Alias's 2022 - 100 Challenge.

[Alias Reader]

✔ 1 - Book you picked because of the cover
The Last Chance Library

✔ 2- Book with an animal as a character
Remarkably Bright Creatures

✔ 3- Travel memoir
In Pursuit of Jefferson


✔ 4- A classic
Of Mice and Men

✔ 5- Short story collection
Drinking Coffee Elsewhere

6- Historical Fiction

✔ 7- Biography, memoir or autobiography
Chasing History: A Kid in the Newsroom

✔ 8- A non fiction book
King Richard: Nixon and Watergate — An American Tragedy

9- A book with a city or country in the title

✔ 10- A book with a number or color in the title
At Seventy: A Journal

✔ 11- A genre you rarely or never read
Project Hail Mary -- sci fi

✔ 12- A book you already own
Personality Isn't Permanent: Break Free from Self-Limiting Beliefs and Rewrite Your Story

✔13- A health, diet, exercise, fitness & wellness book
Fiber Fueled: The Plant-Based Gut Health Program for Losing Weight, Restoring Your Health, and Optimizing Your Microbiome

✔14- A book over 500 pages
State of Terror


✔15- A book under 125 pages- novella
The Bookshop

✔ 16- Music, art, dance, theater, acting theme
Baggage: Tales from a Fully Packed Life


✔ 17- An audio book
Baggage: Tales from a Fully Packed Life


18- A book about nature

19- sports related book

✔ 20- Romance
Book Lovers

✔ 21- Politics
King Richard: Nixon and Watergate — An American Tragedy

✔ 22- Legal or featuring the legal profession
Anatomy of a Murder

✔23- About business or economy
Adrift: America in 100 Charts

✔ 24- Self- help
The Happiness Project: Or Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun

✔ 25- religious or spirituality
Brazen: My Unorthodox Journey from Long Sleeves to Lingerie

✔ 26- Mystery or thriller
State of Terror

✔27- Current events
Adrift: America in 100 Charts

✔28- About Science or math
Lessons in Chemistry

✔ 29- Humor
Happy-Go-Lucky-David Sedaris

✔ 30- Celebrity book club pick
Remarkably Bright Creatures Read with Jenna pick

✔ 31- History
King Richard: Nixon and Watergate — An American Tragedy

✔ 32- YA book
The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia

33- DIY, cooking, hobbies, craft book
Hooked: How Crafting Saved My Life

✔ 34- Travel
In Pursuit of Jefferson

35- computers / tech involved in the book

✔36- graphic novel
On Tyranny Graphic Edition: Twenty Lessons from the

Twentieth Century

✔ 37- Literature - fiction
Of Mice and Men

✔ 38- book about or set in outer space or astronauts
Magnificent Desolation: The Long Journey Home from the Moon

✔ 39- A story set during a war
The Accidental President: Harry S. Truman and the Four Months That Changed the World

✔ 40- bio of a U.S. President or leader of country you live in
King Richard: Nixon and Watergate — An American Tragedy

✔ 41- bio of President or leader of a country you don't live in
The Man Without a Face: The Unlikely Rise of Vladimir Putin


✔ 42- Book you DNF but want to give another chance
The Happiness Project: Or Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun

✔43- Book from the Banned Book list. (any year)
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is regularly on the banned books list put out by the American Library Association. It has been banned because of vulgarity, racism, and its treatment of women.
Of Mice and Men-John Steinbeck


✔44- post apocalyptic story or dystopian novel
The Measure


✔ 45- a book by a debut author
Somebody's Daughter

✔ 46- A book published in 2022
Chasing History: A Kid in the Newsroom


✔ 47- An award winning book
The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia ((Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children )

✔ 48- A Pulitzer prize winning book or Nobel prize winning author
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

✔ 49- A beach read
The Last Chance Library

✔ 50- Book with that has some illustrations, photos or maps
The Accidental President: Harry S. Truman and the Four Months That Changed the World

