Book a Week 2016 - BW52 - 2016 it's a wrap!

[Chrysalis Academy]

Here you go, Rose. It's not fiction but you can't get more banana-in-the-title basic than this  :lol:

 

Oops, cross-posted and didn't see that Jenn also suggested this.

 

Great minds think alike!

 

Rose, just in case you haven't noticed Stacia actually incorporated the bingo Robin made into your special 240 bingo. We simply took Robin's squares and expanded a wee bit. :D

 

I did notice that!  And I appreciate it, believe me!  :D

[Robin M]

:party:  :party:  :party:

 

The best Christmas present! It's been six months in the making with lots of stress and lots of jumping through hoops. It's official...we have the key. We just closed on the business property to move the business and we also have a tenant. Fun times ahead and planning and renovating while sorting, throwing away and packing up a business that's been in the same spot for 28 years. Fortunately, the new spot is just two miles away on the same busy thoroughfare. No more leasing... We are doing the happy dance tonight!

[Jane in NC]

Congrats Robin! Best of luck with the move into the new site.

[aggieamy]

:party:  :party:  :party:

 

The best Christmas present! It's been six months in the making with lots of stress and lots of jumping through hoops. It's official...we have the key. We just closed on the business property to move the business and we also have a tenant. Fun times ahead and planning and renovating while sorting, throwing away and packing up a business that's been in the same spot for 28 years. Fortunately, the new spot is just two miles away on the same busy thoroughfare. No more leasing... We are doing the happy dance tonight!

 

What wonderful news!  I know you have been stressed about that and I'm glad that's behind you now.  Just adventures ahead!  Well ... and lots of packing.

[Stacia]

Yay, Robin!

 

Huge happy hugs for you!!! So exciting!

[mumto2]

Robin, Great News!!!!!

[melmichigan]

Congrats Robin!

 

[Loesje22000]

:party: :party: :party:

 

The best Christmas present! It's been six months in the making with lots of stress and lots of jumping through hoops. It's official...we have the key. We just closed on the business property to move the business and we also have a tenant. Fun times ahead and planning and renovating while sorting, throwing away and packing up a business that's been in the same spot for 28 years. Fortunately, the new spot is just two miles away on the same busy thoroughfare. No more leasing... We are doing the happy dance tonight!

Enjoy your happy dance!

[ErinE]

Congratulations, Robin!!

[Chrysalis Academy]

Robin, that's so great! I'm really happy for you.

[Penguin]

(Snip)

Maybe I'll try two a month - 24. That should be somewhat doable...

...

Matryoshka, I am on this thread for reasons similar to those you have mentioned. Between spending my time learning Danish, reading what I need to read for homeschool, and allowing the internet to trick me into thinking that I am reading all the time, my book count for 2016 is (at best) disheartening.

 

I am going to play the bingo game, but TRY not to pressure myself into getting the blackout - which IIRC is 25 books (?). I already had some reading projects planned for 2017, and they don't all fit the bingo card. And I am still on the path to reading fluency in Danish, so those reads are very slow.

Edited December 30, 2016 by Penguin

[Mom-ninja.]

Sure. No worries. As long as the book itself is over 200 pages, then it works. I sort of pulled 8 hours out of my hat.   :leaving:  

 I usually pull things out of my butt. You are much more a lady than I am. 

 

Congrats on your great news! I wish you success in your new space. 

 

 

 

And Amy, just wow. 

 

 

 

 

Note to self: do not read dystopian at bedtime. It will keep you awake. And scared. 

[Lady Florida.]

Congratulations Robin! What a great way to start the new year!  :party:

[shukriyya]

Wonderful, Robin! Wishing you ease in the transition. 

[Ethel Mertz]

Excellent news, Robin! Congratulations!

[shukriyya]

Moving along at a steady clip with The Firebird. Dare I begin to hope I've reclaimed my reading chops? 

 

Ds and I will have our own reading challenge going this year. He reads at about triple the pace I do but his academic workload is considerably more than mine so we'll be pretty evenly matched  :lol: He's already finished the book I mentioned a day or two ago, Sea of Ink and Gold, Book 1 and is feeling quite chuffed about it as this mama plods along only 50% of the way through her current read. In other challenges to be met I'm hoping to finish dh's hat by the end of next week and will post a pic if I do 

[Butter]

Note to self: do not read dystopian at bedtime. It will keep you awake. And scared. 

 

Maybe that's why I literally cannot put dystopian books down at night.  I'm too afraid to stop reading until it's done!

[Mom-ninja.]

Maybe that's why I literally cannot put dystopian books down at night.  I'm too afraid to stop reading until it's done!

 

Unfortunately, the group fighting against the big bad guys are a group of 16 yr olds. It didn't help my mindset last night what with my eldest who turns 16 in less than a month. I kept picturing him in a war zone, sustaining injuries, and making the choices the characters faced. That will keep any mama awake.

 

I can read such books during the day just fine; once the sun goes down I can't. 

 

I'm trying to finish the book before the year is over.

Edited December 30, 2016 by Mom-ninja.

[Chrysalis Academy]

 

Note to self: do not read dystopian at bedtime. It will keep you awake. And scared. 

