I finished my first bingo book, and the Danish YA novel that I have been reading for MONTHS. For Steampunk, I read Soulless by Gail Carriger. Relevant to the gender discussion, I picked it by looking at lists of "Best Steampunk Novels," and its femininity appealed to me. It was a fun read, and I loved the wit. I occasionally thought it crossed from witty to just silly, but overall I really enjoyed it. I hope that Odinsbarn gets an English translation soon. I thought it was a fantastic fantasy novel.

For the picture book, how about something by Shaun Tan? Shaun Tan Goodreads page I have started a collection of wordless picture books, and The Arrival is one of my favorites. Maybe it is too close to a graphic novel (?). Someone upthread told us about his new book, The Singing Bones, and it looks wonderful. (I forget who mentioned it, but I am grateful. I peeked at it in B&N last week. Stunning!). ETA: oops, glossed over the nonfiction/biography request. We just got this one about Leonard Nimoy Fascinating: The Life of Leonard Nimoy

Below are my bingo picks so far. I don't know if I will get blackout, but I will make sure I at least get a bingo line :) My taste runs to classics, fantasy, everything Nordic, and weird/cult classics. Suggestions welcome! Last year, I didn't track my books but I can only remember finishing 10. I obviously have nowhere to go but up :lol: In my defense (not that I need one, but still...) 2016 was an aberration year for me on many, many fronts. Good riddance, 2016! Prime Number: Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut or maybe a math book about prime numbers Flufferton: TBD Eastern Europe: Voices from Chernoblyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster by Svetlana Alexievich Bestseller in spouse year (1959): Dr. Zhivago - the Max Hayward and Manya Harari translation (this is the older translation) Steampunk: Soulless by Gail Carriger (currently on page 300 and enjoying it) Science Fiction: Probably Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams Your name in the Title: Death and the Penguin by Andrey Kurkov (going with my screen name, obviously) Collection of Short Stories: TBD. Probably something in Danish by Karen Blixen/Isak Dinensen Seaworthy: We the Drowned by Carsten Jensen Middle Ages: TBD Western: one of Ron Hansen's books (either Jesse James or Billy the Kid) Ancient: TBD Dystopian: Probably The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood Mystery: Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie Translated: Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie Outer Space: TBD Finance: Nickel and Dimed; On (not) getting by in America by Barbara Ehrenreich One Word Title: Snow by Orham Pamuk? Stardust by Neil Gaiman? Debut Author: The Vegetarian by Han Kang Over 500 pages: TBD Local Author: Anne Tyler (either Vinegar Girl or A Spool of Blue Thread) Female Adventure TBD Classic: TBD Selected By a Friend: A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles or The True Story of Hansel and Gretel by Louise Murphy

The non-competitive summer science program that my son applied to asked for test scores and a letter of recommendation. He did not have to write an essay, but he did have an application with questions like why are you interested in this program. IIRC there were maybe five questions that would require a paragraph to answer.

Recovery day today. Yesterday was a 7 hour drive and right now we are at the orthodontist. Started a new lit book this morning, and we will do the STEM subjects when we get back home. Need to get groceries this afternoon.

I enjoyed reading your bingo list! My western is going to be either Ron Hansen's Jesse James or Billy the Kid. I loved his Mariette in Ecstasy.

Newbie question: Can the same book be applied to two separate challenges? Several of my bingo selections are chunky books.

:seeya: I am also a newbie, and I can't believe how excited I am! --- My plan is to do the Bingo and the Chunky challenge. I have most of my bingo books picked out (subject to change of course), and today I am starting with Soulless by Gail Carriger for the Steampunk category. My other bookish goals: Join the nonfiction book club at the local indie bookshop. I just moved to this state in November, and this particular book club is a new launch in January. So it should be easy to "break in" since it is a new group. Buy most books at the aforementioned local shop. Read daily in Danish. I am seeking more shared book experiences with my IRL friends and family. Some of them have tastes aligned with mine...and some do not. But I am willing to branch out a bit for a select few loved ones, because the bonding is worth it. And, hey, maybe they will help out my Bingo card :)

Critterfixer, many thanks for your dedication to keeping this thread active week after week. We are in NC with family until tomorrow, and then we have a 6 hour drive back to MD. Today: Make slow cooker spaghetti and meatballs Read Watch a few YourTube videos on bullet journaling. I have been doing a bullet journal for some time, but I like new ideas. Work on Russian Try to get DS to work on AP Comparative Govt :glare: Organize for tomorrow's drive back to MD. On tap for the road is War of the Worlds (Orson Welles) and a chapter from The Disappearing Spoon.

