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2024- Book Prompt Challenge
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Samanta's 2024 Book Challenge
Sorry !!! 🙃I just realized I made an error in prompt #43. Please Edit and copy paste the correction.
43 - Topic or a character has one of the 7 deadly sins or more! (pride, greed, envy, gluttony, sloth, wrath and lust) F/NF
Thank you for fixing the error. If you see any other errors please let me know. Also everyone who is participating can suggest another prompt. The extra prompt can be used if some of the original 50 doesn't work for you.
Right before Jan 1, I'll posts all the extra prompts for people to add to their main list.
49- Short story collection Or Essay collection
by Siniša Glavašević (Stories from Vukovar)Date: 7.1.2024.
Rating: A
Genre: Essays, Croatia, Homeland War
Stories from Vukovar is a collection of very short essays about basic human emotions and actions that we, human beings that we are, often take for granted, until we find ourselves in life-threatening situations, like war.
Siniša Glavašević was a journalist, war reporter and the main editor of Croatian national radio station in Vukovar. Vukovar was his native town and when it was besieged by the aggressors in 1991., he decided to stay and report to the whole country of what was happening in Vukovar.
While Siniša was reporting and trying to survive her also wrote these essays, and a few days before the fall send them through a fax machine to Mladen Kušec, to be read live on radio every day. Later on, they were compiled into a book, along with his war reports from the last month before the "fall". The stories are really simple, one, one and a half page long and very beautiful. They were also translated to English. The most famous story is the one titled "Priča o Gradu" (A Story of the City). It has been read so many times it became one of THE stories of the Croatian Homeland War and the symbol of Croatian courage and the fight for survival.
Samanta wrote: "49- Short story collection Or Essay collectionPriče iz Vukovara by Siniša Glavašević (Stories from Vukovar)
Stories from Vukovar is a collection of very short es..."
Well done on getting the first prompt under your belt !
Congratulations, Samanta, on completing your first prompt of the year!The way the stories were sent is interesting, a story in themselves, it seems. Thank you for sharing this collection of essays with us.
What an interesting choice - many thanks for telling us about it! 👍
Thank you, all! :)It has become a part of primary school curriculum. Children have to read and analyse it for their grade. I think they are a bit too young to understand the writing style, but given that the Homeland War is a very sensitive topic in Croatia and the Balkans, there isn't a lot of literature on that topic for children.
Nevertheless, there are some pretty powerful life lessons in those stories, especially when you know that the author was a rather young man and a victim of genocide that happened just a few days after the stories were sent.
One hopes the book is rewarding to the young students. Thanks for this additional information.
I hope the make an English edition soon.
There is one, but it was published in Croatian. I do not know its availability outside our country. If you are interested, the name of the book is Stories from Vukovar by Siniša Glavašević, published by Matica hrvatska.
Samanta wrote: "There is one, but it was published in Croatian. I do not know its availability outside our country. If you are interested, the name of the book is Stories from Vukovar by Siniša Glavašević, publi..."
Yes, I checked Amazon with the author's name.
Thank you for the additional information, Samanta.
16 - Young adult book
by Nada MihelčićDate: 12.1.2024.
Rating: A
Genre: Fiction, Addiction
Review: The Green Dog is a novel for young adults that speaks about the greatest plague of our times: drugs.
Our narrator (unnamed) is an 18-year-old girl who lost her older sister to drugs and is, of course, marked by the whole experience, and not in a good way.
The story starts with an introduction by the author in which she decides to tell the story of how drugs ruined her life. In the next chapters she takes us back 4 or 5 years when the whole horror story started. As the third of four children, she always felt like she was living in the shadow of her older siblings (twins Vlatka and Robert) which made her act out, especially because she felt her parent gave all their attention and love the her sister Vlatka who was a problematic teen. One day, Vlatka disappears with our narrator's pocket money and the family finds out that Vlatka is doing drugs. The subsequent months will be ones of trials and tribulations that will test the relationships in the family and mark every member for good or bad.
The novel is written from first person POV and in a language familiar to young adults. It won many national as well as a prestigious international reward because of the topic and the writing style. What makes it so different from many other works on this topic, is that it's written from the perspective of the addict's member of the family, it speaks about the effect addiction has on the family while the addict is a secondary character, and it doesn't have a happy ending. The author's aim was to educate people on devastating consequences of drug addiction and to point out that more times than not, there is no happy ending in this story.
