Book a Week 2016 - W1: Happy New Year!!!!

[Robin M]

Happy New Year my lovelies!   Welcome to the our quest to read 52 Books in 52 weeks.  Welcome back to all our readers, to all those who are just joining in and to all who are following our progress.  Mr. Linky is all set up on the 52 Books blog to link to your reviews. The link is below in my signature.

 

 

 

 

52 Books Blog - Happy New Reading Year:  Happy New Year and cheers to a wonderful new year of reading 52 Books in 52 Weeks. Welcome back to all who are joining me for another round and to those joining in for the first time.

 

The rules are quite simple. Read 52 Books. That's it. How you get there is up to you. To aid us in our reading adventures, we have several optional challenges which are posted on 52 Books in 52 Weeks blog in the link bar.   A to Z, Dusty and/or Chunky and 52 Books Bingo, as well as our perpetual Well Educated Mind challenge.  We have monthly themes and author flavors listed along with a few readalongs and various mini challenges throughout the year to tickle your reading taste buds.  

 

There is no Frigate like a Book  

To take us Lands away,  

Nor any Coursers like a Page  

Of prancing Poetry –   

This Traverse may the poorest take         

Without oppress of Toll –   

How frugal is the Chariot  

That bears a Human soul.

 

~ Emily Dickinson

 

In previous years we have traveled by train, plane, car and on foot, backpacking across the continents. This year, with Emily Dickinson as our muse, (Thank you Eliana) we will be sailing around the world, visiting various ports of calls.  We'll start off East of the Prime Meridian in the Indian Ocean.  Quite a few countries are bordered by the Indian Ocean including Africa and the Arabian peninsula,  India, Thailand, Indonesia, Australia, as well as the Antarctic. So many choices.  You may choose to travel along with me or chart your own course.

Our author flavors of the month are Vikrim Seth and Arundhati Roy.   I'll be weighing anchor in the Bay of Bengal and begin exploring India with Seth's A Suitable Boy.

Discover more authors from India through  Penguin India and  Harper Collins Publisher India  as well as independent press Grapevine India.

In February we will start Susan Wise Bauer's History of the Renaissance World, reading two chapters a week.  Please join us. 

Our first reading week will run from January 1st through Saturday, January 9th.  Take your time to explore the different mini and perpetual  challenges, links to book resources, visit your fellow readers and of course, read.  I look forward to hearing all about your adventures.  

 

Here is the pdf file for 52 Books Bingo.  Eventually I'll figure out why Word is preventing me from saving it as a picture. :unsure:

 

What are you reading this week?

 

 

 

Link to 2015 BW52

 

Edited January 1, 2016 by Robin M

[Robin M]

I always start my year out with a chunkster and A Suitable boy fits the bill with 1488 pages.   :tongue_smilie: It may take me a while.  

On my plate for upcoming literature classes are One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Joan Didion's Slouching Toward Bethlehem.  

[Chrysalis Academy]

I woke up at the crack of dawn and finished my first book of 2016 - although of course mostly read in 2015!

 

I read The Buried Book (hah! figured out how to link to it! Yay!) which is all about the Epic of Gilgamesh. The first couple of chapters cover the discovery and decipherment of the tablets from Ashurbanipal's library in Ninevah, and shed an interesting light on that age of discovery and British imperialism. A middle chapter uses text written during Ashurbanipal's reign to talk about what life was like in the Assyrian empire, and finally the Epic of Gilgamesh is itself unpacked. The epilogue is about Saddam Hussein's take on Gilgamesh and Iraqi history and is fascinating in its own right - I had no idea that Saddam had "written" novels in his later years.

 

Happy New Year, everyone!  :party:

 

[aggieamy]

Book girl problems.  I was so busy getting ready for company last night that I didn't get to the library before they closed and the book I wanted to start on is trapped at the library instead of sitting on my nightstand.  Bummer.  Anyone up for a heist?  I need a getaway driver for a little burglaring at the public library I'm planning on doing.  No?  No takers?  Alrighty.  I'll just read something sitting on my shelf.  

 

Happy New Year to all, especially those for whom it's already 2016!

 

My final total is 68 books. I finished A Beautiful Blue Death today.

 

For those who read it or plan to: I can understand Amy's gripes but they don't get in the way of the story. I did think there was some superfluous writing, but again not enough to be a bother. I'll be reading more in this series.

 

I was planning on starting the next book in the series today but alas I don't have it yet. 

 

I wonder how the editing in publishing houses work for historical fiction.  I'm guessing they don't have an editor that is a semi-expert on Victorian daily life sitting around reviewing books.  Too bad.  One author I met IRL said that after her first book someone wrote to her and offered to read though her next books for historical accuracy.  I thought that would be a cool job.  

 

Not that I am an expert on anything Victorian.  I just have read enough from those eras to be a be a bit whiny on things that jump out at me.

 

New Years Resolution - I aim to be less whiny!  :)

 

 

[drum1019]

Happy New Year!!! I am going to join you, or at least try:). Over Xmas I read Jhumpa Lahiri's Unaccustomed Earth and was unable to put it down - it left me wanting more. I will begin with A Suitable Boy - am interested in reading more by Indian authors. Will be at library when it opens tomorrow as there is one available copy:)

[PeacefulChaos]

Hi!!

 

:seeya:

 

So I'm going to try joining in again this year and see what I get accomplished.   :D

 

I've got a list made with, I think, 42 books on it.  Some are rereads that I love and haven't read in a few years, some are rereads that I'm looking at to decide if I want to get rid of them (my shelves are full and I need space!), and some are new.  I've got the list made in order so I can just go through it and not have to think about it too much lol.   ;)  I have also tried to keep at least one book I know I love per month, and/or one that I'm really looking forward to reading or I anticipate being an enjoyable/fun read.

 

So yeah.   :)

 

I'm starting off the year with an old favorite of mine from late middle/early high school: This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti.  

 

For the rest of 'January' (though I know that obviously, the months don't split into 4 perfect weeks lol), I've got Captivating by John & Stasi Eldredge (a reread I need to decide on), The Heavenly Man by Brother Yun (new), and the Marie Kondo book (which I will be ordering as soon as my new BAM gift card gets here - the cashier forgot to activate the one I already have!  :001_rolleyes: ), in that order.

