Book a Week in 2013 - week one

[SJ.]

Finished my first book today! :)

 

Initially I wanted to read the Epic of Gilgamesh for my first book of the year. I was having a difficult time choosing which translation to read so I thought I would take a trip to the bookstore to compare translations. I was quite surprised to find that my local Barnes and Noble didn't carry any copies. It turns out a book I put on hold months ago was finally at my local library for me and it is written by a Canadian author, serendipity!

 

1. Oryx and Crake, Margaret Atwood ****

[Robin M]

Welcome to all the newbies and those trying again. Having fun seeing what every one is reading.

 

I've given up on Vanity Fair - I'm invoking the 50 page rule (well in the case of large books 100 pages) and tossing in the towel. I'm not enjoying it all. Went on Wikipedia and read the entire synopsis and decided it's not for me. Leo Tolstoy he's not.

 

Picked another dusty book which has been on the shelves for a while: The Rossetti Letter by Christi Phillips. It is a historical suspense novel which mixes past 17th century Venice and the present and thoroughly enjoying it.

[Robin M]

Someone just had to mention Jennifer Estep so now I'm off to try the Elemental Assassin series.

 

I loved, loved, loved Jennifer Estep and this series. Read the first one last year and was hooked, blasted through the rest of the series. Haven't read # 7 Widow's Web yet. Soon though. The 8th one will be out in March.

[bobbeym]

Picked another dusty book which has been on the shelves for a while: The Rossetti Letterby Christi Phillips. It is a historical suspense novel which mixes past 17th century Venice and the present and thoroughly enjoying it.

 

Oh that looks like something I'd enjoy. Going to have to remember to check for it at the library or add it to my wish list.

 

Has anyone read Chasing Mona Lisa: A Novel or The Swiss Courier by Tricia Goyer? They both sound like good action/mystery novels but I haven't read them yet.

 

I hate starting a book and then not like it. I always feel like it was a total waste of my time.

[Just Robyn]

I'm jumping in again this year, I think I only read a dozen or so books last year. Some were big and hefty though! I'll be blogging. First up I'm reading Classics in the Classroom from MCT. It's short and will hopefully give me some motivation to read more classics. I'm not sure of my 5/5/5 challenge yet, but one of those 5's will be Classics for sure. Hmm, actually I think another 5 will be music/piano themed. As for the Canadian theme, I've had Alias Grace by Atwood on my list for ages, I might give it a go. I just downloaded the sample onto my kindle, if I like it I'll get it from the library I think...

 

Classics in the Classroom was the last book I read in 2012. It has been sitting on my shelf for years, and until then, I had only skimmed it and looked at the lists a little. I enjoyed the book, thought it was motivational and helped me understand what my high school classroom might have looked like if the schools here weren't kind of terrible. I found myself nodding my head to his thoughts on students wanting to learn hard stuff and how they will rise to the challenge, if only they were challenged - in a non-scary way. That is exactly how I felt in high school - not being challenged and bitter about having to waste my time going to school all day long if they weren't going to assign meaningful work and teach the things I wanted to learn. Is it any wonder I homeschool? I also heard echoes of the Paideia Proposal in some of his points, and he was able to make the Paideia Proposal make more sense because he was able to explain further how you can give every child a great education instead of holding some students back to equalize and/or deciding that not everyone needs a great liberal arts education. Whew! I didn't realize how much I had to say about that book of fewer than 100 pages!

 

I really enjoyed a lot of those mentioned. I intend to read IQ84 this year after loving The Wind Up Bird Chronicles last. I guess I should look not Hopscotch as well. Like Water for Chocolate is another one n the magical realism category that I enjoyed.

 

Like Water for Chocolate is a dusty book for me - so I have double reason to try to get to that one this year. And :hurray: for the Hopscotch read-along!

[Pink and Green Mom]

Thanks for hosting again, Robin!

