Take It or Leave It Challenge - July 2014 - Page 1

For those new to this challenge: More info and monthly index can be found in post #1 of this thread or this TIOLI FAQS wiki.

Simple directions for posting to the wiki can be found at the bottom of each month's wiki page.


...logo by cyderry

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I'll be brief and to the point. You challenge for July 2014 is to:

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Challenge #1: Read a book which offers advice on page 85

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Rules:

1. The advice sentence must be no longer than 10 words.
2. The advice must make sense.
3. You may use part of a sentence from your book.
4. The advice may be funny.
5. Do not use a sentence written in the past tense. The quote should be in present or future tense (as with all good advice).
6. There’s no need to use exact punctuation or quotation marks in your quote.
7. If there’s any question of validity, we’ll take it to a vote.
8. If you’re reading an ebook, you may use any location screen which contains the number 85 (85, 185, 285, etc.).
9. Shared reads are always fine.

Here’s how to list your books and some suggestions to get you started…

Coming Up Roses (Handshakes must be firm and dry) – Sarah Laing
Moonwalking with Einstein (Just start talking to them) – Joshua Foer
Mother of Sorrows (Don’t look) – Richard McCann
The Delusional Divas Doing Italians…oops...Italy (Thank them all in advance) - Debra Knapp Rinaldi and Stephanie Jones
An Uncertain Place (You’ll have to find a better way to do it) – Fred Vargas

I’m now curious to see what kinds of advice you find for all of us. 

Have fun!

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Other Fun Stuff (not part of the TIOLI challenge):

1. The July 2014 TIOLI Meter - Optional page on which you may track your TIOLI reading. FYI: This is not meant to be competitive - only fun!
2. Morphidae's List of Previous TIOLI Challenges - You may use this reference (Do a control-F scan) to avoid repeating a previous challenge. If your idea is similar to a previous challenge, just make it unique by adding a new "twist" to it. (Updated 12/25/13)

Wiki Index of Challenges:

Challenges #1-6
1. Read a book which offers advice on page 85 - msg #1
2. Read a book with a central character who is Irish - msg #5
3. Read a genre novel that has been translated to English - msg #9
4. Start a series and continue if you want - msg #12
5. Read a book that has on its cover some kind of geographical identifying feature: map, flag, symbol, photo, etc. - msg #19
6. Read a book set somewhere you have been on vacation - msg #24

Challenges #7-12
7. Read a book with a uniform on the cover - msg #27
8. Read a book with a title or cover related to vacation travel - msg #8
9. Read a book about art theft or art forgery - msg #31
10. Read a book that has won the Alex Award - msg #33
11. Read a book that centers on People, Places, or Things (Rolling challenge) - msg #43
12. Read a Book about Books - msg #45

Challenges #13-18
13. Read a book by a living author who is older than you are - msg #47
14. Read a book where the author has only one A in his/her name - msg #52
15. Read a book about or set during a revolution - msg #54
16. Read a book where the author's first and last names end with a vowel - msg #63
17. Read a book that has something to do with California. - msg #65
18. Read a book of short stories - msg #73

Challenge #19-21
19. Read a book whose author is from a country that competed in the 2014 World Cup - msg #89
20. Read a book that takes place during the summer - msg #96
21. Read a book by a writer who is/was a political activist - msg #109

Please hold any further challenges until August. Thank you!

Oh wow. I'll post my challenge on the wiki.

Working on this late at night does wonders for you guys in the southern hemisphere! :D

...*snicker*...

And my completely non-self-serving challenge this time is:

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Challenge #2: Read a book with a central character (real or fictional) who is Irish

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ETA: The book does not need to be set in Ireland, but the central character / person must consider themselves Irish.

Liz!! Now you know my tricks! :D

In my defence, this time I actually stepped away from the computer for a while and went for a walk. I just timed my return well, that's all. :D

LOL!

Yeah. Yeah.

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Challenge #3: Read a genre novel that has been translated to English

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You can read in any language you prefer, just that the work must have been translated at some time to English.
From wikipedia: Genre fiction, also known as popular fiction, is plot-driven fictional works written with the intent of fitting into a specific literary genre, in order to appeal to readers and fans already familiar with that genre. Most common genres are:
Crime
Fantasy
Horror
Mystery or Detective
Romance
Science fiction
Western
Inspirational
Also - Young Adult, Paranormal and New Adult

I also took a walk away from the laptop before posting! I'll edit my post with more info, just having trouble loading a couple of websites.

