BJ's 2012 TBR lists

Here is my primary list of books.

1. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling. (Read 8/8/12)
2. Adjunct: An Undigest by Peter Manson. (Read 2/21/12)
3. Storm Front by Jim Butcher. (Read 10/4/12)
4. The Year's Best Science Fiction & Fantasy: 2009 edited by Rich Horton. (Read 10/26/12)
5. Siddhartha by Herman Hesse. (Read 3/15/12)
6. Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. (Read 9/19/12)
7. The Eagle Has Landed by Jack Higgins. (Read 6/26/12)
8. Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo. (Read 1/13/12)
9. The Warden by Anthony Trollope. (Read 7/31/12)
10. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis. (Read 5/4/12)
11. Vile Bodies by Evelyn Waugh. (Read 10/6/12)
12. Stardust by Neil Gaiman. (Read 6/30/12)

Here is my alternate list taken from those not done last year.

1. On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin. (Read 2016)
2. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. (Read 4/17/12)
3. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. (Read 6/3/12)
4. The Voyage of the HMS Beagle by Charles Darwin. (Read 2017)
5. Sarum by Edward Rutherford.
6. The Demon in the Freezer by Richard Preston. (Read 10/30/12)
7. The Bear and the Dragon by Tom Clancy.
8. The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster. (Read 2016)
9. Labyrinths by Jorge Luis Borges. (Read 12/26/12)
10. Inkheart by Cornelia Funke. (Read 9/24/12)
11. 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke. (Read 11/8/12)
12. Neuromancer by William Gibson. (Read 2016)

Last year, I finished exactly 12. I hope I finish at least that many this year.

Excellent lists, billiejean. I've read The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe and 2001: A Space Odyssey before and enjoyed them both immensely - if you get to them, I hope you do as well. (Word to the wise: if you haven't yet seen the film version of 2001, I highly recommend you do so BEFORE you read Clarke's novel. If you don't, there's a really good chance your brain will be locked into Clarke's interpretation of the events depicted in the film and thereby deprive yourself of what is, IMHO, a truly awe-inspiring cinematic experience.)

Thanks for the recommendation. I have never seen the entire film, but I have heard that it is terrific. I will check it out. :)

>4 billiejean:

Cool. Happy reading, BTW. :)

The 2001 movie definitely had me puzzled at the end, so I'm looking forward to reading that sometime myself. I'm going for some Herman Hesse and Dickens this year too! Rutherfurd made my 2011 list and Sarum would be his next one I'll try, but not this year. Wish I could find Borges' Ficciones, I've been keeping an eye out for that. Winn-Dixie is a cute story. Inkheart I found disappointing but its two sequels are better. I'm reading Lion/Witch/Wardrobe right now (for the third time, in my case)!

Edit: No Clash of Kings or Proust? ;)

I finished the Proust last year! I have my kids reading the Martin series, so no telling when Clash of Kings will return to the house.

I am currently reading both The Count of Monte Cristo and Infinite Jest, but they are both so long that I need to squeeze a really short book or two in the midst of them.

I am currently reading both The Count of Monte Cristo and Infinite Jest, but they are both so long that I need to squeeze a really short book or two in the midst of them.

Ambitious! Eager to hear your thoughts on both books. :)

***

Heywood: The Count of Monte Crisco...
Floyd: That's "Cristo" you dumb shit.
Heywood: ...by Alexandree Dumb-ass. Dumb-ass.
Andy Dufresne: Dumb-ass? "Dumas". You know what it's about? You'll like it, it's about a prison break.
Red: We oughta file that under "Educational" too, oughten we?

The Shawshank Redemption (Frank Darabont, 1994)

I loved that scene in the movie The Shawshank Redemption and it has made me want to read the book for sure!

TCOMC is a fun read so far. Quick moving for such a long book.

Infinite Jest is strange. I haven't gotten a handle on it yet. But I am still in the early pages of it.

>9 billiejean:

TCOMC is a fun read so far. Quick moving for such a long book.

