The County Library discussion

January’s is traditionally a month of resolutions and goal setting. In keeping with this spirit January’s challenge is to read something that will encourage you to continue with a new or existing goal in your life, or will provide you with more knowledge on a topic or skill that will help you achieve a goal in your life. (The book can be non-fiction, or fiction—whatever will inspire or help you to keep plugging away at whatever you are working on.)

Hmmm... this will require thought. :)

One of the things I want to do in 2014 is to read more poetry. For Christmas I received What W. H. Auden Can Do for You, and a collection of Auden's poems. I also have poetry by Dickinson, Whitman, Benjamin Alire Sáenz and Nick Cave to keep me busy with this challenge. Though, I have learned not to try to plow through poetry books as I would with a novel, if I work on reading some and learning to appreciate it more, my goal will be achieved.

I am currently reading 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jen Hatmaker. Although I do not plan on doing this whole book of challenges, I thought it would be great to eliminate some sort of waste in my life. I am really still considering which one, but really doing a little bit of each of the seven topics would also work. Great for a January read!

Jackie wrote: "I am currently reading 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jen Hatmaker. Although I do not plan on doing this whole book of challenges, I thought it would be great to eliminate some sort of..."

That book sounds interesting! I will have to look into getting it and seeing what goals i can make to de-crap my house!

I will continue reading Clarissa, which has been a goal of mine for 20 years. It is in 9 volumes and over 1,000,000 words. I read volumes 1-3 in 2013. I'd like to complete it in 2014.

Carolyn wrote: "Jackie wrote: "I am currently reading 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jen Hatmaker. Although I do not plan on doing this whole book of challenges, I thought it would be great to elimina..."

What I really like about this book is that Jen has a sense of humor and doesn't make you feel lower than a snake if you are not on board with everything she is writing. Entertaining as well as enlightening.

My second goal is to clear out my currently reading list before starting something new. Yeah, like that's going to happen. ;P

This challenge is funny! I have a plan for reading specific goals this year and actually finishing them, like JoAnn. One of my plans was that I would participate in challenges only if what I was currently reading fit into the challenge.

Which makes the January challenge perfect for me. For several years I've had a goal of reading all the Pulitzer Fiction winners. This year the goal is to finish them. I have 20 left, assuming they pick a new winner this year. So I will be reading The Stories of John Cheever.

December’s Reading Challenge drawing winner is Carolyn. She read a ton of books for this month's challenge. Here's a couple: The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes, Bad Kitty by Nick Bruel, Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl, How Do Dinosaurs Say Merry Christmas? by Jane Yolen-- to name a few.

Debbie wrote: "This challenge is funny! I have a plan for reading specific goals this year and actually finishing them, like JoAnn. One of my plans was that I would participate in challenges only if what I was ..."

I agree with you, Debbie; I also have "resolved" to only do reading challenges that fit into what I am already reading. The last thing I want to do is have my favorite hobby become a chore. :)

I think I have found a great book to begin 2014 with, The Rest is Noise, Listening to the 20th Century by Alex Ross. I have wanted to find a music history book that doesn't put me to sleep and this is it.

I'm reading What Every Kindergarten Teacher Knows.

I am reading financial peace.

"An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess" sounds interesting. It fits right in with a goal I have had for the past several years to get rid of a lot of the "stuff" in my home that just clutters it up. Maybe this is the book that will finally give me that little push I need to finally achieve this goal.

I am 2/3 of the way through "7", and I have to say I really love it. The monthly challenges are not unrealistic, and you can modify or customize them to your liking. Some of the challenges would be tough, especially to get the whole family on board, but others would be such a great way to grow closer as a family.

Jackie wrote: "I am currently reading 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jen Hatmaker. Although I do not plan on doing this whole book of challenges, I thought it would be great to eliminate some sort of..."

I'm also currently reading 7. So thought provoking!

I am reading financial peace. Want to get my finances under control this year.

alisonwonderland wrote: "I'm also currently reading 7. So thought provoking!"

Looks like this is the book everyone's reading this month. I just checked out a copy of it myself.

I am reading "The Lost Art of Listening" by Michael Nichols. It covers an area I want to improve in my life.

My goal this month is to finish reading Shadowfell.

Ann wrote: "alisonwonderland wrote: "I'm also currently reading 7. So thought provoking!"

Looks like this is the book everyone's reading this month. I just checked out a copy of it myself."

I have been thinking about the chapter on waste. Wow! I probably could do half of the recycling I do now, and still come up with a trash can full more than once a week. I liked how Jen wrote about wondering if doing all the conservation stuff in her family was really going to make a difference. She is just one person after all. But, if every single person who thinks that, (including myself), would start doing their part in eliminating waste, what a different world this would be...

So I jumped on the band wagon. I downloaded the audio book of 7. I am currently on month 3 possessions.

GAH! Possessions! I have so much stuff (especially clothes, I am kind of a clothes junkie) so that chapter made me feel sooooo materialistic! I liked how Jen tried to find people that would benefit from her things right away, and not just throw them in the goodwill pile.

My turn just came up for an audiobook about dealing with grief, disappointment and loss. That's the one I'll be using for the challenge. Sorry, I don't remember the title. 2013 was one hell of a year and the battle for my husband's children's futures continues into 2014. I hope this book helps me better handle the stress and sorrow.

Laura wrote: "I am reading "The Lost Art of Listening" by Michael Nichols. It covers an area I want to improve in my life."

Wow! That sounds like a really interesting and useful book. (I know I could definitely improve on my listening skills.) I think that's going to have to join my ever-growing books-to-read list.