Ooh, nice - I might read the second Inspector Maigret book - thanks!

Hm, maybe I should check June's non-read books for advice.

Challenge #4: Start a series and continue if you want. List books alphabetically by series name then numerically within series
My planned reads should explain it:

Mr Churchill's Secretary - (Maggie Hope series #1) - Susan Elia MacNeal
Princess Elizabeth's Spy - (Maggie Hope series #2) - Susan Elia MacNeal
Tithe (Modern Tales of Faerie series #1) - Holly Black
Valiant - (Modern Tales of Faerie series #2) - Holly Black
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency #1) - Alexander McCall Smith
New Orleans Mourning (Skip Langdon novels #1) -Julie Smith
The Axeman's Jazz (Skip Langdon novels #2) - Julie Smith

You cannot add #2 or beyond in a series unless the person who reads #1 has also added it. But shared reads are allowed.

I would like to add, if someone adds the first in the series and continues:
Days of Blood and Starlight (Daughter of Smoke and Bone series #2) - Laini Taylor
Dreams of Gods & Monsters (Daughter of Smoke and Bone series #3) - Laini Taylor

>12 Citizenjoyce:

Joyce, so we just add our books to the bottom of your list on the wiki page?

>12 Citizenjoyce: No we alphabetize by series title but list numerically within the series. Does that sound clear?

I'll probably still be reading Dreams of Gods & Monsters in June July as well.

>15 avatiakh: So let's hope someone begins the series and continues to #3.

>14 Citizenjoyce:

Okay. Now it does.

You get to move the entries around if people put them in the wrong place, though! :)

>16 Citizenjoyce: I also hope someone adds Cinder as I have #2 Scarlet home from the library.

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CHALLENGE #5
IDENTIFY THIS!!!!
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READ A BOOK WHOSE COVER HAS SOME KIND OF NATIONAL/REGIONAL/LOCAL IMAGE OR IDENTIFIER, SUCH AS A FLAG, MAP, SYMBOL OR PHOTO.

Sometimes, when you pick up a book, there's something on there that tells you instantly where the book you're about to read is set. For instance Rhian/SandDune and I were talking about the fascinating maps of London on the covers of Ben Aaronovitch's Rivers of London series -- which would definitely qualify for this challenge.

The idea here is to find some kind of iconic image that links the book to a specific place. I'm not talking about a generic image, such as a picture of a beach that might make you think of any beach, in the south of France, or the Caribbean, or the Maldives. Or a cobblestoned street that could be in Prague or Paris or -- anywhere that still has cobblestones. The apartment on the cover of The Paris Apartment may indeed look very much like a classic Parisian apartment, but there's nothing here to distinguish it from anywhere else, really.

So, it needs to be recognizable. Does the entire world need to understand it immediately? Not necessarily. The Eiffel Tower is great, but if your book has a cover that is CLEARLY Monet's gardens at Giverny, complete with that arched bridge that he painted repeatedly, go for it. Just don't argue that a generic half-timbered house is clearly Chester, when it could be several other English towns or cities. On the other hand, I suspect the photo on the cover of When I lived in modern times by Linda Grant would be recognizable to people who know Israel. (It isn't to me.) On the other hand, the image on The Low Road by A.D. Scott is clearly of Edinburgh, right above Waverley Station.

Guidelines:

-- it doesn't half to be big. It can be a small photograph tucked away in a corner, or a flag flying from a building. As long as someone can see it without a magnifying glass.
-- It has to be real, not imaginary. I don't care if Ankh-Morpork/Discworld had flags and national symbols. They don't qualify here. It would defeat the purpose of the challenge, because anything could be said to be iconic.
-- it can be an illustration or painting of a well-known building; it doesn't need to be a photograph.
-- Don't forget about symbols! The Welsh dragon, for instance. The fleur-de-lys, for France. The rising sun, for Japan. There are Celtic symbols.
-- I'll reiterate: people aren't symbols. So, The Underground Girls of Kabul is indeed about women in Afghanistan, but the image of a woman on the cover doesn't make her a "symbol". Ditto a North Korean guy in a uniform in Dear Leader, etc.

