All About Books discussion

Carol's BINGO Challenge; BKS TO READ: 6/30

✔ 1. Book with 500 pages+ The Luminaries-Eleanor Catton, 834pp, currently reading
2. A forgotten classic–The Lost Estate-Henri Alain-Fournier, 260pp.
3. Book to movie–Gone Girl-Gillian Flynn, 560pp.
4. A book published 2015-Before I Go-Colleen Oakley, 320pp.
5. A book with a number in the title-The Thirteenth Tale-Diane Setterfield, 406pp.

✔ 6. A book written by someone under 30-Swamplandia!-Karen Russell, 316p
7. Book with non-human characters-The Golem and the Jinni-Helene Wecker, 512 pp.
8. Funny book-Still Foolin' 'Em: Where I've Been, Where I'm Going, and Where the Hell Are My Keys-Billy Crystal, 288pp.
✔ 9. Book by a female author–Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants-Robin Wall Kimmerer-5 stars!
10. Book with a mystery-In the Woods-Tana French

11. Book with one word title-Grendel-John Gardner, 174pp
12. Book of short stories–The Best Short Stories-Fyodor Dostoevsky, 320pp
✔ 13. FREE: Native SonNative Son-Richard Wright-5 stars!
14. Book on a different continent-The Drowning River-Christobel Kent, 309pp. (Sandro Cellini #1)
15. Non Fiction Book: BIOGRAPHY : FIVE books
* The Passion of Emily Dickinson-Judith Farr-1992;
* Emily Dickinson- Milton Meltzer-2006;
* Selected Poems and Letters- Emily Dickinson-1959;
* Emily Dickinson--Richard Chase-1951;
* Emily DickinsonMy Wars Are Laid Away in Books: The Life of Emily Dickinson-800 pp.

16. First book by favorite author-Uncle Tom's Children-Richard Wright-336 pp.
✔ 17.A Book online-Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle-Fiona Carnarvon, 3.5
18. Best selling book-Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption-Laura Hillenbrand, 496 pp.
19. Book based on true story-The Diary of a Young Girl-Anne Frank, 283pp.
✔ 20.Book on bottom of your TBR pile-Angela's AshesFrank McCourt, 362pp.

21. Book your friend loves-Midnight's Children-Salman Rushdie, 533 pp.
22. Scary Book– Lightning-Dean Koontz, 384pp.
23. Book more than 10 yrs old-Homecoming (Tillerman Cycle, #1)--Cynthia Voigt, 416pp.
24. The second book in a series -Catching Fire-Suzanne Collins, 391pp.
25. Blue cover book-The Captain's Daughter and Other Stories--Alexander Pushkin, 320 pp.

Very well organized! I still don't know if I'll do this challenge, I'm such a disaster with challenges: I start them and then I read following my fancy and mood.

How did you manage to do this sign? ✔
I just love it and wanted to use it to check some books I've read for a challenge but I didn't know how to do it.

In 2015, I am doing something totally different from what I normally do regarding my reading list. Someone shared it this with me, and I thought I would give it a try. It's definitely a challenge!

TOTAL BOOKS I'VE READ: 7
TOTAL NUMBER OF BOOKS ON LIST: 282


Carol's 2015 Determination Reading List
The List of 110 Best Books: The Perfect Library
Duration: January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2015.


Part One: 15 books

Read three biographies.
1-- John Keats by Walter Jackson Bate
2— The Brontës: Wild Genius on the Moors: The Story of Three Sisters by Juliet Barker
3-- Eleanor Roosevelt, Vol 1, 1884-1933 by Blanche Wiesen Cook

Read one non fiction book every month.
4—Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman by Robert K. Massie
5—Bambie by Lillian Rixley
6—Jane Austen and Her Times, 1775 - 1817 by Geraldine Edith Mitton
7—The Queen Mother: The Official Biography by William Shawcross
8—My Father, Mark Twain by Clara Clemens
9—Virginia Woolf by Robert Fry
10—Moth and the Star by Aileen Pippett
11—A Perfect Union: Dolley Madison and the Creation of the American Nation by Catherine Allgor
12--Elizabeth Robins: Staging a Life: 1862-1952 by Angela V. John
13--Save Me the Waltz by Zelda Fitzgerald
14--Margaret Fuller: A New American Life
15--Queen Victoria by Elizabeth Longford
? Alice James--Jean Strouse


