2025 Reading Challenge discussion
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Tamara Tackles 80 Reads and Reviews in 2021
Great goals, Tamara! I hope you have a fantastic 2021.
Thanks, Lisa! I hope you have a wonderful 2021.
Goal: 80 books.1/80. Confession of the Lioness by Mia Couto; translated from the Portuguese by David Brookshaw. A haunting tale about the women in an isolated village in Mozambique who are targeted by predators. Includes elements of magical realism.
Sub Goal: 25 books in translation.
1/25. Confession of the Lioness by Mia Couto; translated from the Portuguese by David Brookshaw.
Sub Goal: 24 books from the Middle East and Africa.
1/24. Confession of the Lioness by Mia Couto; translated from the Portuguese by David Brookshaw.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I hope you go beyond your 80 book resolution! Best of Luck!
Thanks, Blagica! I'm looking forward to a great year of reading :)
I am sure you will do great!
Goal: 80 books2/80. The Weekend by Charlotte Wood.
A quick and easy read about the challenges facing three women in their 70s after the death of their friend.
Sub Goal: 50 books by women authors
1/50. The Weekend by Charlotte Wood.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Goal: 80 books3/80. Iza's Ballad by Magda Szabó; translated from the Hungarian by George Szirtes.
A meditation on love, grief, and aging. The writing is beautiful, powerful, moving, and heart-wrenching. The character portrayals are compelling. Especially effective is the portrayal of Ettie, the mother.
Sub Goal: 50 books by women authors
2/50. Iza's Ballad by Magda Szabó
Sub Goal: 25 books in translation
2/25. Iza's Ballad by Magda Szabó; translated from the Hungarian by George Szirtes.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Goal: 80 books4/80. Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell.
A beautiful story, beautifully told. O'Farrell immerses the reader in Elizabethan England as she tells the story of Shakespeare's wife and son.
Sub Goal: 50 books by women authors
3/50. Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Goal: 80 books5/80. Mud and Stars: Travels in Russia with Pushkin, Tolstoy, and Other Geniuses of the Golden Age by Sara Wheeler.
An engaging mix of history, literary criticism, travelogue, and memoir as Sara Wheeler visits the homes and favorite haunts of famous, nineteenth century Russian novelists.
Sub Goal: 50 books by women authors
4/50. Mud and Stars: Travels in Russia with Pushkin, Tolstoy, and Other Geniuses of the Golden Age by Sara Wheeler.
Sub Goal: 10 books of non fiction
1/10. Mud and Stars: Travels in Russia with Pushkin, Tolstoy, and Other Geniuses of the Golden Age by Sara Wheeler.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Goal: 80 books6/80. On Black Sisters Street by Chika Unigwe.
The circumstances that led four African women to become sex workers in Belgium. Graphic scenes of violence and sexual assault.
A compelling story told in unadorned, straightforward diction.
Sub Goal: 50 books by women authors
5/50. On Black Sisters Street by Chika Unigwe.
Sub Goal: 24 books from the Middle East and Africa
2/24. On Black Sisters Street by Chika Unigwe (Nigeria).
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Goal: 80 books7/80. The Door by Magda Szabó. This is the second book I've read by this author. There is a haunting quality about her writing that lingers with me long after I turn the last page of her novels. I think she is an amazing writer.
Sub Goal: 50 books by women authors
6/50. The Door by Magda Szabó, translated from the Hungarian by Len Rix.
Sub Goal: 25 books in translation
3/25. The Door by Magda Szabó, translated from the Hungarian by Len Rix.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Goal: 80 books8/80. Abigail by Magda Szabó. This is the third book I've read by this author. I thought it was quite good as a mystery, but it didn't have the same impact as Iza's Ballad or The Door.
Sub Goal: 50 books by women authors
7/50. Abigail by Magda Szabó, translated from the Hungarian by Len Rix.
Sub Goal: 25 books in translation
4/25. Abigail by Magda Szabó, translated from the Hungarian by Len Rix.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Goal: 80 books9/80. Lord of the Flies by William Golding. A chilling classic that is as powerful now as it was when I first read it many years ago.
Sub Goal: 10 classics
1/10. Lord of the Flies by William Golding.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Goal: 80 books10/80. Travels in Vermeer: A Memoir by Michael White. It is part travelogue, part memoir, and part art appreciation. I enjoyed it, especially his "reading" of the Vermeer paintings. His appreciation for the paintings was infectious.
Sub Goal: 10 books of non fiction
2/10. Travels in Vermeer: A Memoir by Michael White.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Goal: 80 books11/80. My Soul to Take by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir, translated from the Icelandic by Bernard Scudder and Anna Yates. It's murder mystery that takes place in Iceland. It's been a while since I read a murder mystery. I thought this was quite good.
