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.

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.

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.

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).

1010 Challenge - 3/4 Done!

3/4 down, and a good few more books read from my Mount TBR.  I have now finished 2 categories, and am near to finishing another 2.  Top books of this third quarter would have to include Baking Cakes in Kigali, a lighter but thought-provoking read; The Singapore Grip, another excellent book from J.G. Farrell;  and The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao  , the story of a Dominican Republic boy in the U.S.

Group 1: 1001 Books 9/10
1. The Grass is Singing
2. The Successor  ** Olympic: Albania
3. Embers ** Olympic: Hungary
4. The Plot Against America
5. Blue of Noon
6. Invisible
7. The Red and the Black
8. Professor's House
9. The Water-Babies

Group 2: Spain and the Spanish speaking world COMPLETE
1. Paradise Travel ** Olympic: Colombia

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
10. The Brief Wonderful Life of Oscar Wao ** 1001 Book
 

Group 3: British Writers 8/10
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
7. Love in a Cold Climate ** 1001 Book
8. Landlocked

Group 4: Books not written in English 4/10

1. D. Maria II
2. Praça de Londres
3. O Gato e o Escuro
4. O Maior Flor do Mundo
 

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

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 9/10
1. Sacred Games
2. Inheritance 

3. The Siege of Krishnapur ** 1001 Book 

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

5. Tale of a certain Orient ** Olympic: Libya

6. Girls of Riyadh ** Olympic: Saudi Arabia

7. Funny Boy

8. The Singapore Grip ** 1001 Book, Olympic: Singapore
9. The White Tiger ** 1001 Book

2010 Reading Challenges - April Update

1. Olympic Challenge - 50 books


I really need to pick up my game here as I am under target so far.
Top reads-
The Singapore Grip 
Girls of Riyadh 
Being Here: Modern Short Stories from Southern Africa

 2. 1001 Books - 52 books

 
I am on track, though had hoped to have been further ahead as will be travelling for some months this year.
Top reads -  
The Siege of Krishnapur
The Singapore Grip 

3. Get Mt. TBR down to one page (at least one time during the year)
Still on 3 pages!   I am trying to read up all the books I have here in Portugal, some of which have been on Mount TBR for a long time, but still keep receiving more books!

Oceania and Islands Bookbox

Another box on my doorstep, Soffitta1's 6th Bookbox (Oceania and Island theme)! I am just busy having a look at the books, a pretty good mix has returned. This was a bit of an experiment, I had read a couple of Australian books, but they didn't fit into any of my bookboxes, so decided to make a new one! The idea was that the books should be written by a writer from Oceania (e.g. Australia) or an island (e.g. Cuba), set in or with a main character from either of these two. I intend to send this out again in the summer.

Stormchild
Mediterranean Island: Knowledge of Angels
Jamaica: Small Island
Japan: Goodbye Tsugumi
Sri Lanka: The English Patient
Mirage
Australia: The Loveday Revenge
Stark
Requiem for a Wren
Cuba: Cuban Heels
Haiti: Kingdom of This World
Caymen Islands: So, You Want to Live on an Island...

1000th Book

I registered my 1000th book yesterday, I can't believe I finally did it! I bought The Oxford Book of Travel Stories in the second hand book shop in Obs, Cape Town. I picked it up with an eye on the 1010 Challenge on Librarything and the Olympic Challenge. I haven't read the book yet, but I hope to add it to a bookbox in the summer.
Here's to the next 1000!

1010 Challenge - 1/3 down

Having the Christmas holiday has helped me get ahead with this challenge (as well as some very good reads!). Disappointingly, I still have one category untouched, but hopefully not for long. This year, I have more books in my sweaty hands already, unlike last year when I had to wait for books to arrive here in Portugal.

Group 1: 1001 Books 4/10

1. The Piano Teacher
2. The Tin Drum
3. The Successor
4. The Shining



Group 2: Spain and the Spanish speaking world 9/10
Great progress with this category, have got the 10th book ready to read.

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 4/10

1. Sexing the Cherry ** 1001 Book
2. Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner ** 1001 Book
3. The Book lovers' Appreciation Society
4. The Riddle of the Sands ** 1001 Book



Group 4: Books not written in English 1/10

1. D. Maria II read



Group 5: Travel 2/10

1. Attention. Deficit. Disorder
2. In the Heart of the Sea



Group 6: History 3/10

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



Group 7: Myths and Legends 4/10

1. The Lusiads
2. Politically Correct Holiday Stories
3. The Snow Cow
4. Stardust (this is the audiobook read by the author)



Group 9: Olympic Challenge 3/10

1. Homo novus - valik hüperboole Estonia
2. The Eye of the Leopard Sweden / Zambia
3. This Body Guyana



Group 10: Asia 4/10

1. Sacred Games
2. Inheritance
3. River Town
4. Tale of a certain Orient

Asian Virtual Bookbox

After taking part in ApoloniaX's Intercultural Bookbox, I jumped at the chance to sign up to the Contemporary Asian Literature VBB. There are a few rules, the writer must be Asian (or of Asian descent) and published after 1980. As I love reading books set in and by Asian authors, this is a perfect VBB for me.

Round 1: Put in
Inheritance chosen by chucklesthescot
Sacred Games (now int'l BOOKRING) chosen by Dancesports
Taken out:
I chose two books from Annimanni
The Cave of the Yellow Dog (Mongolia)
Mother's Beloved: Stories from Laos

Round 2: Put in:
The Concubine of Shanghai chosen by ApoloniaX
Lost Daughter of Happiness chosen by Tsjara
Taken out:
Dreams of Water
The Railway

Round 3:
Taken out:
Funny Boy
The Tapestries
Put in:
As both books I got from Round 1 are pretty small, I decided to put them back in for Round 3.
The Cave of the Yellow Dog (Mongolia) chosen by jumpingin
Mother's Beloved: Stories from Laos chosen by chucklesthescot

A book that were originally bookcrossed by me has also been added to the VBB, good to see it go to another keen bookcrosser : Magic Seeds put in by the box's organiser,ApoloniaX

All I need to do now is read the books and pass them on! Can't wait for the others to arrive!

Intercultural Virtual Bookbox

Organised by ApoloniaX and contraforsa, I joined this as a way to work on the Bookcrossing Olympic Challenge. The idea was to only put the first and last letter of the title of a book to do with an exchange of cultures with the countries involved, leaving it as a bit of a mystery as to the book. I missed out on the first round, but took part in rounds 2 and 3. Thanks for organising :)

From Round 2 I chose:
UK, Canada, Kenya & Guyana: "T...y" loveamystery This Body
Ethiopia & USA: "C...n" Annimanni Children of the Revolution
UK & Crete: "H...s" chucklesthescot Hungry Ghosts

and passed on:
The Enchantress of Florence
The Other Hand
The Dancer from Khiva: One Muslim Woman's Quest for Freedom

Round 3:
Belgium and Rwanda A...n KiwiInEngland An Ordinary Man: The True Story Behind Hotel Rwanda
Colombia and US P...l Annimanni Paradise Travel

I sent on:
China Men (Picador Books)
Remember Me...