Part Two: 12 books

Read twelve books that corresponds with the month.
16—OCT: Halloween: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children: The Graphic Novel by Ransom Riggs
17—NOV: Thanksgiving: The Thanksgiving Visitor by Truman Capote
18—DEC: The Homecoming by Earl Hamner Jr.
19—JAN19: Martin Luther King Jr.: Strength to Love by Martin Luther King Jr.
20—FEB16: President's Day: Black History Month/ FEB18: Ash Wed. Presidents of the United States: Biographies in Brief by Nathan Lee
21—MARCH: International Women's Day/ MAR20:Spring/ MAR29:PalmSunday; Century of Struggle: The Woman's Rights Movement in the United States, Enlarged Edition by Eleanor Flexner
22—APRIL: Maundy Thursday/ APR3: Good Friday/APR22: Earth Day
APRIL 5: Easter Sunday -He Still Moves Stones by Max Lucado
23—MAY: Asian Pacific American Heritage Month/ MAY5: Cinco de Mayo/ MAY10: Mothers Day/ MAY25: Memorial Day
24—JUNE14: Flag Day/ JUNE21: Father's Day & First Day of Summer/ JUNE16: Juneteenth-Freedom Day/
25—JULY4: Independence Day/ JULY9: Labor Day
Independence: The Struggle to Set America Free by John Ferling
26—OCT12: Columbus Day
Columbus: The Four Voyages by Laurence Bergreen
27—NOV American Indian Inheritance Month/NOV11 Veteran's Day

Part Three: 65 books

Read sixty-five books by the end of the year.
28— My Father, Mark Twain by Cara Clemens
29--Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak
30— American Gods by Neil Gaiman
31—Little Women, Little Men, Jo's Boys by Louisa May Alcott
32— Off Course by Michelle Huneven
33— Can't and Won't: Stories by Lydia Davis
34— Bark: Stories by Lorrie Moore
35— My Life in Middlemarch by Rebecca Mead
36— The Race Underground: Boston, New York, and the Incredible Rivalry That Built America's First Subway by Doug Most
37— Kinder Than Solitude by Yiyun Li
38— The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell
39— The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher by Hilary Mantel
40—Tsarina by J. Nelle Patrick
41—The Madness by Alison Rattle
42— Sybil, or the Two Nations by Benjamin Disraeli
43—Galileo's Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith and Love by Dava Sobel
44—The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Alison Weir
45—Moth and the Star by Aileen Pippett
46—A Great Unrecorded History: A New Life of E. M. Forster by Wendy Moffat
47— Chekhov: Scenes from a Life by Rosamund Bartlett
48—Mrs. Adams in Winter: A Journey in the Last Days of Napoleon by Michael O'Brien
49—The Life of Elizabeth I by Alison Weir
50— Elizabeth Gaskell: A Habit of Stories by Jenny Uglow (690)
51—Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt, 265
52—'Tis by Frank McCourt
53—Radioactive: Marie and Pierre Curie, A Tale of Love and Fallout by Lauren Redniss
54—Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela
55—Johnny Cash: The Life by Robert Hilburn
56—Alice: Alice Roosevelt Longworth, from White House Princess to Washington Power Broker by Stacy A. Cordery
57—A Private Life of Henry James: Two Women and His Art by Lyndall Gordon
58—Robert Frost: A Life by Jay Parini
59—Dorothy Parker: In Her Own Words by Dorothy Parker
60—Sylvia Plath: A Biography by Linda Wagner-Martin
61—Dostoevsky: A Writer in His Time by Joseph Frank
62—Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
63—Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset
64—Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
65—Lorna Doone: A Romance of Exmoor by R.D. Blackmore
66—Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak
67— Home Is the Sailor: An Irish Country Doctor Story by Patrick Taylor
68— An Irish Country Doctor by Patrick Taylor
69— An Irish Country Village by Patrick Taylor
70— An Irish Country Christmas by Patrick Taylor
71— An Irish Country Girl by Patrick Taylor
72— An Irish Country Courtship by Patrick Taylor
73— A Dublin Student Doctor by Patrick Taylor
74— An Irish Country Wedding by Patrick Taylor
75— Fingal O'Reilly, Irish Doctor by Patrick Taylor
76— An Irish Doctor in Peace and at War by Patrick Taylor
77— The Wily O'Reilly: Irish Country Stories: Irish Country Stories by Patrick Taylor
79— The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens
80— Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
81— Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens
82— The Old Curiosity Shopby Charles Dickens
83 -- Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens
84— Martin Chuzzlewit by Charles Dickens
85— Dombey and Son by Charles Dickens
86— David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
87— Bleak House by Charles Dickens
88— Hard Times by Charles Dickens
89— Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens
90— A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
91— Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
92— Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens
93— The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens

