2025 Reading Challenge discussion

I'm in! I will read Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World.

I'm definitely in! I'll see what's next on my TBR on Sunday and choose at that point.

Ooo, Time Machine. I've been meaning to read that for a long time now. It's apparently more than a simple adventure story. It's true science fiction, in which one can (if one chooses) find between the lines commentary on various issues of the day. Yep, going to have to read that soon.

That book list of 1001 books...there's a web site...don't they update it sometimes too?

Jessica (bitsy 55) wrote: "I'd like to join! I will pick Ethan Frome. It's one I've been wanting to read and it's on my TBR list. I think it will work!"

Great book Jessica. Enjoy it.

Annabeth wrote: "I back out.
My mom won't let me touch my kindle as my first exam is on march 2. :("

Read a little kid's picture book just so you can say you did it! ;-)

Kidding...good luck on your exam!

Challenge complete! I just read my very short (64 pages) book:
Gratitude by Oliver Sacks (3 stars)

One of my friends just handed me The Grownup which is only 62 pages ... so I might end up switching my book choice! :-) As of now I'm still going to try to finish my original book choice though. The original one is a TBR, and this one is not.

I'm in! I want to read Of Beast and Beauty by Stacey Jay.

I hadnt decided whether I was going to do this or not until this morning. I found a book on my nook that will work. I am going to read The Gun by Phillip K. Dick. Its really short so I know I will get ot done in a day.

I'm in I will read The Letter

Due to commitments on 29 February, I read my book today in a couple of hours. Would definitely recommend The Tales of Beedle the Bard because it adds so much to the Harry Potter series.
Challenge completed!

I'm in! I'll read Island of the Blue Dolphins. Hurray!

I'll try to read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil - a Savannah Story

How do I join this challenge?

Just post with the book you're interested in reading. Kadijah (the challenge leader) will add you to the list. :)

Okay! :) Kadijah, my book on the 29th is Acorn by Yoko Ono thanks! olivia

On the roster I'm linked to the wrong book. I'll be reading Of Love and Evil by Anne Rice. For some reason, when you put in that title the first book listed is FOR Love and Evil by Piers Anthony, so I see how that happened. Can you correct the link, please?

I'm going to read Animal Farm.

I am in. Am reading "enormous SMALLNESS" a story of e.e. Cummings", by Matthew Burgess.

I'd like to join as well! I'll be reading Writing In An Age Of Silence

I'm done! This was a fantastic challenge & I'm so glad I did it. :) 4 stars!

I am reading The Grownup by Gillian Flynn for this one. Not sure if I'm working on the 29th so I may knock this over this Saturday or later in the week. Pretty excited because I found this book by chance at the library today.

Kadijah, I'm going to make a change on my book choice. I realized I have Suspended Sentences: Three Novellas by Patrick Modiano on my TBR list, and the audiobook is only 6 1/2 hours. I figure that if I start the audiobook on my work commute this morning, I should be able to finish it today.

I choose today because our auditors are coming on Monday, which means late nights and weekend work through next Friday. I figure I have a good chance to finish if I start this shorter (213 pages) book today.

I love this idea! I will read "The Time Machine" by HG Wells!

After thinking back and forth I've decided to join this challenge, and read The Old Man and the Sea.

If I can I'm also going to try to read A Calendar of Tales, but I feel like committing to two books is a bit much in so many ways, so I think I'm going to stick to one for now. :)

Beautiful idea: I'm in!
My choice is Longevità a short book about longevity

I'm going to read

just downloaded it on my kindle. It kind of fits with what's gone on in my life over the last 9 months (although I didn't have a brain tumor) the concept of focused ultrasound to cure certain diseases sounds interesting.

Count me in. I'll read "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love" by Raymond Carver. It's 176 pages, so it'll be alright on 29th.

Paul wrote: "After thinking back and forth I've decided to join this challenge, and read The Old Man and the Sea.

I finally read this a couple years ago myself...so darn good. I think it may actually be a perfect book.