 

I never finished up my list from last year but just have to put a plug in for a nonfiction book I finished late. It's called Brain on Fire - My Month of Madness, by Susannah Cahalan. An otherwise healthy 24 year old woman wakes up strapped to a hospital bed with no recollection of the past 30 days. She had started hallucinating and exhibiting schizophrenic behaviors and the doctors had no idea what was wrong with her. It was an amazing story about how the doctors finally diagnosed her illness and the perserverance of her parents in getting her treated. She was able to piece together the story from hospital video, reports from friends who witnessed her illness, as well as detailed journals kept by her father. I highly recommend this book.

 

 

 

So for 2013, I just finished # 1 - The Light Between Oceans, by M.L. Stedman. A WWI Australian veteran and his wife are keepers of a lighthouse 100 miles off the coast of Australia. One day a boat washes ashore with a dead man and a live baby. The lighthouse keeper's wife, who recently suffered 2 miscarriages and a stillbirth, convinces her husband to not report the incident and raise the baby as their own. I have never felt such a range of emotions reading a book, and it really made me look inward and wonder what I would have done under the circumstances that transpire. It is riveting, compelling, well-written book. I almost feel like I should quit while I'm ahead... :)

 

[swimmermom3]

Finished my first book today! :)

 

Initially I wanted to read the Epic of Gilgamesh for my first book of the year. I was having a difficult time choosing which translation to read so I thought I would take a trip to the bookstore to compare translations. I was quite surprised to find that my local Barnes and Noble didn't carry any copies. It turns out a book I put on hold months ago was finally at my local library for me and it is written by a Canadian author, serendipity!

 

1. Oryx and Crake, Margaret Atwood ****

 

Loved Andrew George's translation of the Epic of Gilgamesh. You can hear some of it being read in this lecture from the Annenberg World Literature site. One of the presenters in that video is David Damrosch, who wrote The Buried Book: The Loss and Rediscovery of the Great Epic of Gilgamesh. If you are at all interested in archaeology, or at the least, vicious cat fights between archaeologists, it is well worth reading.

[SJ.]

Loved Andrew George's translation of the Epic of Gilgamesh. You can hear some of it being read in this lecture from the Annenberg World Literature site. One of the presenters in that video is David Damrosch, who wrote The Buried Book: The Loss and Rediscovery of the Great Epic of Gilgamesh. If you are at all interested in archaeology, or at the least, vicious cat fights between archaeologists, it is well worth reading.

 

Thanks! I actually have that book on hold at the library, I just checked and it is ready for pickup.

[WiseOwlKnits]

Thanks for hosting again, Robin!

 

I never finished up my list from last year but just have to put a plug in for a nonfiction book I finished late. It's called Brain on Fire - My Month of Madness, by Susannah Cahalan. An otherwise healthy 24 year old woman wakes up strapped to a hospital bed with no recollection of the past 30 days. She had started hallucinating and exhibiting schizophrenic behaviors and the doctors had no idea what was wrong with her. It was an amazing story about how the doctors finally diagnosed her illness and the perserverance of her parents in getting her treated. She was able to piece together the story from hospital video, reports from friends who witnessed her illness, as well as detailed journals kept by her father. I highly recommend this book.

 

 

 

So for 2013, I just finished # 1 - The Light Between Oceans, by M.L. Stedman. A WWI Australian veteran and his wife are keepers of a lighthouse 100 miles off the coast of Australia. One day a boat washes ashore with a dead man and a live baby. The lighthouse keeper's wife, who recently suffered 2 miscarriages and a stillbirth, convinces her husband to not report the incident and raise the baby as their own. I have never felt such a range of emotions reading a book, and it really made me look inward and wonder what I would have done under the circumstances that transpire. It is riveting, compelling, well-written book. I almost feel like I should quit while I'm ahead... :)

 

 

Thanks for recommending these! I just added both of them to my to-read list!

[Just Robyn]

I never finished up my list from last year but just have to put a plug in for a nonfiction book I finished late. It's called Brain on Fire - My Month of Madness, by Susannah Cahalan. An otherwise healthy 24 year old woman wakes up strapped to a hospital bed with no recollection of the past 30 days. She had started hallucinating and exhibiting schizophrenic behaviors and the doctors had no idea what was wrong with her. It was an amazing story about how the doctors finally diagnosed her illness and the perserverance of her parents in getting her treated. She was able to piece together the story from hospital video, reports from friends who witnessed her illness, as well as detailed journals kept by her father. I highly recommend this book.