In The Top Ten: Writers Pick Their Favorite Books, the editor describes it as "{t}he fastest fifteen hundred pages in world literature". I'll definitely have to give that one a go before too long.

I am enjoying TCOMC quite a bit. I think I might make it through this year. I think this book has been part of this challenge for at least the two previous years. And it is a great story.

I finally finished a short book on my list that I have been wanting to read for years, Because of Winn-Dixie. This book was wonderful. Everything good that happened to Opal happened because of her stray dog Winn-Dixie. This Newberry Honor book was a terrific read.

In addition to The Count of Monte Cristo, I am still reading Infinite Jest. The two books could not be more different! I have also just barely started Storm Front by Jim Butcher.

>11 billiejean:

Wow, you're a juggler! :D

I am actually happy to report that a couple of the short story collections that I have been dipping into occasionally (both volumes in the American Fantastic Tales Boxed Set) are due back at the library tomorrow. I am really just wanting to power through the rest of the book I am working on (Cryptonomicon, still) and get on to the next one; the fewer other volumes I have around distracting me, the the more apt I am to accomplish this.

I read Because of Winn-Dixie to my son last year. It wasn't as obvious to me that the dog was responsible for everything good ... maybe you paid more attention than me, lol

#12> Cryptonomicon is a book that I have been wanting to read for a while, and I seem to recall that it is quite long. I do kind of juggle books a lot. I guess everything looks so good and I have no self-control. I have also been interested in that set of American Fantastic Tales. See what I mean about no self-control?

#13> I think there was a line in the book that mentioned it and it reminded me of the title. I was so glad to see a happy ending to that story!

>14 billiejean:

I guess everything looks so good and I have no self-control.

I feel your pain, billiejean. I have a blog entitled "...desirous of everything at the same..." (it's a steal from Jack Kerouac's On the Road) that I called that because I'm, well, desirous of everything at the same time. I've always been like that to a certain extent, but this tendency has sort of exploded since I started frequenting sites like LT and Amazon where you can not just find books you like, but almost simultaneously find dozens of others that people like yourself (i.e., people interested in that book/author) find just as interesting. It's simultaneously wonderful and maddening. :/

That is exciting how LT has changed my life. I read more now, but there is so much more that I want to read now.

>16 billiejean:

Yeah, Tim & co. have created a lovely little world for us here, haven't they? It feels like home. :)

You are so right. I have been so busy lately, that I have not had much time for LT or reading, and it has affected my mood.

>18 billiejean:

Withdrawal symptoms? ;)

For sure!

I think I'd suffer likewise, in your shoes. Especially after signing up for the TBR Challenge with good intentions and then hitting roadblocks so early on, it can be discouraging. There's still lots of 2012 left though!

Yes, and I am trying to decide what to read for February. I am tempted to try to get Adjunct: An Undigest read as it is not too long, while still reading along on Infinite Jest and The Count of Monte Cristo.

My second book finished is Adjunct: an Undigest by Peter Manson. I had really hit a brick wall with this one until Nickelini gave me some hints. I followed her advice and looked at it as a collage and just let it flow over me. Thanks!!! There was a lot of mention of poetry, so I am thinking that Manson is a poet. I will have to look him up.

What will I finish in March? I have started Oliver Twist (just barely) and am still reading TCOMC and Infinite Jest. All three are kind of long, with the Dickens book being the shortest (funny, huh?).

#23 - glad that my tips on Adjunct helped. Yes, if you try to read it strictly as a narrative, it doesn't work.

>23 billiejean:/25 Whew - I can't abide that sorta book, but kudos to you folks for finding its merit.

>24 billiejean:, watch out for those 'just barely' starts, lol - I 'just barely' started Jane Eyre, suddenly I'm four chapters in and saying to myself "no, stop, you're already reading three other books!", lol

I liked Monte Cristo. Infinite Beast sounds like a ... whups, Freudian slip there ...

#25> Yes, I kept saying "This doesn't make sense" when I tried to read it like a narrative. In the end, I found it quite interesting.

