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I'm in for 40 again, and I'm doing the Booklord Challenge. e: I'll take a wildcard, but please make it by a non-white author. The Berzerker fucked around with this message at 06:34 on Dec 27, 2016 |
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Dec 27, 2016 06:29
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Furious Lobster posted:Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong Is that this or am I looking at the wrong thing?
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Dec 27, 2016 17:56
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I appreciate that, though I can't imagine I'm going to watch a 95 episode TV series, on top of a 2500 page book, for just one of the 24 challenges in the Booklord this year.
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Dec 27, 2016 21:07
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Franchescanado posted:I didn't do the format thingy to make it easy to copy/paste. In Search of Lost Time by Proust. The whole thing. If I'm failing the challenge this year I'm taking you all with me (e: to be clear, I am kidding. except for the part about me failing the challenge, I am totally going to fail it this year)
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Dec 27, 2016 21:33
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Walter Mosley - Devil in a Blue Dress (Ben Nevis' post above sums it up. I liked it, and will read a few more from the series through the year.) Kurt Vonnegut - Mother Night (Read this for TBB BOTM. Have only read the "big" Vonnegut books before this one, really enjoyed it. Good discussion in the thread.) Tana French - The Trespasser (Latest book in the 'Dublin Murder Squad' series which I promise are better than that series title suggests. This one was a return to form after a pretty mediocre fifth book.) Walter Mosley - A Red Death (Second "Easy Rawlins" book, a follow-up to Devil in a Blue Dress. Less plausible than the first which is saying something, but still okay.) Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller - The Only Rule is it Has to Work (Moneyball, but with better detail and lower stakes. I loved this. Two sabermetrics nerds get to take over an indy-league baseball team and try all of their weird, stats-suggest-this-will-work ideas. Do they have great success? Sometimes!) 1) Read some books. Set a number and go hog wild. 5/40 2) Of the books you read this year, make sure at least 20% of them are written by women. 1/8 3) Of the books you read this year, make sure at least 20% of them are written by someone non-white. 2/8 4) Read at least one book by an LGBT author. 6) Read a book someone else in the thread recommends (a wildcard!) 8) Read something which was published before you were born. 9) Read something in translation. 10) Read something from somewhere you want to travel. 11) Read something political. 12) Read something historical. 12a) Read something about the First World War. 13) Read something biographical. 14) Read some poetry. 15) Read a play. 16) Read a collection of short stories. 17) Read something long (500+ pages). 18) Read something which was banned or censored. 19) Read a satire. 20) Read something about honour. 21) Read something about fear. 22) Read something about one (or more!) of the seven sins. 23) Read something that you love. 24) Read something from a non-human perspective.
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Feb 1, 2017 21:49
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Read a few books, crossed off a few challenges in February: Stacey May Fowles - Infidelity (Great, depressing story about a woman who cheats on her fiance and the man she cheats with. Author gives a sad and realistic view of infidelity, worth reading.) Ann Vandermeer / Various - Sisters of the Revolution: A Feminist Speculative Fiction Anthology (Yep, what it says on the tin. Hit or miss as with any short story collection, but some really good ones in here to be sure.) Margaret Atwood - The Handmaid's Tale (I'd never read this but I've read a few Atwood books. Thought this was really great, love the slow reveal of details as to how the world became like it is, liked the ambiguous ending.) Pola Oloixarac - Savage Theories (Definitely not in my wheelhouse, I feel like if I had footnotes for this I would have got more from it. Still digesting it, I just finished it recently.) e: Also this month I learned Challenge #8 isn't read something from the year you were born which means the Handmaid's Tale doesn't qualify for it, whoops, fixed 1) Read some books. Set a number and go hog wild. 9/40 2) Of the books you read this year, make sure at least 20% of them are written by women. 5/8 3) Of the books you read this year, make sure at least 20% of them are written by someone non-white. 3/8 4) Read at least one book by an LGBT author. 6) Read a book someone else in the thread recommends (a wildcard!) 8) Read something which was published before you were born. 10) Read something from somewhere you want to travel. 12) Read something historical. 12a) Read something about the First World War. 13) Read something biographical. 14) Read some poetry. 15) Read a play. 17) Read something long (500+ pages). 18) Read something which was banned or censored. 19) Read a satire. 21) Read something about fear. 22) Read something about one (or more!) of the seven sins. 23) Read something that you love. 24) Read something from a non-human perspective.