Sub Goal: 50 books by women authors
8/50. My Soul to Take by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir, translated from the Icelandic by Bernard Scudder and Anna Yates.
Sub Goal: 25 books in translation
5/25. My Soul to Take by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir, translated from the Icelandic by Bernard Scudder and Anna Yates.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Goal: 80 books12/80. The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov. Set in Stalinist Soviet Union, it combines magical realism with scathing political satire and social commentary. It was absolutely hilarious and thoroughly brilliant.
Sub Goal: 25 books in translation
6/25. The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov, translated from the Russian by Michael Glenny.
Sub Goal: 10 classics
2/10. The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Goal: 80 books13/80. The Wedding of Zein by Tayeb Salih, translated from the Arabic by Denys Johnson-Davies. A delightful novella about life in a Sudanese village and the village idiot who turns out not to be such an idiot, after all.
Sub Goal: 25 books in translation
7/25. The Wedding of Zein by Tayeb Salih, translated from the Arabic by Denys Johnson-Davies.
Sub Goal: 24 books from the Middle East and Africa
3/24. The Wedding of Zein by Tayeb Salih (Sudan)
Sub Goal: 10 classics
3/10. The Wedding of Zein by Tayeb Salih.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Goal: 80 books14/80. The People in the Photo by Hélène Gestern, translated from the French Emily Boyce and Ros Schwartz.
An old photograph triggers a search for a long lost parent. A poignant story about the role of memory in identity formation.
Sub Goal: 50 books by women authors
9/50. The People in the Photo by Hélène Gestern, translated from the French Emily Boyce and Ros Schwartz.
Sub Goal: 25 books in translation
8/25. The People in the Photo by Hélène Gestern, translated from the French Emily Boyce and Ros Schwartz.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Goal: 80 books15/80. Absent: A Novel by Betool Khedairi, translated from Arabic by Muhayman Jamil.
I think there were some issues with it, but, on the whole, it presented a compelling portrait of Iraqi civilians living under horrific circumstances of economic sanctions and constant bombings during the 1990s.
Sub Goal: 50 books by women authors
10/50. Absent: A Novel by Betool Khedairi, translated from Arabic by Muhayman Jamil.
Sub Goal: 25 books in translation
9/25. Absent: A Novel by Betool Khedairi, translated from Arabic by Muhayman Jamil.
Sub Goal: 24 books from the Middle East and Africa
4/24. Absent: A Novel by Betool Khedairi, translated from Arabic by Muhayman Jamil.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Goal: 80 books16/80. Memento Mori by Muriel Spark.
A group of elderly people receive anonymous phone calls reminding them they're going to die. The novel wasn't at all bleak or morbid. It was humorous, with authentic characters, and wonderful dialogue.
Sub Goal: 50 books by women authors
11/50. Memento Mori by Muriel Spark.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Goal: 80 books17/80. Supernavigators: Exploring the Wonders of How Animals Find Their Way by David Barrie.
It is full of fascinating insights on the navigational tools of animals, with particular focus on insects and birds.
Sub Goal: 10 books of non fiction
3/10. Supernavigators: Exploring the Wonders of How Animals Find Their Way by David Barrie.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Goal: 80 books18/80. Decline and Fall by Evelyn Waugh.
A hilarious satire that skewers British societal norms of the 1920s.
Sub Goal: 10 classics
4/10. Decline and Fall by Evelyn Waugh.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Goal: 80 books19/80. Stoner by John Williams.
A quiet novel about a quiet hero. Absolutely brilliant. I had not heard of it until recently. It's a classic to be savored.
Sub Goal: 10 classics
5/10. Stoner by John Williams.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Goal: 80 books20/80. Demons by Fyodor Dostoyevsky; translated from the Russian by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky.
Sub Goal: 25 books in translation
10/25. Demons by Fyodor Dostoyevsky; translated from the Russian by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky.
Sub Goal: 10 classics
6/10. Demons by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.
I finally finished reading it for a group read and gave it 3 stars. I didn't write a review. I found the novel a bit unwieldy. It is my least favorite of Dostoevsky's novels.
Goal: 80 books21/80. Meet Me at the Museum by Anne Youngson.
A charming novel about the power of words to generate intimacy between two people who have never met.
Sub Goal: 50 books by women authors
12/50. Meet Me at the Museum by Anne Youngson.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Goal: 80 books22/80. The Blizzard by Vladimir Sorokin; translated from the Russian by Jamey Gambrell.
The novel is intense; the setting immersive; the details well-drawn; and the language hypnotic, especially during the dream sequences and psychedelic vision. But I felt the significance of the journey was elusive and remained just beyond reach.
