FAH Reading Challenge discussion
Ruwanthi’s List
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11. Book you would recommend to Mrs. Geraghty (or a book you envision would be on her bookshelf)
Titles: An Elderly Lady is Up To No Good; An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed
Author: Helene Torsten
I’d probably be enabling her if I recommend these to Mrs. Geraghty, but these were some fun reads. The main character is an elderly lady who is rather worryingly familiar with murder, and not in the Miss Marple kind of way either.
63. Book that would be considered a “period piece” - any time period
Title: Lost Among the Angels
Author: Alice Duncan
I was looking for a “cozy mystery” book when this came up in the suggested titles in my library’s ebook collection. The Roaring Twenties has always fascinated me but most books I’ve seen in this era are quite dark. A fun read and evenly paced with interesting characters, though probably not fully developed (it’s the first book in a series). I have to admit to finding the main character becoming a little annoying towards the end, though it felt like a kind of lazy setup for the end action. Hopefully, the next ones do the character justice.
46. Comic book
Title: Asterix and the Picts
Author: Written by Jean-Yves Ferri and illustrated by Didier Conrad
Moving around as I did as a kid, I didn’t have a chance to get into the superhero comic books or anime or manga, because I didn’t really have consistent access to them. Asterix and Obelisk, however, were pretty much available everywhere.
This title was the first in the series I hadn’t read (#35) and I was kind of sad to learn it was the first not to have been written by either René Goscinny or Albert Uderzo. While it was fun, it was missing some of the original charming and tongue in cheek humour.
Ruwanthi wrote: "11. Book you would recommend to Mrs. Geraghty (or a book you envision would be on her b..."
Literally my thoughts at my last book, will quote it later (have trouble getting around): I shouldn't encourage her. But also: is this really evil enough for her! ;)
Ruwanthi wrote: "Asterix and the Picts46. Comic book
Title: Asterix and the Picts
Author: Written by Jean-Yves Ferri and illustrated by Didier Conrad
Moving around as I did as a kid, I didn’t ha..."
Can you read the French originals? I have various translations, and it's not possible to guess what the original jokes were, so wildly different were those translations. I had wanted to collect one run, as I only ever got really tattered torn copies, but maybe the older ones were closer to the original than the modern ones, I couldn't tell.
_inbetween_ wrote: "Ruwanthi wrote: "Asterix and the Picts46. Comic book
Title: Asterix and the Picts
Author: Written by Jean-Yves Ferri and illustrated by Didier Conrad
Moving around as I did as a..."
Unfortunately, I don’t know French so I haven’t read the originals but I think both Goscinny and Uderzo appreciated the English translations by Anthea Bell and Derek Hockridge. I read an interview where Uderzo said that they had translated well where they could, and kept the spirit of the jokes where literal translation wasn’t possible. Considering most of the humour depends on puns, I think that’s a big compliment. So I think that the loss of the original flavour probably goes back to the original text. Puns felt a little forced and not paced out.
Thanks for the info! I've read mostly various German versions but also some English. Because they have to invent corresponding jokes, new translations keep appearing with each generation, perhaps less so in the future - I have read books where I was aware on each page that it would work in other languages flawlessly (not always a compliment but works for some styles :))
Ruwanthi wrote: "11. Book you would recommend to Mrs. Geraghty (or a book you envision would be on her b..."
These sound interesting! Enable Mrs. Geraghty so we can get more sketches.
Ruwanthi wrote: "11. Book you would recommend to Mrs. Geraghty (or a book you envision would be on her b..."
Ruwanthi wrote: "
11. Book you would recommend to Mrs. Geraghty (or a book you envision would be on her b..."
Ruwanthi wrote: "
22. Book written by an ancient Roman (or set in ancient Rome)
Title: Vespasian - Tribune of Rome
Author: Robert Fabbri
I’m trying to partly step out of my comf..."
Your reviews are great fun to read! Mrs. Geraghty's "book" was a great choice. "Not in the Miss Marple kind of way" was a brilliant phrase. :)
40. Cookbook
Title: Nanny Ogg’s Cookbook
Authors: Terry Pratchett, Stephen Briggs and Tina Hannan
I wondered how I should get about reading a cookbook and then remembered. Shame on me for taking so long, since I’m a big fan of Discworld.