#26> All three books are quite captivating. My problem is choosing which one on which to concentrate. Lately, it has been Infinite Jest. That is another book that takes a little going with the flow because at the beginning, at least, (where I am) it is all disjointed.

Good going, billiejean. The having-multiple-books-going thing seems to be a common problem among bibliophiles. Look at it this way - if you hadn't made your TBR lists, you'd probably be juggling even more books! :)

I do have a few others. I am reading the Foundation series by Asimov. I just finished the first two prequels and have started the original trilogy. Plus my reading for Lent. But mostly, I am reading the tbr books.

I just finished Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse, which was quite a thought-provoking book. This book follows Siddhartha's life and journey toward self-awareness. I am sure that I will read this one again.

Still reading (slowly) Infinite Jest, The Count of Monte Cristo and Oliver Twist along with the Foundation series (only the two later sequels left for that and too bad that they are not TBRs!).

I just finished Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse, which was quite a thought-provoking book. This book follows Siddhartha's life and journey toward self-awareness. I am sure that I will read this one again.

Yes, that's definitely one of those books worth rereading. I originally read it because my therapist and I were discussing literature and he recommended it. I've now read it three times, and if I didn't have such a monstrously large TBR pile, I'd read it again soon.

I've got Hermann Hesse coming up myself, although in my case it'll be Magister Ludi. Does Siddhartha have an eastern religion focus, is it philosophical ... what's the message?

There is an Eastern religion aspect and it is also philosophical. In this book, Siddhartha wants to leave home to join Samanas and lead a simple life with no possessions. While with the group, he feels that there is more than he is getting from this choice. He meets a Buddha. Instead of joining the Buddha with his best friend he goes off on his own. He then turns to a life of sensuality. Ultimately, he is not satisfied with that. Really a short capsule of it cannot show what it is, and it is not a long book to read. I think that going through the journey with Siddhartha is part of what makes the book special.

I bet you can explain it all better than me, Nickelini. It is kind of a search for meaning in life, and an understanding of self. What would you say it is about?

I finally read Oliver Twist after all these years. I had a little trouble getting into the story at first, but ultimately I thought it was a pretty good tale. It does have some annoying old stereotypes in it. Now I have read a total of 3 books by Dickens.

>34 billiejean:

Good for you, billiejean. I have read only one Dickens novel (Great Expectations). Need to get to more of his work in the near future.

2nd person who's read Oliver Twist for TBR this year, 2nd person to mention the old stereotypes. It's definitely on my 2013 list; I'm looking at it right now, on the pile of books on my desk. Hopefully I'm through The Pickwick Papers by then!

I have never read either The Pickwick Papers or Great Expectations. I do have a copy of GE around here somewhere. The only other books by Dickens that I have read are A Tale of Two Cities and Bleak House, and I enjoyed both of them.

I am going to need a shorter book for May because I am going out of town. Maybe I will read Vile Bodies or The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

For May I ended up reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis. I enjoyed this quite a bit and now want to read the rest of the series. I am trying to figure out when to read The Magician's Nephew.

And I have rededicated myself to The Count of Monte Cristo and have even passed the halfway mark. :)

>38 billiejean:

Good for you, billiejean. Glad you enjoyed THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE. Most Lewis scholars express a preference for the Narnia books to be read in publication order, i.e., that you should read The Magician's Nephew between The Horse and His Boy and The Last Battle, rather than before TLtWatW (which you can't do now anyway); I tend to agree with them.

Thanks for telling me. My series has it first, but I kind of thought that it wasn't supposed to be read first. So I will follow your suggestion.

I am firmly in the dissenting camp of reading The Magician's Nephew first, but since it's too late for that ..... just make sure that if you get to the end, that end is The Last Battle.

I am glad you mentioned that because I did consider reading it last. Maybe I will go ahead and read it next.

I finally finished The Count of Monte Cristo, and it was a terrific read! I just had to read it and nothing else for a while and immerse myself in it.

