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HomeInMyShoes 2013 Challenge - A Year in the Life
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HomeInMyShoes
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Apr 16, 2013 03:09PM
I rearranged the books on my desk. :)
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Starting to make a dent in the 1980s. Book number 30 and year number 29. Neuromancer by William Gibson.
Homeinmyshoes wrote: "I rearranged the books on my desk. :)":-D
I think I've gone catalog crazy... O_o
Year number 30 and book number 31. English, August: An Indian Story by Chatterjee. A little disappointed in the book for 1988, the year I graduated from high school. It just didn't strike me as very entertaining. Recommended by an acquaintance as a book almost everyone in India reads. Oh well, a bit of a lull coming up here as I don't have a list book in my hands to read right now. And it ws finally Speing today. Twelve freaking degrees Celcius baby!
I'm slowly falling off the list train. I finished another book, but a duplicate year and not one from the original list. Yume No Hon by Catherynne M. Valente. I really enjoyed that. I probably just needed to mix things up a little.Still trying to decide what I should read from the list next.
Homeinmyshoes wrote: "I'm slowly falling off the list train. I finished another book, but a duplicate year and not one from the original list. Yume No Hon by Catherynne M. Valente. I really enjoyed that. I probably just..."Maybe you need a non-list book time to relax. ?
Maybe. I think I just fell behind requesting books from the library, but I am enjoying the couple of interim titles I've been reading while I wait for Ender's Game and The Joy Luck Club to show up from the library.I'm on the home stretch, well not quite, but I've only got 14 years to go to finish off the challenge and 15 titles to complete the original list of books. Not bad. Although I am hitting my lull. Looking at last year's spreadsheet, April, May, June and December were my poorest reading months.
Book number 33, but no progress on years. Diane Duane's A Wizard Alone. Great fun. I just love this series.I started American Gods, but I'm not sure it's going anywhere really. We'll see. I know I'll end up reading it, but there are other things that are going to compete for my attention.
I think the fact that I'm on page 154 already means that I'll probably be finishing American Gods. Maybe even before some resident book pusher who shall remain unnamed. :)
Homeinmyshoes wrote: "I think the fact that I'm on page 154 already means that I'll probably be finishing American Gods. Maybe even before some resident book pusher who shall remain unnamed. :)"lol!
I'm so bad. I can't focus on anything. I don't quite know why.
I blame Spring. Which has arrived with a vengeance. 24C today. Yikes, hard to want to read when there's time to play play play. Or time to work trying to remove the snow mold from the yard.
I think my challenge is officially in trouble. I'm only on page 270 of American Gods now and I even neglected to go pick up two books at the library for my challenge this last week.100 pages in 10 days isn't going to get me to the finish line and now I have to re-request books.
Well, I finally finished another book. Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club. It seemed like it should have made a more lasting impression on me, but it diddn't. 2 stars. Okay, but flat.Only thirteen more years to go now and I am devouring Philip Gourevitch's "We wish to inform you that tomorrow we will be killed with our families: Stories from Rwanda" right now. This is the book I should have nominated for the award winners month over at MobileRead. Can't put it down.
Homeinmyshoes wrote: "Well, I finally finished another book. Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club. It seemed like it should have made a more lasting impression on me, but it diddn't. 2 stars. Okay, but flat.Only thirteen more ..."
I've never been interested in that book...for some strange reason. Everyone I know who's read it raved about it. Except you, lol. ^.^
Nancy didn't rave about it either. I thought I would like it more. I liked the format of storytelling, but most of it was just flat to me. It only peaked my interest near the end. I really thought it was a great choice for my reading challenge.Now the Gourevitch is just compelling.
Book number 35. Year number 32. Only a dozen years to go now and I'm making some more progress on American Gods as well.
Yaaay!I've had family over for the last week & they've killed all my extra time. :(
I can live vicariously through you. :)
I'm also going to the library at lunch so I will probably put American Gods on hold again. :)
Homeinmyshoes wrote: "I'm also going to the library at lunch so I will probably put American Gods on hold again. :)":)
Yep, two books were there and I didn't even have to request them so back to the reading list for this year. :)
Just finished Wrestling with Moses: How Jane Jacobs Took On New York's Master Builder and Transformed the American City. Very good. A good backdrop for The Death and Life of Great American Cities.