 

Do tell! What were you reading?  :bigear:

[JennW in SoCal]

 

 

:party:  :party:  :party:

 

The best Christmas present! It's been six months in the making with lots of stress and lots of jumping through hoops. It's official...we have the key. We just closed on the business property to move the business and we also have a tenant. Fun times ahead and planning and renovating while sorting, throwing away and packing up a business that's been in the same spot for 28 years. Fortunately, the new spot is just two miles away on the same busy thoroughfare. No more leasing... We are doing the happy dance tonight!

 

Congratulations!  Sounds like a busy but very promising way to start off the new year with renovating and packing and moving.  You've reached a new level of mastery in hoop-jumping -- nothing can stop you now!

 

 

And before the New Year madness sets in on these threads, I want to share a few of the fun books I got for Christmas. Thought my fellow quilters and knitters would appreciate these. 

 

                  

 

            

[Jane in NC]

 

Congratulations! Sounds like a busy but very promising way to start off the new year with renovating and packing and moving. You've reached a new level of mastery in hoop-jumping -- nothing can stop you now!

 

 

And before the New Year madness sets in on these threads, I want to share a few of the fun books I got for Christmas. Thought my fellow quilters and knitters would appreciate these.

 

 

Coveting In the Footsteps of Sheep! I have some B&N gift card money that I may spend on that.

 

All of my Xmas sewing, knitting and embroidery was finished before my cataract surgery with the exception of one piece: a French string bag that I am knitting from an indigo dyed linen. I just need to finish the strap and I can give it to a friend. My next knitting project is a cowl for me from a hand dyed silk and yak (!) blend that I bought in Seattle.

[Stacia]

Amy, your charts & graphs are awesome!

 

:thumbup1:

 

ETA: Your 2017 mission, should you choose to accept it -- find some way of categorizing your 2017 reads so that by the end of 2017, you can create a pie chart that is equally divided into eight sections. (I was going to say six, but that might be too easy!) You can select any categories, but it all must make sense, pie-chart-wise.

 

<bwa-ha-ha...!>

Edited December 30, 2016 by Stacia

[Stacia]

I requested a book & it came in today.

 

I didn't realize it's 700+ pages. :svengo:

 

:lol:

 

I'm getting over food poisoning & am very run down. I worked a few hours this morning, but wanted to come home, put on my pjs, chill, & read. Not sure 700+ pages is what I can handle right now. It looks really good though. Hopefully after a nap, my mind can focus.

 

(And because I know curious minds want to know, it's another book I saw on NPR's list of best books of 2016: By Gaslight by Steven Price.)

 

[Angelaboord]

I requested a book & it came in today.

 

I didn't realize it's 700+ pages. :svengo:

 

:lol:

 

I'm getting over food poisoning & am very run down. I worked a few hours this morning, but wanted to come home, put on my pjs, chill, & read. Not sure 700+ pages is what I can handle right now. It looks really good though. Hopefully after a nap, my mind can focus.

 

(And because I know curious minds want to know, it's another book I saw on NPR's list of best books of 2016: By Gaslight by Steven Price.)

 

 

That's on my TBR list, too, from the same place.

 

Hope you feel good enough to tackle it soon!!

 

And congrats to Robin!!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[mumto2]

 

Congratulations! Sounds like a busy but very promising way to start off the new year with renovating and packing and moving. You've reached a new level of mastery in hoop-jumping -- nothing can stop you now!

 

 

And before the New Year madness sets in on these threads, I want to share a few of the fun books I got for Christmas. Thought my fellow quilters and knitters would appreciate these.

 

 

I love your books!!!! I started reading In the Footsteps of Sheep back in October but had to set it aside. It's a book that needs notes taken when I read it. Lots of travel tips that I felt the need to record. It's on my list for February.....

 

Landscape quilting is so pretty. I went to a demonstration a couple of years ago and keep running into my notes. Another thing that's on the list, but probably more my 2018 list. Let me know what you think about the book.

 

We went on a long walk today. It was sunny but cold and slippery. I spent awhile trying to finish a Mrs. Bradley mystery called Longer Bodies. I recorded it into my count then discovered it was sadly lacking in Mrs. Bradley. :( At 51% she has finally arrived on the scene. Hoping it gets better! Due to boredom I have started and like 3 other books. I also started listening to Norwegian Wood. So far it's engaging but no idea where it's going, I haven't even read the description recently.

[Loesje22000]

Intriging book! just not translated yet ..... :)

 

@Matroyska

Do you mind YA christian dystopian (if such a thing exists)?

 

https://www.amazon.de/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_3_13?__mk_nl_NL=ÅMÅŽÕÑ&url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=lydia+schwarz+die+kreuzträgerin&sprefix=Lydia+Schwarz%2Caps%2C153&crid=19VE7MFEXD0WV

 

We've only read part 1 in Dutch, as dd is not confident yet in reading such a book in German, but we both liked it very much.

So we are waiting for that translating too.

[mumto2]

I requested a book & it came in today.

 

I didn't realize it's 700+ pages. :svengo:

 

:lol:

 

I'm getting over food poisoning & am very run down. I worked a few hours this morning, but wanted to come home, put on my pjs, chill, & read. Not sure 700+ pages is what I can handle right now. It looks really good though. Hopefully after a nap, my mind can focus.