 

 

 

 

This looks interesting. Adding it to my to-read list. Thanks!

[CupOCoffee]

Well, I will NOT be finishing Le Mis by Sunday, that's for sure. I am going to try to find another book to read at the same time -- I certainly don't want to fail on my FIRST week. There are so many on my Kindle and my Cloud, I know I will find something; and meanwhile I *will* keep plugging along in Les Mis as well.

 

Happy Reading!

 

~coffee~

[Sherri in MI]

I love the idea of reading a book a week, but how do you all make it work? I love to read, but rarely find the time. I have a hard time finishing a book a month for the book club I attend. I am currently reading Les Miserables (Kindle version) and there is no way I could read that in 1 week! Please tell me, how do you all do it? And remember what you read?

[shanvan]

I love the idea of reading a book a week, but how do you all make it work? I love to read, but rarely find the time. I have a hard time finishing a book a month for the book club I attend. I am currently reading Les Miserables (Kindle version) and there is no way I could read that in 1 week! Please tell me, how do you all do it? And remember what you read?

 

I do what I shouldn't and encourage poor sleeping habits by reading at bedtime! Lately I've been shutting off the TV at night and reading instead like I used to do years ago. I also bring books with me to appointments and try to fit some reading in either while my Dc are doing some independent schoolwork or reading of their own. I often squeeze out a chapter early in the morning too. The more I read the faster I read, though Dh tells me everyone isn't made that way.

 

I'm not going to lie and say I always remember what I read!

 

ETA: If I'm trying to be good and maintain healthy habits then I keep a book I'm not likely to become too engrossed in by the bedside. If I'm throwing all the rules out the window b/c I just have to find out what happens or just have to finish the book, then I take my current book obsession to bed with me and toss the more sedate read off the nightstand. After a day of feeling the effects of little sleep I happily take up the less interesting book again. A true tale of self destructive behavior through reading!

[Just Robyn]

I love the idea of reading a book a week, but how do you all make it work? I love to read, but rarely find the time. I have a hard time finishing a book a month for the book club I attend. I am currently reading Les Miserables (Kindle version) and there is no way I could read that in 1 week! Please tell me, how do you all do it? And remember what you read?

 

There are weeks when I don't finish a book, but others where I finish more than one so that it averages out to at least a book a week. Also, I'm usually reading more than one book at a time. Reading a poem or two a day before I dig into a novel doesn't take much time, but it does add up - especially since many poetry books are around 70-150 pages long with lots of white space. There are many quality books (if that's what you're going for - and tons of fluff too!) that are quite short. While I couldn't read Les Mis in a week, I could possibly, over the course of a month, read: Les Mis, Classics in the Classroom by MCT, Lunch Poems by Frank O'Hara, and A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen.

[UrbanSue]

I love the idea of reading a book a week, but how do you all make it work? I love to read, but rarely find the time. I have a hard time finishing a book a month for the book club I attend. I am currently reading Les Miserables (Kindle version) and there is no way I could read that in 1 week! Please tell me, how do you all do it? And remember what you read?

 

 

Book club selections are often chosen specifically for their heavy discussion-ready material. I'm new here, and it certainly looks like plenty of meaty stuff is read, I think it's easier than you might think to fit in 52 books. I don't think I'll read one every week but some weeks may finish two and other weeks none. I always have several book going at once in different locations and finish them all in staggered ways. I set up a shelf for this challenge this year and purposely pulled out some lighter, shorter reading that I'd never bothered to get to before. And this year I'm going to count every book I read! Sometimes I'm prone to think I've only read a handful of books in a year because I only remember the chunky, serious reads. This year I'll have a running record of the fun stuff, the light stuff, the practical homeschooling and homemaking stuff.