 

 

I'm so excited and happy to get started!!!  YAY!   :D

Edited January 1, 2016 by PeacefulChaos

[Ethel Mertz]

I'm joining in as well. I have a list of over 70 books I want to read this year. My personal decluttering challenge is to read books I already own or can get from a library. It's a plus if I can then give away my physical copy of the book (except those books that are authored by friends of mine). My first choice is Ted Koppel's Light's Out: A Cyberattack.

 

A few of the books on my list will be re-reads - especially mysteries read over 25 years ago.

[Woodland Mist Academy]

I just want to not still be reading Don Quixote during the December wrap-ups. Is that so very much to ask?  :svengo:

 

What is wrong with me? All my read soon books are chunksters. Is that related to any sort of condition? (Like knight-errancy?  :scared: )

 

Is it fear of change? Co-dependency on certain characters or book sizes?  :nopity:

 

In my defense (and with a twinge of guilt)  I also have an anthology of short stories going. Apparently I have no tolerance for the middle ground...

 

[Angel]

Happy New Year!!

 

 

From "Nomad":

“The trap of resentment. It is probably the worst mental prison in the world. It is the inability to let go of anger and the perceived or real injustices we suffer. Some people let one or two, or maybe ten unpleasant experiences poison the rest of their lives. They let their anger ferment and rot their personality. They end up seeing themselves as victims of their parents, teachers, their peers and preachers.†

 

 

I loved this quote, Negin!  The bolded is so prevalent in our society today as we have so many who don't want to take responsibility for their own actions but instead want to blame someone or something else.

 

I had to search to see who had recommended/mentioned the Charles Lenox mysteries to me.  I finished A Beautiful Blue Death last night.  I've read so many historically accurate Regency novels that when something seems historically inaccurate it pulls me out of the novel.  I don't think Charles Finch did some of his research and it shows a bit.  There's no way that Mr. Lenox, a wealthy aristocrat would have been tending to his own clothes - he would have had a valet.  He wouldn't have been envying the quality of a working class man's boots.  His would have been better.  He couldn't have bought a pair of specially made boots in two days.  Stuff like that.  A few of his relationships were a little bit relaxed and modern for one of the most socially strict time periods of recent years.

 

Those aren't really complaints.  It was still a great read.  Fun mystery.  All the characters seemed likable.  If this was his first novel then it didn't show. 

 

Angel or shukriyya - Have either of you read any more of his novels?  I'm definitely going to read more!

I have not read any others, though if I run across them I certainly wouldn't be opposed  ;)  I did not notice all of the little inaccuracies you did, but there were a few that did tug at the edges of my reading.

 

I finished Crossroads of Twilight, book 10 of Wheel of Time. Man, that book was a slog. It took me 4 months to get through and I only made it because everybody keeps telling me books 11-12-13-14 are much better. And indeed, book 11 *is* better, I've already read 500+pages of it :D.

 

Books 10 and 11 are a slog for me!   :ack2: And Jordan is one of my favorite fantasy writers.  Since you are farther along than Robin ( :P ), I anxiously await you finishing the series. It would be nice to chat about the end with someone.

 

  Second, I wanted to do the special 52 book challenge in among my books. 

I just finished filling in my challenge this afternoon.  I did not make all 52 categories.  I managed 43 out of the 52.  

 

Oh, and I always count my rereads!  Though I rarely reread the same book in the same year.  It's a book.  I read it.  It counts  :D  Skye was struggling with this as she totaled up her books today.  She read Harry Potter 5 and 6 this year twice.  Once before we went to Universal and once with the little girls that she nannies. (They just started book 7 before Christmas break). I told her to count them both!  :tongue_smilie:  I don't know if she did.

[Kareni]

Happy New Year!  Wishing us all a year of peace, good health, happiness, and ample time to read.

 

 

 

Couldn't log on to the site most of this year and didn't expect to this time (!), so I'll be back in a bit to post my reading.

 

Tam, how frustrating to be able to see the thread but not participate.  I'm glad you were able to post and hope that continues to be the case.  Welcome back!

 

 

Happy New Year!!! I am going to join you, or at least try:).

 

Welcome, drum1019!  I'll look forward to hearing about your reading adventures.

 

 

My husband, daughter, and I rang in the new year after an evening of good food, ample goodies, and games.  We played Gubs which my daughter had received as a Christmas gift, Quiddler (an old favorite), and Sleuth (which I bought in the early cough, cough 80s and which we've only played once previously).  It was a good mix as Gubs is fun and has game changes reminiscent of Fluxx, Quiddler is a word game, and Sleuth requires sleuthing akin to that used in Clue.  We enjoyed all of the games.  I got to bed about 12:45 at which point I re-read a favorite novella ~  Patricia Briggs'  Alpha & Omega.

 

I'll admit to being flummoxed that the link above says the story is some 300 plus pages; it's actually only about 70 or so pages long.  I first read it in the anthology On the Prowl.  You can also find it in this anthology which contains only works by Patricia Briggs ~   Shifting Shadows: Stories from the World of Mercy Thompson

 

ETA: Welcome also to Kara and Ethel Mertz.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Robin M]

I woke up at the crack of dawn and finished my first book of 2016 - although of course mostly read in 2015!

 

I read The Buried Book (hah! figured out how to link to it! Yay!) which is all about the Epic of Gilgamesh.    Happy New Year, everyone!  :party:

Happy New Year.  Yeah for figuring out how to link. Opens up a new door to what you can include in posts.  Have fun! 

 

Book girl problems.  I was so busy getting ready for company last night that I didn't get to the library before they closed and the book I wanted to start on is trapped at the library instead of sitting on my nightstand.  Bummer.  Anyone up for a heist?  I need a getaway driver for a little burglaring at the public library I'm planning on doing.  No?  No takers?  Alrighty.  I'll just read something sitting on my shelf.  

 

New Years Resolution - I aim to be less whiny!   :)

 

You whiny?  No such thing.   :)

 

 

Happy New Year!!! I am going to join you, or at least try:). Over Xmas I read Jhumpa Lahiri's Unaccustomed Earth and was unable to put it down - it left me wanting more. I will begin with A Suitable Boy - am interested in reading more by Indian authors. Will be at library when it opens tomorrow as there is one available copy:)

 

HI Drum and welcome.  

 

Hi!!

 

:seeya:

 

So I'm going to try joining in again this year and see what I get accomplished.   :D

 

I've got a list made with, I think, 42 books on it.  Some are rereads that I love and haven't read in a few years, some are rereads that I'm looking at to decide if I want to get rid of them (my shelves are full and I need space!), and some are new.  I've got the list made in order so I can just go through it and not have to think about it too much lol.   ;)  I have also tried to keep at least one book I know I love per month, and/or one that I'm really looking forward to reading or I anticipate being an enjoyable/fun read.

