2025 Reading Challenge discussion
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Kaitlin's 2014 Reading Challenges
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JULY: THE HOARDERS CHALLENGEDuration: July 1 - July 30, 2014
Completed 0/10
1. Read the book that has been on your Goodreads TBR list longest.
2. Read a book from your physical book shelf or any other stash of books.
3. Read a book you got as a gift or for free.
4. Read a book recommended by or borrowed from a friend.
5. Read a group read that you missed. You can see them all here:
6. Read the next book in a series that you've neglected.
7. Read the book that you've most recently added to your TBR list.
8. Read a book you started and never finished.
9. Read a book you bought with great intentions to read and just haven't got to it yet.
10. Read a book that you should have read in high school or college but you faked through instead.
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THIRD QUARTER CHALLENGE: ALWAYS A NOMINEE, NEVER A WINNER
Duration: July 1 - September 30, 2014
Completed 0/?
Not sure yet how many I'll do, but here are some that I already have on my TBR list.
GOODREADS CHOICE NOMINEES
FICTION
The Goldfinch
We Are Water
The Interestings
Night Film
Life After Life
The Aviator's Wife
The Age of Miracles
The Language of Flowers
1Q84
The Passage
Freedom
The Imperfectionists
Super Sad True Love Story
Her Fearful Symmetry
NONFICTION
I Wear the Black Hat: Grappling With VillainsStart: Punch Fear in the Face, Escape Average and Do Work That Matters
The Autistic Brain: Thinking Across the Spectrum
BOOKER NOMINEES
A Tale for the Time Being
We Need New Names
The Luminaries
The Spinning Heart
The Marrying of Chani Kaufman
The Children's Book
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THIRD QUARTER CHALLENGE: HUNGER GAMES
Duration: July 1 - September 30, 2014
Completed 0/14
The Capitol: The capitol is filled with beautiful extravagant people. Read a book with “beauty” in the title OR read a book where the main character is said to be extraordinarily beautiful.
District 1: District 1 produces luxury items. Read a book about people who are rich OR read a book where a piece of jewelry plays an important role.
District 2: District 2 produces weapons and trains peacekeepers. Read a book about a war OR read a book with a cop as one of the characters.
District 3: District 3 makes electronics. Read a book about a technologically advanced society OR read a book with a computer (or robot) as a main character.
District 4: District 4 is a fishing district. Read a book about a fisherman OR read a book that at least partially takes place on a boat.
District 5: District 5 is the source of electrical power. Read a book that features a lightning storm OR read a book that is set in a place without electricity.
District 6: District 6 is the hub of transportation. Read a book written by an author from a different country OR read a book that takes place in a real location you could visit.
District 7: District 7 produces lumber and paper. Read a book that takes place in a forest OR read a physical book made out of paper (as opposed to an ebook).
District 8: District 8 makes textiles. Read a book about fashion OR read with an item of clothing on its cover.
District 9: District 9 produces grain and has no characters named in the books. Read a book with an unnamed main character OR read a book with a character who is a vegetarian.
District 10: District 10 specialized in raising livestock. Read a book that has a domestic animal as a character OR read a book that has an animal in the title.
District 11: District 11 is an agricultural district and Rue, a young herbalist, originated here. Read a book where a young person dies OR read a book where an herbalist saves someone from dying.
District 12: District 12 is the mining district, and Katniss and Peeta, its tributes, wear clothes that catch fire. Read a book that has a fire that is helpful in it OR read a book that has the word “coal” somewhere in it (add a quote of the sentence where you found the word).
District 13: District 13 is a rebellious district that specialized in nuclear technology. Read a book centered around a nuclear disaster OR read a book where the main character is rebellious.
JANUARY: NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS CHALLENGEDuration: January 1 - 31, 2014
Completed 8/8
(view spoiler)
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January's Let it Snow! Mini Challenge
January 1 - 31, 2014
Completed! 4/4
(view spoiler)
FIRST QUARTER CHALLENGE: THE CHINESE ZODIAC (Shēngxiào)Duration: January 1 - March 31, 2014
Completed! 12/12
(view spoiler)
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FIRST QUARTER CHALLENGE: LILAC'S RAINBOW CHALLENGE
Duration: January 1 - March 31, 2014
Completed 6/6
SECOND QUARTER CHALLENGE: #READWOMEN2014Duration: April 1 - June 30, 2014
Completed 13/10
1. Divergent by Veronica Roth
2. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
3. Someone by Alice McDermott
4. Good Kings Bad Kings by Susan Nussbaum
5. Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened by Allie Brosh
6. The Astronaut Wives Club by Lily Koppel
7. How Not to Calm a Child on a Plane: And Other Lessons in Parenting from a Highly Questionable Source by Johanna Stein
8. The Secret History by Donna Tartt
9. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
10. The Transcriptionist by Amy Rowland
11. Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko
12. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
13. What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day by Pearl Cleage
LITTLE APRIL SHOWER MINI CHALLENGEDuration: April 1 - 30, 2014
Completed! 4/4
1. Beauty and the Beast. Read a book that has "Romance" listed as a genre OR a book where the main character misjudges someone.