A hilarious mixture of recipes from Discworld (with some adaptations - do we really want to try making rat onna stick at home?) with Nanny Ogg’s commentary, notes from her publishers judiciously placed over, um, risqué parts, and sections on social and dining etiquette, weddings, funerals and how to treat witches.
The recipes sound interesting and varied - just don’t try serving the Strawberry Wobblers, at least not in formal company…
Ruwanthi wrote: "risqué parts, and sections on social and dining etiquette, weddings, funerals and how to treat witches.."
This sounds very interesting and unusual.
16. Book written by a Chinese author (or set in China)
Title: The Three-Body Problem
Author: Liu Cixin, translated by Ken Liu
17. Book written by an Austrian author (or set in Austria)
Title: Carmilla
Author: J. Sheridan La Fanu
18. Book written by a Swedish author (or set in Sweden)
Title: The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared
Author: Jonas Jonasson
19. Book written by a Welsh author (or set in Wales)
Title: The Owl Service
Author: Alan Garner
84. Book with a character named Conor
Title: Airman
Author: Eoin Colfer
Ruwanthi - Great Immigration Sketch-Related choices.Thank you for reminding me about The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared. I've been wanting to read that and I still need a Swedish author.
These look interesting! I've heard a lot about Three Body Problem - was it a good read? :)
Drama wrote: "These look interesting! I've heard a lot about Three Body Problem - was it a good read? :)"I'm not sure. I also wanted to see what all the hype was about. It was a bit of a slog for me, particularly the science-heavy parts, since I don't have a science background. The story itself was intriguing, and there were some parts which interested me, because it was close to Buddhist philosophy.
I've read that the story gets better in the next novels, because they're not so heavy on the background, and more focused on the characters, but I haven't got around to them yet.
_inbetween_ wrote: "As Austrian as Transylvania :)"It was rather a...strange read. It just popped up in the list of Austrian books, and the synopsis sounded interesting - I mean, who doesn't want to read about a vampire novel which predated Bram Stoker ;)
I think I'll have to read another book under this heading. It didn't give me much character of Austria; as you say, it could have been set in Transylvania and it wouldn't have made a difference :D
Carmilla -is- a classic, and as vampires literally never die in literature, it's good to know it. Stoker's is of course itself already so different to what people (today) think vampires are!Just don't choose Radcliffe's Udolfo! That's 90 percent description of scenery, and she'd gotten everything out of books, never having been to the Alps (or Italy etc.)
98. Cover or title that references luggage
Title: The Dictionary of Lost Words
Author: Pip Williams
I started reading this during the last few months in Melbourne but with all the preparations for moving, I never got arround to progressing much. I ended up borrowing it from an e-library, and ended up reading it one go. More than the story, I have to admit to my own fascination with etymology and the origin and existence of words.
85. Book that features cars or driving
Title: The Art of Racing in the Rain
Author: Garth Stein
Our family dog passed away six months ago, while my sister and I were in Melbourne. Even though he was my parents' and sisters' dog, he was my best friend - I think he and I had an understanding that was different from everyone else. As Buddhists, we believe that every living creature has the chance to be born a human in the next life and can have progressed in their life cycle far enough to be almost human, even as an animal, so the premise wasn't far-fetched for me (as I know it has been for other readers). I like to think that my friend has learned all he had to as a dog, like Enzo, and has moved on to the next stage.
38. Diary
Title: The Diary of Anne Frank: The Definitive Edition
Author: Anne Frank
I read this when I was much younger, and it is still as moving now as it was then. Moreso, because at this age, you have a deeper understanding of the history and the circumstances in which it was written. I also read it after reading a rather wonderful biography of Anne Frank by Melissa Muller which went into detail about the Franks' lives before the Annex and the progress of Nazi rule throughout Europe, as well as information on what happened or may have happened after the residents of the Annex were captured.
21. Book written by a North Irish author (or set in North Ireland)
Title: Papercuts
Author: Colin Bateman
Many of the books that were suggested for this title were historical, or set during the Troubles. I found it difficult to focus right now on books set in this turbulent time in history, probably also because we had a similar history for about 30 years (domestic terrorism, violence, youth uprisings, tearing apart of a country).
I was drawn to this book because it was about the running of a newspaper, and I could relate to a lot of it, having worked in a newspaper years ago. It also reminded me a little of Sir Terry Pratchett's "The Truth".