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Mar 4, 2017 04:57
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Forgot to update since the end of February. JK Rowling - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (I haven't read these in a long time so I started reading them again last year. This one is pretty good, IDK, whatever it's Harry Potter.) Rupi Kaur - Milk and Honey (I really enjoyed this but it's hard to say it's good poetry, not that I know poo poo about poetry, but it didn't employ any poetic devices and frequently seemed to be just sentences but the author hit enter a few times while typing them out. Again, I liked this, but I can see why some people are underwhelmed.) John Darnielle - Universal Harvester (I wish I liked this more. The first third is excellent - creates a sense of unease and it was hard to put down, I read part 1 in one sitting - but then it gets a little off the rails and never really answers a lot of the questions it sets up.) Zoe Whittall - The Best Kind of People (Interesting look at what happens to a family after the father, a school teacher who is considered a hero for stopping a school shooting years ago, is accused of sexual abuse with some of his students. Some of the characters are a bit cartoony but overall I thought it was an interesting take.) Ruth Ware - In a Dark Dark Wood (This was recommended as a Girl on the Train, Gone Girl type of book but it was definitely worse and way more boring. I have another book by this author but I might not read it because I thought this was so half assed.) Kurt Vonnegut - Slapstick (Less structured than other Vonnegut I have read. Probably my least favorite of the ~4 of his I have read but I will still read more of him this year.) Stacey May Fowles - Baseball Life Advice (A great collection of essays from a local author who writes about baseball but relates it to gender politics, race, mental illness, drug abuse, and other topics. I loved this.) Jeff Guinn - Manson (Incredibly thorough look at Charles Manson's life. I was surprised when it ended because the book still had 150 pages to go but then it was all references, appendices, and photographs. I guess that's what happens when you can't casually flip ahead on an ereader. I look forward to reading Guinn's book on Jim Jones.) 1) Read some books. Set a number and go hog wild. 17/40 2) Of the books you read this year, make sure at least 20% of them are written by women. 10/8 3) Of the books you read this year, make sure at least 20% of them are written by someone non-white. 4/8 6) Read a book someone else in the thread recommends (a wildcard!) 10) Read something from somewhere you want to travel. 12) Read something historical. 12a) Read something about the First World War. 15) Read a play. 18) Read something which was banned or censored. 19) Read a satire. 21) Read something about fear. 22) Read something about one (or more!) of the seven sins. 23) Read something that you love. 24) Read something from a non-human perspective.
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May 5, 2017 17:50
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Haven't updated in a while. Lots of white dudes, whoops. JK Rowling - Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (I mentioned this before but I decided to re-read this series. This one is fine.) JK Rowling - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (This one is better.) Michelle Alexander - The New Jim Crow (Depressing but comprehensive look at the hosed up justice system. If you watched that documentary "13" you got the Cliffs Notes version.) Mark Frost - The Secret History of Twin Peaks (Read this was going to be relevant for the new season, so I read it. It's a bit weird, the beginning definitely drags, but I'm glad I read it before the new season started.) Ben Winters - The Last Policeman (A fine book, one notch above airport lit imho but it was fun. I'll read the trilogy.) Stephen King - Gwendy's Button Box (Decent short story, kind of predictable, whatever.) Ben Winters - Countdown City (Second in the trilogy. I liked this more than the first. I am looking forward to the third.) Noah Blumenthal - Be the Hero (I read this for a work thing. It seemed like 'basic Buddhism for businesspeople' and was silly.) John Sandford - Gathering Prey (I read a lot of the Prey series when I was a teenager, randomly picked up a late series one when I was killing time and decided to read it. Forgot how well Sandford keeps up the pace in these airport books. I think I'll read a few more of them through the year, they're one of the few things I can read that my dad also reads.) 1) Read some books. Set a number and go hog wild. 26/40 2) Of the books you read this year, make sure at least 20% of them are written by women. 13/8 3) Of the books you read this year, make sure at least 20% of them are written by someone non-white. 4/8 6) Read a book someone else in the thread recommends (a wildcard!) 10) Read something from somewhere you want to travel. 12a) Read something about the First World War. 15) Read a play. 18) Read something which was banned or censored. 19) Read a satire. 21) Read something about fear. 22) Read something about one (or more!) of the seven sins. 23) Read something that you love. 24) Read something from a non-human perspective.