 

(And because I know curious minds want to know, it's another book I saw on NPR's list of best books of 2016: By Gaslight by Steven Price.)

 

I hope you feel better soon. By Gaslight looks great. I put it on hold which will take awhile. Looking forward to your opinion on it. One of the books I'm reading is Complication. So far I think I like it. The interview scenes are confusing but the other parts I like.

[Nan in Mass]

Swallows and Amazons?

 

It's been on my to-read list forever and I have a vague memory of someone saying that it was all about sailing.

We loved Swallows and Amazons. : ) The ones I read did not at all strike me as being unseaworthy.

 

Nan

[Stacia]

So far, By Gaslight is perfect for reading while curled up under a blanket in the ending days of December. Loving it.

 

A magnificent literary historical-suspense novel in the tradition of Eleanor Catton's The Luminaries, Patrick DeWitt's The Sisters Brothers, and Michael Faber's The Crimson Petal and the White, By Gaslight is destined to be one of the most acclaimed and talked-about books of the year.

London, 1885. In a city of fog and darkness, the notorious thief Edward Shade exists only as a ghost, a fabled con, a thief of other men's futures -- a man of smoke. William Pinkerton is already famous, the son of a brutal detective, when he descends into the underworld of Victorian London in pursuit of a new lead. His father died without ever tracing Shade; William, still reeling from his loss, is determined to drag the thief out of the shadows. Adam Foole is a gentleman without a past, haunted by a love affair ten years gone. When he receives a letter from his lost beloved, he returns to London in search of her; what he learns of her fate, and its connection to the man known as Shade, will force him to confront a grief he thought long-buried. What follows is a fog-enshrouded hunt through sewers, opium dens, drawing rooms, and seance halls. Above all, it is the story of the most unlikely of bonds: between William Pinkerton, the greatest detective of his age, and Adam Foole, the one man who may hold the key to finding Edward Shade.

Epic in scope, brilliantly conceived, and stunningly written, Steven Price's By Gaslight is a riveting, atmospheric portrait of two men on the brink. Moving from the diamond mines of South Africa to the battlefields of the Civil War, the novel is a journey into a cityscape of grief, trust, and its breaking, where what we share can bind us even against our darker selves.

 

[Stacia]

mumto2, looking forward to more of your comments & impressions of Complication.

[Rosie_0801]

I finished History of the Renaissance World with 6 hours to spare. :)

[Rosie_0801]

My final list, because I'm not starting a new book with 6 hours of the year left. I'm gonna watch Dr Who reruns instead. He's just regenerated for the first time. 

1. Equal Rites, Terry Pratchett (read aloud to my mum! Who thoroughly enjoyed it, but couldn't be bothered to listen to any more. Strange woman.)

2. Shadow of a Dark Queen, Raymond E. Feist

3. The Last Bow and other stories, Arthur Conan Doyle.

4. Rise of a Merchant Prince, Raymond E. Feist

5. The Story of King Arthur and His Knights, Howard Pyle (read aloud to dd)

 

6. Rage of a Demon King, Raymond E. Feist

7. Shards of a Broken Crown, Raymond E. Feist

8. Am I Black Enough for You? Anita Heiss (I'd like to read more of hers.)

9. How Eskimos Keep their Babies Warm: Parenting wisdom from around the world, Mei-Ling Hopgood (a pretty dumb book, but I needed fluff)

10. Opals (the book that went along with the museum exhibition)

 

11. The Stories of Eva Luna, Isabel Allende

12. That Sugar Book, Damon Gameau

13. The Language of Baklava, Diana Abu-Jaber

14. Snugglepot and Cuddlepie, May Gibbs (read aloud)

15. Will & Me: How Shakespeare took over my life, Dominic Dromgoole

 

16. Where the Streets Had Names, Randa Abdel-Fattah (Not her usual teen/chick lit. This will be scheduled reading for SOTW4.)

17. The Mill on the Floss, George Eliot

18. How the Brain Learns Mathematics, David A. Sousa

19. The Secrets of Jin-Shei, Alma Alexander (Quite an appealing idea.)

20. The Embers of Heaven, Alma Alexander

 

21. The Fat of the Land, John Seymour

22. The Holistic Orchard, Michael Phillips

23. Love Letters of Great Men, v1 (Heh, some really like to share their effusiveness around. There were letters from one gentleman to three different ladies.)

24. The Three Musketeers, Alexandre Dumas (Better than I expected.)

25. Raising Girls, Steve Biddulph

 

26. The Borrowers, Mary Norton (read aloud)

27. Fabled Cities, Princes and Jinns From Arabic Myths and Legends (read aloud)

28. Mort, Terry Pratchett

29. The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, Terry Pratchett

30. 101 Dalmatians, Dodie Smith (read aloud)

 

31. Reaper Man, Terry Pratchett

32. Sourcery, Terry Pratchett

33. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett

34. The Australian Beekeeping Manual, Robert Owen

35. The Colour of Magic, Terry Pratchett

 

36. The Light Fantastic, Terry Pratchett

37. Witches Abroad, Terry Pratchett

38. Lords and Ladies, Terry Pratchett

39. Eric, Terry Pratchett

40. Crow Country, by Kate Constable (Not great, but set in our electorate. )

 

41. Black Beauty, by Anna Sewell (read aloud)

42. What a Plant Knows, David Chamowitz (I was delighted to read this because his accent was so unpleasant I had to drop his Coursera course.)