45. Young Adult
Title: The Bone Witch
Author: Rin Chupeco
32. Book about travel or one that involves a character who travels
Title: The Heart Forger
Author: Rin Chupeco
This, and the other two books by the same author on this list, formed a part of a trilogy. I enjoyed it for a number of reasons and got through all of them pretty quickly. Firstly, the setting moved away from the traditional medieval European backdrop (which I still love for fantasies), and into a more Eastern setting. There was an interesting narrative device, intertwining the present arc of the protagonist with her history. There were a lot of twists and turns, and was one of the few books I'd read in a long time, that stayed with me for several days.
82. Book that features an LGBTQplus character
Title: The Shadowglass
Author: Rin Chupeco
41. Flip-book (or children's book)
Title: The Blue Cat
Author: Ursula Dubosarsky
I read it because it sounded interesting, the style was engaging, but I cannot remember the story now, which says too much, or too little, about the writing.
44. Short story (or collection)
Title: The Cat's Pajamas
Author: Ray Bradbury
I have always loved Ray Bradbury, since I was introduced to him through The Martian Chronicles in high school. I have always been fascinated by his storytelling style and his stories, which are at times, wonderful, terrifying, surreal, and thought-provoking.
Having said that, this probably wouldn't be on the top of my list of his books, as it contains, in his own words, some of his earlier writing. The concepts and themes are interesting, but the narration is not as tight as his later stories.
37. Fantasy
Titles: Alanna: The First Adventure
In the Hand of the Goddess
The Woman Who Rides Like a Man
Lioness Rampant
Author: Tamora Pierce
I'm adding all four books, because they were a fast read, and I felt I was cheating if I added them separately. I was engaged with the story as I was reading it, but I think I would have responded to it better if I'd read it as a teenager. The character is too perfect, and achieves all her skills and accolades too easily.
Chupeco's series sounds really interesting! The settings and plot twists are intriguing. I'm very sorry to hear about the passing of Enzo. What a beautiful way to look at time as both a concept and the concrete physical time we have with our loved ones - it really resonates.
I'm late responding, but thank you for your update.The books all sound interesting, but I may checkout Papercuts by Colin Bateman
Melissa wrote: "I'm late responding, but thank you for your update.The books all sound interesting, but I may checkout Papercuts by Colin Bateman"
Bateman was unbelievably brilliant and hilarious when I first read him, then a few doozies, hope you enjoy
2. Book you would recommend to Arms
Title: Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution
Author: R.F. Kuang
Comment: I liked this book because it had a lot of elements that I have a personal interest or experience in - alternative history, etymology, the impacts of British colonialism, international trade, and magical elements. I first thought of adding this under the foreign language item, but then I thought I'd rather put it here, simply because I always thought Arms does a lot of historical and language research for their immigration/history-based sketches.
60. Book written by an author from a location that YOU hope to visit one day (or set in that location) - Greece
Title: Circe
Author: Madeline Miller
Comment: I've always wanted to visit Greece, because I love ancient history, and Greek mythology. I knew about Circe vaguely as a character from the Odyssey but I didn't know she had such a detailed presence in myth. I liked the author's style and language, but I wish she had expanded a little more on the existing mythology. When I would refer back to the original myths, it seemed to follow the stories exactly.
102. Cover or title that references a body part - it doesn’t have to be “arms”
Title: Men at Arms
Author: Terry Pratchett
Comment: Any excuse to re-read Terry Pratchett, and the City Watch books in particular :D
36. Nonfiction
Title: Anne Frank: The Biography
Author: Melissa Müller
27. Book written by an author from the US (or set in US)
Title: The Bear and the Nightingale
Author: Katherine Arden
14. Book you would recommend to Influencer Dad or his son (or a book you envision would be on their bookshelf)
Title: Such a Bad Influence
Author: Olivia Muenter
Comment: I wouldn't see it on their bookshelves but I would recommend it to both Dad and son. It's an interesting read, about a young, popular influencer who suddenly disappears livestream, and its impact on her family, friends and all her followesrs. I liked the social commentaries on social media influencers, the dichotomy between one daughter who is the influencer and the other who has set herself well away from it, and of course, the mother who started the whole thing, and has been in control and is slowly losing that control. I saw a lot of the dark side of what FAH portrays in the Influencer Dad series. Story-wise, it was inconsistent in its pacing - slow to begin, rushed at the end, a lot of loose ends and a plot twist right at the end that came out of the blue.