 

So yeah.   :)

 

I'm starting off the year with an old favorite of mine from late middle/early high school: This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti.  

 

For the rest of 'January' (though I know that obviously, the months don't split into 4 perfect weeks lol), I've got Captivating by John & Stasi Eldredge (a reread I need to decide on), The Heavenly Man by Brother Yun (new), and the Marie Kondo book (which I will be ordering as soon as my new BAM gift card gets here - the cashier forgot to activate the one I already have!  :001_rolleyes: ), in that order.

 

 

I'm so excited and happy to get started!!!  YAY!   :D

Hi Kara and welcome and happy you are diving in. I loved This Present Darkness and anything else Peretti has written.  His books are spine tingling and lots of food for thought. 

 

 

 

I'm joining in as well. I have a list of over 70 books I want to read this year. My personal decluttering challenge is to read books I already own or can get from a library. It's a plus if I can then give away my physical copy of the book (except those books that are authored by friends of mine). My first choice is Ted Koppel's Light's Out: A Cyberattack.

 

A few of the books on my list will be re-reads - especially mysteries read over 25 years ago.

Hi Ethel - Consider your posts liked!  Welcome and glad you joined in.  I'm going to try to stick to my own shelves for a while as well.  I usually last until February!   :lol:

Edited January 1, 2016 by Robin M

[Loesje22000]

Hi!!

 

:seeya:

 

 

 

I'm starting off the year with an old favorite of mine from late middle/early high school: This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti.

 

 

I'm so excited and happy to get started!!! YAY! :D

Hi!

 

I like peretti books too!

But wait normally on it's translation in Dutch :)

Did you read his last one (I'm aware of) Illusion too?

[Loesje22000]

Happy new year to all of you!

I'm still reading H is for Hawk (in Dutch)

But I'm getting bored...

[Robin M]

I just want to not still be reading Don Quixote during the December wrap-ups. Is that so very much to ask?  :svengo:

 

What is wrong with me? All my read soon books are chunksters. Is that related to any sort of condition? (Like knight-errancy?  :scared: )

 

Is it fear of change? Co-dependency on certain characters or book sizes?  :nopity:

 

In my defense (and with a twinge of guilt)  I also have an anthology of short stories going. Apparently I have no tolerance for the middle ground...

Darlin, know exactly how you feel.  The majority of my books are chunksters as well. Small books of 200 pages just don't do for me since I read so quickly.  Couple hours and poof, all over.  Rather sink my teeth into something longer.  Poor Don Quixote - give him more love and you'll finish sooner.  He's worth it. Really! 

[Angel]

Book girl problems.  I was so busy getting ready for company last night that I didn't get to the library before they closed and the book I wanted to start on is trapped at the library instead of sitting on my nightstand.  Bummer.  Anyone up for a heist?  I need a getaway driver for a little burglaring at the public library I'm planning on doing.  No?  No takers?  Alrighty.  I'll just read something sitting on my shelf.  

 

I can send you Aly...she'd be all over that!  She can't drive yet (she's counting down) but she has a grappling hook and a lock picking set  :laugh:

 

 

My husband, daughter, and I rang in the new year after an evening of good food, ample goodies, and games.  We played Gubs which my daughter had received as a Christmas gift, Quiddler (an old favorite), and Sleuth (which I bought in the early cough, cough 80s and which we've only played once previously).  It was a good mix as Gubs is fun and has game changes reminiscent of Fluxx, Quiddler is a word game, and Sleuth requires sleuthing akin to that used in Clue.  We enjoyed all of the games. 

 

Regards,

Kareni

Dd's had a couple friends over last night.  They played Blockus and then we all played Avalon, a new to us game this year that I really, really stink at because it requires deception.  I stink at that!

[Robin M]

This week:

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day

I really enjoyed this book -- but found myself afterward mulling over how a very few racist throwaways (by which I mean not affecting the plot) dull my enjoyment. 

 

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

108

 

Share your top 5 (or more) favorite books.

In order read :

Blackout/All Clear

Ancillary Justice

Uprooted

Goblin Emperor

 

I was planning to read 1 'classic'/month -- but failed that goal.  I got to 6 ... but only if I am very, very liberal with my definition of classic

 

 

I actually read two books this year (3 cheers for me) in between tons of on-line video and ed stuff.

 

To Kill a Mockinbird, which, of course, is all that it is. Ds 15 is reading/ writing an essay on it for next week and, oddly enough, is in a farce for our Jan Festival of One Act Plays where he plays a wannabe lawyer and one of his lines is, "I consider myself a modern-day Atticus Finch." 

 

And Room. It rang true. It was touching and poignant and beautiful. As an MFT, I super loved the ending. It also was a good look at all of the "Room(s)" by which we define and limit ourselves and that we must often risk what we love most to be free. Still pondering it. 

 

Didn't want Cat and Lioness to get lost in our old thread.  

 

Welcome back Lisa, we've missed you! 

Edited January 1, 2016 by Robin M

[PeacefulChaos]

I just want to not still be reading Don Quixote during the December wrap-ups. Is that so very much to ask?  :svengo:

 

Oh my gosh I hate that book.  :leaving:  Sorry.  I tried starting it a couple years ago and barely made it a few chapters in.  Some friends and I tried to start a book club of WEM books and started with that, of all things!!  Only one actually read it.  I think I ended up skimming the cliff notes version.  :D

 

Hi!

 

I like peretti books too!

But wait normally on it's translation in Dutch :)

Did you read his last one (I'm aware of) Illusion too?

Yes, I did.  I liked it, but I like his older stuff better than the newer.  He always talks about the possibility of another 'Darkness' book, and I keep wondering if it'll ever come to fruition.  :)

[Robin M]

Oh my gosh I hate that book.   :leaving:  Sorry.  I tried starting it a couple years ago and barely made it a few chapters in.  Some friends and I tried to start a book club of WEM books and started with that, of all things!!  Only one actually read it.  I think I ended up skimming the cliff notes version.   :D

 

Cleo of Classical Carousel and a few others are working their way through the Biographies on Goodreads.  They are up to #17 Gertrude Stein - Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas for January.  They've been reading one a month from the list,but I couldn't keep up. I've got Margery Kemp in my stacks for this year! 

