Trim Challenge 2023 – Community Announcement and Discussion Thread

[Book Concierge]

Sue wrote: "I finished my December book Olive, Again 4 stars.

I love Strout's interwoven short story, and enjoyed my return to Crosby Maine.

I think I may have enjoyed [book:Olive, Again|4398..."

That was my reaction, Sue. I really liked the first book, but really grew to love Olive in the second.

[Hannah]

Finally read my June #5:

Their Finest Hour and a Half by Lissa Evans - 3 Stars

Set in a small advertising company in London during WW2, the employees have been conscripted to write propaganda films. I really liked the premise of this book, and it covered WW2 from an angle I hadn’t read before, but unfortunately it just didn’t really capture my attention enough. There was some really good writing in this, but there were also times where it felt that Evans wanted to show you just how much research she had done, and it was included when it wasn’t necessary. I also felt that the plot wasn’t strong enough or detailed enough to sustain a book of this length, and the characters were at times a bit of a cliché. I have seen a film version of this book, and I felt that the film version just did it better.

[Book Concierge]

I am abandoning AUGUST # 3 - One of Ours by Willa Cather. I checked it out twice and just couldn't get to it with all the hoopla in these last two months.

Also abandoning NOVEMBER #9 - Blood Done Sign My Name: A True Story by Timothy B Tyson. I started it just before Thanksgiving then had to put it aside for the holiday and wedding trip. Not the right book at this time. But I DO still want to read it. Someday.

I just checked out the DECEMBER book and (fingers crossed) will get that one read.

Been a bad year for the Trim challenge for me.

[Hannah]

Book Concierge wrote: "Also abandoning NOVEMBER #9 - Blood Done Sign My Name: A True Story by Timothy B Tyson. I started it just before Thanksgiving then had to put it aside for the holiday and wedding trip. Not the right book at this time. But I DO still want to read it. Someday.."

I really liked Blood Done Sign My Name, though it must be about 15 years since I read it. Once you get into it, it reads almost like fiction.

[Jen]

Flexi trim (as I'm calling it) has knocked 24 off my TBR totally and attempted another 11 but not got far yet. Hopefully I'll get a couple more off the pile. It has worked out perfectly for me the last couple of years. When I set it up I had no idea of all the unpleasant discoveries the last 2 years would bring and if I had had only one option each month there is no way I would have been capable of reading some of them. It is the only non-essential challenge (reading or otherwise) I have been capable of completing this year or last year.

[Jen]

Meli wrote: "I really fell off about mid year meeting my challenges, but I will plan to revise my 2024 trim list and try again! Maybe re-add those titles I missed this year."

I'm re-adding the options I didn't pick too since they are still on the TBR. I did get my 24 done and may get a couple more finished this month but I had at least 2 options for each month and tbh if I hadn't there is no way I would have managed due to also being in a slump. That's the positive about the flexi trim, there is no pressure so we can have options for mood readers. I have rediscovered adventure-disaster type books which I used to love but haven't tried for several years while my mind was in survival mode. Ready for them again now.

[Sue]

I just finished my book from October: The View from the Seventh Layer - 4 stars

This completes my full list for the year - 12 books either read or dnf'd, but definitely off my TBR.

[Hannah]

Finished my #8 - July

The Room on Rue Amelie by Kristin Harmel - 3 Stars

I enjoyed this book and it was a quick read, but as I was reading it, I got the feeling that I knew it already. Both the characters and story were good, but having read so many other WW2 books recently, this one didn’t seem to add much new to the books I have previously read covering the same topics. The bit that I enjoyed most about this book was learning that the main character was based on a real person and that a lot of what happens in the book was based on real events. This was an interesting book, but it lacked some of the depth I was hoping it would have.

[Joy D]

Finished December #10, which completes my Trim for the year. Many thanks, Amy, for hosting!

Apollo 13 by Jim Lovell and Jeffrey Kluger - 5* - My Review

This book provides the gripping true story of Apollo 13, the space mission intended to land on the moon in April 1970, which experienced an in-flight explosion 180,000 miles from earth. It is clear how close the US space program came to losing the three astronauts: Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert, and Fred Haise. The narrative takes readers through the advance planning, initial moments of the mission, sudden turn of events, and the response to the life-threatening crisis.

The narrative delves into both the technical aspects of the mission and personal reactions. It intersperses related historic episodes from past missions, including the selection of Lovell into the second group of nine astronauts, previous training simulations that had experienced similar problems, and other NASA accidents. It provides the necessary context to understand the technical jargon of the communications between the flight control center and the Apollo 13 crew.

This is a riveting and detailed account. I felt invested in the outcome even though I know how it all ended. It emphasizes coolness under pressure, resilience, creative problem-solving, and teamwork required by everyone involved. It is a remarkable story of converting a potential tragedy into an amazing accomplishment. Highly recommended to anyone interested in science, technology, or the history of the space program.

[Theresa]

Joy D wrote: "This is a riveting and detailed account. I felt invested in the outcome even though I know how it all ended...."

That sums up the movie adaptation too. I still remember as if it were yesterday sitting in the Ziegfeld Movie Theater (one of the last old-fashioned big screen movie theaters in Manhattan - alas no longer a movie theater but an event space) on the edge of my seat wondering how it will end, will they not only make it home but survive. And as you say, I knew the ending!

