missrabbitmoon tackles her gargantuan TBR pile in 2015

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missrabbitmoon tackles her gargantuan TBR pile in 2015

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1missrabbitmoon
Bearbeitet: Jul. 23, 2015, 12:27 am

Hello! My name is missrabbitmoon, and I am a bookaholic! I am attempting this a second time. Last year I read 67 when my goal was 75. This is a good number, but it's not THE number.

The challenge this year is a bit more serious as I am going to move out of the country fairly soon. So the issue of where my books are going to be stored and/or how to transport them is an issue. So I have to either read my massive TBR pile so that I know if I want to keep them or donate them.

I also have several reading challenges going on at once, but I'll write more about those later.

Here's my progress for finished books:




Books read in 2015:
1. Mighty Be Our Powers by Leymah Gbowee
2. Saga Volume 4 by Brian K. Vaughan
3. Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
4. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
5. Double Fine Action Comics Vol. 1 by Scott C.
6. The Music of Dolphins by Karen Hesse
7. City of Thieves by David Benioff
8. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
9. Blankets by Craig Thompson
10. The Arrival by Shaun Tan
11. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
12. In Real Life by Cory Doctorow
13. The Dog Stars by Peter Heller
14. The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
15. The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert
16. Infinite Kung Fu by Kagan McLeod

2missrabbitmoon
Bearbeitet: Feb. 24, 2015, 6:39 pm

One of the reading challenges I'm doing is My Reading Around the World Challenge. Basically, I'm trying to read one book that takes place in all of the countries of the world. The thread for it is over here, although I'm sorry to say that I haven't written a lot over there in a while. The map is pretty well updated, though.

There is another type of reading challenge that I want to see if I can accomplish, but it might require some explanation. Writer Georges Polti posited that all of the literature in all the world could be boiled down into 36 Dramatic Situations. Someone else out there added a 37th. This website explains them all in depth a little bit more. I would like to try to read one book for each situation. I started this last year, so let's see if I can finish it this year.

SUPPLICATION -- A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki
DELIVERANCE -- The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera
CRIME PUNISHED BY VENGENCE -- True Grit by Charles Portis
VENGENCE TAKEN FOR KINDRED UPON KINDRED -- Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
PURSUIT
DISASTER -- The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
FALLING PREY TO CRUELTY OR MISFORTUNE -- Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup
REVOLT -- Lord of the Flies by William Golding
DARING ENTERPRISE -- Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse
ABDUCTION
THE ENIGMA
OBTAINING -- City of Thieves by David Benioff
EMNITY OF KINSMEN
RIVALRY OF KINSMEN
MURDEROUS ADULTERY
MADNESS
FATAL IMPRUDENCE -- Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
INVOLUNTARY CRIMES OF LOVE
SLAYING OF A KINSMAN UNRECOGNIZED
SELF SACRIFICE FOR AN IDEAL
SELF SACRIFICE FOR KINDRED
ALL SACRIFICED FOR PASSION
NECESSITY OF SACRIFICING LOVED ONE(S)
RIVALRY OF SUPERIOR VS. INFERIOR
ADULTERY
CRIMES OF LOVE
DISCOVERY OF THE DISHONOR OF A LOVED ONE
OBSTACLES TO LOVE -- The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
AN ENEMY LOVED
AMBITION
CONFLICT WITH A GOD -- Hogfather by Terry Pratchett
MISTAKEN JEALOUSY
ERRONEOUS JUDGEMENT
REMORSE
RECOVERY OF A LOST ONE
LOSS OF LOVED ONE(S) -- The First True Lie by Marina Mander
MISTAKEN IDENTITY

3missrabbitmoon
Bearbeitet: Feb. 24, 2015, 6:42 pm

Probably the last thing I'm going to need this year is another reading challenge, but I found this one by popsugar and it seemed pretty good. Yeah, I know. I'm not a huge fan of popsugar. I only go there if they have book suggestions and most of their suggestions make me roll my eyes (sorry, but I'm not a huge fan of shallow romance novels). Most of these I know I can easily do. These categories are very general. Also, the same book can appear in multiple reading challenges. I'm crazy, but I'm not absolutely insane.

