The Reading Challenge Group discussion

"New Beginnings" is our chosen theme for January. You may read any book, fiction or nonfiction, that relates to this theme.

What do you intend to read? Any suggestions? If there's interest in a buddy read, we can also set that up.

Happy New Year - and here's to new beginnings!

I am going to read The Chestry Oak by Kate Seredy, the Newbery Medal winning author of The White Stag. It is about the immigrant experience.
My family immigrated to Canada in 1958, and that is totally a new beginning. I was six years old.

I'm going to read Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts This book is all about the power of love and friendship and it's ability to change lives.

I finished Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts and it was among one of the most powerful books I have ever read. Novalee, dumped at a WallMart by her good for nothing boyfriend (whose baby she is carrying) meets and assortment of quirky but loving townfolk who not only befriend Novalee but enable her to leave her dismal past behind and excel and grow.

I'm going to read A Free Life by Ha Jin for this. It's about a Chinese family imagrateing to the US and makeing a new life.

I'm going to read

Little Beach Street Bakery

Amid the ruins of her latest relationship, Polly Waterford moves far away to the sleepy seaside resort of Polbearne, where she lives in a small, lonely flat above an abandoned shop.

To distract her from her troubles, Polly throws herself into her favorite hobby: making bread. But her relaxing weekend diversion quickly develops into a passion. As she pours her emotions into kneading and pounding the dough, each loaf becomes better than the last. Soon, Polly is working her magic with nuts and seeds, olives and chorizo, and the local honey-courtesy of a handsome local beekeeper. Drawing on reserves of determination and creativity Polly never knew she had, she bakes and bakes . . . and discovers a bright new life where she least expected it.

PS. My maiden name was Backer which means 'baker' in German!!

I'm going with The Man Who Would Be King, which I think is about a couple of Englishmen who decide they're going to move to some remote corner of Afghanistan to become "kings." An odd choice, I know, but it's been in my TBR for awhile.

I am planning on finally reading After You. It's so weird to be planning my reading for the month. I haven't done that in a while.

Rosemarie wrote: "I am going to read The Chestry Oak by Kate Seredy, the Newbery Medal winning author of The White Stag. It is about the immigrant experience.
My family imm..."

Thanks for the recommendations, they sound fab!

Which country are you originally from? Emigrating is not easy but an amazing adventure. I moved from France to Scotland 5 years ago. I'm beciming a bit restless and would totally move somewhere else, but that won't be possible.

I have started rereading the Little House books, where you find new beginnings all the time due to them moving a lot.

The 2017 Reading Challenge Group

Monthly Theme Challenge 2017 > New Beginnings - January 2017

January 1, 2017 to January 31, 2017

Completed 1/1

I read 31 Days to a Clutter Free Life: One Month to Clear Your Home, Mind & Schedule as my "new beginning".

I came from Germany when I was six, a long time ago. My husband was transferred a lot when we first got married, so I and then my kids as well, so we had lots of new beginning. We moved from Toronto, Ontario- where I didn't know anyone at first, until I got a job and then it was much better. Then he was transferred to British Columbia, but didn't have to travel for his job. He was an auditor in Toronto and was gone for a week or two at a time.
My first daughter was born B.C. the land of fog, and mountains when you could see them. We went to Seattle a couple of times when we were there. The drive from Vancouver along the coast had the most beautiful scenery in certain sections. To keep the rest short-B.C. to Alberta to Saskatchewan back to Toronto which has been home since 1986.

The Girl with Seven Names: A North Korean Defector's Story is the one I will be reading. It's a New York Times Bestseller. I've always been interested in North Korea and what happens when people leave, how they escape. I'm a Christian, so I'm also interested in missionary work in North Korea, which is very difficult as they do not allow the gospel of Jesus Christ in there. It will be interesting to see how Hyeonseo Lee left her Communist country for a new beginning, and how she felt going through the stages of grief of not being able to go back to her home country ever again.

What intrigued me when I came across the book on Amazon is that it has 775 reviews of which 78% are 5 star reviews, whereas there are only 4 1-star reviews of which two of them are about not having read the book yet and the other the person didn't receive the book after ordering (by the way, I hate when people put reviews like that which have nothing to do with the content of the book!).

I'm thinking of reading The Clockwork Universe: Isaac Newton, the Royal Society, and the Birth of the Modern World, about the birth of modern science. It's nonfiction so I might not make it through in a month, but I plan to start.

At first I thought the theme idea would not be as interesting because I like reading the same book as others, but now that I see what people are reading and why it motivates me to read some of those titles as well. Little Beach Street Bakery and Where the Heart Is both sound interesting and relaxing.

Brenda-
You might consider starting a Buddy Read. You could post a query for others interested in a book you want to read in the thread for that. Or you could ask someone here who is reading a book that looks interesting to you.

I'm in a Buddy Read about the Little House series because of a conversation in the Cereal Numbers thread (a Year-Long challenge).

I get some of my best book ideas from the people in this group. :)

Brenda wrote: "At first I thought the theme idea would not be as interesting because I like reading the same book as others, but now that I see what people are reading and why it motivates me to read some of thos..."

I'm love to do a buddy read, Brenda. I plan to start Beach Street Bakery around Jan 21, but I could move it up if you are interested.

I had a look at my bookshelf in 'real' life and my kindle and found Anne of Green Gables Complete Collection. I'm sure this would fit the challenge.

Anne certainly had a new beginning when she went to live there after being in an orphanage. I am a big fan of Lucy Maud Montgomery, who wrote many more novels than just the Anne books.

Oohhh I have no idea what to read! Any suggestions?

The theme is new beginnings. Some examples of new beginnings are moving to a new place, going off to university, moving to another country, starting a new relationship, etc.
What authors do you like to read? Perhaps some have written books that fit with this theme.