So, I'm confused or is the publishing world starting to treat e-readers as their bread and butter. I was looking to see if I could find the new Discworld coming out and I saw that Terry Pratchett has a new non-Disc book out. The Long War.On Amazon.ca, this book is available on June 20th as an ebook for $16.95CDN. The hardcover is only available on July 23rd and for $18.77. Cheaper and available earlier? Am I delusional today?
Homeinmyshoes wrote: "So, I'm confused or is the publishing world starting to treat e-readers as their bread and butter. I was looking to see if I could find the new Discworld coming out and I saw that Terry Pratchett h..."O_O
I'm...not sure.
I'm guessing it's probably a mistake on the Website, but I'll bask in my delusions for a bit longer.
I need to update my read list here, but another book down. I think I have nine years left now.Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas by Tom Robbins. Not as good as Another Roadside Attraction, but reasonable once I got into it.
Well, I read a non-list book, FaustEric by Terry Pratchett, but I hadn't read that year yet so I knocked another year off the list anyway. Woohoo!Very enjoyable.
Homeinmyshoes wrote: "Well, I read a non-list book, FaustEric by Terry Pratchett, but I hadn't read that year yet so I knocked another year off the list anyway. Woohoo!Very enjoyable."
:-D
If I stay on track, I could finish all 44 years and even read the entire original list when I hit 50 books. Fingers crossed.
Phew! You're doing well HIMS. My challenge is going great in some ways, but it's struggling in others.Have you got a best of list so far?
Caleb wrote: "Phew! You're doing well HIMS. My challenge is going great in some ways, but it's struggling in others.Have you got a best of list so far?"
I am pretty good with the slight obsessive tendencies in sticking to lists.
Best of this year so far would be: Deliverance. Other very enjoyable reads were Eric, Glimpses, and Spies. Apparently this year is all about the single word title. :)
I've only had a few complete duds in my original list thankfully.
Finished book number 39 and year number 36. Eight years to go now.After the Quake by Haruki Murakmai. Enjoyable.
Book number 40 and another year down. I think there are seven years left now.Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz. Three stars. Very entertaining. Probably a solid 3.5628.
Finally updated the Actually Read List in post number 2 so that it looks like I am actually making progress on filling in the years.And I promise I will finish American Gods this year. I can smell the finish line now, or is that the smell of death?
Homeinmyshoes wrote: "Finally updated the Actually Read List in post number 2 so that it looks like I am actually making progress on filling in the years.And I promise I will finish American Gods this year. I can smel..."
rotflmao!
I win! Book number 41, American Gods by Neil Gaiman. A very entertaining read. Lots of fun. 4.4637 stars.Probably the best book I've read by Gaiman. I still did really enjoy The Graveyard Book.
Now it's off to try to finish up the years. Halfway through the year and there's only 7 years to finish the challenge. Technically 10 books on the original list yet. Pretty good for keeping to the plan. Can I pat myself on the back enough?
Woohoo, new ebooks.Ender's Game by Orson Card Card
Player One by Douglas Coupland
Small Gods by Terry Pratchett
Homeinmyshoes wrote: "Woohoo, new ebooks.Ender's Game by Orson Card Card
Player One by Douglas Coupland
Small Gods by Terry Pratchett"
Read or just purchase?
Purchase. I'm reading Ender's Game now. After Player One I will be down to five years left and of course Terry Pratchett which would put me at 18/39 for Discworld, pending the release of book number 40 later this year.It looks like I won't be reading the bookclub selection over at MobileRead again. I'm such a non-participant.
My purchase spree was my own fault. I had requested a book from the library, Norwegian Wood, but I failed to pay attention when I was doing it and managed to request a book translated into Polish. Not very useful for me. So I needed something from my list to read so I grabbed two plus an extra.
Homeinmyshoes wrote: "My purchase spree was my own fault. I had requested a book from the library, Norwegian Wood, but I failed to pay attention when I was doing it and managed to request a book translated into Polish. ...":-D
Tell me anything.... ^.^
Or...maybe you walked past a bookstore. :)
Homeinmyshoes wrote: "Purchase. I'm reading Ender's Game now. After Player One I will be down to five years left and of course Terry Pratchett which would put me at 18/39 for Discworld, pending the release of book numbe..."I'm not gonna lie. I hate most of MRs bookclub selections. I check every now and again...get reminded why I don't participate.
