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Trim 2021 – The Official Unofficial Challenge Thread
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Amy
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Oct 24, 2021 09:14AM
Theresa, the Masterpiece is on my TBR and on my bookshelf. But I don't know if I can fit it in! To get me home is The Beantown Girls which I actually have on audio in wait.
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Last thought - Joanne, I'm sure you already thought of this, but the Seven Sisters is definitely first in a series.... That was a wonderful series. I have the surprise 8th left.....
#1 for me (Nov) is: - The Last Boy / Dave Pelzer
Jen K wrote: "#1 is The Reluctant Fundamentalist#4 Last Night in Nuuk
Excited for both!"
I have Last Night in Nuuk on my TBR! Not sure when I will get to it.
Amy wrote: "Last thought - Joanne, I'm sure you already thought of this, but the Seven Sisters is definitely first in a series.... That was a wonderful series. I have the surprise 8th left....."I did not think of that! I may just read it sooner than I thought-Hey, where does the first Sister travel to?
Theresa wrote: "Oooh, just the order I wanted! Thank you Linda C#1 - The Girl Who Played with Fire
#4 - The Masterpiece by Fiona Davis - which is tagged appropria..."
Hi Theresa!
I am your reading buddy in December for The Masterpiece. This will be my second Fiona Davis of the year as I read Lions of Fifth Avenue with Amy and Sally back in March!
Theresa wrote: "Jen K wrote: "#1 is The Reluctant Fundamentalist#4 Last Night in Nuuk
Excited for both!"
I have Last Night in Nuuk on my TBR! Not sure when I will get to it."
It looks interesting. Will be good to compare notes at some point.
Hayjay315 wrote: "Theresa wrote: "Oooh, just the order I wanted! Thank you Linda C#1 - The Girl Who Played with Fire
#4 - The Masterpiece by Fiona Davis - which is ..."
Ooh, great! My first Fiona Davis...my copy is an autographed copy I got at a reading and signing when it was published. Author is so entertain8ng, talked about her inspiration on this coming from taking a tour of Grand Central. She does a ton of research.
Amy wrote: "Last thought - Joanne, I'm sure you already thought of this, but the Seven Sisters is definitely first in a series.... That was a wonderful series. I have the surprise 8th left....."Did you see there's an upcoming #8 planned for the series? It's the story of Pa Salt and is currently scheduled for release in May 2023.
Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt
Yes, Oliver Linda! The 8th was such a surprise! I really couldn’t have tied up all the threads that needed to be tied up. Thank God they were able to do that before she passed away. I know that was important to her. Her son helped her write it at the end of her life. Have you read the first seven? Because you’ll be my buddy for the eighth!
HayJay, so maybe I should join you guys for the Masterpiece in December just so we can round out the year! Maybe instead of the Most beautiful girl in Cuba? Also, Beartown for November is first in a series!!!
JoAnn, in the seven sisters, Maya and the other timeline find themselves in Brazil!!!
Amy wrote: "Yes, Oliver Linda! The 8th was such a surprise! I really couldn’t have tied up all the threads that needed to be tied up. Thank God they were able to do that before she passed away. I know that was..."I read the first one this month and really enjoyed it so I've scheduled myself to read one a month going forward. You can count on me for that 2023 discussion. I'll mark my calendar, LOL.
October - #10The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
5 stars
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides is a thriller with a twist I did not expect until it was revealed close to the end of the book. The story revolves around Theo Faber, a psychotherapist, and his patient Alicia Berenson. Theo is very interested in Alicia's life. She was a famous artist arrested for murdering her husband and she has not spoken at all since the night he was killed. Alicia had a troubled life and it reminds Theo of his own. He even accepts a position at the institution where Alicia is being kept to meet her. As he tries to get her to talk he also learns more information about who Alicia was before her arrest. Her backstory is interesting and there is enough told about some of the people in her past that has the reader question their involvement. Fans of mysteries will enjoy this book.
My #1 is Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders and #4 is Ghosts of Berlin: Stories.I have been anxious to get to Helter Skelter for some time, but that will be impossible to tackle in November :(
Jen wrote: "My number 1. A Dog's Journey which I read earlier when I needed something light so I will finish my October read 10. Edgar Sawtelle in Nov since I'm behind on that and now don't need to rush. 4. is..."I loved Horns, I hope you get to it and enjoy it!
Theresa, I would love to see a Lincoln Highway buddy read for the next set of Trim. I bet that will be popular! I saw your response to Kelly, but thought better to put it here.