✔ 51- book you've been meaning to read but never got around to it
Of Mice and Men


✔52- book written in letters or diary- epistolary
The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, 83¼ Years Old


✔ 53- Book about racism
Our Missing Hearts


54- True Crime

✔55- Famous author you never read
Education of a Wandering Man


56- book by author you disagree with

✔ 57- A top rated book that you were surprised by that doesn't fit another category.
I can't belive I didn't list a health category.
Fiber Fueled: The Plant-Based Gut Health Program for Losing Weight, Restoring Your Health, and Optimizing Your Microbiome


✔ 58- Booker Prize winner
The Remains of the Day- Kazuo Ishiguro

✔59- Book about mental health
I'm Glad My Mom Died-Jennette McCurdy

✔ 60-Horror
Later

✔61- book about philosophy
Discipline Is Destiny: The Power of Self-Control

✔ 62- poetry
The Hill We Climb: An Inaugural Poem for the Country by Amanda Gorman

✔ 63- A book published in the 1980's
Education of a Wandering Man] - 1989


✔64- A book published in the 1970's
The Bookshop

65- A book published in the 1960's

✔66- A book published before 1960
Tobacco Road

✔ 67- A book published before 1900
An Enemy of the People

68- A book about medicine or someone involved with medicine

69- A book about education or takes place in a school setting
Education of a Wandering Man

70- A book set or about a country you would love to visit

✔ 71- A book set in the future
Our Missing Hearts


✔72- A book originally published in a foreign language
Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St. Thérèse of Lisieux

✔ 73- LBGTQ+ book or protagonist
Baggage: Tales from a Fully Packed Life

✔ 74- A play
An Enemy of the People

✔ 75- celebrity memoir
Baggage: Tales from a Fully Packed Life

✔ 76- Book made into a movie/tv show
The Remains of the Day

✔77- A book you think would be a challenging read for you
Wish You Were Here (covid)

✔ 78- A book about a difficult topic
The Year of Magical Thinking: The Play

✔ 79- inspirational or motivational book
Hello Darkness, My Old Friend: How Daring Dreams and Unyielding Friendship Turned One Man's Blindness into an Extraordinary Vision for Life

✔ 80- Read a book set on or about one of the continents - Asia, Africa, N America, S America, Antarctica, Europe and Australia. Extra credit if you read one from each continent.
In Pursuit of Jefferson

✔ 81- A book recommended by someone from Book Nook Cafe
Chasing History: A Kid in the Newsroom

✔ 82- A book by an author who has published at least 4 books
Elevation ~Stephen King

✔ 83- A book you want to read because of a book review you read.
Hello Darkness, My Old Friend: How Daring Dreams and Unyielding Friendship Turned One Man's Blindness into an Extraordinary Vision for Life

84- A book that was recommended or mentioned in another book you read

85- adventure or espionage

✔86- A Western
Education of a Wandering Man

✔ 87- Read at least 22 books in 2022


✔ 88- Coming of age novel
Chasing History: A Kid in the Newsroom


✔ 89- A book from your TBR list
King Richard: Nixon and Watergate — An American Tragedy

✔90- A book from the 100 books everyone should read before they https://www.businessinsider.com/100-b...
Of Mice and Men


✔91- A book from Modern Library best 100 Fiction book list https://www.modernlibrary.com/top-100...
Tobacco Road

92- A book from Modern Library best 100 Non Fiction book list https://www.modernlibrary.com/top-100...

✔ 93- A book that takes place during a holiday
A Christmas Carol

✔ 94- Read more books then you did in 2021

✔ 95- Read a book that was published before you were born
Of Mice and Men

✔ 96- A book whose title begins with the letter B, N, or C
Baggage: Tales from a Fully Packed Life

97- Read a fiction and nonfiction book on the same topic

✔98- Book set on a plane, train or cruise ship
Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting

✔ 99- A book you Buddy Read with someone
The Bookshop (with BNC)


✔ 100- A book with either a cop, detective or doctor character in it.
Later

[Alias Reader]

I completed 86 prompts for the 2022 challenge. All in all, I'm pretty satisfied. Many months I just read what I would have read anyway. So this challenge made me realize that I do have a pretty good range of genre and topics.