Andrew wrote: "Paul wrote: "After thinking back and forth I've decided to join this challenge, and read The Old Man and the Sea.

I finally read this a couple years ago myself...so darn good. I think ..."
I agree. Love Hemingway :)

I love seeing all of the books that you're picking! I hope you will report back and tell us what you think when you're done. :)

Andrew and Ecem: I'm dreading it and looking forward to it simultaneously, if that makes sense. (Then again I think I tend to simultaneously look forward and dread things in general sometimes.) I've never read any other Hemingway before either, I've sort of been deliberately waiting for this one out of a felt need to start out with one of his big hitters like I do with other authors sometimes. Other people do that other than me, right?

Paul wrote: "Andrew and Ecem: I'm dreading it and looking forward to it simultaneously, if that makes sense. (Then again I think I tend to simultaneously look forward and dread things in general sometimes.) I'v..."

Yes, I believe they do :) Well, my first Hemingway was The Sun Also Rises - I borrowed it from my library, and loved it. Hemingway's style is plain, honest, intense and right to the point, never writes superfluous words (they are not superfluous to him at least) and whenever I read his books or stories, he kinda gives me this "I am a man, I am totally honest with my bad and good, like it or not, accept it or not, I don't care," feeling, I mean, well, normally one can find this a bit off-putting maybe, but I just love his honesty, it's like he makes you like him without being likable or caring if you'll like him or not. :) He is one of the few authors that can make me taste, smell, feel and see what he tasted, smelled, felt and saw in his writings. The reason I'm talking about more of him than his stories is, most of the time he wrote about his own experiences, so you can feel his presence and understand what kind of a person he was, more or less. As for The Old Man and the Sea, I didn't just read it, I felt everything the protagonist felt in the book, I was absorbed by the story all the time, and really loved it. I really hope you'll like it too Paul, maybe I advertised the man so much and kinda raised your hopes high, but well, he is one of my favorite authors so maybe I can't be objective as much as I want to ;)

Ecem wrote: "Paul wrote: "Andrew and Ecem: I'm dreading it and looking forward to it simultaneously, if that makes sense. (Then again I think I tend to simultaneously look forward and dread things in general so..."

It's no problem Ecem, if anything the fault is with me for being so strange about these things and not you. :) (Plus, as far as I remember I don't think that you've mentioned him to me before this, though I could be wrong.) And even if you're not being objective, it's clear that you're really passionate about Hemingway and you want people/me to experience him and feel the same way, and I'd be lying if I said it wasn't inspiring. So thank you. :)

Paul wrote: "Ecem wrote: "Paul wrote: "Andrew and Ecem: I'm dreading it and looking forward to it simultaneously, if that makes sense. (Then again I think I tend to simultaneously look forward and dread things ..."

No, I don't think it is strange to feel reserved about the authors we've heard so much about but haven't read before. I was feeling the same before I read my first Hemingway too (I can get into detail about this later), I think it is normal, coz you want/hope them to be good as much as people say, and it makes you dread to think "What if they are not that good as people say?" since everyone's taste may differ (Or maybe this is not the reason in your mind and I'm totally wrong but I said it anyway :P) And, yes, I haven't mentioned him to you before this, well, you know I was passionate about many other things already, so I'm trying to be passionate about one thing at a time I guess :D Hope you'll like the book, I'll be waiting for your review :)

I think you pretty much have it Ecem, it's almost like you've reached into my head :) (though sometimes I have it with lesser-known books too, I'm not sure why, this stuff isn't always easy to piece together sometimes. I mean, usually it's fine once I get into it, so I'd say it all just ties back to all that stuff I've been talking so much about that I need to get over as well. That's probably it. :))

Paul wrote: "I think you pretty much have it Ecem, it's almost like you've reached into my head :) (though sometimes I have it with lesser-known books too, I'm not sure why, this stuff isn't always easy to piec..."