Interesting way to present a book on addiction. Siblings are often overlooked when it comes to watching a family member's drug problems. Thanks for telling us about it, Samanta.And congratulations on another prompt completed!
You're doing quite well - congratulations!
Samanta wrote: "16 - Young adult bookThe author's aim was to educate people on devastating consequences of drug addiction and to point out that more times than not, there is no happy ending in this story.
"
This sounds like an important read for young adults. Thanks for sharing the title and the good review.
Congrats on checking off a prompt !
madrano wrote: "Interesting way to present a book on addiction. Siblings are often overlooked when it comes to watching a family member's drug problems. Thanks for telling us about it, Samanta.And congratulation..."
Exactly, no one takes into account that it often tears up a family, especially when they haven't seen it coming, like in this story.
Such interesting books, Samanta. They seem a bit hard to read, but maybe necessary. I'm going to try The Green Dog if I can find it. Thanks for the information.
Michele wrote: "Such interesting books, Samanta. They seem a bit hard to read, but maybe necessary. I'm going to try The Green Dog if I can find it. Thanks for the information."Yes, they are. I wasn't planing on reading them, they just came my way. But I am not sorry I read them. Good luck finding The Green Dog, I do not know if there is an English translation.
I searched on Amazon & didn't find it. BEWARE: there is a novel with the same title, written by Suzanne Fisher Staples, it is not what Samanta read.Nada Mihelčić is the author of S's Green Dog.
31- Horror or scary
by
Shirley JacksonDate: 25.1.2024.
Rating: C+
Genre: Scary, Psychological
Review: Dr. Montague is a scientist who is interested in supernatural and haunted places. He comes to the Hill House accompanied by Luke, the future owner of the house, Theodora, quirky, self-absorbed beauty, and Eleanor, a quiet young woman that feels invisible because she was never appreciated by her family. They are immediately both revolted and fascinated by the ugly and scary looking house, and they can't wait to see what it has to offer. Soon, the house will start to "speak her mind" which will lead to behaviour and relationship changes between the guests of the house.
I am not really sure what to think of this story. To be honest, I had high expectations that have not been met. I read this as part of a newly-founded local Facebook book club. Horror stories are totally out of my comfort zone, so it was I surprise I decided to read it. Many, many years ago I also saw "The Haunting" with Liam Neeson and it was one of the scariest movies I saw, but also the only horror movie I could ever watch, and it was based on this book. This turned out to be more of a psychological thriller that speaks about the power of fear, but it left me feeling, I don't know, empty. I did feel that anxiety fueled by expectations of something terrible happening, but when it actually happened, it was just meh.
Just before writing this review, I read the blurb for the Croatian edition, and I was wondering if the person who wrote it and I had been reading the same book because it wasn't at all scary as they made it out to be.
Samanta wrote: "31- Horror or scary by Shirley JacksonDate: 25.1.2024.
Rating: C+
Review: Dr. Montague is a scientis..."
The only Shirley Jackson I've read is The Lottery. I had to read it as a kid in school. However, I also re-read it as an adult. It was good.
Nicely done on the prompt, Samanta !
Samanta wrote: "31- Horror or scary by Shirley Jackson...DEB EDITED Just before writing this review, I read the blurb for the Croatian edition, and I was wondering if the person who wrote it and I had been reading the same book because it wasn't at all scary as they made it out to be"
How interesting, Samanta. I've had that happen a time or two, wherein i wonder if i read the same book as a reviewer. As you noted, though, for you the pre-event suspense was well written but the execution as not. Perhaps they saw it the other way around, making the book worth their time.
I'm not a reader of such fiction, so i'm not sure this is a valid comment. However, i have read this book and don't recall being very impressed by it. As a teenager, i read a number of nonfiction (would it still be called that if one doesn't believe?) books about ghosts and such. I decided i didn't believe, so enter reading such books with that frame of mind. You have me wondering what it is i look for when reading Horror or scary books.
Thanks for the thoughtful comments. Congratulations on a successful prompt fulfillment, too!
Alias Reader wrote: "Samanta wrote: "31- Horror or scary by Shirley JacksonDate: 25.1.2024.
Rating: C+
Review: Dr. Montag..."
