kiwiflowa's 2014 Category Challenge

I was very surprised to see this group started already! I saw 2014 flash past on the groups page just as another page was loading. Had to click back and see if my eyes were deceiving me... 2014 wha??

So that got me thinking... and making a huge list of books (14 x 14) I would never achieve really doesn't appeal. So I started to think about what's bugging me and what I want to achieve every year and don't and I've tentatively decided on the following challenge:

4 categories with 14 in each = 56 books total. A good goal for me.

The categories are boring but really stripped down to what I want to achieve.

1: Books I own
2: Books from the 1001 list
3: Group Reads
4: Series and Sequels

I will post the categories below and begin to add "possible reads" but come January 1st I will delete those to start fresh with no timetables reads as usually I never stick to those!!

1: Books I own

For this to work I really need to restrict this to books in my house (non e-books) pre-2014. I have boxes of books in the third bedroom that never see the light of day. I have piles of books in the second bedroom. I have a banana box of books piled as high as my neck in the main bedroom. I have a pile of books on the floor next to the bed, on the bedside table, on my dressing table, on the coffee table in the lounge. I have a book case in the lounge. I'm starting to feel stressed out by my growing TBR pile!!

edited to add 27/04 I have gone through about half my collection of books so far and weeded out a significant number of books. Particularly second hand editions that were not in good condition. I'm no longer feeling stressed out by the number of books I have all over the place - I've reigned them in, corralled them back into banana boxes and neat piles.

1. Oryx and Crake - Margaret Atwood
2. Kindred - Octavia E. Butler
3. Open House - Elizabeth Berg
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.

Possible reads: The following is the authors with the most books in the stack
Philip Roth: The Plot Against America / American Pastoral / Everyman / I Married a Communist
Margery Sharp: Britannia Mews / The Nutmeg Tree / The Gipsy in the Parlour / The Eye of Love
Neal Stephenson: Snow Crash / Cryptonomicon / Quicksilver / The Big U / Anathem / The System of the World / The Confusion
Rose Tremain: The Road Home / Music and Silence / The Colour / Trespass / Merivel
Anne Tyler Digging to America / Back When We Were Grownups / Saint Maybe
Toni Morrison Beloved / Song of Solomon / Sula / Paradise
Hilary Mantel Wolf Hall / Bring up the Bodies / Beyond Black / A Place of Greater Safety / An Experiment of Love / A Change of Climate
Georgette Heyer Frederica / Devils Cub / Venetia / Royal Escape / Simon the Coldheart / An Infamous Army / Sprig Muslin / Bath Tangle / The Reluctant Widow
Barbara Kingsolver The Bean Trees / Animal Dreams / The Lacuna / Pigs in Heaven
Margaret Atwood The Robber Bride / Surfacing / Alias Grace / The Blind Assassin / Oryx and Crake / The Penelopiad / Moral Disorder (stories) / Bluebeards Egg (stories)
A. S. Byatt The Children's Book / Angels and Insects / Babel Tower / The Virgin in the Garden / Still Life
Angela Carter The Bloody Chamber/ Nights at the Circus / Wise Children / The Magic Toy Shop

2: Books from the "1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die" list

I can't see myself reading the whole list (in my life time) as there are too many books on there that I don't want to read, but there are plenty on there that I do want to read and even after 8 years I'm still discovering books on there that seem interesting as well as the usual classics that are picked for "best of" lists. I do have the 1001 spreadsheet and it's rewarding checking off the books as I read them.

1. Regeneration - Pat Barker
2. The French Lieutenant's Woman - John Fowles
3. Persuasion - Jane Austen
4. Agnes Grey - Anne Bronte
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.

Possible reads:

3: Group Reads

I belong to many groups which do group reads and I intend to participate more in 2014. One of the advantages of keeping things simple is that I should be able to accommodate group reads more easily.

1. Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe - Fannie Flagg = BookTube Monthly Group Read
2. Golem and the Jinni - Helene Wecker = BookTube Buddy Read Read
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.

Possible reads:
Need to wait for 2014 group reads to be discussed!!

4: Series and Sequels

I've been a late starter but I finally seem to have "discovered" how fun the crime genre is and how many sub-genres there are in crime! I've started several series and have so many more on my radar. This will include series and sequels from other genre's but I think crime will dominate.

