-M- Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 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: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tress Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 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! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paisley Hedgehog Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welovetoread Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 Heading to the library today. Do we know what we will read in Jan? Any challenges starting? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welovetoread Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 I am amazed by all of these final counts! You are all amazing :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodland Mist Academy Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 *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: ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 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! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasider Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 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! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Bay Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 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. 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. 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Bay Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 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.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted December 31, 2013 Author Share Posted December 31, 2013 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! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ariasmommy Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 I finally finished The Day I Became an Autodidact by Kendall Hailey last night (enjoyed it), so that makes 63 books for 2013. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welovetoread Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 Happy New Year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melmichigan Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 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: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 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! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawneinfl Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 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. 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. One book you thought you would never read and was pleasantly surprised you liked it? A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson Most thrilling unputdownable book? Hmm. Probably Think of a Number or Reconstructing Amelia 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 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. 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. 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?" "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." "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.) What book would you recommend everyone read? A Tree Grows in Brooklyn 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: Beauty by Robin McKinley Argo: How the CIA & Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History by Antonio J. Mendez, Matt Baglio Heads in Beds: A Reckless Memoir of Hotels, Hustles, and So-Called Hospitality by Jacob Tomsky Driving the Saudis: A Chauffeur's Tale of the World's Richest Princesses by Jayne Amelia Larson Life of Pi by Yann Martel How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character by Paul Tough Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever by Bill O'Reilly, Martin Dugard I'm Feeling Lucky: The Confessions of Google Employee Number 59 by Douglas Edwards The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson The Silver Star by Jeannette Walls Escape by Carolyn Jessop, Laura Palmer Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight LEFT Neglected by Lisa Genova Son of a Gun: A Memoir by Justin St. Germain Breaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, and My Journey from Homeless to Harvard by Liz Murray Killing Jesus: A History by Bill O'Reilly Legend by Marie Lu David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis Number the Stars by Lois Lowry Don't Check Your Brains At The Door by Josh McDowell, Bob Hostetler, Bob Hostetler It Couldn't Just Happen: Fascinating Facts About God's World by Lawrence O. Richards The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge One Summer: America, 1927 by Bill Bryson Early Decision: Based on a True Frenzy by Lacy Crawford The Dog Stars by Peter Heller The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History by Robert M. Edsel, Bret Witter Think of a Number by John Verdon 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 A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World by Eric Weiner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckymama Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twoplustrips Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TN Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eaglei Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 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! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlbuchina Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 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! How many books did you read and did you meet or beat your own personal goal? What are your top 5 (or more) favorite stories? Top 5 least favorites? One book you thought you would never read and was pleasantly surprised you liked it? Most thrilling unputdownable book? 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? One book you thought you would love, but didn't? Which book or books had the greatest impact on you this year? Do you have a favorite cover or quote from a story you'd like to share? (Share a shelfie) What book would you recommend everyone read? 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 tellA Thousand and a Hundred scoreA 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. Hooked42. The Girl Who Chased the Moon 16. Anne of the Island41. The Sugar Queen 15. Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen40. 1Q84 14. Anne of Avonlea39. The Long Winter 13. Anne of Green Gables38. Warm Bodies 12. The Invention of Hugo Cabret37. Garden Spells 11. The Swiss Family Robinson36. The Peach Keeper 10. Little Women35. The Memory Keeper's Daughter 9. Why We Get Fat34. The First Four Years 8. The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye33. These Happy Golden Years 7. Outlander32. Little Town on the Prairie 6. The New Atkins for a New You31. Amglish, in Like, Ten Easy Lessons: A Celebration of the New World Lingo 5. A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows30. The Call of the Wild 4. Liberty and Tyranny29. By the Shores of Silver Lake 3. Corelli's Mandolin28. Pippi Longstocking 2. The Neverending Story27. On the Banks of Plum Creek 1. The Hobbit26. Hiroshima25. Farmer Boy24. 1984 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-M- Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 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: ■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. ■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.†■The primary reading goal, you may remember, is “Read from the shelves.†■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. ■As I did in 2012, I read eight works of graphic fiction this year. ■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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-M- Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 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.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllSmiles Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 Some of the shelves: I love your room every time you show it! Can I move in? :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 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: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted January 1, 2014 Author Share Posted January 1, 2014 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!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 Happy New Year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlbuchina Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 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] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAMom Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 It's 12:08am here on the west coast. I think I'll go start a new book. :D Happy New Year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-M- Posted January 1, 2014 Share Posted January 1, 2014 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted January 1, 2014 Author Share Posted January 1, 2014 Link to 2014 book week 1 - please continue conversation in new thread Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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