Part Four: 27 books

Read three books that have been on my TBR shelves for a long time.
94—The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
95—Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
96—Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins


Read a book from a different genre each month.
97—YA: The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
98—HISTORICAL: Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
99— CHRISTIAN: The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
100—SCI FIC: Graceling by Kristin Cashore
101— BEST NON FIC: Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand
102— LOVE STORY: North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
103— MYSTERY: Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
104— ADVENTURE: A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini - 4.5 stars
105— MEMOIR: Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell
106— POETRY: The Complete Poems by John Keats
107— WOMEN ADVENTURERS: East To The Dawn: The Life Of Amelia Earhart by Susan Butler
108—CRIME: In the Woods by Tana French


Read a book a month that’s set in a different country/ state.
109— Antartica - Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple
110— Ireland - The Sea by John Banville -
111— Himalayas - The Inheritance of Loss -
112— Tokyo -- A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki
113— Haiti - Claire of the Sea Light by Edwidge Danticat
114— Nigeria - Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
115— ? - Among Others by Jo Walton
116— NYC- Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann
117— Nebraska - The Echo Maker by Richard Powers
118— Scotland - Three Junes by Julia Glass
119— California, USA - In America by Susan Sontag
120— London -- Something Blue by Emily Giffin

Part Five: 27 books

Try to pick a book where the first word corresponds with the alphabet.
121—A: A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
122—B: Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
123—C: The Collected Stories of Katherine Anne Porter by Katherine Anne Porter
124—D: Anne Frank: The Diary Of A Young Girl by Anne Frank
125—E: Evelina by Fanny Burney
126—F: Forgotten Fire by Adam Bagdasarian (304)
127—G: Graceling by Kristin Cashore
128—H: The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley
129—I: I Thirst by Gina Marinello-Sweeney (298)
130—J: Juliet by Anne Fortier
131—K: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
132—L : Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult-3
133—M: Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale
134—N: Night Street by Kristel Thornell
135—O: On Poetry by Glyn Maxwell - 4.5 stars
136—P: The Princess Bride by William Goldman (398)
137—Q: Queen Hereafter: A Novel of Margaret of Scotland
138—R: Rose Daughter by Robin McKinley
139—S: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
140—T: The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy
141—U: Under the Greenwood Tree by Thomas Hardy
142—V: Valentine Grey by Sandi Toksvig
143—W: Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire
144—X: X Isle by Steve Augarde
145—Y: Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks
146—Z: Zelda by Nancy Milford

Part Six: 12 books.

Read ten Classics in a year.
147—Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
148—Villette by Charlotte Brontë
149—Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
150—Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev 5 stars
151—The Ladies' Paradise by Émile Zola
152—Middlemarch by George Eliot
153—Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol
154—Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
155—Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
156—The Tenant of Wildfell Hall OR Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë


Read one non-fiction book twice a year on a topic you know nothing about.
157—The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg
158—I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai

Part Seven: 15 books.

Read a Presidential biography.
159—


Read all books in group.
160—1/2015: Native Son-Richard Wright - 5 stars
161—3/2015: Sophie's World-Jostein Gaarder
162—
163—
164—
165—
166--
167—
168—
169—
170—


Read three books from a certain era: Industrial Revolution or Romantic Era or Victorian Era.
171—
172—
173—

Part Eight: 26 books.