1. Knots and Crosses - Ian Rankin - Inspector Rebus #1
2. The Mysterious Affair at Styles - Agatha Christie - Hercule Poirot #1
3. A Game of Thrones - George R. R. Martin - A Song of Fire and Ice #1
4. The Magicians - Lev Grossman - Trilogy (called the same) #1
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.

Possible reads:
Dr Siri series by Colin Cotterill (up to #3)
Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear (up to #3)
Miss Marple series by Agatha Christie (up to #7)
Jackson Brodie Series by Kate Atkinson (up to #2)
Sherlock Holmes (up to #4)
Hieronymous Bosch series by Michael Connelly (up to #6)
start A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin
start Matthew Shardlake series by C. J. Sansom
start The Passage trilogy by Justin Cronin
start one of the Dorothy Dunnet series
added: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series
added: Hunger Games trilogy
added: The King Killer Chronicles
added: Discworld series by Terry Pratchett
added: Brother Cadfael series
added: Deptford Trilogy - Robertson Davies

This is a great idea to help you focus on your reading goals! I am hoping to work on my TBR piles as well next year, but my real problem is that I seem to acquire books faster than I read them!

I hope you'll enjoy Dr. Siri and Shardlake as much as I did! I've read a couple of the Maisie Dobbs, but not all. The Martin series can be rough - follow the prevailing advice not to get attached to any characters. Have a fun reading year next year!

I went down to 7 categories this year and thought that was hard. The trick is to keep it wide, right?! :)

Looks like you'll have plenty of latitude for next year. Enjoy!

Thanks Eva, mamzel, Judy and Bunzena for dropping by!

Yes the categories are broad but more likely to achieve. I should add that for "books I own" category 2014 purchases won't count nor will e-books. My dream would be to exceed these targets!!

I like your challenge.... manageable and geared to what you want to accomplish. I am doing a half challenge - 7 categories with only 7 books in each category. I wanted something that wasn't going to stress me out.

Good luck!

I really like your categories. They will give you a huge range of reads to choose from. I too will have a books languishing on my bookshelf category when I get around to setting mine up. 14 x 14 is definitely way out of my league too.

Good idea to go for open categories. I think we all need to do it once in a while, my more focused categories have suffered this year and the more generic categories overflowed.

I like the setup, very cool to concentrate on a few important things. I try to do that and fail.

I had to join the masses who like your setup. You've got some treat authors to look forward to.
I'm also starting the Shardlake series, so we'll have to compare notes on what we think.

Will be following along - especially to see how you fill the 1001 category.

Thank you everyone for your visits! I've been awol lately because of a particularly difficult month of October (two seperate cat emergencies for one which resulted in two hefty vet bills).

Yup the categories are simple and straightforward - no excuses. One day when I retire/win lotto and stop working I'll have more time to discipline and structure my reading more but for now to read any book is a joy and participating with group reads is fun - so that's all I want to do!

I'm really excited about the Mystery CAT - mystery/crime was the last genre that I cracked, I'd even read and liked chick-lit prior and firmly ignored all the hype about scandi crime and regarded those boring police procedurals as fathers day or Christmas gifts for dads. But a good friend of mine gave me The Poet last year for my birthday and out of duty I read it... and loved it.

So I need a place to think about what I'll read for January's mystery CAT: Detective.

This subgenre has been defined as: " books featuring a detective who is not a member of law enforcement, but who does work as an investigator? This means the detective in question can't be a police officer or an amateur."

Possibilities:
The Mysterious Affair at Styles - Agatha Christie - Hercule Poirot Mystery #1
Pardonable Lies - Jacqueline Winspear - Maisie Dobbs #3
The Hound of the Baskervilles - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - Sherlock Holmes #5
A Drink Before the War - Dennis Lehane - Kenzie and Gennaro #1
The League of Frightened Men - Rex Stout - Nero Wolfe #2
The Maltese Falcon - Dashiell Hammett - Sam Spade #1
The Big Sleep - Philip Marlowe - Raymond Chandler #1
Whose Body - Dorothy L Sayers - Lord Peter Whimsey #1
One Good Turn - Kate Atkinson - Jackson Brodie #2
The Godwulf Manuscript - Robert B Parker - Spenser series #1

Oh no, poor kitties! I hope things are better with them now.

