You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion

I'm not sure I'd call a 26 book challenge low octane but compared to the alternative...

This will be on authors last name

A: I, Robot
B:The American
C: A Trace of SmokeorThe Last Kingdom
D: Robinson CrusoeorOliver Twist
E: The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl
F:Magician: Apprentice Tobacco Road: Duke, Carolina, N.C. State, Wake Forest, and the History of the Most Intense Backyard Rivalries in Sports
G:Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
H: The Maltese Falcon
I:The Broken Ones
J: The Eye of the World
K:The Gunslinger
L:The Dirt: Confessions Of The World's Most Notorious Rock Band
M: Watchmen
N:Ringworld
O: Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever
P:Relic
Q: Ishmael: An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit
R:Pulse
S: The Heroin Diaries: A Year In The Life Of A Shattered Rock Star
T:The Silmarillion
U: Exodus
\V:Emphyrio
W: The Intercept: a Jeremy Fisk novel
X:The Autobiography of Malcolm X
Y:The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp
The Icarus Hunt

Great start Travis. You just jumped in with both feet first!

With such a demanding challenge I guess theres no break in period for us newbies

I think I may give audio books a try for spring and summer when its 18 to 20 hour workdays I could load them on my ipod.

Travis of NNY wrote: "With such a demanding challenge I guess theres no break in period for us newbies"

Sometimes those newbies jump in and take off, leaving the rest of us oldsters in the dust. So... no break-in period. :)

Travis, this is a fantastic list of books. You have a really great mix here. I especially want to read The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl by Timothy Egan also since it is on my tbr.

Good luck with your alphabet! ; )

Connie wrote: "Travis, this is a fantastic list of books. You have a really great mix here. I especially want to read The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl by Ti..."

thanks I'm sure there will be some substitutions along the way, but a good start. My tbr is heavy with authors in letters C and R. At least Egan should come along february march time that was on my tbr

All letters of the alphabet present so thats good

Careful with those J and K books Travis, both of those book series can be challenges themselves. Especially if you are like me and can't stand the thought of not finishing them :)

AmyK wrote: "Careful with those J and K books Travis, both of those book series can be challenges themselves. Especially if you are like me and can't stand the thought of not finishing them :)"

I'll be sure to keep that in mind since I'm a" challenge accepted" type of person and would have to force my way to the end just to say I did it. I'm hoping some new 2013 reads will replace a few books along the way but thats a wait and see what pops up kind of thing

I might be reading the Bernard Cornwell book as well. I've read the first few in the series, but not the last 3, so need to re-read the start of the series and remind myself what's been going on.

Helen wrote: "I might be reading the Bernard Cornwell book as well. I've read the first few in the series, but not the last 3, so need to re-read the start of the series and remind myself what's been going on."

My C choices were before I understood the multiple author thing. I have been waiting months for the release of which may be available but I am eager to read Bernard Cornwell also.

Oooooh, that book looks good, Travis. I just finished reading The Dovekeepers which is historical fiction that tells the story of Masada.

You could use it as R as well since it's written by 2 authors and thereby save Cornwell

Janice wrote: "Oooooh, that book looks good, Travis. I just finished reading The Dovekeepers which is historical fiction that tells the story of Masada.

You could use it as R as well since it's written by 2 aut..."

The Dovekeepers does look quite interesting. Considering the amount of reading it would take me to get to R I'll never make it. I enjoy Rollins and this is his first collaboration it seems to be getting good reviews with those priveleged to an ARC copy. Blood Gospel is a must read for me doesn't even have to fit into the ABC challenge.

I like your list especially the one on the dust bowl. My parents lived through the dust bowl. You ' ll have to let me know what you think. Also would like your opinion on Team of Rivals.

Great looking book list man. I'm excited for you to get into Cornwell and the Dark Tower books...they are some of my favorites. I just started my B book so we'll see how it goes. I'm trying to do the alphabet with the monthly challenges sprinkled in between to keep things interesting.

1/28 : A: I, Robot 4 stars Isaac Asimov

One down, 25 to go. :) Was the book as good as, or better, than the movie?

I'll have to re watch the movie because the 3 rules of robotics is about the only thing the book and the movie have in common from my memory of the movie. Can't compare them they are as different as they are the same.

Ahh! It's one of those "very loosely based on the book".

1/30 Beneath the Dark Ice by Greig Beck 2 stars
1/30. Monster Hunter International by Larry Correia 4 stars action packed and hilarious its like a men in black monster style

I am glad you enjoyed Isaac Asimov.

Congratulations on completing three books! ; ) WOW!

Hmm, I think I'm gonna have to add Monster Hunter International to my TBR, sounds fun!