1. A book with more than 500 pages.
2. A classic romance.
3. A book that became a movie. -- Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
4. A book published this year.
5. A book with a number in the title.
6. A book written by someone under 30.
7. A book with nonhuman characters.
8. A funny book.
9. A book by a female author.
10. A mystery or thiller.
11. A book with a one-word title.
12. A book of short stories.
13. A book set in a different country. -- City of Thieves by David Benioff
14. A nonfiction book.
15. A popular author's first book.
16. A book from an author you love that you haven't read yet.
17. A book a friend recommended.
18. A Pulitzer Prize winning book.
19. A book based on a true story.
20. A book at the bottom of your to-read list.
21. A book your mom loves.
22. A book that scares you.
23. A book more than 100 years old.
24. A book based entirely on it's cover.
25. A book you were supposed to read in school but didn't.
26. A memoir. -- Mighty Be Our Powers by Leymah Gbowee
27. A book you can finish in a day. -- The Music of Dolphins by Karen Hesse
28. A book with antonyms in the title.
29. A book set somewhere you always wanted to visit.
30. A book that came out the year you were born.
31. A book with bad reviews.
32. A trilogy.
33. A book from your childhood.
34. A book with a love triangle.
35. A book set in the future.
36. A book set in high school.
37. A book with a color in the title.
38. A book that made you cry. -- A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
39. A book with magic. --The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
40. A graphic novel. -- Saga Volume 4 by Brian K. Vaughan
41. A book by an author you've never read before.
42. A book you own but have never read.
43. A book that takes place in your hometown.
44. A book that was originally written in a different language.
45. A book set during Christmas.
46. A book written by an author with your same initials.
47. A play.
48. A banned book.
49. A book based on or turned into a TV show.
50. A book you started but never finished.

4missrabbitmoon
Bearbeitet: Feb. 6, 2015, 5:18 pm

Feel free to ignore this post if you want. It's more for my use.

Books acquired in 2015:
1. Aztec by Gary Jennings
2. TransAtlantic by Colum McCann
3. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
4. Sing the Four Quarters by Tanya Huff
5. Fury by Salman Rushdie
6. Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg
7. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce
8. Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal by Conor Grennan
9. I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
10. More Than This by Patrick Ness
11. The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

Books given away in 2015:
1. Strangers in Paradise Vol. 1 by Terry Moore
2. Mighty Be Our Powers by Leymah Gbowee
3. Double Fine Action Comics Vol. 1 by Scott C.
4. The Music of Dolphins by Karen Hesse

5imyril
Jan. 2, 2015, 1:02 pm

Happy new year! I look forward to following your reading again this year - good luck with the challenges.

6missrabbitmoon
Jan. 10, 2015, 2:41 pm

1. Mighty Be Our Powers by Leymah Gbowee

Reading Around the World Challenge: Liberia.

Popsugar Challenge: a memoir.

I had a vague idea of who Gbowee was. I knew she was an activist who helped stop a war somewhere in Africa. I wanted to know more about it, which is why I picked it up. Also, her prologue got to me when she said that all war stories are the same because they're told by the same people (meaning male soldiers). This is a book about female civilians in the Liberian Civil War.

My problem with this book was the writing. It wasn't bad, but it just wasn't interesting. Her tone is very factual. It's almost just a listing of events. Usually the topic of a memoir can forgive a lot (the insights into Liberian culture and family life were very interesting), but I just felt like I was doing homework. Unfortunately, it was a slog.

7missrabbitmoon
Bearbeitet: Jan. 10, 2015, 3:06 pm

2. Saga Volume 4 by Brian K. Vaughan

Popsugar Challenge: A graphic novel.

Not going to say very much about this as this series is still in progression, but I'm still loving it very much. But I do want to share my brother's reaction to it when we were together in a comic book store.

Him: Hey, isn't this the series you like?

