2025 Reading Challenge discussion
ARCHIVE 2018
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Llama 888 - 52 Books
Book 1: Ghostwritten by David MitchellThis book was recommended to me by my husband after I had spent fifteen minutes staring at our very full bookshelves and whining I had nothing to read and I was already six books behind on my fifty-two book challenge.
Did I say recommended? Ordered is probably the more correct word. And I quote, "Did you like the movie Cloud Atlas? You liked Cloud Atlas so then just READ this!"
At 426 pages I was appalled he would suggest it. I was SIX books behind! Was he deaf? I had just been complaining (loudly) about this. Since he had already left the room I couldn't argue this very valid point. And really, since I didn't have a better idea I sat down and started reading (albeit grudgingly.)
And became immersed in a story that flowed from Japan to Mongolia to Britain. The story is told in ten chapters, each one narrated by a different character. Each character is linked to the next.
Luckily, this made for a faster read than I had expected. It turned out to be an excellent book to begin my Challenge since the set up made it feel like a series of short stories. A nice affect to help ease me back into reading.
So, a belated thank you to my exasperated husband.
Michele wrote: "Hello All,I signed up for the Reading Challenge in mid-February because I had fallen out of the habit of reading and I thought it would help jump start me. Imagine my surprise (and panic) when I ..."
Hi! If you want to change your reading goal you go to your personal challenge and edit it.
In the app you click on "more" and go to your reading challenge where you will find a small edit/settings icon. If you press that, you get the option to change your goal.
On the desktop version of the site, you click on your profile picture in the upper right hand corner, select Reading Challenge. On that page you click on the big red Reading Challenge which will bring you to your reading challenge page where you can edit your goal by pressing edit.
But as you say, you can choose to read some shorter books to catch up. Also you can see if there's a challenge you like to help you reach your goal. Or maybe join in on some of the monthly group or buddy reads. I find that reading and discussing books together really helps me read more.
In any case, I wish you the best of luck with your goal, but above all, happy reading!!
ps: won't you be using your member corner? If not, you can delete it.
Hi Suzy,I realized that I had started my thread in the wrong place and wasn't sure what to do. I re-started it here and then deleted the comment there. Can I delete the member corner itself?
Any help would be appreciated.
Hi, no problem! Now that I have deleted my message in your corner you can delete the thread by clicking edit and then there will be an option to delete (only on the desktop site, not in the app). Just have a try. If you have any difficulties just let me know ok?
Suzy, The corner has magically disappeared. I did not have to do anything. Unless it is quietly lurking somewhere. Thanks for your help!
Book 2: Being Mortal by Atul GawandeAn excellent book to read if you know someone who is elderly or if you have any plans to become elderly yourself.
I found the early part of the book difficult to get through. It basically covers the major deficiencies of our system for caring for our older people and the terminally ill. Most of us are already aware of this and it is simply depressing. Skim this part if you need to. Maybe skip it altogether.
The rest of the book covers the shifts in thinking about these topics and the new, more compassionate means of addressing the needs and, just as importantly, the wants of those who can no longer be completely independent.
Book 3: Fight Club by Chuck PalahniukRead this at the suggestion of my 21 year old son.
My apologies for breaking the first rule of Fight Club.
I already knew the ending to the book (with the movie so popular, it was hard to avoid), but I don't think that spoiled it. It simply gave me a different viewpoint reading it that worked very well.
I did not love this book and I can not put my finger on why. I found the writing a little tiring to read. It is a touch stream of consciousness is the only thing I can figure out. If anyone has a better idea about this I would love to hear it.
I did go from thoroughly disliking the main character to rooting for him at the end, so that is something. I would not discourage anyone from reading this because I think it was worth the time, but I would like to know what they think of it.
Book 4: Year One by Nora RobertsBook 1 of the series: Chronicle of the One
I love Nora Roberts's books written under J.D. Robb. I also really like her books that are more mystery or plot driven than romance (not that I dislike her romances). So when I saw this in the bookstore I grabbed it for my reading Challenge.