Any questions, just holler. If I don't address them in a timely fashion, feel free to shoot me a PM.

I need to clarify challenge #4 some more. Whoever starts a series can list as many sequels as s/he wants, but a new lister cannot list a sequel unless a reader of the first in the series has already listed it. So if avatiakh lists The Cuckoo's Calling we can't all jump in and list The Silkworm unless she has already listed it. I also want to read it so, I'd sure love for avatiakh to plan to continue the series.

Well I do have it on order at the library, so I'll list it and hope it comes in.

>21 avatiakh: Yahoo, me too.

Just checked and I'm 210 of 465 holds but I'll probably be able to get it as a bestseller rental.

Challenge #6: Read a book set somewhere you have been on vacation

Length of vacation or distance from your place of residence doesn't matter. If we're talking about a big city (i.e. New York City, Paris, etc.), the book should be set in the city. For more obscure places the state/province/country will do. Use your judgement.

>19 Chatterbox: Suzanne, does that include the back cover? Foreign Bodies has the Eiffel Tower on the back cover and is one I'd prefer to read.

>19 Chatterbox:

Would a profile of Queen Elizabeth II be acceptable? Her profile appears on stamps, although on the book cover she faces the opposite direction than she does on stamps.

Challenge #7: Read a book with a uniform on the cover

The uniform could have a person wearing it, or it could be just the uniform itself.

Challenge #8: Read a book with a title or cover related to vacation travel

Continuing the vacation/travel theme. The title could have a word or phrase that you associate with vacation (getaway, travel, road trip) or the cover could depict something you associate with vacation (island, beach, plane). I'm leaving the requirements loose, so if you associate it with vacation, it qualifies. Summer vacation reading should not be stressful! State your association with the listing in the wiki, if it's not obvious.

Wow, some great challenges this month. I LOVE the first one and also #5 (symbol on the cover). I've just finished packing and need to leave for the airport in an hour or so... just the right time to go through all my books, scrutinising the covers and looking for interesting advice on p85!

Well, the third book I picked up had a piece of advice on p85 which was so good that the previous owner had written it across the top of the page in pencil - unfortunately it's 11 words so it won't count for the challenge! However, it's worth passing on: Treat with the greatest suspicion the proof of your own eyes.

Challenge 9 - Read a book that centers around art theft or art forgery

Examples:

The Maltese Falcon - Dashiell Hammett
The Art Forger - B. A. Shapiro
The Street of Five Moons - Elizabeth Peters

>19 Chatterbox: I have three books for this challenge, two of which I'm comfortable with, but the third I'd like to check.

The two images I'm comfortable with are Indonesian shadow puppets and Japanese lacquerware/prints - these are very recognisably representative of a particular country. The third is a picture of an Indian procession, with richly caparisoned elephants and howdahs. Would that be acceptable too? I think it could only be a picture of India, but it doesn't feel symbolic in quite the same way.

Challenge #10: Read a book that has won the Alex Award

The Alex Awards annually recognize "ten books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults, ages 12 through 18".

Resources:

My Excel Spreadsheet (sortable):
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1V33SnSPnyWhc2QfpLy8Hl5mFRIVTdfmLCl3CK6V7...

Alex Award site:
http://www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists/alex

Wikipedia entry including full list:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Awards

>33 Morphidae: wow, I wasn't aware of that award but so many good books have won it!

>34 sturlington: I know! I have some 9/10 stars on that list.

>31 majkia:

Perfect! I just started reading The Monuments Men. :)

>30 wandering_star:

That is so weird that it was exactly on page 85 that the advice was hand-written. Am I psychic or what?! :)

I would accept:

"Treat with the greatest suspicion the proof"

...which is a sentence or phrase that does make sense.

>20 Citizenjoyce: Sorry, I had misread. I had assumed that if anyone posted #1, someone else could post #2; that we weren't dependent on that person moving on to book #2 the same month.

>26 cbl_tn: I'm going to have to say no on the Queen, Carrie. She may be on the stamps, but I did rule out people, and she's not the symbol. She is on the stamps because she is head of state, not because she is the symbol of the country. When she dies, she won't be on the stamps any more; Charles will replace her there and (eventually) on the currency. That's kind of the test: what are the enduring signs that outlast any single individual? Bring me a lion or a unicorn, or St. George, and we're good to go... Or the Tower of London or St. Paul's Cathedral, or a map, or a Union Jack, or....

