2025 Reading Challenge discussion
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Kara, I feel for you! My boss is Malaysia's fastest Marathon runner, yet he didn't qualify for the Olympics due to an injury. I was so excited to watch him so the Olympics are kinda ehhh for me about right now. But, Gabby Douglas is training in Des Moines, so my community is feeling a tremendous sort of pride right now. I must say the Shawn Johnson hype is getting a little old for some of us Des Moiners, but at the same time she totally deserves it. Watching our news is so funny because for the past month it seems like all that matters is Shawn or Gabby. Good luck at Orientation! My boyfriend is starting his DPT (Physical Therapy) program this week, so I'll be adjusting to life with a crazy busy boyfriend. We're in two different towns now, and I used to see him every single day, we used to study together and keep each other motivated with classes. I think it's going to be harder for me than him, but classes tend to keep me super ridiculously busy.
I have been watching the Olympics, too, unfortunately to the detriment of my reading. I usually read in bed for an hour or so before I go to sleep. Now, I'm watching the Olympics and trying to read during the commercials! This is probably going to sound terrible, but I'll be a bit glad when they are over and I can get back into my routine, lol!
I must be horrible, I haven't even had a chance to watch them yet. I've Bern super busy with canning my garden, getting ready for school to start for the boys and me going back to work. I WILL make some time to watch, even if its only for a minute.
I'm with you on this Elizabeth. I've been watching the Olympics far too much and my reading has really fallen.. not good for my reading challenges!Looking forward to a routine again too.
Well, the Olympics end Sunday night :) Hard to believe two weeks have gone by so fast!
I have seen even less. But still I´m quite jealous of my cousin and his wife for they were there yesterday to watch the olympics on the stadium!!
Barb wrote: "Well, the Olympics end Sunday night :) Hard to believe two weeks have gone by so fast!"
It is hard to believe the two weeks are almost over already. It seems like yesterday I was watching my first event!
It is hard to believe the two weeks are almost over already. It seems like yesterday I was watching my first event!
What's on everyone's TBRs for August? Anything you're really excited to read?I'm in the middle of Anna Karenina. I like it (it's WAY more than a love story which is nice), but some parts get a little tedious.
I'm starting Anna Karenina this week, good to know! Other than that, the third Game of Thrones and the Tea Rose, which I absolutely love.
I have several "can't wait to read"s on my list for August! At the top of the list is Off the Grid, the latest installment in one of my favorite series. When I finish that, I have 12.21, The Secrets of Mary Bowser, and The Inn at Rose Harbor waiting for me.
I am struggling at the moment. I'm reading Blind Man with a Pistol. I think it was on one of those 1000 books to read before you die lists. I am on page 72 out of 191. I'm not loving it and am having a hard time following the story/keeping the characters straight. Part of me is thinking, should I bother? The other part of me is thinking, buck up - you only have 119 pages to go. It probably doesn't help that I just read The Princess Bride which I LOVED - anything would pale by comparison. At what point do you give up on a book? Or do you finish everything you start?
Thanks for letting me vent/whine! :)
I finish every book I start...with one exception: The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen. I just could NOT get into the story because of the author's bleak view of humanity (bordering on misanthropy) that pervaded every sentence he wrote. It was exhausting.
I don't think I have ever given up on a book, yet. I know I keep putting The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo to one side, but it's because I read whilst I'm at work and with customers in I can't get in to it to know if I even like it or not. It's a book I'll read when I get some proper reading time.
I believe I will continue. I had to give up on one book earlier this year because it was just too nasty for me. It was Blood and Guts in High School.
I don't think I've ever completely given up on a book, I have set books aside and came back later to finish them. Sometimes you just have to take a break from certain books.p.s. I was just thinking - I did start one book and haven't finished it yet The StandI remember setting it aside because there seemed to be an excess of swearing in it. Maybe I'll decide to finish it one day :)
Toni wrote: "At what point do you give up on a book? Or do you finish everything you start? "Unless I've been warned that a book is a slow starter, I generally give a book 3-4 chapters, or about 50ish pages, to 'hook' me. If I'm not enjoying it by then, I move on to something else. Sometimes I'll try it again at another time, sometimes I just cross it off my list and let it go. I'm WAY past the days when I had to finish a book, and I have way too many books on my TBR list to "waste" my time sloughing through a book I'm not enjoying.
