Book a Week in 2013 - week fifty two wrap up

[-M-]

We'll see how the year rolls.  I love how MmV stayed true to herself and her goals this year while still being a drop-in member of the group (and I'm always like "Wow!!" at her list).  Maybe when I grow up, I'll be like her .... ;)

 

*grin*

 

The challenges look cool, and I am always excited for the folks who participate, but you're right -- I'm usually doing my own thing. This year's personal goal is to read from the shelves. I know, GASP! Right? But I've amassed an epic personal library, and someone needs to become better acquainted with its holdings.

[Violet Crown]

47 books! Beating my 26-book goal substantially, and nearly making it to 52!

 

1. Balzac, Père Goriot

2. Ariosto, Orlando Furioso, vol. 2

3. Fielding, Tom Jones

4. Thirteen Stories by Eudora Welty

5. Cdl. Newman, Historical Sketches, vol. 1

 

6. James, The Portrait of a Lady

7. Christopher Isherwood, Mr Norris Changes Trains

8. Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities

9. Stevenson, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde & Other Stories

10. Plato, Republic

 

11. Balzac, The Unknown Masterpiece & Gambara

12. Carlos Fuentes, The Old Gringo

13. Richard Brautigan, Trout Fishing in America

14. Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov

15. Stevenson, The Master of Ballantrae

 

16. Aldous Huxley, Music at Night

17. John Prebble, The Highland Clearances

18. Iain Banks, The Wasp Factory

19. Goethe, Faust, Part II

20. Trollope, The Way We Live Now

 

21. Shakespeare, Henry IV, Part 1

22. Sigfrid Steinberg, Five Hundred Years of Printing

23. Tolstoy, The Kreutzer Sonata & Other Stories

24. More, Utopia

25. Genet, Funeral Rites

 

26. Chekhov, Plays

27. Leonardo Sciascia, To Each His Own

28. Pindar, Odes

29. Hardy, Jude the Obscure

30. Henry IV, Part 2

 

31. A. E. Housman, A Shropshire Lad

32. Jonathan Rose, The Intellectual Life of The British Working Classes

33. Gert Ledig, The Stalin Front

34. Seneca, On the Shortness of Life

35. Emerson, Essays

 

36. Bulgakov, The Master and Margarita

37. Shakespeare, Richard II

38. Kenneth Grahame, Dream Days

39. Dante, Inferno

40. Joyce Cary, Herself Surprised

 

41. Blake, Songs of Innocence and Experience

42. Alexander Gilchrist, The Life of William Blake

43. Richard Burton, The Arabian Nights

44. Leonardo Sciascia, The Wine-Dark Sea

45. André Gide, The Immoralist

 

46. Cyprian, The Lapsed & The Unity of the Catholic Church

47. Nancy Mitford, The Sun King

 

Favorite (not necessarily the same as the best) books:

Bulgakov, Dostoevsky, Rose, Gilchrist, Balzac (Père Goriot)

(I could only keep it down to five by excluding re-reads.)

 

Least favorite:

Dickens, Balzac (The Unknown Masterpiece), Fuentes, Banks

 

I would recommend the Rose and the Bulgakov as the most likely to appeal widely to the book-lovers and classical educators around here.

 

Personal Reading challenges! (Somewhat post hoc)

 

Chunkster challenge: Ariosto, Fielding, Dostoevsky, Trollope, Rose, Burton

I Love Poetry Challenge: Ariosto, Goethe, Pindar, Housman, Dante, Blake, Gilchrist

Well That's Different Challenge: Isherwood, Brautigan, Genet, Bulgakov

Scots Wha Hae Challenge: Stevenson (x2), Prebble, Banks

[Lady Florida.]

I finished The Monuments Men yesterday, which brought my count to an even 80. i know I won't finish anything else by tomorrow, so that's my final number.

I started The Poisonwood Bible, which I've been wanting to read for years and just always seem to forget about it. So far I like it.

 

Does anyone know how to use the Kindle lending library? I can find a listing of movies but not books.

 
If like me, you want to browse KLL books on your computer, here's a list of the eligible books. For future reference, this is how you do it:
 
1. In the Amazon search bar, choose Books, but leave the search bar blank. Click Go.
2. Scroll down until you see Prime Eligible on the left sidebar. Click the box.
3. Across the top, you'll see Format. Choose Kindle Edition.
 
That makes it easy to browse through the books. I have a wishlist specifically for lending library books. Just remember when you find a book that you have to choose it from your Kindle. If you try to get a KLL book from your computer you'll get charged for it. 
 

These are some books I didn't complete this year:
 
 
The Black Count

I tried very hard to like that book but ended up not finishing it. The premise sounded interesting, but I found the book to be boring. I really wanted to like it.

[Kareni]

I have been wondering how your trip was going. Have a great time!

 

 

We've been having a great time here in South Korea with our daughter; thanks for asking.  We head home tomorrow.  We leave here on New Year's Day at 6:30pm and arrive home (after two flights and a layover) at 6:28pm on the same day.  International travel sometimes seems like time travel!

 

Happy New Year!

Regards,

Kareni

[Kareni]

Happy Travels Kareni!  Let you daughter know that her WTM "Aunties" wish her the best!

 

Jane (awaiting the arrival of son's British girlfriend today!!)

 

Thanks, Jane!  I've passed along your good wishes to your WTM "niece."

 

Enjoy the visit with your son and his girlfriend.

 

 

I hope you have a great time with your dd!

 

We've been having a great time ~ thank you.  We spent a couple of days in Seoul seeing the sights.  This afternoon, my husband and daughter are off to see Ender's Game.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

[Stacia]

So glad you've had a great time visiting your dd & South Korea, Kareni! I bet that would be an amazing trip.

 

Happy new year wishes as you head back through time travel. :laugh:

[Tress]

Ha! What I do is consider a book finished on December 31 part of 2013, a book finished on January 1 part of 2014. So if you get close to the end of one that you want to count for 2014, just set it aside and read the last page on Jan 1. Problem solved. :) For those of us who've been part of the thread for a while, we are used to the new week's reading starting on Sunday. If this were a normal week, Robin would have started the new thread yesterday and any reading done from Sunday to Saturday would have counted in the new week. It is not cheating. Really.

:lol: I'm so doing this! I could maybe have finished Goldfinch this year, but I'm already satisfied with how much I have read in 2013 and I'm finding it a big slog, so I definitely want it to count for 2014 :D.

[mumto2]

Hello, this is Dd again. My favourite books of 2013 were:

The Flavia de Luce series by Alan Bradley

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

Till We Have Faces by C S Lewis

The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner

Dracula by Bram Stoker

The Island of Dr Moreau by H G Wells

 

These aren't in any particular order. My five least favourites were:

 

Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe

Walden by Henry Thoreau

The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann Wyss

Grace Abounding by John Bunyan

Sleeping Beauty by Jenni James

I read a total of 114 books. In 2014, I am looking forward to reading The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches by Alan Bradley, and Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman

[Onceuponatime]

 

 

I tried very hard to like that book but ended up not finishing it. The premise sounded interesting, but I found the book to be boring. I really wanted to like it.