[CupOCoffee]

I love the idea of reading a book a week, but how do you all make it work? I love to read, but rarely find the time. I have a hard time finishing a book a month for the book club I attend. I am currently reading Les Miserables (Kindle version) and there is no way I could read that in 1 week! Please tell me, how do you all do it? And remember what you read?

 

 

I am reading Kindle version as well!! We can be Les Mis buddies, lol! I've joined this group with the basic understanding that the OVERALL goal is to read 52 books in 52 weeks. How we get there is our decision. Like a PP said: some weeks I think I will probably end up with more than one book, some weeks less than one. I have a pretty ambitious list with a lot of LONG books, which I planned on beginning to read at the start of the year anyways, so I figured why not join this group and have some fun!

 

Good luck with your reading this year!

 

~coffee~

[Lady Florida.]

I love the idea of reading a book a week, but how do you all make it work? I love to read, but rarely find the time. I have a hard time finishing a book a month for the book club I attend. I am currently reading Les Miserables (Kindle version) and there is no way I could read that in 1 week! Please tell me, how do you all do it? And remember what you read?

 

I don't specifically read a book a week. Some weeks I read several fluff books, some books take several weeks to more than a month for me to finish. It averages to a book a week (or more). I've never kept track until last year (almost typed this year until I remembered this year is only 3 days old). I started using Goodreads. I had a Books Read in 2012 category, and will make one now for 2013.

 

There are trade offs to finding time to read. Do I want to read or go online to facebook, WTM, etc.? Neither choice is right, just different. I'd rather read. Not everyone will make that choice and that's fine.

[Mom-ninja.]

How do you all utilize audio books? I love the idea of them but it seems as soon as I put headphones on all the kids suddenly want to talk to me. I can't get into them while I'm running. I need the beat of he music. Am I just hopeless? I read a lot (37 books on my kindle alone last year), but I feel I could read so much more if I could utilize audio books!

 

I lie down with my youngest until he falls asleep. That's when I listen to audio books.

[LostSurprise]

Finished:

 

1. Mad Mary Lamb: Lunacy and Murder in Literary London by Susan Tyler Hitchcock~biography,19th century, women's roles, mental illness.

 

I read this for one of my 5/5/5 challenges. It counts in the Finally Finished category--books I've read and discarded more than once (from lack of interest at the time not dislike). There was a lot of interesting information here on women's roles, how Charles and Mary dealt with her mental illness, their literary society. I definitely came away with a more balanced picture of Mary and Charles symbiotic relationship. I think Charles was probably manic-depressive as well and self-medicated with alcohol and tobacco. Definitely they both pulled each other down a bit but also carried each other through most of their adult lives. Mary was a very empathetic soul who brought the best out in a lot of people.

 

Working on:

 

Elizabeth and Her German Garden

The Little Book

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society

[Robin M]

I had contemplated changing the title of the weekly thread to something innocuous like 52 books but then I realized if I did it would defeat the purpose. The goal is to read 52 books in 52 weeks. The reason we go with book a week is it encourages people to actively pick out a book and read. If we just said you need to read 52 books, folks would say no way, can't do it, not even going to try. As with teaching our kids, if you break things down in smaller increments, it's more manageable. Hence the goal of a book a week. Yes, there are going to be books that will take longer and I don't want anyone to forsake quality for quantity just to meet the goal for the week. So read the longer books and don't worry about because it will all average out in the end.

 

As far as reading goes, I'd rather make the time to read, rather than spend time watching television. It's such a vast wasteland these days that I don't even watch live tv anymore, preferring to dvr so I don't have to watch stupid, inane, insulting commercials. I try to avoid reading in bed, otherwise I won't go to sleep. Listening to an audiobook though - helps settle my brain and puts me right out.

[Rosie_0801]

I love the idea of reading a book a week, but how do you all make it work? I love to read, but rarely find the time. I have a hard time finishing a book a month for the book club I attend. I am currently reading Les Miserables (Kindle version) and there is no way I could read that in 1 week! Please tell me, how do you all do it? And remember what you read?