43. A slip of the Keyboard: Collected Non-Fiction (Terry Pratchett)

44. Women of the Gobi: Journeys of the Silk Road, Kate James (I really enjoyed this.)

45. Joy of Business, Simone Milasas (Pep talk stuff and I needed a pep talk. Usually I don't and would want to bite it.)

 

46. The Circus is Coming, Noel Streatfeild (read aloud)

47. Beyond the Oxus: The Central Asians, by Monica Whitlock (Really enjoyed this one too.)

48. Stargirl, Jerry Spinelli (Nice book with a depressing ending.)

49. Small Business for Dummies, Veechi Curtis (Interesting and informative, but really not enjoyable, lol.)

50. The Man Who Turned into a Rastafarian, Masimba Musodza (Different. I'm glad I read it.)

 

51. Dark Emu, Bruce Pascoe (Best book of the year! I donated to his crowdfunding campaign too, which I was glad to find out has succeeded just yesterday!)

52. History of the Renaissance World, Susan Wise Bauer *phew*

[Robin M]

I finished History of the Renaissance World with 6 hours to spare. :)

Woot woot!!!!

[Shawneinfl]

Does anyone else feel a weird satisfaction that this year ends on a Saturday and we start fresh with a seven day week? :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

[Chrysalis Academy]

Does anyone else feel a weird satisfaction that this year ends on a Saturday and we start fresh with a seven day week? :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

 

Yes, I was noticing and appreciating that myself!  And also how funny the obsession with calendars can be.  I have a whole stack of books I keep telling myself I MUST. NOT. START. till Sunday.  But why???

 

On that note, I did finish my final book of 2016: Cleopatra & Antony: Power, Love and Politics in the Ancient World.  I really enjoyed it, better than Stacey Shiff's Cleopatra: A Life.  Shannon and I are reading Shakespeare's Roman plays, and I wanted something that covered both the Julius Caesar and the Antony episodes and talked about Cleopatra's story in the context of the greater Roman world, and this book did exactly that. What a fascinating woman. I hate that it's so hard to get the image of Liz Taylor out of my head when I picture her . . .  anyway, this is recommended to anyone who'd like to get "the real scoop" behind the Shakespeare plays. Plutarch is hardly an impartial source!  

 

It also reiterates my impression that Octavian/Augustus was quite a piece of work.

 

ETA: Rosie, I'm jealous! It's already 2017 there.

 

Oh, yeah, and here's my final Year in Books.

Edited December 31, 2016 by Chrysalis Academy

[Jane in NC]

Note to Stacia:  Include Susan Howatch on Rose's 2018 bingo card.  

 

Jane (who believes in long term planning)

[aggieamy]

Amy, your charts & graphs are awesome!

 

:thumbup1:

 

ETA: Your 2017 mission, should you choose to accept it -- find some way of categorizing your 2017 reads so that by the end of 2017, you can create a pie chart that is equally divided into eight sections. (I was going to say six, but that might be too easy!) You can select any categories, but it all must make sense, pie-chart-wise.

 

<bwa-ha-ha...!>

 

Captain Stacia - I accept your mission with relish! 

 

I requested a book & it came in today.

 

I didn't realize it's 700+ pages. :svengo:

 

:lol:

 

I'm getting over food poisoning & am very run down. I worked a few hours this morning, but wanted to come home, put on my pjs, chill, & read. Not sure 700+ pages is what I can handle right now. It looks really good though. Hopefully after a nap, my mind can focus.

 

(And because I know curious minds want to know, it's another book I saw on NPR's list of best books of 2016: By Gaslight by Steven Price.)

 

 

I hope you are feeling much much better this morning.  Ugh.  Food poisoning is awful. 

 

DH was reading over my shoulder as I looked at this thread and thought that cover looked awesome.  We both eagerly await your review. 

[Wheres Toto]

I didn't participate in these weekly threads often, but I did finish my book challenge.  I read 49 books for individual categories and a bunch Just for Fun, for a total of 152 books.  I'm setting up new categories for 2017 since I don't want to repeat if I can help it.  

I found it a lot of fun.  I was trying to expand outside of my science fiction/fantasy/dystopian and romance genre ruts.  I kind of succeeded but you'll still see a lot of those in this list.  2017 I may try to only use one book from a series in the categories.  I feel like that was a bit of a cop-out.   But, it was also a very very rough year (multiple deaths, accidents, angst), and my first challenge so I'm going to cut myself some slack.

 

Looks like I started New Year's Eve last year.  I'm not starting my official 2017 list until tomorrow.