[Kareni]

 

... we all played Avalon, a new to us game this year that I really, really stink at because it requires deception. 

 

 

Is this it?  Avalon  It does look intriguing.  Our challenge would be getting five players.

 

We also recently played Swish which reminds me a bit of SET and Hanabi  which was an enjoyable cooperative game.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Angel]

So I haven't started on my wrap-up yet.  I was hoping to finish one more book in 2015 (I did) and was waiting until then.  I also have not got Microsoft Office on my new computer yet so I cannot access my 2015 Reading Log  :glare: So I will just list the last four books I read and not do my normal "review."

 

I finished The New Testament (KJV).  It was a year long reading challenge with our church.  I don't do well with Bible reading challenges...I don't like people to tell me what to read  :laugh: but I am very pleased I finished!

 

Dh read The Immortal Nicholas as a read aloud during December, finishing up right before Christmas.  It was definitely NOT what I was expecting but I did enjoy it.  My only complaint was there was a lot of death.  As you know, not my favorite.  I will probably reread it this year in December.  I tend to miss things when listening to a book. This is one I'd like to physically read.  

 

I finally finished Sense and Sensibility.  It was my "on the phone" book and also my "book with antonyms in the title."  It truly is a favorite.  I identify with Marianne in so many ways and therefore appreciate her growth and maturity through the story so much more.  On this second or third reading (can't remember lol), I found so many little tidbits that I appreciated and so many quotes.  But I'll only give you my most favorite, "Marianne could never love by halves; and her whole heart became, in time, as much devoted to her husband, as it had once been to Willoughby."

 

And last night I finally finished Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.  I had been working on that for months!  Harry fit right into my theme of immature, whiny boys in my reading this year  :lol:   How annoying!  He just needs a good beating in books 4 and 5!  I am looking forward to book 6, however,  as I enjoy it!  Dumbledore, as always, had many profound quotes but I have yet to master the art of marking quotes on Aly's Kindle.

 

Harry Potter put me at 53 for the year :hurray:   I was going to look at my past years to see how that compares, but alas, the Microsoft Office problem.  I think that 53 is the most I've read since starting in 2008, but I'm not sure.  

 

I'll be working on my wrap up tonight and tomorrow (I hope) and am enjoying reading everyone else's! 

[Angel]

Is this it?  Avalon  It does look intriguing.  Our challenge would be getting five players.

 

We also recently played Swish which reminds me a bit of SET and Hanabi  which was an enjoyable cooperative game.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

Yes, that's it!  Skye's college friends introduced it to her, and then us, this year.  They all LOVE it!  We had 6 last night because they made me play  :laugh:   Dh can always tell when I'm bluffing, it's so annoying, so I like it when I don't have a major role to play.  The girls' friends last night had never played before, and they loved it as well.  

[marbel]

Hello! I'm back after hanging out here for about 6 months one year, then disappearing for a while.  I still get stuck on "52 books in a year" which I cannot pull off at this stage of life.  I know in my head it's not a hard and fast rule but, guess I am a rule follower.  :lol:

 

I'm starting the year off with The Invention of Nature by Andrea Wulf.  I bought it the day it came out last fall, started it, didn't get very far before I had to set it aside (reluctantly).  I loved her book The Brother Gardeners, and enjoyed Chasing Venus.  I've been waiting till I can give this one the attention it deserves, and I think it's finally time.

 

I finished my favorite book of 2015 last night (Station Eleven); I should have saved a few pages so I could count it for this year, but I couldn't hold back. 

Edited January 1, 2016 by marbel

[Tawlas]

Hi there, Happy New Year! I'm sorting through my To Read lists and what I have on hand (or can get a hold of when I go to the library tomorrow) and I think I've narrowed my options down to six. I'm gonna see if how it works, if I'll read them all concurrently, half at a time, one or two at a time. Still sorting out my routine after our Christmas break.

 

-History of the Ancient World (Well, the last half anyhow) I saw you're starting The Medieval World in February - don't know if I can finish by then, but I may read them congruently?

- Hands Free Life by Rachel Stafford

- Mini-Habits by Stephen Guise

-The Art of Communicating by Thich Nhat Hanh

-Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

-When The Moon is Low by Nadia Hashimi

 

I've also got seven hours left of A Great Courses Lecture on Renaissance and the Reformation, but once that's done, I'll pick up a new audiobook, more than likely it will be Soul of Discipline by Kim John Payne. I mostly read non-fiction (except from WEM), so I'm trying to always have "lighter" fiction on my list. I feel like I'm too serious sometimes lol . . .

[wendy not in HI]

I always love to read the book talk, and have tried joining in in the past, but not last year.  I'm in for 2016.  Adding it to my goals for the year.  This morning I finished book #1 for 2016:

 

Stephen King's 11/22/1963

 

I have not read Steven King before, but I really enjoyed it.  Not too creepy and no clowns!  I loved the ending and cried.  It was an interesting book involving time travel and "fixing" the past.  It was thoughtful and sweet and I'm glad I read it.  

 

It is the book for a bookclub that I'm part of that meets Jan. 6th. I really want to attend this book club, but they were meeting on Tuesday nights, which doesn't work for me because it is our midweek church night.  My bookclub buddies changed their night to Wednesday for January, just for me, so I felt like I really needed to be ready.  And I am.  A great start to reading in 2016.  And I'm looking forward to discussing it with the other ladies.

 

I have several YA fiction reads that my kids got for Christmas that I will start next.  Fluffy fluff fluff.  I will be watching this thread as guidance for some sort of reading goal for the year. 

 

Thanks!

Edited January 1, 2016 by wendy in HI

[Angelaboord]

I've been trying to get around to posting my wrap-up for 2015, but every time I open the thread I get lost in other people's book lists! Lol I think I am finally caught up, though.

 

Here's a link to my Goodreads Year in Books: https://www.goodreads.com/user/year_in_books/2015/2493683

 

(I don't know how to make a link using Tapatalk on my iPad... Will try to come back and fix it if I figure out how...)

 

Goodreads says I read 68 books, but I don't think I can count all of those because some were cookbooks and then there were a few Uncle Wiggily read-alouds in there. (I am counting Pooh though! Kid #6 was the first to sit and let me read the Pooh books aloud to him. I don't know why it took us so long to get to Pooh.). So probably I read 60-62 countable books. I had wanted to read 76 -I don't know why I set my challenge for 76 -- but alas, I just didn't make it. Being pregnant most of the year has had something to do with it, I think.