For the year I read a total of 69 books. I post my books on GR so, you can see them there.

I read 33 Fiction and 36 non fiction.

This are the 14 prompts I didn't complete. :(

6- Historical Fiction
9- A book with a city or country in the title
18- A book about nature
19- sports related book
35- computers / tech involved in the book
54- True Crime
56- book by author you disagree with
65- A book published in the 1960's
68- A book about medicine or someone involved with medicine
70- A book set or about a country you would love to visit
84- A book that was recommended or mentioned in another book you read
85- adventure or espionage
92- A book from Modern Library best 100 Non Fiction book list
97- Read a fiction and nonfiction book on the same topic

[madrano]

Well done, Alias. Congratulations on completing so many. #56 was one i didn’t complete, mostly because i didn’t think my blood pressure could handle it.

[Alias Reader]

madrano wrote: "Well done, Alias. Congratulations on completing so many. #56 was one i didn’t complete, mostly because i didn’t think my blood pressure could handle it."

:)

[Rachel]

56 would be difficult for me as well and 35 makes me eyes glaze over.

[Bella (Kiki)]

Rachel wrote: "56 would be difficult for me as well and 35 makes me eyes glaze over."

I'm Italian. I don't even know what a graphic novel is. LOL

[John]

Kiki wrote: "Rachel wrote: "56 would be difficult for me as well and 35 makes me eyes glaze over."

I'm Italian. I don't even know what a graphic novel is. LOL"

It's basically a story in comic book format, where there's art/drawing/illustration on each page instead of regular text.

[Lindsey]

I left several of the same prompts uncompleted :)

How did you like Personality Isn't Permanent: Break Free from Self-Limiting Beliefs and Rewrite Your Story ? I haven't seen it before, but it looks intriguing.

Does Remarkably Bright Creatures live up to its hype? I've seen it recommended by several friends on FB recently.

[Bella (Kiki)]

John wrote: "Kiki wrote: "Rachel wrote: "56 would be difficult for me as well and 35 makes me eyes glaze over."

I'm Italian. I don't even know what a graphic novel is. LOL"

It's basically a story in comic boo..."

Thank you, John. I know what you mean now that you've explained it. Appreciate your reply! :)

[Bella (Kiki)]

Lindsey wrote: "I left several of the same prompts uncompleted :)

How did you like Personality Isn't Permanent: Break Free from Self-Limiting Beliefs and Rewrite Your Story ? I haven't seen it be..."

I haven't completed every prompt for 2023, Lindsey.

[John]

Alias Reader wrote: "I completed 86 prompts for the 2022 challenge. All in all, I'm pretty satisfied. Many months I just read what I would have read anyway. So this challenge made me realize that I do have a pretty goo..."

When I looked over the list at the end, I noticed I had not checked off historical fiction. Thinking I must have read at least one somewhere along the line, I went back over my books read list and sure enough I had.

[madrano]

I'm liking all the comments about the unfulfilled categories, relieved it wasn't just me.

John, isn't that good news? I suspect as i recap my 100 (next on my to do list), i will find the same thing is true. At the time i zeroed in on that prompt alone, often forgetting it fit more than one.

[Alias Reader]

Lindsey wrote: "
How did you like Personality Isn't Permanent: Break Free from Self-Limiting Beliefs and Rewrite Your Story ? I haven't seen it be..."

Lindsay, here is the review I posted.

I read this book for a mini book club with two friends. This is turned out to be a basic self-help book. I found it disappointing as I don't feel the title matches the contents. The author's basic idea is you should focus on your future and not define yourself by your past if you want to reach your goals. The author has various fill in question tests in the book and also suggests journaling to help you figure out where your are and plan your path forward.

