FALL 2020 READING CHALLENGE

[Danell]

I listened to Lily and the Octopus which works for the letters L-O-O in the title, I have a feeling this is the first of many books for this part of the challenge.

[Mecala]

Finally doing a challenge! Love seeing the challenges and being a part of this group if only to read what everyone else is reading.

Here’s my list:


1. Night of the mannequins by Stephen graham jones - birthday and counts as number 2 as a reviewer called it unsettling!
2. See above
3. The devil all the time
4. Told by villains POV - grendel John Gardner (which could also count towards bathroom if I don’t finish game of thrones)
5. Bathroom - games of thrones book 1
6. Mexican gothic

[Rachel]

Danell wrote: "I listened to Lily and the Octopus which works for the letters L-O-O in the title, I have a feeling this is the first of many books for this part of the challenge."

Thanks for the update, Danell! :D

[Rachel]

Mecala wrote: "Finally doing a challenge! Love seeing the challenges and being a part of this group if only to read what everyone else is reading.

Here’s my list:


1. Night of the mannequins by Stephen graham ..."

Welcome to the challenge, Mecala! :D
Look forward to hearing your thoughts on those titles. Hope you enjoy!

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

Danell wrote: "I listened to Lily and the Octopus which works for the letters L-O-O in the title, I have a feeling this is the first of many books for this part of the challenge."

Yeah, there are so many titles that work with the letters L-O-O in the title/subtitle that I set my Fall Reading Goal at 15. Goodreads tells me I'm currently 2 books behind on this Reading Goal since I haven't yet completed a book for the challenge, but I know I'll catch up soon!

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

Mecala wrote: "Finally doing a challenge! Love seeing the challenges and being a part of this group if only to read what everyone else is reading.

Here’s my list:


1. Night of the mannequins by Stephen graham ..."

Awesome. I've got two Stephen Graham Jones novels lined up.


Turns out he lives in my current city and I had never even heard of him. These seasonal challenges introduce me to so many different authors and books, I really look forward to these and we have a great little group of people to talk about authors, titles and more.

[Danell]

I listened to How we fight for our lives, which works for loo. Great book!

My library opened and I got my library card and a few books today. Happy!

Dustin I think I might challenge myself to 15 books also. You are a wise man

[Rachel]

Danell wrote: "I listened to How we fight for our lives, which works for loo. Great book!

My library opened and I got my library card and a few books today. Happy!

Dustin I think I might challenge myself to 15 ..."

Thanks for the update, Danell! :D

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

This morning I started reading Mongrels by Stephen Graham Jones.

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

I just finished reading These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf. I'm using this book with the challenge. For me, it works on two tasks. The book deals with an unsettling subject/incident. This is also only the second book I've read by the author. I had previously read The Weight of Silence aver a decade ago.

[Rachel]

Dustin Crazy little brown owl wrote: "This morning I started reading Mongrels by Stephen Graham Jones.
"

Looking forward to hearing what you think of it. Hope you enjoy. :)

[Rachel]

Dustin Crazy little brown owl wrote: "I just finished reading These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf. I'm using this book with the challenge. For me, it works on two tasks. The book deals with an unsettling subject/incident. This is ..."

Thanks for the updates, Dustin! :D

[Rachel]

How was Tenant?

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

Rachel wrote: "How was Tenant?"

I'm not a big fan of action so my opinion is somewhat biased.
I got lost in the film. Most people need to watch Tenet more than once to understand it. I prefer Inception and Interstellar over Tenet.
Tenet is action-packed and entertaining. I enjoyed the sound effects, which added to the dramatization, but many people find that the sound effects overpower the dialogue.

[Rachel]

Dustin Crazy little brown owl wrote: "Rachel wrote: "How was Tenant?"

I'm not a big fan of action so my opinion is somewhat biased.
I got lost in the film. Most people need to watch Tenet more than once to understand it. I prefer Ince..."

Thanks for the info. :)

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

I'm finishing MONGRELS tonight. Very impressive, I really enjoyed it and highly recommend :-)

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

Currently Reading The Only Good Indians

[Rachel]

Dustin Crazy little brown owl wrote: "I'm finishing MONGRELS tonight. Very impressive, I really enjoyed it and highly recommend :-)
"

Thanks for the update, Dustin! :D

[Rachel]

Dustin Crazy little brown owl wrote: "Currently Reading The Only Good Indians
"

Look forward to hearing your thoughts on it.

