These will be my 2010 reading categories:
- Mystery
- Sci-fi / fantasy
- New Canadian books (published in 2009 or 2010)
- New young adult books (published in 2008 or later)
- Nonfiction
- Classic
- Recommended books
- Agatha Christie
- Unplanned (ARCs, spontaneous)
- Asian authors
I'm aiming for 10 books in each category.
Message edited by its author, Oct 19, 2009, 8:20am.
Welcome!
You have some interesting categories. I'm doing an Asian Authors category, too, so I'll be interested to see what you choose for it.
I'm looking forward to seeing the books in your categories, especially the Canadian one.
Message edited by its author, Aug 30, 2009, 5:54pm.
Remusly, I've not picked any books for my Asian Authors category yet, but I'm looking around. Being a second-generation Chinese Canadian myself, I particularly like books about the immigrant experience. I recently read
Short Girls by Vietnamese author
Bich Minh Nguyen. I just looked at your list and the choices are intriguing. I'd like to read more from Japanese authors.
RidgewayGirl, I'm working through the Ontario Library Association's 2009 Evergreen list (http://accessola.com/forest09evergreen) right now. Most of the books in my Canadian category will probably come from their 2010 list, to be announced in April. I'll also check out the next CBC Canada Reads list (http://www.cbc.ca/canadareads), which will be announced in November.
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Thanks for the links, mathgirl!
Always interested to see what people select in the Mystery category and I do want to read more Asian fiction so will be watching your picks in that one as well.
@15
I have read multiple Chinese authors, but very little Japanese and Vietnamese. I will definitely be checking back, even though I've already finished my list. At least I might find something for my TBR list, hahah.
I decided to remove my "Obscure Books" category, since most of the Canadian books I read (except for Margaret Atwood's and Alice Munro's) fall into that category anyhow. :-)
I added an "Agatha Christie" category. I'm planning to reread all her books in order of publication date. I figure this will take me several years. I'm currently reading
The Mysterious Affair at Styles, her first novel, and I've got
The Secret Adversary on hand to read next. I've added the following ones to my Category #8 list, omitting a few that I've read quite recently.
Oh I can tell I'm going to be borrowing some books from your list, starting with Red Mars. I've been dying to try this series for a while :)
Great list.
I'm reading all of Agatha Christie's books as well. I'm about a 1/4 of the way through.
Hi mathgirl, I will be especially watching your Agatha Christie, Fantasy and YA categories since I am also doing those. Hope you don't mind if I decide to poach a few titles!
I also have an Asian and a Classics category, so will be checking your list to see what you read. I tend to read more Chinese and Indian books, but am also trying to expand my reading.
BTW I recently read
China Men about Chinese immigrants to the States, excellent.
I've adjusted my categories again, and it probably won't be the last time. I changed "Random Library Find" to "Recommended books" because so many of my friends and family are insisting I read their favourites, and I really should! This category can still include the librarians' recommendations I find on the "staff picks" shelf at the library.
Hi mathgirl!
I'm also doing the Agatha Christie category, and reading most of the same books as you are! Definitely keeping an eye on your list!
Oh, yes, and you can ask friends here to recommend books you want to read. I did that on the 999 and it worked very nicely with a title I couldn't fit anywhere else.
I decided to start on 10/10 but I'm having a slow start, as I have a few books that are not part of this challenge that I want to finish first.
However, I did begin one book on my Mystery/Thriller list: Linwood Barclay's
Fear the Worst. I borrowed it in eAudiobook form from my library and am listening to it on my iPod Really good so far ... sufficiently creepy and scary!
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OK, I'll ask: why not make those books part of the challenge?. BTW, love the ticker.
What did you think of
Short Girls? I've seen it on the shelves at the bookshop, and I'd love to get an opinion before I bite the bullet and get it.
> 30: Unfortunately, the books I'm finishing up don't fall easily into the 10 categories I chose. I also wasn't sure if I wanted to count books that were mostly finished by the time 10/10 rolled around. Thanks for the comment about the ticker. I sure feel like that snail right now. :-)
>31 I picked a butterfly, but the snail feels much more appropriate.
> 31: I enjoyed Short Girls. Didn't have the impact as some of Amy Tan's works, for example, but it was a good, entertaining read. I added a review for it, if you want to check it out, and there are a number of other reviews for it too. Most are a fair assessment, I think.
I decided to move the two novels in my Russian Authors category into Classics. I replaced Russian Authors with an "Unplanned" category, for books that don't fit into the other categories. This includes ARCs/giveaways that I might win over the next year and books that don't fit into the other categories.
I'm also reading Howards End. I have it in my New Author Male category. I hope it's good!
> 36: Howard's End is terrific. I read it a very long time ago, and I decided that I really must read it again for the 1010 challenge.