Read ten books from a famous list.
174— Holy Bible: King James Version
175— Ulysses by James Joyce
176— War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
177— Look Homeward, Angel by Thomas Wolfe
178— David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
179— Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
180— The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
181— Three Lives by Gertrude Stein
182— The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy
183— Paradise Lost by John Milton


Read a book a month by an author who as a birthday in that month.
184—JAN. 25, 1874-Of Human Bondage-W. Somerset Maugham
185—FEB. 7, 1812-David Copperfield-Charles Dickens
186--MAR. 25, 1925-Wise Blood-Flannery O'Connor
187—APR. ? 1731-Moll Flanders-Daniel Defoe
188—MAY 13, 1907-Rebecca-Daphne du Maurier
189—JUNE 7, 1825-Lorna Doone: A Romance of Exmoor-R.D. Blackmore
190—JULY 7, 1954-The Plague of Doves-Louise Erdrich
191—AUG 14, 1867-The Forsyte Saga-John Galsworthy
192—SEPT. 15, 1890— And then there were none by Agatha Christie
193—OCT. 21, 1772-The Rime of the Ancient Mariner-Samuel Taylor Coleridge
194--NOV. 10, 1960-Stardust-Neil Gaiman
195--DEC. 5, 1934-The Year of Magical Thinking-Joan Didion


Read four books that correspond with the seasons: spring, summer, fall, and winter.
196 -SPRING: The Beginning of Spring by Penelope Fitzgerald
197 -SUMMER: The Sea by John Banville
198 -FALL: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
199 -WINTER: The Winter's Tale by William Shakespeare

Carol: but you're not supposed to start the Bingo Challenge before next year!
And I also wanted to know how can you have found a book published in 2015 being still in 2014!!!

But some of your titles are great suggestions.

Part Nine: 19 books

Read three books that are under 200 pages.
200—The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain
201—A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
202—Daisy Miller by Henry James


Read three books that are over 500 pages.
203—Lewis Carroll: A Biography by Morton N. Cohen
204—The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
205—Keats by Andrew Motion


Read thirteen books that take place in each province/territory.
"New England."
206— MAINE: Empire Falls by Richard Russo
207—NEW HAMPSHIRE: The Hotel New Hampshire by John Irving
208—VERMONT: Midwives by Chris Bohjalian-384
209—MASSACHUSETTS: Mercy by Jodi Picoult-400
210—CONNECTICUT: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court--Mark Twain-480pp.
211—RHODE ISLAND: Spindrift by Phyllis A. Whitney

Stanley Weintraub Biographies
212—Saint Joan: Fifty Years After,: 1923/24-1973/74--Stanley Weintraub OR Uncrowned King: The Life of Prince Albert
213—Victoria an intimate biography--Stanley Weintraub
214—Edward the Caresser: The Playboy Prince Who Became Edward VII--Stanley Weintraub
215—General Sherman's Christmas: Savannah, 1864--Stanley Weintraub
216—Whistler--Stanley Weintraub-528pp.
217—Charlotte and Lionel: A Rothschild Love Story --Stanley Weintraub-336 pp.
218—Disraeli: A Biography--Stanley Weintraub-736 pp.

Part Ten: 32 books


Read twenty-seven books by authors who last name corresponds with the alphabet.
219--A: Jane Austen--Pride and Prejudice
220—B: Emily Brontë--Wuthering Heights
221—C: Anton Chekhov--The Wife and Other Stories
222--D: Charles Dickens--A Christmas Carol, The Chimes and The Cricket on the Hearth
223—E: Kim Edwards--The Memory Keeper's Daughter
224—F: E. M. Forster--Howards End
225—G: William Goldman--The Princess Bride
226—H: Victor Hugo--The Toilers of the Sea
227—I: John Irving--The Hotel New Hampshire
228—J: P. D. James--Cover Her Face
229—K;Susanna Kearsley--The Winter Sea
230—L; Max Lucado--Out live your life
231—M: W. Somerset Maugham--Of Human Bondage
232—N: Mary Norton--The Borrowers
233—O:Michael Ondaatje--The English Patient
234—P: Philip Pullman--The Golden Compass
235—Q: Matthew Quick--The Silver Linings Playbook
236—R: Erich Maria Remarque--All Quiet on the Western Front
237—S: John Steinbeck--Travels with Charley: In Search of America
238—T: Claire Tomalin--Thomas Hardy
239—U: Jane Urquhart--The Whirlpool
240—V: Susan Vreeland--Lisette's List
241—W: Alice Walker--The Color Purple
242—X: Xinran--Sky Burial: An Epic Love Story of Tibet
243—Y: Jane Yolen--Owl Moon
244—Z: Émile Zola--The Ladies' Paradise