Sub Goal: 25 books in translation
11/25. The Blizzard by Vladimir Sorokin; translated from the Russian by Jamey Gambrell.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Goal: 80 books23/80. Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko. It's about a Native American veteran recovering from PTSD. I've been meaning to read it for a very long time. I finally got to it, and I'm glad I did. A challenging read but very powerful.
Sub Goal: 50 books by women authors
13/50. Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko.
Sub Goal: 10 classics
7/10. Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Goal: 80 books24/80. The Rain Heron by Robbie Arnott. It builds a world with mythic qualities that conveys an ecological message about the importance of reciprocity in human interaction with nature.
I enjoyed it.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Goal: 80 books25/80. In the Country of Men by Hisham Matar.
A compelling first person narrative of a nine-year-old boy growing up in Gaddafi's Libya.
Sub Goal: 24 books from the Middle East and Africa
5/24. In the Country of Men by Hisham Matar.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Goal: 80 books26/80. The Lost Soul, a short story/parable by Olga Tokarczuk. The text is minimal but inspiring. The illustrations are beautiful.
Sub Goal: 50 books by women authors
14/50. The Lost Soul by Olga Tokarczuk.
Sub Goal: 25 books in translation
12/25. The Lost Soul by Olga Tokarczuk translated from the Polish by by Antonia Lloyd-Jones and illustrated by Joanna Concejo
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Goal: 80 books27/80. Miss Iceland by Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir. I've loved everything of hers I've read. My favorite is still Hotel Silence, but this is also very good. There is a quiet, subdued quality about her novels that I really love.
Sub Goal: 50 books by women authors
15/50. Miss Iceland by Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir.
Sub Goal: 25 books in translation
13/25. Miss Iceland by Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir, translated from the Icelandic by Brian FitzGibbon.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Goal: 80 books28/80. The One That Got Away by Zoë Wicomb. A collection of 12 short stories about characters straddling between two cultures--South Africa and Scotland. Some of the stories were better than others. But a good read, on the whole
Sub Goal: 50 books by women authors
16/50. The One That Got Away by Zoë Wicomb.
Sub Goal: 24 books from the Middle East and Africa
6/24. The One That Got Away by Zoë Wicomb (South Africa).
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Goal: 80 books29/80. The Fox Was Ever the Hunter by Herta Müller; translated from the German by Philip Boehm.
Through a series of staccato images propelled by an intermittent narrative, Müller creates the unmitigated terror of life in Rumania just before the fall of Nicolae Ceausescu. A challenging read but well worth the effort.
Sub Goal: 50 books by women authors
17/50. The Fox Was Ever the Hunter by Herta Müller
Sub Goal: 25 books in translation
14/25. The Fox Was Ever the Hunter by Herta Müller; translated from the German by Philip Boehm.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Tamara wrote: "Goal: 80 books27/80. Miss Iceland by Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir. I've loved everything of hers I've read. My favorite is still Hotel Silence, but this i..."
thanks for this recommendation. I seem to be 'into' books set in Iceland of late and am enjoying the drama series "Trapped" on Netflix.
Dorothy, I looked for "Trapped" on Netflix but couldn't find it. It may not be on in the U.S.If you like books about Iceland, I strongly recommend Independent People by Halldór Laxness. It's a chunky book, but it's amazing.
Tamara wrote: "Dorothy, I looked for "Trapped" on Netflix but couldn't find it. It may not be on in the U.S.Strange. I'm in Canada and thought we had the same things.
If you like books about Iceland, I strongly recommend Independent People by [author:Halldó..."
Thanks for the tip. I'll look for it,
No worries, Dorothy. I'll keep checking Netflix for it.Thanks, and all best.
Goal: 80 books30/80. Jane Austen: Her Life by Park Honan.
Prof. Honan includes a wealth of information about Jane Austen's life and her times. But sometimes he goes into a lot of details that have little or no relevance to Jane Austen or her work. In spite of extensive digressions about various sea battles with France or genealogies of minor characters, this is a well-researched and informative biography.
Sub Goal: 10 books of non fiction
4/10. Jane Austen: Her Life by Park Honan.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Goal: 80 books31/80. The Remainder by Alia Trabucco Zerán; translated from the Spanish by Sophie Hughes.
Haunted by their parents’ activism during the Pinochet dictatorship in Chile, the protagonists are the remainders, burdened with the corpses of the past and seeking a way to bury them. A compelling narrative.
Goal: 50 books by women authors
18/50. The Remainder by Alia Trabucco Zerán; translated from the Spanish by Sophie Hughes.
Goal: 25 books in translation
15/25. The Remainder by Alia Trabucco Zerán; translated from the Spanish by Sophie Hughes.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Goal: 80 books32/80. The Children of Jocasta by Natalie Haynes.
