Bookcrossing

52 1001 Books in 2010

I thought I would sign up again for Read 10 1001 Books to read before you die books this year (2... , a challenge set by katrinat on Bookcrossing. I managed to read a 1001 book a week last year, so here is this year's attempt. A little slower this year, travelling makes it hard as I wasn't always able to find 1001 books in the book exchanges, though I did read some tomes, which I would have kept putting off at home.

1. The Old Man and the Sea-1001-Library Book
2. The Grass Is Singing
3. Black Dogs
4. Watchmen (1001 Library Book) a graphic novel, recently filmed
5. A Kestrel for a Knave (Penguin Modern Classics)
6. The Midwich Cuckoos
7. The Siege of Krishnapur
8. Embers
9. Brideshead Revisited
10. The Plot Against America
11. Les Miserables (Penguin Classics)
12. Blue of Noon
13. Invisible
14. Vile Bodies
15. The Singapore Grip
16. The Nine Tailors (Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries), nice to a mystery on the list
17. The Red and The Black
18. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
19. The White Tiger
20. Professor's House
21. Love in a Cold Climate (Penguin Modern Classics)
22. The Water Babies: A Fairy Tale For A Land-Baby
23. The Return of the Native (English Library)
24. At Lady Molly's
25. August Is a Wicked Month (1001 book)
26. Troubles
27. Hangover Square
28. Life and Times of Michael K
29. Brothers Karamazov
30. The Divine Comedy: Inferno v. 1
31. 2666
32. North and South (Penguin Classics)
33. Madame Bovary
34. The Bell Jar
35. The Cranford Chronicles
36. The Children's Book
37. The French Lieutenant's woman
38. The Idiot
39. Bleak House
40. Of Mice and Men
41. The murder of Roger Ackroyd reread
42. The Purloined Letter
43. Crash
44. Cold Comfort Farm
45. Schooling
46. The Inheritance of Loss
47. Senor Vivo and the Coca Lord
48. A Christmas Carol
49. Candide
50. Breakfast at Tiffany's

51. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

52. The Time Machine

I still think that J.G. Farrell's books were really good (7,15 and 26), but the real gem was 2666 , a tome of a book, but worth every page. It is actually 5 books in one volume, which makes it less daunting to read than say A Suitable Boy (a great book, but one I only read because I took it as my only book on a very long journey). I also loved Embers, a book I had never even heard of, a definite find. My worst read was Bleak House, it just really didn't grab me. Too much detail, too many characters, a struggle.

As I was due to be spending time travelling in Latin America, I wanted to read more of the books from that region, 2666 (written by a Chilean writer), Senor Vivo and the Coca Lord (set in a fictional country), The Life and Times of Oscar Wao (a precocious Domincan Republican) and a surprise entry, Candide , in which the action moves around the world.

It is pleasing to see that the books ranged in years published, I did read some of the new additions: The Children's Book, Invisible , The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao and The White Tiger. I enjoyed all 4 and agree with their addition in the new editon.

Labels: 1001 Books, 1001-library, 1010 Challenge, 11 in 11 Challenge, 2010 1001 Books Challenge

Uruguay and Paraguay

I stayed in Uruguay for three weeks, which gave me a lot of time to read and finish the 1010 Challenge. I was doing a Spanish course at Academia Uruguay, right in the old town. A good course, classes half the day and then time to look around Montevideo.

I traded the following books with another student:
1. Past Imperfect - I have this TBR at home, but this'll bump it up the list
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

and got these in return:
1. The Girl who played with Fire from the Academia Uruguay
2. Burning Bright
from a fellow student at the Academia Uruguay
3. A Far Country
from the Academia Uruguay

From Montevideo, I met up with my brother and we flew up to Paraguay. First stop Asuncion, where I took advantage of the book exchange at the hostel to update my books, though the selection was very much mixed. I reckon I traded half the shelf!
I left:
1. Bad times in Buenos Aires
2. Innocent Erendira
3. The Dubliners
4. Burning Bright
5. The Bell Jar, 1001 book
6. Madame Bovary , 1001 book
7. A Far Country
8. The Sunday List of Dreams

I picked up:
1. Asi Es La Vida - left by the author himself and about his travels in South America
2. The Love of a Good Woman short stories collection
3. Drink the Sky, set in Brazil
4. The Sunday List of Dreams, which I read quickly and traded again
5. Son of a Witch
6. Three Moons in Vietnam
7. The Glass Castle
8. Treasure Island, one of my favourite all time reads.

