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100 Book Prompt Challenge -2023
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John's 100 Book Challenge - 2023
Fascinating tease. Wish I had more time for all the books that interest me. But thanks to y’all, I have a TBR list that will outlive me!
John wrote: "Young Adult (40) and LGBT (73)I'll Get There. It Better Be Worth the Trip. by John Donovan
I only learned of this 40 year old title recently, curious to see how it..."
Well done on the prompts, John.
The book sounds interesting. I also would like the NYC setting. I like the title, too !
Good progress on completing prompts, John. As i mentioned elsewhere, the Goddard mystery sounds good to me. I'm glad you shared your thoughts about these works. Thanks.
Bio/Autobio/Memoir (29)Miss Ella of Commander's Palace by Ella Brennan
Another off my TBR pile. Unfortunately, much of the book was about her large, extended family, or name-dropping famous people she'd met. Maybe I wasn't the target audience, but skimmed a lot more than expected.
John wrote: "Bio/Autobio/Memoir (29)Miss Ella of Commander's Palace by Ella Brennan
Another off my TBR pile. Unfortunately, much of the book was about her large, extended famil..."
Sorry this was a miss for you, John. It doesn't sound like one I would enjoy with the name dropping and the focus shift to extended family.
The memoir, biography genre is a fav of mine. But this one sounds like a pass.
Congratulations on knocking another one off the old TBR stack !
Bummer, John. Sometimes i can read a memoir by someone i do not know, who mention family & famed, yet still like the work. More often, though, not. It takes a patience which good writing or superb settings could overcome, perhaps.At least you now have one less prompt to address.
Romance (100)A Dreadful Splendor by B.R. Myers
Overall, more of a gothic theme with paranormal stuff main focus, but romance mentioned in blurb, and it is there. However, the heroine I found quite likeable, so was happy for her. In this case, it was fairly obvious as soon as they met, so only referred-to rarely while the gothic events were happening around them. A fun book that I found worth an Audible credit to pass time.
I'm glad the audible credit worked out well for the prompt, John.
For me, "Romance" is such a tough category. Most are fairly obvious from the start, which baffles me. Why not at least make it questionable, i ask?For such a story, please try Alice Munro's short story "How I Met My Husband". [http://sheppardsflock.weebly.com/uplo...] Ok, not exactly a "romance" in the traditional book way but memorable, imo.
Regardless, John, it's a well-accomplished prompt fulfillment!
I’m with you, John. Romance is not my thing, either. I like your solution.
Set in South America (55)A Little Luck by Claudia Piñeiro
Decided to start with this one, because it was short. Will explain more in upcoming review why that didn't work well for me. Looking forward to her longer novel Betty Boo in future.
Good job on a difficult prompt, John. Sorry it wasn't a winner. As you noted, at least it was only around 200 pages.
While i've not heard of Piñeiro, Betty Boo sounds very good. So, sorry as i am that the shorter didn't work for you, i thank you for mentioning the second, John.
John wrote: "If you are familiar with Housekeeping, that acclaimed story had a similar problem for me."I did read that many years ago. I only recall that I purchased a hardcopy of the book. It's possible I read it when this message board was on AOL. I see I gave it 3 stars.
Ah, well, i liked that book by Marilynne Robinson and have gone on to read a couple more. I know others had issues with it but it fit me quite well. I saw the film first, which may also explain my pleasure with the book.
Disabled character (20) and weather involved (66)Touch and Go by Thad Nodine
Told from blind man's point-of-view as he crosses the USA with his dysfunctional (non-biological) 'family'. Their getting caught up in Hurricane Katrina proves important to the resolution of the story. Liked it as much as expected.
Nice selection for the prompts, John ! I see it was published in 2011. How did you come upon this one? Was it on your TBR?
I read a bit of the Amazon synopsis, and it sounds interesting. I put it in my TBR notebook. Thanks !
Been on my TBR for a while, probably four stars when reviewed.
John wrote: "Disabled character (20) and weather involved (66)Touch and Go by Thad Nodine
Told from blind man's point-of-view as he crosses the USA with his dysfunctional (no..."
Nice selection, John. I'm intrigued by the resolution and may have to track down that book, too.
