Around the World in 12 Books Challenge 2014
Unfortunately, I did not manage to fulfill all the challenges I had set myself. My migraines were getting worse toward the end of the year and I read less than at the beginning. So, I only read 77 books this year as opposed to 109 last year. Here are the results of the challenges, more details on the respective pages.
Around the World in 12 Books Challenge 2014
1 read 2 books from Africa (Namibia and general),
6 from Asia (China, India 2, Iran, Israel, Myanmar/Burma),
47 from Europe (Finland, France 2, Germany 9, Greece 3, Ireland, Italy 4, The Netherlands 3, Norway, Portugal, Russia 2, Scandinavia, Spain 3, Sweden 2, Switzerland, Turkey 4, United Kingdom 9),
16 from North America (Canada 2, Guadeloupe, USA 13),
1 from Australia and
1 Extra Terrestrial (Mars).
Somehow I did not read a book from South America this year which is very unusual because I do like the style of their authors. I have read books from 27 countries, though and those were all new books.
2014 Postal Challenge
I don't think I have done very well with this one but there were 21 books that certainly contained letters.
Reading Challenge - Chunky Books 2014
I read 22 chunky books this year (more than 450 pages), 5 of which were "chunksters" (more than 750 pages). My goal had been at least 16 chunky books, so I guess I have reached that.
The Motherhood + Jane Austen Book Club
Jane Austen is my favourite author and when Gidgets Go Home started a challenge to read all her books again and then discuss it as to the mothers in the series, I signed up right away. There is a Facebook page where the discussions were held and I enjoyed every single one of them.
This was our schedule and I added the links to the books here:
1. (Feb) Pride & Prejudice
2. (April) Mansfield Park
3. (June) Persuasion
4. (Aug) Emma
5. (Oct) Northanger Abbey
6. (Dec) Sense & Sensibility
The "Piggybank" Challenge 2014
This challenge goes officially from 1 March 2014 to 1 March 2015 but it's easier to wrap this up now with the rest of the challenges. This year, I did not read as many books as last year, I was just too sick too often. I read 77 this year which resulted in €154 to spend on something nice.
What's in a Name 2014 Reading Challenge
This challenge had four categories in which we were supposed to read one book in each of the categories:
1. A book with a reference to time in the title (Eleven Minutes, Before Ever After)
2. A book with a position of royalty in the title (The People’s Queen, The Last Empress, The Curse Of The Pharaoh)
3. A book with a number written in letters in the title (The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, A Tale Of Two Cities)
4. A book with a forename or names in the title (Rebecca, Eleanor & Park, The Unfinished Work Of Elizabeth D.)
5. A book with a type or element of weather in the title (Gone With The Wind, Red Earth Pouring Rain)
I read:
three books in category 1: seven years, midnight, twelve (o'clock)
one in category 2: prince,
three in category 3: two, six, seven, (2x) twelve
15 in category 4: Anne, Antje, Berlin, Daniel, Elizabeth, Emma, Faber, Franz, Hannah, Hattie, (2x), Jesus, Lolita, Nero, Peony, Rosie, Sophie, Ulysses, Zarathustra
and two in category 5: snow, sky
For more details, please see the appropriate links. You find the links to my posts by clicking on the name of the challenge and the original challenge by clicking on the picture.
Then there are the lists where I add books every year.
The goal is to read a book from every year of the 20th century.
I only added two new books this year but "every little helps".
Mann, Thomas "Death in Venice" (GE: Der Tod in Venedig) - 1912
Montgomery, L. M. (Lucy Maud) "Anne of Green Gables" - 1908
I added four books this year and have now read 22 of those 100 novels.