I tried in vain to finish my Big Danish Book yesterday, but ended up at page 512/574 (89%). And speed-read-with-low-comprehension through a climactic scene that I will have to go back and reread. I never paid much attention to Goodreads, even though I had an account. But now that I am actually using Goodreads, it bothers me that it will go on my 2017 list. :glare: Do you shelve books a certain way if they span years?

I just started Russian. DS switched from Latin to Russian this year, and his enthusiasm swept me in :)

Matryoshka, I am on this thread for reasons similar to those you have mentioned. Between spending my time learning Danish, reading what I need to read for homeschool, and allowing the internet to trick me into thinking that I am reading all the time, my book count for 2016 is (at best) disheartening. I am going to play the bingo game, but TRY not to pressure myself into getting the blackout - which IIRC is 25 books (?). I already had some reading projects planned for 2017, and they don't all fit the bingo card. And I am still on the path to reading fluency in Danish, so those reads are very slow.

Can someone enlighten me with bingo guidelines? Do audiobooks count? Rereads? YA? Plays? Is there a page count minimum? Anything else I should know? Thanks :) I want to play and am making my plan.

Our two college students are here on break. I don't have it in me to make the 10th grader do school while they are both here. Having all of us together is a rare occurance.

The kindle version of Lab Girl is marked down to $3.99 today.

We are taking a break. Full stop. DS is going to work on some Russian this week. I had hoped to work on Chemistry, but nah. I got my very first fountain pen for Christmas, and I am going to play with that this morning.

These are the books I got for Christmas: Footnotes from the World's Greatest Bookstores by Bob Eckstein (from DH) Wicked Baltimore: Charm City Sin and Scandal (from DS22) My mom lets me pick my own books, and I chose: A first edition of my favorite childhood book, The Mouse and His Child by Russell Hoban. It is the cover shown on this page. A beautiful edition of East of the Sun and West of the Moon, with illustrations by the amazing Kay Nielsen. Books I gave as gifts: To my mom: Appetites by Anthony Bourdain. Part of the gift is that I will cook for her whatever she chooses from the book. For the sci-fi loving son: Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky This was his request. For the all-things-Russian loving son: What Every Russian Knows and You Don't by Olga Fedina This was a recommendation from his tutor.

Where did your reading take you this year? How many books did you read and did you meet or beat your own personal goal? I think I first popped into this thread just a month or so ago, and appreciate the welcoming vibe. I was feeling down about the fact that I had not been reading much for pleasure (i.e., completely unrelated to homeschooling reads), and this thread helped lift me out of the slump. I didn't set a goal or track books last year, but I spend a lot of time reading in a foreign language I am continuously trying to improve (Danish) and that is slow going. So I don't think my volume will ever be impressive. -- DS22 is here for the holidays, and he favors classic sci-fi. So I read one of his favorites this week, The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells.

Hugs to your family. I had Stage 1 BC 10 years ago at age 41, and found great comfort in a local support group for young diagnosed women. Just want to let you know that two of the ladies I met there had Stage III and both are doing just fine more than a decade later.

OP, whatever you are missing, it isn't dumb to miss it. Hang in there! Like I said, I am midway through month three. I have unpacked and pushed through 95% of the beauracracy part of moving, and can find my way around. But I am far from feeling connected to this place.

Sadie, have you read anything else by her? I haven't, but I've thought about reading The Sculptor's Daughter. Tove Jansson :001_wub:

I recommend her books for adults as well. The Summer Book is spare and achingly lovely. Again, from The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2003/jul/12/fiction.alismith

I don't know about a timeline, there are just so many variables. I just made an international move, and it basically sucked up all my mental energy for four months. I got off the plane October 1, and am just now feeling like "the move" is in my rear view window. And (1) I have a lot of moving experience and (2) moved back to a state I have lived in before.

Attic Journals http://atticjournals.com/collections/journals-1 I found these in a local retail shop, and they are really nice. The covers and endpapers are the hardbacks of a vintage book. When you open the journal, you have the first ten or twenty pages of the book. After that are blank journaling pages.

Yesterday, I was fretting over Netflix DVDs that never showed up...then I realized that the last shipping address on my account was the hotel that we were stuck in for temporary housing in October. Oops. I read Persepolis this week. Odinsbarn: 424 pages done, 200 to go. Goodreads: I shamelessly request that you add me as your Goodreads friend. One of my goals for 2017 is to really start using the site. I have not kept up my page very well...I'm pretty darn sure I read more than six books this year lol...but it is here.