Me: (looking up) Yup. (Went back to whatever I was reading.)

Him:...Uh...am I insane or am I looking at--

Me: (not looking up) Yes. Whatever it is, yes.

Gives you an idea of how strange this series is.

8rocketjk
Jan. 10, 2015, 5:58 pm

Lots of luck this year. You've given yourself a high bar to jump over, but as long as you're having fun, it's all good, right?

9nrmay
Jan. 11, 2015, 2:56 pm

I like your reading challenge in 3 above

Made myself a copy to see how far I can get with it.

Thanks!

10missrabbitmoon
Bearbeitet: Jan. 22, 2015, 4:54 pm

3. Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman

Popsugar challenge: A book that became a movie.

I feel like I would have to write a blog post in order to truly convey how much I love this book. The writing is luscious, and reminds me a lot of The Bloody Chamber. It also portrays magic in a way that is absolutely uncommon. But if you are expecting this book to be like the movie, you might be disappointed.

Yes, technically all the same events happen. Two sisters are raised by their aunts, who are the town witches. Experiencing horrible discrimination and isolation growing up, the responsible Sally is determined to raise her own children to be practically normal in every way while the wild Gillian travels and sleeps throughout the country never settling down. Sally's peace is broken when Gillian comes to her house with the dead body of Jimmy, her abusive boyfriend. Sally helps with disposing the body, but it soon becomes clear that Jimmy isn't really gone. So all of that's the same, although the movie cut out almost all of the delicious side plots (Gillian's new romance with Ben, the two teenage daughters relationships). But, unlike the movie, this isn't really a fantasy. Nor is it a romantic comedy. This is more of a magical realist book. I find that this is it's strength, but it's also it's main problem. A lot of ( presumably not-Pagan) people have complained about this. That's because they're mundanes. They don't understand what real magic is.

Although my Wiccan self is very happy at the way magic is portrayed here, this is ultimately not a book about witches. This is a story about women learning how to love themselves so they can let true love into their lives. It's about how women need to build each other up instead of tearing each other down. It's an idea that most women could stand to be reminded of.

11missrabbitmoon
Bearbeitet: Jan. 22, 2015, 4:55 pm

4. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

Popsugar challenge: A book that made you cry.

This is another book that I'm probably going to have to write a blog post in order to fully express why I love it. I got two great books in a row! That hardly ever happens.

I knew absolutely nothing about this book before hand other than it dealt with grief and it have a bit of a creepy atmosphere which I could tell by the cover (by the way, Jim Kay's illustrations are excellent). I don't know how much I want to say about the story, but suffice it to say the monster visits a boy and he teaches him things. You know, the way magical beings come and teach people stuff in stories. Wow, that was informative.

Just read it. It will probably take a day, you won't regret it. But you will be sobbing at the end.

12missrabbitmoon
Jan. 22, 2015, 4:57 pm

5. Double Fine Action Comics Vol. 1 by Scott C.

Throughout this entire book of comic strips I was thinking "Okay. Wait, was that a joke?" Don't get me wrong, I love Scott C.'s work usually. But this just wasn't doing it for me.

13missrabbitmoon
Bearbeitet: Feb. 24, 2015, 6:46 pm

6. The Music of Dolphins by Karen Hesse

Popsugar challenge: A book you can finish in a day.

That crack you might have heard was my suspension of disbelief snapping.

I mean, if I had the idea to write a story about a girl raised by dolphins, the first thing that I would look into is if that is even possible. I am 99% certain that the answer is no. I keep thinking about a story I heard in which a pair of divers were lost in the ocean overnight. By the next morning their skin was like butter, they couldn't really move or touch anything because it would just scrap off. Human bodies are just not equipped to survive in the ocean for long periods of time.

I actually think that the premise of the book could have worked better if it was intended for a more adult audience. If they switched perspectives between all of the scientists and people involved instead of just sticking with Mila's (the dolphin girl) thoughts. Instead, I was mostly just bored.