 

I was happy to see that I read more pages than I have in the past few years, though - 18,965 as opposed to 15,638 last year and 16,892 the year before. Another goal was to get out of my food and diet book rut and read more fiction, and I think I did that mostly. I still read mostly nonfiction, but 27 of my titles were fiction.

 

As for my favorite reads of the year...

Station Eleven

The Last Policeman ( I liked the first book in the series best, the 2nd just fine, and #3 bothered me a bit.)

The Doomsday Book (Connie Willis, fiction)

The Shallows:What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains (Nicholas Carr, NF)

Neurotribes: The Legacy of Autism and The Future of Neurodiversity (Steve Silberman, NF)

 

I just finished Neurotribes last night; it was a Christmas present. Extremely eye-opening, with a welcome historical perspective. Some really repugnant stuff about how the eugenics movement in the U.S. and Nazi Germany treated kids with autism and disabled kids in general, though, so be aware. I have a child who is sort of on the edge of a diagnosis with Asperger's; he never got one, but we have a lot of the traits in our family. ("Normal eccentricities" the author would probably say.) Anyway, it made a lot of things much clearer for me, and I would highly recommend the book to anyone who knows or parents a child on the spectrum, or actually to anyone just interested in science and/or medicine.

 

(ETA: I see I was cross posting with Sadie! But it is a great book [emoji3])

 

Today I started reading H is for Hawk (another Christmas present). It seems a bit heavy so I may need to slow down for this one.

 

Oh, and my favorite part of the challenge -- finding this thread! I've so enjoyed reading it, even when I haven't been able to take part in the discussion. I'm hoping to keep up a bit better in 2016.[emoji3]

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Edited January 1, 2016 by Angelaboord

[Chrysalis Academy]

Yay! This thread is up! 

 

OK, so I started The Forest Unseen: A Year's Watch in Nature yesterday. Blatantly copying Chrysalis Academy and planning to read it through the year. Convinced dh to order some copies in to the bookstore. Very happy Jan 1 entry talked about lichen; lichen is very readable to me :)

 

 

 

:hurray:  Oh, you will love it!  It is very place-based, with the place being a small patch of Tennessee forest, which is far from where I live (even farther from where you live!) but the topics transcend any one specific place.

 

 

I finished book #2 - The Conqueror by Georgette Heyer.  I grew up reading her Regency romances, and I do love them, but this book really shows off her chops as an excellent writer of historical fiction.  Her research is so meticulous - what people wore, what weapons they carried, what fighting was like, what they ate, how they lived - that it truly makes you feel like you are experiencing the past. And although she was focused on the life of William the Conqueror, up to his crowning as King of England in 1066, she weaves in a really wonderful sub-story that makes you feel what that must have been like, for both Normans and Saxons. I had tears rolling down my cheeks through the end. Which sucks when you are wearing reading glasses!!!  This was a good immersion into start of the HotRW period.

 

Ok, looking at the Bingo - help me out with the "dusty" category.  Does this mean an old book? A book off your shelves? Something you haven't read before, but has been sitting around?  I'm thinking The Conqueror counts as my dusty book, in that I read this same copy as a kid in my mom's house 30-some years ago, and it has traveled in boxes from So Cal to Ohio to No Cal, and finally ended up in my storage room when my folks moved back to So Cal.  I literally had to blow the dust off of it, and scrape off a few spider carcasses, before I could re-read it.  So I'm thinking it qualifies!  :laugh:

Edited January 1, 2016 by Chrysalis Academy

[Jane in NC]

Bringing over some posts from the last thread:

 

Share your top 5 (or more) favorite books.

The Demon under the Microscope~non-fiction, pretty cool look at the invention of sulfa drugs over the 20th century.
Ship Fever and other Stories~short stories with a biological perspective, the title story is based on the true story of a cholera epidemic on immigrant ships coming into Canada in the 19th century.
The October Country~early, slightly ghoulish stories by Ray Bradbury. Neatly crafted.
Ancillary Justice~like a really great episode of Farscape (SF tv show) but with the best of Ursula LeGuin’s insight into gender and identity.
 

 

Ship Fever is by Andrea Barrett whose short story collection, Archangel, was read by a couple of us last year.  Her characters are often scientists.  Rose and Idnib, you might want to check her out!

 

I'm glad you enjoyed them. The dough takes some work with chopping cranberries, rolling into logs, and refrigerating, but the end result is worth it.

 

Let us know what you think when you finish To Siberia. I enjoyed Out Stealing Horses, but haven't looked into any of his other novels.

 

I used the pulse button on my food processor to chop the cranberries.  That was a breeze!  I still have one log of dough in the freezer.  The cookies were really appreciated today.

 

Out Stealing Horses is apparently Petterson's masterpiece.  The writing is sparse--certainly not everyone's style.

 

Knock me over with a feather; my library has 5 different titles by Per Petterson in Dutch translation!
To Siberia is going on my reading list.

 

I would suspect that you have more translations from Scandinavian authors than we find in the US. My library has by two Pettersons.

I just checked, my library has two copies by Per Petterson -  I just put Out Stealing Horses on hold. Thanks again group for putting one more author on my horizon. I'm just going to have to get really healthy this year so I can live long enough to read all these books on my tbr pile. :lol:

 

Sending you and everyone good health wishes for 2016.  Living in the South, we had to have our collards and black eyed peas for luck today. 

 

Welcome newcomers!

[Shawneinfl]

Welcome to all the new BaWers. You will find this will become one of your favorite places on WTM. It's pretty much my only hangout here after many years. I was trying to remember if I was on it the year you started in 2009 Robin - hard to believe it's been that long. I didn't start Goodreads until 2012 and I can't remember how I kept track before then.

[athomeontheprairie]

I'm game. I've looked at these threads I the past for inspirations, but mostly I'm in awe of your consistency. I want that consistency. I may read over the 52 books per year, but in spurts. 15 books one month and none the following. I'd like to stay focused.

 

I m still working on a list of books I want to read this year-most are either books my children will be reading or classics I've wanted to read for quite some time .

[marbel]

Is Goodreads how most people here keep track of what they've read ?

 

I keep finding Goodreads confuzzling to navigate...but maybe I just need to give myself a Goodreads intensive.

 

I love Goodreads.  I love seeing friends' book lists and being able to just click to put it on my own list.  I like that I can decide if a particular action I take on Goodreads will show up on facebook, or not (mostly not, but occasionally I do share because I help run a reading group for the women at my church).   