It did not disappoint. It is a post-apocalyptic series that begins at the very moment the disaster is born. But unlike most disasters this unleashes not one, but two forces. The first is the Doom, a disease that kills quickly and spreads rapidly. The second is magic. Fairies with real wings, prophecy, abilities to move objects, heal and more.
As all good long reads do, it follows several characters on their journey. As all plagues do, the good fall as well as the bad. As all who have special abilities do, some use it for the good, some for the bad.
If you like fantasy and post-apocalyptic settings and the story of good vs evil with perhaps (only on book one here) a savior thrown in, this is the book for you!
I cannot wait for the next one.
4 books down you are doing great! I have to say in my years of reading I don't think I have ever read Nora Roberts (don't judge me lol) I hope you enjoy your next great read!
Book 5: Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse TysonDespite the long title this is a fairly short book. It is a collection of essays that Neil deGrasse Tyson has written over the years.
I found this book when I walked into Tattered Cover last week to browse and saw it on the new arrivals table. I read his book, The Pluto Files several years ago and really enjoyed it. Although, I do not agree that Pluto should have been downgraded to a planetoid.
There is nothing so controversial in this book, just a good overview of some of the basic concepts of astrophysics. Neil (so I do not have to continue to type deGrasse Tyson) has, as expected, made these concepts, if not perfectly understandable, manageable. I quite enjoyed reading it even if I now have to live with the information that the universe is full of sinister stuff like dark energy and that antimatter does exist.
If you want a very readable science book, Neil delivers it with his trademark enthusiasm and humor.
Book 6: Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver (Young Adult)I read this book because it is in one of the boxes (I am ashamed to admit there are three) next to my bed. There are also books on my nightstand. Part of my reading challenge to myself is to make a dent in my "To Be Read at Some Point in My Life" pile. I was rummaging through and found this. I can not remember when or why I bought it, but Past Me made a very good choice.
OK, I have to admit right now, I cried. Not all blubbery like a baby, but definitely had to wipe tears away. That is all I'm telling you. I definitely do not have the art of writing reviews down yet and I do not want to give away anything. I'll probably worry now that telling you that there is a sad part gives away the whole game, but there are lots of reasons to cry over a book. Like, her dog dies, or the world ends and she is the last one alive, or your chopping onions while reading. And yes, the hero is a her (Samantha) but her dog does not die and the world does not end and I was not chopping onions. Those were examples.
The book is a good read and I enjoyed it. It follows high school senior Samantha as she repeats the same day over and over. As the first page will tell you, she dies on the first day. (This is not where I cried. It was later.) The book moves right along and does not feel repetitive. Except for her feelings. Those are repetitive. You will hear about them. A lot. That would be my only complaint. Persevere, though, and you will be rewarded.
Book 7: Earthman, Come Home by James BlishI found this book at Cheever Books in San Antonio a while back. It is one of those old, small, yellowed books. The cover lists its price as 60¢. I don't remember what I paid for it, it was in with some other books my husband and I bought. I'm sure I paid more than 60¢.
Anyway, I love those old books and that was the reason I bought it. The fact that it was an old science fiction book was just the excuse. The small size, and the distinctive font and the yellowed pages with faded red on the edges, I couldn't resist.
It is a good old-fashioned space adventure. Cities, using spindizzies, fly through the universe looking for work. Earthman follows Mayor Amalfi and City Manager Hazleton as they navigate New York to various planets and wreak havok on their residents.
It turns out that this is book 3 of 4 books, but it reads well as a stand alone novel.
Book 8: The Rosie Effect by Graeme SimsionThis is another one of the books from the box next to my bed. My sister gave me the first book, The Rosie Project, which I loved and I then purchased this one. And then left it next to my bed for over two years. Maybe looking for it to age properly or something.
This book continues the relationship of Don Tillman and Rosie Jarman. Every bit as good as the first book. A nice light, comedic romance.
