⭐️ COMPLETE ⭐️ Wobbley's 2024 Buffet Sampler

[Kathleen]

Bravo, Wobbley! But I do feel a little sad at this time of year when people are finishing and I know I'll be here until the end ...!

[Wobbley]

Kathleen wrote: "Bravo, Wobbley! But I do feel a little sad at this time of year when people are finishing and I know I'll be here until the end ...!"

Thank you Kathleen. Oh no, I'm sorry for making you a bit sad! Try to think of it this way: You and I will both be reading until the end of the year, but your reading successes will be celebrated by the group when you add them to your challenges, whereas mine will fall into unsung obscurity. See -- there's a silver lining to not finishing early, haha!

[Sara, Old School Classics]

Wobbley--you have me rolling on the floor.

[Kathleen]

Ha--I never thought of it that way, Wobbley! But I hope you find another way to report your reading cuz we can't have it going unsung. :-)

[Wobbley]

Well, I had completed my Buffet Challenges. But I looked at what I had read this year, and discovered that if I additionally read a small handful of short stories I could complete the A-Z title and A-Z author challenges as well! So that's what I've done. Here are the additional stories I read to finish off these 2 challenges:

Dreaming of Kimchee by Banana Yoshimoto ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️: A woman goes through a bit of a crisis about her marriage. This story had the detatched tone you find in much Japanese fiction. It left me feeling calm and hopeful.

Kabuliwala by Rabindranath Tagore ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️: A young girl and a man become friends, but have trouble reconnecting after she grows up. A sad and beautifully written story.

Vaster Than Empires and More Slow by Ursula K. Le Guin ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️: A group of misfits on a deep space planet exploration find an unknown menace there. A thoughtful story of ideas, that shows the darkness at the heart of people, but still leaves you feeling hopeful. (Yes, I actually managed to find something with a "U" author and a "V" title -- score!!)

Voila! Three satisfying stories, and two bonus challenges complete. :)

[Katy, Quarterly Long Reads]

Well, congratulation on the A-Z also.

[Sara, Old School Classics]

Look at you--a challenge-finishing machine!

[Wobbley]

Haha, thanks Sara and Katy! These ones really finished themselves though. Still, it's always fun to get bonus challenges. :)

[Kathleen]

Congratulations, Wobbley! I'm so glad you read Kabuliwala. I loved that one.

[Wobbley]

Kathleen wrote: "Congratulations, Wobbley! I'm so glad you read Kabuliwala. I loved that one."

Thanks Kathleen! I never would have even heard of that story if you hadn't suggested it in your Bingo thread, so thank you for that.

[Lori]

Wow!! Good for you Wobbley! One of these days I will do the A-Z officially. I’ve kept a list and have gotten pretty close. Short stories is a great way to finish!

I’m going to look at the Japanese story for sure.

[Wobbley]

That's great Lori -- I hope you'll enjoy it! While I was reading it I couldn't quite pinpoint what was working for me, but maybe it was the tone; the detached Japanese style seems to work for me a lot of the time.

[Lynn, New School Classics]

Here's one final congratulations on completing your buffet, Wobbley. You read so much and your conversations add so much to the group. Nice job.

[Wobbley]

Thank you Lynn, that's a really nice thing to say!

[Shaina]

Wobbley wrote: "Well, I had completed my Buffet Challenges. But I looked at what I had read this year, and discovered that if I additionally read a small handful of short stories I could complete the A-Z title and..."

I'm delighted to see I'm not the only one who does this. Well done, Wobbley!

[Wobbley]

Shaina wrote: "I'm delighted to see I'm not the only one who does this. Well done, Wobbley! "

Thanks Shaina! Yes, I find every challenge I finish rewarding, including the ones I finish almost by accident! ;)