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Post by Jimmy James on Aug 12, 2019 7:24:50 GMT -5
"Lover's Rock"For this challenge, I chose Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus. This was fun, and a nice quick read after Nostromo. Two rival magicians pit their apprentices against each other to see whose student can magic better, but (TWIST!) it turns out the students are more into making out than defeating their opponent's magic. I think it went faster early on, when I was just curious about their world, what the rules were and how the plot would unfold. Generally a satisfying ending, though the last chapter and epilogue might have tried to tie too cute of a bow on it.
How Well Did It Fit the Theme of the Challenge?This is very much a love story, and not just a novel that happens to have a romantic subplot.
How likely would you have been to read the book without the challenge?35%. This came fairly well recommended. What's Next?Awaiting Rebecca Roanhorse's Trail of Lightning from the library for my "Four Horsemen" challenge. Did I opt for a post-apocalyptic novel, or for a western? The answer is yes.
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Crash Test Dumbass
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Post by Crash Test Dumbass on Aug 19, 2019 9:40:19 GMT -5
"Spanish Bombs"
Gabriel García Márquez -- Love In The Time Of Cholera
The book was written in the 80s, and things have kind of changed in the nearly 40 years. The prose is amazing (both in Edith Grossman's English translation and some lines I looked up in the original Spanish), but the subject matter, in the lens of today, is maybe more than a little creepy. Florentino Ariza sees Fermina Daza and falls in love with her instantly and starts stalking her and writing her letters. She corresponds for a while, and her father's refusal to let them interact at all intrigues her more, but after some time, Daza realizes she doesn't really know Ariza that well at all and tells him to fuck off, and eventually marries a doctor, whom she doesn't love at first, but grows close to over time. Ariza remains obsessed with her over the years, and when the doctor dies 50 years later, he resumes his pursuit of her. In those 50 years, he fucks pretty much everyone in Cartagena, including at the end a 14-year-old girl while he is in his 60s.
In my view, that of a cismale, García Márquez understands the male psyche (such as it is) fairly well, but doesn't really grasp the female one (I mean, not that I've ever been a woman either). Most of the women are props.
It's weird to have read a book that was so incredibly well-written and about such a terrible subject. (An interview with García Márquez seems to hint that he was trying to be seductive with his words and make you empathize with Ariza even though he totally sucks.)
How Well Did It Fit The Theme Of The Challenge?
Fue muy cualificado.
How likely would you have been to read the book without the challenge?
Sorta? I've been to Cartagena and had been intending to read García Márquez, but maybe not this one? This was the only one available in ebook format from my library, though.
What's Next?
Probably something for Train In Vain, either Railsea or Snowpiercer.
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Post by Crash Test Dumbass on Aug 28, 2019 8:57:53 GMT -5
"Train in Vain"
Snowpiercer -- Jacques Lob and Jean-Marc Rochette, translated by Virginie Selavy
A graphic novel about the world having ended for everybody except the people on a 1000 car train, which travels around a world of endless winter. The people up front in the first-class cars live a life of luxury while the people in the back (charmingly called "tail-fuckers" in the translation) struggle in squalor. It's an interesting concept, but I had so much trouble suspending my disbelief. Somehow they made a movie about it too. There are also two sequels, and I'm reading the second right now. Well, not now now.
How Well Did It Fit the Theme of the Challenge?
It couldn't be more about trains if it tried.
How likely would you have been to read the book without the challenge?
Somewhat? I'd heard about it, and wondered how it would work, and I generally like being on trains, but it wasn't that high on my list. Supposedly the movie was pretty good, but I don't know if I care enough.
What's Next?
I am in the middle of Recon by Tarah Benner for Four Horsemen.
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Post by Jimmy James on Aug 31, 2019 16:00:29 GMT -5
"Four Horsemen"Trail of Lightning, by Rebecca Roanhorse. Most of the North American continent is underwater, but Navajo lands are spared behind a giant supernatural flood wall. Good news for them, but all the monsters and gods of their mythology come back to those lands, which generally less good news. Maggie Hosker is a monster hunter / bounty hunter, who suddenly finds herself up against some powerful magic. It's an interesting world (first book of a new series) and I liked the characters. Spoiler Alert: It turns out trickster god Ma'ii (Coyote) is, in fact, tricking her. Curse his sudden but inevitable betrayal. How Well Did It Fit the Theme of the Challenge?This qualifies for the post-apocalyptic challenge. If you instead interpreted the challenge as "read a Western", I think you could still squeeze it in- set in the future rather the old West, but the bounty hunter lead character, operating in the southwest US in a land of loose law enforcement bears many of the genre hallmarks, even if she drives a car or motorcycle instead of a horse. How likely would you have been to read the book without the challenge?20%. This came recommended and (Hugo,Nebula) award-nominated, and Locus award-winning, but I'm not sure I would have chosen the subject and setting without the challenge. What's Next? Checked out Mur Lafferty's Six Wakes for "I'm Not Down", and it's going alright so far.