 

 

Who says we remember what we read? I'm sure that's not in the rules! :eek: I write a list in a word document so I have the info at my disposal for the end of year wrap up.

 

Many of us don't read a book a week so much as 52 (ish) per year, so don't get too uptight over rules. Remember they are rules we've made up for the fun of it, that's all.

 

I tend to cluster read earlier in the year. It's too hot to move, so we lie around reading. Then I read very little later during the productive times of year. It evens out in the end. My brother is going to install a mp3 player in the car, and since we live in the middle of nowhere, we'll get through a lot of kids classics and they count for this challenge too.

[ariasmommy]

I thought I'd join the 5/5/5 challenge and had fun deciding on my categories. I've included some of the titles I hope to read in each (subject to change, of course ;)).

 

5 books by Canadian authors

-Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery 

-Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town by Stephen Leacock 

-The Island of the World by Michael D. O'Brien

-?

-?

 

5 British mysteries

-A Morbid Taste for Bones by Ellis Peters

(probably more Sayers, Chesterton, Christie and/or Conan Doyle here)

 

5 biographies or autobiographies

-Walking from East to West by Ravi Zacharias

-Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

?

?

?

 

5 dusty classics (from my bookshelf)

-Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

-Animal Farm by George Orwell

-Lorna Doone by R. D. Blackmore

-Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

-? 

 

5 dusty theological/inspirational

-Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer 

-Mind on Fire by Blaise Pascal

-Loved by God by R. C. Sproul 

-A Woman's Wisdom by Lydia Brownback

-Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

 

I started Anne of Green Gables as a read-aloud with dd today (inspired by someone else here :)). Also started The Great Tradition edited by Richard Gamble, which isn't in any of the above categories, but which has been on my shelf for a while and qualifies as a chunkster. I'll probably be starting a few more over the next several days. There's so many I want to read that I just can't stick to one at a time. :D

[readinmom]

Just finished An Abundance of Katherines by John Green. My school librarian reviewed this during one of our book chats. Loved it! If you ever wondered what goes on in the mind of a gifted, quirky teenage boy, this is it...

[Heather in Neverland]

Started Reading:

The Next Story: Life and Faith After the Digital Explosion by Tim Challies

The God Who is There: Finding Your Place in God's Story by D.A. Carson

 

Finished:

2. Pride and Prejudice

1. The Dark Monk: A Hangman's Daughter Tale

[misty.warden]

I found that The Hobbit might not be a straight through read for me. I was getting bogged down so I took a break and started Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card and finished it in one (admittedly quite long) sitting :001_tt1: I'm not sure I want to start on the rest of the series, the ending felt a bit rushed and I'm not personally a fan of stuck-on cliffhangers since the sequels tend to disappoint. Anyone read them and had a different experience?

[Trillian]

I found that The Hobbit might not be a straight through read for me. I was getting bogged down so I took a break and started Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card and finished it in one (admittedly quite long) sitting :001_tt1: I'm not sure I want to start on the rest of the series, the ending felt a bit rushed and I'm not personally a fan of stuck-on cliffhangers since the sequels tend to disappoint. Anyone read them and had a different experience?

 

 

It's been a long time since I've read Ender's Game (high school maybe?), but I do recall not liking the sequels as well. At the time there may have only been one? Or, I only read one because I didn't like them. It's another one I n tend to re-read this year, mostly because I'm wondering when to introduce it to DS.

[aggieamy]

I had been lurking for more than a year, and finally decided to jump in last year. I did it somewhere in the middle of the year, though I don't remember quite when. I'm so glad I did, as it's now my favorite thread on these boards. I do my best to always check the library first. I also check several of the blogs and websites that list free or discounted Kindle books. If I really really want to read a book on my Kindle I go ahead and buy it, but I try all of the free or cheap options first.

 

I think you started at the same time I did. I also always look to my library first for books, even if I have to put it on the wait list for a bit. Book a week could get really expensive otherwise. I also keep a running list of books that I want to read on Goodreads so I don't have to buy them to remember I want to read them.