 

That was my problem too. I got about half way through and was dying to read something else.  It think it could have been so much better than it was.

[Onceuponatime]

Well here's my final list for the year:

 

Books Completed 2013  

 

Mysteries:

The Rising Moon- Mitchell (England)

Twelve Horses and the Hangman's Noose-Mitchell (England)

Faintley Speaking- Mitchell (England)

Death Cap Dancers- Mitchell (England)

The Worsted Viper- Mitchell (England)

Spotted Hemlock- Mitchell (England)

My Bones Will Keep- Mitchell (England)

 Rolling Stone- Wentworth (England)

She Came Back- Wentworth (England)

Pilgrim's Rest- Wentworth (England)

Ladies' Bane- Wentworth (England)

The Watersplash- Wentworth (England)

Gray Mask- Wentworth (England)

Sick of Shadows- McCrumb (USA)

McPherson's Lament- McCrumb (USA)

The Windsor Knot- McCrumb (USA/Scotland)

Lovely in Her Bones- McCrumb (USA)

The PMS Outlaws- McCrumb (USA)

Elephants Can Remember- Christie (England)

*Austen Land- Hale (England)

*Midnight in Austen Land - Hale(England)

*Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore- (USA)

Wildfire At Midnight- Stewart (Scotland)

The Dead Sea Cipher - Peters (Mid-East)

The Murders of Richard the Third- Peters (England)

The Pigeon Pie Mystery- Stuart (England)

*Miss Zukas and the Literary Murders -Dereske (USA)

*Murder At the Library of Congress- Truman (USA)

The Art Forger- Shapiro (USA)

The Eight of Swords- Carr (England)

*The Seven Percent Solution- Meyer (Europe)

*The Forgotten Garden- Morton (Australia, England)

The Distant Hours- Morton (England)

*The Bookman's Tale- Lovett (England)

 

Juvenile:

Many Waters- L'Engle (USA)

Ring of Endless Light - L'Engle (USA)

House Like a Lotus- L'Engle (Greece)

All the Wrong Questions- Snicket

Princess Academy- Hale

Book of a Thousand Days- Hale

Sun, Moon, Ice, and Snow- George

Princess of the Midnight Ball- George

Princess of Glass- George

Dragon Slippers- George

Dragon Flight- George

The Book of Lost Things- Connolly

A Whole Nother Story- Soup (USA)

The London Eye Mystery- Dowd (England)

Hold Fast- Balliet (USA)

Water Babies- Kingsley (England)

A Hero's Guide to Saving the Kingdom- Healy

Wonderstruck- Selznick (USA)

 

General Fiction:

Night Circus- Morgenstern

Daphne-Picardie

Mrs. Queen Takes The Train-Kuhn  (England)

The Mists of Avalon- Bradley (Britain, Chunky)

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand- (England)

Bel Canto- Patchett(South America)

*Monsignor Quixote- Greene (Spain)

Voyage of the Narwhal- Barrett (USA, Greenland)

The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window-Jonasson (Sweden)

The Golem and the Jinni- Wecker (USA)

Labyrinths- Borges (South America)

Stardust- Gaiman (Faerie)

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress- Daj Sijie (Asia)

The Light Between the Oceans- Stedman (Australia)

The Book of Imaginary Beings- Borges

The Island of the Day Before- Eco (Spain, France, Pacific Island)

For One More Day- Albom

Mrs. Dalloway- Woolf

The Winter's Tale- Shakespeare

 

Religion/Spirituality:

Excavating Jesus- Crossan (Mid east )

Paul and Jesus- Tabor (Mid-east)

The Jewish Gospels- Boyarin (Mid-east)

Ichabod Toward Home- Brueggeman (Mid-east)

Peter, Paul, and Mary Magdalene- Ehrman (Mid-east)

The God We Never Knew- Borg

*Kabbalah: A Love Story- Kushner (Mid-East)

Kabbalah: A Short Intro- Dan

The Baghavad Ghita (Asia)

The Origin of Satan- Elaine Pagels

Eternal Life: A New Vision- Spong

Living a Life That Matters- Kushner

Beyond Religion: Ethics For a Whole World- Dalai Lama (Asia)

Revelations-Pagels

The Universe in a Single Atom- Dalai Lama (Asia)

Buddha- Armstrong (India)

The Gifts of the Jews- Cahill

 

 

General  Non-Fiction:

 The End of Overeating- Kessler

The Honest Truth About Dishonesty- Ariely

Predictably Irrational- Ariely

The Up Side of Irrationality- Ariely

Never Cry Wolf- Mowat (Canada)

*The Man Who Loved Books Too Much- Bartlett

Tribes- Godin

*A More Perfect Heaven- Sobel (Europe)

My Family and Other Animals- Durrell (Corfu)

A Zoo in My Luggage- Durrell (Africa)

Epigenetics- Francis

The Clockwork Universe- Dolnick

Spook- Roach

The Black Swan- Taleb

Death by Black Hole- Tyson

Planets- Sobel

Fatu-Hiva-Heyerdahl  (Polynesian islands)

Longitude- Sobel

 

*Books about books or having a particular book as their inspiration in some way.

- Countries/continents are usually where the story took place, occasionally where the author is from.

- I follow a whimsical path, reading what appeals to me at the moment.

- Two of the above books were generously donated to me by members of the Hive.

 

Happy reading in the New Year to all of you Book a Week friends!

[Paisley Hedgehog]

.

 

[welovetoread]

Heading to the library today.  Do we know what we will read in Jan?  Any challenges starting?  

[mumto2]

I think I am done for the year also. My final count is 236.

 

I finished a few this week. Quite a jumble of genres.

 

The Captain and the Wallflower by Lyn Stone. It was a really good historical romance that I read in one sitting.

 

Love Overdue by Pamela Morsi was a Kareni recommendation and lots of fun.

 

House of Cards by CE Murphy is the second in the negotiator series. Possibly better then the fist. It has a handsome gargoyle. Love it!

 

The Corporal Works of Murder by Sister Carol Anne O'Marie. Another in my series.

[welovetoread]

I am amazed by all of these final counts!  You are all amazing :)

[Woodland Mist Academy]

*grin*

 

The challenges look cool, and I am always excited for the folks who participate, but you're right -- I'm usually doing my own thing. This year's personal goal is to read from the shelves. I know, GASP! Right? But I've amassed an epic personal library, and someone needs to become better acquainted with its holdings.

 

I like this idea! That's a goal I can cope with--OCD and all. ;)

 

(Now, I just need to purchase a few more books to add to my shelves before midnight so they'll count. :auto:  )

[mumto2]

Sorry I had to stop to help dd with her baking for her bell ringing party tonight. I lost the post once so I posted! Also finished:

 

The Baker Street Letters and The Brothers of Baker Street by Michael Robertson. Someone here read them recently. They were good. Love the Sherlock Holmes still receiving letters is fun. There is something a bit off about them. Sort of a Brit/American mishmash that was off. The london cabbie talking dollars etc.