You have a lot of good choices for January! I would vote for either The Hound of the Baskervilles or The Mysterious Affair at Styles. Styles was actually the book that turned me onto mysteries and the first "grownup" book I remember reading (at age 8).

You've got some great possiblities lined up for January's MysteryCat. Rex Stout seems to be a popular choice, I will be reading League of Frightened Men. I am also going to try to fit One Good Turn in as well.

Hi Rabbit! I just started reading the Miss Marple series around last Christmas. I was quite attached to Miss Marple and wasn't at all keen back then to muddy the waters and start reading the Hercule Poirot series too. Now I think it's time. I've been put off a little bit because Agatha Christie herself detested the character - wierd!!

It's one cat singular who gets into a lot of trouble. The first October episode was when she appeared from outside covered in a smelly oily substance, which we think was turps, we tried to get it off (yes we popped her in the shower and shampooed her - fun) then the vet tried to get it off, then the vet shaved the affected fur off completly. that was by far the most expensive one because it truly was an emergency, after hours, and required 24 hours of monitoring and IV etc. Then two weeks later I notice she isn't moving from her chair take a look and she has a sore paw. Get in to the vets, her temp is 40*C+ so they give her cold IV fluids to lower it and antibiotics and keep her over night. the next day they sedate her and take a look at the paw - there's an infected wound to be cleaned. Then coz she's sedated they decide to give her teeth a clean. Cha-ching! the vet is going to have a great Christmas this year lol. Just kidding I love my vet he understands how valuable my furbaby is to me I can't just leave her at home sick and think that it will be ok.

Hi Judy - I've just started reading Fer-de-Lance now. Can't say that I'm particularly enamoured just yet. In fact my first impression of the main detective, Wolfe, is that he's an arrogant snob. I hope it gets better!

So next up is the GeoCAT for January.

The region is Canada and USA which of course to the English language reader doesn't really narrow things down much.

The focus destination is more of a theme: immigration.

Possibilities:

USA: Digging To America by Anne Tyler - hits the nail on the head when it comes to the immigration theme: "A penetrating light on the American way as seen from two perspectives, those who are born here and those who are still struggling to fit in."
USA: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
Canada: No Great Mischief by Alistair Macleod
Canada: Bride of New France by Suzanne Desroches
Canada: Under This Unbroken Sky by Shandi Mitchell
Canada: Midnight at the Dragon Café by Judy Fong Bates
Canada: In the Skin of a Lion by Michael Ondaatje

I did also want to start reading Robertson Davies in 2014 starting with Fifth Business...

Great choices for both the January MysteryCAT and the GeoCAT. Under This Unbroken Sky was a 5 star read for me, so I will shamelessly nudge that one forward. ;-)

Ooh, I would have to vote for No Great Mischief. :)

Poirot certainly developed a life of his own! Agatha probably felt a bit like Conan Doyle did, feeling restricted by her immensely popular creation.

>24 rabbitprincess: She very much hated Poirot, but was not allowed to discuss it. She made some hilarious digs at him/the situation in The Mysterious Affair at Styles, though, I was dying!

kiwiflowa, your reading plan sounds great.

#23 - Glad to hear Under This Unbroken Sky is a 5 star read. I'm hoping to get to it in 2014 (at last).

Great reading plan! I might do a tentative list, but I know as soon as I list something, I'll not want to look at it.

Poor kitteh - hope she's doing well now!

Time to get a bit busier here and in the group too!

I've decided to start early this year, on December 20th, because:
* That's my last day of work for the year
* That's the day my 2 week holiday starts
* Even though the New Year is January 1st in my mind the new year/new beginnings/regeneration etc feeling starts when I go on holiday.
* The break is not only for Christmas but being summer in the Southern Hemisphere is also my summer break.
* January - mid March is peak season for my work so reading time is limited and the early start balances this.

What's been on my mind frequently lately? The perfect selection of books to take on holiday...

Good idea! Enjoy your holiday when it comes, and the planning of holiday reads in the meantime! ;)

I think your categories are fantastic. Nothing better than a reading year that you can enjoy! You have some great possibilities lined up.