#36 by @SqueakyChu> That one sounds good!

>38 Chatterbox: I can easily fit the book into challenge #6. I just like to spread my books out into different challenges when it's possible!

>5 lyzard: Does the character have to be born in Ireland? I'll be reading a book about the Kennedys who, with the exception of the patriarch Joseph, were all born in the US, but consider themselves Irish.

>39 majkia:

The Monuments Men was recommended by Eric (LT's Oberon). He gave it 5 stars. :)

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Challenge #11: Rolling Challenge for People, Places, Things - Read a book that centers on People, Places, or Things
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I think this is self explanatory.

FYI - YOU CAN FOLLOW YOURSELF!

>25 avatiakh: Sorry, I'm just spotting the other questions. Yes, I'll allow the back cover.

>32 wandering_star: I think the shadow puppets make it under the wire on this, but only just. Lacquerware, I think, is pushing it too far: there are major sources of production in Burma and China as well. It would be OK IF the images by an iconic printmaker, like that wave image by Hokusai, or of Mt. Fuji OR if the image on the lacquer was of a chrysanthemum, which represents the Japanese imperial family. Does that make this more clear? The same is true of the caparisoned elephants. Yes, they are most typical of India, and probably wouldn't be seen anywhere else but, but are they a symbol of the country? Is there a recognizable building behind them?

ETA: I've looked at the cover in question for Master of Go, and I'll let it slide, because one of the other covers is, I think, distinctive enough. But the idea here is to seize on something that a specific object that can't belong to anything but that country, not just to a society or to a region. So, no camels for Egypt -- but pyramids or sphinxes would be fine. No political leaders or landscapes -- maps, buildings, etc.

Challenge #12: Read a Book About Books

I know it's been done before but, for this challenge, please read a book about books. This can include books about libraries, reading, book clubs, how books are made, or any other book-related topics. It can also include works of fiction if books play a substantial role.

Note, if you're in the 2014 category challenge, this is the RandomCAT challenge I chose for July.

>27 cbl_tn: Carrie, since I read a lot of baseball and other sports books, your challenge is a godsend for me.

Right now, I'm reading a book about Babe Ruth's famous Called Shot in the 1932 World Series. I think that the Babe himself is on the cover. At the rate I'm reading, I'll still be reading it in July, no doubt.

>12 Citizenjoyce: Surely someone wants to read the third Maggie Hope mystery for Citizenjoyce's terrific challenge, don't they? Don't they?!? Note, I want to read the about-to-be-released fourth book in the series. Hint, hint.

Oh wait, never mind, I just saw msg 20 which states that the original person must list the book first, not just anyone.

I'm going to a book signing later in July, I was trying to figure out a challenge that would fit at least one of the books I'm bringing with me. This is what I came up with:

Challenge 13: Read a book by a living author who is older than you are.

>47 yoyogod: I was about to claim age discrimination, but fortunately Harper Lee is still with us.

>47 yoyogod: Do we need to list the author's age?

Can I be younger than the author, if I'm matching someone else?

>19 Chatterbox: I think you've touched on this already but: Can the photo or image be something readily identifiable to someone who knows the subject? For instance, in the Nero Wolfe continuation book by Robert Goldsborough, Murder in the Ball Park, the coverage image screams Polo Grounds. The average person may think it's a generic old ballpark photo but it's clearly the Polo Grounds.

>49 lindapanzo: No you don't have to list the author's age, and matches are allowed.

>50 yoyogod: Great, thank you!!

CHALLENGE #14: Read A Book Where The Author Has Only One A in his/her Name

Completely self-serving and straight forward. I have a number of authors that meet this challenge lined up for this month:

Joe Abercrombie
Lois McMaster Bujold
James Nelson

>52 DeltaQueen50: Judy, one of the rules of TIOLI ought to be "no need to apologize for being self-serving." I usually have a particular book or author in mind when I pick my challenge, though not always. Probably goes without saying. Once in awhile, I'll come up with something for the challenge of finding something that'll fit but not that often.

There are a lot of great challenges again this month. Too bad my reading funk persists.