His Illegal Self - Che thinks the woman he is traveling with is his mother.
2. The Rescuers. Read a book that has "Adventure" listed as a genre OR a book in which someone needs rescuing.
Little Bee - Little Bee is a refugee from Nigeria.
3. The Little Mermaid. Read a book that takes place at sea OR contains mythical creatures.
The Stolen Lake - takes place at sea
4. The Sword in the Stone. Read a book that contains magic of some sort OR read a book that takes place in medieval Europe.
The Good Luck of Right Now - OK, so no magic, but a ton of synchronicity, which is sort of the same thing.
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THE SHOWER DISAMBIGUATION CHALLENGE
Duration: April 1 - 30, 2014
Completed 8/10
1. A shower is the act of bathing under a spray of water. Read a book that has water in some form on its cover. This can be traditional forms of water (such as a lake, a glass of water, or rain), but it could also be ice or steam.
Zeitoun - It's about Katrina, so yeah, lots of water :-)
2. A type of precipitation. Read a book that contains some kind of weather event.
Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History - non-fiction account of a hurricane that devastated Galveston, Texas
3. A juggling pattern. The more objects in the shower, the more difficult. The same can be said for page numbers. Read a book with more than 350 pages.
Winter of the World - 940 pages
4. The 1999 short film. This film is only 10 minutes long. Read a short book (fewer than 150 pages).
5. The 1999 Chinese drama/comedy. Read a book set in China OR read a book you would consider to be both a drama and a comedy.
The Good Luck of Right Now - drama & comedy
6. The episode of The O.C. The O.C. was an American teen drama that took place in Orange County, CA. Read a book set in California OR read something you would consider to be a teen drama.
Divergent
7. Baby shower. Read a book in which a character has a baby OR read a book in which something important happened to a main character while he or she was a baby.
His Illegal Self
8. Bridal shower. Read a book you received as a gift OR read a book in which someone gets married.
Little Bee - received as a gift
9. Meteor shower. Read a book that at least partly takes place in space OR (because we sometimes wish upon meteors) read a book in which a character makes a wish.
The Universe Versus Alex Woods - The main character gets hit with a meteor :-)
10. Particle shower. Read a book about science OR read a book with a title containing a word that can be made from the letters in the word PARTICLE (examples: PART, ICE, IT, AT, CLEAR).
1. Neverwhere by Neil GaimanCompleted 1/2/2014
This is the first Gaiman novel to disappoint me. Loved Coraline and The Ocean at the End of the Lane, really like Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch and American Gods. This one didn't do it for me.
Perhaps my problem was that this was the most authentic fantasy novel of Gaiman's that I've read yet. I don't usually like fantasy, and the only thing rooting this in reality was the weak protagonist, Richard Mayhew. I found Richard babyish and flat, and though he was an underdog, I never found myself rooting for him. So really, the captivating parts should've been the fantastical ones and the setting in London Underground. Perhaps if I were familiar with London I would've related to the story better, but it was lost on me.
My favorite characters were Croup and Vandemar, but they too got tired by the end.
I'll keep reading Gaiman. Not all of an author's books can be right for everyone.
2 stars
2. Dave Barry in Cyberspace by Dave BarryCompleted 1/4/2014
As a child of the '90s, I was able to appreciate this. I remember Windows 95 and DOS. I remember the original SIM games. I remember getting through elementary school without using a computer at school…ever. So it was fun for me to read this collection of essays about word processing, the Internet and computers themselves.
Obviously, this thing is dated. Folks with no memory of '90s technology should skip this completely. But for folks born circa 1987 (and earlier), there are lots of giggles to be found here.
4 stars
3. Other Voices, Other Rooms by Truman CapoteCompleted 1/4/2014
In Cold Blood was a life-changer for me. It made me realize that non-fiction could be suspenseful, multi-dimensional, literary. This, too, is all those things.
A 13-y/o boy discovers that the father who abandoned him is still alive. He travels to meet his father and stays in his father's home (part of which burned to the ground years before) along with a unlikely cast of characters. Some of the house's inhabitants may even be ghosts. The boy also befriends a pair of female twins who provide him with entertainment and danger and distract him from the fact that his father has yet to appear.
I love books that screw with my mind. Unreliable narrators are great, but genuinely confused narrators can be even better. I'm going to have to reread this to get the depth of it. My brain got a good workout trying to separate dream from reality and put together some kind of chronological, logical narrative about what this kid was "really" going through.
This is the best book I've read so far in 2014 (lol), and it's one I need to revisit.