 

Probably plenty of Goodreads users here who can help if you want!

 

[Stacia]

Hi, everyone! You don't know me but I think I'll join in after lurking all these years! ;) :lol:

 

JK! I probably yak way too much on these threads.

 

Welcome to all the newcomers & the regulars too! :seeya:

 

Love these threads partially because we get the real deal on books, ranging from...

 

Not too creepy and no clowns! 

 

to

 

lichen is very readable to me :)

 

Awesome! :thumbup1:

 

Looking forward to a fun reading 2016 with all of you. :grouphug:

 

(I have no idea what I will start with this year. My head & heart are still muddled & my focus left the train about 20 stations ago....) In the meantime, I'll be reading everyone's posts, getting more great ideas (as usual), & cheering you on from the sidelines.

[Chrysalis Academy]

Happy New Year!!

 

 

 

Books 10 and 11 are a slog for me!   :ack2: And Jordan is one of my favorite fantasy writers.  Since you are farther along than Robin ( :p ), I anxiously await you finishing the series. It would be nice to chat about the end with someone.

 

 

 

I just had to comment on this. I thought I was the only person I knew IRL who had read the Wheel of Time series, till this summer, one of my long-term camping buddies mentioned it, and I said, "Oh, yeah, I read that series," and instantly his eyes lit up, he got up and came around the campfire, and we talked for like 45 minutes nonstop.  When he finally took a breath and went off to play cornhole, his wife rolled her eyes and said, "You have no idea how happy I am that he finally found somebody to talk about that series with!"   :lol:  :lol:  :lol:  Poor guy, he needs his own BaW group!!

[mumto2]

Welcome to all our new BaWer's. Glad to see so many new and old friends returning.

 

 

Stephen King's 11/22/1963

 

I have not read Steven King before, but I really enjoyed it.  Not too creepy and no clowns!  I loved the ending and cried.  It was an interesting book involving time travel and "fixing" the past.  It was thoughtful and sweet and I'm glad I read it.  

 

 

 

I read 11/22/63 a few weeks ago and really enjoyed it. I haven't read any of Stephen King's books since I was a teen and had to quit because one really scared me. I love the time travel genre as a whole.....movies, books, tv shows all attract me, and this was a good one. ;) Glad you liked it.

 

Busy day here. We met friend's for a New Years walk and ended up making a wrong turn and added several miles on. Gorgeous day so no problem other than we came home ate a really big lunch and slept the late afternoon away after taking an Alieve for my poor knees, a long walk after the tower climb was too much. I am still reading the same three books that were supposed to finish up 2015. Hopefully will finish something soon.

[Runningmom80]

Seriously I've been trying since 2012 to complete this challenge. I'm thinking 5th times the charm!

 

I'm 40 pages into The Alchemist. My other January books are The Whole Brained Child, Between the World and Me, and Mart Oliver's Dream Work. Oh and I need to read 10% Happier for my book club at work.

 

I'm really commited to this challenge because I'm apply to low-residency MFA programs this summer (for an early 2017 start) and I need to get my pleasure reading in now!

Edited January 1, 2016 by Runningmom80

[Jane in NC]

Seriously I've been trying since 2012 to complete this challenge. I'm thinking 5th times the charm!

 

I'm 40 pages into The Alchemist. My other January books are The Whole Brained Child, Between the World and Me, and Mart Oliver's Dream Work. Oh and I need to read 10% Happier for my book club at work.

 

I'm really commited to this challenge because I'm apply to low-residency MFA programs this summer (for an early 2017 start) and I need to get my pleasure reading in now!

 

Until a day or two ago, I had never heard the term "low-residency program". I had noticed that poet Tony Hoagland is on the faculty of Warren Wilson's low residency MFA program which in turn led me to investigate just what in the heck that meant.  (I am rather charmed by Warren Wilson College so that was part of the impetus.)

 

Anyway, to Runningmom80 I say "Brava and Go Girl!" Good luck to you in the application process!

 

[Angel]

I am out of "likes!"  I guess that is what will happen when you spend a whole day catching up on a whole week's worth  :rolleyes:

 

 

I finished book #2 - The Conqueror by Georgette Heyer.  I grew up reading her Regency romances, and I do love them, but this book really shows off her chops as an excellent writer of historical fiction.  Her research is so meticulous - what people wore, what weapons they carried, what fighting was like, what they ate, how they lived - that it truly makes you feel like you are experiencing the past. And although she was focused on the life of William the Conqueror, up to his crowning as King of England in 1066, she weaves in a really wonderful sub-story that makes you feel what that must have been like, for both Normans and Saxons. I had tears rolling down my cheeks through the end. Which sucks when you are wearing reading glasses!!!  This was a good immersion into start of the HotRW period.

 

Rose, I'm trying to remember how many years ago I read this!  I believe it was my first Heyer!  I was shocked to find out how witty and funny she was when I found her Regency books.  I enjoyed it.  I remember that much, but I did find it a little heavy reading in some parts because of the meticulous research  ;) You do heavy better than I though  :laugh:

 

Is Goodreads how most people here keep track of what they've read ?

 

I keep finding Goodreads confuzzling to navigate...but maybe I just need to give myself a Goodreads intensive.

I joined Goodreads to keep up with my older dd and one of my IRL friends.  I also find it a bit confusing!  Dd was laughing at me today because I only got around to recording 2 books on Goodreads last year so it said I didn't make my goal  :lol:  I'm hoping to figure it out and use it as a resource this year.

 

I just had to comment on this. I thought I was the only person I knew IRL who had read the Wheel of Time series, till this summer, one of my long-term camping buddies mentioned it, and I said, "Oh, yeah, I read that series," and instantly his eyes lit up, he got up and came around the campfire, and we talked for like 45 minutes nonstop.  When he finally took a breath and went off to play cornhole, his wife rolled her eyes and said, "You have no idea how happy I am that he finally found somebody to talk about that series with!"   :lol:  :lol:  :lol:  Poor guy, he needs his own BaW group!!

I have a cousin, the one who introduced me to fantasy really...Eddings and Jordan, but we no longer live close and haven't taken the opportunity to catch up.  Dh says he'll read Eddings one day but isn't interested in Jordan.  One of my friend's husbands has read them all so I have had the opportunity to discuss them a bit with him.  We had similar feelings about the last book.  I'd love it if you pm'd me to tell me what you thought about the last book!

