Books on the Nightstand discussion

I'm getting a late start, but I FINALLY chose some reading challenges for 2013:

http://bookbybook.blogspot.com/2013/0...

Now the year can start!

Sue

Book By Book

If I could do at least 12 books this year I would be happy meeting that goal. I will be a college student and will be fighting tooth & nail to make time for my leisure reading!! The Dog Stars and The Night Circus are the first two on my list...

I am on track for the Booktopia Vermont books. Still waiting for the Bellingham author announcement. Need to pick up the pace on my book journal but I am not too far behind. As an aside, I tried my first audiobook this year and am hooked. Sure makes the commute more enjoyable and often want to drive around the neighborhood a bit before pulling into the garage!

Denise wrote: "I am not going to open my own thread to declare what I will read this year. I did that last year with another group and it felt more like bragging or chest beating than it did update. This is it.

..."

So is the Proust group on Goodreads? I'd love a refresher on the Proust but have no time for rereading it at the moment -- but love experiencing others' experience of Proust.

Explored and found and joined the group -- will dive in soon and explore the group's threads/posts.

Amy wrote: "Jena wrote: "Yeah, I'd love a DNF category, too. I created one, but then I still have to shelve it in one of the three status categories, and I don't like doing that. ..."

I'm not sure if it count..."

Only the "read" shelf will be counted in page counts and also if you are using a challenge tracker.

Otherwise, you can create as many exclusive shelves as you wish. Each book can only be assigned to ONE exclusive shelf -- this means that it is a radio button at the top of your list. You can assign a book to as many "regular" shelves as you wish.

In addition to the DNF, I also have a reference exclusive shelf. I use this for things like cookbooks or craft books that I don't really read from cover to cover, but I like tracking that I own.

Jana wrote: "Elizabeth wrote: "I'm taking a couple of free online classes with Coursera this year. The next one up is The Modern and the Post Modern which starts on Feb 4. The class covers many authors I have y..."

That course looks really cool --- I used to do a lot of Continuing Ed classes at Stanford because I lived near there. Maybe I should try something on-line now!

JoLene wrote: "In addition to the DNF, I also have a reference exclusive shelf. I use this for things like cookbooks or craft books that I don't really read from cover to cover, but I like tracking that I own...."

That is such an excellent idea. Some I do actually read, but not most of them.

I have set myself the challenge of reading 100 books this year and to make things more interesting, every other book is going to be a classic! Should be fun I think!!!!

Dottie wrote: "Denise wrote: "I am not going to open my own thread to declare what I will read this year. I did that last year with another group and it felt more like bragging or chest beating than it did update..."

Welcome!

Eric wrote: "How about this: pick one or more of your favorite authors and resolve to read EVERYTHING they've published?"

My goal this year is a twist on Eric's suggestion: I plan to read a Booker Prize winning book every other book I read. I read roughly a book a week, so I will get to 25 Booker Prize winning books this year.

We're halfway through 2013 and I thought I would give a little update:
My goal is to read "All the Lehane." I had read the first three novels (A Drink Before the War, Darkness, Take My Hand and Sacred) in the Kenzie/Gennaro series last summer and finished the series this past month with Gone, Baby, Gone, Prayers for Rain and Moonlight Mile. Now I'm on to read the stand-alones, starting with Mystic River :-)

Tanya/dog eared copy wrote: "We're halfway through 2013 and I thought I would give a little update:
My goal is to read "All the Lehane." I had read the first three novels (A Drink Before the War, Darkness, Take My Hand and Sa..."

Mystic River was my absolute favorite of his, followed by The Given Day. I am currently reading Live by Night, which for some reason I am not liking as much.

It's the year's end and while I haven't stopped reading, for this particular challenge, I'm ready to post my final status update!

My goal was to read all of Dennis Lehane's works. I finished off the Kenzie/Gennaro series; read the stand-alone novels Mystic River and Shutter Island and; the short story collection Coronado. My favorite so far has been Mystic River which , IMO, is soooo good that it makes the rest of his stuff look like crap. Yeah, that good.

I did not get to The Given Day or Live by Night, but I am carrying them over into 2014 and hope to get them read before World Gone By is released on March 11.* I also just found out that he has a short story in an anthology, By Hook or By Crook that I would like to track down.

Anyway, I'm not really pursuing a canon read next year, but I do plan on reading more LeCarre. I love the Circus novels and am currently reading Smiley's People. In 2014, I would like to have read six more of his spy thrillers: The Little Drummer Girl, A Perfect Spy, The Russia House, The Secret Pilgrim, The Night Manager and, Our Game. That will bring me up to LeCarre's fourteenth espionage novel :-)

* My birthday happens to be March 7. Just sayin' ;-)

Tanya, I am so impressed with your Challenge progress..
I'm still trying to stuff in 3 more books by the end of the year..
not sure The Goldfinch will be one of them.
Best for the holidays, Nancy

Tanya, Mystic River was by far my favorite Lehane book, and The Given Day was my next favorite. Live by Night did not hold my interest as much.

I'm going to finish out Robert Caro by reading

Eric wrote: "I'm going to finish out Robert Caro by reading "

LOL, Grover did the whole Caro catalogue too! ;-)
He just finished uploading the last corrections for Means of Ascent today. He was also reading The Power Broker for his own edification which he found fascinating though a bit relentless and untempered in its criticism of Moses.

I tried to read MaddAddam twice. I so wanted to love it but I just couldn't get into it. The plot felt underdeveloped and the core personalities changed in many of the characters and; while The Year of the Flood provided answers, there was no traction into this storyline. As a result it felt rather anti-climatic. I was really looking forward to see what Atwood would bring to the table; but it felt like leftovers :-(

I totally agree with you on Maddaddam. Disappointing. I loved the part with Zeb and the bear, though. That would have made a great standalone short story.

As to whether someone can be described as having a 'book addiction', I say no way. Maybe a few hoarding issues, but I consider an addiction something that causes both you and those you love heartache and hopelessness. While other people in your life might not like the fact that they have to climb over boxes of books to get to the washing machine, a bruised shin is likely to be the most painful thing suffered. I think the very act of looking at a vast pile of books is both humbling and inspiring; a visual reminder of how little we know, and how few people we 'know' with.