What will be your first book?

[Sonya]

The Bookseller of Kabul. No special reason, just the first country on my list and I have it at home.

[Wendy]

Cocktail Hour under the Tree of Forgetfulness -- I got it on audio from the library and since it was available, I went ahead and listened to it :-) I think I will have read at least 3 books from my list before January actually rolls around. Let's face it, I have no self discipline when it comes to books!

[RG]

Either Anonymous Celebrity, or Mulata. Of the books I already have, I figure these two are likely the ones to take me the longest to get through, so I want to get going on at least one of them while I have plenty of time.

[Marieke]

i'm going to start with Agaat...

[Betty]

"Agaat" it is, beginning Jan 1.

[Mikki]

As of right now, I'm thinking [Book: The Ice Palace], but don't hold me on that...

[Genia]

Looks like I am starting with Kristin Lavransdatter (for a group read) and Doctor Zhivago for this group read.

[Marieke]

Ack! KL! I forgot about that...oh gosh two big books to kick off the new year. Uh-oh. Time for me to work on a calendar for myself.

[Vicky]

Oh, what planning! I think whatever is on the top of the pile on Jan 1. As I just got a big parcel from Amazon the other day, its likely to be either my Canada or Haiti choice.

Unless I go for the thickest book first to get it out of the way, in which case it will be [Book:We, The Drowned|7988467] by Carsten Jansen.

[Janice]

I will start with The Oracle of Stamboul because I won it on first reads and need to review it.

[Betty]

At least, Agaat will be the beginning week of January and Dr Zhivago the final week of January.

[Anne]

I'll be starting the new year with The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë. It's a group read (1001 books) and I've been wanting to read it for ages.

[Mikki]

I think that group reads will be a nice way to start off the new year! Asmah, Merieke, Genia and now Anne all have the right idea.

[Louise]

I'll start with The Complete Cosmicomics - as I've promised to review it in January :-)

[Sue]

I'll be reading Agaat along with many others and I also plan to read The Invisible Bridge. I may start the latter over the holidays. I've been wanting to read it and actually received it as a gift last Christmas. It's time has more than come.

[Sue]

When I read, I do tend to read quickly--with fiction. Not so quickly with non-fiction. Some books, like mysteries, I read very quickly so they are fun for me, almost relaxation. That's why I have a few in my 52 books challenge (and have been finding more as possible alternatives as needed).

I do sometimes wonder if this quick reading may be a liability on some level in terms of retaining the details of what I read. but I'm not going to sit and worry about that with a huge TBR and all the nice plot summaries listed here at GR.

[Kristen]

My strategy is to start with a few of my shorter books ... The Summer Book and Like Water for Chocolate ... so I can build up some early momentum - knock out a critical mass of books early on so I feel good about myself, haha.

[Marieke]

Kristen wrote: "My strategy is to start with a few of my shorter books ... The Summer Book and Like Water for Chocolate ... so I can build up some early momentum - knock out a critical mas..."

i looooooooooooved The Summer Book. :D

[Niledaughter]

So far Agaat :)

[Mikki]

Kristen wrote: "My strategy is to start with a few of my shorter books ... The Summer Book and Like Water for Chocolate ... so I can build up some early momentum - knock out a critical mas..."

You and I are on the same page.

[[deleted user]]

I've been going already since I have a different self-imposed deadline, but I'll try to start something for this challenge on 1/1.

[Pragya]

Just finished A Thousand Splendid Suns as the first book.

[Chrissie]

I haven't the faintest idea. That will depend on my mood then.....

Am I the only one who thinks like this?!

[Marieke]

Don wrote: "I'm starting with The Bronze Bow since I had picked it up to read for my Newberry book goal. I had just started it when I saw this group and decided to wait. Working in a school library I felt lik..."

that's really interesting! you'll have to share exciting insights as they occur.

[Marieke]

Chrissie wrote: "I haven't the faintest idea. That will depend on my mood then.....

Am I the only one who thinks like this?!"