I have started The Eagle has Landed, so far, so good.

It's looking like I have to do the same "this and nothing else" approach with The Pickwick Papers before the year's out, or I'll never get to the end of it in time.

Read Monte Cristo years ago in an abridged form that chopped it down to about 650 pages. That felt long enough to me, lol

>43 billiejean:

Yay! I know you've been working on that for a while. Glad you finished it. :)

Thanks!

My kids read an abridged version in high school. I was all set to read it when they told me it was abridged and that I just had to read the whole thing. And I am glad I did. Their school version was quite a bit shorter than 650 pages, though. I wonder how it was cut down that much?

There's a couple I've chickened out on, picking up an abridged copy; that was one, Les Miserables was another, and on my TBR pile is Samuel Richardson's Clarissa in abridged format, which I was absolutely not going to tackle wholesale. I can only speak to Les Mis having chopped out the not-relevant-to-plot stuff about relating the battle of Waterloo and the history of Paris sewers, etc.

Les Mis is another on my longterm tbr. I have read the abridged, but my girls love, love, love that book. So I have just barely started it (but put it down to read TCOMC). So one of these days! I also just barely started unabridged Clarissa. So I guess I am good at starting, but need help with finishing. :)

Just checking in to say that I am over halfway through The Eagle Has Landed and hope to finish by the end of June. Wondering which to read next. I ought to finish Infinite Jest. But that would be another super-long one after The Count of Monte Cristo. Totally different, though. :)

Well ... you could always start it and see how it goes, then read other things on the side if it's a slow one? Haven't read Infinite Jest, but I've heard it's a lot to take in all at once anyway.

Edit: whoops, you were already doing that way back in January... so much for that advice!

Yes, I put it down to concentrate on The Count of Monte Cristo. I was quite interesting, actually. But kind of awkward with all the endnotes. Maybe I will read about 200 more pages and then read somethings else, kind of alternating until I get it finished. My daughter made me promise to stick with it.

I finished The Eagle Has Landed by Jack Higgins. It was a terrific read. Kind of a WW2 spy novel told from the point of view of Germany. It was compared to The Day of the Jackal, and that was a pretty fair comparison.

I might alternate between Infinite Jest and Stardust.

You guys might find this interesting:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_longest_novels

I've seen that :) Done the jog with Les Mis (abridged), War and Peace, and Atlas Shrugged. I have Clarissa (abridged) on the TBR pile. You might see me list it in, I dunno, 2025 at this rate.

Infinite Jest keep trying to ride home with me, but I've resisted so far. billiejean has out-braved me with Proust. Maybe he'll look do-able to me after I'm done with the 3 million words of Malazan.

I've attempted both Clarissa and Atlas Shrugged, neither with much success (I did manage to get all the way through Anthem, however).

#53> Thanks for the list. The only ones I have read are In Search of Lost Time and War and Peace. Of the two, I liked War and Peace much more, but there were some pretty terrific parts of the Proust.

I am glad to say that I have reached the 1/3 mark on Infinite Jest. I am hoping to reach the halfway point before the end of the month, but I don't think I will make it. I am working more and reading less these days.

I was surprised by all the books that I had not heard of on the list. I do plan to read both Clarissa (which I have started but stalled out on) and Les Miserables, which I have read abridged.

And I keep working on the books for next year's list. Is that crazy or what??? Some parts of IJ have those paragraphs that go on for 3 pages like in Proust and that just is too long for me.

Infinite Jest showed up on a list that was linked to over at Science Fiction Fans (along with my own personal bête noire from earlier this year, Cryptonomicon):

http://m.io9.com/5924625/10-science-fiction-novels-you-pretend-to-have-read-and-...

>56 billiejean:

And I keep working on the books for next year's list. Is that crazy or what???