 

I really should stop reading these posts and either start Frankenstein or begin my wrap up! But I'm feeling extremely lazy today!

[Guest]

I'm still working on my wrap-up...

 

Statistics:

 

total books: 431

I don't have any real numerical goals for # of books.  I put 365 in to Goodreads, but that's just the average I usually do in a year, not a goal. 

This is a higher total, but actually and lower number of pages.  I read a lot of plays this year and a number of novellas & chapbooks & other short works. 

 

I count rereads because I want to get a complete picture of my reading year... for the same reason I count any read alouds where I read the whole book to a given child *and* it, in some way, feels part of my inner dialogue...

 

36% female 61% male 3% anthologies or anonymous

 

40% fiction including 44 SFF (of which !half were comfort rereads), 18 read alouds (only ones where I read all of it & it was a part of my reading journey), 110 other

fiction was 61% female

 

53% nonfiction including: 64 poetry (w/even-ish gender balance), 114 plays (of which 107 were by male authors), 9 science, 4 philosophy. 13 history, 3 travel, 21 other

 

30 Torah-related books

 

This year 30% of what I read was in some way inspired by our BaW group... thank you!

 

 

Centuries visited: 19

33% 21^st century (!!) ...30 of those published this year (!!!)

44% 20^th century

31 books from 19^th, 2 from 18^th, 18 books from 17^th, 7 from 16^th, 1-2 each for 10^th-15^th, 1 each for 7^th and 2^nd

15 from the 5^th century BCE & 1-3 for 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th, and 6^th

 

Countries visited: 62

 

40% US (an unusual percentage for me)

21% UK

5% Ancient Greece

 

13 books from Germany, 12 France, 9/ea Italy & Russia, 3-6/ea Poland, Canada, Israel, Spain, China, South Africa, Ukraine, Ireland, Norway, Chile, & Mexico

1-2/ea Ancient Rome, Morocco, Greece, Iceland, Martinique, Nigeria, Netherlands, Cameroon, Portugal, Cuba, Austria, Australia, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Iraq, Yemen, Hungary, Roumania, Trinidad, Belgium, Mauritania, Pakistan, Argentina, Somalia, Lithuania, Japan, Wales, Vietnam, Quebec, Moldova, India, Kyrgyzstan, Brazil, Mali, Libya, Ecuador

 

 

ETA: My Year in Books (could someone let me know if this link works?)

 

Edited January 1, 2016 by Eliana

[Runningmom80]

Until a day or two ago, I had never heard the term "low-residency program". I had noticed that poet Tony Hoagland is on the faculty of Warren Wilson's low residency MFA program which in turn led me to investigate just what in the heck that meant. (I am rather charmed by Warren Wilson College so that was part of the impetus.)

 

Anyway, to Runningmom80 I say "Brava and Go Girl!" Good luck to you in the application process!

 

Thank you! I appreciate that, I'm going to need it. :)

[Alice]

I'm going to try and join in again this year. I always read the books, just end up not posting. 

 

I'm currently reading The Nature of the Beast by Louise Penny. It's the latest in her Armand Gamache mystery series. They are very good and good for this time of year where my brainpower is low but I want an enjoyable read. 

 

I'm looking up books on Africa right now for my kids next unit study so maybe I'll read one of those to go along with the theme of the month. There are several books by Jhumpa Lahiri I've been wanting to read as well, most notably here new one The Lowland. 

 

I also bought myself the new The Well Educated Mind and want to read through it again. I had gotten about halfway through her fiction list and would like to get back to it. I actually loved Don Quixote. It was Moby Dick that killed me. 

[Onceuponatime]

I'm currently reading The Man in the High Castle on my iPad, for my book club,and am reserving judgement till I'm done. When the battery got low I tried starting The Gap of Time, because others had read it recently, it fits my winter theme, and I read The Shakespeare version of A Winter's Tale A little over a Year ago. However, I decided it was a little too "earthy" for me and it didn't hold my interest, so back to the library it goes. I don't know what's next, yet.

[JennW in SoCal]

Welcome to all the new faces!  Just to reiterate -- we don't literally read a book a week or expect anyone to do so, though some like Eliana are overachievers and seem to read multiple books a week! Rather this is a place to share what we are reading and to discover new authors or genres, to step outside our reading comfort zones.

 

I started my New Year by adding to my TBR pile. My favorite local independent bookstore has an annual tradition of opening for 4 hours on New Year's Day in order to give discounts to its loyal customers. It's their one sale a year.  I didn't buy everything pressed into my hands today by my bookish friends who work there, but came home with some new titles. I'll share as I get to them in the coming weeks!

 

I'm determined to finish my last 2015 book today, the audio version of Alexander McCall Smith's Emma. I'm still getting a kick out of it. It isn't something you can take too seriously, rather you just have to enjoy it as well written and funny fluff. The reviews I've read from Goodreads posts to the NYT review are far too critical, and I think miss the point of it just being a breezy and light retelling.  

 

And to start the year off, here's a photo of my wintertime reading corner, with my current stack of books, the scarf I'm crocheting for my dh and the lovely yarn bowl he got me for Christmas.  The fireplace is just to the side, making this a cozy spot to stay for hours! (And yes, it has been so cold in Southern California the last few weeks that we've needed that fireplace going every evening!)

 

[Guest]

21^st : Guantanamo Diary

20^th: Beginning of Spring

19^th: Eugene Onegin

18^th: Iphigenia in Tauris (Goethe) [different translation]

17^th: The Solitudes

16^th: Shoemaker's Holiday

15^th: Everyman

14th: Death of King Arthur

13th: Travels of Marco Polo

12th: Song of Igor's Campaign

11th: Maldon & Brunnaburgh

10th: from The Meadows of Gold

7^th: Mountain Poems

2^nd : Meditations

 

 

BCE:

 

3rd-1st: Tamil poetry anthology

 

2nd: Pseudolus

3rd: Jason & The Argonauts

4th: Timaeus

5th: Aias

6th: If Not Winter

 

Will try to do a representative sampling of countries read after shabbos + answer the other questions!

 

[mellifera33]

I'm back, after slacking off the second half of last year. I only finished 34 books, but I am sure that is more than I finished in 2014. I started Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie over a month ago, and put it down. Maybe I'll finish that for my January tour of India book. :) I think that I have a Goodreads account, but I have never used it. Maybe I should learn. Is there an app? That would make things simpler. 