#9 first of 2
Becoming George Sand by Rosalind Brackenbury
4 stars
I really enjoyed this! It's the second of Brackenbury's books I've read, and I also gave 4 stars to the first, The Lost Love Letters of Henri Fournier.
Maria is a middle-aged Scottish acadmic, married 20 years to Edward, with teenage children, a house, mutually satifying careers, habit and contentment ruling their lives. Maria loves Edward, but there is no passion. We meet Maria waiting in a bookstore for someone while also buying a copy of George Sand's Letters to Flaubert that have just been published in translation. She actually orders the book in the original French, but all the time her mood is one of anticipation unrelated to the book. We soon learn why as her young lover, Sean, arrives and they head off for their regular rendez-vous.
From here we trace Maria's journey from belief that she can sustain a passionate love affair while keeping her comfortable marriage intact to ultimately facing the harsh reality that is adultery, all while looking for guidance in the life of George Sand, she who juggled multiple lovers without seeming social or other consequence, whose autobiography and letters she is reading to gather material for a book. As a result, the novel moves between Maria's 21st Century life in Edinburgh and George Sand's in 1830s/1840s. it's an emotional journey for Maria, not always a happy one. Sand's story as told here is also to a large degree about emotion and relationships. A recurring theme as well is about Sand the writer vs. Maria as writer, what makes one a writer, how does one write about subjects like George Sand.
It's a hard book to describe well. While there are events and actions, it's more meditative and internal than plot or action driven. it is a book to be savored, read slowly, allow yourself to sink into it. Plus the incorporation of the life of George Sand is absolutely wonderful, bringing her to life as a woman, a mother, a writer. But then I am a tad prejudiced as I did my senior thesis at Barnard on George Sand and her political writings and activities. I actually read some of the letters and chapters of her autobiography that are referenced in the book (although a very long time ago). I've had an abiding fascination with George Sand ever since, which of course led me to this book in the first place.
Make no mistake, the center of this novel is Maria.
I read this in ebook and highlighted a whole heck of a lot. Here are some of the passages that I am still mulling over:
In the front room there is a placard on the wall which says: GEORGE SAND, FEMINISTE, REPUBLICAINE, PRECURSEUR.....
But we are all feminists, thinks Maria, because we had to be, because there was nothing else, Feministe, Republicaine, Precurseur. Yes, she {Sand] was our ancestor. But what now? George Sand is dead,....
When did history turn over in the night and decree that adultery was a punishable offence again...Is it geography, is it history, that determines how we feel about what we do, and how others feel about it, and therefore, what happens next?
"If you are becoming George Sand, it's probably all for the best, and you know, we incorporate the people we admire, and then move on. They become part of us. Also the people we love."
"So, you think I was doing all that work simply in order to become George Sand?"
"Why do we do the work we do? Writing, I mean. ... To immerse oneself in a work, especially when it concerns the life of another person -- well, who knows. There is a reason, Marie, but I can't tell you what it is. Perhaps we just want to be in the stream of history, to be included."
Since I will start the thread I will put it on my number nine. Funny that it’s already starting.
First of all, great minds think alike. But second here’s the astonishing thing to notice. It’s already my number nine. I already picked a list of 24 books, and that one just happen to be ninth on the list. But, I did put a number nine next to it so we’re already safe.
Amy wrote: "Theresa, I would love to see a Lincoln Highway buddy read for the next set of Trim. I bet that will be popular! I saw your response to Kelly, but thought better to put it here."I am not putting any books like The Lincoln Highway on my next unofficial trim list. Too long for one thing. I keep my Trim mostly to shorter and lighter books I have had sitting around for a long time. Next trim I am planning to work through a collection I have accumulated of special paperbacks - like those published by NYRB - or books on my nightstand perpetually.
That doesn't mean I wouldn't join a buddy read if it worked out for me.
Theresa wrote: "I keep my Trim mostly to shorter and lighter books I have had sitting around for a long time...."I like my trim to include books I haven't read and have had for a while and need some impetus to read. I don't put books on it that I really want to read right away.
I do rework my list if I see some books on others lists that I would like to do a buddy read with, as that is part of the fun.
Booknblues wrote: "I like my trim to include books I haven't read and have had for a while and need some impetus to read. I don't put books on it that I really want to read right away...."This is exactly what I do, as well.
@Theresa - I'm doing that next year too. I want most aged on the trim list, but every freakin month, with all my other commitments, I am always like "nope, too long!"
My rule around here is that for all the challenges the book has to come from the TBR. Every once in a while, I break that rule, but not often.