[Danell]

Finished another book that works for L-O-O, Coldbrook, great zombie book

[Rachel]

Danell wrote: "Finished another book that works for L-O-O, Coldbrook, great zombie book"

Thanks for the update, Danell! :D

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

L-O-O and "Unsettling" seem to be the biggest winners this Fall! :-)

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

I started reading The Lottery today. These stories are disturbing yet much more easy to read than expected for being written in the 1940's !

As I started reading, I thought about my grandparents married in 1934 and raising their young family when these stories were introduced. I doubt any of my relatives would have read these stories, but it made me thing about what happened in my history during that time.

So far, the stories seem to deal a lot with the horrific ways people treat each other.

I was able to get an audiobook that contained 8 out of the 24 stories. I also got a printed book from the library, so I am doing the audiobook first - reading out of order from how they appear in the book.
The first story that was on the audio was "The Lottery". Immediately, I thought of (view spoiler)[ The Hunger Games. I've never heard any correlation between the two, but that was the first connection I made. (hide spoiler)]


Audiobook Edition:

[Rachel]

Dustin Crazy little brown owl wrote: "I started reading The Lottery today. These stories are disturbing yet much more easy to read than expected for being written in the 1940's !

As I started reading, I thought about my grandparents ..."

Thanks for the update, Dustin! :D

[Janet]

Well, I went a little crazy ordering books this past month...and it's all your fault!

I picked up: and I already had

I "hope" to be able to finish the two group reads along with at least two or three of these during the challenge. I might have set the bar too high, cause I will also have to read two bookclub picks during this same timeframe (unless I can convince them to read some of these!!! Which would kill two birds!) Wish me luck!

I watched The Devil all the Time .... WOW, very intense. I started the book this afternoon. It's very good. OH, and I read which takes place in a rural setting (Wyoming small town)

I might make it yet.

[Rachel]

You can do it, Janet! :D

Sorry (not sorry:) about that awesome book haul. Hope you enjoy!

Look forward to hearing what you think of them.

[Rachel]

Also thanks for the updates!

[Danell]

Finished another one that works for LOO, Blood on Snow, wasn’t for me. Hopefully my next book is more enjoyable

[Janet]

OMGoodness, just finished

Not for the faint-hearted => but definitely for me! Prepare for darkness. It's a beautifully written novel of small town desperations and simple evilness.

I'm off to order more Pollock! Starting with

[Rachel]

Danell wrote: "Finished another one that works for LOO, Blood on Snow, wasn’t for me. Hopefully my next book is more enjoyable"

Thanks for the update, Danell! Hope your next book is a good one. :)

[Rachel]

Janet wrote: "OMGoodness, just finished

Not for the faint-hearted => but definitely for me! Prepare for darkness. It's a beautifully written novel of small town despe..."

Thanks for the update, Janet! :)

Did the movie stay true to the book?

[Janet]

Rachel wrote: "Janet wrote: "OMGoodness, just finished

Not for the faint-hearted => but definitely for me! Prepare for darkness. It's a beautifully written novel of sm..."

Yes, it did! I was impressed. It has a great cast, all doing a fantastic job...Tom Holland was outstanding. And, it was narrated by the author!
Very dark and disturbing (which doesn't bother me!) Warning for lots of death and blood. And the movie doesn't shy away from depicting how blind faith in hardcore religiousness can be dark and take some people through terrible paths.

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

Janet, I hope you like The Only Good Indians as much as I did :-)
I'm currently reading The Lottery and Other Stories.

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

Finally got a printed copy of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Lucky for me, it works for the Fall Reading Challenge as a prequel :-) Will be starting it soon since it's a library copy and still lots of people patiently waiting for this one.

[Rachel]

Janet wrote: "Rachel wrote: "Janet wrote: "OMGoodness, just finished

Not for the faint-hearted => but definitely for me! Prepare for darkness. It's a beautifully writ..."

