Martha.O.S’s Comments (group member since Jan 30, 2017)

Martha.O.S’s comments from the A challenge of relative ease and merriment 2017 group.

Well done Carly!! Nearly there on your 20. And a great choice of books! Your recommendation of the Grimes poetry book is great. I feel like I really want to check it out!

Defo you should read it. She is a wonderful writer and I really enjoyed "Spill Summer Falter Wither" also but identified even more with Frankie, the narrator in "A Line Made by Walking", though there was something very appealing and sort of melancholic about the human-dog relationship in her first book that touches something really deep. I think if you enjoyed Sara Baume's first book, you will definitely enjoy this one also. Hopefully there are lots more great things to come from this writer.

Sorry, there's actually one category that I inadvertently left out earlier. That is:
Debut novel: The Strays by Emily Bitto,
Also incidentally up there among my favourites. Looking forward to hearing about all other updates on progress and seeing the range of books chosen for each of the categories. 😊

For me I would say "A Line made by Walking" by Sara Baume. Such a beautifully written book, and one that stayed with me a long time. So many echoes of truth that hit hard, but also grounded were grounded in reflections of beauty and hope.

I have completed the challenge!! I have been very fortunate to have plenty of reading time this year, and the challenge also focused me more, making me more determined to read different types of books and pushing me to complete them. I was very lucky in my selections as I think I enjoyed all of the books I read, though some, clearly, more than others. I wrote a review on all of the books I read, which can be found in my profile page.

So the 7 categories that were left since my last update were as follows:

Kid's book: Little Women
YA book: Lies my Girlfriend told me.
Book of poetry or drama: Translations
LGBTQIA book: Invisible Furies of the Heart
Book that is part of a series, but not the first: Mother's Milk
Goodreads Choice Award Winner: My name is Lucy Barton
Book mostly set in the desert: Le Petit Prince.

It's also been a while since I've checked in so decided to do an update.

a book released in 2017: read A Line Made by Walking
a book written before 1900: read The Awakening
a non-fiction book: read The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World
a kids book: not sure yet
a YA novel: plan to read Asking For It
a book of fantastical fiction (fantasy/scifi/paranormal): read The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
a cozy mystery: read The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
a debut novel: not sure yet
a book of poetry or drama (that is to say a play, not just ~dramatic~): not sure yet
a biography/autobiography/memoir: read When Breath Becomes Air
a book written by someone under the age of 30: read The Visitor
a media tie-in (clarification in a thread): read The Bricks that Built the Houses
an LGBTQIA* book: not sure yet (thinking aboutUnder the Udala Trees, but any other suggestions or recommendations appreciated)
a book about food: read The Vegetarian
a scary/creepy book: read Eileen
a book that is part of a series but not the first book (could be a later released prequel though): plan to read: Mother's Milk
a Goodreads Choice Awards winner (any year, any category): plan to read: My Name Is Lucy Barton
a book with an animal on the cover: read The Guest Cat
a book mostly set in the desert: plan to read Le Petit Prince
a book that was adapted into a movie: read Hotel du Lac

So, so far that is 13 out of the 20. I am currently reading a book that was given to me by a friend, but it is outside the remaining categories, so once I finish that, I will get back on track.

So on my last update I had read 5 out of 20 books that fitted into the different categories.

I have since completed 3 more.

Firstly I read 'A Line Made by Walking' by Sara BaumeA Line Made by Walking, to fit into the category Book published in 2017. I loved this book, and strongly recommend it to people interested in art, the art of living, and simply beautiful writing. I wrote a more complete review on my profile page.

The next category was 'The Guest Cat' by Takashi Hiraide The Guest Cat to fit into the category of books with an animal on the cover. This was a short book, but I wouldn't say it was a quick read. Very little happened in it, yet it did reflect the pace at which the main couple, whose lives become inhabited by a guest cat live. It was a slow, reflective book, with great attention to detail, and it does leave an impression, though I would be slow to recommend it to others.

Finally, I just finished 'Kavalier and Clay' by Michael Chabon,The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, which I think fits pretty well into the category of magical realism. While the book itself could also be categorized as general fiction, much of it is taken up with comic book characters, and the lives of the main characters are often blended with those of their own imaginings (the escapist), that the lines are often blurred between reality, fantasy and the surreal world. While I began this book with great reluctance, I was very pleasantly surprised to find I really enjoyed it, and was very impressed with the writing style, character development and strong plot.

