get back to Stephen King as I originally planned to read through his books chronologically but I think I'd rather skip around now and read the ones that appeal to me most. I read everything through IT though so I think I'll tackle Tommyknockers next since I read Misery years ago. I want to also get more into noir fiction and re-read some of my favorite Dasheil Hammett, Raymond Chandler, and Mickey Spillaine books, which have provided me with a great deal of inspiration for my own writing. Speaking of writing, I want to continue writing fiction, poetry, and nonfiction for my own blog as time permits. On personal note, I'm just hoping 2015 is a better year for me overall. 2014 was brutal and I cannot wait to kick this year to the curb next week.

Best wishes to everyone on their 2015 goals.
Jack

[Sparrow Knight]

Funny you should mention Bond...'inspired' by Limbaugh's remark, some friends & I have been batting around our own ideas of who should play Bond next, in a 'poke Limbaugh' sort of way, but also just to explore non-traditional actors. Love to hear your thoughts about a unanimous pick....Lupita Nyong'o as Lady Bond. (Oh, darn, I don't know how to attach a picture).

As for Idris Elba, I'm lukewarm. I prefer Djimon Hounsou for the role, if we're going to go non-traditional.

Your non-traditional picks?

Dashiell Hammit is on my overflowing shelf, too. :D

[Jack]

I don't pay any mind to anything Rush Limbaugh says. There are people in the Bond fan community who are against the idea of a black Bond not out of racists reasons but out of a purist leaning or interpretation of the source material. Ian Fleming wrote the character as white Britsh man very much modelled after himself and also after other men he encountered while he was a Commander in the British Navy in the Intelligence division during the war. The are several real life people who one could argue was the basis for Bond apart from Fleming all of them white because during that time period there wasn't much diversity in the higher ranks of MI6 and the British Navy during the 50s when Fleming wrote the books. Actually, MI6 members used to be exclusively recruited from the British upper classes so there was little chance of a non-white British Intelligence agent during the time frame of the books.

My argument, however, is that the Bond film franchise is a separate thing entirely. It's meant to be contemporary and so a black or non-wite British agent would be absolutely believeable and appropriate despite the fact that Fleming would have never pictured the character that way. So, I would be in favor of a non-white Bond.

There is also the dicey area of Fleming's own views of race which were not entirely progressive despite the fact that most of the Jamaican people who encountered the Flemings while he stayed there writing the books still carry a large amount of respect for him. The 2nd book Live and Let Die, while being a fun story to read, is rife with some politically incorrect racial remarks. While one could certainly enjoy the book and disregard its racial attitudes, it's impossible not to suspect that Fleming may have had some racist leanings. It's a difficult thing to speculate about though.

I wouldn't mind Idris Alba as Bond. I think he would be a good choice. The one necessity is that Bond should remain British. There was a time when they wanted to make him American by casting Burt Reynolds and that would have ruined it. The franchise needs to remain true to its British roots. A non-white British actor as Bond could be a brilliant choice depending on who they choose.

It depends on the franchise. Let's say they decide to remake Harry Potter in 25-50 years. Would fans be accepting of a non-white British child actor taking on the role of Harry Potter? It's hard to tell.

I'd also be open to a female Bond too. Recently, someone posted a still with a scene from Thunderball where they have all the 00 agents meeting about the mission. One of the things that is easily missed unless you pause the movie at just the right time is that 003 is in fact a woman. While the concept of a female 00 agent has never gone any further, I think one day it might be intriguing to have either a female Bond or perhaps explore a female 00 agent within the film franchise.

Lupita Nyong'o would certainly upset Limbaugh. Someone should start that rumor.

Nontraditional picks for who should play James Bond: Idris Alba, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Thandie Newton.


Daniel Craig has one more movie after the next one so we won't know until maybe 2018 or later who will be the next Bond. I hope they go with a non-traditional choice when the time comes but only time will tell.

[Sparrow Knight]

I figured if you were a purist, you pr'ly wouldn't be reading YA or contemporary versions. Updating an icon usually offends the purists.

I don't pay any mind to Limbaugh, he was just showing up on my FB page & it got me thinking...I've never thought outside the box regarding Bond, so it was fun to explore that possibility.

I really can't picture an American as Bond, but how about rather than just mainland Brit, we consider colonials, which would allow for Lupita's accent & accommodate an interesting African plot arch. Blood diamonds & oil, Chinese plots, Boko Haram, ebola...busy place, Africa, these days.

Fleshing out the whole 00 department could certainly branch this out a lot!