Thanks for the info! :)

[Rachel]

Dustin Crazy little brown owl wrote: "Finally got a printed copy of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Lucky for me, it works for the Fall Reading Challenge as a prequel :-) Will be starting it soon since it's a librar..."

Thanks for the updates, Dustin! :)

[Janet]

Dustin Crazy little brown owl wrote: "Janet, I hope you like The Only Good Indians as much as I did :-)
I'm currently reading The Lottery and Other Stories.
[bookcover:The Lottery and Other St..."

Dustin, me too! My book club meets Sunday...we are doing something different this month - each of us is (virtually) bringing one horror pick and we'll vote on them (we can't vote for our own). I'm bringing The Only Good Indians! I'll be reading it, regardless...but it would be great if it or Mexican Gothic is picked so that I have more reading time with this challenge. Too many good books!!!

[Janet]

Just finished reading my grandmother asked me to tell you she's sorry

It started out slow for me and I was having a hard time getting into it, but I think I had a bit of a book hangover from reading The Devil All the Time.

But, OMGoodness...what a sweet book! It made me cry in a couple of places, and laugh out loud in a couple of others. THAT is a good book in my book. Having had a wonderful Grannie and being a grandmother myself...this book really resonated with my feelings.

Oh....and it's a L-O-O!

I'm leaving to head back up to S. Dakota for possibly a week. I can't figure out how to 'reply' from the Goodreads app...so will only be able to create new posts while gone.

[Rachel]

Janet wrote: "Just finished reading my grandmother asked me to tell you she's sorry

It started out slow for me and I was having a hard time g..."

Thanks for the update, Janet! Hope all is well. Have a safe trip. :)

[Christine]

I finished . It was a long read but worth it. The accounts of the people who migrated were so personal, nothing dry about this history. I highly recommend this type of reading to the stuff they made us learn in school, should be required reading in high school.

I also read . Talk about two ends of the spectrum. Sex and Vanity is a whole lot of fluff, but its fun. What I didn't know is that it is an homage to A Room with a View which is one of my all time favorite movies. Its got tons of over the top opulence. I find it hard to believe people actually live like this. It counts for a book that has a focus on a couple.

[Rachel]

Christine wrote: "I finished . It was a long read but worth it. The accounts of the people who migrated were so personal, noth..."

Thanks for the update, Christine! :D

I’m currently reading and completely agree with you- it’s an incredible book-would have loved to read books like this rather than a dry textbook in school.

[Danell]

Just finished The Devil All The Time. Great book, disturbing, but great

[Rachel]

Danell wrote: "Just finished The Devil All The Time. Great book, disturbing, but great"

Thanks for the update, Danell! :D

[Mecala]

Danell wrote: "Just finished The Devil All The Time. Great book, disturbing, but great"

Agreed but I also loved it and couldn't put it down!

[Mecala]

Currently in the middle of Mexican Gothic and I also can't put this one down. It reminds me a bit of Rebecca with the slow burn and you're not really sure what actually happened. Will probably finish this one this weekend and then off to finish off the challenge with Grendel and A Game of Thrones

[Rachel]

Mecala wrote: "Currently in the middle of Mexican Gothic and I also can't put this one down. It reminds me a bit of Rebecca with the slow burn and you're not really sure what actua..."

Thanks for the updates, Mecala! :D

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

Danell wrote: "Just finished The Devil All The Time. Great book, disturbing, but great"

I should look into this. Thanks for the recommendations.

[Christine]

I'm adding two more to my challenge:

for LOO. An homage to libraries. I really enjoyed it.

for a title by an author that I have read before. Christina Baker Kline writes historical fiction. Her novels are well researched and her writing is excellent. She transports you to that time and place.

[Rachel]

Christine wrote: "I'm adding two more to my challenge:

for LOO. An homage to libraries. I really enjoyed it.

for a title by an author that I h..."

Thanks for the updates, Christine! I added the library book to my tbr-Thanks for the recommendation. :D

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl, Colorful Colorado]

Just got a copy The Warmth of Other Suns. I didn't realize how hefty this book is, but I should be able to finish by end of November :-)
I was originally going to read Caste, but the wait at the library is too long and The Warmth of Other Suns was cheaper to purchase.