Related to science (71)Medieval Bodies: Life and Death in the Middle Ages by Jack Hartnell
I'm using this TBR item for the category with its focus on human anatomy. Well-written, can recommend, though I selected it as a fan of the audio narrator.
John wrote: "Related to science (71)Medieval Bodies: Life and Death in the Middle Ages by Jack Hartnell
I'm using this TBR item for the category with its focus on human anato..."
Very interesting ! I like the way you filled this prompt.
"Medieval beliefs about the body were drastically different from ours today: Hair was thought to be a condensation of fumes emitted from the pores, ideas were supposedly committed to memory by being directly imprinted on the brain, and the womb of a goat was believed to function as a contraceptive. But while this medieval medicine now seems archaic, it also made a critical contribution to modern science"
What a great way to fulfill the prompt, John. I'll bet you learned much in the process.
Published at least five books (88)The Hotel Years by Joseph Roth
I preferred the first part where he travels to various places in inter-war Europe, rather than later essays focusing on hotel life in general which seemed dated.
John wrote: "Published at least five books (88)The Hotel Years by Joseph Roth
I preferred the first part where he travels to various places in inter-war Europe, rather than lat..."
"The Hotel Years gathers sixty-four feuilletons"
I had to look up feuilletons which is mentioned in the review.
It's a part of a newspaper or magazine devoted to fiction, criticism, or light literature.
"her sharp wit has made her one of Russia's masters of the literary feuilleton"
Sorry the book wasn't a winner for you. At least you completed the prompt. I hope your next read is better.
John wrote: "Published at least five books (88)The Hotel Years by Joseph Roth
I preferred the first part where he travels to various places in inter-war Europe, rather than lat..."
I’m not familiar with Roth’s work but his book Confession of a Murderer: Told in One Night intrigues. The first part of the book you read sounds very good, indeed. Thanks for the introduction.
Agatha Christie book (60)Cards on the Table
One of the few that I could not recall ever reading, and now I know why. Host is murdered during a bridge party, conveniently attended by four of Christie's sleuths: which of the other four guests did it? Heavy on bridge-playing details, billed as a Poirot story, though he's not consistently present, convoluted resolution ... those negative reviews don't come out of nowhere. Listened to the audiobook, read by the actor who plays Poirot's sidekick, Hastings, which helped.
John wrote: "Agatha Christie book (60)Cards on the Table
One of the few that I could not recall ever reading, and now I know why. Host is murdered during a bridge party, conveniently attended ..."
On a positive note, John, you knocked off another prompt.
It is a curious concept, putting several of her characters together in one room. I'm not a fan of bridge, and know little of the lingo, so probably would miss plenty.I noticed, however, that most of the GR comments (well, the first two pages) were fairly positive. Mostly, it seems they agree about the plot but like the idea, just as i do. My vote would have been more negative, akin to yours, John, rather than those just tickled by the notion. :-)
Congrats on another prompt down!
John, I like how you used the green checkmark. I'm going to steal that idea for next year. :)
Alias Reader wrote: "John, I like how you used the green checkmark. I'm going to steal that idea for next year. :)"That was the first thing I adopted when I joined this group and embarked upon the 100-book challenge (thanks, John!) - I probably was looking at John's posts first and thought it was a "thing", before I saw that everyone checks off their list in a different way. That said, I find the green checkmarks visually useful and I am definitely going to continue to use them.
Yes. My checks are sort of grey and don't stand out. I want credit for those hard earned prompts ! So I am going with Green next time. ;)
Ok, i give up. How do you make those green check marks? Is it a copy & paste thing? They'd be much easier than the "strike" i've been using.
The green check mark is an emoji choice on my keyboard.
Deb, if you are using a windows keyboard it'sThe window's icon and the period. Hit both at the same time to get emojis.
I don't know how to get it on Apple. I found this online
https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-h...
✔ Thank you! I don't see it as particularly green but i'm pleased just to have a check mark. ❤ Look at me, finding many emojis! And i found this--¢ Yes!
Music, art, dance, theater, acting theme (30)Picture by Lillian Ross
Picked up this one as I liked her fly-on-the-wall portrait of observing Hemingway. This one did not hold my attention, which I'll go into later in a review.
Congratulations on completing this prompt, John. I thought it would be a quick one for me but i've yet to even settle on a title, so maybe not.I look forward to your comments about this book.
