2025 Reading Challenge discussion

I exceeded my goal of reading 60 books in 2019. I plan to read 70 books in 2020 and write reviews for each. This is where I'll track my reads and reviews.

1/70. My first read for 2020 was Nineveh by Henrietta Rose-Innes. It was an unusual book about a beetle infestation. But it's not really about that, at all. I read it as an allegory about all things creepy-crawly that lie beneath the surface. The writing was lush and full of evocative detail. It was a good way to start the year because I really enjoyed it.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

This is my favorite quote of all time! I hope it brings you luck with your reading in 2020!

Thanks, Blagica! Nice quote.

2/70. Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami.
A very tender love story that builds up gradually between a thirty-something woman and her seventy-something former professor.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

3/70. Will and Testament by Vigdis Hjorth (Norway).
An exploration of the impact of childhood trauma on a family. There were a lot of grammatical errors (fused sentences, comma splices, etc.) which I found bothersome. I don't know if it is because of the translation or because the author was trying to capture the fractured life and attitude of the victim. Either way, it didn't work well for me. But it may not bother others as much.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

4/70. How Jesus Became God: The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher from Galilee by Bart D. Ehrman.

Prof. Ehrman is a biblical scholar who has written nearly two dozen books on early Christianity. This book may not be for everyone, but I thought it was a fascinating study.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

5/70. The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak. It was disappointing and not her best work.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

6/70. The Pagan Lord, book 7 in The Saxon series by Bernard Cornwell.
It's not the type of book I normally read, but I figure it's good to step outside of my comfort zone, occasionally. It's got a lot of gory battles and chest-thumping males. It is well-researched historical fiction about a turbulent time in England's history. I enjoyed it.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

7/70.The Bookseller of Kabul by Åsne Seierstad, translated by Ingrid Christopherson.
She is a Norwegian journalist who spent 4 months in the home of a Kabul bookseller. It was strong in some areas, but I wish she had let the Afghan women speak for themselves instead of interpreting and mediating for them.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

8/70. Lab Girl by the award-winning scientist, Hope Jahren. I thought it was wonderful. I especially loved her chapters on the natural environment. Full of fascinating information.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

9/70. The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter by Hazel Gaynor. I thought it was a good historical novel although the ending was a bit mushy for me.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I see you read „strange weather in Tokyo“ by Hiromi Kawakami. I loved the book, but was annoyed with the German translation, or actually the translator in general. She does all the German Murakami translations, too, which is why I prefer reading him in English. How did you like Hiromi Kawakami‘s English translation? Would you recommend it? Thanks!

Jeanne wrote: "I see you read „strange weather in Tokyo“ by Hiromi Kawakami. I loved the book, but was annoyed with the German translation, or actually the translator in general. She does all the German Murakami ..."

Jeanne, I can't vouch for the accuracy of the translation because I don't speak Japanese. But I really enjoyed the novel and thought the English translation by Allison Markin Powell was very good. It captured the quiet, unhurried pace of the novel.

So, yes, I recommend it. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Well, I don’t speak Japanese either 😅 so neither can I.
I just like to enjoy myself when reading and translating Japanese seems to be hard in that aspect. That’s why I’m asking. Always looking for a translator that has a nice to read style ☺️ Thanks for your reply!

You're welcome.

10/70 The Library Book by Susan Orlean. I enjoyed it when she focused on the library, but I thought it lost focus when she wandered off topic about half way through.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

11/70. The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins. It's the craziest and most bizarre fantasy novel I've read. And I loved it!

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

12/70.I don't usually read graphic novels, but My Favorite Thing Is Monsters, Vol. 1 by Emil Ferris was recommended to me. Told in the voice of a 10-year old girl, set in 1960s Chicago, has a murder mystery, a holocaust survivor, and a whole host of other interesting characters. The story was good. The illustrations breathtaking.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

13/70. I finished Green Lion by Henrietta Rose-Innes.
I thought it was very good, but I preferred her Nineveh. Her books embody a message about the relationship between humans and insects/animals.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

14/70. The Medusa Reader edited by Marjorie Garber and Nancy J. Vickers.
It's a comprehensive anthology of excerpts referring to the figure of Medusa and her myth. It begins with Homer and goes all the way to Gianni Versace's adoption of her face for his logo. I recommend the book if you're interested in Medusa.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

15/70. Ms Ice Sandwich by Mieko Kawakami, a charming, subtle novella, translated from the Japanese, about a young boy's first infatuation.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

16/70. The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner. I wrote my Master's thesis on it. I think it is as brilliant now as it was when I first read it eons ago.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

17/70. Elsewhere, Home by Leila Aboulela, a collection of short stories with variations on the theme of the challenges and rewards faced by immigrants in their adopted country. It's a good collection but the focus was a bit repetitive.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

18/70. The Plains by Gerald Murnane. I read his Border Districts last year. Well, this is another strange and fascinating book. I'm not sure how he does what he does, but the effect is mesmerizing.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