A book is a dream that you hold in your hand. I hope that April brings you many more five star reads.
Blagica wrote: "A book is a dream that you hold in your hand. I hope that April brings you many more five star reads."Thank you, Blagica!
Book 9: 20th Century Ghosts by Joe HillAfter falling behind on my reading, I finally finished this book of short stories that has been sitting next to my bed for ages.
It has ghosts and strange disappearances and unsettling parents. An excellent book to curl up with on a rainy, gloomy day.
Book 10: The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret AtwoodI read this book in the 80's after it came out when my friend, Jane, recommended it. I decided to re-read it after Berit, a fellow Goodreader, commented on it.
I imagined that reading it then compared with reading it now would be analogous to watching a horror movie the first time and enjoying it because the monsters weren't real, but on second viewing you have learned that those monsters exist and it really isn't as much fun anymore. So I was a bit hesitant when I picked it up.
I should not have been. Margaret Atwood is an excellent writer and I got drawn into Offred's life as completely as I did the first time. And, again, I wanted to know more. More about Offred, more about Gilead, more about what came after.
On reading it the first time I did recognize that the monsters existed, but I was under the impression that the worst of them had been tamed a bit, or at least pushed to the fringes. I thought that for Gilead to come about conditions would have to be significantly different from what they were. Progress was being made! Despite the abundance of mansplainers (if only we had had that word back then) and the very slow crumbling of barriers (for people of color as well as for women), we were moving forward. Most men were (and are) good people and it was all working out. Kumbaya.
Reading the book today is worrying. The lesson in it is that it doesn't matter that the majority of men and women want the world to be better for everyone. It only matters that those who don't are willing to spend great amounts of time, money and energy getting their way while everyone else is just living their life. By the time the average person realizes there is a problem, it is too late. You either give in to survive or risk everything to rebel.
We, fortunately, are not in as dire a situation as those in Gilead, but Ms. Atwood does highlight some of the tactics of an authoritarian regime that we see today. Persecute and drive out any group that is not like those in power. For us (like Gilead, which is a post-American country), that would be immigrants of color, citizens of color, and people who are Jewish. Oppress women, beginning with reproductive rights. This has been going on for years. (Quick note to those who think I am referring to abortion, I am, but only a little. I am mainly referring to the war on birth control. The fact that the right continually makes it a "women's issue" and belittles it is telling. Everyone benefits from avoiding unwanted pregnancies. How many men want to support an out-of-wedlock child, or a family with five or more children? Also, and this is important, IUD's and the pill are not abortifacients! The right uses this as an excuse to get rid of these highly effective ways of controlling pregnancies.) And last, the use of religion (or ideology) to justify their agenda. Looking at you, Religious Right. Seriously, arguing that the man who claimed that not getting an STD was his personal Vietnam, his daughter is hot, and that cheating contractors makes him a great businessman, and who has five (known) children from three wives, various sexual assault issues and has paid hush money to at least two women he had affairs with is an "instrument of God" is horrifying and frightening in equal measures. White evangelicals have a serious problem, and since they have money and vote, the rest of us have an even more serious problem.
Finally, I still love the book. I will probably re-read it again in a few years. And those of you still living in free, democratic societies, do not forget to vote!
Book 11: The Great Halifax Explosion by John U. BaconI cannot recommend this book enough to anyone who likes to read historical non-fiction, but doesn't want it too heavy or dense.
My roots are in New England and all my great grandparents are from Canada and I had never heard of this catastrophe. In WWI a ship loaded with munitions collided with another ship in the Bedford Basin (Halifax's harbor) and blew up. It was the largest man made explosion before the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. For scale, Hiroshima was only 3-5 times greater than the Halifax Explosion. In fact, Oppenheimer studied the explosion while developing the atomic bomb.