Harry Potter....hmmm, how about some latin blood? ;)

[Jack]

I agree that Colonial Brits should be considered too. Ultimately, it should go to whoever happens to be the best actor for the films they are planning regardless of race. They have had an Australian actor portray Bond for one film. George Lazenby was picked to play Bond for On Her Majesty's Secret Service in 1969 and would have probably done more than one Bond film had he not been convinced by his manager to quit at the time. His manager convinced him that the Bond films wouldn't be successful for much longer and that he'd be better off quiting the role, which Lazenby later regretted. It was the time of the Hippie movement and Lazenby was convinced that Bond as a blunt instrument of the government wasn't in line with the type of roles he wanted. He thought Easy Rider would be the future and Bond would be a thing of the past.

Also, people were up in arms when Daniel Craig was picked because they couldn't accept a "blonde Bond." Now, it feels like Daniel Craig was practically born to play Bond but I remember Bond communties were upset and threatening to boycott because they didn't think Bond could have blonde hair.

We've come a long way since then . . . . hopefully.

[Sparrow Knight]

I wasn't drawn to Craig just because he didn't look sophisticated enough, too thuggish for me. I'm more a Roger Moore, Pierce Brosnan type. It's the same issue I have w/Idris, tho' all my friends swoon over him. That, & he looks like a boss, not an operative, & too old to be leaping about like a proper Bond.

To be honest, I haven't seen a Bond film in decades. I'm just not that big a movie watcher. I've got all these books to read! LOL

[Jack]

Age may be the ultimate reason for Elba not getting the part since he's already 42 and the earliest he could possibly play Bond is 2018-2019 due to Craig's contract. They could always fire Craig if the upcoming film SPECTRE performs poorly, but I don't see that happening.

Craig's personality is actually the closest any Bond actor has come to the Bond of the Fleming books. Fleming really didn't give Bond any one-liner humor and even though the character had many lovers throughout the books, he actually really did fall in love a few times and Craig's Bond is the only one to explore that. Lazenby's Bond also explored Bond dealing with love and loss, but they didn't pick up the threads when Connery returned for Diamonds are Forever.

[Kate]

I love the idea of Djimon Honsou or Idris Elba as Bond! and, LUPITA Nyong'o as a lady Bond? mind blown. I'd watch the pants off the movie!

and, I understand the "I want to read what's on my shelves" as a book challenge. Earlier this year I decided if I didn't already own it, couldn't get it at the library or get if as an ebook or audio book, I wasn't buying it. I think it's working. I still buy books but they're not adding to my literal stacks.

Exceptions obviously made for autographed copies or things I know I'll re-read. ;)

this year I think I'm going to try for 50 books with at least half of them non-fiction. That seems like a lot, though.

[Jessica]

I wanted to throw my hats into the Bond movie ring because I'm a huge Bond fan. Personally the casting begins and ends for me with Lena Headey because she's gorgeous perfection and has that dangerous but sexy edge that Bond needs. Otheriwse I would love to see a British Indian actor in the role since that's a more direct response to the history of British colonialism but I can't think of someone off the top of my head other than Naveen Andrews and he's probably too old. Oh, Daniel Oyelowo would be a decent pick in general as well because he carries around a bucket of handsomeness and is a classically trained actor.

As for reading challenges I'm going to try for 110 again and probably start off trying to go through my To Read list because it's stupid long. I have no other particular goals except for wanting to actually get to Saga at some point this year.

[Jack]

This whole topic of nonwhite actors for Bond has actually inspired my latest blogpost over at my blog if anyone cares to check it out:

http://jackl0073.wordpress.com/2014/1...

[Valerie]

My Kindle is loaded with novels and nonfiction books I want to read & I'd like to finally finish reading A Song of Ice & Fire. I usually read 100 books a year, but I think I'll aim for 75 this year to start with.

[Sparrow Knight]

Jack wrote: "Age may be the ultimate reason for Elba not getting the part since he's already 42 and the earliest he could possibly play Bond is 2018-2019 due to Craig's contract. They could always fire Craig i..."

One of the benefits of not reading the books...not knowing how badly the film distorts the original character. In general, it's why I never go see the movie once I've read the book. Tho' it often works to see the movie first & then read the book...& find it's sooo much better. :D

[Sparrow Knight]

Jessica wrote: "I wanted to throw my hats into the Bond movie ring because I'm a huge Bond fan. Personally the casting begins and ends for me with Lena Headey because she's gorgeous perfection and has that danger..."

Oh, yes, she'd be great. I love her in Game of Thrones.

I read the first Saga re-issue last year, liked it quite a bit, but never got back to the series. Now I have to wait a year! LOL Have you read Castle Waiting?