I read it, too, a few years ago. It wasn't horror scary either. I am now thinking that Jackson's work is more psychological thriller / suspense kind of scary.
madrano wrote: "Samanta wrote: "31- Horror or scary by Shirley Jackson...DEB EDITED Just before writing this review,..."
I do not read this genre much either. It was part of a book club, and I just decided to get out of my comfort zone. I have to admit, I expected more, especially when I realised one of the only horror movies I could stomach, "The Haunting", was based on this book. That one scared me so much, I still remember some of the scenes, and it's been ages since I last saw it. I+m still undecided about the existence of ghost and such, because women in my family (including me) tend to have "spidey sense".
Samanta wrote: "I+m still undecided about the existence of ghost and such, because women in my family (including me) tend to have "spidey sense"t..."I think this would make a world of difference, Samanta. Perhaps because my ancestors moved around so very much, that sensation was never developed? I'm not sure but it's a theory.
Your comment about Jackson's work being more psychological makes sense to me, btw. This would explain why the "horror" bits aren't as frightening as we might have expected.
39- Myth, sci fi, magical realism, or fantasy
by
Ben AaronovitchDate: 12.2.2024.
Rating: B
Genre: Fantasy, Crime
Review: Peter Grant is a young copper in modern-day London who is about to be assigned to a unit. He would like to become a detective, but, although he is really intelligent, he is easily distracted. Because of that he also managed only a C in national exams despite having a great understanding of math, physics, chemistry and knowing all sorts of historical and other facts.
One night, Peter and his partner Lesley are assigned to guard the perimeter of a gruesome beheading. While waiting for Lesley to get them coffee, Peter meets a ghost that tells him he has information on the murder. Peter, naturally, thinks he's gone crazy, but still he goes back to the same place to confirm that he actually saw a ghost. While there, he meets a strange detective called Nightingale, and soon Peter is transferred from a boring desk job to a Metropolitan police unit specialised in dealing with the supernatural world that lives in the shadows of London and England. Under Nightingale's guidance, Peter will train to become a magician (yes, in this world you are not necessarily born to magic) and try to solve a string of terrible attacks and murders caused by an unknown supernatural force.
I really liked the world Aaronovitch built. There is mention of known supernatural beings like ghosts and vampires, but there is also something new, England's rivers, those around the "Mother River" Thames (it included) are river gods and goddesses. Thames is divided between Father and Mother Thames, who are by the way, archenemies, and their sons and daughters" who are Thames' tributaries.
All of the main characters are very likable. Peter is intelligent, quick-thinking, a fast learner, and loyal to his friends. On the other hand, he can't help but think "dirty thoughts" about his partner Lesley and Beverly Brook, one of Mama Thames' daughters. That was the only part of the story that bothered me, because it was really unnecessary as it made me roll my eyes at Peter and think less of him. Other than that, the story was really interesting and fast-paced. This is the first book of a series of nine, with lots of short stories, but prequel to the first and in between the main books. I recommend it for a light, funny read.
Samanta wrote: "39- Myth, sci fi, magical realism, or fantasy...(I EDITED)...there is also something new, England's rivers, those around the "Mother River" Thames (it included) are river gods and goddesses. Thames is divided between Father and Mother Thames, who are by the way, archenemies, and their sons and daughters" who are Thames' tributaries. ..."
What an interesting turn.
Congratulations on completing this prompt, Samanta. This sounds like a great story to fulfill the Challenge. And thank you for sharing about this one. I'm intrigued.
Samanta wrote: "39- Myth, sci fi, magical realism, or fantasy
by Ben AaronovitchDate: 12.2.2024.
Rating: B
Review: Peter ..."
Sounds good. Well done on the prompt, Samanta.
That prompt is going to be a difficult one for me.
madrano wrote: "Samanta wrote: "39- Myth, sci fi, magical realism, or fantasy...(I EDITED)...there is also something new, England's rivers, those around the "Mother River" Thames (it included) are river gods and ..."
If you like fantasy and mythology, and crime, you will like it. :)
Alias Reader wrote: "Samanta wrote: "39- Myth, sci fi, magical realism, or fantasy
by Ben AaronovitchDate: 12.2.2024.
Rating..."
Which part bothers you, fantasy, magic realism, sci-fi, or myth?
I, for example, do not get along well with magical realism.
I'm not drawn to any of them. Though Magical Realism is a hard no for me.
I'm not big on fantasy but i really like myths and sci fi.