Chrissie, normally i would be like that...but moderating groups has made me behave slightly differently...strange, huh?! i'm actually excited to read Agaat and have lots to read before January that i am also excited about. surprisingly, i very rarely feel annoyed about reading books that i didn't think i was in the mood for. i'm not expressing this well, i don't think. basically, goodreads has succeeded in making me CrAzY.

[Chrissie]

Marieke wrote: "Chrissie wrote: "I haven't the faintest idea. That will depend on my mood then.....

Am I the only one who thinks like this?!"

Chrissie, normally i would be like that...but moderating groups has..."

Are you saying that you used to be like me but now having moderated in a group you have changed? Is that it? There are so many books I am excited about I simply cannot decide now. Because now is different from then..... I am not so hot at explaining this either!

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

Chrissie wrote: "I haven't the faintest idea. That will depend on my mood then.....

Am I the only one who thinks like this?!"

That is how I feel too, Chrissie. At that point I will have been off work for two weeks and probably read a lot of other stuff, so I'm sure I'll be wanting a change. But who knows what I'll be reading over the holidays! Maybe it will be freezing outside and I'll want something set somewhere warm. Maybe it will be unseasonably warm and I feel like I need some cold.

I'm pretty sure I'll start with a longer book since I'll have more downtime before the semester starts. So excited though!

[Angie]

I'm trying to get most of my books on Kindle, and the only one I haven't managed to get in kindle format yet is James Mitchener's Poland, so I've ordered that today from Amazon. If it's anything like his book Hawaii, it will be a long read - so I might get a head start on the challenge and begin reading it in December!

Most of the books I have chosen are new to me; a few I have read before, but remember how enjoyable they were, and look forward to reading them again. I'm still a few short of my whole list, so I will post it up when I've finished.

[Marieke]

Chrissie, no worries, we are understanding each other! :D

Angie--i liked poland a lot more than hawaii...in fact, i'm not sure i ever finished hawaii. :/

poland is long, but it was a fascinating read. :D

[Chrissie]

Jenny and Marieke, nice! I am not alone.

[Angie]

Thanks, Marieke - I was worried I wouldn't like it as much (I loved Hawaii - I bought my copy on our honeymoon in Hawaii 23 years ago, and I must have read it about 6 times before it fell apart.) Unfortunately none of his books are available on kindle, or I would have them all.

I'm looking forward to reading Poland now :)

[Wendy]

Angie wrote: "Thanks, Marieke - I was worried I wouldn't like it as much (I loved Hawaii - I bought my copy on our honeymoon in Hawaii 23 years ago, and I must have read it about 6 times before it fell apart.) ..."

You guys are now making me think I need to try to add Poland to my list as an alternate. I read (and enjoyed Poland along w/ a few other Micheners). They are such a time investment that I usually only read one every few years or so. Good luck w/ Ploland Angie!

[Marieke]

Maybe I should try Hawaii again. I read Poland when I was living in Germany so I'm sure that added to my fascination. I'm also wanting to read The Covenant but I already chose Agaat as my South Africa book.

[Angie]

My future daughter in law is Polish, and my son lives there, so that makes me interested in the history, and I know a little of their recent history (WW1 and forwards)so it will be interesting to learn more.

There are many countries from where I have found several books I would like to read: Perhaps this will become an annual challenge!

Marieke wrote: "Maybe I should try Hawaii again. I read Poland when I was living in Germany so I'm sure that added to my fascination. I'm also wanting to read The Covenant but I already chose Agaat as..."

[Angie]

Thanks Wendy - it should turn up midweek, so I will know then what a challenge it is going to be! Also on my mind is the fact that I am visiting Poland in February, and I know someone over there who would probably love to read the book, so if I make it one of my first books, I can pass it on.

[Anne]

Angie,
I have Poland by Michener at home. I can tell you how many pages it is. Are you ready? There are 616. But they are small pages and the print isn't too small.

[Angie]

Thanks, Anne, I think that is similar page length to Hawaii. I'm going to have to start it as soon as it arrives I think!

[Sue]

I've read several of Michener's books but not Poland. I think my favorite was The Source. I'm feeling the pull to return to reading him but too many other books are calling.