The explosion flattened Halifax and Dartmouth (the town on the other side of the harbor.) Thousands died, tens of thousands lost their homes. Countless people were injured. Help arrived from all over Europe and the United States, but Boston stood out particularly for their quickness, generosity and foresight.
Mr. Bacon gives the history of relations between the U.S. and Canada and how Halifax and Boston changed its trajectory. He introduces people who will be affected by the explosion. He gives a blow by blow account of exactly how this disaster happened. He tells stories of cowardice and courage. He follows the disaster through to the very end and beyond to the present day. And he does it in a very engrossing, very readable way.
Two quotes and a fact from the book:
1) “…the Articles of Confederation, Article IX: “Canada acceding to the confederation, and adjoining in the measures of the United States, shall be admitted into, and entitled to all the advantages of this Union.”
Canadians understood a threat when they heard one - no matter how courteously phrased.” (p. 24)
2) “…Humphrey Mellish, who would prove to be every bit as mushy as his name.” (p. 316)
3) "Halifax is the world's second-biggest natural harbor, behind only Sydney, Australia and is almost ideally formed." (p. 21)
“Reading brings us unknown friends” While the warm weather is coming I hope you make some new friends in May! You are doing great keep it up!
Blagica wrote: "“Reading brings us unknown friends” While the warm weather is coming I hope you make some new friends in May! You are doing great keep it up!"Thank you, Blagica! I hope the merry month of May is kind to you as well!
Book 12: Phantoms in the Brain by V.S. Ramachandran, MD
“I have always imagined paradise will be a kind of library.” I hope you find a corner in Paradise with some great books!!
Blagica wrote: "“I have always imagined paradise will be a kind of library.” I hope you find a corner in Paradise with some great books!!"Thank you for that lovely quote, I have always imagined heaven that way!
Book 13: 84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff
Book 14: A False Report by T. Christian Miller & Ken Armstrong
Book 15: The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street by Helene HanffSince this is a follow up book to 84 Charing Cross Road, I will review the two books together.
I first read 84 Charing Cross Road years ago. Probably around the same time as The Handmaid's Tale. My friend, Jane (who recommended Handmaid's Tale), gave me this book as a gift. (Thank you, Jane!) It remains one of my favorite books and reading it felt like running into an old friend.
Helene Hanff, in her quest for a particular book, writes to a small bookshop in post WWII London. The book contains her correspondence with Frank Doel and other employees who work at Mark & Co. It is a lovely book that spans about twenty years with Helene using the bookstore like we use Amazon. She doesn't want to walk the several blocks to a bookstore when she can sit at her typewriter and order whatever she wishes. It is humorous and touching and pleasant. It makes you want to throw away your e-reader and read only leather bound classics and to eschew email and use paper and snail mail again.
Loathe to say goodbye to Helene I ordered her next book "The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street". A chronicle of her time in London, which she finally gets to visit, it does not disappoint. She visits old friends (the widow of Frank Doel) and makes new ones. In fact, it is rather alarming how she makes new friends. Random people call her hotel and just because they loved "84 Charing Cross Road" invite her to dinner at their house. AND SHE GOES! Luckily, she is not murdered and goes on to write charmingly about the people and sights of an England she has only read about.
Book 16: Rabid by Bill Wasik & Monica MurphyThis book was in one of my TBR boxes. I bought it a couple of years ago and I sensed that it had aged enough to read it.
The book's subtitle is A Cultural History of the World's Most Diabolical Virus which I probably should have noticed before I started reading. Thinking it was an all science book I was a bit perplexed that they were talking about Greek history and lyssa and medieval saints. I did catch on eventually and, once I shifted my thinking, thoroughly enjoyed the book.
They follow the depiction of rabies throughout literature, from actual rabid dog stories to the origins of werewolves and vampires. Interspersed with it all is the scientific history of rabies, which is why I was reading it in the first place.
Four stars.
Awesome progress I hope July is a great month in books.