19/70. Tale of a Boon's Wife by Fartumo Kusow. A haunting tale of a young woman's life in the turmoil of Somalia leading up to the civil war.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

20/70. Butterflies in November by Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir (Iceland). I enjoyed it but not as much as her Hotel Silence.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

21/70. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway. It's considered a masterpiece but it just wasn't for me. I'm more of a Faulkner fan.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

22/70. A Fist or a Heart by Kristín Eiríksdóttir from Iceland. It's an award-winning novel. I enjoyed it a lot.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

23/70. A Meal In Winter by Hubert Mingarelli, translated from the French by Sam Taylor.
Set in World War II in Poland. It's short, powerful, and brilliant.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

24/70. The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman by Laurence Sterne. An 18th C. classic. I've been reading it with a group for the last couple of months. It's not for everyone because it can be frustrating. But I enjoyed it.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

25/70. Mama Hissa's Mice by Saud Alsanousi; translated by Sawad Hussain, takes place over a thirty year period in Kuwait. It is a compelling narrative of the devastating impact of war and sectarian violence.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

26/70. A Tiger for Malgudi by R.K. Narayan. A delightful story told from the first-person point of view of the tiger.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

27/70. The Sea, The Sea by Iris Murdoch, a compelling chunkster (500 pages) about a first-person narrator's obsession with resurrecting a lost love. It won the 1978 Booker Prize. Interesting characters and wonderful writing.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

28/70. Oblomov by Ivan Goncharov about a Russian landowner and one of the most endearing couch potatoes in all of literature. This is a re-read for me, and I loved it as much now as I did when I first read it eons ago.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Tamara wrote: "I exceeded my goal of reading 60 books in 2019. I plan to read 70 books in 2020 and write reviews for each. This is where I'll track my reads and reviews."

70 books is an admirable goal, best of luck! I set myself a goal of 45 books last year and slowly increased it until I had actually read 55 books. This year my goal is 52 because I've found myself reading longer books (I'm currently reading the 900-page The Priory of the Orange Tree!)

Thanks, Rebecca!
A 900-page book? I'm not sure I can handle that. I think the most I can commit to reading is a 500-600-page book. I admire you for tackling it.
Ultimately, it is not about how many books you read. It's about how much you enjoy the books you read.
Good luck with your reading goal.
Stay safe and all best.

29/70. Blue Jewellery by Katharina Winkler, translated from the German by Laura Wagner. It's a quick and important read, but it's not for everyone because of the frequent and graphic description of domestic violence inflicted on a young Turkish girl.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Tamara wrote: "Thanks, Rebecca!
A 900-page book? I'm not sure I can handle that. I think the most I can commit to reading is a 500-600-page book. I admire you for tackling it.
Ultimately, it is not about how man..."

I've seen a few 200+ book reading targets that have astounded me. I am absolutely about quality over quantity, but even I was hesitant on such a lengthy book! Seeing the author on a panel, as well as reading the blurb really sold this one for me and I'm glad I picked it up. It is epic. I actually don't want it to end and I'm 750 pages in!!

30/70. Tortilla Flat by John Steinbeck--a delightful novel loosely based on King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

31/70. Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome. I've read this classic umpteen times, but it never gets old. I start laughing as soon as I pull it off my bookshelf. I recommend it for anyone who wants a good laugh.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

32/70. The Law of Inheritance by Yasser Abdellatif, translated from the Arabic by Robin Moger. It's a series of vignettes that flash back and forth in time, capturing the zeitgeist of Cairo in the 1990s. I thought it was quite good.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I am all about magic this year. I hope that your reading goal is your little touch of magic.

33/70. The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers. I've read a few of her other books but never this one. It was absolutely amazing. I can't get over the fact that she was only 23 years old when she wrote it.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

34/70. The Red Sofa by Michel Lesbre, translated from the French by Nicole Ball and David Ball. It's a quiet, unassuming novel about a woman's internal meanderings while on the Trans-Siberian Railway and the lasting impact of her friendship with her elderly neighbor.
I thought it was very good.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

35/70. Gilgamesh: The Life of a Poem by Michael Schmidt. It's an exploration of the various aspects of the ancient Mesopotamian poem, including its translations and interpretations. It's not for everyone, but if you're like me and love the poem, you'll enjoy this.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

36/70. Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton. A beautiful story, beautifully told about South Africa during Apartheid. Although it's been years since I last read it, I think this is the third time around for me. It is as powerful and as beautiful now as ever.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

37/70. Antigone Rising: The Subversive Power of the Ancient Myths by Helen Morales. She deconstructs some classical myths by interpreting them with a feminist lens and demonstrating their relevance to today. Some of the connections she makes are fascinating.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

38/70. Weep Not, Child by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o. Published in 1964, it is considered a classic. Told through the eyes of a child, it has as its backdrop the escalating tensions in Kenya during British colonialism.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

39/70. The Familiars by Stacey Halls set in 17thC England. I'd read some positive reviews about the book, so I was expecting it to be good. I was disappointed. Perhaps it just wasn't for me.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...