Alias Reader wrote: "I'm not drawn to any of them. Though Magical Realism is a hard no for me."Do you like Stephen Fry? Maybe try his Mythos: The Greek Myths Retold.
Same idea for you, madrano.
I haven't yet read it, but I love Mythology and I love Stephen Fry. There is also an audio version, on YouTube even.
Thanks for the title, Samanta. I particularly like that the book includes well known art, which were based on myths.
Samanta wrote: "Alias Reader wrote: "I'm not drawn to any of them. Though Magical Realism is a hard no for me."Do you like Stephen Fry? Maybe try his Mythos: The Greek Myths Retold.
Same idea fo..."
Thanks for the suggestion. However, I have no interest in Greek myths.
I'm going to have to find a book that sort of fits the category. I'm sure some fantasy light book will fit.
Fantasy is widespread these days. Another novel that I liked was City of the Beasts by Isabel Allende.
46- A book with either an Index, Map, photographs or Glossary
by
Sarah PennerDate: 20.2.2024.
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: B
Review: The Lost Apothecary is a story of three women, two living in the 18th century London, and one visiting London in the 21st century.
Nella is an apothecary that deals in remedies specifically for women. She learned the art of preparing natural remedies from her mother, who also taught her to serve only women because in the 18th century women did not have quality treatments available to them. When Nella's mother dies, she takes over the business, but eventually starts preparing different kind of "remedies" for women, those that will make them get rid of unfaithful, abusive and bad men from their lives, be them husbands, brothers, lovers, fathers...
She will hide away and successfully "help" women for the next 20 years, until young Eliza comes for one such "remedy" in the name of her mistress. In her excitement to learn from Nella, she will recklessly give a hint of Nella's existence to the outside world, and put their lives in danger.
In the present, Caroline comes to London for what was supposed to be a trip for her 10th-year marriage anniversary, but alone. She just found out her husband had been unfaithful, so she decided to come alone to get away and think things through. While walking near Thames, she bumps into a group of Thames' muck explorers, enthusiast who dig muck to find historical objects. She joins them and finds a bottle with an engraved bear that will make her investigate further and wake up the love she had for history that she buried deep within herself in order to have "stability" in life. She will slowly unravel the story of Nella and Eliza and in the process, also her own.
The idea for the story is very interesting. I loved the alternate past and present POV's, but I wish it was more about discovering the phenomenon of an apothecary who produced venom to help women when no one else would, and less about Caroline's bad marriage. I loved Nella and Eliza's stories, and the fact that Caroline found herself again and decided to finally do what she truly loves, but it should have been more about the history.
Samanta wrote: "46- A book with either an Index, Map, photographs or Glossary by Sarah PennerDate: 20.2.2024.
Rating..."
Interesting book for the prompt, Samanta ! Well done.
Samanta wrote: "46- A book with either an Index, Map, photographs or Glossary by Sarah PennerDate: 20.2.2024.
Rating..."
I really like the idea of the "Thames' muck explorers", so may read this just for that bit. I see that other Goodreads reviewers are mixed with many low ratings.
Congratulations on this clever book for the prompt, Samanta. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the book.
Thank you, Alias and madrano! :)Yes, I read the reviews before reading the book, but I hate to judge books based on them. I definitely didn't hate it as some did, but I figured out what might have been the trigger for it. Still, it's not so bad. I never expect for historical FICTION to be a real history book.
47- Translated into English
by
Karl-Markus GaußDate: 21.2.2024.
Rating: B
Genre: Essays, Zagreb, History
Review: The Eyes of Zagreb is an essay written by a famous Austrian writer, translator and literary critic, who, as an admirer of Miroslav Krleža (read: Krlezha), one of the most important Croatian writers of all times, visited Zagreb as a speaker or lecturer on different congresses. As such, he had the opportunity (and according to him, honour) to visit Zagreb four times by the time the essay was written and published in 2017. Each time it was a different era, politically and culturally speaking, and Gauß (read: Gauss) describes the political and cultural climate during each of his visits. He also mentions some facts from our history, and comments them with a healthy dose of sarcasm. In a subtle or not so subtle way (depending on your own level of sarcasm) he criticizes Croatian nationalism, and even at times communism/socialism, the rewriting of history, hypocrisy and our double-standards. He is especially angry at Croatian nationalist who tried and for a time succeeded in erasing history and making it more "Croatian", but who don't seem to know or have any desire at all to learn historical facts.