Another big problem I have with this story is the ending (If you're even vaguely interested in reading this book you should stop reading right now). The scientists give her back to her dolphin family. I'm certain that when I read this as a thirteen year old I saw this as the perfect ending. As an adult I'm thinking, "So, the feral child goes back to the animals and the scientists go to jail? And the government doesn't try to find her again?" Because they would go to jail for doing this, there's no question about that.

I would recommend it for a pre-teen that loves dolphins, but that's about it.

14missrabbitmoon
Jan. 26, 2015, 1:01 am

Side question: How do you post an image of the book's cover on librarything threads? I'm having trouble figuring that out.

15imyril
Jan. 31, 2015, 5:22 am

>13 missrabbitmoon: That crack you might have heard was my suspension of disbelief snapping.

Gosh, that was quite loud. You might want to rub some oil in to help it heal :)

...but yes, that does sound like an unmanageable premise for adult reading on all fronts!

To post images, include it by using html: <img src = "(the URL of the image)">

...without the parentheses so "https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0590897985.01._SX450_SY635_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" not "(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0590897985.01._SX450_SY635_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg)"!



I'm not sure how / if you can get the text to flow around it in LJ - I've always had to have it stand alone with the text underneath. You can control the size of the image by including height and/or width (I'd recommend one or the other, otherwise it's very easy to skew the image unless you do the maths to keep the ratio right)

e.g. <img src = "(the URL of the image)" width="200">

16LadyReadA
Feb. 2, 2015, 9:49 am

I think that's a great list

17LadyReadA
Feb. 2, 2015, 9:52 am

I wish you the best with you reading this year. I have a lot of books to get off of my shelf too. I'm not sure how many I can read in a year, but I'm going to try and figure it out so I can start reading.

I look forward to more of your updates

18missrabbitmoon
Feb. 25, 2015, 12:08 am

7. City of Thieves by David Benioff

Reading Around the World challenge: Russia

37 Dramatic Situations challenge: Obtaining

Popsugar challenge: A book set in another country.

Sorry about the long wait. I don't know why I fall into reading lulls sometimes.

This book takes place during the Siege of Leningrad during WWII. No food is coming into the city and everyone is starving. A surly young man named Lev gets arrested for looting a German corpse. He gets put in a cell with a charming army deserter named Koyla. In this merciless time, the two face certain execution. But instead, they are taken to the General, who gives them an impossible task that, if they complete it, will absolve their crimes. They are instructed to find a dozen eggs so that the General's daughter can have a wedding cake. And hilarity ensues! No, really. This is actually a very funny book amidst all the madness and horror.

I've been having a mostly great run with the books so far.

19missrabbitmoon
Feb. 25, 2015, 2:20 am

8. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

Popsugar challenge: A book with magic.

Um...yeah. Neil Gaiman is a hit or a miss with me generally, but I think the biggest problem I had with this book was the marketing of it.

Two things everyone should understand about The Ocean at the End of the Lane: 1) it's more horror than fantasy, and 2) it's not for little kids (teens are okay though). You would think that the opposite was true if you've only read it's vague synopsis. Had I been warned beforehand that this was more Coraline than Stardust, I would not have been as rattled and upset by it. There were also some sexually disturbing scenes, which I was definitely not expecting in a fantasy novel with a seven year old protagonist.

Now, do not be mislead. This is not a bad book. This is a very good book. The writing is superb, the story is very thought provoking, it has a terrifying villain, and I know that this story will haunt me for years. I just feel like the book jacket tricked me into thinking that this was a gentler story. So when I got to certain parts I thought, "WHOA! What the hell? I can't deal with this! There needs to be more of an alert!" And that left a bad taste in my mouth.

So, I have just alerted you so you can hopefully enjoy this more than I did.

20imyril
Feb. 28, 2015, 7:16 am

>19 missrabbitmoon: I generally find Gaiman suffers at the hands of his marketing team. I found sections of The Graveyard Book quite disturbing, and while I loved The Ocean At The End Of The Lane (especially the Hempstocks) it's also a book about a kid rather than a book for kids!