Glad to know the book delivers!

[Joy D]

Theresa wrote: "Joy D wrote: "This is a riveting and detailed account. I felt invested in the outcome even though I know how it all ended...."

That sums up the movie adaptation too. I still remember as if it were..."
It's funny that I somehow missed the film until a couple years ago. I agree it was a great movie, and the book definitely delivers! It is, of course, much more detailed, but that sense of claustrophobia is almost palpable.

[LibraryCin]

I started my last trim for the year last night. Unfortunately, as I am reading online, I didn't realize it was over 500 pages! Highly unlikely I'll finish tomorrow, but it will likely be my first (unless I finish my audio book first) book finished in 2024.

[Jen]

LibraryCin wrote: "I started my last trim for the year last night. Unfortunately, as I am reading online, I didn't realize it was over 500 pages! Highly unlikely I'll finish tomorrow, but it will likely be my first (..."

I haven't made my GR goal of 75 but should make it just by using a children's book to finish off (kinda cheating). Did manage to knock 25 off my TRIM over the 2 years but not all on time and if it hadn't been flexible I wouldn't have managed that either. Some of the ones I have started but not finished on TRIM will be my first for 2024 like you.

[Meli]

LibraryCin wrote: "I started my last trim for the year last night. Unfortunately, as I am reading online, I didn't realize it was over 500 pages! Highly unlikely I'll finish tomorrow, but it will likely be my first (..."

That's OK, I totally fell off in the summer. Missed one book then never got back on it.
I plan to be more dedicated to clearing my tbr in 2024!

[LibraryCin]

And I finally finished my last Trim of 2023!

The Traitor's Wife: A Novel of the Reign of Edward II / Susan Higginbotham
4.25 stars

[Joy D]

Finished #13 for January:
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery - 4* - My Review

Renée Michel is a fifty-four-year-old concierge from an impoverished background. She hides her love for literature behind a façade of simplicity. Paloma is a precocious twelve-year-old living in the same Parisian apartment building. She plans to end her life on her thirteenth birthday for reasons explained in the narrative. Mister Ozu is a Japanese businessman who moves into the building and becomes friends with Madame Michel and Paloma. It is a philosophical novel that explores the question: “What makes life worthwhile?”

This is a low-key character-driven book. Themes include class, appearances versus reality, beauty, interpersonal connections, and happiness. The characters form unlikely bonds that lead to a deeper appreciation of their own lives. It examines the search for meaning in a world that is too busy to take time to appreciate the small things of everyday life. It packs a lot of thought-provoking material into a relatively few pages. I have been meaning to read this book for quite a while and glad I finally got around to it.

[LibraryCin]

Joy D wrote: "Finished #13 for January:
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery - 4* - My Review

Renée Michel is a fifty-four-year-old concierge from an impoverished backgr..."

Hi, Joy. This is the 2023 thread. :-) I posted mine here because I only just finished my December book, so it brought the thread "above" the 2024 thread.

Just wanted to mention it in case you wanted to move your review over.

[Joy D]

Thank you! I was wondering if I was in the right place.

[Sallys]

I am resdinbbThe Time Travelers Wife for BWF. It’s a reread of one of my all time favorites

[LibraryCin]

Finished my #21:
Calligraphy of the Witch / Alicia Gaspar de Alba
3.5 stars

[Booknblues]

Are we posting these on the wrong thread?

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[LibraryCin]

Booknblues wrote: "Are we posting these on the wrong thread?

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/..."

Good question. People have posted in both places! I don't know which was meant for posting when/what we finish. Ah well, I'm keeping track for myself, really.

[Joy D]

LibraryCin wrote: "Joy D wrote: "Finished #13 for January:
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery - 4* - My Review

Renée Michel is a fifty-four-year-old concierge from an impov..."

My error. Thanks, Cindy!

[Theresa]

I'll bump up the correct thred - 2024.

[Theresa]

This is last year's thread. Do not post 2024 reviews/comments here.

[LibraryCin]

Theresa wrote: "This is last year's thread. Do not post 2024 reviews/comments here."

Ack! Didn't even notice the year! (And I see I pointed it out to someone else earlier! It was at the top, so I commented earlier today, too. Sigh...)

[Book Concierge]

AMY ... you might want to lock this thread.

[Amy]

I don’t really know how to lock a thread. I think I was just counting on folks to be able to figure this one out. Besides, the more we keep commenting on this thread, the more this is the one that rises to the top. I figure eventually it will slip back into oblivion, where it used to lay. I am sure that once Sue posts our new number on the new current thread, hopefully that will be the one that people will remember to use. I may if we leave this one alone, it will just slip itself away. But if I have to learn how to lock a thread, I suppose that’s a good option to use. let’s try to take that off-line though, not reengage this past thread.

[Theresa]

Amy - It's simple. Click on the thread -- you want to be on the top of the first page. To lock the thread, click on [edit] next to the title fo the thread. The Edit window opens. Click a box just above the Save Button that says 'close this topic for new posts & votes'. Click on Save.