The author has a major issue with personality tests such as the Myers–Briggs. I think he goes a bit overboard on this. He says that many professionals think the results of the test are definitive and you can't change. I have no idea if this is true or not. I would view these tests more as a guide to where a person currently is. In any case, I have no dog in this fight. So this topic didn't interest me very much.

One problem I had with the book is the author never really defines his terms clearly. What is personality? What is identity? What are traits? What are habits? I thought he seemed to conflate these very different things.

There were some good parts but overall, I found the book very repetitive and topics you've heard or read elsewhere. The author quotes a ton of other people's work and uses a lot of antidotes. I didn't find his antidotes particularly enlightening. Perhaps if you are younger or stuck in a rut this will book will help give you a new prospective and path forward.

There also is a mild religious tone to the book that I felt was out of place when coming from an organizational psychologist. The author is Mormon so I understand why the book has this tone.

I read the book on a Kindle and found it annoying that there were no footnotes and the notes in the back were not indicated in the text nor did they indicate pages just chapters. Therefore, they were basically useless to me. So when I frequently noted in my notes that the author was making sweeping generalizations, I found the lack of back-up annoying. For example, he goes on a rant about millennials. He states, "Millennials are never satisfied in their work in part because they were raise to believe they should have anything they want, not because they earned it but simply because they want it. " He agrees with another person he quotes when he notes," Millennials haven't been taught to earn what they want in life but have come to expect it without effort." Generalization much ? Another bizarre rant he went on was when he said, "Most movies are useless" and "Most of the internet is low level distraction or filth" Filth ? Really? I'm not a big movie person but even I wouldn't say movies are useless. Has he ever heard of simple relaxation and entertainment?

I could go on with my issues with the book but I don't want to overshadow the books good points. Though they can get lost in the jumpy writing style. My suggestion would be to get the book from the library and not purchase it. If it turns out to be your jam as they say, then buy it.

I gave the book a 2/5 ~~ Did not meet expectations.

As to my mini book club, one of my friends liked the book and thought it was helpful. My other friend and I didn't think it was particular insightful. (less)

[Alias Reader]

Lindsey wrote: "Does Remarkably Bright Creatures live up to its hype? I've seen it recommended by several friends on FB recently.


Here was my review:

Rate: 4/5 stars
This is Shelby Van Pelt’s heart-warming debut novel. It's become a mega hit.

The story is about 70 year old Tova who works the night shift cleaning at the local aquarium. She doesn't need the money but it keeps her busy and helps her cope with the death of her husband and the disappearance of her 18-year-old son who mysteriously vanished on a boat more than 30 years ago.

While working at the aquarium, Tova realizes that the Giant Pacific octopus, named Marcellus, is highly intelligent. They bond when she realizes Marcellus can get out of his tank and roam around at night. The chapters narrated by the octopus are excellent. The other chapters about 30 year old Cameron in search of his dad dragged for me. Also the plot was very predictable.

Still, all in all, I enjoyed this feel good book

[Alias Reader]

John wrote: When I looked over the list at the end, I noticed I had not checked off historical fiction. Thinking I must have read at least one somewhere along the line, I went back over my books read list and sure enough I had.
.."

John, I was very surprised I hadn't read at least one Historical Fiction book. I do prefer non fiction but I still thought I would have read at least one. Nope. I will make sure I read one in 2023.

[Bella (Kiki)]

Alias Reader wrote: "John wrote: When I looked over the list at the end, I noticed I had not checked off historical fiction. Thinking I must have read at least one somewhere along the line, I went back over my books re..."

I love historical fiction! I think it's yummy! LOL Fantasy is the genre I avoid. And science fiction and genre romance. A romance in a non-genre book is fine, but genre romance gets a big no from me.

[Alias Reader]

Kiki, I'm with you on fantasy and romance. But I will try any genre for the challenge. Sometimes I'm quite surprised how much I enjoy genres I usually stay far away from. Maybe because I stretch the meaning of the genre a bit. :)

[Bella (Kiki)]

I sometimes stretch the genre a bit, too, and I think I did with Romance. :) I did choose a dystopian novel, but one from an author whose writing I love, Kazuo Ishiguro.