Read two of plays, short stories, essays, etc. in a year.
245—PLAY: Hamlet by William Shakespeare
246—PLAY: Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw
247—SHORT STORY: The Toughest Indian in the World by Sherman Alexie
248—SHORT STORY:Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
249—ESSAYS:Against Interpretation and Other Essays by Susan Sontag
250--ESSAYS: The White Album by Joan Didion and Art and Ardor by Cynthia Ozick

Part Eleven:


Read five books on a certain topic: STEALING ARTWORKS.
252—The Art Forger by B.A. Shapiro
253—Stealing Rembrandts: The Untold Stories of Notorious Art Heists by Anthony M. Amore
254—Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World's Stolen Treasures by Robert K. Wittman
255— Provenance: How a Con Man and a Forger Rewrote the History of Modern Art by Laney Salisbury
256— The Man Who Made Vermeers: Unvarnishing the Legend of Master Forger Han van Meegeren by Jonathan Lopez


Read the alphabet, the author’s name must follow the alphabet (either first or last, can’t be the same book.)
257—A : Allende, Isabel - Daughter of Fortune
258—B : Maeve Binchy -Light a Penny Candle
259—C : Tracy Chevalier - The Virgin Blue
260—D : Tatiana de Rosnay - A Secret Kept
261—E : Ralph Ellison - Invisible Man
262—F : Gillian Flynn - Gone Girl
263—G : Daisy Goodwin - The Fortune Hunter
264—H : Pete Hamill - Snow in August
265—I : John Irving - Trying to Save Piggy Sneed
266—J : Rachel Joyce - The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy
267—K : Tracy Kidder - Good Prose: The Art of Nonfiction
268—L : Lisa Lutz - How to Start a Fire
269—M : Philip Meyer - The Son
270—N : Audrey Niffenegger - Her Fearful Symmetry
271—O : Stewart O'Nan - West of Sunset
272—P : Ann Patchett - State of Wonder
273—Q : Anna Quindlen - Still Life with Bread Crumbs
274—R : Salman Rushdie - Midnight's Children
275—S : Lisa See - China Dolls
276—T : Amy Tan - The Bonesetter's Daughter
277—U : Errol Lincoln Uys - ERROL LINCOLN UYS
278—V : Susan Vreeland - Lisette's List
279—W : Jeannette Walls - The Silver Star
280—X : Xu Xi- The Unwalled City: A Novel of Hong Kong
281—Y : Charlotte Mary Yonge-The Heir Of Redclyffe -online book: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2505
282—Z : Markus Zusak - The Book Thief


TOTAL BOOKS READ: 0 / BOOK GOAL: 281
(23.5 books read each month)

LauraT wrote: "Carol: but you're not supposed to start the Bingo Challenge before next year! And I also wanted to know how can you have found a book published in 2015 being still in 2014!!! But some of your titles are great suggestions. "


Sorry, regarding the BINGO Challenge. I will wait until January 1st to post.

I read a total of 158 books in 2014. I want to start my 2015 reads because my goal is 282 books. My first "2015" read is The Luminaries.

Regarding 2015 book releases, there are sites you can check out --
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...

Carol’s Reading Journey—

1.Have you always loved books? Who, if anyone, in your life has most inspired you to read?
When I was four years old, every week I went to the library on the Miss Porter’s School campus (this is 1964). The best season to go was the summer because it was hot (no air condition then), so the librarian would take us down the stairs into the basement. We would sit on a pillow (again girls wore cotton dresses, and patent leather shoes). The librarian would read to us in the basement, and for me I would draw my favorite characters on a pad. We also got pads to draw whatever we wanted. They called it “Reading Roundup” and put in on a bookmark, which I still have today. My favorite book,at the time was, I wish, I wish by Lisl Weil. Book cover: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I...