It is difficult living your life under a delusion. For instance, deep down I believe that I am a very organized person. No amount of evidence to the contrary seems to shake this belief. Case in point, this Challenge. It took a while, but I have just noticed that the number of books I have read in this Challenge thread does not match the number of books on my Challenge bookshelf. There are more on the bookshelf. So now I have to take the time to fix it and maybe write another review or two and hope I don't fix it wrong and have to fix that. Oh, and my oblivious internal self is just sitting there saying, "What did you do? If you had paid attention when you entered the books, or had a system this would not have occurred. You should listen to me, I really am quite organized, you know." Here are the books I have read:
1. Ghostwritten by David Mitchell
2. Being Mortal by Atul Gawande
3. Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
4. Year One by Nora Roberts
5. Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson
6. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
7. Earthman, Come Home by James Blish
8. The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion
9. Savage Continent by Keith Lowe
10. 20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill
11. The Great Halifax Explosion by John U. Bacon
12. A Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
13. Phantoms in the Brain by V.S. Ramachandran & Sandra Blakeslee
14. Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome
15. Hoot by Carl Hiaasen
16. 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff
17. The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street by Helene Hanff
18. A False Report by T. Christian Miller & Ken Armstrong
19. Rabid by Bill Wasik & Monica Murphy
20. The Girl with the Make-Believe Husband by Julia Quinn
Book 20: The Girl with the Make-Believe Husband by Julia QuinnThis book is part of the Bridgertons World, it is set in the 1700's.
I love Julia Quinn. She is light and humorous and creates characters who are fun and kind and strong. In this one Cecilia Harcourt travels the Atlantic to find her brother who has gone missing while fighting in America for the British. She finds instead his friend, unconscious in the hospital, and claims to be his wife so that she can nurse him. You can probably guess the plot from there. As I said, her characters are kind and I think that is my favorite part of her books. Life is hard enough, so for my escape reading I want characters that I would choose to invite into my life. And the girl getting the boy and the boy getting the girl for a happy ending is nice as well.
Book 9: Savage Continent by Keith LoweBooks like this one are why I so thoroughly enjoy light romances. The subtitle of this is Europe in the Aftermath of WWII. It is horrific. Like you would not believe horrific. Like post-apocalyptic horrific.
Probably because I live in the U.S. (*sigh*), I saw WWII this way: there was a terrible war and then several years passed and then there was the Marshall Plan and then all was well.
It's not like I'm ignorant about events. It's just that when you learn about history you learn about just that, events. Discrete events. Maybe you learn a great deal about one event (for example, The Battle of Midway by Craig L. Symonds). Or you learn about the overarching path of the event (for example, you take a history class about WWII). But when learning about events it is very difficult to see the world that the events are set in.
From movies and novels I can get a sense of what Europe was like during WWII. But in most of these (for example “Casasblanca”) the war was a backdrop. In others, like “Schindler’s List”, the focus was on one aspect of the war. I didn’t grasp, for lack of a better word, the immensity of World War II. So somehow it wasn't until I read this book, this matter of fact, lots of statistics, scholarly book that it settled into my bones what all of it meant.
It was a world gone mad. The entire continent was disrupted. Cities were decimated, villages obliterated by the bombings. Farms and livestock were destroyed. Within German territory millions of people were transported from one country to the next according to their ethnicity. People were rounded up and killed (in their villages as well as in the camps). Homes gone, factories gone, crops gone. No person in Europe was unaffected.
No one. Let that sink in a moment. Not one person in an entire continent made up of hundreds of millions of people was not directly affected by World War II. They were either bombed, or displaced, or made homeless, or starved, or were rounded up and imprisoned, or killed, or went hungry, or lacked basic necessities, or fought or lost a loved one or experienced any combination thereof.
And when the war ended, it continued. The bombings stopped, of course, as did the government sponsored extermination of people and the battles, but people remained displaced (often hundreds of miles from home) and homeless because their houses were literally gone. Food production took years to return to pre-WWII levels because it takes time to re-establish flocks of sheep and crops. So, hunger continued. Governments were in disarray and in some areas armed conflict arose to settle the question of what type of government to have. This meant delays in some of the essential work of government, such as the re-building of roads and buildings, the establishment of order, sanitation and security. Crime was rampant.