Labels: 1001 Books, 1010 Challenge, Latin America

1010 Challenge: Completed!

As I really enjoyed the 999 Challenge organised by Librarything, I signed up for the 2010 version, or 1010 Challenge. The idea was to read 10 books in 10 categories with the added bonus option of 20 books for 2010.

My ten groups were:
Group 1: 1001 books.
I am still hard at working my way through the list, so thought it made sense to add it in here. In the end, I read 45 1001 books over the 10 groups (and bonus group).

Group 2: Books related to Spain and the Spanish speaking world
Last year I had a similar catergory for Portugal, really expanded my reading.

Group 3: British Writers
This includes Irish writers as the 1001 list I have lists both nationalities together.

Group 4: Books not written in English
Should be practicing my languages, as I was living in Portugal and taking a Portuguese course, most of these were in Portuguese.

Group 5: Travel
my favourite hobby

Group 6: History (fact or fiction)

Group 7: Myths and Legends
Myths, legends, fairy tales.

Group 8: Made into a Film
(originally - Classics I should have already read) A lot of these were 1001 books, which I snuck in to another category.

Group 9: Olympic Challenge
Bookcrossing Challenge to read a book from each country taking part in the Olympics before the London 2012's opening ceremony. Over all I read 27 from the different groups.

Group 10: Asia
I tend to read a lot of Asia-themed books and so have a mound of them on my TBR pile, and I think I have finally made a dent in my TBR pile.

Bonus Books:
10x 1001 books: Harder than I thought as I was travelling and at the mercy of book exchanges.
10x Olympic Challenge books

I have already signed up for the 11 in 11 Challenge, just need to wait for 11 November to start it! I am, once again, going to be an early bird. One thing I really enjoy about these challenges is the flexibility, in categories, in start dates, etc.

Labels: 1001 Books, 1010 Challenge, 11 in 11 Challenge, bookcrossing

Labels: 1001 Books, 1010 Challenge

1010 Challenge: Bonus Category - Olympic Challenge

Bonus 10 x Olympic Challenge
B1. Buxton Spice - Grenada
B2. The Tapestries - Vietnam
B3. From the Ngong Hills - Denmark
B4. The Railway - Kyrgyzstan
B5. An Ordinary Man - Rwanda
B6. Blutsbrueder - Liberia
B7. Global Restructuring and Peripheral States - Mauritania
B8. Inca-Kola - Peru and Bolivia
B9. Bolivar - A Life - Venezuela and Colombia
B10. Portrait of a Nation - Ecuador

As I am currently travelling in South America, I am probably biased towards the last 2 books, both giving real insight into the northern countries in the region. I also felt that An Ordinary Man was a very humanising book to read.

Labels: 1010 Challenge, Olympic Challenge

1010 Challenge Completed Category: Myths

Group 7: Myths and Legends
1. The Lusiads ** 1001
2. Stardust (this is the audiobook read by the author)
3. Politically Correct Holiday Stories
4. The Snow Cow
5. Branca de Neve
6. The Fire Gospel
7. The Water-Babies ** 1001
8. The Aeniad dramatised audiobook with Derek Jacobi and Ralph Feinnes
9. If you could see me now
10. The Divine Comedy: Inferno **Part 1 of the 1001 book

Of these, I would have to say that I enjoyed The Fire Gospel and The Lusiads most, both were cracking reads. As a light hearted holiday read, I do recommend the Politically correct holiday stories.

Labels: 1010 Challenge

J.G. Farrell

First up The Siege of Krishnapur This has been on my shelf for a while, along with 3 more of his books, but yesterday I was in the mood to pick up a book set in India. Glad I did! It is hard to categorise this book, is it right to want to giggle in the middle of a brutal passage about men defending themselves against an onslaught of mutinious soldiers?
The book's charm, for me, was in the detailed description, which highlighted the absurdity of the situation. The British stiff upper lip and strict heirachy is still the most important thing in this outpost of the Empire.