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Post by Crash Test Dumbass on Sept 1, 2019 17:06:31 GMT -5
Also "Four Horsemen"Tarah Benner, Recon In a future where the bombs have all dropped and people live in vaults compounds, Harper Riley is chosen for ReCon despite her excellent test scores and lifelong preparation for being in Systems. As she is being trained by Lt. Eli Parker, she starts to uncover a deep conspiracy that will affect at least her life, probably those of her friends, and possibly the entire compound. She also starts to fall in love with Eli, in spite of the power differential, and also in spite of the fact that ReCon cadets are training to go out to the Cursed Earth Fringe where they will almost certainly die. The book alternates between Harper's and Eli's perspective. It is definitely a setup for a series.
How Well Did It Fit the Theme of the Challenge?It's a post-apocalyptic AND it takes place in Utah. I'm going to allow it.
How likely would you have been to read the book without the challenge?50%? The premise intrigued me, even if it was kind of derivative. I'm reading the sequel, which I suppose is a good sign.
What's Next? Um? I have Hateful, Revolution Rock, and Lover's Rock left, and didn't have any ideas for those in the first place.
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Post by Jimmy James on Sept 9, 2019 19:56:33 GMT -5
"I'm Not Down"Six Wakes, by Mur Lafferty, is a locked-room murder mystery IN SPACE. Six clones on a generation ship wake up to find the murdered bodies of their previous selves, and no recollection of which of them may have done it. It's a really good premise, though the execution was just so-so- there were several times I had trouble keeping track of who was in a scene or who was supposed to be talking. Also, I get sucked into mysteries easily, but it's really hard to find one where the payoff is actually satisfying. How Well Did It Fit the Theme of the Challenge?It was most definitely in space. I guess if you wanted to you could read some parallels into Mick overcoming being beat up and thrown out versus the characters succeeding in spite of being murdered- evidently death's not the handicap it used to be in the olden days.
How likely would you have been to read the book without the challenge?20%. It's been well-received in a genre I like, and it has a good hook, just a matter of it jumping out above all the other options out there. What's Next?I'm diving into Herman Wouk's The Caine Mutiny for the next-to-last challenge.
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Post by Jimmy James on Sept 28, 2019 16:00:30 GMT -5
"Revolution Rock"For this, I selected Herman Wouk's The Caine Mutiny, which I really enjoyed. I haven't seen the Humphrey Bogart movie, which I'll have to seek out now. I had assumed based on that, and his stardom, that the novel would focus more on Captain Queeg, but much of it deals with Willie Keith in the time prior to the mutiny and shortly after. Queeg casts a shadow over much of this action, though he is physically absent. The trial itself unfolds over a relatively brief section of the novel, yet somehow knowing it was looming in the future propelled me through much of the preceding pages. Evidently Wouk adapted it for the stage, but someone else's script was used for the movie, which seems interesting because much of Willie's words with his on-again off-again love interest already reads like 1940's film dialogue. The interactions among the Navy characters seemed more nuanced. I liked that Greenwald actually came to Captain Queeg's defense after the trial was over, and that Keefer came off as a bit of the villain at times too. That character could have easily wound up as an idealized author-insert, as an aspiring novelist serving aboard a minesweeper as Wouk was before.
How Well Did It Fit the Theme of the Challenge?Set during World War II, though the USS Caine is away from the actual fighting for long stretches of time. The real 'revolution' would be the struggle for command between Queeg and his Lt. Maryk. How likely would you have been to read the book without the challenge?30%? It had a good reputation, and Wouk was in the news relatively recently, passing away in May at the age of 103.
What's Next? Waiting for Stephen King's The Body to come off hold for the e-book, I'll probably swing by the library for the print copy if I don't have it early next week.
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Post by Crash Test Dumbass on Oct 1, 2019 9:39:11 GMT -5
"Lover's Rock"Lauren Oliver's Delirium is yet another dystopian YA novel; in this case, the dystopia was due to the the discovery of the cure for Amor deliria nervosa, also known to our pathetic past world as "love". The story takes place in Portland, Maine, and Lena is eagerly awaiting the cure which will be administered after her 18th birthday. However, during her testing to make sure she doesn't show any signs of the deleria, a literal stampede of livestock runs through the testing center and delays her testing and post-testing plans. Lena's mother was never cured, even after having the process three times, and the last time led to her suicide. Lena worries about her own suitability, and her resolve is tested further when her beautiful best friend Hana starts rebelling, staying out past curfew, listening to unapproved music, and even talking to boys (!!!) Lena's world is completely turned upside down when she spots a boy herself, one she had seen during the stampede (was he... laughing?), and the boy is interested in her, and yes indeed, our hero falls in love with said boy (Alex). "This concept of 'wuv' confuses and irritates us is actually pretty awesome and maybe everything I was taught was a lie?" thinks Lena, and they plan to run away to Canada "The Wilds", a place that was damaged in the poorly-explained wars of decades past but still has plenty of "invalids" who were never given the cure. Also, this book was completely written as a planned trilogy, and ends on a cliffhanger.
How Well Did It Fit the Theme of the Challenge? It's a love story for sure, and it is a story about love, but it doesn't qualify for the standard definition of "romance" (twists and turns but with a happy ending), at least not in Book 1.
