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Paula’s ”They Told Me I Had To Change the Name” 2023. ***COMPLETED***
message 51:
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Paula W
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Jan 29, 2023 12:57PM
I finished G2. I have been weeping for about an hour.
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I had 2 books on my planning list that I wasnt very excited about, so I had to make some adjustments. Very happy with my current list now. I have finished 11 on the bingo challenge and am about 20% into book #12 (or 13, see below).Also, I have closed a couple more spaces since my last check-in. I am keeping a log of other classics books I am reading that don’t fit into my list; The Bluest Eye is one on the list so far (finished at the end of January). I could easily put that one in the “reader’s choice” space, but if I falter in reading some of these I have planned I can substitute one of these others on my extra list. So it isn’t being counted yet but is a book I read, sitting on the bench waiting to be called up to the big leagues.
Or I could just go BIG BOSS and try to bingo twice this year. This year is my “read all the classics I own“ year. There are so many on my bookshelf that I own and have never read. So, I could potentially make blackout and then a few more line bingoes.
I'm so impressed by how much reading you get done! My Bingo plan is ambitious, but I'm not too confident I'll actually finish. Your Bingo plan is ambitious, and you expect finish more than once!!Re: G2. My teacher read this aloud to us in grade 6, and everyone was crying at the end. Even the teacher was crying. One of the non-crying boys in the class had to take over from the teacher and read the ending!
Wobbley wrote: "I'm so impressed by how much reading you get done! My Bingo plan is ambitious, but I'm not too confident I'll actually finish. Your Bingo plan is ambitious, and you expect finish more than once!!..."
I am fortunate to have a work-from-home job. I can get a ton of work done in 3-4 hours because people aren’t constantly visiting my office or otherwise interrupting me. So, I can get a lot of reading done.
Even on days I go into the office, I listen to an audiobook while drinking my coffee, getting ready, commuting, etc. Then I will pull out a physical book to read during lunch. And I always read an hour or two before going to bed at night. I have found that my reading has picked up since I stopped watching so much tv 😂.
Paula W wrote: I have found that my reading has picked up since I stopped watching so much tv"Hahaha, that totally makes sense!
Also, for your African choice, I haven't read the one you're considering, but I've read another by the same author: A Grain of Wheat. Though not exactly happy, I thought it was a brilliant book; more complex than usual in its treatment of anti-colonial and post-colonial issues. In my opinion the author is a real talent, and I suspect you'll be happy with your choice.
Wobbley wrote: "Paula W wrote: I have found that my reading has picked up since I stopped watching so much tv"Hahaha, that totally makes sense!
Also, for your African choice, I haven't read the one you're consi..."
Cynda mentioned that one, as well! I feel like it might come down to what I can get my hands on at the time. My local library is small-ish but I have a trip planned for next week.
Paula W wrote: "Wobbley wrote: "I'm so impressed by how much reading you get done! My Bingo plan is ambitious, but I'm not too confident I'll actually finish. Your Bingo plan is ambitious, and you expect finish mo..."Paula, a thumb's up for "since I stopped watching so much tv." I have found the same thing. A book is just better and more satisfying!! ;)
Terris wrote: "Paula W wrote: "Wobbley wrote: "I'm so impressed by how much reading you get done! My Bingo plan is ambitious, but I'm not too confident I'll actually finish. Your Bingo plan is ambitious, and you ..."It’s amazing, right? I feel sure I can read 2-3 books per week if I keep the tv turned off.
Paula W wrote: "Terris wrote: "Paula W wrote: "Wobbley wrote: "I'm so impressed by how much reading you get done! My Bingo plan is ambitious, but I'm not too confident I'll actually finish. Your Bingo plan is ambi..."That would certainly increase your numbers!! Good luck ;)
I have 2 more Jane Austen books to read this year, but Mansfield Park made me so angry that I dont know if I want to read the others. How can she be considered one of the greatest romance authors when the endings are not good? Not what I, or anyone reasonable, would want? Emma had the best ending, and rest are putrid rubbish. I’m not sorry for saying this.
Hahaha! Love a contrarian, Paula! Well, Emma is my all time fave, but I also really love Pride and Prejudice, and Sense and Sensibility. The rest (that I have read — Mansfield Park, Persuasion, Northanger Abbey), in my book are good, but would probably get four stars from me these days, not five.
Terry wrote: "Hahaha! Love a contrarian, Paula! Well, Emma is my all time fave, but I also really love Pride and Prejudice, and Sense and Sensibility. The rest (that I have read — Mansfield Park, Persuasion, N..."