A story set in Florence, is mainly black and white images with a yellow pigment on the pages. The story is about a young girl named Francesca who lives in the city of Florence, Italy. She loves visting the “Gallerias” and her one wish was to have a small painting of her very own. A strange cat with a locket around her neck entered her life, and not one—but two wishes come true. (I now own that book, it was published in 1957.) My parents were very poor, so I would beg for a book at the grocery store (there was a reading campaign at the grocery stores from Little Golden Books). I own many books illustrated by Eloise Wilkin. This is one book that I truly thought was made for me because I had similar clothing, blonde hair and always painting. I still have this book. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7118/7... I also find this interesting since I am an artist who paints oil canvases, and also does photography and graphic design. I never thought that my childhood books would demonstrate my interests at a young age.

2.What was your favourite childhood book?
Definitely any Little Golden Books, and also books with records was very popular. My favorite was a Little Red Riding Hood cape made by my grandmother. http://grovers-aunt.tripod.com/riding... My grandmother visited us every weekend, and she made me many things in addition to a red cape hood she knitted all my sweaters, and made cotton clothes for the summer. She also taught me how to cook and bake. We were very close. I was lucky to get many books from my dad's coworkers, their children were in middle or high school.

3. Which books do you remember studying at school? Did you enjoy them?
I went to a very different elementary school. It was called “Open Education” which originally began in the UK. Our school was very modern. Each floor had a different color rug which indicated it’s what grade you were in. Four to six students would meet for a conference with a primary teacher, and then we were to follow up with their other writing work (i.e.: audio headphones, answering Q&As, etc.) Our classroom was one huge cube with movable walls that could divide into four sections for smaller groups. Students were very self-directed, and had no consequences (believe it or not). Once you finished all your primary work, then you were able to go to “specials” which we selected, my choices were art, gymnastics (days of Olga Korbut), music, and plays. Our custodian was way ahead of the times and when our first grade teacher was killed in a car accident, the custodian made a beautiful, metal sculpture where the teacher is reaching down to hold the hand of a first grade student. That was this first time I saw that kind of "art", after that I would watch his creating abstract art after school. (I lived in walking distance.) Also my social study teacher taught me a little bit of piano, and after that I took lessons for eight years (traditional:6 yrs.; modern: 2 yrs.)

4. Where do you most enjoy reading? Do you need silence to read, or can you read almost anywhere? I prefer silence, but sometimes waiting in the doctor’s reception area makes it challenging, but I try my best to stay with the book. After our boys moved to Austin, Texas, I turned one small bedroom into a place to read and write.

5.Choose five of your favorite books and tell us why you loved them so much!

* The Holy Bible NIV
I am the only one in my family who is a Christian. Not one person in my family ever attended church, which is their choice. So I am very different from everyone in my family. I had to beg to my parents to allow me to go to a Christian High School, where I could get away from two girls around here who beat me up daily. I was very happy at the new school, and made a lot of friends without being physically abused. I’m a quiet type but my art teacher helped me to participate in the art club, and became the yearbook editor. After high school, I commuted to a local college for 2 yrs. and transferred to another University to finish up my BFA degree. I made a lot of friends but I also had to work really hard in order to pay for school (my parents don't have any money for college/university.) I worked hard and it worked out for the best. I love the people at my church, I have had 23 surgeries and two surgeries were for cancer. I love my church and all the people who go there, and sent my food, clothes, flowers, etc. The most important thing that they did was to pray for my daughter who suffered from deep depression. It started when she was 16 yrs. They have been praying since then, and now in 2014, age 29 yrs,, she has been released from that nightmare. I am truly grateful for everyone who prayed for her.

* Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin
I read this book in tenth grade and I realized that I had never met a person who was an African American. It was a wake-up call, which surprised me greatly. I ended up purchasing the book from school, and I read it many times. Even when my kids were small, I read this book to them.

* Night by Elie Wiesel
I read this true story, and this book blew me away. It was an amazing story and shocking all that happened, and how some could even survive. Just amazing.