CHALLENGE #15: Read a book about or set during a revolution

In honor of American Independence Day and Bastille Day, read a book about or set during any revolution.

For purposes of this challenge, I'm defining "revolution" as "an uprising or revolt that leads to a new form of government and/or independence from colonial rule," so it would need to be an at least temporarily successful revolt.

I've already listed a couple of fiction options, and Mike Duncan of the Revolutions Podcast (which is awesome, as is his completed History of Rome podcast) has a bibliography with nonfiction, especially for the two revolutions he's covered so far.

>49 lindapanzo: The broad goal here isn't just that you recognize the building, but whether you recognize it as being iconic of the city that it's in -- is this ballpark akin to being the Yankee Stadium of wherever it is? the Eiffel Tower? the Edinburgh skyline? the pyramids of Giza? St. Basil's cathedral?

For all pondering challenge #5:

The idea here isn't just that you recognize it, but that someone who recognizes would see it to be a landmark of the city that it's in (and thus hopefully reflect the book's nature in some way.) So, I'm reading A Colder War, a spy thriller set in Istanbul, with Hagia Sofia in one corner of the cover. I may read Gottland, a book about the Czech Republic, which has the lion rampant that forms part of its coat of arms, on the cover. Both of these images would stand for, would represent, the book's location in some way -- would signal to potential readers where the action takes place in more than just a generic (beach, ballpark, street) way, but a specific city or country.

Hope that helps!

>55 Chatterbox: I think that does help. At one time, I think the Polo Grounds was iconic of New York City, as Yankee Stadium would be now or Wrigley Field would be of Chicago then and now. However, after the New York Giants left for San Francisco in the 1950's, I don't think that's true anymore. So I'm inclined not to put this one into this challenge.

Thanks for the clarification.

>53 lindapanzo: Thanks, Linda. I sure hope this book funk you've been battling for some time now goes away soon!

>55 Chatterbox: Suz, I think I need a ruling for the book that I entered into your challenge. The West Pier of Brighton is instantly recognizable to me, but would you consider it iconic enough for the challenge?

>57 DeltaQueen50: I would think so -- that and the Brighton Pavilion are what I would think of as iconic.

Think of it this way: if someone were selling postcards of this place, would it be on a postcard? If it's a smaller place, like Brighton, would it be one of the three main postcards?

>58 Chatterbox: Thanks for the clarification, Suz. :)

>46 lindapanzo: I'll list His Majesty's Hope when I'm home on my computer and hope it comes in.

If anyone plans to read Mr. Mercedes this month and wants to match me, I've put it in Challenge #13.

>44 Chatterbox: Thanks, I noticed that the paperback edition of Foreign Bodies has the Eiffel Tower on the cover. Anyway you've saved me from reading Anna and the French Kiss which is a bit saccharine to my taste but does have the tower on the cover.

Lots of good challenges this month.

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Challenge #16: Read a book where the author's first and last names end with a vowel. - started by LoisB

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Self-explanatory, I hope.

>41 LoisB: I guess that's okay. If Joseph appears prominently, that would qualify the book anyway.

====Challenge #17: Read a book that has something to do with California. - started by auntieclio====

Purposely expansive. Can be a book written by a Californian, a book which features California (or cities therein), one of the main characters can be from California ... etc., etc.

Caveat: California must feature in a somewhat prominent fashion, it can't be mentioned just in passing, "Oh I just arrived from Los Angeles."

Please list why it has something to do with California.

I picked up a bestsellers rental copy of The Silkworm at my library this morning so I'm all set for challenge #4. Already started book #1 as I only get The Silkworm for a fortnight.

>43 cyderry: Am I allowed to delete an entry from your challenge? If I do, it will mess up the order.

>67 LoisB:

Don't delete any entry from a rolling challenge. If you decide not to read the book, just mark it DNF (did not finish) and leave it in place. No harm done.

>68 SqueakyChu: Actually, I want to move it to another challenge, and I didn't want to violate the rule that you can't list a book under 2 challenges. Will it be OK if I mark it DNF in one challenge and COMPLETED in another?

>69 LoisB:

Will it be OK if I mark it DNF in one challenge and COMPLETED in another?

No. That's not okay. One book can never be in two challenges.