[Sparrow Knight]

Jack wrote: "This whole topic of nonwhite actors for Bond has actually inspired my latest blogpost over at my blog if anyone cares to check it out:

http://jackl0073.wordpress.com/2014/1......"

I cry 'Foul!'...you only put Idris up! NO FAIR! What about the other options? Housou, Nyong'o, & now Headey (yes, white, but still non-traditional & awesome). @.@ (I'm still waiting for the actual article to load; just the pics are up)

How are we going to get a rumor about Nyong'o started if you don't blog her? ;-)

I definitely have to read more non-fiction this year, but I can't commit to an actual number. I think I'll just keep track of the two categories through the year & give myself a standing ovation at the end if I manage to not buy anymore & clear some out (to make room for a major buying binge this time next year).

Edited to add...nice article, Jack, balanced, thoughtful, informative & thought-provoking.

[Jack]

Thanks for checking out my article.

I only discussed Idris since he's the one that's been in the news, but I did discuss the potential of a female 007 or female 00 agent.

While upseting Rush Limbaugh sounds like fun, I thought I'd keep it reigned in to the news story about Idris Elba.

I don't think Limbaugh subscribes to my blog although if he did, I would post as much stuff to offend him as possible. LOL

[Sparrow Knight]

Bah, Limbaugh doesn't have to read your blog...he doesn't really generate any original thought. Srs'ly, he takes minutiae from larger issues (in this case, NK telling anyone outside their borders what they can watch, film, write, etc) & then repeats his rant for an hour. No, we just have to get it out in the blogosphere & we'll know the campaign is successful when RL picks it up for his show. ;-)

As for a black superman...they just made Thor a woman, so it's pr'ly not far behind. I personally think it would have been more useful to create a new female version of Thor while keeping the old white guy; someone even knew of one from Nordic mythology. A lot of the old Thor fans are really upset. Hate to hurt the feelings of the children (physically or mentally).

So, Idris & Nyong'o in the same movie...hot, hot, hot. I think that would be very marketable. Very.

Jeez, we have gone waaay off topic...apologies to the OP.

[Jessica]

Sparrow Knight wrote: I read the first Saga re-issue last year, liked it quite a bit, but never got back to the series. Now I have to wait a year! LOL Have you read Castle Waiting?

I have it in my upsettingly large To Read list but I haven't gotten to it yet. There are so many great graphic novels out right now that I feel like I could just read those all year and be happy. I really want to read Sex Criminals and catch up on Fables and read the new Captain Marvel (the list goes on and on).

[Sparrow Knight]

I have it in my upsettingly large To Read list but I haven't gotten to it yet. There are so many great graphic novels out right now that I feel like I could just read those all year and be happy.


I've got Mouse Guard & Persepolis in my to-read pile. I just love the artwork in Mouse Guard.

[Kate]

I started reading Constantine this year and it would be great to read more of that. I read some of it when that awful film when it came out. This time I thought I would start from the beginning.

Fables, man. I've not thought about in forever. Not bad, man

[Kate]

(as in, I could see picking up Fables again.)

[Jessica]

Kate, HDU, I love the Constantine movie. I pretend it's about Constantine's American cousin and it becomes a fun action movie. Plus those five minutes with the Devil are some of my favorite moments in any movie.

See, I'm way behind on Fables because I speed-read it in a week years ago before the next volume was out and then forgot it existed. I did hear it went downhill after that point so maybe I saved myself some trouble.

[Kate]

those moments with the devil are great! And, really, SWINTON is always great!

I've been enjoying the show, too, I'm sad that it might be cancelled.

I've only read the first Fables.

[Kate]

those moments with the devil are great! And, really, SWINTON is always great!

I've been enjoying the show, too, I'm sad that it might be cancelled.

I've only read the first Fables.

[Sparrow Knight]

I'm going to firm up around 12 non-fiction this year. I can't even imagine how many fiction. I've never kept count of how many books I read, so I have no way to access a reasonable goal.

I just finished "What a Plant Knows" about the sensory systems of plants. Fascinating, if you're into that sort of thing, not too detailed or extensive, a nice approachable introduction to how plants perceive & respond to their environment.

Now I'm moving on to "What the Dog Knows". There seems to be a theme here...
;-)

[Jessica]

Kate wrote: "those moments with the devil are great! And, really, SWINTON is always great!"

I thought you called her SWOONTON at first and I was in full agreement.

I've decided to take a page out of book of one of the hosts of the Bookrageous podcast and divide my time between a fiction, non-fiction, and graphic novel. If you suspected this meant I would be reading a lot of X-Men right off the bat...well, go back in time and tell ten-year-old me to stop falling in love with Rogue because that's the only way to shrink my personal collection.