5 stars
4. Mother by Maxim Gorky1/6/2014
This novel is about the Russian workers' revolution of 1905. The working class was dealing with horrible conditions, and many were starving despite working to the point of exhaustion. Mother is the story of the mother of Pavel, a revolutionary. The mother is at first afraid for her son, but she begins to educate herself, become sympathetic to the socialist cause, and eventually join in their mission.
Usually novels about the working class, especially those in mining or factory conditions (e.g. Life in the Iron Mills and Other Stories are hopeless. It's clear that the workers aren't getting anywhere, they'll die prematurely, they're all alcoholics, etc. But this novel is a hopeful one. Regardless of the outcome of the revolution (view spoiler), the mother's evolution is outstanding. I enjoyed watching her go from a battered woman to a an individual with a purpose, who had friends and goals and saw life outside of her home. Her identity as Pavel's mother remains in tact, but it is no longer what defines her at the end of the novel.
This novel was of course written as a piece of socialist propaganda, but it survives as an interesting piece of historical fiction. I enjoyed learning about the mother and hope to read more from this period in Russian history.
4 stars
5. The Dead Fathers Club by Matt HaigCompleted 1/7/2014
This reimagining of Shakespeare's Hamlet is narrated by an 11-year-old boy, Philip. Shortly before the start of the novel, Philip's father dies in a car accident. Philip begins seeing his father's ghost, who explains that Philip must kill Uncle Alan before the father's birthday. Otherwise, his father's ghost would be doomed to experience "The Terrors" for all eternity.
Seeing his father's ghost interferes greatly with Philip's life. Others (especially his peers) notice a change and tease him for talking to himself. His mother and teachers also notice that he's behaving strangely (which becomes especially hard to ignore when he steals a bus and breaks a window with his bare hands). The rest of the book explores how far Philip will go for his father's ghost.
I love Philip's voice. He's a young 11, but that is supported by the way he is treated by the other characters in the novel. His insights are lovely and give the story flavor. Haig does a great job showing how a child with existing social issues copes with the loss of a parent.
The ending was a bit abrupt, but I liked that there is room for the reader to interpret (and question) the events.
This is not the light, silly book the description suggests. Even better, it is thoughtful and creatively written. Can't say it's better than the original, but it is well worth a read.
4 stars
6. Daughter of Fortune by Isabel AllendeCompleted 1/10/2014
This long, meandering novel made me look deep inside myself and ask this question: "So what?"
I really want to like Isabel Allende's books. I feel like I should. They're colorful, filled with rich details and historical information. I was able to talk myself into liking The House of the Spirits - after all, there are ghosts in it. But this was just too convoluted to invoke feeling.
I loved the history and learned quite a bit about Chile and the California gold rush (Go 9ers! <-- It is a condition of my marriage that I promote my husband's favorite football team whenever possible). However, I did not learn much about Miss Rose, Eliza, Tao, Joaquin, John, Jeremy, Paulina, or the other six characters who were central to the novel. Allende tends to digress. She'll introduce a new character, then bombard the reader with information about that character's sixth birthday party. Next thing you know, we're introduced to somebody new, who happened to be the clown at that party, and we learn about the first time the clown used his squirty flower.
So much of this novel is minutiae that we rarely see the characters interact. When they do, it's transparently an attempt to create plot movement. There is possibly less dialogue in this novel than any other novel I've read. What dialogue there is is, again, clearly inserted to move the story along. It stiff at best and doesn't show us anything new about the characters.
Throughout this novel, Allende tells us tons, but we don't ever get to see for ourselves (except for a couple sex scenes). This novel leaves no room for interpretation and provides no avenue through which the reader can become attached to the characters (I got close with Mama Fresia, but no cigar). For such a long novel, this goes nowhere, and it strands most of its characters, making me wonder why they were included in the first place.
I have Zorro on my TBR list, but I will probably skip it, unless you, my many readers (Hi, Dad) would suggest otherwise.
2 stars
7. The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWittCompleted 1/11/2014
This is a strange novel about two outlaw brothers who traverse the wild west 1850's style, trying to find a man they have been sent to murder. Though both are sociopaths (IMO), one is reluctant to harm innocent people and even shows compassion toward his (view spoiler) horse. As the brothers move toward their mark, they encounter a witch, prospectors, hunters, prostitutes, an abandoned boy and many other characters that give the story color. They do eventually find the man they're looking for, and their encounter with him changes their paths forever.
I read this book quickly and eagerly. The setting was vivid, though the characters were (deservedly) the focus. This has been dubbed a Western, and I get that, but to me it was interesting because it dealt with two men who are brothers, criminals, sociopaths, sons and adventurers. So I'm not into John Wayne type stuff, but I didn't have to be to like this.
Some have said this is gory, and I don't agree. Maybe I have been desensitized by the violent video games and movies the young people are exposed to nowadays, but I didn't see any violence here that didn't deepen the story or reveal something about one of the characters. It's like watching Dexter: forget the bone saw and the blood slides and the not-so-discreet black garbage bags full of body parts. What's really important is Dexter's evolution and how it affects his sibling, who is not so homicidally inclined. OK, it's not nearly as good as watching Dexter, but it's a great read nonetheless.
