2021 "Hurry Up, We're Dreaming" Reading Challenge

Moimoi , have you considered adopting the good old-timey French Revolutionary calendar Year CCXXIX for your project instead of just the fiscal year 2021 CE, because it’s still only the twelfth day of the year according to that calendar, and there are days dedicated to shit like ladders, trout, and plants?

For a kids book recommendation, I’ve been thinking about the book Holes recently, and seem to remember it’s being good, although it’s been like 20 years since I read it, so I don’t know how well it actually holds up. But anyway, that is technically a book that would fit the theme.

I have a suggestion for #15--Sabriel by Garth Nix, which is the first book in an awesome series of female protagonist-led dark fantasy novels.

For #16 I think The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel wouldn't be a terrible stretch

ah, yea, that's a bit heavier than we'd normally do with him.  No worries, as I said, we've got lots of other books we're working through.

Yea, that tracks for me and he's only 8.  Look, sometimes it works to double up on something that dad would also like to read at bedtime and sometimes it doesn't.  Such is life.

I'll stop derailing moimoi's thread now.

moimoi 

Brumaire Mettre à jour: I have completed A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry for the second month of the French Revolutionary Calendar mini-challenge

This one goes in my Top 3 of Indo-lit - possibly tied with Midnight's Children for the top spot and just as deserving of its many accolades.
It's the story of four people who end up sharing a flat during the 1975 State of Emergency in which Indira Gandhi's administration lost their minds and began committing all sorts of atrocities against the Indian people. Like all books about South Asians, there's a fair amount of misery recounted, but unlike most misery-porn Indo-lit that came after it, this one has a lot heart as well. Rich with symbolism and well-drawn characters, I flew through 600 pages, only taking a breather for election week because I could not handle the stress and heartbreak at the same time. Even though I spoiled the ending for myself (probably shouldn't have done that on election night of all nights) this book fucked me up, but in an enjoyable way.

How Well Did It Fit the Theme of the Challenge/Why I Picked This: I really tried, but I couldn't find a thematic match on my reading list for "mist". Mistry has been a favorite since I read his illustrated short story about aging "The Scream" and the related novel Family Matters, which I added to my shelf last Thanksgiving after finding a used copy at Open Books. 

How likely would you have been to read the book without the challenge? I had only been putting off A Fine Balance because of its length, but it turned out to be maybe too appropriate a read for our current moment, when the person in the highest office is trying to seize power while lying to the public about a public health emergency, surrounded by yes-men. 

What's Next? I'm finishing Oliver Sack's The River of Consciousness, which I was reading with my dad, before treating myself to a slim volume of Robert Frost poetry for "frost"

Nivôse Mettre à jour: I have completed The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen for the fourth month of the French Revolutionary Calendar mini-challenge

As I understand it, this account of trekking through the Himalayas is a classic of travel literature. In addition to copious descriptions of Nepal and Tibet's flora and fauna, the author recounts his spiritual journey as a practicing Buddhist visiting the Crystal Mountain and other shrines as he mourns the death of his wife. Mostly I enjoyed this book, even if the meticulous descriptions of every geological feature and biological creature the author encountered became repetitive after the first hundred pages. What really bugged me, though, was the comparative lack of description and characterization of the sherpas and porters who comprised most of the expedition (they get a line of pidgin English every 40 pages or so), as well as the generally distasteful descriptions of local people. I mean, if you're on some sort of Buddhist quest of compassion and loving kindness, words like "primitive" and "filthy" shouldn't even be in your vocabulary - and they especially shouldn't be directed at the denizens of a land you are just visiting and arguably don't belong in at all. As someone with a fair amount of knowledge about Buddhism (from my Asian studies minor and travels in Asia) the increasingly esoteric digressions about demon goddesses and rituals did start to sound pasted from a Lonely Planet guide. Also he mischaracterizes some 'esoteric' practices that are actually common and not even exclusive to Buddhists.  

How Well Did It Fit the Theme of the Challenge/Why I Picked This: I had a hard time finding a snow book to read, having already struggled through Orhan Pamuk's SAD-inducing novel. I wasn't feeling The Man from Snowy River right after reading Frost, nor do I enjoy contemporary crime thrillers like Smilla's Sense of Snow. I enjoyed Lost Horizon when I nicked a copy from the 7-star Shangri-La Hotel in Dubai, so I thought this might cover similar ground. 

How likely would you have been to read the book without the challenge? Not at all. 

What's Next? I'm so excited to start the Hurry Up, We're Dreaming Challenge proper with G.K. Chesterton's The Man Who Was Thursday. In a few weeks, I'll also be ready to start mini-challenge month five's "rainy" selection, the British Isles-set Lost for Words by Edward St. Aubyn. 

Taking a look at the slim volumes I chose for the first few books in this challenge (I may have done this intentionally, assuming I'd be commuting in January snow), it occurs to me that I should decide upon a new release to read for "Wait" by February. Unfortunately, the plethora of choices renders me indecisive, which is why I had to start doing these challenges in the first place. So now I'm thinking I'll choose from AVC's monthly new release previews (it appears they skipped December). Here are my options (my top picks in BOLD):