As awful as all this was, there are two things from the book that I found unsettled me the most. Both are fairly obvious when pointed out, but neither had occurred to me.
The first is that when people returned home after being arrested or simply removed they came home to houses and apartments that had been looted by their neighbors. Not only did their ostensible friends take their stuff, most refused to return it and almost no one voluntarily brought it back. People would see someone wearing their favorite sweater, or using their tools. They’d be invited over to someone’s house and see their paintings or family sliver. A neighbor’s child would be playing with their own children’s toys. How difficult must this have been? How much did this hurt? The war was bad, but it was bad for everybody. But when your immediate community cared so little for you personally that they swooped in like vultures immediately after you were gone and then did nothing to hide or repent for what they did upon your return, how difficult was that to bear?
The second was the psychological impact of the war on communities and groups. Before the war, many villages and towns were made up of various groups with their own customs and cultures. People generally got along and intermingled and just lived their lives. The war with its propaganda by Germany and its emphasis on racial and cultural purity had a devastating impact. When groups returned a new distrust had taken root. Prejudices had seeped in and the peaceful co-existence that had prevailed in some places for centuries was gone. I’m not sure if it ever returned and the book was unclear. Looking at current events, I think maybe it did not.
This book was not the easiest read both because of the subject matter and because it is a touch dry, but it was definitely a worthwhile read.
Book 21: Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John CarreyrouMy husband recommended this one. I was going to read 1808 as my next non-fiction book, but since the subject of Bad Blood, Elizabeth Holmes, is up on wire fraud charges in California I thought I would switch the order.
I'll admit I was skeptical that this would be all that interesting, but the husband pointed out that it was a quick read and would help my Challenge numbers (still 5 behind!). So, I started it and then could not put it down. It is outrageous and riveting.
John Carreyrou is a reporter for the Wall Street Journal and recounts the rise and fall of the biotech company Theranos and its founder, Ms. Holmes. He is also the one who triggered its fall in devastating articles relating to fraud and coverups at the company.
My main take away from this book: Do your due diligence before you invest!!!
And, if Ms. Holmes had put even half her energy into actually trying to make her ideas work and learning to run a company instead of putting it into bolstering her ego and delusions, she could have built a decent company that put out useful medical devices.
A word in her defense, though. Her tactics of pushing her product forward without adequate testing and before it is anywhere near ready seem to be common in Silicon Valley, as are investors with more money than sense. The difference here is that a buggy software app will probably not kill you, but inaccurate medical testing will.
Book 22: Flawed by Cecelia AhernFound this book because its sequel Perfect showed up on a fellow Goodreader's list (Emma's 45 Books for 2018).
It is a dystopian young adult novel. I have to admit I was rolling my eyes the first couple of chapters, but then I got sucked in and couldn't put it down.
If you like this genre, I highly recommend.
Book 23: We by Yevgeny ZamyatinBook 24: 1808 by Laurentino Gomes
Book 25: We are Legion We are Bob by Dennis E. Taylor
Book 26: Perfect by Cecilia Ahern
Book 27: "For We are Many" by Dennis E. TaylorBook 28: "All These Worlds" by Dennis E. Taylor
OK, I will admit I read the 3 books by Dennis Taylor, collectively known as the Bobiverse, for one reason and one reason only, I have a brother Bob.
I found this book recommended on Goodreads and without hesitation sent my brother a copy, you know, because he is named Bob. He loved it. Being a science fiction fan I got my own copy and read it, and then the next one and then the next one. An excellent
trilogy. The style is reminiscent of "The Martian" by Andy Weir (another favorite of mine).