* The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas
In my opinion, this is an excellent story just behind Les Miserables. Edmond Dantes, a young innocent sailor on the cusp of being named captain of a cargo ship and preparing to marry his lovely sweetheart, Mercedes, becomes the victim of a plot by envious rivals. It leads to false imprisonment of the worst kind, with young Dantes banished to the 19th-century French version of Alcatraz. Dumas pulls off three spectacular narratives in Monte Cristo. He tells the story of a wronged innocent man, relates a spectacular hidden-treasure scenario, and caps the fall and rise of his hero’s fortunes with a thrilling series of vendettas allowing readers the endless satisfaction of seeing retribution delivered with violent verve. Dantes escapes certain death after being thrown off a cliff while wrapped in a shroud, dabbles with pirates and smugglers, disguises himself as an Italian priest and a British aristocrat and, just for grins, floats easily among high society and lowlife thieves across Europe and the Far East. Dantes morphs into the count of the Italian islet of Monte Cristo. He then commands a hidden grotto filled with otherworldly comforts and a staff of loyal servants ready to serve up Cordon Bleu cuisine, not to mention untold riches that afford him the luxury of re-creating this Neverland wherever he travels. Monte Cristo is an expert shot and swordsman; navigates oceans in a custom yacht; dabbles in potions and poisons; and still manages to know the latest in fashion, opera, and financial speculations. It is also a love story where Mercedes proves herself capable of great courage on three occasions: first, when she approaches Dantès to beg for her the life of her son, Albert; second, when she reveals her husband’s wickedness in order to save Dantès’s life; and third, when she abandons her wealth, unwilling to live off a fortune that has been tainted by misdeeds. At the end of the novel, Mercédès is left with nothing to live for, aside from the hope that Albert might somehow improve his own life. She is the character whose suffering is the most complete, despite the fact that there are others who bear far more guilt.

* Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
Another Excellent, beautiful story that everyone will love. ! It is beautifully written, see quotes.

Quote:He did not study God; he was dazzled by Him.

Quote: What more do you need? A little garden to walk in, and immensity to reflect on. At his feet something to cultivate and gather; above his head something to study and meditate on; a few flowers on earth and all the stars in heaven.

Quote: "My name is Jean Valjean. I am a convict from the galleys. I have passed 19 yrs. in the galleys. Liberated 4 days ago, and am on my way to Pontarlier, which is my destination. I have been walking for 4 days since I left. I have travelled a dozen leagues on foot. This evening, I went to an inn, and they turned me out, because of my yellow passport, which I had shown at the town-hall. I had to do it. I went to an inn. No one would take me. I went to the prison; the jailer would not admit me. I went into a dog's kennel; the dog bit me and chased me off, as though he had been a man. One would have said that he knew who I was. I went to sleep in the open air, beneath the stars, there are none. Yonder I met a woman who point to your house, I knocked. "Can I pay you?" The Bishop's says "This is not my house. It is Christ's."

6. Do you prefer reading fiction or non fiction?
Non Fiction over fiction. I am amazed at the stories of people from different centuries. I’m a big fan of Abigail Adams (book by Woody Holton), and Prince Albert & Queen Victoria, Emily Dickinson, too many to write here.

7. Are you fond of a particular author and what attracts you to their books? (You can pick a few if you can’t choose!)
There are authors that I love their work but there are many new and up and coming talent. My favorites are Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, and E.M. Forster’s A Room with a View, Howards End, A Passage to India, Maurice, and Aspects of the Novel. I have yet to readThe Longest Journey.

A new author for me is Anthony Doerr – All the Light we cannot see. And more writers -- Neil Gaiman, C. S. Lewis, Thad Carhart, Stanley Weintraub, Max Lucado, Leo Tolstoy, Victor Hugo, Ray Bradbury, Lois Lowry, John Eldredge, and Gaston Leroux.

8. Is there an author you haven't yet tried but you'd really like to?
I just starting reading books by Susanna Kearsley -- I am currently reading The Winter Sea, but I have also read The Firebird, The Shadowy Horses, and The Rose Garden, great writing!

9. Do you rely on goodreads to keep track of your reading or do you have your own method? Yes Goodreads can keep track but I also keep a file box with each book, and comments, etc. For now I am using goodreads to store my reading. But in 2015 I will go and file it here.

10. What's the best book you've read so far this year? What are you reading at the moment? What will you be reading next?