You don't want to read Fanny and Stella? I thought I had picked the right horse in supporting what I deemed the rather predictable A Night to Remember.Nope. I certainly don't pick a lot of winners, although I did support After the Quake which was quite good. Oh well, it frees me up to read more of my list.
There's not much danger of me walking by a bookstore around here. :)
MrsJoseph wrote: "I'm not gonna lie. I hate most of MRs bookclub selections. I check every now and again...get reminded why I don't participate. "
Same here. I was doing a good job of paying attention to the polls and noms but I can't get interested. I'm sort of in agreement with Wolfie in that there are too many old books. Which is fine, but of very little interest to me personally. Then when there are books that interest me, I vote but they lose.
Plus, I'm not much of a joiner. MR and GR are the closest things to a club you will ever find me in.
Same here. I was doing a good job of paying attention to the polls and noms but I can't get interested. I'm sort of in agreement with Wolfie in that there are too many old books. Which is fine, but of very little interest to me personally. Then when there are books that interest me, I vote but they lose.
Plus, I'm not much of a joiner. MR and GR are the closest things to a club you will ever find me in.
Homeinmyshoes wrote: "You don't want to read Fanny and Stella? I thought I had picked the right horse in supporting what I deemed the rather predictable A Night to Remember.That's the problem with the book club, too many pedestrian choices. The first five months this year were an unmitigated disaster. But with Swerve and now Fanny & Stella (fingers crossed), things are looking up.
Christa wrote:
paying attention to the polls and noms but I can't get interested. I'm sort of in agreement with Wolfie in that there are too many old books.
I have no issue with classics, but far too many safe choices have been made this year. And then people don't bother to read the books they voted for, which is what irritates me the most.
I've only read After the Quake in either club this year. Of course, that's the only book I voted for that won so far.None of the voted for selections have peaked my interest. Maybe The Big Sleep, but it's a safe choice and mystery isn't really what I read. I think Jules Verne might have been a better selection than my nominations now that I've read them. Mr. Theroux just came across as a self-interested with a gigantic sense of privilege that was hard to take over the first half of The Great Railway Bazaar. I can see why it may have changed the genre.
Homeinmyshoes wrote: "I've only read After the Quake in either club this year. Of course, that's the only book I voted for that won so far.None of the voted for selections have peaked my interest. Maybe The Big Sleep,..."
My game plan was to participate in both clubs every month; as it turned out, I had already read four of the five books from the first five months in the main club, which was discouraging. Verne was the only one I hadn't read before and it was dreadful, and in a month with a lot of strong nominations, too. So I got discouraged, but then things picked up with Swerve. If ANTR wins, it's back to business as usual--another pedestrian, safe choice. A huge yawner.
I'm happy with either classics or current, it's the outdated and stale that frustrate me. OTOH, I think the lit club is the bee's knees--a lot of interesting choices and good discussions.
I liked Journey to the Center, but hated Around the World. I swore off Verne for a while after that one.I supported ANTR because I hadn't read it and having lived in Newfoundland there is a lot of Titanicness there in the museums and such. I think it will be a little dull, but I think it's a book I'd like to read.
I really wish we had read a Murakami novel instead of Quake as we probably won't get to discuss some of his shorter characterish pieces.
I'm okay with slightly stale sometimes. It's about reading with the context of when it was written in mind at that point. I don't know how I would have survived my 70s and early 80s time period this year. :)
Plugging along. Bye bye 1985 with Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. Very good. A great read.Now off to 2010 with Player One: What Is to Become of Us by Douglas Coupland. So far it's typical Coupland which means I really like it.
Book number 43. Player One: What Is to Become of Us by Douglas Coupland. Really liked that. While it's typical Coupland and probably not his best book the concept of how it was delivered, live at the Massey lectures, is what storytelling and books are about. Highly recommended for this reason.
*waves* Hi! Was starting to think I was the only one here. Most of my fellow countrymen are probably doing 4th stuff, whereas I am watching it pour down rain all day.
That book looks interesting.
That book looks interesting.
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