If it's crazy, then we're both crazy. I was making a list of superhero prose fiction titles (a somewhat obscure subgenre that I seem to have accumulated quite a bit of) that I want to go on my TBR for 2013 just last night. I also have been keeping a running list of "TBR Challenge Dos And Don'ts". :)

I didn't know IJ was sci-fi? That's interesting. But I don't know that Strange & Norrell is sci-fi either, and that one I *have* read, lol

I'm in the crazy camp too, but it's a scary place when I consider how tall my TBR pile will remain, even looking that far out. Not to mention I'll probably need to reserve some spots for the 2012 didn't-quite-get-there titles, which sets me even further back ... you can see why I'm trying not to think about it.

Thanks for the list! I have read Dune, Foundation (just this year!), 1984, and Last and First Men (slightly different title than listed), but not Star Maker. I might have that book around here somewhere, though. Of the ones I have read, Last and First Men was by far the hardest to read.

I have reached the 40% mark on IJ. My daughter insists that it is not actually infinite, but I am not totally convinced. I hope to reach the halfway mark by the end of July.

You are so right about the TBR pile not getting smaller, Cecrow. And I am having so much trouble not buying new books even though my work has slowed my reading so much.

Art, do you have the list of TBR Challenge Dos and Don'ts on your thread? I need to check and see.

I forgot to list that I finished Stardust on June 30, 2012. This fairytale by Neil Gaiman is written for adults to enjoy, and I believe that there might be a movie of it. It was lovely.

And today I finished The Warden by Anthony Trollope, my first book by Trollope and the first book in a series about Barcestershire in nineteenth century England. I truly enjoyed this fun read about a religious man in charge of a "hosptial" or nursing home for poor workers who is sued in court for too much salary. This was a quick read and a break at the halfway point in IJ, and I do want to read the rest of the series.

So now back to IJ.

>60 billiejean:

Good going, billiejean. :)

>59 billiejean:, saw the movie Stardust, and it didn't inspire me to read the book. I'm not a very big Gaiman fan, based on what little I've sampled.

I want to read Barchester Towers sometime, not sure whether I'll read the Warden first or not. Encourages me that you say it's a quick read, though. Hmmm.

Thanks, Art!

The Warden is quite short, so it is worth the read, I think, Cecrow.

Well, I haven't returned to Infinite Jest yet. I started Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. It has been so long since I saw the movie that I can only vaguely recall what is going to happen. Which is lucky, I guess. I saw all the movies before starting the books. Backwards, isn't it?

I am hoping to read 250 pages of Infinite Jest this month, so I guess I better it pick it back up. HP is a much fast read, so more tempting.

>63 billiejean:

I saw all the movies before starting the books. Backwards, isn't it?

Well, most people just see the movies and never read the books, so I'd say you've got a leg up. :D

The movies are great fun, but the books are better, I think. I finally finished Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and I had totally forgotten the ending, so it was quite exciting with no spoilers. I have been reading about one of these books a year and they just keep getting better.

I have gone 2 weeks without reading any of Infinite Jest, so I need to get back to that one soon. :) I am not sure what I read next. Maybe Vile Bodies.

I'm an unabashed big fan of Harry, and of Rowling. I think the series is brilliant. I even like the fifth one, although I'd confess it's longer than it needed to be.

That's the trouble with the tricky ones; you want a break, but it seems like the longer a break you allow yourself, the harder it is to pick up where you left off. Poor Pickwick, I've left it languishing for months now, but at least in that case it's an easy one to pick up again. Infinite Jest I think would be a whole other kettle of fish.

At the beginning, Infinite Jest is a series of disconnected vignettes. The sense of time is confused by the way things are dated. At about 200, time is clarified and things start to come together. Where I am now in the book, there are so many sections that revolve around about a 3 day period, but not in chronological order. The book is a great book, don't get me wrong. I just think my work schedule makes it hard to devote concentrated time to it. So I look to something easier and quicker. And HP at 734 pages was a quick, fun read. Also, the endnotes, while adding to the book for the most part, are hard to flip back and forth to reach due to the size of the book. Doesn't sound like I will ever finish, does it? But I shall perservere and try to finish by the end of the year.