 

 

Dead Scared by SJ Bolton was good. The second Lacy Flint and it was suspenseful. Cambridge (the Uni) wasa rather scary place in this book!

 

I hope every one here has a great New Years Eve!

[JennW in SoCal]

I haven't gotten in all the reading I thought I would after Christmas (shoot, I've barely kept up with this thread), so I'm dropping my count down to 67 instead of 70.  But it is a good collection of titles.  

 

:cheers2: Cheers and Happy New Year to all my BaW friends!

 

 

Fiction:

From the Mouth of the Whale by Sjon

The Spy Lover by Kiana Davenport  

HMS Surprise by Patrick O’Brian 

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafron 

The Mauritius Command by Patrick O’Brian

Desolation Island by Patrick O’Brian 

French Lieutenant’s Woman 

 

Classic Literature:

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskill 

Our Mutual Friend by Ch Dickens 

Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by A Conan Doyle

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas 

Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskill  

 

Peter Robinson DCI Banks series: 

Gallows View

Hanging Valley

Past Reason Hated

Wednesday’s Child

Innocent Graves

In a Dry Season

Blood at the Root

Final Account

Cold is the Grave

Dedicated Man

Playing with Fire

Aftermath

Close to Home

Strange Affair

Piece of My Heart

First Cut (not DCI Banks, but...)

Friend of the Devil

All the Colours of Darkness

A Necessary End

Price of Love (collection of short stories and novellas)

 

Other mystery

Believing the Lie by Elizabeth George

Baker Street Letters by Michael Robertson

Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith (aka JKRowling)  

The Man Who Would be F. Scott Fitzgerald by David Handler 

Still Life by Lois Penny 

The Tooth Tattoo by Peter Lovesey 

Just One Evil Act by Elizabeth George 

The Last Detective by Peter Lovesey

 

fantasy/sci fi:

Soul Music by Terry Pratchett 

Return of the King by JRR Tolkein

Hounded by Kevin Hearne 

A Great and Terrible Beauty  

Hyperion by Dan Simmons  

Fall of Hyperion by Dan Simmons  

Moving Pictures by Terry Pratchett 

Angelmaker by Nick Harkaway 

The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym by Edgar Allen Poe 

Endymion by Dan Simmons 

Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart 

Hogfather by Terry Pratchett

 

Non-fiction:

Comic Con and the Business of Pop Culture by Rob Salkowitz

Jungleland by Christopher Stewart

Evening in the Palace of Reason by James R Gaines

The Little Way of Ruthie Lemming by Rod Dreher

The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner   

The Map that Changed the World by Simon Winchester

Indivisible by Four by Arnold Steinhardt

Bitch in a Bonnet by Robert Rodi  

What Matters in Jane Austen by John Mullan  

Thatched Roof by Beverley Nichols  

End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe 

If you lived here, I’d know your name by Heather Lende  

I Shouldn’t Even Be Doing This Bob Newhart 

My lucky life in and out of show business Dick Van Dyke 

One Summer: America 1927  Bill Bryson 

Visual Miscellaneum by David McCandless

The Great War: July 1, 1916 by Joe Sacco

 

Short Stories  (I didn't include these in the final count...)

Secret LIfe of Walter Mitty (short story) by James Thurber 

A Study in Emerald by Neil Gaiman 

[Seasider]

I didn't play along with the 2014 [oops, meant 2013!] weekly posts because I didn't know how close I'd come to reaching the goal. But I ended up with 47 titles completed, plus half of Allegiant (gotta get credit for attempting that boring brick, I think).

I'd also say I spent at least a good thick classic's worth of reading on the two forums I visit regularly, so in my mind (house rules, iykwim) that's two more credits. So, I count finishing out the year at 49.5.

Thanks, mytwoblessings, for keeping me inspired. I am not reading at the level that so many participatin here have reached - but your regular posts inspired me to continue picking up new literature and to carve out personal reading time throughout the year. That has been a huge challenge to me amid the other demands of family life as well as having a non-reader spouse.

Thinking I plunging back into The Well Educated Mind or a great books curriculum next year, but I remain not officially committed!

[Storm Bay]

Well, I'm going to post my list on a separate thread because I read about 90 books, and am going to see how I did on my other challenges. This year I'm going to do one I didn't do last year, which is to read a book set in each of the 50 states if the US. I think I started to see if I could get it done (I have some states marked), but was doing so many challenges that it fell by the wayside. I also didn't read any books in the Antarctic, so didn't get all of the continents in. I'll plan a 5/5/5 challenge, and may once again be alliterative in my choices. I have to see how I did in last years, too. I'm going to check Robin's blog to see what mini challenges are listed there.

 

Also, and yes, this is a bit OT but it relates to a reading request, my middle dd wants to write a y/a novel (actually, 3) with me & so I'm set to read a bunch of endings (rereading many) because a great tip I saw was to write the ending first. That's much, much harder than coming up with a good premise, and far harder than writing a beginning. This is where my newish habit (last 5-10 years) of reading the ending either before starting the book or, more often, after starting it, before reading the entire book (I do this almost all the time and find it a. avoids reading too many endings I don't want to read & b. makes the novel interesting in a new way) will come in handy, I hope. She's supposed to write a 2 page synopsis of the story as she's been doing that kind of thing in school. She wants to name all the characters first (my girls like to pick names & make up characters & have since they were little), but as I pointed out we don't know all the characters we need until we know the story, the protagonist & the antagonist.

 

OT She wants to write a trilogy, me one book, so if you can think of any y/a trilogies where the third book is as good as or better than the first, we'd love to know.

 

 

 

 

 

1. One book you thought you would love, but didn't? 

Insurgent. I liked the first book, Divergent, but this was very disappointing. I was also surprised that I didn't like the stories by H.G. Wells and Ray Bradbury I read for the Coursera course.

1.  

 

I'm with you there. The third book was HORRIBLE. I read the first two, but the first was the best. I could not finish the third so just read the ending. 

 

 

Interesting discussion about V. Woolf. I've never read her. However, I read Michael Cunningham's The Hours many years ago & HATED it. So, because of that book, it has turned me against any real interest in trying Virginia Woolf. Unfair, I know, but I just don't feel compelled to read her.

 

 

 

 

I might read one of hers because someone rated it as a top 10 ending, but then again many of their choices are ones I don't agree with, so I may not. I've never been interested in reading her, and if I ever read her in school, have forgotten. I've forgotten plenty of other books I read back then.

[Storm Bay]

Here's my list, which is up to 92 books, since I finished a Jeeves book since my last post. Colours have to do with various challenges, and to save you time, I'll say which challenges I actually finished (those with more than one colour could have been for more than one, but I'll keep them to one here). I don't think I finished any of them other than a book a week, as I got stuck on a few places in the Dewey Decimals & ran off on rabbit trails for various shorter challenges. However, if I mix & match from my 2 different 5/5/5 challenges, I made one of them. This year I won't choose more than one 5/5/5 challenge. Colour code is at the bottom, but to be fair I forgot about it at times, so I did better on some of the challenges than I realize (eg dusty books--Some not marked that were.)