I'd suggest you substitute a different book in the rolling challenge so that you can move out the book you want for the other challenge.

>69 LoisB:, >70 SqueakyChu:
If Lois doesn't have another book to substitute, I can jump in with a "Things" book. If she wants to make the substitution, the book in question is Empires of the Dead by David Crane. (the thing in question being WW1 war cemeteries.) I'm assuming that's what it is.

I'm battling a migraine so probably won't be back online tonight. Alternatively, someone can leave me a PM and I can make the substitution in the morning. Or not, as needed.

>27 cbl_tn: Carrie, does the uniform/person wearing it have to be a major part of the cover? I just checked my copy of In Pale Battalions (the link should take you to the edition I have) and the top half has WW1 soldiers in uniform going "over the top". Would this qualify?

So much for being able to sleep with a migraine. Harumph.

Challenge #18: Read a book of short stories

Hopefully nothing too controversial about that one. It's a self serving challenge, as I seem to have two short story collections picked up to read this month, and it's not something I usually do.

>72 Chatterbox: As long as there is a uniform somewhere on the cover it will work. It doesn't have to be a major part of the cover. You should be good to go with that one.

>71 Chatterbox: Thank you! I replaced my entry with yours and put your name beside it. I hope your migraine is better.

>44 Chatterbox: Happy to accept your ruling on the elephants. I do think that Japanese lacquerware looks completely different from Burmese or Chinese... so I'm glad you've given the benefit of the doubt on that one ;-)

>76 wandering_star: No probs -- going forward, just bear in mind "official symbol" or instant recognition (eg cedars = Lebanon) OR the postcard test.

My planned reads for the month:
Challenge #1: Read a book which offers advice on page 85 -
✔ Zombies vs. Unicorns - Holly Black (4)
Challenge #2: Read a book with a central character who is Irish
*✔ Bog Child - Siobhan Dowd - E_Audiobook (5)
Clallenge #3: Read a genre novel that has been translated to English
*✔Sapphire Blue - Kerstin Gier - E-Audiobook (4)
Challenge #4: Start a series and continue if you want
*✔Chasing Vermeer - (Calder Art Mysteries #1) - Blue Balliett - E-Audiobook (4)
*✔The Silkworm - (Cormoran Strike #2) - Robert Galbraith (4)
✔Mr Churchill's Secretary - (Maggie Hope series #1) - Susan Elia MacNeal - E-Audiobook (4)
✔Princess Elizabeth's Spy - (Maggie Hope series #2) - Susan Elia MacNeal - E-Audiobook (3.5)
*✔The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency #1) - Alexander McCall Smith Audiobook (4)
✔The Great Cake Mystery: Precious Ramotswe's Very First Case - Alexander McCall Smith - E-Audiobook (3.5)
*✔Ruby Red - (Ruby Trilogy #1) Kerstin Gier - E-Audiobook (3.75)
✔Moon Called (Mercy Thompson #1) - Patricia Briggs - E-A Audiobook (4)
*✔New Orleans Mourning (Skip Langdon novels #1) -Julie Smith E-Book (3.75)
Challenge #5: Read a book that has on its cover some kind of geographical identifying feature: map, flag, symbol, photo, etc.
*✔Americanah - Chimamanda Ngozi - E-Book (4.5)
Challenge #6. Read a book set somewhere you have been on vacation
✔Homer's Odyssey - Gwen Cooper - E-A Audiobook (3.5)
Challenge #7: Read a book with a uniform on the cover
✔Thank You For Your Service - David Finkel E-Audiobook (5)
8. Read a book with a title or cover related to vacation travel -
Challenge #9: Read a book about art theft or art forgery
*✔Chasing Vermeer - Blue Balliett - E-Audiobook (4)
*✔The Gauguin Connection - Estelle Ryan - Nook (3.5)
Challenge #10: Read a book that has won the Alex Award
✔*The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind - William Kamkwamba - E-Audiobook (4.5)
Challenge #11: Read a book that centers on People, Places, or Things (Rolling challenge) -
✔Alpha and Omega - Patricia Briggs - E-Audiobook (4)
*✔Puddn'head Wilson - Mark Twain - E-Audiobook (4)
Challenge #12. Read a Book about Books
✔Lost in a Good Book - Jasper Fforde - E-Audiobook (4)
Challenge #13: Read a book by a living author who is older than you are
14. Read a book where the author has only one A in his/her name
✔The empathy exams: essays - Leslie Jamison - E-Book (3.5)
*✔The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly - Sun-mi Hwang -E-Book (4)
*✔The Miseducation of Cameron Post - Emily M. Danforth - E-Book (5)
*✔The Wife's Tale - Lori Lansens (3.5)
Challenge #15: Read a book about or set during a revolution
*✔The Scarlet Pimpernel - Emma, Baroness Orcz- Audiobook (3.5)
Challenge #16: Read a book where the author's first and last names end with a vowel -
✔Under the Never Sky (Under the Never Sky #1) Veronica Rossi - E-Audiobook (3.5)
Challenge #17. Read a book that has something to do with California
✔*The Year She Left Us - Kathryn Ma (4)
Challenge #18: Read a book of short stories
Challenge #19: Read a book whose author is from a country that competed in the 2014 World Cup
*✔Cress - Marissa Meyer - E-Audiobook (2.5)
✔Scorpio Races - Maggie Stiefvater - E-Audiobook (3.5)
Challenge #21. Read a book by a writer who is/was a political activist
✔A Fighting Chance - Elizabeth Warren - Audiobook (4)

