–The 2014 TBR Pile Challenge: Checkpoint 1

As I just posted my final list mere hours ago (eek), I confess I have not yet read one book.

Instead, here are a few fun facts about my TBR Challenge choices:

Longest TBR time: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt
20  years!
(Oops! I bought this as a hardcover when it was new … back in 1994.)

Shortest TBR time: The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides
(I should clarify and say “shortest time allowed for this challenge” and its two-year minimum. I do have newer books piling up, sigh.)

Reread in my TBR: The Brontës by Rebecca Fraser
(Loved this and saved it. Have been meaning to reread for years.)

Most excited to read: Arabian Nights & Days by Naguib Mahfouz
(I’d forgotten I had this! It’s said to be a whimsical sequel to A Thousand and One Nights set in medieval Arabia. The cover is beautiful!)

Least excited to read: Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
(I should have read this when it was a fad and could partake in the dialogue. Feels passé.)

Jane Austen inspired: The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe
(I have been wanting to read this ever since Austen spoofed it in Northanger Abbey.)

Melville & Homer inspired: The Nautical Chart by Arturo Pérez-Reverte
(Pérez-Reverte is the master of literary thrillers. Seriously, his novels are cerebral page-turners. This book is a sea-faring adventure which pays homage to Moby Dick and The Odyssey.)

Most curious about: Winter’s Tale by Mark Helprin
(Each of his books is completely different from the last! Also the movie is coming out in February.)

Gift book: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
(My niece gave me her copy as a “must read.” I had just read a spate of Nazi/WWII books, so she told me to wait to read it so the story could have its own resonance.)

Movie inspired read: A Very Long Engagement by Sébastien Japrisot
(I bought this because I’ve heard so many wonderful things about the movie and the book. Also, Japrisot is often referred to as the French Graham Greene, who was known for his adaptations and film work.)

Most intimidating book: Nightwoods by Charles Frazier
(Cold Mountain is one of the best books I’ve ever read, but it was an intense, grisly, visceral read. I’ve heard that Nightwoods very dark … and, for me, dark books are so much harder than dark movies.)

Most embarrassed it’s still in TBR: The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver
(I can’t believe I haven’t read this. I’ve put this in my “Now Reading” slot on my blog. I had it on my nightstand last winter for months. This is the “lacuna” of my reading list. OK, bad pun.)

Most Topical read: The Room and The Chair by Lorraine Adams
(Written by a Pulitzer Prize winning investigative reporter, this smart thriller takes place in Washington D.C. and in Afghanistan.)

Signed copy: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
(That’s one reason I have held back. It seems like such a nice keepsake.)

Souvenir: What is Art? by Leo Tolstoy
(I bought this after visiting the Hermitage, the Tretyakov, and the Pushkin museums in Russia. It was an art extravaganza! Those museums are unreal.)

I will link reviews of the books as I read them at 2014 TBR Pile Challenge.

Like Word Hits On Facebook

Follow @WordHits on Twitter

Read Full Post »

–The 2014 TBR Pile Challenge

As a reading resolution for the New Year, I have decided to take on The 2014 TBR Pile Challenge hosted by Adam at Roof Beam Reader.

Read more and declutter seems like a perfect New Year’s resolution.

Status: 7 of 12 read

Checkpoint 8: progress as of August 31

 

My 2014 TBR Pile Challenge List
(In no particular order and I may swap in/out the alternates.)

1. The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver (2009)

2. Winter’s Tale by Mark Helprin (1983)

3. The Nautical Chart by Arturo Pérez-Reverte (2000/2001 US translation)

4. What is Art? by Leo Tolstoy (1897/1995 US translation) — review pending

5. Nightwoods by Charles Frazier (2011)

6. The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides (2011)

7. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (2011)

8. Arabian Nights & Days by Naguib Mahfouz (1979/1995 US translation)

9. The Brontës by Rebecca Fraser (1988)

10. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (2005) — review pending

11. The Room and the Chair by Lorraine Adams (2010)

12. A Very Long Engagement by Sébastien Japrisot (1991/1993 US translation)

Alternates*:

1. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt (1994)

2. The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe (1794)

3. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (2006) — gave up after 81 pages

* I gave myself an extra because my TBR is just that big.

Ongoing Checkpoints:

Checkpoint 8: progress as of August 31

Checkpoint 5: progress as of May 31

Checkpoint 2: progress as of Feb 16

Checkpoint 1: progress as of Jan 15

Like Word Hits On Facebook

Follow @WordHits on Twitter

Read Full Post »

–Classics Club Readathon Intro Post and Progress Updates

8:15 am ish Books down for now. Feeling rejuvenated by my classics read-in, though I did not make it 24 hours. Still, as the forecast is freezing rain today, I’m hoping to channel the #ccreadathon with more Wharton this afternoon.