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Jun 22, 2017 03:12
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Bill Schutt - Cannibalism: A Perfectly Natural History (A relatively interesting look at the history of cannibalism although it spends a lot of time talking about animal cannibalism which is significantly less interesting. Lots of common misconceptions debunked, worth a read.) Ben H Winters - World of Trouble (A solid ending to the trilogy; I still think the first book is the best though.) John Sandford - Extreme Prey (Yeah I got sucked back into reading these from the library after picking one up as an airport read, whoops.) John Sandford - Golden Prey (They're fine though.) Ann Rule - The Stranger Beside Me (This was highly recommended as a true crime read but drat she's a bad writer and it's so very boring. You could cut 1/3 of this and have a good book but instead you have a mediocre rambling mess.) Stephen King - It (Re-read in anticipation of the movie coming out. Still one of my favorite King books.) Roxane Gay - Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body (Depressing, great, vulnerable and honest.) Riley Sager - Final Girls (I was doing my tally for this and had to look up the author, assuming a woman, and finding that the author is a man who writes under an androgynous pseudonym, probably because these books are marketed towards the Paula Hawkins/Gillian Flynn crowd? Anyway, I liked the concept but the first 2/3 are really slow and dull.) 1) Read some books. Set a number and go hog wild. 34/40 2) Of the books you read this year, make sure at least 20% of them are written by women. 15/8 3) Of the books you read this year, make sure at least 20% of them are written by someone non-white. 5/8 6) Read a book someone else in the thread recommends (a wildcard!) 10) Read something from somewhere you want to travel. 12a) Read something about the First World War. 15) Read a play. 18) Read something which was banned or censored. 19) Read a satire. 23) Read something that you love. 24) Read something from a non-human perspective.
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Aug 22, 2017 04:38
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Officially hit my number goal this month and have hit the percentages for the women/POC challenges although I will keep reading this year and will try to maintain those. Closing in on the other challenges but I do still have that 2,500 page (plus 100 hour miniseries?) wildcard, so... Scaachi Koul - One Day We'll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter (Very funny collection of essays.) Katie Kitamura - The Longshot (A relatively interesting story with an interesting writing style.) Matt Taibbi - Insane Clown President (I don't know why I read this beyond it was in a hotel I was stuck at.) Stephen King - Revival (Definitely one of the better 'recent' King books. A fun ending.) Katie Kitamura - A Separation (I liked The Longshot so picked this up, but the story was really dull.) David Maraniss - Once in a Great City: A Detroit Story (I think Detroit's rise and fall are really interesting so this was a nice look at the rise. I have a few other books on my list to read about the fall...) 6) Read a book someone else in the thread recommends (a wildcard!) 12a) Read something about the First World War. 15) Read a play. 18) Read something which was banned or censored. 19) Read a satire. 24) Read something from a non-human perspective.
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Oct 2, 2017 01:48
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I basically gave up on the challenge when I realized, after several abandoned starts, that I was never going to read my enormous 2500 page wildcard. I will play again next year though it might be good to have some guidelines around that stuff, like maybe you can only recommend a wildcard if you're actually doing the challenge. Anyway I have just been slowly moving through a backlog of crap: Clive Barker - The Great and Secret Show (Was recommended as a book similar to The Stand by Stephen King. I didn't really like it.) Michael Lewis - The Big Short (He tried his damnedest to make the topic interesting, but it was still a snooze.) Nick Cutter - Little Heaven (His best since The Troop imho) Joe Hill - Tales from the Darkside (A collection of scripts for a TV show that was never made. I didn't know that when I picked it up off my brother.) Neil Gaiman - Stardust (I haven't read a lot of Gaiman's stuff, this was some silly fantasy that I read on a plane, it was fine.) 3) Of the books you read this year, make sure at least 20% of them are written by someone non-white. 8/9 6) Read a book someone else in the thread recommends (a wildcard!) 12a) Read something about the First World War. 15) Read a play. 18) Read something which was banned or censored. 19) Read a satire. 24) Read something from a non-human perspective.
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Dec 15, 2017 15:23
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