Here are my potential reads for the month....

Challenge #1: Read a book which offers advice on page 85
Dark Eden (Make them extra strong and hard) by Chris Beckett
Rubbernecker (go home) by Belinda Bauer

Challenge #4: Start a series and continue if you want
A Princess of Mars (Barsoom #1) by Edgar Rice Burroughs
Herland (Herland #1) by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Challenge #6: Read a book set somewhere you have been on vacation
The Invisible Man (West Sussex) by H. G. Wells

Challenge #14: Read a book where the author has only one A in his/her name
The Reapers Are the Angels by Alden Bell

Challenge #16: Read a book where the author's first and last names end with a vowel
The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

Challenge #18: Read a book of short stories
The Color Master by Aimee Bender

I still need to find challenges for The Island of Dr. Moreau by H. G. Wells and Terra by Mitch Benn, possibly in Challenge #11: Read a book that centers on People, Places, or Things if I can.

>79 jeanned: The Island of Doctor Moreau would fit in my challenge 8. Read a book with a title or cover related to vacation travel, if you associate "island" with vacation travel, which I would!

>24 lahochstetler: Am I right in assuming shared reads are allowed for this challenge?

>12 Citizenjoyce: Are you familiar with Anne Hillerman's book Spider Woman's Daughter? She's written it as a continuation of her father's books; but it's also the beginning of a series since she has shifted the protagonist to Bernie Manuelito, a minor character in her father's books. LibraryThing has it listed as both a continuation of the Leaphorn/Chee series and the beginning of a new series. Will that work for your challenge?

Anyone have any ideas for where to place Kurt Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle? I suppose it could always fit into the people, places, things category.... (My copy is audio so I can't look for advice on page 85, but if perhaps someone could check out that possibility?)

>80 sturlington:: Perfect! Thank you.

>82 streamsong: Yes that would work fine. I loved Spider Woman's Daughter and Bernie is great. I hope there'll be many more in the series.

>84 Citizenjoyce: Yay! I'm glad you're familiar with it and also see it as a different series. I've started reading it - Anne's voice via Bernie is completely different than her father's storytelling voice. I definitely had too many books going last month .... **rushes off to add book to wiki**

Just noticed that someone has the author of The Whiskey Rebels noted as Charles Liss for challenge #14. He still qualifies for the challenge with just a single A in his name, but the A comes in David, not Charles... Didn't want to change it ad hoc, so just tossing it out here for whomsoever may feel tidier than I do at the moment!

I had too many books going this month, too, and some of them have proved disappointing and long, like The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair. I really don't know why this became such a big seller in Europe. I am plodding along, hoping to discover the reason, but won't finish it by the end of June.

I was going back and forth between wanting to create my own challenge for July, to mark my 45th birthday, and not listing any books at all for a change, to allow me to pick freely from my tbr. Then I looked at the TIOLI wiki pages and couldn't help myself matching some reads and being inspired to add others. Here are my "reading plans", with a big emphasis on the OLI portion of the challenge!