7:17 am Picked up Jane Austen, Game Theorist by Michael Suk-Young Chwe to reread the sections about Mansfield Park. I’m not sure if this counts (pub’d in 2012), but he has some new and very interesting insights into the character of Fanny. Resisted the urge to go online, so as to maximize last hour of #ccreadathon time.

11ish pm Fell asleep reading Edith Wharton. Barely remember flicking off the light.

8:30 pm Finished MP and now completely absorbed by The New York Stories of Edith Wharton. Reading about Old New York is almost like time travel.

6:55 pm Got slightly sidetracked looking at all the fun readathon updates at #ccreadathon and @ourclassicsclub on twitter. Back on the couch and nearly finished with Mansfield Park!

4:05 pm Had a lovely afternoon of reading with the sun streaming in through the windows. It’s fading now, and I must break to brave the crepuscular chill as the doggie is eager to go out before dark. #shortwinterdays

1:45 pm Took a break to walk the dog during the sunniest part of the day. The cold, hardened snowscape has me thinking I should be reading Ethan Frome, but I’m most content with Mansfield Park.

11:00 am Posting this response to the Classics Club Readathon Starting Post. Now back to Fanny Bertram… (Egad, spoiler alert, just realizing I wrote Fanny Bertram not Fanny Price!)

9:51 am Looked up from Mansfield Park to peruse #ccreadathon and @ourclassicsclub on twitter. Lots of great ideas for my target classics list.

8:17 am  Ah, coffee and Jane Austen … I should start every weekend morning like this!

7:58 am  Gasp. Rolled over to realize I’d slept in! Grabbed Mansfield Park off nightstand and flipped on the coffee.

Classics Club Readathon Intro Questions:

1.) Name and Blog: Sarah at WordHits

Coffee, chocolate, and a classic.

2.) Snacks/Beverages of Choice: My readathon fuel will be Nespresso coffee (yes, pods, but so unbelievably delish!), Lady Grey Tea, and dark chocolate.

3.) Where are you reading from today? Frozen, snowbound Connecticut. It’s 14°F outside! Perfect day to spend reading.

4.) What books are you planning on reading? Am starting with Mansfield Park by Jane Austen. Also on deck: Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, The New York Stories of Edith Wharton, and What is Art? by Leo Tolstoy. Here’s a bit more on my book choices.

5.) Are you excited? Yes! Well, inversely. I am excited to do nothing exciting but relax and read. I love that “this is a laid back, zero pressure readathon.” I always enjoy the @ourclassicsclub tweets about the Classics Spin and other classics memes. One of my New Year’s resolutions is to get involved!

WordHits: Cosy Up for the 2nd Annual Classics Club Readathon

Classics Club Readathon Official Starting Post #ccreadathon

The 2nd Annual Classics Club Readathon

Readathon Sign-Up

#ccreadathon hosted by @ourclassicsclub on Twitter

Like Word Hits On Facebook

Follow @WordHits on Twitter

Read Full Post »

–Cosy Up for the 2nd Annual Classics Club Readathon

The 2^nd Annual Classics Club Readathon takes place Sat. Jan 4^th.

What better way to start the New Year than by reading classic literature?! Indeed, a cosy day of tea and classics will be most therapeutic before we all get back to reality on Monday.

Read my Intro Post and Readathon Progress Updates.

The 24-hour readathon kicks off at 8 am EST.  Sign up and join us!!

I have four books at the ready in my readathon pile, although I most certainly won’t get through all of them. I do not like to rush when I’m reading, especially not when I am reading classics. Classic literature is to be savored.

I’ve selected two novels and two collections of shorter writings. Check out my readathon progress.

Mansfield Park by Jane Austen is top of my hit list. This year marks the 200^th anniversary of MP, so I am very excited to get into the celebratory spirit. This will be the fifth or sixth time I have read “my least favorite” Jane Austen novel. Still, it’s by Jane Austen, so it is of course a standout among books.

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson— I think adventure on the high seas will be a nice offset to Fanny’s quiet world, though I suppose it would pair better with Persuasion and Captain Wentworth. Both Treasure Island and Mansfield Park are bildungsroman (coming-of-age) novels, so they work well together in that sense.

The New York Stories of Edith Wharton—I love Edith Wharton’s writing, and I was happy to discover this collection of her stories about Old New York society. I always find it fascinating to read her descriptions of the city, as many of her landmarks are still there.

What is Art by Leo Tolstoy—The Russian master theorizes on “the role of the artist,” in this collection of essays on art, culture, and society. Tolstoy also details his visits to the opera and other contemporary happenings. I made sure to secure Penguin Classic edition, translated by the award-winning duo: Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky.

WordHits: Classics Club Readathon Intro Post and Progress Update

Classics Club Readathon Official Starting Post #ccreadathon

The 2nd Annual Classics Club Readathon

Readathon Sign-Up

#ccreadathon hosted by @ourclassicsclub on Twitter

Like Word Hits On Facebook

Follow @WordHits on Twitter

Read Full Post »