 

Also, I forgot to put a few books on here. I just edited this to 92 when I realized I couldn't find one of the books I read (did a search on my Word file & I had forgotten it) that was a dusty book as well as a Dewey, so some of these are out of order. One book I can't remember the title, so it just has an author.

 

If you get confused by all of the colours, so did I after a while, and so I'm going to choose fewer mini challenges or shorter ones; it's hard because so many look so good.

 

1. Reversing Religious Repression 4* (Dewey?)

2. Wishing You Were Here Catherine Chant  (: TN ) 4*

3. Wish You Were Eyre (Mother-Daughter Book Club, , MA) 3*

4. Anne of Green Gables (Canada) (4*)

5.  Irregular Portuguese Verbs (Europe Germany, Eurail Through Europe)*

6.  Tea Time for the Traditionally Built (Africa)   3*

7.  Neddiad Daniel Pinkwater  2*

8.  Pride and Prejudice 5* (Classics)

9. At First Sight Nicholas Sparks  2* (Hike the United States, ??)

10. The Dawkins Delusion? (Dewey Decimal challenge) 2 1/2 *

11. The Diamond of Darkhold 3*

12. The Year My Sister Got Lucky 2/5* (NY)

13. The Hope Chest (audio, inspirational fiction, Hike the US PA) 2.5 *

14. Forevermore Cathy Marie Hake (audio, inspirational fiction, Hike the US TX) 4*

15. A Year Down Yonder 4* (, Illinois)

16. The Hour that Changes the World (inspirational) 4.5*

17. To Cut a Long Story Short  2*

18. The Death of Truth: Responding to Multiculturalism, the Rejection of Reason and the New Postmodern Diversity (Dusty Books) 4* (Dewey?)

19. Of Mice and Men (CA) 2*  (Dewey for Lit???)

20. Secrets at Sea Richard Peck 3 *

21. The Gift of the Blessing (Inspirational) 4* (Dewey?)

22. Right Ho, Jeeves (European one, also) 5*

23. The 100-Year-Old-Man Who Stepped Out of the Window and Disappeared (Eurail Through Europe, Sweden,)

24. The Big Sleep - Raymond Chandler 1001 Books, detective

25. The Lightning Thief (5/5/5 Children’s) 1*

26. The Old Man and the Sea (Cuba) 5* 1001 Books

27. Daddy Long Legs 5* (Hike the United States? Which state?)

28. Rosemary’s Glove 1* 

29. Fancy Pants Cathy Marie Hake 3*

30. A Room with a View E.M. Forster (5/5/5 Classic, Eurail Through Europe Italy) 1001 Books

31. Murder with Peacocks by Donna Andrews 2.5* (VA, detective)

32. Lost Women of the Bible by Carolyn Custis James 2*  (Dewey?)

33. Whirlwind Cathy Marie Hakes

34. Half of a Yellow Sun Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Africa,Continental Challenge) 1001 Books

35. That Certain Spark Cathy Marie Hakes

36. Out of the Silent Planet (CS Lewis challenge)

37.  Serendipity (Cathy Marie Hake)

38. Hearts of Horses (Oregon hike the US)

39. Agenda 21 Glenn Beck and Harriet Parke

40. Beauty: a Retelling of Beauty and the Beast (y/a,)

41.  Big trouble Dave Barry (Florida)

42. The Sea of Monsters Rick Riordan (Y/A,)

·         43. The Swerve: How the World Became Modern  by Stephen Greenblatt 940.2/1

44. Stormy Weather Paulette Jiles

45. Divergent Veronica Roth

46. Insurgent Veronica Roth

47.Shanghai Girls Lisa See (Asia—China)

48. The Elegance of the Hedgehog (France – Eurail through Europe)

49. Kiki Strike: The Darkness Dwellers Kirsten Miller 3 stars ya/

50. Jane and the Wandering Eye by Stephanie Barron

51. Durable Goods by Elizabeth Berg

52. Across the Universe Beth Revis

53. Millions of Suns Beth Revis

54. Shades of Earth Beth Revis

55. The Solitude of Prime Numbers Paolo Giordano (Italy)

56. The Last Thing I Remember Andrew Klavan

57. The Long Way Home Andrew Klavan

58. The Hound of the Baskervilles (classics, 1001 Books)

59. Gathering Blue  Lois Lowry (y/a) 

60. Messenger Lois Lowry (y/a)

61. Matched Ally Conde y/a

62. Crossed Ally Conde y/a

63. Reached Ally Conde y/a

64.    Andrew Klavan

65.. Mrs. ‘Arris Goes to Paris by Paul Gallico

66. Mrs. ‘Arris Goes to New York

67. Mrs. ‘Arris Goes to Parliament

68. The Light Between the Oceans Australia (Continental, 5/5/5)

69. The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert Rosalia Champagne Butterfield

70. Mrs. ‘Arris Goes to Moscow

71. The Last Telegram  Liz Trenow

72. Light Between the Oceans

·         73. Mirror, Mirror…Off the Wall   646.7/042

74. Things Not Seen Andrew Clements (author of Frindle)

75. Bitterweet Cathy Marie Hake

76. The Grace Awakening Charles Swindoll

77. Falling Free Lois McMaster Bujold (scifi)

78. Shards of Honor

79. Barrayar

80. The Truth of the Matter Andrew Klavan

81. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

82. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkeban

83, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

84. The Final Hour Andrew Klavan

85. The Jesus Wars

86. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

87. The Marvelous Land of Oz

88. Eve Dystopian

89. Once Dystopian

90. Orange is the New Black (300s)

91. The Inimitable Jeeves PG Wodehouse

92. When Jesus Became God

 

Dusty and/or Chunky

Inspiration Reading Project

Doing the Continental!

Oh Canada!

Out of Africa

Eurail through Europe

Hike the United States

5/5/5

Continental/Children’s (Y/A)/Canada/Christian (Inspirational)/Classics FAILED to get all 5

Dusty/Dewey/Dares/Delightful/Detective (mystery)  OR add Dystopian FAILED to get all 5

But, if I take Y/A, Christian, Delightful, Dystopian & Continental, I get at least 5 books in each one even if I forgot to mark them or at least if I switch the number of Eurail through Europe ones for Continental.

 

Other challenges

Young Adult

Dewey Decimal

1001 Books to Read

[Stacia]

One more 'best of 2013' book list:

http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2013/12/23/best-books-of-2013/

 

I haven't heard of any of the books on the list, but will definitely spend some time reading the article. Interestingly, one of the books is about Nellie Bly's trip around the world. (Yes, I'm still working on Nellie Bly's book about her 72-day trek, but it is on a side burner during the holidays.)

[Robin M]

Heading to the library today.  Do we know what we will read in Jan?  Any challenges starting?  

 

We will be having a Haruki Murakami readalong - Wind Up Bird Chronicles.  Starting our journey Round the World in Japan - so all things Japanese, plus starting off the year in the 12th century.   And following lots of rabbit trails so have fun picking out books.