Despite its more than obvious criticism of Croatian society, I have to admit that I liked the essay a lot. I chuckled many times while reading and, in fact, agreed with the author. The essay was originally written in German, translated into Croatian and English, and published in all three languages in one book.
It can be bought online on the publisher's webpage and it's only 3 euros at the moment.
Samanta wrote: "I never expect for historical FICTION to be a real history book...."It may sound as though i do think historical fiction is real fiction but i really don't. What i dislike, that which turns me away from it, is when the facts about historical people are changed. My choice is to accept it as truth or research further, to determine if it was a true trait or fact. This is where i separate from historical fiction.
I totally respect the genre and hope i don't sound as though i do. For me it has often been a gateway into learning the facts about a person or place. It serves as entertainment, as well as instruction, i think.
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1- Biography, autobiography or memoirZagreb una Historia una Familia: Scheuren by Ana Estefania Scheuren de Gil
2- Business, economics, finance (personal, business or home) F or NFThe Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason
3- Health, fitness or diet
4- HistoryTeba by Jorge Ángel Livraga Rizzi
5- Historical fictionThe Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
6- Humorous story, or comedian wrote it, or lighthearted fun readPride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith
7- Legal or lawyer character F / NFThe Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens
8- LGBTQ+ character F/NFGiovanni’s Room by James Baldwin
9- Medical or character related to topic F/NFAnđeli naši svagdašnji by Michal Viewegh
10- Mystery, Thriller, or suspense
11- Political, social science or governments F/NFAntes del fin by Ernesto Sabato
12- romance, relationships or love. F/NFŽanin gambit by Krešimir Butković
13- science F/NFThe Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells
14--travel F/NFU divljini by Jon Krakauer
15- philosophy, ethics, moralityTravels With Epicurus: Meditations from a Greek Island on the Pleasures of Old Age by Daniel Klein
16- Young adult book F/NFZeleni pas by Nada Mihelčić (The Green Dog)
17- Spiritual or inspirational F/NFStories for Children by Isaac Bashevis Singer
18- book that takes place during a holiday. Any holiday.Letters from Father Christmas by J.R.R. Tolkien
19- book with a relationship in the title (father, mother, daughter, son, sister or brother)
20- The Arts: Music, art, theater, acting, dance or poetry.Srebrne svirale by Dragutin Tadijanović
21- Banned book or Challenged bookTo Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
22- Debut novelA Working Theory of Love by Scott Hutchins
23- Award winning book or nominated for awardProrok Prorokov vrt by Kahlil Gibran
24- A playHedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen
25- A book published before you were bornThe Romance of Tristan and Iseult by Joseph Bédier
26- Published in 2024
27- Nature, environment or animals. F/NFThe Goodbye Cat: Seven Cat Stories by Hiro Arikawa
28- book that takes place in WWI, WWII, or other war F/NF
29- cosmology, space, astronauts, outer space- F/NF
30- Sports F/NF
31- Horror or scaryThe Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
32- Self help or creative or How to
33- psychology
34- food mentioned in book, recipes or chef mentioned in book F/NFThe Goldsmith's Treasure by Zdenko Bašić
35- about a disability or character has a disability F/NFCvijet sa raskršća i druge pripovijetke by Antun Gustav Matoš
36- a book about one of your 5 senses ( touch, sight, hearing, smell and taste) F/NFHester by Laurie Lico Albanese
37- color in title
38- Weather related F/NF
39- Myth, sci fi, magical realism, or fantasyRivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch
40- Dystopian
41- Author last name begins with B, N or C
42- audio bookBez zastoja i bez straha by Zrinka Posavec
43 - Topic or a character has one of the 7 deadly sins or more! (pride, greed, envy, gluttony, sloth, wrath) F/NFThe Cat Who Saved Books by Sōsuke Natsukawa
44- Book with one word title
45- A book over 500 pages
46- A book with either an Index, Map, photographs or GlossaryThe Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
47- Translated into EnglishOči Zagreba, Die Augen von Zagreb, The Eyes of Zagreb by Karl-Markus Gauß
48- Book that takes place in or is about a country you don't live in. F/NFThe Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa
49- Short story collection Or Essay collectionPriče iz Vukovara by Siniša Glavašević (Stories from Vukovar)
50- book written by a BIPOC author or character is BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color )) F/NFRecitatif by Toni Morrison