Nothing But Reading Challenges discussion
Wheelathon 5
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Team Watership Down
sorry I haven't been around much...just posted two books. I am almost finished with two more.
Happy 4th to everyone in the US and happy Saturday to everyone else!I just finished two books as well on to pick the next two! I have Watership Down as one so I might try for one more long one.
Oooohhhhh! I hope you like Watership Down! Say "Hi" to Fiver and Hazel for me. Happy Fourth to everyone! Phoenix has had fireworks going off every night for weeks, so I am getting pretty used to the annoyingly loud noises. Tonight I expect to not see my two kitties. I think they will likely be hiding under a bed.
I am guest free again, so I should be catching up with reading. I did take another pause to sign up for Disney Plus so I could see Hamilton. If any of you have not had the chance to see it on stage, pay the seven bucks for a month's membership, sit back and enjoy!!!!!!
I finished The Silent Patient yesterday. Wow. I did not at all see that twist coming. Really good book, and the author's first. On the down side, no back catalogue to read, on the up side, I think he will write more good stories.
Hey, My bookstore opened up, so I can go browse (safely masked and gloved) for the first time in many weeks. Are there any books I absolutely should pick up?
Happy 4th to those of you in the US. I am in England so it is happy Saturday for me :) I can definitely recommend the book of the month
for those of you who haven't read it. OMG I am hooked but have no clue what is going on, not even half way there yet, but it is giving me Stephen King vibes. I feel like I am in Derry.
Right? I so wish I was reading it with you guys. But, I read it just a couple of months ago.
Happy 4th and Happy Saturday everyone!!I am just starting The Sun Down Motel today. Can't wait to get into it!
I'm gonna verify books read today and move them around to complete words -- please don't hate me! Lol!! Your books will probably be moved around within the words when you check back. Or, I could just move the completed ones to a new sheet...oh, I may do that! hehe (I'm a hot mess, sorry all!)
Angie ☯ wrote: "Happy 4th and Happy Saturday everyone!!I am just starting The Sun Down Motel today. Can't wait to get into it!
I'm gonna verify books read today and move them around to complete words -- please..."
Hope you enjoy the book its amazing so far!
I keep trying to make my books fit the empty spaces, or read others that fit ;)
Happy 4th to my US teammates and Happy Saturday to everyone else! I don't enjoy fireworks near me (I like watching when the noises aren't loud), but we've had local fireworks going off in my neighborhood on and off all day, that I assume are about to ramp up as we enter the evening. I've had two DNFs already this round, the most recent coming today by way of Winter Chill. It's a thriller by a cozy mystery author I enjoy, but I learned too late it's re-release of an older writing. Just within the first 10% I came across some uncomfortable references to people with disabilities (such as using the term "invalid" and essentially equating losing a child and having a disabled husband as the same level of tragedy *eye roll*).
I'm sure these were more commonplace when it was written, but that language does not stand the test of time. As a disabled person myself, I found it all just so slightly angering to read, so by that point I could have cared less if the story was going to get better. I get there are plenty of people still thinking this way, but I certainly didn't need to be reading it.
Have any of you come across books with language/word choices that didn't stand the test of time and left you wanting to (or actually) abandoning the book?
I have, but if you ask me to name them, I will draw a blank. Part of me is disappointed that I can't separate the language or attitude of the times the book was written from todays standards. I find it hard though. Movies too. (I will stubbornly always enjoy Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer no matter what people say though. Some childhood golden memories need to stay intact. Yes, I know what the problems are with it. Plus, if I give up on that xmas special, I would probably also have to toss out the Rudolph xmas ornaments, and that will never happen. Just saying.)
I think for me it depends on the mood I am in when I am reading whether I will let the mores of the time flow over me, or if I will get angry and let it ruin the book. It gets harder all the time, which is not a bad thing for real life.
I have never been the type of person to categorize people due to their characteristics, as I am a big proponent of judging people on their actions rather than their looks. So when a character in a book is a jerk with no soul, and politically incorrect to boot, if he/she/it is a bad guy, and it fits the narrative, then no problem. If the hero of the story is also a misogynistic asshole who uses the n word, then I have a problem.
I had a license plate years ago that read "Why be prejudiced, when there are so many reasons to hate people on an individual basis?" Not too uplifting, but I wholeheartedly agree with the sentiment of it.
At this point, my main reason for DNFing books is bad writing or an incredibly stupid plot.
And, tonight's fireworks are starting in earnest. yay.