I don't remember any longer ... and perhaps I'm confusing this game with a challenge in another group ... but wasn't the original list for the Trim the TBR challenge restricted to books that had been on the TBR for over a year? That's what I do with my personal priority TBR list each year. I pick 100 titles that have languished on the TBR for more than a year (sometimes for decades!) and try my best to clear those during the year. If I have a challenge task to fulfill, I go to that priority TBR list first.
I'm gonna select books from my tbr I just think they need to be shorter next year 😂
Also, whatever lists we think we have come up, often changes when we see the year long challenges. Plus, the flexible nature of the thing is that whole groups can shift things around when a certain tag hits. Remember Africa? in March? The Time in Between was a Buddy Read for four of us. It was the only book on my TBR for Africa. So all four of us were willing to switch the Buddy Read Trim number to 12, in addition to whatever else it was, to be able to read that together. BC, I don;t remember that the actual challenge in 2019 specified that the books had to be over a year on the TBR. Mine sure weren't necessarily. But I think there was something about maybe one of the books being in the top ten oldest or something. I am reading the first and oldest book on my TBR this month. I try to get one from the Top Ten oldest each year. Its a personal challenge for me to have a few from the top ten, top 25, 50, and 100. But also to clear away lists that have grown each year of top priority. Candle at both ends kind of deal. But Trim is so helpful with that. Making sure we get to pick up some stuff we wanted to.
I don't remember that rule either, BC. I thought it was up to the individual what parameters they set. I thought the only stipulation was it was on your physical tbr.
Well, it's all the honor system. I have so much TBR... but because I also undertake some big reads during the year, I keep my Trim Challenge list to under 300 pages mostly, books I possess copies already, and have had around for quite a while. Oh and are relatively lighter reading. While I'm not averse to buddy reads, and join or even start ones from time to time, I don't personally want a Trim challenge list that has a lot of buddy reads on it Too much pressure and frankly, most of the books on my Trim list aren't really discussion books, which is what I look for in a buddy read. For example, one of the books on my current Trim is The Wedding Girl by Madeleine Wickham. So not a book that needs to be discussed IMHO.
I think it’s been a great challenge, regardless of whether people are using it for the buddy reads or not. Sometimes, there really isn’t much to discuss. Other times it’s been very rich. But you’re right that is pressure. It will be interesting to see in this next round how many people do in fact have in common.
I need to really give this some thought.... last year (preparing for this 2021 trim) I threw my list together with mostly stuff left behind from the original challenge and it was never possible to achieve :(I have a bunch of shorter novels and novellas that have been on the tbr a long time which are just as valuable to get off the list, so I might go that route.
Joanne wrote: "My rule around here is that for all the challenges the book has to come from the TBR. Every once in a while, I break that rule, but not often."Me, too, Joanne.
Finished my #10 for October, a buddy read with the lovely Amy. It is a sweet story of maternal love:The Dream Daughter by Diane Chamberlain - 4 stars - My Review
Link to PBT thread:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
I agree with Meli that it’s going to be great to start this with completely fresh eyes.And Joy and I are having a lot of fun sharing the dream daughter together. I’m an audio so I’ve been slower. But I agree it’s been a lot more fun because we’ve been talking about it all the way through. I’m at 72%, and she just finished. I also agree it has enhance the experience of the book to be talking about it together. Joy is coaching me through!
Linda C wrote: "I flipped a coin and #1 is for November, therefore, #4 is for December ..."# 1 (November) for me The Upright Piano Player by David Abbott
# 4 (December) - The Creation of Eve by Lynn Cullen
Amy wrote: "HayJay, so maybe I should join you guys for the Masterpiece in December just so we can round out the year! Maybe instead of the Most beautiful girl in Cuba? Also, Beartown for November is first i..."
It would be a pleasure to have you join in on the buddy read for The Masterpiece Amy!
#1. November bookThe Lost Boy / Dave Pelzer
3.5 stars
This continues Dave Pelzer’s memoirs after “A Child Called ‘It’”. At 12(?) years old, he is finally rescued from his abusive home life (particularly his mother) by a police officer and placed in a foster home. Until he turns 18, he goes through a number of foster homes, though except for the first one, through no fault of his own. None of his foster homes were bad to him.
This was good. The first chapter did back up just a little bit to give the reader a taste of what he’d had to endure previous to being removed from his biological family’s “care”, before moving on to follow him until he no longer needed to be taken care of via foster homes. He has all good things to say about foster care and the love and support he received after coming out of his previously abusive life. He talks more about this in an Afterword, as well as adding notes from one of his foster mothers, a teacher, and other people who helped him during this stage of his life.