Well, I'm glad that I wasn't totally wrong then :) I'll write to you in more detail later :)

Paul wrote: "I'm dreading it and looking forward to it simultaneously, if that makes sense. (Then again I think I tend to simultaneously look forward and dread things in general sometimes.) I've never read any other Hemingway before either, I've sort of been deliberately waiting for this one out of a felt need to start out with one of his big hitters like I do with other authors sometimes. Other people do that other than me, right? ."

My previous experience with Hemingway was only a short story or two (I recall "Hills Like White Elephants.") My brother recommended I read Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises, but when I found out how short The Old Man and the Sea was, I chose that instead. I was avoiding him because the killing of animals is difficult for me. He writes about "manly" stuff, like bullfighting and hunting I guess. Old Man does involve the killing of a rather large fish, and I'm not happy about such a thing, but maybe it's a sign of my own maturity that with this book I was able to get past that and just really get into the human drama of it...the life stage that Santiago is in, what this all means to him. The writing really is amazing (simple, yet amazing). I avoid the heavy hitters because I anticipate the reading being a slog, and I'm getting tired of slogs! And yet I'm often proven wrong. I've only read one Faulkner, As I Lay Dying, and I LOVED it. So I imagine I just need to take the plunge and just be willing to give up if I'm not having fun.

PS: I mentioned my brother as a little joke to myself, because he's always been one to tackle that which I will not. He's read all of Moby-Dick, for example, and he loved Inferno. Talk about heavy hitters!

All this said, I still believe I should try Don Quixote...yes, the whole 1000+ pages of it, because I love Man of La Mancha.

Updated: COMPLETED

The One(The Selection #3) by Kiera Cass [Read 2/24/2016]

I am starting I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced this evening.

I finished The Gun by Phillip K. Dick. It was really short, so I feel like I kind of cheated, but I don't know if I can get many books over 100 pages done in a day Or any for that matter. I fall asleep too easy! At least its done and I can add another book to my list.

Andrew, Paul and Ecem - I read/studied "Hills Like White Elephants" when I was in uni (which was a long time ago lol!) and whilst I was blown away by his sparse, simple-yet-complex prose back then I don't think I really understood his style and philosophy. So I tried him again last year with "The Old Man and the Sea", and it is, truly, one of the best books ever written, as well as being a simple tale, elegantly told. As a fishing enthusiast myself I understood exactly the protagonist's thoughts and feelings, and as an middle aged person now I really understood his viewpoint and philosophy. I read it as a meditation on life, ageing, and beauty with a twist - the latter provided by an uncertain future which I believe closes the tale but also runs through the entire narrative. Do read it - you won't be disappointed!

Andrew wrote: "All this said, I still believe I should try Don Quixote...yes, the whole 1000+ pages of it, because I love Man of La Mancha."

Andrew, a few months ago I listened to the audiobook of Don Quixote read by George Guidall. This is the Edith Grossman translation, with the audio version running almost 40 hours. My work commute is 1 1/2 hours per day, so I make good use of the time by listening to audiobooks rather than the radio. The book was much funnier than I expected, and I found myself laughing out loud in the car. You should make time for that one!

I did it! I'm done.

Thanks Theresa! I will do so then!

Catty wrote: "Andrew, Paul and Ecem - I read/studied "Hills Like White Elephants" when I was in uni (which was a long time ago lol!) and whilst I was blown away by his sparse, simple-yet-complex prose back then ..."

Yes, "a meditation on life, ageing, and beauty with a twist", you described it beautifully Catty! :) And yes, I used to go fishing with my dad when I was a kid too, and though I never thought that before, now you mentioned it, maybe my fishing experience was also helpful in understanding the protagonist's thoughts and feelings. However, even in hunting scenes in "Green Hills of Africa" - despite the fact that I'm strongly against hunting - reading Hemingway made me feel like I was experiencing it myself, and that's what I love about him :)

I had just bought a kindle copy of Silently and Very Fast based on a friend's recommendation. I would love to join in!

I started reading The Hunter on Feb. 24. I didn't post it in advance, but if it counts for the challenge I'll try to read it before the leap day.

I finished my book. Thanks:)

I just finished reading The Pearl by John Steinbeck. A very powerful book to read!