96. Cover with an animal (duck, hog, etc) that connects to FAH or a character
Title: The Peppermint Pig
Author: Nina Bawden
57. Book that is about writing or about a book (metafictional)
Title: The Book That No One Wanted to Read
Author: Richard Ayoade
Comment: I was looking for any number of books under this theme, but couldn't find one that was interesting enough. I know it's a children's book, but it was sweet, compelling messages even in its short journey, and some wonderful accompanying illustrations. It brought me back to walking to the library when I was four or five, holding my mother's hand, and spending a whole afternoon sitting in the children's section, back to where my love of reading was born.
Ruwanthi - These all sound very interesting. Thank you for sharing.I always thought Arms does a lot of historical and language research for their immigration/history-based sketches.
That's a keen observation. The time FAH puts into their research makes their sketches top notch.
Title: Such a Bad Influence
Author: Olivia Muenter
I may have looked at this point when trying to find one for Influencer Dad. Either that or the story line is similar to other books about influencers.
Melissa wrote: "Ruwanthi - These all sound very interesting. Thank you for sharing.I always thought Arms does a lot of historical and language research for their immigration/history-based sketches.
That's a keen..."
I'm struggling with the recommended books section, so I was happy to find this book to put down for Arms. It is quite an interesting read - some have complained about the pacing and characters, but I kind of liked it.
I saw quite a lot of books about influencers as well, but my choices are limited by what I can get from a couple of online libraries I have borrowing subscriptions to. Same for a lot of the other books - there are so many interesting books but none of our shops carry diverse English selections (just the extremely popular ones at the moment) and getting down through Amazon or anything is exorbitant.
86. Book that features a holiday party
Title: Jane and the Twelve Days of Christmas
Author: Stephanie Barron
59. Book written by an author from a location you hope FAH performs in one day (or set in that location)
Title: Island Witch
Author: Amanda Jayatissa
Comment: Yes, I know they'll never perform in Sri Lanka but a girl can dream, can't she? :D All books written set in Sri Lanka always seem to be about the war, like that is all there is to the country. I was glad to find a book like this, which highlighted a lot of our folklore and traditional culture. The book was sad, though - it was an origin story of one of the demonesses in our folklore, but created a sympathetic backstory, similar to those stories about Medusa.
70. Book that features a country in which FAH have a large fan base - England/UK
Title: A Castaway in Cornwall
Author: Julie Klassen
Comment: More of a lighthearted read that I just picked up but one that was compelling to read, just for the story. Set in the Regency period during the Napoleonic Wars, mostly in Cornwall, it has as its backdrop smuggling, shipwrecks, and a mysterious castaway with secrets who has been rescued by the FMC.
66. Book that features a theatre, film, or television setting
Title: Ballet Shoes
Author: Noel Streatfeild
Comment: I read this one a long time ago, but I had been reading some rather heavy reading over the past couple of days, so I wanted to switch it up with a lighter book.
54. Book that makes you think of an online skit FAH has performed - or a potential one you hope they cover one dayA Face Like Glass
The premise of the book is that the people in this fantasy society have blank faces - every expression must be learned. Depending on your wealth, station in life, occupation - a person could be able to learn and/or buy a lot of expressions, or just very few. I immediately thought of the "Expressions College" skit.
30. Book written by a German author (or set in Germany)
The Petrified Flesh
This is written by Cornelia Funke, a German author and translated into English. I like her Inkheart series, but while this story was interesting, it didn't seem to have the same detail and storytelling level as that series. I don't know whether that would be the translation or whether it's seems to be geared to an older audience.
80. Book that features three generations
Pachinko
"Pachinko is an epic historical fiction novel following a Korean family who immigrates to Japan. The story features an ensemble of characters who encounter racism, discrimination, stereotyping, and other aspects of the 20th-century Korean experience of Japan." Publishers Weekly
Generational stories are interesting, but also sad, especially when the stories span the whole life of each generation, showing them as young, uncertain children, teenagers, young adults to confident adults, then seniors. With the story of each new generation, the gap between the two become more evident.