John wrote: "Music, art, dance, theater, acting theme (30)Picture by Lillian Ross
Picked up this one as I liked her fly-on-the-wall portrait of observing Hemingway. This one d..."
Congrats on filling this prompt. Sorry you didn't enjoy it. The synopsis online doesn't mention Hemingway.
It says "The charismatic and hard-bitten director and actor John Huston is at the center of the book, determined to make Stephen Crane’s The Red Badge of Courage—one of the great and defining works of American literature, the first modern war novel, a book "
I've not read, The Red Badge of Courage and Selected Short Fiction. Have you? Is it a favorite and that is what also drew you to the book ? I wonder if I should add this classic to my TBR.
I have no interest in the Civil War myself, nor in Red Badge. I got this one solely because I liked Ross' Portrait of Hemingway.
I am going to jump into this to state i have read Stephen Crane's novel twice. First, i recorded it for a blind student in South Dakota. It stayed with me, so i reread it a decade later, as well as some of his shorter pieces. What a good writer.This says nothing about Ross or the book, only about Crane. I was flooded with positive thoughts, which i apparently had to share.
The End.
John wrote: "I have no interest in the Civil War myself, nor in Red Badge. I got this one solely because I liked Ross' Portrait of Hemingway."Thanks for clarifying that. I can't say I've read much on the Civil War either.
madrano wrote: "I am going to jump into this to state i have read Stephen Crane's novel twice. First, i recorded it for a blind student in South Dakota. It stayed with me, so i reread it a decade la..."That is so nice that you recorded for the blind, deb.
I'm sure the popularity of audio books is a huge plus for people with disabilities.
I agree, Alias. When i see the popularity of audiobooks, i think of all those visually impaired readers and how their lives must be simplified. When i volunteered the state (South Dakota) had a decent library but sometimes special books were required, which is how i got involved. Two unusual recordings i made were a Brownie Scout manual and one on Reflexology. Also, i recorded school books and projects for students. The town in which we lived was where the state school for the blind was located.
Epistolary or diary format (5), Antagonist point-of-view (7), and World War II (86)Swansong 1945: A Collective Diary of the Last Days of the Third Reich by Walter Kempowski
A bit unusual for Category 7, but most of the entries are thoughts of Germans (military and civilian) as the war drew to a close. As one would expect, some entries were disturbing, but overall it was quite interesting and informative.
Well done on the 2 prompts, John. That book sounds very interesting. My library doesn't have the particular one you read but they have All for Nothing. The author passed away in 2007 but I see new book coming out November 14th. An Ordinary Youth It was originally published in 1971. This is the first time it's been translated into English.
Thank you for this new to me author. He is going in my TBR notebook.
Amazon has the eBook of the one you read for only $10. I think I may get it. Amazon is having a spend $25 get 400 points deal.
How did you come across this author ? I love how you read books and find authors that are not just the current bestsellers. Thank you !
Wiki
Walter Kempowski was a German writer. Kempowski was known for his series of novels called German Chronicle and the monumental Echolot, a collage of autobiographical reports, letters and other documents by contemporary witnesses of the Second World War. Wikipedia
Born: April 29, 1929, Rostock, Germany
Died: October 5, 2007, Rotenburg (Wümme), Germany
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_...
Thanks for the kind words! I believe Kempowski came to my attention either from a mention in a thread, or more likely, the Amazon feature "People who read the book you're looking at also were interested in these titles."
John wrote: "Epistolary or diary format (5), Antagonist point-of-view (7), and World War II (86)Swansong 1945: A Collective Diary of the Last Days of the Third Reich by [author:Walter Kempowsk..."
Well accomplished, John. Like Alias, i'm am always fascinated by the books you find and share with us. This one sounds important for those who want to know more about those final days from the German POV.
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I'll Get There. It Better Be Worth the Trip. by John Donovan
I only learned of this 40 year old title recently, curious to see how it works out, so got the audiobook. Lots to say in a later, longer review, but for now, it's about much more than sexuality. Main character described as "repressed" works for me though he's only 13. He'd lived with his late grandmother most of his life, which he took for granted, shielding him from confronting other issues (dysfunction). Some reviewers hated the ending, but I found it optimistic. NYC setting done well.