MHI is a fun book the dialogue is so funny

1/31: Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky 5 stars. Everyone should read this book at some point in life.

I tried it about 2 years ago and only got 1/2 of the way through. I have never been able to get back into it again. 5 stars huh? I made it through The Brothers Karamazov. I hated it.

Dostoevsky can get a bit wordy and long winded at times I'll admit.

So what is it that draws people to read his books and give them 5 stars?

I listened to it as an audiobook. The narration perhapsadded something to it that I may not have gotten if it were a print version for me. It held my attention quite well since I read it in a day. Everyone is different in what interests them though. Take The Great Gatsby many love this book, I could of found more enjoyment getting my teeth pulled than reading that book. As for Crime and Punishment I loved the psychology. The mad man not knowing if he was mad and trying to out smart the police by not out smarting the police to out smart the police and on and on.

2/1 The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story Of Those Who Survived The Great American Dust Bowl: Library Edition by Timothy Egan 3.5 stars. I found it a little hard to follow in the beginning, but once it got to the actual dust bowl part I could follow along just fine. Very interesting stories and first hand accounts of such a crazy, unimaginable time

Travis of NNY wrote: "I listened to it as an audiobook. The narration perhapsadded something to it that I may not have gotten if it were a print version for me. It held my attention quite well since I read it in a day. ..."

LOL! I may give C&P a try another time. Might try it in audio. Would love to hear someone pronounce the names! ha ha I have not read The Great Gatsby yet.

Is that 5 books completed already? Awesome!

Cherie wrote: "Travis of NNY wrote: "I listened to it as an audiobook. The narration perhapsadded something to it that I may not have gotten if it were a print version for me. It held my attention quite well sinc..."

And yet, I loved The Great Gatsby ! I tried to read The Idiot a few years back. It didn't go over very well as I didn't make it past the first chapter. I decided to wait to read until the mood struck me. I'm still waiting.

2/2 The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth 3.5 stars just an old school read on an assassin on his pursuit of completing his task while staying one step ahead of france government trying to stop him from killing their president

2/4 No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt by Doris Kearns Goodwin 5 stars although I should give it 10 because it is that good. An intimate look at the behind the scenes American world war 2 scene. The private lives of the president and the Mrs. as well as civilian life, blacks, women, industry, the Churchill connection, FDR as a mamas boy. Very good read

2/9 Les Miserables 4 stars a bit wordy on tangents but very good story over all

Travis of NNY wrote: "2/9 Les Miserables 4 stars a bit wordy on tangents but very good story over all"

That looks like quite the book to slog through and you did it in record time!

Janice wrote: "Travis of NNY wrote: "2/9 Les Miserables 4 stars a bit wordy on tangents but very good story over all"

That looks like quite the book to slog through and you did it in record time!"

George Guidall audiobook 61 hours basically listened before sun comes up til after it went back down. Being self employed with no employees does have some advantages for knocking down the tbr pile with audio

2/20 The Broken Onesby Stephen M. Irwin 4 stars rather interesting mix of murder, corruption, crime, ghosts and a detective with nothing to lose and refusing to quit.

3/3 Dubliners by James Joyce I 3 star it because I just didn't find the stories that interesting, but I'm not big into short stories. It is well written though just not for me.

Travis of NNY wrote: "2/1 The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story Of Those Who Survived The Great American Dust Bowl: Library Edition by Timothy Egan 3.5 stars. I found it a little hard to follow in the beginning, but on..."

Wow, you're doing so great! I've added MHI to my tbr, sounds fun. I own The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire that Saved America, I hope it's as good as The Worst Hard Time.

3/15/13 The Stand by Stephen King 4 stars

4/10/13 The Dirt: Confessions Of The World's Most Notorious Rock Band Tommy Lee I gave it 4 stars

Already up to M! Congratulations! You are moving like lightning! ; )

Nice work Travis. I just finished my L book also...I'm going to have to take a break from the alphabet for a while though. Too many good books sitting on my shelft that dont fit.

I'm currently working on m n o and p depending on my mood so that should get me ahead a bit more

Travis of NNY wrote: "I'm currently working on m n o and p depending on my mood so that should get me ahead a bit more"

Wow man. I often do 2-3 at a time but four is pretty impressive. Good luck!

4/18 After a bit of bouncing around I finally settled and finished Moby-Dick by Herman Melville a disappointment to give this 3 stars because some editing and a little more focus to Ahab and his obsession to the whale and about 200 pages cut out of general fishing stories and I think this would be a 5 star read but I couldn't give it that rating in its official print as is. Perhaps someone should write a modern story of it as the idea is a good one.