2025 Reading Challenge discussion
ARCHIVE 2015
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Candiss - 40+ Books in 2015
5. The Machine Stops by E.M. Forster **** (4.5...This would be a solid 5 if fleshed out a bit more. As it is, it's an absolutely astonishing bit of utopia-gone-wrong, especially for its time and the fact that the author isn't known for science fiction. By the end, my mouth was hanging open. Honestly, this wowed me more than much of Wells and Verne, as sacrilegious as that may sound. I highly recommend it!)
8. The Sign of Four by Arthur Conan Doyle (****...probably 3.5)I'm having such a slow reading month. I hope March goes at a faster clip.
9. Far North by Marcel Theroux ***** (maybe 4.5, but the more I think on it, the more impressed I am)
10. The Country of Ice Cream Star by Sandra Newman **** (maybe 4.5... The dialect/patois is so well-crafted, and the story itself is superb. This isn't easy - or quick - reading, but it was worth it, with characterization and myth-making of the highest order.)
Great job on your challenge so far! I hadn't heard of The Wicked + The Divine, but it sounds super interesting. I added it to my to-read list.
Thanks, Cassandra! 18. Train Dreams by Denis Johnson **** (4.5) - I can see now why this is considered a classic among novellas/short novels.
25. Rat Queens, Vol. 2: The Far Reaching Tentacles of N'rygoth by Kurtis J. Wiebe, Roc Upchurch, Stjepan Šejić (08/08/15, ***** (4.5))
27. Hawkeye, Vol. 2: Little Hits (081315, ****)I've been on a bit of a graphic novel bender, trying to wash the heavy-yet-awesome-yet-HEAVY taste of Geek Love out of my brain.
You're making great progress toward your goal, Candiss! Have you started school yet? What are you studying?
Cassandra wrote: "You're making great progress toward your goal, Candiss! Have you started school yet? What are you studying?"Cassandra, I'm sorry that I missed your question! It looks like I won't be able to start back to school until January, after all. I suppose it's for the best, as I am still considering my options. I'm stuck between high local employment prospects (medical records and database admin.), genuine interest/love with poor local prospects (library work)...or something else entirely. And being over 40, I have to consider that it is probably more practical to go with an option that takes a shorter period of training time vs my most fervent interest (linguistics) which will take me several years, despite all my previous coursework.
I'm confident I'll figure it out soon. Luckily I didn't have to decide to actually apply to the school and be accepted, so I'm on track whichever I choose.
But reading-wise, I'm still sticking to the lower goal, as I've decided to take another part-time job to save up before the semester starts in January, and there's some volunteer work I'm considering getting involved in this Fall and Winter, too. :)
No worries!It's such a struggle to find something that you want to do and balance that with the need to make enough money to support yourself - I wish it wasn't. Good luck with whatever it is you decide to pursue!
33. Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1: No Normal by G. Willow Wilson (09/19/15, ***/3.5)I keep reading graphic novels while in the middle of reading longer books. This one was ok; I appreciated the sensible and sympathetic treatment of the protagonist's religion (Islam) and family heritage (Pakistani), but I couldn't relate to the very much YA-stance of "teenager whose parents JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND". I guess I'm too old now and ended up empathizing most with the parents. I don't care what culture/faith (or lack thereof) you are - if your child repeatedly sneaks out at night, doesn't answer her phone, and is repeatedly found to be at the scene of violent crimes or near-deaths in a dangerous city known for not only the usual city dangers but also for super villains and super crimes -- you're going to be concerned and (hopefully) hand down some sort of consequences to the kid.
From a "super hero comic with backstory" standpoint, it was same-old same-old...with added diversity. (Which is a good thing...but the rest of it is a bit boring and old-hat when you've read a lot of widely-ranging graphic novels in your life.)
Once I realized this was intended as a YA, I felt less "meh" about it. It's good at what it's intended to be and do. I'm glad something showcasing diversity and a young girl's internal issues (which was written by a woman) won the Hugo for Graphic Novel this year, but I'm not sure I feel impelled to read the next volume.
34. Bone Gap by Laura Ruby (09/23/15, ****/4.5)This is a wonderful, dark, mature, mythopoeic technically-YA story that I very much enjoyed as a curmudgeonly 40-something. It has great, fully-realized characters, multiple protagonists of both genders, and a great interweaving of mythic themes (especially Persephone/Hades) with real-world issues.