Much enjoy-ed. Hopefully deWitt has written some other stuff.
4.5 stars
8. The Lost Mother by Mary McGarry Morris1/14/2014
I liked this book, but I hate when reviewers make it harder to enjoy a book by writing impossibly lofty comments. Like, oversell much? This is surely not the only case (if I hear how Christopher Moore is like Kurt Vonnegut one more time I'm going to...um...rant about it all by myself like I'm doing now). Sorry to be snooty, but comparing Morris to John Steinbeck is like comparing Katy Perry to Aretha Franklin. Sure, Perry is entertaining - tell me you haven't had "Dark Horse" in your had lately and I'll tell you YOU LIE :-). And Perry and Franklin have even sung about some of the same things. But each woman's level of depth and quality and importance to the evolution of music is just...different.
Anyway, this book was entertaining. It's a sad story of two children whose mother abandons them and their father during the Great Depression. The children endure miserable living conditions with their father while being fought for by a creepy rich lady (the wife of the father's landlord and enemy) and tended to by a kind woman who "should've" married their father back in the day.
There's a lot of depth to the story and many twists. I found the resolution (pre-epilogue) sappy, but liked the ultimate ending.
I tend to find Morris's writing style at turns childlike and soothing. Sometimes I feel a bit like I'm being written down to - this is probably the closest I get to reading "chick lit" (which is a condescending name, even, don't you think?). The fact is, though, that Morris writes good stories with believable characters. She did an excellent job with character development here, too, as there were many characters but I knew enough about each to understand him.
Recommend for folks who like weird coming of age stories or tales about runaway moms.
3 stars
Kaitlin,First of all, I have a daughter named Kaitlyn. A little different spelling but I love your name, obviously!!
I have read The Lost Mother as well. Not sure why, but I did. I remember just wanting it to be over. The mother was horrible for leaving the children but in so many ways the dad abandoned them too in the woods no less to fend for themselves. Then the nice lady took them in, who had a horrible selfish son and a worse husband, who didn't like them. Then the brother abandons the sister.............after I was done I just felt sad. So sad! So I guess the author did a good job pulling at my heart strings, making me sad and of all else made me finish the book! Not a must read for anyone, but a should read. It in some ways reminded me of The Glass Castle. Have you read that one? Talk about a tear jerk-er!
Sarah
Sarah wrote: "Kaitlin,First of all, I have a daughter named Kaitlyn. A little different spelling but I love your name, obviously!!
Haha, thanks! Haven't read The Glass Castle yet, but it's on my TBR list.
I agree - Lost Mother was sad, but I thought it was believable too, which I guess is important. I enjoyed it :-)
9. The Book of Lost Things by John ConnollyCompleted 1/16/2014
I enjoyed the beginning and end of this - the real world stuff - most. The middle was a mishmash of fairytales, a coming of age type journey, and lots of blood and gore. I think I need to accept that I rarely enjoy fantasy. I only read this one because it sounded interesting and I wanted to be part of a group chat in the NBRC group.
I really liked Connolly's retelling of classic fairytales. The way fairytales are told today is very different from Grimm tales, which I knew, but this twisted them further. However, I didn't much care for the protagonist or his allies, and I wasn't excited to pick up the book from one sitting to the next. In the middle section, the storytelling grew childish, and I had trouble believing Peter was a 13-year-old. Not sure how else to explain it; this was OK but I wasn't sad when it was over.
This is good for people who love fairytales. It's a bit dark, but mostly just gory. For really cool, literary fairytales, I preferred The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories.
2.5 stars
Kaitlin,I can't believe you talked about another book I read a couple years ago. I remember liking it, sometimes hard to read, but I can't remember everything. I remember enough to know I bought another one of his books and have started it, only to stop because its dumb. Hopefully I will get enthused enough to finish it! I like different and this one was sure that!
Sarah
10. Every Day Is Mother's Day by Hilary MantelCompleted 1/18/2014
I tried to read Wolf Hall but couldn't get through it. Wolf Hall is quite opaque and arduous to read without the reader's knowledge of the time period and characters. This is totally different, almost a psychological thriller.
This creepy novel was a treat to read. It centers around a mother and daughter. The mother believes there are spirits living in the house and is in other ways imbalanced. The daughter is a little slow but has become completely dysfunctional because of her mother. A social worker, her (married) boyfriend, his sister and his wife are also important to the novel. Their relationships are twisted masterfully and are beautifully shown.
I'll be reading the sequel.
4 stars
11. Brotherly Love by Pete DexterCompleted 1/21/2014
This is a dark tale of two brothers (cousins, actually) who are born into Philadelphia mob life. One is reticent to participate in the lifestyle; the other relishes it. The story takes place over about 20 years, from the time when the boys are young until they've grown and have pretty much decided who they are going to be.