 

a book that was made into a movie: THE LOVELY BONES by Alice Sebold - 12/31/15
-a book written by someone under 30 years old CINDER by Marissa Meyer -1/1/16
-a book over 500 pages BEAUTIFUL CREATURES by Garcia and Stohl-1/3/16
-a book from the NY Times bestseller list BAZAAR OF BROKEN DREAMS - Stephen King -1/7/16
-a book based on a fairy tale DOROTHY MUST DIE by Danielle Page-1/8/16
-a book with a color in the title SCARLET by Marissa Meyer -1/15/16
-a book set in the future CRESS by Marissa Meyer -1/16/15
-a book with a one-word title WINTER by Marissa Meyer - 1/17/16
-a book by an author you love ASHLEY BELL by Dean Koontz - 1/24/16
-a book by an author you've never read before THE VAMPIRE’S MAIL ORDER BRIDE by Kristen Painter - 1/25/16
-a book with non-human main characters THE WEREWOLF MEETS HIS MATCH by Kristen Painter
- 1/26/16 -a book you can finish in a day THE GARGOYLE GETS HIS GIRL by Kristen Painter 1/27/16
-a book published this year THE VAMPIRES FAKE FIANCEE by Kristen Painter 1/30/16
-a book set in your home state THE DAY WE MET 2/26/16
-a book you can finish in a day AN ECLAIR TO REMEMBER 2/22/16
-a graphic novel or manga THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMAN 3/10/16
-a book written by a celebrity BOSSYPANTS BY TINA FEY 3/14/16
-a book with a number in the title I AM NUMBER FOUR 3/16/16
-a book with a lion a witch or a wardrobe ANY WITCH WAY YOU CAN 3/18/16
-a book with a female heroine THE POWER OF SIX 3/30/16
-a book set on a different continent - PHOENIX AND ASHES 4/19/16
-a book with a great first line - THE MARTIAN 6/1/16
-a popular author's first book - MISS PEREGRINE’S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN 6/16
-a book based on a true story - EAT PRAY LOVE -7/2/16
-nonfiction - DUMBING US DOWN - 7/4/16
a book that has been made into a tv series - THE SECRET CIRCLE (BOOK 1)-7/12/16
a book from your childhood - HOUSE OF STAIRS - 8/5/16
a book written by someone with your first name - THE UNEXPECTED MRS. POLLIFAX by Dorothy Gilman - 8/15/16
a book set somewhere you always wanted to visit - THE BOOK OF LOST THINGS - 8/24/16 a book your friend loves - THE BOOK OF PHOENIX - 8/26/16
a book with a LGBT main character - HUNTRESS - 8/28/16
a self-help book - SPARK JOY - 9/4/16
a play - THE CRUCIBLE - 9/8/16
a book of short stories - A KNOT IN THE GRAIN AND OTHER STORIES - 9/10/16
a book with antonyms in the title - SERIOUSLY...I’M KIDDING - 9/15/16
a book set in a culture you are unfamiliar with - THE NO. 1 LADIES DETECTIVE AGENCY - 9/18/16
-a book written over 100 years ago PRIDE AND PREJUDICE 10/5/16
a banned book - THE LOTTERY AND OTHER STORIES - 10/7/16
a book you started but never finished - HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE - 10/13/16
a book "everyone" but you has read - HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS - 10/17/16
a book of poems - OLD POSSUM’S BOOK OF PRACTICAL CATS - 11/6/16
a classic romance - THE PRINCESS BRIDE - 11/7/16
a book originally written in a different language - INKHEART - 11/13/16
a book you own but haven't read - THE RED PYRAMID - 11/30/16
a memoir - IF YOU ASK ME (AND OF COURSE YOU WON’T) - 12/6/16
a book set in the summer - A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM - 12/10/16
a book you pick from the cover - STATION ELEVEN - 12/15/16
a book written the year you were born - HIGH SORCERY - 12/19/16
a book that you were supposed to read in school but didn't - LAKE WOBEGON DAYS - 12/27/16

Just For Fun: PROTECTING CAROLINE by Susan Stoker(light romance)-1/8/16 THE PROFESSOR WOOS THE WITCH by Kristen Painter 1/28/16 THE VAMPIRES FAKE FIANCEE by Kristen Painter 1/30/16 PAYBACK AND A BOTTLE OF MERLOT - Feb 2016 RENT A HUSBAND - Feb 2016 SWEET REUNION - Feb 2016 OPERATION DATE ESCAPE - Feb 2016 ONE NIGHT WITH HER ROOMMATE - Feb 2016 UNWILLING EXECUTIVE - Mar 2016 ALPHABET DATING - Mar 2016 SINCE THE SIRENS - Mar 2016 THE DAY WE MET - Mar 2016 EVERY WITCH WAY BUT WICKED - Mar 2016 WITCHING YOU WERE HERE - Mar 2016 WITCHING ON A STAR - Mar 2016 SOMETHING TO WITCH ABOUT - Mar 2016 WITCH ME LUCK - Mar 2016 LIFE’S A WITCH - Mar 2016 WITCHY TALES - Mar 2016 DRAGONBANE - April 2016 THE RISE OF NINE - Mar 2016 THE FALL OF FIVE - Mar 2016 THE REVENGE OF SEVEN - Apr 2016 THE FATE OF TEN - Apr 2016 LEATHER, LACE AND ROCK & ROLL - Apr 2016 OUTSPOKEN ANGEL - Apr 2016 FREAKY BY NATURE - Apr 2016 THE FIRE ROSE - Apr 2016 LADIES OF MANDRIGAN - Apr 2016 COLE - May 2016 MASON - May 2016 The REINVENTION OF MIMI FLANAGAN - May 2016 LIAR - May 2016 DIRE STRAITS - May 2016 DOG WITH A BONE - May 2016 DEAD RISING - May 2016 INFLUENTIAL MAGIC - May 2016 FORBIDDEN - May 2016 ALL FOR A ROSE - May 2016 THE KEEPERS - May 2016 LUCIEN May 2016 THE 5TH WAVE - May 2016 LOVE LIES AND A DOUBLE SHOT OF DECEPTION - June 2016 THE ANGEL CRAVED LOBSTER - June 2016 THE VEGA BROTHERS (4 BOOKS) - June 2016 THOSE WHO REMAIN (3 BOOKS) - June 2016 SEALED WITH A KISS - June 2016 LONG SHOT - June 2016 SETTLING UP - July 2016 THE SECRET CIRCLE (BOOK 2) - July 2016 JACK - July 2016 FLARE - July2016 MOTION FOR MURDER - August 2016 JULIAN - August 2016 THE TICKET - August 2016 CINDERELLA ATE MY DAUGHTER - August 2016 GLORY IN DEATH - August 2016 NAKED IN DEATH - August 2016 DRAGON SECURITY (6 books) - September 2016 ALL OF ME - September 2016 ACHERON - September 2016 WATCH ME - September 2016 WANT ME - September 2016 NEED ME - October 2016 REINVENTING MONA - September 2016 THE WEDDING TRAP - September 2016 HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN - October 2016 HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE - October 2016 HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF PHOENIX - October 2016 THE ROOMMATE - October 2016 BLAKE SECURITY SERIES (5 BOOKS) - November 2016 THE TICKET - November 2016 SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES - November 2016 UGLIES - November 2016 THRONE OF FIRE - December 2016 SERPENTS SHADOW - December 2016 PROTECTING ALABAMA - December 2016 PROTECTING FIONA - December 2016 RAINING MEN AND CORPSES - December 2016