 

 

One last list to end your 2013 with - Bookriot is reprising their 10 Best top 100 lists and oh man, fun, fun, fun!

 

I'm in awe of everyone's awesome lists.  So many good books and some very classy reading.  More later.  Keep em coming!

[ariasmommy]

I finally finished The Day I Became an Autodidact by Kendall Hailey last night (enjoyed it), so that makes 63 books for 2013.

 

 

 

 

[welovetoread]

Happy New Year!

[melmichigan]

A few more to finish out the year.

 

294.  The Judas Strain:  A Sigma Force Novel by James Rollins.

295.  The Last Oracle: A Sigma Force Novel by James Rollins.

296.  The Strain (The Strain Trilogy) by Chuck Hogan.  (I didn't realize this falls under horror on amazon.)

 

Now I need to find some fluff to start out the year.  :lol:

[Violet Crown]

Books to see out the old year (if I'd had the self-discipline to focus on just one of them, I'd've had another book for 2013):

 

Fr. Rolfe, Hadrian the Seventh

Byron, Don Juan

Thomas Mann, Death in Venice & Other Stories

 

My ambition for next year: Gibbon!

[Shawneinfl]

1. How many books did you read and did you meet or beat your own personal goal? I completed 33 books this year and probably abandoned or forgot at least 10 more. I am happy with that number since I had a lot of other distractions such as preparing to teach a CC Challenge A class and I finished a very large cross stitch which caused a big boost in my Audible books.
2. What are your top 5 (or more) favorite stories?  Top 5 least favorites? My favorites were: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Life of Pi, The Geography of Bliss, One Summer: America 1927, David and Goliath, and Breaking Night. Least favorites are usually abandoned.
3. One book you thought you would never read and was pleasantly surprised you liked it? A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
4. Most thrilling unputdownable book? Hmm. Probably Think of a Number or Reconstructing Amelia
5. Did you come across a story that you enjoyed it so much, you turned around and read it again or plan on  rereading it again in 2014? A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
6. One book you thought you would love, but didn't? Cloud Atlas was one, and I expected to like Silver Star more than I did. I read Half-Broke Horses and The Glass Castle last year and loved them.
7. Which book or books had the greatest impact on you this year? Well it hasn't happened yet since I just read it but possibly The Gift of Dyslexia.
8. Do you have a favorite cover or quote from a story you'd like to share?  (Share a shelfie) My favorite quote from A Tree Grows in Brooklyn: "What must I do mother,what must I do to make a different world for her? How do I start?"
9. "The secret lies in the reading and the writing. You are able to read. Every day you must read one page from some good book to your child. Every day this must be until the child learns to read."
10.      "I will read," promised Katie. "What is a good book?"   "There are two great books. Shakespeare is a great book. I have heard tell that all the wonder of life is in that book; all that man has learned of beauty, all that he may know of wisdom and living are on those pages."     "And what is the other great book?"     "It is the Bible that the Protestant people read."    (Sorry about the spacing.)
11. What book would you recommend everyone read?  A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
12. What was your most favorite part of the challenge? Discovering new books from everyone's lists. I'm pretty random about what I read but I have created a huge tbr list from this group. I would like to read more from my own shelves this year but I'm kind of attached to my Nook and Kindle.

Here's my 2013 list:

1. Beauty by Robin McKinley
2. Argo: How the CIA & Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History by Antonio J. Mendez, Matt Baglio
3. Heads in Beds: A Reckless Memoir of Hotels, Hustles, and So-Called Hospitality by Jacob Tomsky
4. Driving the Saudis: A Chauffeur's Tale of the World's Richest Princesses by Jayne Amelia Larson
5.  Life of Pi by Yann Martel
6. How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character by Paul Tough
7. Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever by Bill O'Reilly, Martin Dugard
8. I'm Feeling Lucky: The Confessions of Google Employee Number 59 by Douglas Edwards
9. The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare
10. A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson
11. The Silver Star by Jeannette Walls
12. Escape by Carolyn Jessop, Laura Palmer
13. Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight
14. LEFT Neglected by Lisa Genova
15. Son of a Gun: A Memoir by Justin St. Germain
16. Breaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, and My Journey from Homeless to Harvard by Liz Murray
17. Killing Jesus: A History by Bill O'Reilly
18. Legend by Marie Lu
19. David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell
20. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
21. The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis
22. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
23. Don't Check Your Brains At The Door by Josh McDowell, Bob Hostetler, Bob Hostetler
24. It Couldn't Just Happen: Fascinating Facts About God's World by Lawrence O. Richards
25. The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge
26. One Summer: America, 1927 by Bill Bryson
27. Early Decision: Based on a True Frenzy by Lacy Crawford
28. The Dog Stars by Peter Heller
29. The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History by Robert M. Edsel, Bret Witter
30. Think of a Number by John Verdon
31. The Gift of Dyslexia: Why Some of the Smartest People Can't Read...and How They Can Learn by Ronald D. Davis, Eldon M. Braun
32. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
33. The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World by Eric Weiner

 

[Luckymama]

Argh still haven't finished updating my Goodreads :eek: According to Goodreads I have read 165 books. I have 153 read-but-not-categorized-into-folders books on my Kindle (I add to Goodreads as I put ebooks into folders; paper books usually get entered on Goodreads as I finish). I have read approximately 45 books (from the library) on my to-read shelf.

 

I am calling my reading for 2013 at 363 books.

 

Oh good gravy...off to get those books on my Kindle into folders so I can start 2014 fresh :D

[twoplustrips]

I haven't been able to follow this group this year (I think the last time I checked was week 22 or something).  Partly because we were too busy building a house.  Partly because it makes my To-read list too long!!!!  I wanted to share my 2013 list, though.  Maybe it will remind me to check the post later (and increase my to-read list for 2014 to an unattainable length!).  Planning to cut back on Facebook, too, so that should free up some time for Book a Week 2014!

 

53.  Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

52.  Snow Hunters by Paul Yoon

51.  The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

50.  We are Water by Wally Lamb

49.  My One Word by Mike Ashcraft & Rachel Olsen

48.  The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

47.  Outlaw by Ted Dekker

46.  Gaining Ground by Forrest Pritchard

45.  My Story by Elizabeth Smart

44.  The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

43.  Strength in What Remains by Tracy Kidder

42.  Seven Men and the Secret of their Greatness by Eric Metaxas

41.  Understanding and Applying the Bible by Robertson McQuilkin

40.  Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi

39.  The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker

38.  John Dies at the End by David Wong

37.  The Good Nurse by Charles Graeber

36.  The World’s Strongest Librarian by Josh Hanagarne

35.  The Light in the Ruins by Chris Bohjalian

34.  The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman

33.  Going Clear by Lawrence Wright

32.  Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

31.  Closing the Circle by Mark Kastner

30.  My Name is Mary Sutter by Robin Oliveira

29.  And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini

28.  The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

27.  Buddy (rooster) by Brian McGrory

26.  The Sacred Way by Tony Jones

25.  Beyond Belief (Scientology) by Jenna Miscavige HIll

24.  The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin

23.  Life Unworthy of Life by Derek Elkins

22.  Hostage by Nancy Mankins

21.  The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

20.  The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton

19.  Forgotten Country by Catherine Chung

18.  Mr. Penumbra’s 24-hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

17.  Animal Farm by George Orwell

16.  Peace Like a River by Leif Enger

15.  Scarlet Feather by Meave Binchy

14.  The Aviator’s Wife by Melanie Benjamin

13.  The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

12.  The Harbinger by Jonathan Cahn

11.  All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque

10.  Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed

9.  Hind’s Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard

8.  Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

7.  The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian

6.  The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe

5.  No Easy Day by Mark Owen

4.  The Blind Contessa’s New Machine by Carey Wallace

3.  The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

2.  This isn’t What it Looks Like by Pseudonymous Bosch

1.  The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

[Susan in TN]