[John]

Kiki wrote: "Alias Reader wrote: "John wrote: When I looked over the list at the end, I noticed I had not checked off historical fiction. Thinking I must have read at least one somewhere along the line, I went ..."

I'm going to be using a book towards the romance category here this year where it's blurb'ed as a specific subplot of a book, not a hardcore romance-focused title.

[madrano]

My issue with genres is that my mind is set in the beginning of my adult reading and it's a stretch of mind to realize some have changed. Other than Romance. I've never been able to get interested in that genre, except when it is part of another genre and even then it torques me. LOL

Science fiction has changed dramatically. Or, rather, expanded. I began reading it when all sorts were lumped together. I never got into fantasy worlds, which was once considered sci-fi. I still don't like that but i don't limit myself to only science sci-fi, either.

And while i read quite a bit of historical fiction, it frustrates me when i end up wondering what was fiction & what wasn't. This is why i appreciate authors who end their books with notes on same.

[madrano]

Alias Reader wrote: "The author has a major issue with personality tests such as the Myers–Briggs. I think he goes a bit overboard on this. He says that many professionals think the results of the test are definitive and you can't change. ..."

Thanks for rerunning this one, Alias. Did i mention at the time my fondness for Myers-Briggs stuff? I've never, ever heard a professional claim the results were anything more than where you are now & that you can change that. On the other hand, i have been parts of committees which selected members based on the test, which seems to contradict the change theory.

Anyone interested might enjoy Please Understand Me: Character and Temperament Types--David Keirsey and Marilyn Bates. Whether hype or not, it allowed my husband & i to understand one another better after reading about our differing personalities. This was after 12 years of marriage, i hasten to add.

[John]

madrano wrote: "My issue with genres is that my mind is set in the beginning of my adult reading and it's a stretch of mind to realize some have changed. Other than Romance. I've never been able to get interested ..."

The book I added at the last minute was The Late George Apley, which took effort to keep in mind that Apley is a fictitious character, as it's an incredibly realistic story!

[Bella (Kiki)]

John wrote: "madrano wrote: "My issue with genres is that my mind is set in the beginning of my adult reading and it's a stretch of mind to realize some have changed. Other than Romance. I've never been able to..."

That really sounds like a good one, John. I put it on my Want to Read list. Thanks for mentioning it.

[Rachel]

The comments have illustrated one of the aspects I hope to gain is to broaden my reading horizons. I like to read mostly fiction and a good part of that is historical fiction. I agree with Madrano that notes at the end of historical fiction is very helpful in learning how much of the story was historical and how much was fiction.

[Alias Reader]

John wrote: I'm going to be using a book towards the romance category here this year where it's blurb'ed as a specific subplot of a book, not a hardcore romance-focused title.."

For me, if the novel has two people who even remotely like each other, it's a romance. :) LOL

[Alias Reader]

madrano wrote: Anyone interested might enjoy Please Understand Me: Character and Temperament Types--David Keirsey and Marilyn Bates. Whether hype or not, it allowed my husband & i to understand one another better after reading about our differing personalities. This was after 12 years of marriage, i hasten to add.
..."
:)

Thanks for the title, deb. I'll make note of it in my TBR book.

[madrano]

John wrote: "The book I added at the last minute was The Late George Apley, which took effort to keep in mind that Apley is a fictitious character, as it's an incredibly realistic story!..."

I look forward to reading this one in 2023, John, thanks to your review/comments. Thanks.

[madrano]

Alias Reader wrote: "madrano wrote: Anyone interested might enjoy Please Understand Me: Character and Temperament Types--David Keirsey and Marilyn Bates....ALIAS replied, "Thanks for the title, deb. I'll make note of it in my TBR book.."

I hope you like it, Alias. There was a subsequent book but we didn't find that as compelling. Please Understand Me II: Temperament, Character, Intelligence.