Then, The Singapore Grip , which had actually been on my shelf for a while. Another excellent book by J.G. Farrell, this one is about the final days leading up to the Japanese invasion through the comings and goings of one of the families owning a rubber company. Well researched and with very well-drawn characters, it really pulled me in.
Walter Blackett is running the colony's oldest company and while engaging in business, he is also planning the company's anniversary party. Indeed, this obsession in times of war makes a lot of the satire in the book, a group of society removed from what is happening in Europe and what is about to happen on their doorstep.
Farrell doesn't just look at the privilidged elite, but also the military men passing through to fight the Japanese in the Far East, and people from the under belly of Singapore. A lot of this is seen through the eyes of Matthew, the heir to the founder of the firm, Blackett's partner, who arrives for the first time on the island, a fresh pair of eyes, if not a very naive pair. Poor Matthew, I did wonder which character would eat him alive first, his father's partner, the partner's cold fish of a daughter or the beautiful Eurasian girl trying to flee the Japanese.
As I said, the book was well researched and the descriptions of the fair and the volunteer firefighters really captured my imagination. But what is a Singapore grip, this is what newcomer Matthew wants to know, read to find out! Donated to the 1001-library .

Troubles was the last book I read, and I have just seen that it has recently voted the winner of the Lost Man Booker Prize This was the last installment of the Empire Trilogy that I'd read, though it is seen as the first. They aren't related directly, except for Archer turning up as an older man in The Singapore Grip.
Another thing they have in common is the young man arriving in a new world for him, here it is the demobbed Archer, still scarred from his wartime experiences. He comes to Ireland to meet his fiancee, Angela, who he met briefly on leave.
When Archer arrives at the hotel where the family lives in Ireland, Angela seems to be playing hard to get. The hotel itself should be seen as a character, falling down around its ears, full of off-the-wall guests, and that's before I mention Angela's family. This is set in during the Troubles, and the tension in the book is palpable, another book about a siege.
Donated to the 1001-library .

The Hill Station was the book J.G. Farrell was working on at the time of his death. Farrell revisits the India of The Siege of Krishnapur, and there is a connection between the two books in the character of the doctor, McNab. McNab arrives at the hill station in Kalka with his wife and niece. Unlike in his Empire Trilogy, there is no young man entering a bewildering new world, both geographically and romantically, here it is Emily, fresh from England. The issue of class is here, especially when Emily realises her social standing could have been compromised by her friendship with Mrs. Forester, a lady who is being snubbed because of scandal.
Another new theme is that of religion, here the battle between a stricter Protestant church and one that has chosen to follow older ceremonies has caused the former to accuse the latter of moving towards Rome. The ridiculousness of the situation is shown well here.
The second part of the book is made of three contributions, the first of which looks at the notes that the author left which give us an idea as to how the novel would have progressed, and the author's own diary of his time in India.

Labels: 1001 Books, 1001-library, 1010 Challenge

Labels: 1001 Books, 1010 Challenge, bookcrossing, Doris Lessing

Egypt Books

A friend came to stay and left a trio of books by Michelle Moran, not a writer I had heard of before, but they looked promising enough from the covers. When I logged the books into my Librarything account, I saw that books linked with this series included many by Philippa Gregory, an author I do reading enjoy very much.

After spending a frustrating 48 hours in Porto because of the ash cloud, I ended up reading the last book Cleopatra's Daughter: A Novel (chronologically) first, but as each books stands alone, this didn't impede my understanding or enjoyment of the book. We have all heard of the legendary Cleopatra and her equally famous husbands, Julius Caesar and Marc Anthony, but I must admit I knew nothing about her family. A family gifted in tongues, not just Greek, but Latin as well, a family of diplomats. This is not a biography, and the story that has been laid over the historical backdrop works well, but this doesn't mean the book is lacking in historical detail. I also appreciated the strength of Cleopatra Selene, and she is a good pair of eyes through which to see Octavian's Rome. A useful addition to the book is the dramatis personae at the front of the book, with so many marriages, half siblings and name changes, this really saved me from confusion.