The protagonist is named (surprise!) Bob and he is an engineer from San Diego who has a cat. My brother, Bob, is an engineer from San Diego and he has a cat. Fortunately, my brother did not die in a car accident in Vegas and then become cryogenically frozen and re-animated as a disembodied intelligence to run a star ship.
Things on Earth go south quickly and it becomes Bob's responsibility to save the world. Adventures ensue. Enjoy.
Lol, you know how to sell a book :) Added!
Susy wrote: "Lol, you know how to sell a book :) Added!"For the record, my brother, the one named Bob, loved the books, too.
Book 29: "Dark in Death" by J.D. RobbExcellent Eve Dallas book for those who love the series. If you don't, I can't help you.
Have been overwhelmed by life recently (work, family, travel, the usual) and have fallen behind on my reading. The Goodreads Counter says I am 10 books behind my goal. Thanks for the encouragement Goodreads.
So, I am abandoning all pretense of self-improvement for the rest of the year and will be reading as many popcorn books (romance, young adult, light sci fi) as possible. Nelson Mandela will have to wait, as will the number Zero, and the book about pigeons sitting on my night table.
Am hoping a side benefit of light and fluffy reading will be to distract me from U.S. current events. I am not sure I will be able to make it to mid-terms at this rate. The anger and frustration is making it very difficult to accomplish anything.
You are on your way to having a great year in books! Do you have a book you still can't wait to read?
Book 30: "Earth Factor X" by A.E. Van Vogt - copyright 1976This is another of those small, musty science fiction books that I picked up at a second hand store. This one was originally $1.75. It was published in 1976, and it shows.
Damon Knight (a science fiction critic) wrote in 1945 (courtesy of Wikipedia),
"In general van Vogt seems to me to fail consistently as a writer in these elementary ways: 1. His plots do not bear examination. 2. His choice of words and his sentence-structure are fumbling and insensitive. 3. He is unable either to visualize a scene or to make a character seem real."
This pretty much sums it up.
But what Damon Knight left out was that as bad as his male characters are, his female ones are worse. The factor X he refers to are earth females. The women (and there are only two) come across as barely functioning on an adult level and using sex as purely transactional. And yet, he writes (from an alien perspective), "It is well to note that earth women evolved in the particularly severe environment provided for them by their men."
This weird tension between a writer who seems cognizant of the feminist movement (1970's remember) but cannot seem to depict women as functioning independently of men (even when the woman is a Nobel physicist) or even having clear thoughts or desires is very unsettling. When he tries to write from a female character's viewpoint it is disastrous. I have to admit I kept reading out of a kind of horrified fascination.
I would not recommend unless you would like to be reminded why there was a women's movement in the first place.
Hello All,I have been traveling for the last few weeks, but I did get some reading in.
Book 31: "Burn Bright" (Alpha & Omega Series) by Patricia Briggs
Book 32: "The Lightning Thief" (Percy Jackson Series) by Rick Riordan
I read this book because so many people on Goodreads liked it and I am a fan of YA novels. I may not have been in the mood because I just found the book annoying. Sorry to those who loved it.
Book 33: "The Bride" (Lairds' Fiancees Book 1) by Julie Garwood
Since I was traveling I wanted a light romance book and I googled best romance novels. This author showed up on several lists, so I took a chance. It was OK. The author has a good sense of humor and the plot moves right along, but I just didn't love it. And since I bought the second book in the series (because I am an optimist) I now have to read that one.
Book 34: "The Wrong Stars: Book I of the Axiom" by Tim Pratt
Book 35: "The Dreaming Stars: Book II of the Axiom" by Tim Pratt
Full disclosure, Tim Pratt is one of my favorite authors ever. If you like fantasy and quirky characters then start reading his Marla Mason series.
His Axiom series is just as good. Callie Machedo is a spaceship captain with an interesting crew and they must, as in any good sci fi series, save the universe. Loved it and can not wait for the third book.
Tuesday is Election Day. VOTE!!!!