I started last Jan 1st and did not keep up at all, but I have finished 2 books these past 2 weeks -

Week 51 - Cloud Atlas which was very disappointing

Week 52 - today I finished The Beginner's Goodbye which I enjoyed quite a bit

 

I do love browsing through all the book threads, since I have trouble choosing books to read - especially modern fiction.

[eaglei]

Here is my year-end wrap-up - so glad I got it in before the new year starts!

 

How many books did you read and did you meet or beat your own personal goal? 

I completed 77 books (53 fiction and 24 non-fiction).  My goal is simply to read.

 

What are your top 5 (or more) favorite stories?  Top 5 least favorites? 

In no particular order:

 

Favorite fiction books of 2013:

~The Chosen, by Chaim Potok, and its sequel, The Promise, by Potok

~Wonderland Creek, by Lynn Austin

~The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, by Rachel Joyce

~books by Georgette Heyer (Cotillion, A Civil Contract, April Lady, Powder and Patch)

~books by Anne Tyler (Breathing Lessons, Saint Maybe, If Morning Ever Comes, The Beginner’s Goodbye, Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant)

~Big Stone Gap Series by Adriana Trigiani (Big Stone Gap, Big Cherry Holler, Milk Glass Moon, Home to Big Stone Gap)

~Cold Sassy Tree, by Olive Ann Burns, and its Unfinished Sequel, Leaving Cold Sassy, by Burns with a reminiscence by Katrina Kenison

~The Keeper of the Door, by Ethel M. Dell

~An Unsuitable Attachment, by Barbara Pym 

 

Favorite non-fiction books of 2013:

~Holy is the Day, by Carolyn Weber

~And God Came In:  The Extraordinary Story of Joy Davidman:  Her Life and Marriage to C.S. Lewis, by Lyle W. Dorsett

 

Least favorite fiction books of 2013:

~Lizzie Searches for Love Series by Linda Byler (Running Around, When Strawberries Bloom, Big Decisions)

 

Least favorite non-fiction books of 2013:

~So Many Books, So Little Time, by Sara Nelson

~Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight in Our Busy Lives, by Wayne Muller

~Still Christian After All These Years, by Barbara Allen

 

One book you thought you would never read and was pleasantly surprised you liked it? 

New Passages: Mapping Your Life Across Time, by Gail Sheehy.  I can’t say I totally liked it, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that I liked some of it, and found parts of it encouraging and confirming.

 

Most thrilling unputdownable book? 

~Holy is the Day, by Carolyn Weber

 

Did you come across a story that you enjoyed it so much, you turned around and read it again or plan on  rereading it again in 2014? 

I don’t currently re-read too many books as there are so many first-reads I want to get to!  However, I re-read a book this year from a few years ago:  Pain, Perplexity and Promotion, by Bob Sorge.

 

One book you thought you would love, but didn't? 

Earl Hamner: From Walton’s Mountain to Tomorrow: A Biography, by James E. Person, Jr.  The problem wasn’t the content, but rather the authors’ style of writing.

 

Which book or books had the greatest impact on you this year? 

~Holy is the Day, by Carolyn Weber

 

Do you have a favorite cover or quote from a story you'd like to share?  (Share a shelfie)

n/a

 

What book would you recommend everyone read? 

~Holy is the Day, by Carolyn Weber

 

Did you do any of the mini challenges? 

I did not plan to do any; however, I read eight books that would qualify under the Dusty Books challenge.  I am particularly pleased that I learned to use a Kindle this year (necessary in my part time library job) and that I read ten books on it.

 

What was your most favorite part of the challenge? 

Reading!  And most definitely This Thread!  This is my favorite thread and I am so thankful that Robin continues to so graciously and so well keep it going.  Thank you, Robin!

[mlbuchina]

Quick question before I get started on the end-year recap.  What do we do about the books we have started, but won't finish before 2014 begins?  Do those just carry over to the new year?  I started The Last Unicorn (I'm a little more than half way through), but won't have it finished by midnight tonight.  Will it carry to 2014?  Thanks!

 

 

 

1. How many books did you read and did you meet or beat your own personal goal? 
2. What are your top 5 (or more) favorite stories?  Top 5 least favorites? 
3. One book you thought you would never read and was pleasantly surprised you liked it? 
4. Most thrilling unputdownable book? 
5. Did you come across a story that you enjoyed it so much, you turned around and read it again or plan on  rereading it again in 2014? 
6. One book you thought you would love, but didn't? 
7. Which book or books had the greatest impact on you this year? 
8. Do you have a favorite cover or quote from a story you'd like to share?  (Share a shelfie)
9. What book would you recommend everyone read?  
10. What was your most favorite part of the challenge? Did you do any of the mini challenges? 

 

1. I have read 57 books this year, and I beat my personal goal for the year!  I had started to participate in 52 Books last year, but dropped out in the first month.  I determined this year I was going to try again, and stick with it.  I'm so glad I did!  I LOVE this thread, and look forward to it so much through the week.  My personal goal was to complete the 52 books, and I'm so excited that I did that, plus a little more.   :)

 

2. My top 5 favorites:  Anglemaker by Rick Harkaway, Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion, The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen, and Outlander by Diana Gabaldon.  My top 5 least favorites:  House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski, And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie, The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien, House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski, and 1984 by George Orwell.  Did I mention House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski?  Yeah.

 

3. Angelmaker.  It is not my usual go-to for reading, and I ended up loving it.  I'd love to find some other authors of similar flavor.

 

4. The one book that I just couldn't put down this year was Warm Bodies.  The social commentary was intriguing, and the way relationships were explored was very interesting to me.  I think the movie was cute, but really missed the mark on what the author was trying to say.

 

5. I'm not a huge rereader, so I don't reread much.  There wasn't anything I read this year that I want to read again any time soon, but will definitely reread a couple at a much later date.  Angelmaker would be one, and I know I'll reread Outlander again, as that is a given for me (it was a reread this year, too).