Looking forward to seeing other peoples' posts regarding their progress and choices for the different categories.

a book released in 2017
a book written before 1900
a non-fiction book: The Book of Joy
The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World
a kids book
a YA novel
a book of fantastical fiction (fantasy/scifi/paranormal)
a cozy mystery
a debut novel
a book of poetry or drama (that is to say a play, not just ~dramatic~)
a biography/autobiography/memoir: When Breath Becomes Air
When Breath Becomes Air
a book written by someone under the age of 30: The Visitor
The Visitor
a media tie-in (clarification in a thread):
an LGBTQIA* book
a book about food: The Vegetarian
The Vegetarian
a scary/creepy book: Currently reading Eileen
Eileen
a book that is part of a series but not the first book (could be a later released prequel though)
a Goodreads Choice Awards winner (any year, any category)
a book with an animal on the cover
a book mostly set in the desert
a book that was adapted into a movie

So I'm on my fifth of twenty books. The challenge is a great way to keep reading and I find when I go into bookshops etc now, I find myself looking specifically for books to fit into particular categories.

Well done to all the other readers. I really enjoy looking at what people select for the different categories, and how different peoples' tastes are!

Thanks for all the comments. Yeah, I think I get it now. I will have to think about it as looking at the list of books widely shelved as media tie-ins and that fit the criteria of existing in a fictional world created through movie / tv series / video game don't largely appeal to me at first glance. However, I'm sure if I give it a little more thought and then just choose something, maybe I will be surprised. Ok, I will continue on my challenge with other categories and will shuffle my original "Two Gentlemen on the Beach" into a different category as I see fit. And yes, I will be reading "The Little Prince" in any case. It has been my intention for a long time...

That's fair enough Pocki, I accept that! I might shuffle that book around to another category or else just leave it out. I had a look at the Goodreads media tie-in page and came across 'The Little Prince' which I was hoping to read anyway. That is now also a movie? Can I just double-check before hand does that qualify? Or would that simply be a movie adaptation? I have to say I'm still not very clear on that one!

Hi Pocki,
Sure, thanks for the question. Well I figure it's a media tie-in as Charlie Chaplin is one of the main characters and as such there are loads of descriptions of his journey from silent film, to writing film and scores and even directing film, to pushing out the boat further and using images and poetry as film. The book explores his collaborations with other film actors: Buster Keaton, Paulette Goddard and Jack Lemmon. It talks about his process as an actor/artist and his work with Keystone Studio and self-founded United Artists. As readers, we see how films such as 'The Gold Rush', 'City Lights' and 'The Circus' were created, released and received.
While the story is a fictional re-imagining of the friendship between Winston Churchill and Charlie Chaplin, much of the book is based on fact and the real-life acting career of Chaplin and the figure he is best known at playing, "the Tramp". I hadn't read the book with the intention of fitting it into the media tie-in category; I just read it as I thought it looked interesting. But as I read, it very much seemed to tick that box for me.
Your choice of books is great. I am not a sci-fi fan at all, but the great thing about this challenge is reading around your interests, and going beyond! Thanks for sharing Pocki, and best of luck with the novel!

Hey there.
So since I only joined this group yesterday, my progress is relatively slow. But I do think I have two of the boxes ticked. Was laid up with a cold so had loads of time for reading over the last week or so:


a book released in 2017
a book written before 1900
a non-fiction book: The Book of Joy

a kids book
a YA novel
a book of fantastical fiction (fantasy/scifi/paranormal)
a cozy mystery
a debut novel
a book of poetry or drama (that is to say a play, not just ~dramatic~)
a biography/autobiography/memoir
a book written by someone under the age of 30
a media tie-in (clarification in a thread): Two Gentlemen on the Beach

an LGBTQIA* book
a book about food
a scary/creepy book
a book that is part of a series but not the first book (could be a later released prequel though)
a Goodreads Choice Awards winner (any year, any category)
a book with an animal on the cover
a book mostly set in the desert
a book that was adapted into a movie

Hi there,
I'm martha and I thought this challenge sounded like lots of fun so thought I'd give it a go if that's ok with everyone already in the group. I had set myself a challenge of reading 16 books so 20 doesn't seem like too great a leap. The categories are really interesting too.
So I'm from Ireland and a complete nerd where books are concerned. I love all things literature though I wish I had a little more time to actually read! I love books and can rarely resist buying books. I guess my favourite genre is modern literature, and I particularly like books about writers, writing etc... I'm really looking forward to this challenge as I think it will pull me out of my reading comfort zone and open my mind up more.