[ErinE]

My 2016 books read. I don't think I'll finish up any more books this year as I don't have any books in progress that are close to being finished.

 

My book analysis since I started tracking in May is below. My reading definitely dropped off in the summer since we spent July and August with family. I was also watching more television as there was a set in our bedroom and my DH likes to watch until he's sleepy.

 

My biggest surprise was how few romance novels I read. Usually I read at least 1 or 2 a month.

 

I read more books on writing than I remembered. I went through a period where I was reading writing books constantly, but now I'm focused on actually writing as opposed to reading about writing.

 

I really enjoyed the magical realism genre so I'm hoping to include more in 2017. The lone Western was when I was visiting family and didn't have as much access to books.

 

The number of history and science books was right about where I thought it should be. I try to have at least one book in each category in progress. I like SWB's reading categories for kids (literature, science, history, poetry, craft, and fun) and I try to follow it for my own reading. I failed in the poetry category though if I substitute short story anthologies, I did well. 

 

I definitely read more older books than usual thanks to Book-A-Week bingo. Otherwise, Dante's Inferno would have been the only pre-1890 book.

 

151 books total. May includes two read in prior months.

May: 29

June: 26

July: 10

August: 8

September: 12

October: 27

November: 19

December: 20

 

FICTION GENRES

Science Fiction: 20

Fantasy: 42

Urban Fantasy: 7

Magical Realism: 4

Dystopian: 3

Horror: 16

Weird: 2

Romance: 2

Historical Fiction: 2

Western: 1

Classics: 5

Literature: 6

Mythology: 2

 

NON FICTION GENRES

Writing: 7

Science: 10

History: 13

Philosophy: 3

Biography: 1

Memoir: 5

 

PUBLISHED YEAR

1300s: 1

1600s: 1

1700s: 1

1800s: 1

1900s: 37

2000s up to 2014: 70

2015: 27

2016: 24

Edited December 31, 2016 by ErinE

[Butter]

#131: Yesterday I finished reading Sign of the Green Dragon by C. Lee McKenzie to the boys.  I was contacted by the author a few weeks ago asking if we'd read and review it and sent me the ebook free.  It's a solid 4 star book.  The premise is three 11-year-old boys stumble upon a chest with a mysterious note inside.  This leads them to look for the promised treasure.  They end up in a small town where they meet a man and his uncle who live in a house built right into an old mine.  As they learn more about the man who wrote the note in the 1800s, they become more determined to find the treasure.  A lot of Chinese culture and dragons get involved.  It's really a good book for middle graders.  Both of my boys liked it, the 10-year-old especially.  Sometimes it dragged a little, but when it was exciting it was very, very exciting.  I think she got the dialogue between the boys spot on.  I could so see them a young boys I know.

[Lady Florida.]

 

 

Oh, yeah, and here's my final Year in Books.

 

 

My 2016 books read. I don't think I'll finish up any more books this year as I don't have any books in progress that are close to being finished.

 

 

 

 

Gee thanks you two. I just added more books to my TR list. :)

 

I didn't like my final number - 81 just isn't pretty. Yesterday I started reading A Quiet Life in the Country, which I think was mentioned here (Sadie? And btw, Happy New Year to you and Rose!) I'm almost done with it and will finish it this afternoon so I can end with an even number. My final count will be 82 books.

 

I can't start anything that I want to count for bingo, so I'm not sure what I'll read, but I know I'll read more today. I downloaded a few samples to my Kindle, so maybe I'll finish out the year reading samples and deciding if they should go on my TR list. 