 

6. I thought I would love The Neverending Story.  As a kid, I LOVED the movie.  The book, only half of it, and it was the half they made the movie out of.  The rest was a total waste of paper and ink in my not-so-humble opinion.   :D

 

7. I  think that the Little House series really spoke to me about keeping things simple and family oriented, and Little Women helped bolster me as a mother, (especially since I have only girls).  Warm Bodies made me completely comfortable in not having my girls plugged into the nearest screen at all times, and The Dyslexic Advantage helped me see the infinite (good) possibilities in my dd's struggles.

 

8.  I like this cover.  It is very whimsical:

 

 [edited to remove picture]

 

Here are some quotes I especially liked:

“If you can't understand it without an explanation, you can't understand it with an explanation.†
― Haruki Murakami, 1Q84

 

“Then let amourous kisses dwell

On our lips, begin and tell
A Thousand and a Hundred score
A Hundred and a Thousand more†
― Diana Gabaldon, Dragonfly in Amber

 

“Ah, it is the fault of our science that it wants to explain all; and if it explain not, then it says there is nothing to explain.†

― Bram Stoker

 

“The most irritating thing about cliches, I decided, was how frequently they were true.†
― Diana Gabaldon, Voyager

 

“After you finish a book, the story still goes on in your mind. You can never change the beginning. But you can always change the end.†

― Sarah Addison Allen, Lost Lake

 

9. I would recommend everyone read Hiroshima by John Hersey.  It isn't very long, and I think helps people see past the governments and politics to the heart of the matter.

 

10. My most favorite part of the challenge was being able to share my passion for reading with others who have it, too.  It's so refreshing to not have to see this glazed look on a face when I bring up what I'm reading/have read.  I thought about doing some mini challenges, but I don't think I ended up completing any.  I'm not even sure what they were anymore.  LOL

 

2013 Recap:

 

57.The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom

56. Visions of Sugar Plums

55. The School for Good and Evil

54. Dead Lawyers Tell No Tales

53. Lost Lake

52. House of Leaves

51. The Historian

50. Dracula

49. And Then There Were None                                                                                                      23. This Book is Full of Spiders

48. The Dyslexic Advantage                                                                                                             22. Little House on the Prairie

47. Angelmaker                                                                                                                                21.  Evolutionism and Creationism

46. Voyager                                                                                                                                     20.  John Dies at the End

45. Dragonfly in Amber                                                                                                                   19.  Much Ado About Nothing

44. By Reason of Insanity                                                                                                                18.  Little House in the Big Woods

43. Getting Stoned with Savages: A Trip Through the Islands of Fiji and Vanuatu                         17.  Hooked
42. The Girl Who Chased the Moon                                                                                                16.  Anne of the Island
41. The Sugar Queen                                                                                                                     15.  Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen
40. 1Q84                                                                                                                                         14.  Anne of Avonlea
39. The Long Winter                                                                                                                       13.  Anne of Green Gables
38. Warm Bodies                                                                                                                             12.  The Invention of Hugo Cabret
37. Garden Spells                                                                                                                           11.  The Swiss Family Robinson
36. The Peach Keeper                                                                                                                    10.  Little Women
35. The Memory Keeper's Daughter                                                                                                  9.  Why We Get Fat
34. The First Four Years                                                                                                                    8.  The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye
33. These Happy Golden Years                                                                                                        7.  Outlander
32. Little Town on the Prairie                                                                                                            6.  The New Atkins for a New You
31. Amglish, in Like, Ten Easy Lessons: A Celebration of the New World Lingo                                5.  A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows
30. The Call of the Wild                                                                                                                    4.  Liberty and Tyranny
29. By the Shores of Silver Lake                                                                                                        3.  Corelli's Mandolin
28. Pippi Longstocking                                                                                                                      2.  The Neverending Story
27. On the Banks of Plum Creek                                                                                                        1.  The Hobbit
26. Hiroshima
25. Farmer Boy
24. 1984
 

 

[-M-]

Number of books read: 101

 

Last year’s total was 137, so, as I mentioned in my post upthread, I met this year’s goal (i.e., to read more slowly). (My complete list is also upthread.)

 

Random observations:

â–  My sole reading goal in 2012 was to complete fifty-two non-fiction books, and I came thisclose with fifty. Interestingly, sans goal, I read only twenty-six in 2013.

 

â–  The Iliad represents my only complete work of poetry this year. I read only one (Anne Carson’s Nox) last year, too. Musing on goals for 2014, I decided that my readerly soul requires more poetry, so I assembled a short stack of poetry books and placed them on a  readily accessible shelf. If I were to state a second reading goal for 2014, it would be, quite simply, “Read more poetry.â€

 

â–  The primary reading goal, you may remember, is “Read from the shelves.â€

 

â–  In 2013, I read twelve works of Shakespeare, only two of which were new to me: The Merry Wives of Windsor and Measure for Measure.

 

â–  As I did in 2012, I read eight works of graphic fiction this year.

 

â–  Of the forty-nine novels I read this year, nine were rereads:

 

– Fair Weather (Richard Peck; 2003. 146 pages. Juvenile fiction.)
– A Year Down Yonder (Richard Peck; 2000. 130 pages. Juvenile fiction.)
– Gone with the Wind (Margaret Mitchell (1936); Anniversary ed. 2011. 960 pages. Fiction.)
– A Long Way from Chicago (Richard Peck; 1998. 192 pages. Juvenile fiction.)
– The Metamorphosis (Franz Kafka (1915); Bantam ed. 1972. 201 pages. Fiction.)
– The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald; 1925/1980. 182 pages. Fiction.)
– Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (Philip K. Dick; 1968. 256 pages. Fiction.)
– The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger; 1951. 288 pages. Fiction.)
– Flowers for Algernon (Daniel Keyes; 1966. 324 pages. Fiction.)

 

Some of the shelves:

 

 

I think that tomorrow and the first couple of weeks of the 2014 Book a Week will be a little too busy for this introvert, so, just in case, I want to wish all of you a happy, healthy new year. I also want to thank Robin again for hosting BaW, both here and on her site.

[Stacia]

3. Angelmaker. It is not my usual go-to for reading, and I ended up loving it. I'd love to find some other authors of similar flavor.

Not exactly the same, really, (maybe the pacing/style -- quick/funny/smart -- is similar?) but three you might like...

 

Bad Monkeys by Matt Ruff

Borges and the Eternal Orangutans by Luis Fernando Verissimo

The Iron Will of Shoeshine Cats by Hesh Kestin

[-M-]

I have another image BaWers may enjoy:

 

 

The Misses and I each have one. Golly, I will miss those wonderful women. (Only one semester remains in our home education adventure.)

[AllSmiles]

Hi, All.  I want to say thank you to all of those who participate in the book a week threads. Every week I look forward to all of the posts.   I really enjoy reading about the books your love, the books that made you laugh, and the books you wish your hadn't bought. Many of the books on my list this year are from recommendations I received on this board. As we head into the new year, I hope to be a more active participant.  Happy New Year!!!

 

My Books from 2013

 

Do Unto Others

Abbott, Jeff

 

All the Great Pretenders

Adams, Deborah

 

Camel Club, The

Baldacci, David

 

Bookmarked for Death

Barrett, Lorna

 

Murder is Binding

Barrett, Lorna

 

Jane and the Unpleastness of Scargrave Manor

Barron, Stephanie

 

Death at Buckingham Palace

Benison, C. C.