[Chris in VA]

Dipping a toe in here...

 

I'm not that big a reader anymore, because I've become super-picky. I don't like romances, a lot of fantasy (but Game of Thrones is fun for me), or Oprah-like weepers. I can't handle the emotional intensity--but books like The Lovely Bones are wonderful for me, so maybe a few are ok!

So, who knows what is going on my list. I will be excited to hear your reviews so I can choose better books.

 

I'm starting simply, with a re-read of 1000 Gifts, and my One-Year Bible (so I'll read from that all year).

I made a list from your recap thread, and I'm looking forward to exploring some of the titles you've all listed.

 

What looks intriguing so far:

 

No Country for Old Men (loved the movie)

A Moveable Feast

Carry the Ocean

Finding Zoe

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Being Mortal

Between the World and Me

Wild

The Good Lord Bird (simply because the cover is pretty)

 

I do some professional reading, so some nonfiction is a given, probably including books on Reggio education.

 

I have a feeling I'll be the Thread Slacker, so i'll just hang along the periphery until I can acquire the habit of reading more fully.

[mellifera33]

 

 

 Oprah-like weepers.

 

This has got to be my least-favorite genre. lol 

[marbel]

 

I have a feeling I'll be the Thread Slacker, so i'll just hang along the periphery until I can acquire the habit of reading more fully.

 

Oh no no, I think I claim that title!   I suppose we can share it.   :lol:

 

[Narrow Gate Academy]

I took a hiatus from the boards this past year but I'd love to rejoin the challenge for this year.

 

I haven't read Peretti in several years, so I dug in my closet and found This Present Darkness for starters.

 

For challenges, I'll try the Dusty/Chunky challenge and the WEM challenge.

[Just Robyn]

Yay! This thread is up! 

 

OK, so I started The Forest Unseen: A Year's Watch in Nature yesterday. Blatantly copying Chrysalis Academy and planning to read it through the year. Convinced dh to order some copies in to the bookstore. Very happy Jan 1 entry talked about lichen; lichen is very readable to me :)

 

 

I like this idea, and they've got it at my library. I'll check it out tomorrow and maybe join you guys!

[marbel]

I like this idea, and they've got it at my library. I'll check it out tomorrow and maybe join you guys!

 

I'm intrigued by this too.  I don't buy many books, but I have it requested from the library.  I've also had the sample sent to my kindle so I can read a little of it to decide if it's a keeper.

 

[Robin M]

Alrighty. I've put away all the Christmas decorations, cleaned the house and reclaimed my cozy reading and writing spot.  Just waiting for the pork chops to defrost and hubby to get back from his 10k walk.  Tomorrow will officially be a lazy day and I'll be able to dive into A Suitable Boy.   

 

 

And last night I finally finished Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.  I had been working on that for months!  Harry fit right into my theme of immature, whiny boys in my reading this year  :lol:   How annoying!  He just needs a good beating in books 4 and 5!  I am looking forward to book 6, however,  as I enjoy it!  Dumbledore, as always, had many profound quotes but I have yet to master the art of marking quotes on Aly's Kindle.

 

:svengo: Poor Harry! 

 

Books 10 and 11 are a slog for me!    :ack2: And Jordan is one of my favorite fantasy writers.  Since you are farther along than Robin (  :p ), I anxiously await you finishing the series. It would be nice to chat about the end with someone.

Yep, you'll be waiting awhile. As scotty would say "I'm givin her all she's got, captain."

 

 

 

Welcome back, Marbel.  Stations Eleven is definitely a page turner. I couldn't put it down either.  Don't worry about the rules. Set your own goal and work towards it. 

 

Welcome Tawlas  - we have a lot of folks who read multiple books at one time. 

 

Welcome back Wendy - I think you've sold me on King's 11/22/63.

 

Sadie - Picked up So Long, See You Tomorrow and read it in one go. Gorgeous prose. Like drinking water, and it's only the clear coolness of the water than makes you realise you were thirsty. I nearly cried at the tender audacity of the shift, towards the end, to the (fictional) dog's pov - and you will just have to read it to understand why that would be so.

 

Beautifully said.

 

Angelaboord - how neat that both you and Sadie read Neurotribes.  I'll put in on my wishlist. 

 

 

Rose - Ok, looking at the Bingo - help me out with the "dusty" category.  Does this mean an old book? A book off your shelves? Something you haven't read before, but has been sitting around?  I'm thinking The Conqueror counts as my dusty book, in that I read this same copy as a kid in my mom's house 30-some years ago, and it has traveled in boxes from So Cal to Ohio to No Cal, and finally ended up in my storage room when my folks moved back to So Cal.  I literally had to blow the dust off of it, and scrape off a few spider carcasses, before I could re-read it.  So I'm thinking it qualifies!   :laugh:

 

Yes, yes and yes.  I think you figured it out. Any book that has been sitting on your shelves being ignored for a while.  I think you get the prize for the dustiest yet.  

 

 

Shawn - Welcome to all the new BaWers. You will find this will become one of your favorite places on WTM. It's pretty much my only hangout here after many years. I was trying to remember if I was on it the year you started in 2009 Robin - hard to believe it's been that long. I didn't start Goodreads until 2012 and I can't remember how I kept track before then.

 

Kay, who's no longer here, get the credit for starting 52 books in 2009 and end up taking I took it over mid year and started a blog to go with it and it kind of grew from there. 

 

 

AthomeonthePraire - Welcome, glad you decided to dive in.  

 

:grouphug:  Stacia!

 

 

 Runningmom:  I'm really commited to this challenge because I'm apply to low-residency MFA programs this summer (for an early 2017 start) and I need to get my pleasure reading in now! 

 

 

Welcome Runningmom.  Good luck with your application and yes, you'll definitely need to get in your pleasure reading now.  I'm working on MFA certificate through Writers Village University online and even though its more informal, it is a lot of work.  I explored a few low residency programs - we have one close by in Lake Tahoe but just not in the finances right now. 

 

 

Eliana -  Awesome and I like that you managed to keep track.  

 

 

Welcome Alice - Thank you, I was trying to remember Louise Penny's name because I wanted to read the next book in the series. It's been a while, obviously.   :laugh:    I'm midway through SWB WEM fiction list as well. I liked Quixote as well. For those who haven't read Moby Dick, we're giving him another go this year in July.  

 

 

OnceUponATime -- looking forward to hearing what you think about Man in the High Castle. I have it on the shelves waiting!