Challenges 2015

[Sherry, Doyenne]

I finally finished Ahab's Wife, or The Star-Gazer. I think the book should have been shorter, and I rather objected to the way it ended, but mostly I really enjoyed it.

[Sherry, Doyenne]

I'm almost finished with The Danish Girl, about the first person to have a sex-change operation. I've had this book since it first came out because of a good review in the NYTimes (I think). I like it pretty well, with reservations, but the main reason I'm reading it is because there is a movie being made with Eddie Redmayne. Perfect casting. The reservations I have is that David Ebershoff changed the wife to an American for no discernible reason, that I can think of, other than he wanted write about the area where he grew up.

[Portia]

Sherry, my own personal challenge for 2016 is to finish books that I put down not because I gave up on them but because I was pulled away, often to read a book everyone I knew was reading and I wanted to join in.

Will you be setting up a Challenge thread for 2016? If so, I'd like to offer this idea. I will be working on my TBF pile on my own but welcome company ;-)

[Sue]

I know I will continue to plan reading from my "own" books. My shelves are still overflowing and I really didn't get to the non-fiction this year. I don't have many unfinished books but I will look at that as a possibility too. Some of my unfinished books are, unfortunately, ones I lost interest in but some, like Brothers Karamazov, I did plan to finish. Now I'm afraid I would have to start again.

[Portia]

I know what you mean, Sue. I'm planning to read books that I've put down in the past year or so. That way I can skim the part I've already read and make myself believe I'm quite the fast reader.;-)

[Sherry, Doyenne]

Portia wrote: "Sherry, my own personal challenge for 2016 is to finish books that I put down not because I gave up on them but because I was pulled away, often to read a book everyone I knew was reading and I wan..."

Would you like me to set up a challenge of finishing books you started? I can certainly do that. I'm planning on another "Read My Own Books" challenge. I'm not sure I'll do a non-fiction challenge again next year, because I'm going to restart listening to an American Literature course from the Learning Company that I started years ago, but just petered out on.

[Portia]

Sherry, I would love that. Maybe other CRs will find it interesting as well.

Thanks from
Portia

[Sherry, Doyenne]

Portia wrote: "Sherry, I would love that. Maybe other CRs will find it interesting as well.

Thanks from
Portia"

If I don't set it up right away at the start of the new year, remind me, OK?

[Portia]

You bet.

[Sherry, Doyenne]

I finished The Foreign Correspondent by Alan Furst just now. I don't know why or when I bought it for my Kindle. I suspect it was either free or on sale at Bookbub.com. It was pretty good, but not riveting. Now I have finished all my challenges for this year!

[Sherry, Doyenne]

How did you all do in your 2015 Challenges?

[Mary Anne]

I succeeded with my nonfiction challenge, but not with my already-owned challenge. The problem is that these books have been collecting dust on my shelves for a reason, i.e. I am not that motivated by them.

Sigh.

However, in 2016, I will be retiring, so I anticipate that I will be able to read more. Oh happy day!

[Barbara]

Congratulations on your upcoming retirement, Mary Anne! I was worried about how I would react to mine and it's turned out to be one of the best periods of my life.

[Lisa Hope]

I am at 39/50. Hope to get a couple more in before it's all over.

[Sherry, Doyenne]

Mary Anne wrote: "I succeeded with my nonfiction challenge, but not with my already-owned challenge. The problem is that these books have been collecting dust on my shelves for a reason, i.e. I am not that motivated..."

Happy days!

[Sue]

I only ended up reading 1 of my own non-fiction books but I did read 12 out of my 15 book goal for fiction books. I do plan to try again in 2016, hopefully with better results.

[Mary Ellen]

I started out well...and fell behind. 10 of 15 already-owned. 2 of 7 nonfiction. Hoping to finish one last already-owned nonfiction book before 12/31 11:59:59!

[Sue]

Good luck, Mary Ellen