[Chrysalis Academy]

Gee thanks you two. I just added more books to my TR list. :)

 

I didn't like my final number - 81 just isn't pretty. Yesterday I started reading A Quiet Life in the Country, which I think was mentioned here (Sadie? And btw, Happy New Year to you and Rose!) I'm almost done with it and will finish it this afternoon so I can end with an even number. My final count will be 82 books.

 

I can't start anything that I want to count for bingo, so I'm not sure what I'll read, but I know I'll read more today. I downloaded a few samples to my Kindle, so maybe I'll finish out the year reading samples and deciding if they should go on my TR list. 

 

See, I totally get that! I wanted a nice round number. Even numbers are prettier than odd numbers, aren't they?

 

I am definitely spending more time planning my 2017 reading than, actually, reading this week, thanks to my crazy Bingo. I've got about half of the books for the year picked out, tentatively. I'm doing my best to use books that were already on my TR shelves - this way I'll actually get to them this year!

 

But the research is also taking me in some fascinating directions already, researching the categories, I mean. This morning I discovered And Other Stories publishing, which has a ton of great stuff, much of which my library has, amazingly. I guess that's the benefit of living in an area with a large Spanish-speaking population, we get lots of Latin American writers, both in Spanish and in translation.  Anyway, this seems like a publishing house that Stacia and Jane probably already know about, but it was the first time I'd stumbled on to it. I'm intrigued by the idea of the subscription, where you pre-purchase upcoming publications - sort of like a CSA for books, which I love!  Do any of you guys do this? I'm sure I've seen discussions about it in the past year.

Edited December 31, 2016 by Chrysalis Academy

[Tress]

My 2016 books read. I don't think I'll finish up any more books this year as I don't have any books in progress that are close to being finished.

 

Erin, I see you read Gardens of the Moon, by Steven Erikson. Did you like it? Are you going to read the other Malazan Book of the Fallen? :bigear: I read the first 7 or 8 books a couple of years ago, but never finished the series. So now I'm going to start all over. I'm really looking forward to it.

[Lady Florida.]

See, I totally get that! I wanted a nice round number. Even numbers are prettier than odd numbers, aren't they?

 

 

 

Of course they are. :)

[ErinE]

Erin, I see you read Gardens of the Moon, by Steven Erikson. Did you like it? Are you going to read the other Malazan Book of the Fallen? :bigear: I read the first 7 or 8 books a couple of years ago, but never finished the series. So now I'm going to start all over. I'm really looking forward to it.

 

I read the first book, didn't finish, tried again, didn't finish, tried again, finished then reread it to catch all the things I missed the first time. I liked the re-read better than the initial read. There's so many characters, storylines, settings, and themes and the world is so foreign that I couldn't absorb it all at once.

 

I tried the second book, I really did. I have a visceral reaction to leaving a book unfinished. But... I just couldn't do it. I got half way through when it was due back at the library and I haven't felt an urge to pick it up since. To me, it was like an entirely new series. The effort it took to get up on the knowledge curve for both books wasn't worth the few nuggets of interesting story.

 

From other reviewers, I've heard the third book is when things really pick up.

 

One day, maybe, I might return to the series. It's clear there's fascinating worldbuilding, and the speed with which Erikson completed the books is amazing. But I have a really long TBR list and in my opinion, the work involved for an initial read wasn't worth the enjoyment.

 

I think a re-read will be much easier and more enjoyable.

[Mothersweets]

Added one more book to my list for 2016 - News of the World by Paulette Giles - and thoroughly enjoyed it! That makes 54 total for the year.

 

I've been enjoying reading through the thread this week (as usual!) and have been thinking what a lovely group this is and how much I am looking forward to all the book talk for next year. I've gotten some great suggestions from our group here and want to say thank you and Happy New Year to everyone!

Edited December 31, 2016 by Mothersweets

[Stacia]

I finished History of the Renaissance World with 6 hours to spare.

 

Whoo-hoo! And Happy New Year!

 

Does anyone else feel a weird satisfaction that this year ends on a Saturday and we start fresh with a seven day week?

 

:laugh:  (And for my part... YES.)

 

On that note, I did finish my final book of 2016: Cleopatra & Antony: Power, Love and Politics in the Ancient World.  I really enjoyed it, better than Stacey Shiff's Cleopatra: A Life.  Shannon and I are reading Shakespeare's Roman plays, and I wanted something that covered both the Julius Caesar and the Antony episodes and talked about Cleopatra's story in the context of the greater Roman world, and this book did exactly that. What a fascinating woman. I hate that it's so hard to get the image of Liz Taylor out of my head when I picture her . . .  anyway, this is recommended to anyone who'd like to get "the real scoop" behind the Shakespeare plays. Plutarch is hardly an impartial source!  

 

It also reiterates my impression that Octavian/Augustus was quite a piece of work.

 

I will have to look into that book. I tried Schiff's Cleopatra when it was first out but could not get into it & ended up ditching it.

 

Note to Stacia:  Include Susan Howatch on Rose's 2018 bingo card.  

 

Jane (who believes in long term planning)

 

Ok. You will need to remind me of that in about a year!!! :lol:

 

Captain Stacia - I accept your mission with relish! 