Dexter does a great job developing characters, as he did in Train. Though there's plenty of violence here, he's subtle and handles a complicated subject well. I thought the inclusion of non-mob-affiliated characters was really well done, and the ending was perfect. It was not at all what I expected, but when I thought on it, I'm not sure any other ending would've been right.
I plan to read Paris Trout and anything else Dexter has to offer.
4 stars
12. East of Eden by John SteinbeckCompleted 1/25/2014
First read in 2003 or 2004 for AP Lit. Reread January 2014.
I have long declared that this is one of my favorite books. I decided to reread it, figuring that my opinion of it would have changed since I was 16 (because, thankfully, most things have). If anything, though, I like this more than I did as a teenager. In high school I liked to read, but I didn't read much that wasn't required (though, in true nerdy fashion, I did read nearly everything that was required). In the last couple years, I have become so much more well-read, and IMO, there's nobody else like Steinbeck.
This novel is about three generations of families, the Trasks and the Hamiltons. In each family, we see the children evolve and struggle with good and evil. Steinbeck creates breathtaking psychopaths, surrounds them with tragic, lovable, good-ol' kindhearted folks, and regular folks, and we get to watch what happens.
I could gush about this book forever, but it would be better if you just went and read it. It is one of those rare epic books that is never tiring and leaves the reader wanting more when it's over, so don't be daunted by its length.
I am now comfortable calling this book my favorite, ever. I guess I'll reread it again in a few years and see if it holds up. It will.
5 stars
13. The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins1/26/2014
This is a wonderful, educational piece about genes. From the title, I thought it would be about what makes animals selfish. Rather, it shows evolution from a gene's perspective - organisms are vehicles for genes to survive and reproduce, and so evolution favors characteristics that allow genes to duplicate accurately and often.
I was surprised how much I learned from this, especially given its age. Dawkins said he strove to make it accessible to geneticists, students, and laymen alike, and as I layman I'd say he succeeded.
The writing style wasn't the best. Dawkins adds in unnecessary phrases, especially "It isn't hard to see why"...or "it's easy to see that..." which gets annoying. He's also comes off a bit condescending, as he declares that other scientists' ideas are misguided. However, I cut him some slack in both of these, as he is a scientist who is writing what is, at least in his mind, a 100% factual, persuasive essay.
This was my first Dawkins, and I'd read him again.
4 stars
14. A Death in the Family by James AgeeCompleted 1/27/2014
This is the story of what happens when a man leaves his house late one night and doesn't return. Really, it's not a story at all, but the reactions of his family. His wife is the featured character. She mostly prays a lot.
The best thing about this is the way the daughter's reactions are shown - she is just too little to understand. There are also three odd, poetic sections that aren't germane to the novel and could be read without the novel as a backdrop.
I learned after reading that this was published posthumously. That explains all its shortcomings - Agee didn't get a say in editing. Somebody did, but you can't treat a deceased author's work as harshly as you would your own.
I love books that are deep and sad, but this is just a lot of telling about nothing at all. It's definitely the most disappointing Pulitzer winner I've read so far.
1 star
15. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper LeeCompleted 1/29/2014
I loved this. I can't believe it wasn't required reading in junior high, or high school, or college.
Cool things about this book:
Mysterious shut-in
Little girl who can beat up boys
Lawyer with a conscience
Ham costume
Subtle treatment of difficult subject matter (namely, racial inequality)
Scenes involving eating pie on porches
5 stars
16. Embers by Sándor MáraiCompleted 1/31/2014
Though there is something dark and compelling about this novel, the story is so spare and the characters so weak that I can't say I liked it.
Reunited as old men after decades apart, two former friends spend a night talking about their past and the woman who was important to them both. Really, one man (the General) does all the talking, while his visitor stares at him and sometimes sweats.
Though I understand that the meeting felt like a watershed moment for the two men, for me it just seemed random and abrupt. I don't believe that either man learned anything or changed in any way, though the General seemed certain that now that he had seen his old friend again he could go ahead and die.
I was intrigued by the nurse/housekeeper, who took care of the General since he was born, but she turned out to be of no importance to the novel.
This could be great as a one-man play - really creepy and dramatic. But as a book it was bo-ring.
2 stars
DAPHNE'S CHALLENGE: EXPLORATIONS IN LOVE Duration: February 1 - 28, 2014
Completed! 6/?
(view spoiler)
17. The Rosie Project by Graeme SimsionCompleted 2/6/2014
I enjoyed this unlikely story of an outcast who falls in love. Don has Asperger's (though, like many with the syndrome, he doesn't know it). He is highly intelligent and very high functioning. He has two friends, a married couple, whom he often goes to for advice. He decides to undertake the project of finding himself a wife and creates a questionnaire to land the perfect woman (vegetarians and smokers need not apply).