Hi, has anyone here tried a flipback book yet? I've just diacovered them and can't decide whether or not to buy a few. They're really cute but are the pages too thin or is it too weird to read sideways?
Lilac wrote: "Hi, has anyone here tried a flipback book yet? I've just diacovered them and can't decide whether or not to buy a few. They're really cute but are the pages too thin or is it too weird to read side..."What's a flipback book?
This is the website for them but they're basically just mini books which made of bible paper that you read, erm, differently.
I watched the video at that link; it looks/sounds like a UK thing. I wonder if anyone is selling them in the US? And how the price compares to a "regular" book?
They're supposed to be £10 each (cheaper than a hardback) but I've found a shop that sells them for £1.99 each or 3 for £5.
Very cool! I think it's funny how they say it's great for holidays and I'm thinking, that's what my e-reader is for. :o haha. Cool idea though, if I saw that a book I wanted to buy was in that format I'd definitely try it out. I haven't seen them in Canada either.
Is everyone having a good weekend? I haven't been doing as much reading as usual which is making me sad.To finish by the end of the month:
Anna Karenina
Among Others
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking
The Tea Rose
Kara wrote: "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking"This has been on my list since I first heard about it. How is it?
I need to finish The Secrets of Mary Bowser this weekend so I can read The Maltese Falcon for Friday's F2F book group meeting. I also have Don't Ever Get Old, The Inn at Rose Harbor, and A Woman in Jerusalem that I need to finish before the end of August. Oh, and I need to find a book by an E author or whose title starts with E too :)
August has been a really good reading month for me so far, I have read:
and am now reading
After that I have
and
to read for reviewing. The books so far have all been either 4 or 5 stars!
Barb, I'll let you know as soon as I get into it!Johanna, that's great--I'd really love a month with all four or five star books. Maybe September will be my month. :)
On a separate note, have you guys seen this before? http://www.carnegielibrary.org/books/... It's a list that shows similar books. For example, if you liked 1Q84, it lists Ficciones, Stranger in a Strange Land, and V. as recommended next reads. I think it's super cool, and I imagine I'm going to have a bunch of new books on my TBR because of it.
Oh today has just been absolutely stupid! Haha. I have to get out my frustrations! Ryan and I went on a hike yesterday and we took our little dog, Darly. We get back and I see all of these little spots on her. Ryan and I are trying to figure out if they are little seeds or something. Of course...no vet is open on Sunday.I take little Darly to the vet today and those little dots were over 100 baby ticks!! So, today I have been bathing the poor dog in flea/tick medicated shampoo. My baby is traumatized and there are still so many more on her! Needless to say...I was supposed to finish a book today but haven't even read a page...grrrr!
Tomorrow it looks like I will be cleaning the house from top to bottom. Lets hope we get all of these little critters gone! I don't think there will be anymore hiking for Darly. We'll just stay on the sidewalk!
Oww, your poor dog, that must have been horrible! I hope you can get rid of them all really soon. At least they only baby ones though, I once saw a tick on a cat that was almost as big as a pea and it was orange and green and really disgusting.
Ashley wrote: "Oh today has just been absolutely stupid! Haha. I have to get out my frustrations! Ryan and I went on a hike yesterday and we took our little dog, Darly. We get back and I see all of these little s..."Oh my gosh that's horrible! Your poor little dog. :(
Aww, Ashley, how's Darly doing now? I'm assuming all the ticks are gone, but is she feeling back to normal?(I have a cat, and when he's traumatized, he's traumatized for a LONG TIME. We had people come and redo our windows and the poor thing has been spending most of his time in the back of my closet.)
Guys, I have a problem. So, as some of you know, my 2012 goal is basically a big competition with my boyfriend. And for the first time ALL YEAR, he's ahead: 102 books to my 99. I'm blaming Anna Karenina. Yikes!