Jenny wrote: "I have, but if you ask me to name them, I will draw a blank. Part of me is disappointed that I can't separate the language or attitude of the times the book was written from todays standards. I fin..."I totally get that too, in respect to being able to separate/compartmentalize the writing in a book knowing that it was correct for the time it was written. This particular book was re-released in 2013, which surprises me in that these word choices weren't slightly altered with the re-release. Maybe that's what got to me more. I also couldn't see where the plot was headed and the emotional responses of the characters fell flat. (the family loses their daughter and the wife's friend are only concerned about when she will go back to work as a teacher...like a week after the funeral. That just felt so flat of a response).
I'm not great at not knowing a plot, even for books I DNF, so I'll probably end up googling around for a summary lol. I'm with you on knowing if the words/actions fit a character or not. If a jerk character does jerk things, I get it or if some character is having a jerk moment in response to something. But otherwise, it shows the views of the author more when it shows up in "wrong" places, I think.
Also, I love that bummer sticker saying. No need to lump people together like we do, lol :)
Yeah, my current bumper stickers are less in your face. "If you love someone, give them cheese"
"Haikus confuse me
Quite often they make no sense
Hand me the pliers"
and
"Fake quotes will ruin the internet. -Benjamin Franklin"
I'm with you in the I at least need to know how it ends aspect of a bad book. I will power read my way through, or skim rather than DNF usually.
Abbey wrote: "Have any of you come across books with language/word choices that didn't stand the test of time and left you wanting to (or actually) abandoning the book?"To me it's interesting and enlightening to see how culture has changed over time, and one of the clearest means of tracking that is by reading literature from different eras. I don't expect writing from the past to match today's anything: style, social standards, mores, etc. The differences, while sometimes emotionally wrenching, often make a story even more meaningful than the author intended. (On the opposite side of the spectrum, sometimes I find today's literature overly preachy when what I'm looking for is a good story.)
Obviously the writing of any book I read needs to be good too. I usually only DNF a book if the writing is atrocious. (For this reason, I rarely touch a self-published book because I've noticed many of them suffer from the lack of a professional editing team. Ain't nobody got time for that.)
People were talking about Narnia audiobooks earlier. Some of them are long enough for this challenge. I added The Horse and His Boy and Prince Caspian after looking them up on arbookfind.com
Happy Independence Day, my fellow Americans ;)
So. I take it you have not read
? It is a stunning example of self-publishing, after going through Google translate from Chinese into Swahili, then to Welsh, then to Greek, and finally into English. Or at least that is what I assume.If you want a good giggle, look at Cat's review/synopsis of that wonderful piece of literature. I asked her to explain it to me after I read it, and she obliged.
Jenny wrote: "So. I take it you have not read ? It is a stunning example of self-publishing, after going through Google translate from Chinese into Swahili, then t..."Oh wow. That is next level lolll
Unicorn wolves! Exploding cows! Bad-guy turtles! What more could a girl want?
I went through the spreadsheet to check on books read so far, and there are a couple that need to be put on Wheel shelves, and several that do not have tasks attached yet. These are highlighted in yellow. I also added possible task numbers to those that are blank. Please do not assume that my choices are the ones you should use, I was just adding stuff I could glean from book covers and such in case you all don't get the chance to find tasks.
Also, we are reading at about the same number of books as last round according to claimed letters so far, and the score looks to end up about the same as last time. (Those of you with a competitive nature take note. teehee)
And, it looks like some of the books read so far this round look really good!
So, great job so far, and happy reading!!!!!!!
And.....I moved the letters around to make complete words, we have 3 complete! Looking good!!
Cool! I just added some more books and a couple of them were 400 pages. I have 2 big books that I'm working on for this week and then some more little ones. I've had to move things around again for these Olympic games so it's been interesting. I'll see what other bigger books that I can fit in also. :)
Quick question? I'm next on the wait list for The Sun Down Motel. I thought I would've had it already but people must be slow reading. If I get it in the next couple of days, can I still read it for points even though the last day for new questions is today? I usually always read during the time frame but the book just isn't here. Also, I can't read Dear Martin because I just read it but it's really, really good!
I just noticed that the nightingale that I read is listed under the first and third completed word
Anna, as long as you start the book within a month of the start date of the BOM, it will count, so no worries there.Cindy, good catch! We will fix it.
Thanks! I put myself on the waitlist last month but it's taking forever.
I am not sure I can crank out another one or two but I will try! My daughter is going to stay with her grandparents on my late-husband's side for a week so at least my evenings will be mostly free!
Anna - I can send you the epub version or convert it to mobi and send to you, if you want? It would be a document file to your kindle.