Don makes this worth reading. However, I felt that Don changed too much and far too rapidly. Asperger's isn't run-of-the-mill shyness that can be shrugged off or overcome with a self-help book or two. Still, I rated this based on my enjoyment and its uniqueness. I'm not one for sappy love stories, but the characters - even the satellite characters - were so endearing that I just loved the story, despite its flaws.
4 stars
18. The Plot Against America by Philip RothCompleted 2/9/2014
A Jewish family living in 1940s America witnesses the changes in the country after Charles Lindbergh is elected president. Lindbergh is against intervention and has made a deal with Hitler. Though President Lindbergh denies being a Nazi, laws are soon enacted that break up Jewish communities and incite public scorn of the family. While one of the sons signs on to spend a summer in Kentucky as part of an assimilation exercise to help Jews become American, a young family friend goes to Canada to fight the Nazis. What comes of the Lindbergh presidency is to be seen.
I was so disappointed in this. It was my first Roth novel, and I thought a novel about Hitler by a great American (Jewish) novelist featuring one of America's heroes as a villain would HAVE to be good. Not so. Though this kept me reading, I was bored. And the ending was terrible. I mean really bad. It's like Roth himself got bored and gave up.
My favorite part was the non-fiction appendix to the novel that showed timelines for the characters in the novel who were real people. I learned a lot from that.
I'm still planning to read American Pastoral, but I'd recommend others take a hard pass on this one.
2 stars
19. Brave New World by Aldous HuxleyCompleted 2/10/2014
This is one classic that I could've done without reading. Though there were some wonderful subtleties, most everything is so hyperbolic that it made me roll my eyes. "Monogamy? Bwah-ha-ha! We sleep with everyone!" "Segregation is wonderful. I'm glad I'm not like them." "Mothers? Ewwy! We are all test tube babies."
I found no characters to hold onto, which is understandable. These people are trained not to have personalities. And given the ending, I couldn't help but feel like the intention was to show that these are a godless people, and that's their main problem.
Disappointing.
2 stars
20. Watchmen by Alan MooreCompleted 2/13/2014
My brother loaned me this maybe a year ago, and I kept putting it off. I'm so glad I finally gave this, my first graphic novel, a chance.
Watchmen is the story of several masked vigilantes who once kept safe the streets of New York City. Now vigilanteism is illegal. But when former heroes begin to turn up dead, a couple of the remaining living ones come together to discover who's killing them and why.
I'd never even read a comic book, so I couldn't believe how much I enjoyed this. The pictures are beautiful and the story is easy to follow. My interest waned a bit after the halfway mark (I didn't enjoy the ship / carcass boat / island thread), but I'm glad I stuck it out. I was surprised how gory some of the pictures were, so be warned, but they really were beautifully done.
Can't say I'll make a habit out of reading graphic novels, but I so enjoyed this one.
4.5 stars
21. Einstein's Dreams by Alan LightmanCompleted 2/14/2014
Can't believe this isn't on the 1001 list and that it has never been recommended to me. This little book is a collection of fictional vignettes on different ways time might operate. The stories are brief, beautiful and often sad. At several points between the stories, we see Einstein, and we know he is worrying over his theory of time.
Go read it. There aren't many words, but it has a lot to say.
5 stars
22. Live from New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live by Tom ShalesCompleted 2/15/2014
This is a fun, though large, book about SNL from its beginnings to the early 2000s. I read it in about five months, which is strange for me. I kept it under my bed and read it in snippets. It's largely interviews of cast members, writers, producers and hosts, with short transitional paragraphs written by the author every 10 pages or so.
If I were not such a fan of the show, this would've been boring and pointless. It's also helpful to note that it was published 10 years ago, so people interested in reading about Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, Taran Killam, etc, won't find what they're looking for here.
By the end, I got a tired of how gushy the book was. Though there is some controversy that comes out through the interviews (Chevy Chase is a jerk, some people think Lorne is manipulative, women had trouble getting airtime in the early years), on the whole the message here is that SNL is groundbreaking, one-of-a-kind, generally amazing. And I mean that's the AUTHOR's point of view, not necessarily that of the people who actually work at SNL.
A fun read if you know enough about classic SNL to recognize the names.
4 stars
23. The One and Only Ivan by Katherine ApplegateCompleted 2/17/2014
Ivan throws poop. And eats crayons. And draws pictures and philosophizes and cares deeply about his elephant friends.
I loved this book. It's a lovely story, but it's also great reminder that animals are sentient beings with preferences and memories and friendships.
5 stars
THE MNEMONIC CHALLENGEDuration: March 1 - 31, 2014
Completed 5/?
1. My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nachos is used to remember the order of the planets. Read a book that takes place in space.
2. My Enormous Penguin Bounces Pretty High is to remember the series of alkanes in chemistry. Read a book that features an animal that is not typically kept as a pet (like a penguin).
3. Thirty days hath September, April, June, and November. Read a book that has a page number count that includes the digits 3 and 0 (in any order).