Meli wrote: "I'm gonna select books from my tbr I just think they need to be shorter next year 😂"Ditto. I put too many long ones on and forgot that having 4 jobs doesn't leave much time.
Finished my trim book for November: Daughters of the Winter Queen: Four Remarkable Sisters, the Crown of Bohemia, and the Enduring Legacy of Mary, Queen of Scots by Nancy Goldstone. 4 StarsInteresting history of Europe during the 1600s.
We hear so much about the 1500s (Henry the 8th, Elizabeth I, Shakespeare). And the 1700's (French and American revolutions, rise of Napoleon).
But this book fills an interesting gap of the 1600s. Religious and secular wars, Holy Roman Empire and the Hapsburgs, Germany and Eastern Europe splintered into tiny principalities. And tons of intrigue, backstabbing and drama. This book follows all of it.
I was interested to learn how many of the wars of this era were fought essentially between families vying for personal and family power.
The book drags just a little as, inevitably, some of the story turns into who attacked whom and where. But overall the author did a good job of bringing some potentially dry subject matter to life.
This book was one of the oldest books on my TBR. So glad I read it.
Finished my #1 for November:Spill Simmer Falter Wither by Sara Baume - 4 stars - My Review
“My sadness isn’t a way I feel but a thing trapped inside the walls of my flesh, like a smog. It takes the sheen off everything. It rolls the world in soot. It saps the power from my limbs and presses my back into a stoop.”
This is the story of a man and his dog, but unlike many animal-related novels, it is also dark and sad. It is told in present tense in four parts, one per season. The man and dog are outcasts. They have had bad experiences. The man lives alone in a run-down house near the sea. After a traumatic event, they embark on a journey.
The dialogue consists of the man talking to the dog, telling the dog of his life. The reader gradually gains an understanding of the man’s sorrow and anger.
“Now I glance at the side of my own face in the mirror’s foreground, and I wonder have we grown to resemble one another, as we’re supposed to. On the outside, we are still as black and gnarled as nature made us. But on the inside, I feel different somehow. I feel animalised. Now there’s a wildness inside me that kicked off with you.”
The writing is lyrical. The tone is bleak. I would not recommend it for anyone suffering from depression. I admire the writing style and plan to read more of Baume’s work.
Link to PBT discussion thread:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
I really have appreciated having this Trim challenge, especially as a "no pressure" opportunity. As much as I wanted to, I found it hard to read the exact book in the exact month so I missed out on a few buddy reads. I have a double list, so I had 24 books to pull from. Somehow I managed to read 12 of them! Looking at the remaining titles, I just put a hold on 2 of them. So hoping to get to at least 1 more. Hoping to get to:Just Kids
Leave Only Footprints: My Acadia-to-Zion Journey Through Every National Park
Hello. Can I ask a question about this? How can I join? Do I need to sign-up?
Patricia, we are starting a whole new year, (two years) for 2022. We hope you will join us. In the meantime, if you want to pick a book that has been languishing on your TBR, go for it. Or if there is a buddy read happening and you want to join it, feel free.
Amy wrote: "Patricia, we are starting a whole new year, (two years) for 2022. We hope you will join us. In the meantime, if you want to pick a book that has been languishing on your TBR, go for it. Or if there..."Thank you Amy! :D
November - #1Faithful by Alice Hoffman
5 stars
I enjoyed this book by Alice Hoffman. Shelby was a teenager when she was in a car accident where her best friend, Helene, obtained severe injures and will never recover. Shelby was the driver and her guilt takes over her life to a point where she become a shell of her former self. After years finally small signs of Shelby moving forward are seen. She relocates to New York with Ben, she gets a job at a pet store, recuses dogs and starts taking classes. Still Shelby cannot forgive herself.
The relationships in Sheby's life are shown. The reader sees who she lets in and who she disregards. Like other characters in the novel Shelby is flawed and does not always make the right choices; however, she sees pain in others and sometimes is able to help. The author's use of dialogue makes Shelby relatable and fans of other Alice Hoffman books should like this story.
Play Book Tag
Books mentioned in this topic
The Creation of Eve (other topics)Let the Great World Spin (other topics)
Last Night in Nuuk (other topics)
Last Night in Nuuk (other topics)
Last Night in Nuuk (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Colum McCann (other topics)Fiona Davis (other topics)
Sharon Kay Penman (other topics)
Ann Rule (other topics)
Diane Chamberlain (other topics)
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