I then went back to the start and read Nefertiti: A Novel, as though the books stand alone, I had been warned that it helped with some of the historical references. Who hasn't seen the bust of Nefertiti, but what about the woman? This book tells of her rise from queen's niece to the throne, a seemingly singular, ambitious woman, able to dominate a willful and , as some called him, heretic pharoah. The narrator is her sister, Mutnodjmet, a very different girl, calm, gifted in her use of medicinal herbs. Egypt is on the cusp of chaos as the young pharaoh and his wife break with worshipping the old gods and put Aten above all of them. As with Cleopatra's Daughter, the period detail is great, it really evokes the time period. As sister to the Pharaoh's wife, Mutnodjmet is in a unique position to observe the machinations of the court, some times too close as her own life is put at risk.

One more to go, The Heretic Queen: A Novel, which did make more sense after reading Nefertiti as it talks of her neice. Once again, we are observing a young Pharaoh taking his throne, but this time it is through the eyes of the girl who will become his queen. I enjoyed reading the book, as with the others, the detail is very vivid, but I wasn't quite as drawn into this one. Moran did show us another part of Egyptian life, that of a trainee priestess, which I found fascinating, but while I am all for a strong female lead character, her Pharaoh, once again, was like a petulant child.
I would recommend the book, and the series, as they are well written and have great detail.

Labels: 1010 Challenge, Egypt

Labels: 1001 Books, 1010 Challenge

1010 Challenge Completed Category OLYMPIC

Group 9: Olympic Challenge COMPLETE

1. This Body Guyana
2. The Eye of the Leopard Sweden / Zambia
3. Homo novus - valik hüperboole Estonia
4. Kisses in the Nederends Tonga
5. Being There: Modern Short Stories from Southern Africa
6. Baking Cakes in Kigali Tanzania
7. Hungry Ghosts Greece
8. Children of the Revolution Ethiopia
9. Dreams of Water ** Olympic: Lebanon
10. Girls of Riyadh ** Olympic : Saudi Arabia

Top books would have to include Leopard, Kigali and Being There, the weakest, without a doubt, was Dreams, which I wouldn't recommend to any one.

Labels: 1010 Challenge, Olympic Challenge

1010 Challenge Completed Category HISTORY

Group 6: History COMPLETED

1. Castle Rackrent **1001 Book
2. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society
3. The Alienist
4. Very Interesting People Queen Victoria
5. The Lady Elizabeth
6. Mademoiselle Boleyn
7. Vengeance is mine
8. Cleopatra's Daughter
9. Nefertiti

10. The Heretic Queen

Top reads were Guernsey and the Alienist, though I enjoyed most of the books. The weakest has to be Madame Boleyn, a book that needed editing and got more and more absurd.

Labels: 1001 Books, 1010 Challenge, bookcrossing

1010 Challenge Completed Category ASIA

Group 10: Asia COMPLETE

1. Tale of a certain Orient ** Olympic : Libya
2. Inheritance
3. Sacred Games
4. Mother's Beloved: Stories from Laos ** Olympic : Laos
5. The Siege of Krishnapur ** 1001 Book, ** Olympic: Singapore
6. The Lost Daughter of Happiness
7. Funny Boy
8. The Singapore Grip ** 1001 Book
9. The White Tiger ** 1001 Book
10. The Concubine of Shanghai

Again, this has been a strong category in terms of other challenges. Top books would have to be Krishnapur and Singapore, JG Farrell is fast becoming one of my top 10 writers.

Labels: 1001 Books, 1010 Challenge, Olympic Challenge

Labels: 1001 Books, 1010 Challenge

1010 Challenge Completed Category SPAIN

Group 2: Spain and the Spanish speaking world

1. Paradise Travel ** Olympic : Colombia
2. The Scarlet Cloak
3. Captain Alatriste
4. Purity of Blood
5. The Queen's Sorrow
6. The Return
7. The Book of Murder ** Olympic : Argentina
8. Our house in the Last World
9. The Old Man and the Sea ** 1001 Book
10. The Brief Wonderful Life of Oscar Wao ** 1001 Book

I really wanted to broaden my Spanish-speaking world reading, and this has really been a great way of doing that. Top books would have to be the last two. Hemingway's Cuban classic really drew me in, very tense and Oscar touched me greatly. I am pleased to have been able to include books for 2 of the other challenges I am doing, Olympic and 1001 Books. I am hoping to keep up this category next year, but may make it Iberian Books (this would include Portuguese speaking authors).