Yay can finally start the challenge with my first book:

1. Knots and Crosses by Ian Rankin - Inspector Rebus #1

I decided to read this now because I had just bought Rebus: The Early Years which has the first three books in the series and Suzanne/Chatterbox listed this as a book she wanted to read in December's TIOLI share a book challenge.

This was a quick book to read took me only a day, and it was less than 200 pages in the omnibus book I have. I really enjoyed it and can see the similarities which Harry Bosch - just set in Edinburgh instead. The characters are so similar. One of the reasons I like the Bosch books is how LA is depicted and described, it really takes me there. Rankin did the same with Edinburgh. this book had an authors note in which he explained a bit about why he wrote each one etc. Interestingly when he wrote this book he didn't know he was writing a crime book and certainly didn't realise that he was going to base a series on Rebus. He had to educate himself on the crime genre after he published this book - talk about blind luck or beginners luck!

Rankin's Inspector Rebus series is one that is on my Tartan Noir list of possibilities so happy to see Knots and Crosses was a positive reading experience for you Lisa. Nothing like Rankin writing a novel and not realizing he was writing a crime novel or that it would become such a large an successful series!

>31 kiwiflowa: Hi kiwiflowa, glad that you enjoy it ! I'm reading it for the June MysteryCAT. I was in Edinburgh in May, I'm looking forward the description :)

Great idea, this focussing on your goals. Categories should really help you with that, it usually does for me at any rate.

Ah I have been eyeing up the Ian Rankin/Inspector Rebus series. Certainly ones to look out for :)

Hi Lori - yeah I think he must have known it was a 'crime novel' but more that he didn't realise that it would be embraced by the crime/mystery genre crowd. Then he decided to make it one of those unending series that crime/mystery seems to produce.

Hi Electrice - I hope you enjoy it! I think the sense of place and beauty is something I don't expect when I'm reading a genre book and then I'm blown away by it. It's realistic and gritty and beautiful at the same time. I want to visit LA just because of how Connelly describes the sunsets from Harry Bosch's balcony!

Hi Samantha - I hope so! Read more and buy less is what it comes down to :)

Hi Melanie - I'm new to the whole mystery genre but from what others have said the Inspector Rebus series is pretty good. Plus there are now 19 of them- people must read them!

2. The Mysterious Affair at Styles - Agatha Christie (Poirot Mystery #1)



For the January Mystery Cat - Detective novels

This was Agatha Christie's first book, and the first that starred Hercule Poirot. I found out that she actually wrote it during WW1and it was published shortly after the war ended. The story takes place during the war but is not at all a war story.

It was told by the point of view of Mr Hastings who is on leave, recuperating from an injury, during WW1 and visits a his friend in the country to relax. A suspicious death takes place, and Hastings just happens to bump into Hercule Poirot (who used to have the reputation of being the best detective in Europe) at the nearby village and asks him to investigate. I'm glad to have started this series and it ticked along nicely and quickly but I didn't particularly find Poirot endearing and disliked Hastings, the plot also wasn't that inspired/clever. Still it's the first one and I'm sure they will get better!

I found out that she actually wrote it during WW1and it was published shortly after the war ended. The story takes place during the war but is not at all a war story.

I read Styles for MysteryCAT as well, and I wondered in my review if she wrote this during the war, because her second novel, The Secret Adversary is set just after the war. So thank you for answering my question.

I felt the same way about this book--and they do get much, much better! Just don't get me started on Hastings. He's like a dumber and less interesting version of Watson.

He's like a dumber and less interesting version of Watson.

That's the best way of putting it I've heard to date! My main problem with Hastings is that he seems to have no character development at all! He keeps making the same mistakes over and over again - for instance dismissing Poirot's attention to seemingly insignificant little details as unimportant to the case, while he should know from The Mysterious Affair at Styles that it's not unimportant at all!

Aww, poor Hastings. I don't mind him so much, though I can understand why others find him annoying. He is occasionally helpful to the case, though! The A.B.C. Murders comes to mind.

>39 Samantha_kathy: You'd think he'd have sense enough to say, "Poirot, I have no idea why you think that's important, but you're probably right." Either that or he'd quit hanging out with Poirot because he got tired of feeling (comparatively) stupid.

Always great to see another Rebus-convert. :) And, thanks for the reminder that I need to pick up Harry Bosch.