I always use a 2nd bookmark for endnotes, advancing it as I advance through the chapters. Been doing that a lot with some of the classics I've read lately. And a case in point of when you *don't* want to use an ereader, then it's just a pain.

#60 - Yes, I have to do that too. I use a little sticky flag, and just move it along through the notes as I go.

I do have a second bookmark, but the book is still awkward to flip through. On the other hand, I do think that the endnotes are an important part of the book, and I don't want to miss them. Some of them are quite lengthy, which is why they are endnotes. And some endnotes have endnotes. Really, I need to pick it back up again, because I am remembering some of the things that were happening and want to find out what happens next! I have just been away from LT too much lately, I think.

I am now 70% of the way through Infinite Jest. I am hoping to finish by the end of September.

Just popping in to report that I only have 60 more pages of the infinite book to read. It might not be infinite after all! I am so excited!

>72 billiejean:

Hurray! And it's way before the end of the month! :D

Lat night I finished Infinite Jest! This book was quite a bit of work for me, but overall I am glad that I read it. For a while there, I was not sure that I would stick with it. But things started to come together when I decided to stick with just this book. There were some unresolved issues at the end that I really wanted to know about.

By the way, I have started book 12 which is Inkheart by Cornelia Funke, which looks to be quite a bit easier, although it is kind of long, too. Since my goal was to get to half of the books, I will be super happy if I finish any over 12.

>74 billiejean: & 75

Congratulations on finishing (apparently not actually) Infinite Jest, & glad that you found it to be a rewarding experience.

I am on book #11 from my lists and also have a goal of finishing 12 of them, so I share your excitement. 8)

Fantastic! Especially the part about being glad you read it. :) It's one I may tackle myself someday, if I happen upon a copy of it. Now you've finished that, and Art got through Cryptonomicon, maybe there's still hope for me to finish The Pickwick Papers ;)

I've read Inkheart, and it's better than the movie was. The sequels are great.

>75 billiejean:

So are you going to continue to read books off your lists after you finish this one, or are you going to read some other stuff (or both)? The reason I ask is that I, too, am on my 12th book from my lists and have accumulated a ton of other titles that I want to get to since starting this thing, but I don't wanna be the only one in the Challenge that is moving on to non-list stuff. :D

Thanks for the congrats!

I finished Inkheart, which was a lot of fun to read. I had forgotten that there was a movie of it. My daughter saw it and said that the book was better. We don't have any of the sequels. I have heard that The Pickwick Papers is quite long. I am hoping to read another Dickens next year. I need a break from the superlong ones for a while, though.

I kind of intersperse nonlist books along with the list books. I say read whatever you want to read since you reached your goal. I am going to continue to read from the list some, but I feel the pressure is off. Right now, I am reading Vile Bodies by Evelyn Waugh. But I decided to read Decline and Fall, which I apparently don't have, first. So I checked that out of the library. But after Vile Bodies, I want to read some Halloween literature.

I also finished Storm Front by Jim Butcher, which is book one of the Dresden Files. I picked it as sort of a Halloween read. It was a fun read, so I think I might put book two on next year's list.

>79 billiejean:

I finished Inkheart, which was a lot of fun to read.

Well then, double congratulations - on finishing that one and on finishing your twelve!

I need a break from the superlong ones for a while, though.

I can't imagine why you'd say that. ;)

I say read whatever you want to read since you reached your goal.

Well, I haven't quite reached my goal yet - I'm reading book #12. I am gonna read a non-list book when I'm done with this one, though - guilt-free! :D

Sounds like a smart idea. Unfortunately I had the number 24 in my head from the start rather than 12, so I'm not going to live up to my own standards. I've prepared my response though - everything I miss is going onto next year's list!

Thanks for the congrats!

Here are the books for October:

Vile Bodies by Evelyn Waugh. This book satirizes everyone, and I do mean everyone, in society.

The Year's Best Science Fiction and Fantasy 2009 edited by Rich Horton. I thought this was a great choice for Halloween. Lots of good stories here, but also a few that I did not care for.