Finished three so far:
1.
Fear the Worst by Linwood Barclay: a good thriller about a man whose daughter goes missing. I really enjoyed this one.
2.
Schooled by Gordon Korman: a funny and insightful novel about how a sheltered teen from a commune deals with bullying. My 10-year-old loved this and had recommended it to me.
3.
Kanata by Don Gillmor: a sweeping novel covering 200 years of Canada's history. I added a review
hereNice review of
Kanata. I know only a little of Canadian history so you have intrigued me. Thanks!
I second clfisha's comment!
39 and 40: Thanks for your comments!
Finished another 4 since my last update.
4.
Flashforward by Robert Sawyer: interesting concepts and exciting plot, despite a few flaws. Story is much better than the adaptation for the TV series, though I am enjoying the latter as well.
5.
The Road Past Altamont by Gabrielle Roy: a classic CanLit selection. Not bad, but I'd recommend
The Tin Flute for those new to Gabrielle Roy.
6.
The Ruby in the Smoke by Philip Pullman: the first in his Sally Lockhart mystery series, set in Victorian England. Loved it, as did my 10-year-old.
7.
Vanishing Girl by Shane Peacock: third book in this Boy Sherlock Holmes series. My 10-year-old and I adore this series. I've added a
review.
Message edited by its author, Nov 1, 2009, 11:10am.
You've really got my interest when you said
Flashforward the book is better than the TV series. I love the series, so now I will have to hunt that book down and check it out.
43: To be fair, I've heard mixed opinions on whether the book or TV series is better. Having a science background, I liked the discussions about the scientific ideas, which are glossed over on the TV series. Also, I can relate more to physicists than FBI agents. :-)
I'd be interested in hearing what others think. I'm still enjoying the TV series, though, and I understand that Robert Sawyer was fully supportive of the production.
Flashforward sounds like a great premise. I haven't seen the TV series but think I'll give the book a try. I like what I think of as SF-lite; set on contemporary Earth with a bunch of scientists as the main characters is just my speed. (I'm a big
John Wyndham fan.)
I see that my library has
Flashforward so I will definitely be giving that a try. I see he has written quite a few books - have you read anything else by him?
46: The only other Sawyer I've read is
WWW: Wake, the first of his new trilogy. I enjoyed it, but particularly because it is set in the city in which I live. :-)
Finished another three. Two were graphic novels, so very quick reads, and the third was my August ER win.
8.
Skim by Mariko Tamaki: a graphic novel with beautiful artwork about the loneliness of being a teenager, touching on depression, suicide and homosexuality.
9.
Serenity: Those Left Behind by Joss Whedon: a graphic novel based on the Firefly TV series. Nothing memorable about the plot, but I enjoyed the artwork, the introduction by actor Nathan Fillion and the history of the universe by Whedon.
10.
The Wife's Tale by Lori Lansens: story about a morbidly obese woman who goes on a journey of self-discovery. I added a review
here.
Hello Mathgirl40, I like your categories especially Agatha Christie and Asian Authors.
I like Joss Whedon and I saw the Serenity movie, but I have never been as interested in Firefly as I am in Buffy and Angel. Although, I do think Nathan Fillion is cute.
Message edited by its author, Nov 7, 2009, 6:46pm.
49: A friend of mine lent me Buffy series 1 after I told him I enjoyed Firefly, so I'm working through that now. Joss Whedon is great! Have you seen Nathan Fillion in Castle? I've just seen one episode, but I'll have to put this series on my to-watch list for later.
Yes I have. It's a fun show. I like the way his character relates to his little girl. Did you know that the book the character Richard Castle was writing on the show has been published? Can't remember the title, but I'm sure someone on LibraryThing has a copy.
11.
Shadow in the North by Philip Pullman: the second book in the Sally Lockhart Victorian mystery series. Gripping plot, good character development, just as good as the first in the series!
12.
The Big Four by Agatha Christie: a novel about Hercule Poirot's encounters with the criminal gang, The Big Four. Because the novel was formed from several short stories, it felt a big disjointed. However, it was a treat for me to listen to this on audiobook, read by Hugh Fraser, who plays Hastings in the TV series.
13.
Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami. Disturbing, surreal, humorous, beautiful. Not sure I have the words to summarize this book adequately in a sentence or two.
I liked the first half of Kafka on the Shore, the second not so much.
So what did you think of Firefly? Watched the series myself over the weekend for the first time and really liked it.
53: I loved Firefly. My initial reaction was, "Why on earth am I watching this violent show based on a ridiculous premise?" but I got totally hooked by the second episode.
54: I'm almost at the end of
Tiger in the Well now, and I'm really enjoying it as well.
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