Jenny wrote: "I went through the spreadsheet to check on books read so far, and there are a couple that need to be put on Wheel shelves, and several that do not have tasks attached yet. These are highlighted in ..."I will probably get a few more added this week, half way through 3 at the minute! Leaves space for more, and am still slogging my way through
Thanks for all your work on the spreadsheet, you two are awesome! I added tasks for the books I've completed, and will see what I can do to increase my books this week. :) I don't think I'll get to What If It's Us this round because my hold hasn't arrived yet, but I have another W book I will replace it with in the spreadsheet once I'm sure of the swap. There is also one task I entered that didn't automatically add the points (or page number points), but I haven't check to see if that was fixed already.
Question: what does the task "circles on cover" mean exactly? I added it for a book (although I know I could find other tasks for it) since there are circular stools, plates, barrels and balls of yarn on the cover, but wasn't sure if that was what the task was getting at lol.
I think the circle thing is open to interpretation. What does the team think?
Jenny wrote: "I think the circle thing is open to interpretation. What does the team think?"I agree - as long as it is a circle shape, I would say it fits.
Angie ☯ wrote: "Jenny wrote: "I think the circle thing is open to interpretation. What does the team think?"I agree - as long as it is a circle shape, I would say it fits."
Cool, thank you. I'll leave that task selection as is then! :)
Not sure I'll finish either book this week but def will by next week
No problem!You had a book finished that was not on your Wheel shelf as of last night. Can you check please?
I believe I completed and logged all the books I read for this words challenge.
If anyone completes anything before Friday at 3pm EST - please list it on the spreadsheet. All points are welcomed! Lol!There isn't a limit on how many books you contribute; we don't have to stick to the number we turned in as estimates. BUT, I'm not saying read more than you are comfortable with - just if you did read something that you didn't plan to read, we'd love to have you add it. 😃
I dint think I finished one yesterday
Slytherpuff wrote: "I dint think I finished one yesterday"You didn't. I just didn't see it on your shelf, as I am an idiot. You are fine.
Dinner. Beer. That should do it.
Angie ☯ wrote: "Anna - I can send you the epub version or convert it to mobi and send to you, if you want? It would be a document file to your kindle."Thanks so much but it just became available. Next time, I'll mention I'm having trouble getting it. I have to finish one book for the Olympics before I can start it but hopefully I'll get it going tomorrow.
Do you want me to tell you in which chapter the MC is abducted by aliens for experimental purposes? No? fine.
Jenny wrote: "Do you want me to tell you in which chapter the MC is abducted by aliens for experimental purposes? No? fine."
I love your posts!!!
I’m still ploughing through my current book which is pretty slow going. I’m aiming to have it done by Friday.
Noticed a couple of my books have disappeared off the spreadsheet so I have added them back on. Just wondering can the BOM be counted as a spell out also?
Yes, it can be both BOM and spell-out. And, sorry if your book was taken off. Totally accidental. Make sure it hasn't just moved to a different spot. And, good morning (for me at least) all!
I just finished a super long book! I needed it done so now my Olympic book will have to be done tonight and then I can start on the other book. I may have stayed up way past my bedtime and now I'll be running on fully leaded Coke and possibly multiple cups of coffee today but 11/22/63 was a really good book and I liked it. I can't remember who else is reading it this week but it had mega points attached. Now to go read that historical romance....my reading choices are all over the place right now.
Jenny wrote: "Yes, it can be both BOM and spell-out. And, sorry if your book was taken off. Totally accidental. Make sure it hasn't just moved to a different spot. And, good morning (for me at least) all!"
No worries, I did check first because I thought it may have been moved.
Afternoon here in a soggy Britain.
bamaace83 wrote: "I just finished a super long book! I needed it done so now my Olympic book will have to be done tonight and then I can start on the other book. I may have stayed up way past my bedtime and now I'll..."It's me who is reading it, I am only 20% in so far but will get it finished by Friday. To be honest I am quite sure what is going on with it just yet but in the way Stephen King writes I am sure it will be explained in the end.
I haven't seen rain in forever! Please send some to Phoenix if you can figure out how.
I’m hoping to get 11/22/63 for a later round! I’ll be back at my apartment (where my copy of that book lives, while I’ve been in a different state at my parents since March) at the start of August, and this challenge is just the motivation I need to finally tackle that book! The size intimidates me lol.
Jenny wrote: "I haven't seen rain in forever! Please send some to Phoenix if you can figure out how."Honestly it is horrible here, it feels like winter not the beginning of July! Haha I would happily forward it on if I could lol
Nothing But Reading Challenges
Books mentioned in this topic
Betty (other topics)Qualityland (other topics)
The Impossible Fortress (other topics)
My Oxford Year (other topics)
The Nothing Girl (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Francisco X. Stork (other topics)Elizabeth Wein (other topics)
Me too. That's how I ran into Tana French's books. In ..."
Totally, that is how I usually pick my books but the look of the cover.