#1 Joyce, James "Ulysses" - 1922
#4 Nabokov, Vladimir Vladimirovich [Влади́мир Влади́мирович Набо́ков] "Lolita" - 1955
#7 Heller, Joseph "Catch-22" - 1961
#65 Burgess, Anthony "A Clockwork Orange" - 1962
I have always enjoyed reading books by the Nobel Prize winners. These are the books I read this year:
Fo, Dario "My first seven years (plus a few more)" (IT: Il Paese dei Mezaràt: I miei primi sette anni (e qualcuno in più)) - 2004
Mann, Thomas "Death in Venice" (GE: Der Tod in Venedig) - 1912
Pamuk, Orhan "My Father's Suitcase" (TR: Babamın Bavulu) - 2007
Pamuk, Orhan "Snow" (TR: Kar) - 2002
Pamuk, Orhan "The White Castle" (TR: Beyaz Kale) - 1985
Sienkiewicz, Henryk "Quo Vadis: A Narrative of the Time of Nero" (PL: Quo Vadis. Powieść z czasów Nerona) - 1895
I was invited to join this group "Read the Nobels" and have thoroughly enjoyed adding some of my blogs about the books by some Nobel Prize winners. I love reading the Nobel Prize Winners' work and found a lot of interesting reviews on this page.
These were the 5 books I reviewed on this page in 2014
Hesse, Hermann "Siddhartha" (GE: Siddhartha) - 1922
Mann, Thomas "The Magic Mountain" (GE: Der Zauberberg) - 1924
Buck, Pearl S. "Pavilion of Women" - 1946
Hemingway, Ernest Miller 1954 "The Old Man and the Sea" - 1952
Pamuk, Orhan "The White Castle" (TR: Beyaz Kale) - 1985
Burgess, Anthony "A Clockwork Orange" - 1962
Joyce, James "Ulysses" - 1922
Oscar Winning Books
Burgess, Anthony "A Clockwork Orange" - 1962
Fowles, John "The French Lieutenant’s Woman" - 1969
Joyce, James "Ulysses" - 1922
Nabokov, Vladimir Vladimirovich [Влади́мир Влади́мирович Набо́ков] "Lolita" - 1955
Sienkiewicz, Henryk "Quo Vadis: A Narrative of the Time of Nero" (PL: Quo Vadis. Powieść z czasów Nerona) - 1895
Frisch, Max "Homo Faber" (GE: Homo Faber) - 1957
Lindgren, Astrid "Seacrow Island" (SW: Vi på Saltkråkan) - 1964
Pamuk, Orhan "My Father's Suitcase" (TR: Babamın Bavulu) - 2007
Pamuk, Orhan "Snow" (TR: Kar) - 2002
Pamuk, Orhan "The White Castle" (TR: Beyaz Kale) - 1985
Still only one book. Maybe I should try Finnnegans Wake next.
Mathis, Ayana "The Twelve Tribes of Hattie" - 2013
The BBC believes most people will have only read 6 of the 100 books here. I added only four this year and have now finished 64 of them.
Joyce, James "Ulysses" - 1922
Montgomery, L. M. (Lucy Maud) "Anne of Green Gables" - 1908
Nabokov, Vladimir Vladimirovich [Влади́мир Влади́мирович Набо́ков] "Lolita" - 1955
Thackeray, William Makepeace "Vanity Fair, or, A Novel without a Hero" - 1848
Not really a challenge but a wonderful list of valuable books to read. I am happy to have read six of them and only one did not really receive my approval.
Smiley, Jane "13 Ways of Looking at the Novel" - 2005
I read three more of the books in her list.
Joyce, James "Ulysses" - 1922
Nabokov, Vladimir Vladimirovich [Влади́мир Влади́мирович Набо́ков] "Lolita" - 1955
Thackeray, William Makepeace "Vanity Fair, or, A Novel without a Hero" - 1848
Interesting Lists--I always find lists interesting. On the 100 Best Book List I've read 53 of the books, on the British List I've read 26, and on the European List I've read 32. Still have a lot of books to read.
ReplyDeleteThat's nice. I love lists, too, but this is going to be my last for a while. At least I think so. LOL. You never know.
DeleteThat's a lot of books you read on the 100 Best Books List but I read mroe on the British list which probably means that the former is more American.
Anyway, it's always good to have some inspiration for more good books. Not that we'd need any, I guess. And yes, a lot more books to read.
Have a good day,
Marianne