I still need to read Northanger Abbey and Persuasion. I dont hold out a lot of hope. I mean, the books I have read are well written but the endings always seem to have the least wanted scenario. It just deflates the whole book. Emma was great, I must admit. But in this one - Henry running off with Maria and Fanny ending up with Edmund? Omg I could have written a better ending when I was in middle school. That was terrible.
O5 - Jamaica Inn is completed. And instead of a review, I wrote a song because I felt the mood was upon me. It has been a long day, and I shall now enjoy a cocktail or two before bed.
Paula W wrote: "O5 - Jamaica Inn is completed. And instead of a review, I wrote a song because I felt the mood was upon me. It has been a long day, and I shall now enjoy a cocktail or two before bed."I hope you enjoyed it, Paula. I'd love to hear the song!! ;)
I know this book is pretty dark, but Du Maurier is good at making a book feel dark and eerie -- I love that!
Enjoy your cocktails! :)
Oh, I enjoyed it. I just wrote a snarky verse about poor Mary and how naive she was.
Terris wrote: "Haha! Kind of a sea shanty, huh? ;)"Kind of a cross between a sea shanty and a hip hop song. It’s on my profile if you want to see it. I’m laughing at myself right now.
Hilarious! I am sitting in front of my computer shaking with laughter! My favorite part is "Uh huh. Uh huh. Break it down now."
I may have to copy that and save it!
I'm reading all of your reviews from now on -- or singing them!! :)
Terris wrote: "Hilarious! I am sitting in front of my computer shaking with laughter! My favorite part is "Uh huh. Uh huh. Break it down now."
I may have to copy that and save it!
I'm reading all of your revie..."
I’m not this smart all the time. But today was a good day!
Paula W wrote: "Terris wrote: "Hilarious! I am sitting in front of my computer shaking with laughter! My favorite part is "Uh huh. Uh huh. Break it down now."
I may have to copy that and save it!
I'm reading al..."
Woohoo! :)
Take 'em when you can get 'em!!
Looking forward to seeing what you say about Madame Bovary. Poor Madame Bovary/Shocking Madame Bovary :-)
Cynda wrote: "Looking forward to seeing what you say about Madame Bovary. Poor Madame Bovary/Shocking Madame Bovary :-)"That one I have a physical copy but also have it on audiobook, so I’m thinking I will listen to it while going to Mom’s for the Easter holiday. It is a 5-6 hr drive each way (depending on how often I need to stop with my two dogs), and I think the audiobook is 10-12 hrs so that should work nicely. Early April, then!
I2 - I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings was my choice for a biography. I LOVED IT. I did not realize that this book only brought us up to her late teen years, so I will be looking through my used bookstore for the other half dozen books in this series that will tell me the rest of her story. Maya Angelou was such a fantastic storyteller, and the pages flew by for me.
I have read one or two more. But can we talk about the weirdo men who friend request us but think this is a dating site instead of a reading site? What is wrong with these idiots. I get 3-5 friend requests per day from men, and they don’t want to talk about books. They are calling me baby and sweetheart. yukkkkkewwwww. Why would a grown person think a book reading site is a dating site? Yet it happens to me multiple times per day. Gross. And yuck. And. Ewwwwwwwww
That's awful, Paula! I see you took your picture off -- maybe that will help. Your new one looks a little scary! That might scare away any thoughts of romance on this book reading site!! ;)
Terris wrote: "That's awful, Paula! I see you took your picture off -- maybe that will help. Your new one looks a little scary! That might scare away any thoughts of romance on this book reading site!! ;)"It’s so exhausting. I’m almost at the point where I will only accept friend requests from women. I hate to be that way, but the men are 95% not being okay.
Paula W wrote: "Terris wrote: "That's awful, Paula! I see you took your picture off -- maybe that will help. Your new one looks a little scary! That might scare away any thoughts of romance on this book reading si..."Well, good luck on getting it figured out. That certainly is not why we are a part of Goodreads! We are here to talk about and "Read A Good Book!" ;)
Mod
I agree, yuck. I had to put up a couple picture and my statement on my homepage has a line that says, "I am not interested in debating or dating anyone." lol
I have placed Song of Solomon in my free space for now. 5 star read, and I totally get why this was the book that made Toni Morrison a household name. It was not an easy read — each sentence of her writing holds the weight of a paragraph — but it was brilliant. My favorite of the year so far!