The Demon in the Freezer by Richard Preston. Involves biology but much easier to follow than Origin of the Species, Preston writes about the eradication of small pox and then the looming threat of biological warfare. I remember getting the small pox vaccine when I was a child. This book was creepy but compelling. It was a quick read. I guess it was easier to read than the Darwin because Preston is not a biologist so the science was not too detailed.

I also carry forward my unread titles, but I this year I moved them to the alternate list and I like that better. I looked up what year each returning book first found its way onto a list, and I only have one left from my first year 2008 -- The Origin of Species which I am definitely reading next year. (Notice that I don't think I can tackle it this year!)

Happy Halloween, all!

Hurrah - you finished your primary list! You'll definitely beat me on that score.

This is the first time in 5 years to finish the primary list. I moved all my repeats to the alternate list and I think that made all the difference.

You are really doing great with your reading, I noticed!

Re Infinite Jest, this group just appeared on my "recommended groups" for the first time. I'm amazed that a group dedicated to a single book can have this many members and be this active: http://www.librarything.com/groups/infinitejesters

I was checking that group out when I started reading the book, plus there was a group read of it. But I got so far behind that I was worried about spoilers (as if there could be any with that book!)

By the way, I finished 2001: A Space Odyssey. I understood the book more than the movie. And it was interesting that there were some differences even though both were written at the same time. It was an easier read than I expected.

I just cannot decide on my list for next year. I have too many books that I want to read. I guess that is a good problem.

I've been fine-tuning that list for a few months now .... and I could probably write one for 2014 at this point, too .... sigh

I have started Labyrinths by Jorge Luis Borges, which is really quite interesting. I am not sure that I will finish by the end of the year, but I hope I do.

Still pondering my next list. I am trying to get my daughter to help me.

I'd like to sample Borges, probably with Ficciones. The local library has it but I'm hoping I'll find a copy.

Hopefully I can follow your good example in 2013 and read my primary 12, I haven't managed to do that in this challenge yet.

This was my first time to finish the primary 12. And I finally finished the Borges book. It was a great read, but complex. I will have to read it again sometime. Interestingly, I was reading the essay on time when our priest gave a homily covering some of the ideas in the essay.

I am officially done with the 2012 challenge. I read 18 books, which is my best ever total by far. I hope my next year's list is a good. I have been struggling with it for about 6 months!

If ever I pick up Infinite Jest someday and get bogged down in it for months, I'll remember exactly who to blame for inspiring the problem, lol

Just keep telling yourself, "I have to stick with it for 200-250 pages!"

>86 billiejean:

By the way, I finished 2001: A Space Odyssey. I understood the book more than the movie. And it was interesting that there were some differences even though both were written at the same time. It was an easier read than I expected.

Yeah, the book 2001 is sort of a solution (rather than the solution) to the riddle that is the film 2001. The film is open to a seemingly endless number of interpretations, which is probably why it's kept film critics and SF geeks busy for so many years; I'm totally not surprised to see that there is a fairly lengthy Wikipedia article exclusively dedicated to interpretations of the film: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interpretations_of_2001:_A_Space_Odyssey

I have noticed that it has been on tv quite a bit lately. Funny how you notice things like that right after you read a book.

>94 billiejean:

Yeah, me too. Turner Classic Movies in particular seems to really love to play it.

I love that channel.

You're a classic movie nut, too, huh? That's cool. Personally, I've been trying to get caught up on contemporary cinematic fare a bit more, however, as I'm getting really tired of hearing my friends say, "You mean you haven't seen (insert name of 21st-century blockbuster here)?" *rolls eyes*

About 3/4 of all movies made these days are remakes.

I did see an interesting movie last month called Gattaca. I don't know if that was a remake or not, but it was an interesting premise and visually lovely.

About 3/4 of all movies made these days are remakes.

It certainly seems that way. Either that or continuations of franchises.

Gattaca

I see that's on HDNet Movies next week. I'll DVR it and let you know what I think.

I hope you like it.