Cherie, I looked at your to read shelf, and it seams like several there would fit. I can also recomend Of Metal and Wishes and Of Dreams and Rust. They are a retelling of The Phantom Of The Opera and I absolutely loved them!

That would be great! I have Beach Street Bakery on hold at the library. I'll let you know when it comes in.

I just finished today - A Soft Place to Land by Susan Rebecca White who is a new author to me. The book is about (view spoiler)[2 sisters who have to start their lives over after their parents die in a plane crash. It's not really a spoiler as it's stated on the back cover, but just in case :) (hide spoiler)]

Rosemarie wrote: "Anne certainly had a new beginning when she went to live there after being in an orphanage. I am a big fan of Lucy Maud Montgomery, who wrote many more novels than just the Anne books."

I agree, her writing is delightful!

Jenny wrote: "Cherie, I looked at your to read shelf, and it seams like several there would fit. I can also recomend Of Metal and Wishes and Of Dreams and Rust. They are a retelling of The Phantom Of The Opera a..."

Thank you!! I'll look into those, they sound fun

Actually I think i know what I'll read- Menagerie I've wanted to read it for awhile, and it's certainly about new beginnings! (Not good ones though, sneaky me!)

Cherie, you're welcome and sounds interesting!

Just finished The Mistletoe Secret by Richard Paul Evans - this one definitely meets the 'new beginnings' theme.

I finished Mansfield Park. I think that would count, with Fanny going to Mansfield from Portsmouth, and the marriages that take place.

I just started Common Sense by Thomas Paine. Talk about New Beginnings. My plan is to read 3-4 books about the beginning of America. I hope I can read them all before January ends.

Whoa. May not do 3-4 books, but here's the first.
Common Sense by Thomas Paine

Jenny, I would agree that moving to a new place and getting married qualify as new beginnings.

Linda, he also wrote The Age of Reason, about his take on religion. I found it quite interesting. Good luck with your goal!
Thanks Rosemarie!
I just finished Bright Young Things today for this as well. It's another one where they move (actually, in this case, run away), in this one to New York.
Happy reading everybody!

Guys I finished MENAGERIE by Rachel Vincent and OH. MY. WORD. It was fabulous. If anyone hasn't read it yet you should TOTALLY. It was wonderful. Lots of new beginnings as well, both good and bad. I loved it.

I just finished Red Rising - and all I can say is Wow!! The story of Darrow rising from Mars is fabulous (and is it ever a new beginning story!).

I think I will read "Wild" by Cheryl Strayed for this challenge. It is also part of my 2017 Reading Challenge (personal), so it will help me with reaching my year-long goal. From the description, she takes to the Pacific Crest Trail after a time of tragedy in her life and is able to refresh and find clarity. Thus using the Trail to help her find a new beginning. A stretch? Should I choose a different book?

Tori, it's a good story- and definitely fits the New Beginnings theme. I read this last year after I'd gone to Crater Lake & Mt Rainier (some of the parks that contain the northern end of the PCT) and really could envision the areas that she writes about.

I also just finished The Prison Book Club by Ann Walmsley where many of the men involved in the book club leave prison and begin their lives again. They read some great books - there's a list at the back of the book!

I just finishedPerfect Ruin in which Morgan leaves her floating island home for the ground. Quite a good read!

Finished the sequel to Perfect Ruin, Burning Kingdoms in which Morgan learns more about the ground and how to cope with the differences. Pretty good, not as good as the first.

Finished I Did (But I Wouldn't Now) - and it fits the theme. I wonder if it would have been a more likeable book if I'd read the first in the series before this. But I'm not invested enough in this one to look for the first. Okay but not great - probably a 3.5

Will "Only Time Will Tell: 1 (The Clifton Chronicles series) by
Jeffrey Archer" fall under this category of new beginnings?

Rp wrote: "Will "Only Time Will Tell: 1 (The Clifton Chronicles series) by
Jeffrey Archer" fall under this category of new beginnings?"

I would say so, it's the first book in a series :D

Completed. I read Warm Bodies which uses the zombie genre to tell a tale of starting a new way of life. It acknowledges that their zombie problem aside, human behavior was a large part of the problem that led to the end of civilization and that finding one's basic humanity and joy for life is necessary to rise above the cruelty we can inflict on each other. Interesting book, although some of the devices used weren't to my taste.

I finished The Chestry Oak and really liked it. But over two thirds of the book dealt with Michaels life in Hungary during World War 2. He had little difficulty in adjusting to life in America, but it was a totally new beginning with a new family, a new way of life and a new future. It is a lovely, feel good book, even though there are some dark moments.

I am planning on reading another book on the same topic, this one about a totally new beginning-Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm.

I just read Ash I think it would fit a young girl in her 20s becomes an Ash (half Vampire). it may just about get away with being for the theme only just realised their was one

Finished Taking Shots - this is the start of a new series for me and so fits with a new beginning theme. It was a lot of fun, especially since the action takes place near my home.

I'm going to read Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur. I feel as though it will help me through some past struggles and future ones, and it will help me to love myself and see the world in a better way.

I read The Wangs vs. the World which is about an immigrant family who move to America to start a new, rich life, actually lose all of their money and are trying to start yet again. It is supposed to be humor, although admittedly I thought it a bit dry at sometimes.

Another new series - Simply Sexual

Chase, I am always leary of books that claim to be funny. Often I find that they are not that funny, and sometimes the opposite.

Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action I read this book for the New Beginnings Theme. As I am working towards some goals this year, this book is great place to start by determining your WHY. I have personally spent my 30 year career in nursing helping others. This book has helped me to focus on my WHY. Most leaders have a distinct WHY. Followers are the What people and do what the WHY people say. I am working on my WHY to be about ME. I have mastered it being about others.