 

Cruel Justice

Bernhardt, William

 

Perfect Justice

Bernhardt, William

 

I am Half Sick of Shadows

Bradley, Alan

 

Red Herring Without Mustard, A

Bradley, Alan

 

Ghost and Mrs. Jefferies,The

Brightwell, Emily

 

Mrs. Jefferies Dusts for Clues

Brightwell, Emily

 

Jane Eyre

Bronte, Charlotte

 

Inferno

Brown, Dan

 

ABC Murders

Christie, Agatha

 

Big Four, The

Christie, Agatha

 

Farewell to Yarns, A

Churchill, Jill

 

Moonstone, The

Collins, Wilkie

 

Postmortem

Cornwell, Patricia

 

Great Expectations

Dickens, Charles

 

Complete Sherlock Holmes, The

Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan

 

Count of Monte, Cristo, The

Dumas, Alexander

 

My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business

Dyke, Dick Van

 

Gone Away Lake

Enright, Elizabeth

 

Eyre Affair, The

Fforde, Jasper

 

Peach Cobbler Murder

Fluke, Joanne

 

Sugar Cookie Mystery

Fluke, Joanne

 

Graveyard Book, The

Gaiman, Neil

 

Amazing Mrs. Pollifax, The

Gilman, Dorothy

 

Leavenworth Case, The

Green, Anna Catherine

 

Broker, The

Grisham, John

 

Right Hand of Amon, The

Haney, Lauren

 

Dead Until Dark

Harris, Charlene

 

Slaying is Such Sweet Sorrow

Harwin, Patricia

 

Malice in Maggody

Hess, Joan

 

Shining, The

King, Stephen

 

Do Not Distrub

Kingsbury, Kate

 

To Kill a Mockingbird

Lee, Harper

 

Murder on the Rocks

MacInerney, Karen

 

Mr. Churchill's Secretary

MacNeal, Susan Elia

 

Death of a Cozy Writer

Malliet, G. M.

 

Mail Order Murder

Meier, Leslie

 

Cat on the Edge

Murphey, Shirley

 

"1984

Orwell, George

 

Callandar Square

Perry, Anne

 

Cater Street Hangman, The

Perry, Anne

 

Dangerous Mourning, A

Perry, Anne

 

Face of a Stranger, The

Perry, Anne

 

Paragon Walk

Perry, Anne

 

Ape Who Guards the Balance, The

Peters, Elizabeth

 

Falcon at the Portal, The

Peters, Elizabeth

 

Golden One, The

Peters, Elizabeth

 

He Shall Thunder in the Sky

Peters, Elizabeth

 

Lord of the Silent

Peters, Elizabeth

 

Murder on Monday

Purser, Ann

 

Album, The

Rinehart, Mary Roberts

 

Circular Staircase, The

Rinehart, Mary Roberts

 

Man in the Lower Ten, The

Rinehart, Mary Roberts

 

Window at the White Cat, The

Rinehart, Mary Roberts

 

Sea of Monsters

Riodan, Rick

 

Divergent

Roth, Veronica

 

Clouds of Witness

Sayers, Dorothy

 

Unnatural Death

Sayers, Dorothy

 

Frankenstein

Shelley, Mary

 

Murder on St. Mark's Place

Thompson, Victoria

 

Duty to the Dead, A

Todd, Charles

 

Return of the King, The

Tolkien, J. R. R.

 

Burder of Proof, The

Turow, Scott

 

Book Thief, The Zusak, Markus

 

[Stacia]

 

 

 

Some of the shelves:

 

 

 

 

 

I love your room every time you show it! Can I move in? :001_smile:

 

[Mom-ninja.]

I'm trying to decide what the first book of the year should be, as though it will somehow affect the whole course of my year. :rolleyes:

 

It just might. :001_cool:

[Robin M]

10.  My favorite part of the challenge was the companionship, the camaraderie of sharing our reading and, to a small extent, our lives.  I've read like crazy for most of my life, but I've rarely had a place where babbling about my reading journey is appropriate or welcomed,and even more rarely the opportunity to hear about other people's journeys...  Thank you so much, Robin!

:grouphug: It's been my pleasure and I'm so happy you joined in. 

 

 

Yes.  And  :lol: .

 

Well, BaW'ers I did manage to add another book to 2013 -- Howard's End Is On The Landing: A Year of Reading From Home by Susan Hill -- and I'm calling it done.  More than anything, this memoir confirmed for me how personal reading is, how what we read and what we don't read reflects our personality and tastes and interests and values.   Much of the memoir was ruminations on books the author has loved over her lifetime and, though interesting, I am not particularly motivated to pick up any of her faves.  I think that's the point. We are what we read, and none of us is exactly the same.  There were lots of quote-ables from this memoir, but I think this is my favorite and a good way to wrap up the year:

 

 

:grouphug:

I love the quote and it has sold me. Added the book to my wishlist.

 

Quick question before I get started on the end-year recap.  What do we do about the books we have started, but won't finish before 2014 begins?  Do those just carry over to the new year?  I started The Last Unicorn (I'm a little more than half way through), but won't have it finished by midnight tonight.  Will it carry to 2014?  Thanks!

 

10. My most favorite part of the challenge was being able to share my passion for reading with others who have it, too.  It's so refreshing to not have to see this glazed look on a face when I bring up what I'm reading/have read.  I thought about doing some mini challenges, but I don't think I ended up completing any.  I'm not even sure what they were anymore.  LOL

Yes, any book you've started but don't finish until 2014 counts for the new year. 

 

 

 

So happy to share my passion for all things books with each and every one of you.  I also have to share that way back when I started blogging and discovered book blogs, one of the blogs was Melissa's (mental multivitamin).  I had been following her blog for a while and she wrote about The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. It intrigued me and I read it.  So I give her the credit for expanding my reading horizons and branching out of my comfort zone.   You never quite know when something you say about a book is going to cause a spark.  And I'm grateful for all the book fires you all have lit.  And I am most grateful for everyone sharing their passion for books and themselves with me.  So before I get teary eyed sloppy ---- :grouphug: and :cheers2:

 

Happy New Year!!!!!

[Stacia]

Happy New Year!

[mlbuchina]

Happy New Year everyone!!!  Here's to a new year of new loves, old friends, and wonderful people to share them with!  (I guess the pic should say "today" now.  LOL)

 

[edited to remove picture]

[CAMom]

It's 12:08am here on the west coast. I think I'll go start a new book. :D

 

Happy New Year!

[-M-]

I love your room every time you show it! Can I move in? :001_smile:

 

 

Aw, you are sweet. That pic was taken shortly after we moved into the forever home three years. Here's a more recent pic, taken from a different angle.

 

 

A sunken livingroom is so 1970s, I know, but I love how it delineated the room from the foyer and from the piano room.

 

 

[Robin M]

Link to 2014 book week 1 - please continue conversation in new thread