1. Leave The World Behind by Rumaan Alam - intriguing premise, but am I in the mood for something dark?
2. Fire Cannot Kill A Dragon: The Official, Uncensored Oral History Of Game Of Thrones by James Hibberd  - X absolutely no interest
3. Girls Against God by Jenny Hval - I do like her music and I know nothing about black metal...
4. The Silence by Don DeLillo - X definitely not in the mood for anything dystopian
5. The Hole by Hiroko Oyamada - I am rather fond of Kobo Abe's surrealism, so maybe...?
6.  At Night All Blood Is Black by David Diop X Too dark!
7. The Arrest by Jonathan Lethem - I do want to read Letham eventually, but the premise of this sounds like Severence - a hipster take on dystopia. Pass
8. The Office Of Historical Corrections by Danielle Evans - This sounds good, but I'm not particularly in the mood for something political, given the current state of this godforsaken country.
9. Alright, Alright, Alright: The Oral History Of Richard Linklater’s Dazed And Confused by Melissa Maerz - X I'm not a Gen-Xer so I don't care. 
10. I Want To Be Where The Normal People Are by Rachel Bloom - I like Rachel Bloom, but probably not enough to read her book right when it comes out. Sounds like a fun audiobook, though.
11. The Hearing Trumpet by Leonora Carrington - This sounds nutty, but the writeup hasn't sold me. 
12. Black Buck by Mateo Askaripour - I feel like I should watch Sorry to Bother You and the Wolf of Wall Street first to determine if I'd like this. 
13. The Dangers Of Smoking In Bed by Mariana Enríquez - I'm a scaredy cat so no. 
14. A Swim In A Pond In The Rain by George Saunders - I do enjoy my Russian lit and I'd like to read Saunders to find out what's the big deal with him. 
15. Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor - I already have to read two sci-fi books for this challenge and it's not my fave. 

aux.avclub.com/5-new-books-to-read-in-october-1845180731
aux.avclub.com/5-books-to-read-in-november-1845571883
aux.avclub.com/5-new-books-to-read-in-january-1845995511

Update 1: I have completed The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare by G.K. Chesterton for "Intro"

This book isn't a nightmare; it's a HOOT - and perhaps the mindfuck that begat many mindfucks to follow such as The Prisoner. I can't tell you much about the plot except that it's a surrealist farce involving early 20th century paranoia over anarchists. It's almost a parody of Fantômas, crossed with heady metaphysical allegory. I loved it and look forward to reading it again.   

How Well Did It Fit the Theme of the Challenge/Why I Picked This: In addition to fitting the prompt of having an introduction by a notable author (in this case Jonathan Lethem, who I also want to read), I added Chesterton to my list after last challenge's reading of The Sandman, in which "Gilbert/ Fiddler's Green" features as a prominent and lovable character. Chesterton's influence on Gaiman is clear from the first paragraph and you can see traces of some of his characters and settings in this novella. 

How likely would you have been to read the book without the challenge? It was on my list from the last challenge, but I don't know how else I would have learned about it, since Chesterton is not well-known in the U.S. I should have liked to finish it in seven days, befitting the story, but hopefully I can save some time on the next few books.

What's Next? In time for her centenary, I shall be reading Patricia Highsmith's short story collection Little Tales of Misogyny for "Midnight City"

I meant to respond before I started the challenge, but somehow these got ahead of me - sorry!

repulsionist - Having worked with Vietnamese refugees and others affected by U.S. military abuses for many years, I can't say I'm terribly interested in reading about our vets' experiences abroad. I respect a lot of the ones I know, but my views about the U.S. military are...conflicted. I think the only book about soldiers I've enjoyed is Catch-22. That's why it's so hard to find something I'd want to read for #10. The Waves is one of the few Woolf books I haven't read, but since I read her in the last challenge, I opted to go with figurative 'waves' and catch up on some 4th wave feminism. 

patbat - I'll look for Sabriel, though I'm really not into fantasy (I keep saying that, but no one seems to understand that I mean, for real, it leaves me completely cold). Right now I'm leaning toward the entire Series of Unfortunate Events for #15 if I can find them used. 

Owl - I'm adding The Glass Hotel to my reading list, though it might not make it into this challenge unless I replace the bulky Wodehouse volume at #9.  

Thanks for the input, all :-)

nice!  I believe Invisible Goat was also a fan

Pluviôse Mettre à jour: I have completed Lost for Words by Edward St. Aubyn for the fifth month of the French Revolutionary Calendar mini-challenge

This was an amusing little trifle - a satirical look at the literary world and its coveted prizes. It's not quite as funny as Wodehouse, nor as acerbic as Waugh, but I can see the influences. I imagine this was sort of a palette-cleanser after the deeply personal and emotionally weighty Patrick Melrose novels. 

How Well Did It Fit the Theme of the Challenge/Why I Picked This: I don't remember if I picked this up at The Dial because I'd seen the Patrick Melrose miniseries or if it was the other way around, but either way, I highly recommend Patrick Melrose (with trigger warnings). 

How likely would you have been to read the book without the challenge? This is total airplane reading, so I probably would have read it on one of my travels. 

What's Next? I'll start the Chicago-focused There Goes the Neighborhood by William Julius Wilson for month Ventôse ("windy") at the end of February. In the meantime, I'll move Moominpappa at Sea to bedtime reading and start Girls Against God during the daytime so I don't get scared.   

Having worked closely with current and former military in those regions while I was at the State Department (I've been sent to both Iraq and Afghanistan in the last 10 years), I can't say I'm particularly interested in reading more about those subjects. After seven years in DC, I take no interest in Homeland, 24, Scandal, The West Wing, or any other piece of media that whitewashes American foreign policy in any way. I liked Three Kings, Syriana and Argo (filmed partly on location at my old office). That's probably enough American misadventure in the Middle East for me. 

I like J.G. Ballard, so I decided to take on Empire of the Sun. The protagonist is a kid, but it features plenty of soldiers.