 

David Rintoul was auch better D'arcy, IMO, and I think much better looking as well :)

 

Karin - I believe this is the first time we've ever really truly disagreed on someting but boy oh boy do we ever disagree. :)

 

Welcome to all the newbies and those trying again. Having fun seeing what every one is reading. I've given up on Vanity Fair - I'm invoking the 50 page rule (well in the case of large books 100 pages) and tossing in the towel. I'm not enjoying it all. Went on Wikipedia and read the entire synopsis and decided it's not for me. Leo Tolstoy he's not.

 

Life is just way too short for uninteresting reads. Sometimes I'll give a book to the mid point if it's a mystery because those can take awhile to get going (Woman in White for example) but otherwise I'll move onto something else if I want. We're not reading to impress anyone or for a test later!

 

 

Finished: 1. Mad Mary Lamb: Lunacy and Murder in Literary London by Susan Tyler Hitchcock~biography,19th century, women's roles, mental illness. I read this for one of my 5/5/5 challenges. It counts in the Finally Finished category--books I've read and discarded more than once (from lack of interest at the time not dislike). There was a lot of interesting information here on women's roles, how Charles and Mary dealt with her mental illness, their literary society. I definitely came away with a more balanced picture of Mary and Charles symbiotic relationship. I think Charles was probably manic-depressive as well and self-medicated with alcohol and tobacco. Definitely they both pulled each other down a bit but also carried each other through most of their adult lives. Mary was a very empathetic soul who brought the best out in a lot of people. Working on: Elizabeth and Her German Garden The Little Book The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society

 

I loved Guersney Literary and Potato Peel Society! One of my top five books from 2110.

[Onceuponatime]

My first book of the year is All The Wrong Questions by Lemony Snicket, but I don't know if that qualifies because it is a children's book. In fact, I read a lot of juvenile literature to myself last year and put it on my list. Now I feel guilty.

 

I've got American Gods and two mysteries on hold to pick up tomorrow.

[Elinor Everywhere]

I loved Guersney Literary and Potato Peel Society! One of my top five books from 2110.

 

You guys are killing me! I just added this to my Kindle list, which is growing at an alarming rate. My dh will not thank you for this challenge ladies, not at all. :D

[Joanne]

So, to break up the drama and quagmire of Wuthering Heights, I am also reading:

 

 

http://www.amazon.com/Whale-Done-Power-Positive-Relationships/dp/074323538X

 

(I have to read this for my main job)

 

http://www.amazon.com/How-Debt-Stay-Live-Prosperously/dp/0553382020/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1357274714&sr=1-1&keywords=jerry+mundis

 

A re-read. I read if personally years ago, and am now reading it for work.

 

And, listening to:

 

http://www.amazon.com/8th-Habit-Effectiveness-Greatness/dp/1455893064/ref=sr_1_1_title_2_aud?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1357274784&sr=1-1&keywords=the+8th+habit+from+effectiveness+to+greatness

[Nakia]

I'm trying again!

 

I'm currently reading The Outlander series again (for the 4th time!). I'm on #3 Voyager.

 

I'm also reading a beautiful book called I Saw the Angel in the Marble. It is a compilation of essays from the founders of The Elijah Company. I just can't get over this book. It's timely considering how our homeschool is changing. I really love it!

 

I'm so excited about reading what you all are reading!

[Rosie_0801]

Finished 'How to Make an American Quilt,' by Whitney Otto. Always like that book.

[Lynnae]

Stayed up late finishing Etched Upon My Heart. It was a good read, and I think I'm going to have my 14 year old daughter read it too.

 

But now I must sleep. I'm going to be hating life tomorrow. But I finished book #1, and that's what counts, right? :thumbup1:

[Paisley Hedgehog]

. 