Book 36: "Anne Frank Remembered" by Miep Gies & Alison Leslie GoldLike most Americans I have read "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank. Again, like most Americans, I read it when I was young and that was decades ago. Time enough to forget a lot (most?) of the details, so when my husband and I recently visited the Anne Frank Museum in Amsterdam it was a bit of a shock. I thought the family and others had lived in one room in the attic of someone's home. Instead it was several rooms including a bathroom (no shower or tub) and a kitchen (that doubled as a bedroom) in the annex of a working company. While walking through the museum my response went from, "Thank goodness they had more than one room" to "How could eight people possibly live like this and not kill one another?" to "How did this even work? Who took care of them? How can you keep this a secret when there are workers below and in and out of the building all day?"
Exit to the obligatory gift shop which turned out to be exactly what you would hope and expect the Anne Frank Museum gift shop to be. Anne's book, in dozens of languages, lining the walls. Inspiring, to say the least. So while checking out all the different languages, Mandarin, Dutch (of course), Slovenian...I found a small section containing related books and there was "Anne Frank Remembered."
Written by Miep Gies this book should be required reading along with Anne's diary. This book answers the questions that are raised while touring the rooms. Mrs. Gies worked at Travies & Co. where Anne was hidden. She relates the story from outside the annex. The deteriorating conditions due to the occupation, the daily work of procuring food for eight extra people while using ration cards, the difficulties of running a food based firm during war time. She narrates it all in a calm, matter-of-fact way which works to emphasize how horrible it was. And in the reading you gain a better picture of Anne herself, as well as those locked up with her (especially Dr. Albert Dussel). I started reading and could not stop, although I slowed greatly as I neared the end because we all know how it ends.
I cannot recommend this book enough and encourage everyone to read the epilogue and afterword as well. The information included explains the diary's history and the fates of the others in the annex.
My next book will be a re-read of "The Diary of a Young Girl." (Obviously.)
EDIT: Something I have been thinking about, Miep is the person we all hope we would be if we were to live through such a time.
This was a really informative and interesting review, thank you! There was a lot I didn't know, never having been to the place where they were hidden during the war. I'll have to read the Miep Gies book, too. Did you know there was another diary published recently by another young girl, Renia Spiegel? She also did not survive the war, but she entrusted her diary to her boyfriend, and he passed it along to someone else to keep safe during the war. He retrieved it later, and brought it to America to give to Renia's mother and sister, who survived. Her niece published it, 70 years later. If you subscribe to Book Riot, they had an article about it, and links to articles in The Guardian and The Smithsonian Magazine. Fascinating reading for anyone interested in diaries and stories of the Holocaust and WW II. Once again, thank you!
Edith wrote: "This was a really informative and interesting review, thank you! There was a lot I didn't know, never having been to the place where they were hidden during the war. I'll have to read the Miep Gies..."Thanks for the heads up on Renia Spiegel. I think I did see something about it. Do you know if there is an English edition? All I can find is the Polish one.
Here's a link to the Smithsonian Magazine, which printed selections from the journal:https://www.smithsonianmag.com/histor...
I don't think it's been translated into English yet, but I could be wrong.
Book 37: "The Diary of a Young Girl," by Anne Frank.Review to follow.
Book 38: "So Yesterday," by Scott WesterfeldActually read this a while ago, but forgot to post it.
I signed up for the Reading Challenge in mid-February because I had fallen out of the habit of reading and I thought it would help jump start me. Imagine my surprise (and panic) when I typed in 52 as the number of books I want to read for the year and it told me I was already 6 books behind!!! And then I couldn't find an edit button to adjust it.
I debated googling how to change my number, but decided that I should just man up and start reading. Maybe I would just read a few really skinny books to catch up. I have now completed 4 books, but because time marches on, I am still 4 books behind.
I am very excited to have found this Challenge and am optimistic about my Reading Year.
Good luck to all,
Michele
PS Just realized I am in the wrong group! I should be in the 51 - 100. However, this group seems nice so I think I'll stay.