91. Book that features an architect or artist
The Paris Architect
An architect struggling to find work in German-occupied France is approached to use his knowledge to build hiding places for Jewish individuals and families desperate to avoid being rounded by the SS and deported to camps. Initially driven by the need for money and the promise of larger commissions, the main character begins to have a change of heart about why he is doing it. I like the fact that the characters are grey - you're never sure whether you should like them or side-eye them. Storytelling is not perfect, and some characters are caricatures, particularly the SS officers, which had a danger of taking away how dangerous they actually were. But the story was interesting, with a lot of architectural detail, since the author himself is an architect.
76. Book about or featuring a narcissist (or influencer)
The Uncensored Picture of Dorian Gray
After 40+ years of reading, there have been only two characters that I have absolutely loathed and detested - Hamlet and Heathcliff, from Wuthering Heights. (I admire the works, just can't stand the two characters). The main reason is that they are both narcissists, who threw temper tantrums when the world refused to revolve around them. I am now adding Dorian Gray to that list. Again, the novel was thought-provoking and Wilde's commentary on hedonism in society is still applicable today. It is also written well enough to create repulsion in terms of the drivel Dorian and Lord Henry espouse, but yeah, I just wanted to take the painting and break it over Dorian's head.
67. Book that features a nightclub or comedy club settingShrines of Gaiety
92. Book that features an engineer or is related to any branch of engineering
Raising Steam
I've been delaying reading Sir Terry Pratchett's last few novels, because I know it would feel like the end. I'm glad I could read this one as part of this challenge.
39. Self-Help
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life
I really enjoy when Western authors hijack ideas from Eastern philosophies and then pass them as their own, while occasionally mocking the philosophy they stole from. I did like some of his ideas and some of them hit home, but yeah, all his concepts and philosophies are from Buddhism.
Nearing the end of the book, I was tempted to add this under reminding me of a character of Arms', the foreign traveller in India, because I couldn't help feel like they were both somewhat frauds.
100. Cover or title that references music
The Song of Achilles
I liked Madeleine Miller's Circe but I did not like this book. If you are going to celebrate the love story of Achilles and Patroclus, do it justice, and not write it like some teenage romance. They were Greek warriors, not high school sweethearts.
103. Cover or title that references friendship
Circle of Friends
Follows the loves, joys, sorrows and conflicts between a core group of friends and set partly in the hometown of two of the main characters, and partly in the UCD. It's a kind of book that carries you along, but the characters didn't really leave much of a mark. Kind of a cozy read. Technically, there were five prompts this could have fit - Irish setting, Irish author, character named Sean, educational setting, and this one. I chose this one because I could find very few books that would fit this prompt, while the other prompts have more choices.
Wow! So many of these sound like great reads; I've added them to my to be read list! :). Your points about Song of Achilles are great. I hadn't realized what bothered me about the relationship until you nailed it. "They were Greek warriors, not high school sweethearts." Perfectly stated!
Paris Architect sounds like a fascinating read.
Also, I didn't realize there was an "uncensored" version of Dorian Gray. Was there a censored version? Why did anyone publish it if they were going to censor it? You're making me want to reread this now! :)
The censored version put Dorian as kind of an artistic muse to Basil Hallward, whereas the original is clear that Basil was in love with him. If you compare the two, there are maybe two or three places where Basil's feelings toward Dorian are clearly framed as romantic and erotic love, though there isn't explicit sexual language. But apparently, even that was too much.
Ruwanthi wrote: "The censored version put Dorian as kind of an artistic muse to Basil Hallward, whereas the original is clear that Basil was in love with him. If you compare the two, there are maybe two or three pl..."That is fascinating. I've got to read this again! It's ridiculous that authors couldn't write what they wanted; there's an audience for all works. :(
FAH Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
Circle of Friends (other topics)The Song of Achilles (other topics)
Shrines of Gaiety (other topics)
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life (other topics)
Raising Steam (other topics)
More...
22. Book written by an ancient Roman (or set in ancient Rome)
Title: Vespasian - Tribune of Rome
Author: Robert Fabbri
I’m trying to partly step out of my comfort zone for reading this year. So while I am a big fan of the Falco series by Lindsay Davies (detective series set in Ancient Rome), I went in another direction on this one. Emperor Vespasian is generally considered one of the better Emperors in Roman history, and is very often portrayed as a down-to-earth character in fiction (including the above Falco novels). So it was interesting to read a fictional biography setting out his path from farming to a Roman Emperor.