4. Wives of Henry VIII: divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived. Read a book in which a character is part of an unhappy marriage.
Empire Falls - Completed 3/4/2014
5. Mrs. Baker is used to remember the eight common law felonies (murder, rape, sodomy, burglary, arson, kidnapping, escape, robbery). Read a book in a which one of these felonies takes place.
The Stockholm Octavo by Karen Engelmann - Completed 3/9/2014
6. Please excuse my dear Aunt Sally (PEMDAS) is to remember the order of operations in math (parenthesis, exponents, multiplication & division, addition & subtraction). Read a book that has a Goodreads description that includes parentheses.
Fall of Giants - Completed 3/1/2014
7. Every good boy does fine is the mnemonic for the notes on the five lines of the treble clef. Read a book that involves music in some way.
Love Water Memory - Completed 3/4/2014
8. I before E, except after C read a book that has a title containing a word following the mnemonic (e.g., it could contain the word "friend" or "receive").
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah - Completed 3/9/2014
Kaitlin wrote: "15. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper LeeCompleted 1/29/2014
I loved this. I can't believe it wasn't required reading in junior high..."
One of my favorite books of all time! It was required reading for me in 7th grade, and I thought a lot of curricula did require it - you're right, one of your schools definitely should have required it! But I'm so happy to hear you read it as an adult and that you still loved it. I may have to reread it since I haven't since I was 12.
Also, I read Brave New World for the first time last summer and felt exactly the same way as you - I could have done without reading it. The characters were one-dimensional, the pacing was incredibly dull, and the tone was a bit preachy, even if a bit subtle. I did some research online after finishing the book because I just needed to understand why on earth this book has been widely regarded as a classic work of literature. The essays I read about the book were ten times more interesting than the book itself.
(feel free to erase this btw so I'm not cluttering your corner :) I just stopped by after adding march challenges to my corner and really enjoyed your reviews).
24. Legends by Robert LittellCompleted 2/19/2014
A muddled, far-fetched spy story with an obligatory romance. I am a sucker for fiction dealing with disorders of the mind, so I was intrigued by the protagonist's multiple personalities and memory loss. However, the story (and its resolution) had little to do with that. Though at points entertaining, the story was tortuous and plot-based, so the convoluted plot couldn't hold it up.
This would be a good read for hard-core spy/FBI/conspiracy fans, but for the average reader, it's lacking.
2 stars
25. Dark Places by Gillian FlynnCompleted 2/23/2014
I read this during the day in a public place. For a lily-livered lady like myself, that was the only way to do it. It wasn't that it was super gory, or even terribly haunting, but my overactive imagination can turn a creepy book into a really vivid episode of Dateline, which then turns into a nightmare.
I loved the character development, the twists, the resolution. I was OK with the flashbacks (though they weren't my favorite).
Flynn writes such concise, well-executed suspense novels that even book snobs like me love them. I'd recommend this to anyone who isn't put off by murdery books.
5 stars
26. The Husband's Secret by Liane MoriartyCompleted 2/28/2014
OK, so I'm on a bit of a roll with slightly trashy books. But this was so entertaining. A woman discovers an envelope with her husband's writing on it, instructing her to open it only in the event of his death. Of course, she ends up opening it, and when she does THEIR LIVES WILL NEVER BE THE SAME. Dunh-duh-DUH!
Moriarty's writing style is great. I don't usually read suspense novels because they can be really sloppy. But her writing is fluid and not flowery. I enjoyed the way she brought the characters together throughout the novel, and I found most of the characters believable.
I plan to seek out her other novels to make my reading list more interesting.
4 stars
27. Fall of Giants by Ken FollettCompleted 3/1/2014
This is a long, lovely tale of life before, during and after the first World War. Follett draws characters from a few different countries, of all ages and castes. We see them fall in love and suffer other misfortunes as they all become subtly connected by the Great War.
Despite its length, this is interesting enough to keep the reader engaged. It's easy to keep track of the characters and see the threads that connect them.
As historical fiction goes, this is definitely more in the "popular" spectrum (rather than the literary)...I counted at least three busted hymens in the first half of the book. But hey, at least there was color to balance the more war-oriented parts.
I think I would've gotten more from this had I any knowledge of history, but I certainly did learn from this, and I enjoyed doing so.
4 stars
29. Love Water Memory by Jennie ShortridgeCompleted 3/4/2014
A passable story about a woman who blacks out for six days and "reawakens" a new person. The novel tells the woman's quest to figure out who she was, who she is, and whether she belongs with the spineless stud bucket who picked her up at the psych ward.
The amnesia story is a cover for a gushy "Who am I really?" "I have a deep secret that makes me unlovable." "Why so serious?" narrative. The amnesiac's inner dialogue is so repetitive as to be pointless, and I still haven't figured out why her fiance liked her before the accident, when she was a cold, career-oriented robot.
The resolution to the mystery was even more far-fetched than it was satisfying.