I loved her A Thousand Ships, so I was looking forward to this. But Haynes deviates too much from the original myth so it is barely recognizable as the story of Oedipus and Antigone. Disappointing in many ways.
Goal: 50 books by women authors
19/50. The Children of Jocasta by Natalie Haynes.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Goal: 80 books33/80. The Arsonists' City by Hala Alyan.
A character-driven, compelling Lebanese/Syrian family saga. If you enjoyed Alyan's Salt Houses, you'll like this.
Goal: 50 books by women authors
20/50. The Arsonists' City by Hala Alyan.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Goal: 80 books34/80. Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney. A delightful portrait of a delightful octogenarian.
Goal: 50 books by women authors
21/50. Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Goal: 80 books35/80. Swimming Home by Deborah Levy.
Set in a tourist villa in Nice, France, the novel is populated with characters suffering from depression. It's an unusual book that packs a powerful punch.
Goal: 50 books by women authors
22/50. Swimming Home by Deborah Levy.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Goal: 80 books36/80. Shadow by Karin Alvtegen, translated from the Swedish by McKinley Burnett.
It's a riveting, page-turning crime novel. I don't read a lot of mystery or crime novels, but I couldn't put this one down.
37/80. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.
This is a re-read for a group read. It's been over a decade since I last read it. I got a lot more out of it this time around.
Goal: 50 books by women authors
23/50. Shadow by Karin Alvtegen
24/50. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.
Goal: 10 classics
8/10. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.
Goal: 25 books in translation
16/25. Shadow by Karin Alvtegen
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Goal: 80 books38/80. Consorts of the Caliphs: Women and the Court of Baghdad by Ibn al-Sai, translated from the Arabic by Shawkat M. Toorawa.
Fascinating short biographical sketches of 39 consorts over a 500 year period, beginning in the 8th century. Over 1,000 years ago, a Baghdad scholar researched and compiled a collection of anecdotes about these women and included their poems and charitable works. The sketches shatter stereotypes about the nature and role of these women.
Goal: 25 books in translation
17/25. Consorts of the Caliphs: Women and the Court of Baghdad by Ibn al-Sai, translated from the Arabic by Shawkat M. Toorawa.
Goal: 24 books from the Middle East and Africa
8/24. Consorts of the Caliphs: Women and the Court of Baghdad by Ibn al-Sai
Goal: 10 books of non fiction
5/10. Consorts of the Caliphs: Women and the Court of Baghdad by Ibn al-Sai
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Goal: 80 books39/80. Second Place by Rachel Cusk. I've loved everything I've read by Cusk, and this is no exception. In the form of an extended monologue, it is brimming with piercing insights about life, love, relationships, and art.
Goal: 50 books by women authors
25/50. Second Place by Rachel Cusk.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Goal: 80 books40/80. Voices of the Lost by Hoda Barakat, translated from the Arabic by Marilyn Booth, won the 2019 International Prize for Arabic Fiction. The novel gives voice to individuals on the periphery of society--a former torturer/criminal, an illegal immigrant, a sex worker, etc. through their letters which are never sent.
Goal: 50 books by women authors
26/50. Voices of the Lost by Hoda Barakat, translated from the Arabic by Marilyn Booth.
Goal: 25 books in translation
18/25. Voices of the Lost by Hoda Barakat, translated from the Arabic by Marilyn Booth.
Goal: 24 books from the Middle East and Africa
9/24. Voices of the Lost by Hoda Barakat, translated from the Arabic by Marilyn Booth.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Goal: 80 books41/80. Whereabouts by Jhumpa Lahiri.
Told in a series of short vignettes in the first-person point of view of a 40-something professor living in Italy. The female narrator is isolated and self-absorbed. Jhumpa Lahiri wrote it in Italian and then translated it to English. I thought it was an ok novel. I didn't think it was as good as other novels I've read by Lahiri.
Goal: 50 books by women authors
27/50. Whereabouts by Jhumpa Lahiri.
Goal: 25 books in translation
19/25. Whereabouts by Jhumpa Lahiri. Written in Italian and then translated into English by the author.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
2025 Reading Challenge
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I set challenges within the overall challenge to read a certain number of books in different categories: books by women authors; authors from the Middle East and Africa; books in translation; classics; non-fiction. I like to keep track of what types of books I read and to seek out books in categories where I'm weak so I can expand my reading horizon. I also plan to post reviews for each book I read.
I've increased my goal for each category in 2021.
My overall goal in 2021:
* Read at least 80 books
Sub-categories where there will be some overlapping:
* 50 Books by women authors
* 25 books in translation
* 24 books from the Middle East and Africa
* 10 books of non-fiction
* 10 classics