How likely would you have been to read the book without the challenge? I think it was on my wish list? That's like 500 books long, tho, so I probably wouldn't have read it this year.
What's Next? I am about halfway through Elizabeth R. Varon's Armies Of Deliverance for Revolution Rock, then I have to pick something for Hateful; maybe something from the 19th century?
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Post by Crash Test Dumbass on Oct 10, 2019 9:04:16 GMT -5
"Lover's Rock"
Armies Of Deliverance: A New History Of The Civil War by Elizabeth R. Varon. Dr. Varon uses as her thesis that the North held the view that the poor whites of the South, the ones who didn't own slaves (or that many slaves) were just tricked into secession and revolution by the plantation owners, and that the war was fought more to free the whites from their delusion than to free the blacks from actual slavery.
The thing I got most from the book was "holy shit, the US sure was racist, and by 'was' I mean 'still is'"; 150 years later and people are still looked at as inferior purely because they have a different skin color. Dr. V uses many examples from soldiers' and commoners' letters from both sides to support her thesis, and of course talks about the battles and how they affected the public opinion.
I also didn't realize how much vitriol was aimed at Lincoln; not just from the Southern media, but also from the Northern "Copperhead" Democrats.
How Well Did It Fit the Theme of the Challenge?
It was totally set during a war!
How likely would you have been to read the book without the challenge?
Eh? Probably not so much, so I'm glad I had the challenge to motivate me.
What's Next?
I am listening to Dickens' Great Expectations A Tale Of Two Cities, and it's kind of OK? There was probably a reason I didn't finish it in school. Also, it is pretty obvious that Dickens was paid by the word. At least the reader is trying.
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Post by Jimmy James on Oct 23, 2019 7:59:22 GMT -5
"Train in Vain"Dipped my toes into Stephen King with his novella The Body. I have a passing familiarity with his work from all of the film adaptations, so I caught at least a couple references to other novels of his (Cujo, Salem's Lot) but I liked that this was mostly a straight-forward depiction of boys growing up in the 1950's. The interactions with the kids around the neighborhood feel accurate, and if this were actually a Clash song, it would more likely be "Stay Free".
How Well Did It Fit the Theme of the Challenge? I chose this specifically as a joke on the film adaptation Stand By Me. I guess the train also figures memorably in the book. How likely would you have been to read the book without the challenge?15%. It's reasonably well known, but probably not one most people would choose as an entry point for King outside of a challenge like this. What's Next?Put together some categories for next year's Hello Nasty reading challenge, but I'll probably hold off on starting that thread until December.
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Post by Crash Test Dumbass on Nov 10, 2019 15:24:56 GMT -5
"Hateful" – Read a book you were assigned in school and didn't finishCharles Dickens, A Tale Of Two Cities. I never really liked Dickens as a yout, and I thought maybe having a stately British voice read it to me (Simon Prebble, in this case) would help. Going in to the beginning, I think I understood why I couldn't get into the book back then. A lot of the dialogue read like the author was paid by the word*: JACQUES ONE: "Did you know Dickens was paid by the word? By the word, is how he was paid, you see."
JACQUES TWO: "By the word, you say? He was paid by the word?"
JACQUES ONE: "Aye, 'tis true; he was paid by the word." A BEGGAR: "By the word, by the word, buggrit, buggrit."
After getting past the first bit and into the actual intrigue, it became quite interesting, and I also read up on the French Revolution in between commutes, so it was educational as well! It is a little depressing to note that we as a species are still terrible in large groups.
How Well Did It Fit the Theme of the Challenge? I was assigned it in high school and didn't read it. I don't even remember faking it.
How likely would you have been to read the book without the challenge? Not so much, since I didn't like it then? This was one of the two 'classics' that I'm glad I read, tho, the other being Moby-Dick.
What's Next? IT'S OVER! Now I get a cookie, right?
* He wasn't technically paid by the word, but he was paid every time he completed 32 pages, which seems good enough reason to me to pad out one's writing with characters repeating each other's words and confirming what the other said.
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Post by moimoi on Nov 10, 2019 17:16:26 GMT -5
Some thoughts about reading challenges and the benefits of them, as I begin my preparations for next year: - I think you can use the challenge to accomplish various goals: 1) reading more often or more consistently; 2) expanding your horizons to read stuff you normally wouldn't; 3) crossing items off your reading list by adapting it to the challenge prompts. - This challenge was quite helpful for bringing some discipline to my reading habits. By getting an actual sense of my reading capacity (both how fast I read and at what occasions) I developed a better sense of when I might realistically get to a book. This has helped me control my purchases throughout the year - although I may have gone a little overboard with year-end sales. - If you are the kind of person who buys and keeps every book you read or collects books to sit unread on the shelf, this kind of challenge might not be good for you. One of my friends has a shelf full of unread books in her basement and she's happy with that; she has no interest in keeping a schedule. I only buy/keep books that I can imagine referencing later or loaning to a friend. Those books get inducted into my library with the affixing of an address label (sent out in various designs as thank-yous from various charities) on the flyleaf. |
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