Labels: 1001 Books, 1010 Challenge, bookcrossing, Olympic Challenge, Spain

1010 Challenge: 2/3 Done!

I have had a bit of a reading spurt recently, and am trying to make the most of the slack time around Easter.
I read Invisible in January, but it didn't fit into my categories, but it was included in the 2010 edition.

Group 1: 1001 Books 7/10
1. The Grass is Singing
2. The Successor ** Olympic
3. Embers ** Olympic
4. The Plot Against America
5. Blue of Noon
6. Invisible
7. The Red and the Black

Group 2: Spain and the Spanish speaking world 9/10

1. Paradise Travel

2. Captain Alatriste

3. Purity of Blood

4. The Old Man and the Sea **1001 Book
5. The Scarlet Cloak

6. The Return

7. The Queen's Sorrow

8. The Book of Murder

9. Our house in the Last World

Group 3: British Writers 6/10
1. Sexing the Cherry ** 1001 book
2. Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner ** 1001 book
3. The Book lovers' Appreciation Society

4. Black Dogs ** 1001 book
5. Vile Bodies ** 1001 Book
6. The Nine Tailors ** 1001 Book

Group 4: Books not written in English 2/10

1. D. Maria II
2. Praça de Londres

Group 5: Travel 3/10

1. Attention. Deficit. Disorder

2. River Town
3. In the Heart of the Sea

Group 6: History 9/10

1. Castle Rackrent **1001 Book
2. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society

3. Very Interesting People Queen Victoria

4. The Alienist

5 The Lost Daughter of Happiness
6. The Lady Elizabeth
7. Mademoiselle Boleyn
8. The Concubine of Shanghai
9. Vengeance Is Mine: A Novel of Anne Boleyn, Katherine Howard, and Lady Rochford--the woman who helped destroy them both.

Group 7: Myths and Legends 5/10

1. The Lusiads **1001 Book

2. Politically Correct Holiday Stories
3. The Snow Cow

4. Stardust (this is the audiobook read by the author)
5. Branca de Neve

Group 8 - Made into Film COMPLETE

1. A Kestrel for a Knave **1001 Book

2. The Midwich Cuckoos **1001 Book
3. The Shining **1001 Book
4. Watchmen **1001 Book
5. Riddle of the Sands **1001 Book
6. The Piano Teacher **1001 Book
7. The Tin Drum **1001 Book
8. Brideshead Revisited **1001 Book
9. The Cave of the Yellow Dog
10. Les Miserables **1001 Book

Group 9: Olympic Challenge 8/10

1. Homo novus - valik hüperboole Estonia

2. The Eye of the Leopard Sweden / Zambia

3. This Body Guyana

4. Kisses in the Nederends Tonga
5. Being Here: Modern Short Stories from Southern Africa
Swaziland, Botswana
6. Baking Cakes in Kigali Tanzania
7. Hungry Ghosts Greece
8. Children of the Revolution Ethiopia

Group 10: Asia 8/10
1. Sacred Games
2. Inheritance

3. The Siege of Krishnapur ** 1001 Book

4. Mother's Beloved: Stories from Laos ** Olympic

5. Tale of a certain Orient ** Olympic

6. Girls of Riyadh ** Olympic

7. Funny Boy

8. The Singapore Grip ** 1001 Book

Labels: 1001 Books, 1010 Challenge, 2010 1001 Books Challenge, bookcrossing

1010 Challenge - Half Way

Wow! Half way there, and we are still in March (OK, so I started in October...!). I decided to change a category from Classics to Film, as I just kept avoiding the Classics, freaked out by the name I guess. I am also trying to complete 2 other challenges at the same time, 52x 1001 books and 50x Olympic Countries, so I am trying to get as many books to fit these as possible.

Highlights: I would have to say The Midwich Cuckoos and The Siege of Krishnapur, two very different books, but both very good. I am not a sci-fi fan, but I found The Midwich Cuckoos very exciting.

Group 1: 1001 Books 4/10
1. The Grass is Singing
2. The Successor ** Olympic
3. Embers ** Olympic
4. The Plot Against America