 

[ladydusk]

Since we have so many Newbies with us right now, I was wondering if it was appropriate to share how-to's or tips from those of us who've completed the challenge? For me, the heart of the challenge is not necessarily about reading 52 books, it is about reading intentionally, for an entire year. I was thinking that this was my 3rd year for the challenge, but actually it is my 4th. I started in 2010 and was one of those who dropped out after a couple of months. What made the difference? It was keeping track of what I read. There are lots of ways to do this: a blank notebook, a document in your word processor, a digital list at Goodreads or Library Thing (both free!). Just like how they tell people who are trying to lose weight to keep a food diary, keeping a reading diary made me aware of just how much I was reading (or NOT reading). It doesn't have to be anything fancy. My personal method is a blank book, those cheap-o ones you can find at any dollar store. Every week I make a list of everything I am reading that week (and I mean everything: fiction, nonfiction, juvie fiction, school books, etc.). When I finish a book, I color it with a highlighter pen and write its number for the year next to it. That means that I can tell you at a glance how many books I've read for the year and when I finished each one. But more importantly, it shows me that even on those weeks when my numbers seem low -- or when I hit the dreaded reading doldrums and absolutely nothing can hold my attention -- I am still reading (albeit not finishing). I can also tell how many books I've started and abandoned during a year, a number which is usually suprisingly high.

 

Also, it is important to keep posting or lurking in this thread even when you feel you are "behind." If you stay with us, you will notice that many of the regulars don't always make the numbers and no one cares :001_cool: . This is just one big support group meeting for book-a-holics.

 

I agree. I'm on year 4, too. My first year, I read 40. My second, 42. Last year I finished 49 and was close on #50. I've never had anyone question or worry about my involvement, rather they were cheering me on. My numbers have gone up every year so far, but even if they went down, the readers here would still cheer me on.

 

Almost never have I finished a book a week. Maybe the first couple of months, but not for very long. That's OK, some weeks I read more.

 

Books and more books. There are readers on this list who read books that hold little interest to me personally... but it doesn't matter, I like reading about what they're reading and the joy of seeing "#such and so" for them.

 

Oh, and for those who wonder how I read so much: I'm a terrible housekeeper ... I'd rather read a book.

[CupOCoffee]

I agree. I'm on year 4, too. My first year, I read 40. My second, 42. Last year I finished 49 and was close on #50. I've never had anyone question or worry about my involvement, rather they were cheering me on. My numbers have gone up every year so far, but even if they went down, the readers here would still cheer me on.

 

Almost never have I finished a book a week. Maybe the first couple of months, but not for very long. That's OK, some weeks I read more.

 

Books and more books. There are readers on this list who read books that hold little interest to me personally... but it doesn't matter, I like reading about what they're reading and the joy of seeing "#such and so" for them.

 

Oh, and for those who wonder how I read so much: I'm a terrible housekeeper ... I'd rather read a book.

 

 

ROFL! This would be me as well. I had virtually stopped reading for myself because holding books aggravates my RA. I got my Kindle in May of this year and I have 26 books in my "Done Reading" folder! House is not clean, but I've read 26 books 8 months :p

[garddwr]

I'm reading Raising Cain: protecting the emotional life of boys I have to mostly stick to non-fiction because I get lost in fiction and neglect my family.

[UrbanSue]

 

 

I loved Guersney Literary and Potato Peel Society! One of my top five books from 2110.

 

This is on my list for this year. My grandmother gave it to me. Judging by this thread, she has great taste in books--but I almost never get around to reading what she gives me! But this is the year to pull them all out :)

[UrbanSue]

I finished my first. It's pretty short (96 pages) so I almost feel bad counting it but I most likely would have packed it away until next Christmas but for this challenge. We are huge Tomie DePaola fans here and this is a book of essays he wrote "for all ages" on, well, Christmases he remembers.

 

1. Christmas Remembered, Tomie DePaola

[cathmom]

I am reading The Hot Zone: A Terrifying True Story by Richard Preston. It is indeed terrifying!! And very engrossing.

 

I read that when it first came out and it started a decades old fascination with diseases!

[MomtoCandJ]

Can we start a goodreads group? The friends I have now don't have the same reading tastes as me :(

[Angel]

 

Oh, and for those who wonder how I read so much: I'm a terrible housekeeper ... I'd rather read a book.