Wait, where am I? What was the second star in my rating for? Have I always been someone who writes slightly catty reviews of perfectly decent novels?...
1.5 stars
28. Empire Falls by Richard RussoCompleted 3/3/2014
It's rare for me to give a book a second try, but I did with this one. It turned out to be OK. I was ready to abandon it around page 70, but a friend I was reading it with (hey, cuz :D) talked me into trying it again a couple weeks later.
I loved the intro - I found it funny and entertaining. But the first few chapters of the book proper were boring. It was hard for me to see the substance or care about the characters. As the book progressed, though, there were a couple plot turns that piqued my interested. And the alcoholic, moocher father was entertaining.
I was disappointed in the slap-dash climax and found the ending abrupt. In all, though, not a bad book, though I can't figure out how it was Pulitzer worthy (I guess it had something to do with the subject matter late in the book).
Russo's writing style is OK, if a bit stilted. I wouldn't be opposed to trying another of his books sometime.
2 stars
30. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah3/9/2014
OK, so civil war and genocide and poverty are the worst. And the war and violence in this novel is heartbreaking. But neither of those facts makes this a good book.
The writing is stilted and I found the narrator hard to believe. In fairness, I'm skeptical of all memoirs. Our memories are just not accurate. And here we are expected to believe the memories of 10-14 years before when the author was aged 12-16, high most of the time, grief-stricken, subjected to constant violence, etc etc etc. And sorry, but this man's job in America was to publicize the horrors of his country. It would be natural for him to make up or embellish to illustrate his country's struggles.
I'm not saying these events didn't happen - I know that people experienced all these things and continue to. But I do not believe that this a straight, non-fiction account of one child's journey to America.
Narratively, I found the story disjointed and jumpy. The flashbacks felt contrived. The inner monologue was repetitive.
I wouldn't have finished this if I weren't reading it for a book club, and I think abandoning it would've been the right choice.
1 star
31. The Stockholm Octavo by Karen EngelmannCompleted 3/9/2014
What a fun historical read. At the center of the novel is a fortune-teller (of sorts), who creates an "octavo" (eight cards over eight days, each of which shows a person who will be important to the seeker) to help reveal the life course of a member of government. It's then the seeker's job to keep his eyes open and figure out which people fit the description the teller showed him.
My description makes it sound lame, but the octavo creates such a unique setting for this novel that it would've been hard not to enjoy it. I loved the teller; she isn't all hocus-pocus. Rather, her abilities are almost incidental to her personality, and it sometimes seems she regrets them.
Oh, and there's this creepy lady who can do her own kind of magic with fans (like the old-timey, foldy kind fancy ladies used to carry) and teaches young women to do the same.
Fun fun fun. I'll try more from the author.
4 stars
32. The End: Hamburg 1943 by Hans Erich NossackCompleted 3/9/2014
This is a wonderful, true, first-person telling of a civilian's experience of war. HIs emotions felt very real and the descriptions were vivid. Everything a memoir should be. Don't look at the pictures before bed.
5 stars
2025 Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
The Children's Book (other topics)The Interestings (other topics)
We Are Water (other topics)
Night Film (other topics)
Life After Life (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Nick Hornby (other topics)Matt Haig (other topics)
Hans Erich Nossack (other topics)
Karen Engelmann (other topics)
Ishmael Beah (other topics)
More...
33. About a Boy by Nick Hornby
32. The End: Hamburg 1943 by Hans Erich Nossack
31. The Stockholm Octavo by Karen Engelmann
30. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah
29. Love Water Memory by Jennie Shortridge
28. Empire Falls by Richard Russo
27. Fall of Giants by Ken Follett
26. The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty
25. Dark Places by Gillian Flynn (library)
24. Legends: A Novel of Dissimulation by Robert Littell (own - giving to bookstore)
23. The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate (library)
22. Live from New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live by Tom Shales (own - giving to bookstore)
21. Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman (BC)
20. Watchmen by Alan Moore (borrowed from Ian)
19. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (library)
. Empire Falls by Richard Russo (own - giving to bookstore)
18. The Plot Against America by Philip Roth (own - giving to bookstore)
17. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion (library)
16. Embers by Sándor Márai (BC)
15. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (own)
14. A Death in the Family by James Agee by Richard Dawkins (BC)
12. East of Eden by John Steinbeck (own)
11. Brotherly Love by Pete Dexter (own)
10. Every Day Is Mother's Day by Hilary Mantel (BC)
9. The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly (library)
8. The Lost Mother by Mary McGarry Morris (own - giving to bookstore)
7. The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt (own)
6. Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende (BC)
5. The Dead Fathers Club by Matt Haig (own)
4. Mother by Maxim Gorky (BC)
3. Other Voices, Other Rooms by Truman Capote (BC)
2. Dave Barry in Cyberspace by Dave Barry (BC)
1. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman (library on Kindle)