Kara wrote: "Guys, I have a problem. So, as some of you know, my 2012 goal is basically a big competition with my boyfriend. And for the first time ALL YEAR, he's ahead: 102 books to my 99. I'm blaming Anna Kar..."When in doubt always blame the Russian novelists. They are the bane of my existance. :)
Kara wrote: "Guys, I have a problem. So, as some of you know, my 2012 goal is basically a big competition with my boyfriend. And for the first time ALL YEAR, he's ahead: 102 books to my 99. I'm blaming Anna Kar..."Time for a couple short YA novels, right Kara? haha. ;)
Haha, sounds like! The problem is the next book I finish is going to be my 100th, and I'd like it to be something of significant substance. Anna Karenina suits, but I just need to get through the last 200 pages.Toni's totally right. BLAH to you, Russian novelists. Your writing is so beautiful and deep and thoughtful, but OH MY GOD, it's long and dense.
Kara wrote: "Guys, I have a problem. So, as some of you know, my 2012 goal is basically a big competition with my boyfriend. And for the first time ALL YEAR, he's ahead: 102 books to my 99."Next year, Kara, make it a challenge of pages read, not books finished :)
Barb wrote: "Kara wrote: "Guys, I have a problem. So, as some of you know, my 2012 goal is basically a big competition with my boyfriend. And for the first time ALL YEAR, he's ahead: 102 books to my 99."Next ..."
Good call, Barb!
Kara wrote: "Haha, sounds like! The problem is the next book I finish is going to be my 100th, and I'd like it to be something of significant substance. Anna Karenina suits, but I just need to get through the l..."I'm probably starting
tonight. It's the September Group Read for two groups I'm a member of! You have me kind of nervous. I've started it once before but did not get past Part One. I have to truck through it or I'll never see the movie. (I'm a staunch advocate of books before movies) Keira Knightly and Jude Law!! Seriously! How much more do you have left?
I have just over 200 pages to go. It's a beautifully written book; it's just a little (understatement) dense.Funny thing: I totally had a dream that Anna turns into a zombie at the end of the book. I thought Wow, that isn't what I expected at all!
Hello my GR friends. I've missed you all. I have been very busy with canning my garden and kids starting school. I'm hoping that things will start to slow down so I can catch up with you all and of course my reading..
Ashley wrote: "Oh today has just been absolutely stupid! Haha. I have to get out my frustrations! Ryan and I went on a hike yesterday and we took our little dog, Darly. We get back and I see all of these little s..."How's Darly?
I have been distracted all summer and haven't read nearly as much as I hoped I would. It's time to do some catching up!
I'm hoping I get to but my one year old is struggling having her brothers in school all day. :)
Kara wrote: "Barb, I'll let you know as soon as I get into it!Johanna, that's great--I'd really love a month with all four or five star books. Maybe September will be my month. :)
On a separate note, have y..."
OMG Kara. my TBR list just grew from 5 to 5 million lol
Glad to have you both around again, Lisa and Sheena!Nathaly: you're welcome. :)
Nathaly wrote: "Ashley wrote: "Oh today has just been absolutely stupid! Haha. I have to get out my frustrations! Ryan and I went on a hike yesterday and we took our little dog, Darly. We get back and I see all of..."Thank you for asking! Darly is just fine and tick free. She killed her caterpillar squeaky toy today which involved taking all of the fuzz out and throwing it all over the floor. Dogs are just like children, haha.
Kara wrote: "I have just over 200 pages to go. It's a beautifully written book; it's just a little (understatement) dense.Funny thing: I totally had a dream that Anna turns into a zombie at the end of the boo..."
It took me 6 months to read Anna Karenina. It is an awesome story, but some of the parts just bored me to death. I was like why do we have to read about the countryside?? How is that integral to the story?? I liked the characters though and they were built up well.
What were everyone's favorite and least favorite books in August?If I can finish Anna Karenina today, I have the feeling that it'll be both my favorite and my least favorite of the month. :)
2025 Reading Challenge
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How's everyone doing so far this month?
Are you watching the Olympics? I was watching the Olympics like a crazy person (really, more than is reasonable), but my friend competed in the 3m springboard diving and didn't get to the medal stand, so it's lost its luster a little for me (although she did FANTASTICALLY just getting to the finals). I'm sure I'll start up again in the next day or so.
I just started my MS in Finance program at Indiana University (this is orientation week), so I may be around a little less than usual, but this should nicely coincide with Ashley being able to be around more. Don't worry--your mods <3 you.