 

:rofl: I knew we were kindred spirits!

[Kathleen.]

I'm headed out to the back porch to finish Beauty (A Retelling of Beauty and the Beast).

 

I love this book and all things Robin McKinley.

 

I'm new to the challenge this year. I think all my books would fall under the dusty list. :)

I'm restarting "Frankenstein" for the third time. Most of my reads will be classics, Shakespeare, and/or historical nonfiction.

[Mom-ninja.]

I'm reading Raising Cain: protecting the emotional life of boys I have to mostly stick to non-fiction because I get lost in fiction and neglect my family.

 

That is a great book. I recommend it to everyone who has a son.

 

 

 

Can we start a goodreads group? The friends I have now don't have the same reading tastes as me :(

 

There is one. It's linked in Robin's thread.

[jenangelcat]

I finished Deathly Hallows last night at 1:30 am. The bit with Snape at the end and Harry's final sacrifice always makes me cry. Now I'm on to The Friday Society by Adrienne Kress.

 

 

It's a YA steampunk novel. Something light before I start The Handmaid's Tale.

[MomtoCandJ]

Can someone please link the goodreads thread??? I can't find it and need more books on my list to read and reserve at library.

[Lady Florida.]

I invoke the 50 Page Rule all the time with no guilt whatsoever! :D My most recently abandoned is What Alice Knew (Paula Marantz Cohen), historical mystery pitting the William & Henry James (The Bostonians, Turn of the Screw) against Jack the Ripper. It got five star reviews by a couple of the mystery bloggers I follow, but I just cannot get into it..

 

Uh oh. I have it on my Kindle and even put in my 2013 folder. It was 99 cents last month and it looked like it might be a good mystery. I'll give it the 50 page rule. Who knows? Maybe I'll enjoy it.

[Laura Corin]

I'm re-reading Busman's Honeymoon (Dorothy Sayers) and am listening to Mr Briggs' Hat, the story of the first murder on the British railway. I commute by car, so I listen to novels for at least five hours a week.

 

Laura

[cathmom]

Here's my thoughts on Wuthering Heights, from when I read it a year or so ago:

 

Earlier this year I posted that I had read Jane Eyre, and that back in high school when I first read Wuthering Heights, I hated it, so my teacher had told me not to bother reading Jane Eyre. However, I really liked Jane Eyre, so I wanted to reread Wuthering Heights and see if I still hated it.I didn’t – I actually loved it! I really couldn’t put it down.Perhaps when I read it back then, I thought I was supposed to see Heathcliff as a romantic hero,but in reality he’s about one step away from being a serial killer.He doesn’t love Cathy in the true sense of the word – he’s obsessed, and the obsession leads only to hatred. The writing is good, and the characters are vivid. I also found it interesting because I wrote my MA thesis on Thomas Mann’s Dr. Faustus, which is a story told by a narrator who is one of the characters. My thesis questioned if he was a reliable narrator (most critics seemed to accept him at face value; I thought he had strong motive to not be a reliable narrator).Since Wuthering Heights is told through a narrator (the housekeeper Nelly), I wondered if she was reliable. There aren’t many stories told in this fashion. I really liked the feel of this book and the way it ended. The entire book was like a roller coaster, with steep hills to climb and then swooping down to the bottom of the drop, and then just coasting to a stop at the end, feeling like the Earnshaws and the Lintons can now heal from the malevolent presence of Heathcliff.

[DarlaS]

I am currently reading several books. I have a chance of finishing Poor Folk by Dostoevsky this week. I did finish A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows, a novella by Diana Gabaldon. Does that count? Not sure how long it is, but it was pretty short.

 

A few others on my list for this year:

Inferno (bought the Teaching Company lectures for this also)

What the Buddha Taught

Nothing to Envy

The Brothers Karamazov

Switch (started last year - hope to finish and then re-read)

Asimov's Foundation series

The History of the Ancient World

" " " " Medieval World

Civil Disobedience

Anna Karenina

 

 

I better get started...