Paula W wrote: "I have placed Song of Solomon in my free space for now. 5 star read, and I totally get why this was the book that made Toni Morrison a household name. It was not an easy read — each se..."Yay! So glad to hear you loved this one, Paula. This is my favorite of hers so far, and your point about her writing is so true. Perfect for your free space.
I’ll make some changes to my original list over the next day or so, but if I’m keeping track correctly I only have 5 spaces left for blackout based on the books I have read. And I am 75% done with one, 35% done with another, and 30% done with the third. I should complete this challenge next month at the latest. I’m gonna need another bingo card, because I dont plan to stop reading the classics any time soon.
Mod
Updated the list. Four to go (currently reading 2 of them), and I will finish them all this month. Looks like I will begin a new thread in April!
Paula W wrote: "Updated the list. Four to go (currently reading 2 of them), and I will finish them all this month. Looks like I will begin a new thread in April!"Wow -- so impressive!!
Congratulations, Paula! You have read so many good ones. I need to see where I can start fitting some of my reads on BINGO. I've been concentrating mostly Old and New right now.
Oh, I've just noticed that you have Kitchen selected as your classic of Asia. I really loved that one -- it's a rare 5***** read for me (but then I've known people who thought it was nothing special; alas for the subjective reading experience)! It's a really quick read too. It's usually paired in a book with the short story Moonlight Shadow, which I also recommend. I hope will you enjoy it!
Wobbley wrote: "Oh, I've just noticed that you have Kitchen selected as your classic of Asia. I really loved that one -- it's a rare 5***** read for me (but then I've known people who thought it was n..."I had never heard of it but I found it when I did a Google search of Asian classics, and I was able to use my Kindle Rewards points to get it for free. I am really looking forward to it! I also plan to read The Jungle Book, which could fill that square since it is set in India, but no hurries there. My library has unlimited ebook copies so I can check that one out any time.
Sue wrote: "Congratulations, Paula! You have read so many good ones. I need to see where I can start fitting some of my reads on BINGO. I've been concentrating mostly Old and New right now."Thanks! We enjoy a lot of the same books, so you need to start filling up your card!
All done! I’m ready to start another card under another thread. 🤞
Mod
Amazing! Not even the end of March. I'm so impressed!
Thanks, guys! This was fun, and only 3 of them were re-reads for me. I got to know a lot of really great new books. I’ll start a new thread, and I already have 3-4 I can place into squares. I am not normally this prolific, but I had a goal this year to read mostly classics and have read only a few current books in 2023. I plan to continue that since I have a ton of classics on my bookshelf and in my kindle library that I own but have never read. And then I guess next year I can catch up on all the great newer books I might have missed.
Work commitments in late spring/early summer will really hamper my reading, so I’m glad I was able to complete this challenge early. That will not be the case for Bingo #2.
Mod
Wow, you are amazing.
Congrats, Paula! You’ve done an amazing job!
Paula!! How did you do that???!! You read so many good books! I'm so jealous and impressed! Good luck on your 2nd card. Looks like you have a lot more reading to look forward to ;)Yay for You!! :)
Terris wrote: "Paula!! How did you do that???!! You read so many good books! I'm so jealous and impressed! Good luck on your 2nd card. Looks like you have a lot more reading to look forward to ;)Yay for You!! :)"
I work from home, so this is my routine:
Wake up, listen to audiobook while drinking coffee and getting dressed (which usually amounts to tinted moisturizer, mascara, a ponytail, and a blouse while the bottom is pjs and socks/slippers).
Work for a few hours, read during lunch, work for a few more hours. When people aren’t constantly in my office bothering me, I can get a day’s work done in 4 hrs or so.
I live alone and my son is grown, so I dont really have family responsibilities. That era of my life is over, thank god. More time for reading.
I read an hour or so before bed every night. I have cut out almost all tv from my life (except awards shows, where I absolutely must watch those and critique fashion).
When I need to travel, audiobooks on the commute. My mom lives about 6 hrs from me and I can complete a good length audiobook on the 12 hr round trip. Flights are the same. I find that my flight anxiety is eased when I listen to an audiobook while reading along.
I read when I’m in line anywhere, I read in the library when I go there once per week… I even read at the pub when waiting for my friends to show up for dinner or trivia night. I always have a book with me.
Congratulations, Paula! Speaking of award shows, if we had one at Catching up on Classics, you'd be the winner!!
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