[Wendy]

I also read The Source and think it is my favorite Michener (at least so far). Angie, if you want an easy read on Polish history, then Push Not the River might at least give you a bit of an overview. I must confess to really liking it, but I know some people did not think it was all that good, so maybe check out the reviews on goodreads and decide for yourself. I'd still keep Michener for your official 52 books read on Poland, but if you're up for an additional and lighter approach, then keep the other one in mind too :-) It's always good to have options, right?

[Sue]

Judy wrote: "Sue wrote: "I'll be reading Agaat along with many others and I also plan to read The Invisible Bridge. I may start the latter over the holidays. I've been wanting to r..."

Duh! Not really quickly!!!

I read this in the discussion email and saw your note went right over my head!!. Oh well. I read quickly but not timely. How about that?

[Sue]

Wendy wrote: "I also read The Source and think it is my favorite Michener (at least so far). Angie, if you want an easy read on Polish history, then Push Not the River might at least g..."

Push No the River looks very good Wendy. I think I've looked at it before but this time I fell over the edge and added it to my TBR.

[Angela]

I just read The Bastard of Istanbul. I am changing my South African book to Agaat so that I can participate in the group read. I think I will also read Half Blood Blues.

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

Oooh I really want to read Half Blood Blues too. What country are you in? It is unavailable where I am until February....

[Angela]

Jenny wrote: "Oooh I really want to read Half Blood Blues too. What country are you in? It is unavailable where I am until February...."

I am in the US. It is not available here, but you can order it from The Book Depository.com, in th UK for $10.26 with free shipping.

[Brittany]

I'll be reading Don Quixote. I'll probably start it a week before January first, since it is such a hefty book. I don't want to get behind!

[Angie]

Thanks, Wendy. I've got the Michener book turning up in a few days, so I'll see how I feel about it then. But I've saved yours on my Amazon wishlist, in case I find the Michener one too much to tackle :)

Wendy wrote: "I also read The Source and think it is my favorite Michener (at least so far). Angie, if you want an easy read on Polish history, then Push Not the River might at least g..."

[Chrissie]

Angie, I recently read Mosaic: A Chronicle of Five Generations. I highly recommend it for Poland. No, it is not a short read, but utterly engaging from start to finish. Many longer books should have been better edited, but not this one!

For me, it was a five star book. Even though it covers the holocaust, there is humor and hope. I was engaged in each of the family members. It is a true story concerning one large Polish Jewish family and their experiences during the 1900s. I have written a lengthy review, but I make a final summary at the end, which I have put at the top of the review: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19...

Another good book for Poland is Anya. It is historical fiction. All of the following are worth reading: The Bronski House: A Return to the Borderlands, The Bielski Brothers: The True Story of Three Men Who Defied the Nazis, Built a Village in the Forest, and Saved 1,200 Jews and I Have Lived A Thousand Years: Growing Up In The Holocaust. There are many good books set in Poland. The holocaust is a common theme for many of them though.

[Louise]

While such books as Chrissie mentions are surely important, is it just me, or is it hard to avoid an overweight of slightly depressing/heavy fiction for the "smaller" countries?

[Anne]

Louise, I have found plenty of books to read that are not depressing and tragic. I have some that can be considered that, but I've mixed them up with all sorts of other fiction and memoir. Not quite sure what you mean by the "smaller' countries.

[Chrissie]

Louise, some books about the holocaust are in fact not depressing. Mosaic: A Chronicle of Five Generations was in no way a depressing book. In fact the opposite is true. This is one reason why I loved it so much! All the ones I named cover a difficult time period but do NOT leave you depressed. Even in difficult times some people are kind and good and there is hope.

It is not the subject matter that determines if a book is depressing but how an author deals with a serious theme. A good author can infuse hope and humor. Many mystery/crime novels are terribly depressing. Even a love story can put you in a bad mood.....

ETA: Heck, I do know what you mean, Louise! Sometimes I tell myself - no more holocaust literature. One has to read books on other themes too! :0)