Best Fiction book in 2014: North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
Gaskell captures the happy medium between description and dialogue, life during hardships in the Industrial Revolution. And a beautiful love story between John Thornton and Margaret Hale.

Best book right now: Where'd You Go, Bernadette
Bernadette disappears, leaves family, surprise -in Antarctica! And much more.

Best book next to read: ?

Nobel Prize Winners for Literature

1909 - Selma Lagerlöf -- The Löwensköld Ring

1926 - Cosima--Grazia Deledda - Nobel 1926

1928 - Sigrid Undset - Kristin Lavransdatter

1938 - Pearl S. Buck - Pavilion of Women

1945 - Gabriela Mistral - Submission(s) Needed

1966 - Nelly Sachs - Submission(s) Needed

1991 - Nadine Gordimer - Burger's Daughter

1993 - Toni Morrison -- Beloved, The Bluest Eye, Song of Solomon

1996 - Wisława Szymborska --Submission(s) Needed

2004 - Elfriede Jelinek - Submission(s) Needed

2007 - Doris Lessing -- The Fifth Child, The Grass is Singing, The Golden Notebook

2009 - Herta Müller -- The Hunger Angel

2013 - Alice Munro - Lives of Girls and Women, The Love of a Good Woman,

Carol, thanks so much for your reading journey. I can picture many of the things you describe in your journey; your eye for description is very fine. Perhaps it's the painter in you revealing itself?

I have read and loved many of the authors and books you describe in your answer to question 7, particularly the Brontës, Forster, and Gaiman. All four of those authors are very close to my heart.

I am also a Christian, not always a good one I'm afraid, but I very much believe in the New Testament's message of hope and love. Funny that you mention the NIV translation. That and the NRSV are the ones I read most frequently in the churches I attend. I love the language of the King James version that I was raised with on occasion, but I use it mainly as a supplement. I've read most of the Old Testament at least once and the Synoptic Gospels many times.

Have you read all the Nobel Prize winners' books you mention, or is this an ongoing project?

For Lessing, I quite liked both The Grass is Singing and The Fifth Child.

For Pearl S Buck, I've only read The Good Earth, but I absolutely loved it.

For Gabriela Mistral, I've read only poetry, but some of it was very moving. For some reason, I can only recall Poemas de Las Madres: The Mother's Poems right now, but I've read a couple others as well.

For Wisława Szymborska, I loved View With a Grain of Sand: Selected Poems. That's the only book of hers I've read however.

For Toni Morrison, I was very moved by Beloved. I haven't read the other two you mention.

The rest of the authors on the list, I haven't read yet other than a short story or two.

Thanks again for sharing your journey with us!

dely wrote: "How did you manage to do this sign? ✔
I just love it and wanted to use it to check some books I've read for a challenge but I didn't know how to do it. ..."

One way is to just copy it from here and paste it into where you want it. However, you can also type in the HTML code for a check mark -- start each with an ampersand & followed by:

#x2713;     or
#x2714; to have it in bold

Also,
#x2717; gives ✗     and
#x2716; gives ✖

Very cool Leslie - I can't easily copy chunks from my phone, but typing the raw HTML is a snap. Thanks for the tip!

✓

It works! Thanks a lot ;-)

Thank you Greg, dely, and Leslie! I am trying to finish my reading. I have purchased a few items and shipped them down to my boys. They are far from here . . .

Yes Greg! I really enjoy the works by Brontës, Forster, and Gaiman. I've read everything except a few by Gaiman.

No I have not read the Nobel Prizes above. I have just posted them. I read a few in the past but I will put it all together when I finish reading them.

Regarding Pearl S. Buck, I have read The Good Earth and her biography Pearl Buck in China: Journey to the Good Earth by Hilary Spurling which was very good. I checked out to see if my part of the state has all her works, and they have almost all of them so my goal is to read all of them by the end of 2015.

I am not familiar with Gabriela Mistral. I will have to check her out, as well as Wislawa Szymborska. I have read Toni Morrison books, she was such a talented woman.

Leslie wrote: "dely wrote: "How did you manage to do this sign? ✔
I just love it and wanted to use it to check some books I've read for a challenge but I didn't know how to do it. ..."

One way is to just copy it..."

Hreat Leslie! I'll have to write it down