All About Books discussion

I have my challenges documented in other GR groups so I won't track them here also. My 2020 goals:

1) Downsize my book collection with a goal of a net negative 25. I will be tracking my "ins and outs".
2) Continue reading more classics and listening to more audiobooks!
3) Complete the ATY, 12+4, Motley, and Popsugar challenges and stay on track with my personal 100 Authors before 60 challenge. (ATY is my primary challenge. The others I try to fit it)
4) Participate in more group reads!

I do want to participate in the color challenge with this group. I love the idea since I love covers! Here's my version.

2020 Color Challenge
Progress: 8/16

Color (word) in Title:
Blue:
Red:
Yellow or Gold:
Green: Green Island
Purple (or shade of): Plum Rains

Color of words in the Title
Blue:
Red: American Heiress: The Wild Saga of the Kidnapping, Crimes and Trial of Patty Hearst
Yellow or Gold: Reasons to Stay Alive and Funny, You Don't Look Autistic: A Comedian's Guide to Life on the Spectrum
Green: The Man Who Came Early
Purple:

Primary Color of Cover
Blue: As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust
Red:
Yellow: Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World and China in Ten Words
Green: Green Island
Purple:
Additional color- Pink:

I like how you organized the color challenge Pam. And good luck with your other goals and challenges - especially the downsizing (that would be a very difficult one for me!).

Good luck! I’m not brave enough to try a challenge like this!

Kelly wrote: "Good luck! I’m not brave enough to try a challenge like this!"

Kelly - What do you mean you are not brave enough? I have found with challenges that I just read what I want and the books fall into place! There are a few that I actually search out. I encourage you to set one up that fits your interests and give it a go. If you don't finish it, it's no big deal. The hardest thing is to remember to track your progress. I'm spread out over 6 GR groups, which is a bit much. I want to reduce that number but I like all of the groups!

Leslie wrote: "I like how you organized the color challenge Pam. And good luck with your other goals and challenges - especially the downsizing (that would be a very difficult one for me!)."

Thanks Leslie! The downsizing will be hard for me, too. I did really good this last quarter and gave away and sold several books. I haven't been buying any books, just winning them through GR giveaways. The problem is I win them and they don't look as interesting after I receive them! So, I am being much more selective in the contests I enter now.

I'm on track and actually ahead for all of my challenges. WRT the color challenge, purple may be the difficult cover and title color to find! Currently reading a pink book Severance by Ling Ma. Because of the COVID-19 shut down, I haven't downsized any books since everything has been closed! June should be a good time to sell or donate a few. I'm very happy that I have surpassed my 2020 goal of reading 10 non-fiction books! That doesn't sound like a lot but it's more than I read last year and I found some really good ones including Three Brothers: Memories of My Family by Yan Lianke.

Love your colour challenge.
Since I am not a non fiction reader, could you tell me the names of a few that you enjoyed. I should try!!

Colette wrote: "Love your colour challenge.
Since I am not a non fiction reader, could you tell me the names of a few that you enjoyed. I should try!!"

Thank you Colette! I'm glad to hear you are interested in trying some non-fiction. There are so many great books out there! I've liked everything I read this year. Here are my recent 5-star reads:
1. American Heiress: The Wild Saga of the Kidnapping, Crimes and Trial of Patty Hearst by Jeffrey Toobin
- I remember Patty Hearst being in the news every night when I was a kid. It was such a huge story! But, I never knew what happened to her or what the SLA was all about. It's a fascinating true crime story!
2. The Library Book by Susan Orlean
- I love libraries, like many of us on GR do, so I was immediately drawn to a book about a fire in the LA Public Library. It's much more than that, though. It's also the history of the evolution of libraries. It's very interesting!
3. Three Brothers: Memories of My Family by contemprorary Chinese writer Yan Lianke
- I had just started reading one of Lianke's novels but it got pulled back to the library before I finished it! I really wanted to read something by this author so I found this one on Hoopla and really enjoyed it. The writing and translation is wonderful. It reads more like a novel, which makes sense since the author is a novelist. If you have ever been interested in life in rural China in the 1960s and 70s, during the Cultural Revolution and like books about families, I think you would enjoy this one!
4. American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road by Nick Bilton
- From the GR synopsis, "The unbelievable true story of the man who built a billion-dollar drug empire from his bedroom..." This was my favorite book in 2019! I was so fascinated with the story that I finished it in 2 days. I highly recommend it!

My 4-star reads:
1. Flu: The Story Of the Great Influenza Pandemic of 1918 and the Search for the Virus That Caused It
At this point in time, I think any book on the Spanish Flu would be interesting!
2. Funny, You Don't Look Autistic: A Comedian's Guide to Life on the Spectrum by Michael McCreary
- This is a really quick and easy read at 166 pages. I wanted a little bit more but the author is only 22 and writing a memoir! I think he should've waited a few more years to write a memoir. It's worth reading if you want to understand autism from someone who lives with it. I think this is a good one for teens and young adults.
3. Me by Elton John
- I was a big Elton John fan in the 70s so I was interested to read about his life. (I had not seen Rocketman yet.) He's very candid and, at times, it was hard for me to read about his self-destructive behavior with drugs and alcohol. I kept thinking what is it going to take for you to recognize you have a problem?! He's a testament to the saying that you have to hit rock bottom first. There were a couple of chapters towards the end which, while important to Elton, weren't so interesting to me, as the reader, which is why I gave it 4 stars. He has led a very colorful, crazy life, not one I would enjoy, but interesting to read about.
4. Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World by Cal Newport
- After reading this book, I took the author's advice and took a 1 month break from social media (excluding GR) which was a great experiment! I'm probably going to do it again soon. I think that anyone who uses social media could benefit from reading this book, or at least a few chapters, and making a few behavioral changes.
5. Superbugs: The Race to Stop an Epidemic by Matt McCarthy
- This book deals with the history and future of antibiotics, trial testing and developing cures against resistant bacteria. If you are at all interested in medical topics and research, this is a good one. He gives info on several of the trial candidates, which is terrifying in itself knowing how a simple injury can result in a life-threatening bacterial infection!