I have finished reading The Stories of John Cheever. On to more of clearing off my long-standing "next read" list!

I just finished listening to 7. Not sure how I feel about it. I think we can all learn to appreciate what we have and sometimes we can do with less than we have. But on the other hand I have worked hard to get what I have so why should I give it up. I think the part I enjoyed the most was when she gave up stresses in her life. I know I enjoy my life better when I have down time and can just relax.

One of my goals this year is to expand my reading horizons and read books from more different genres. I typically read classics and fantasy, so this month I'm going to read a book that is more contemporary. I started reading The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time the other day. I'm about half way through it right now and so far I have been enjoying it. I love Christopher's first-person voice in the novel.

I am now done with financial peace.

Brittany wrote: "I started reading The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time the other day. ..."

I really enjoyed the book, too, and was very surprised by the ending.

Debbie wrote: "Brittany wrote: "I started reading The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time the other day. ..."

I really enjoyed the book, too, and was very surprised by the ending."

Just finished The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. I was a little surprised by the ending as well and I really felt bad for Christopher's father. For all of the sad elements of the story though, I think that Mark Haddon did an excellent job of portraying Christopher as the remarkable individual he is and still managing to end on a good note.

I read a book called Three Cups of Tea. This book inspired to work for what I want even if it is extremely hard. I would recommend this book to anyone.

I'm finishing up Life In Color: Photographs, which isn't a book I'd usually use for our reading challenge, but it works with one of my goals of winding down at the end of the day and enjoying more artwork/beautiful things. There isn't a lot of writing, but the photographs are so amazing that it isn't a breeze through in-one-sitting type of book.

I am going to finish reading the Book of Mormon! Then I am going to start over again.

Having worked on it since August, I finally finished The Thousand Nights and a Night Supplemental volume 2, part 12 of the Richard F. Burton (no relation to the actor) 16 volume translation. I started the whole thing in 2008. I make slow progress, it being sometimes quite boring. I sometimes wonder if I'll ever, ever finish the whole entire thing. So two titles of my goal completed this month!

Great job, Debbie. Sometimes it's all about completing a goal, not the pleasure in the journey, lol.

Jackie wrote: "Great job, Debbie. Sometimes it's all about completing a goal, not the pleasure in the journey, lol."

What is interesting is that I, and I suppose most people, remember Sinbad as "one" of the tales and also Ali Baba and the 40 Theives. I got to Sinbad in, I believe, the 3rd volume of the primary set of 1001 tales. Now in the 3rd supplement, which includes additional tales not part of the 1001, I find Ali Baba. That really surprised me!

For this month's challenge I read "Sing Down the Moon," by Scott O'Dell. I've set a goal to read all Newbery Medal and Honor books, and finishing this one leaves me 113 of 393 left to go...until tomorrow, when the 2014 ALA awards should be announced.

Wow! Lofty goal, Alyson. Good luck with it!

I have so many hard copy books that I own that I want to read. However, I keep finding myself getting new ones on my Kindle and at the library. My goal is to read an actual hard copy book I own. I still need to decide which one, ummmmm

I'm in the same boat, so I made a deal with myself: every 4th book I read has to be a NON-library book. Generally it's one I own, but books borrowed from family or friends that are never going to ask for them back count as well. I'm making slow progress under this plan--which is still more progress than I've made in years!

Finally finished the Book of Mormon again. Now I will start over again.

Alyson wrote: "I'm in the same boat, so I made a deal with myself: every 4th book I read has to be a NON-library book. Generally it's one I own, but books borrowed from family or friends that are never going to..."

I also have a lot of actual books. I like your goal of every 4th book needs to be a really page and paper book, not an e-book.

Suzy wrote: "I have so many hard copy books that I own that I want to read. However, I keep finding myself getting new ones on my Kindle and at the library. My goal is to read an actual hard copy book I own. ..."

I'm doing that, too! Seems a bunch of us have decided to do that.

This month I worked on reading more poetry. I am studying W.H. Auden and reading What W. H. Auden Can Do for You, and when a poem is described, I read it and it is a very enriching way to learn about the poet and the poetry.

I also jumped on the bandwagon and read 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess, which was interesting and challenging. I enjoyed thinking about simplifying my own excesses.

I am slowly trying to read most of the old and new Newbery winners. (Some of the oldest Honors books are harder to find.) So this month I read Swift Rivers.

I also read many of the first books to receive the Caldecott award or honor. Abraham Lincoln, Animals of the BibleMake Way for DucklingsAndy and the LionThey Were Strong and Good and others.

It is interesting to see the types of books that were selected for these awards long ago, especially in comparison to those awarded recently. (This year's winners were just announced. I have not read most of the winners or the honors, so I am adding them to my to read pile right away.)

Plus, my children and I so enjoyed Where the Mountain Meets the Moon in November that we decided to read Starry River of the Sky together. It was wonderful!

Jenny wrote: "I am slowly trying to read most of the old and new Newbery winners. (Some of the oldest Honors books are harder to find.) So this month I read Swift Rivers.

I also read many of the ..."

If you haven't read it yet, I highly recommend The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate.

I really liked The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, Debbie. Thanks for the recommendation...do you have other favorites? I have read all of the winners and honors for the past 3 to 5 years (and many of the others from the last two decades). Now I am slowly making my way through many of the older books. And keeping current each year as the new winners are announced. :)

I was just looking through my list tonight--so many good books! I've been surprised by the variety in the early decades of the award, but rarely disappointed.