I strongly recommend this for fans of Neil Gaiman, Angela Carter, Ray Bradbury, Shirley Jackson, Stephen King's fantasy work, and Catherynne M. Valente.
36. Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami (10/04/15, ***)Murakami is one of my favorite authors, but this particular book fell a bit flat for me. It is a more straight-forward literary story, a sort-of romance, with central themes of mental illness and suicide. (multiple suicides) It didn't have that characteristic Murakami magic - the familiar strangeness and strange familiarity that draws me into his worlds.
It certainly wasn't bad, and I know many people love it, but it's just not my cup of tea. It depressed me, and the characters frustrated me. The dialog was also somewhat wooden and didn't feel natural to me.
I'll stick with the author's more speculative and or mystery-laden works.
Candiss wrote: "36. Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami (10/04/15, ***)Murakami is one of my favorite authors, but this particular book fell a bit flat for me. ."
I have never read Murakami, but people have been recommending Norwegian Wood to me for a while. What book would you recommend I start with as my first Murakami?
37. The Yellow Wall-Paper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (10/06/15, ****)Jackie B. - I'll get back to you this evening when I have more time online!
Jackie B. wrote: "Candiss wrote: "36. Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami (10/04/15, ***)Murakami is one of my favorite authors, but this particular book fell a bit flat for me. ."
I have never read ..."
Jackie B. - I looked over your highly-rated books, and I would actually suggest either 1Q84, which is fantastical and really interesting with unusual female and male protagonists, but also quite long and a hefty commitment, or my favorite Murakami, After Dark, which is shorter, has a female protagonist, and also has some fantastical/metaphorical elements woven in. Here is my review of After Dark, written back when I still posted full reviews on Goodreads (aka prior to their buy-out by Amazon.)
For more overt sf/f elements, there is Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, which is truly unusual and involves a dual-world motif like 1Q84 does, but one world is more sf, while the other world is a dream/fantasy world. Then there is what might be Murakami's magnum opus (although that could also be said of 1Q84, depending on who you ask) The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, with all his frequent motifs - missing persons, cats, literal/metaphorical journeys underground, quests that have multiple meanings, food, jazz, dreams, other worlds...all mixed with vivid flashback stories of war. It's pretty amazing stuff, but also quite a reading commitment, both length-wise and emotionally.
I'm a bit of a HM fangirl and can probably yabber on for hours about his work. But really, any of the books I've mentioned are probably good starting points. The only places I wouldn't start are Norwegian Wood (unless one is more a romantic tragedy reader than a fantasy/magical realism reader, and your bookshelf suggests you do like f/mr) or his short story collections, as they are rather all over the place quality-wise.
Woah. This is the best response I've ever received to a comment. First of all, thank you for all your thoughtfulness. I am blown away.Okay, I'll start with After Dark. Your review was exceptional, and I look forward to reading it. I think it's more appropriate for me, based on my current hummingbird-like attention with novel length, to start shorter. But 1Q84 is also on my TBR now.
I also checked out your blog. Very well written reviews. I'm just wondering, why did you decide to stop posting reviews once Amazon bought out Goodreads? I'm thinking of starting my own book review blog, but I'm not certain I'm ready for it. What made you decide to head that direction? Do you enjoy it?
41. Six-Gun Snow White by Catherynne M. Valente (11/23/15, *****) The audio-book of this is GREAT, and I'm not an audio-book person.
42. Dark Orbit by Carolyn Ives Gilman *** (4 for ideas...2 for execution. This was full of beautiful, mind-stretching ideas...in a messy, jumbled rush of a wrapper. The writing at its most basic was great, but it felt like 3 or 4 or more different stories jumbled together. It needed tighter editing, I think. I reallly liked it on some levels - especially the beginning and characterization - but found it infuriating on others. I'm not sure I can recommend it.)
2025 Reading Challenge
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Julie Schumacher (other topics)Kurtis J. Wiebe (other topics)
Roc Upchurch (other topics)
Stjepan Šejić (other topics)
May 18, 2015: I've lowered my challenge goal from 52+ to 40+ and have moved my corner to the appropriate folder. I've recently learned that I will be going back to school this Fall, (I'd thought I would need to wait until after the 1st of the year 2016.) and considering I'm already reading at a slower pace than I'd hoped this year, I know there's no way I will realistically reach my original goal with school added to the mix. So I'm moderating my goal to a level I feel to be more attainable for me.