 

 

I hope you are feeling much much better this morning.  Ugh.  Food poisoning is awful. 

 

DH was reading over my shoulder as I looked at this thread and thought that cover looked awesome.  We both eagerly await your review. 

 

Thanks. Looking forward to the pie-chart! I think I'm over the food poisoning, but I was already run-down prior to that & I sort-of ache all over. Today will be a day for reading (& napping).

 

I'm about 250 pages into By Gaslight & love it. I'm not a Dickens fan (how he does go on & on with his descriptions :svengo:  -- I am not a fan), yet this book also has a lot of descriptive writing & it's just wonderful. You can see, smell, hear, taste, & feel London in 1885. Perhaps it is because the author is a poet, but you can just fall into his words & his worlds (because the book does travel to different places & time periods as the story unfolds). It's exactly the type of book you can fall into.

 

I didn't participate in these weekly threads often, but I did finish my book challenge.  I read 49 books for individual categories and a bunch Just for Fun, for a total of 152 books.  I'm setting up new categories for 2017 since I don't want to repeat if I can help it.  

 

I found it a lot of fun.  I was trying to expand outside of my science fiction/fantasy/dystopian and romance genre ruts.  I kind of succeeded but you'll still see a lot of those in this list.  2017 I may try to only use one book from a series in the categories.  I feel like that was a bit of a cop-out.   But, it was also a very very rough year (multiple deaths, accidents, angst), and my first challenge so I'm going to cut myself some slack.

 

Congrats, Dorothy! :thumbup1:  Loved looking through your list.

 

Weird: 2

 

Titles to share? I'm always looking for more unusual books to read.

 

Gee thanks you two. I just added more books to my TR list.

 

I didn't like my final number - 81 just isn't pretty. Yesterday I started reading A Quiet Life in the Country, which I think was mentioned here (Sadie? And btw, Happy New Year to you and Rose!) I'm almost done with it and will finish it this afternoon so I can end with an even number. My final count will be 82 books.

 

:lol:  I don't really care whether I have an even or odd number, but the layout of the Year in Books on Goodreads prompted me to add Crap Cars to my list of books read, just so the graphic layout looks more pleasing to the eye. (The bottom row of my Year in Books had four small cover spaces. I had three & it looked wrong to have the empty spot there.) I figure between Crap Cars, the picture books I read for Banned Books week (which I didn't log on Goodreads), & the various books I start but don't finish (often reading 75-100 pages before deciding to give them up), it was fair enough to slot the car book in as a "book". That's my reasoning anyway. ;)  And now my Year in Books list looks pretty. (Though I guess it could be questionable as to whether or not "crap cars" fits the "pretty" category. Lol!)

[Stacia]

But the research is also taking me in some fascinating directions already, researching the categories, I mean. This morning I discovered And Other Stories publishing, which has a ton of great stuff, much of which my library has, amazingly. I guess that's the benefit of living in an area with a large Spanish-speaking population, we get lots of Latin American writers, both in Spanish and in translation.  Anyway, this seems like a publishing house that Stacia and Jane probably already know about, but it was the first time I'd stumbled on to it. I'm intrigued by the idea of the subscription, where you pre-purchase upcoming publications - sort of like a CSA for books, which I love!  Do any of you guys do this? I'm sure I've seen discussions about it in the past year.

 

The name sounds familiar, but the website doesn't look familiar. I feel pretty sure I've looked at their stuff before. I have read Down the Rabbit Hole which is on their website, but it had a different cover.

 

(ETA: I think I answered my own question. I went to bookmark the And Other Stories website, but I already had it bookmarked. So, I've definitely looked through it previously. Their logo looked familiar to me, even if their website didn't. Oh, and I've also read Signs Preceding the End of the World. I thought that one was great & definitely recommend it.)

 

I know Jane & idnib had/have Archipelago subscriptions. I would love to do something like that sometime, but it's not in the cards for me at this time.

 

I've been enjoying reading through the thread this week (as usual!) and have been thinking what a lovely group this is and how much I am looking forward to all the book talk for next year. I've gotten some great suggestions from our group here and want to say thank you and Happy New Year to everyone!

 

I agree. I love this thread & all our great BaWers. Thanks, everyone. You are the best! Happy New Year & best wishes for new beginnings & happiness in 2017!

Edited December 31, 2016 by Stacia

[Jane in NC]

Given the size of my dusty TBR stack, I think I'm going to let the Archipelago subscription expire this year. That said, don't be surprised if I change my mind about this or a subscription to another indy publisher.  I really do like supporting the little guys, particularly those involved with bringing international writers to these shores.

[Robin M]

I just finished The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman.  Quite like a morality play, I'm conflicted as to the outcome.  One reason I don't like literary reads is you don't always get a happy or satisfying ending.   Which puts me at an even number of 102 for the end of the year.

 

Speaking of even numbers, next year is an odd number as well as a prime number so the challenge is ending on an odd prime number.   :lol:

 

I'm loving the fact that the new year begins on Sunday.  

 

Hope you are feeling better, Stacia!

 

Karen - Thank you for the bookmarks. They are beautiful and go with an hand painted asian silk fan I recently bought at Global Winter Wonderland.

 

 

:grouphug:  and  :wub:    to all and Happy New Year!