☀ = Matched reads
♫ = audiobook
❉ = library book
✔ = off the shelf
ⓔ = eBook

Challenge #1: Read a book which offers advice on page 85:

"You should pay it a visit" - didn't have to look far, it was on the 2nd line!
"Now don't get hot under the collar." - a few lines down
✔ Carry On, Jeeves by P. G. Woodehouse

"Don't you be so fresh, you man."
✔ Franny and Zooey by J. D. Salinger

Challenge #2: Read a book with a central character who is Irish (tutored read with Liz)
☀ ♫ Phineas Finn by Anthony Trollope

Challenge #3: Read a genre novel that has been translated to English
❉ Monsieur Gallet décédé / Maigret Stonewalled by Georges Simenon
❉ Le Pendu de Saint-Pholien / Maigret and the Hundred Gibbets by Georges Simenon

Challenge #4: Start a series and continue if you want
☀ ✔ The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
☀ ♫ Legend by Marie Liu
♫ Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone by by J. K. Rowling

Challenge #5: Has on its cover some kind of geographical identifying feature: map, flag, symbol, photo, etc.
♫ Whispers Under Ground by Ben Aaronovitch

Challenge #6: Read a book set somewhere you have been on vacation
☀ ✔ My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier

Challenge #8: Challenge Read a book with a title or cover related to vacation travel
✔ A Café on the Nile by Bartle Bull

Challenge #10: Read a book that has won the Alex Award
☀ ✔ Mister Pip by Lloyd Jone
♫ Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman
♫ The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson

Challenge #11: Rolling Challenge Read a book that centers on People, Places, or Things
✔ Black Hearts in Battersea by Joan Aiken - (places) b>Reading

Challenge #13: Read a book by a living author who is older than you are
✔ Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett (1955) - (Calder Art Mysteries #1)

Challenge #14: Author has only one A in his/her name
♫ Au bonheur des dames / Ladies' Paradise by Émile Zola - Listening
♫ Journey Into the Past by Stefan Zweig

Challenge #16:
ⓔ Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively - TIOLI #16: author's first and last names end with a vowel
♫ The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri - TIOLI #16

Challenge #18: Read a book of short stories
✔ Sketches from a Hunter's Album by Ivan Turgenev - Reading

***

eta: have spread out my books among more challenges.

>81 Smiler69: certainly!

***Challenge 19: Read a book whose author is from a country that competed in the 2014 World Cup***

There are 32 different options for this challenge, so have fun and remember that England≠the UK!

World Cup 2014 Teams
Algeria
Argentina
Australia
Belgium
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Brazil
Cameroon
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
Croatia
Ecuador
England
France
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Holland/The Netherlands
Honduras
Iran
Italy
Ivory Coast
Japan
Mexico
Nigeria
Portugal
Russia
South Korea
Spain
Switzerland
United States
Uruguay

> 189

I have been thoroughly enjoying watching lots of these World Cup games. I hope many of you have as well. Such drama!!

Go USA! :)

>189 majkia: LOL! I strongly considered posting a similar Challenge but limiting it to the Round of 16 /nonfiction. I decided that since I only just returned to LT and TIOLI it would be presumptuous to post one so soon (next month, however, look out).

Your Challenge offers much more scope - it should generate some interesting reading!

>90 SqueakyChu: I've been watching madly - Go USA!

Ha -- it would be fun to limit it to the team for which you have been cheering -- or A team for which you have been cheering!

>90 SqueakyChu: So true, although I think Team Mexico supporters would probably have preferred a little less drama yesterday. Also, the wiki index doesn't link to the thread post. It's number 89. Thanks!

>91 Dejah_Thoris: I've been playing around with a World Cup challenge the past few days. I haven't done an author challenge lately, so it seemed a good fit. My other idea was for books set in a WC-qualifying country, but I did something similar with non-Russian Eastern Europe in March and figured it was time for a change.

Just in case no one decides to add the Lunar Chronicles to the series challenge #4, I've added book #3,Cress to challenge 19, the World Cup challenge.

>93 inge87:

although I think Team Mexico supporters would probably have preferred a little less drama yesterday

Me, too! I was cheering for Mexico and am sad that I no longer get to see their goalkeeper Memo Ochoa in further World Cup playoff games. :(

the wiki index doesn't link to the thread post

Fixed. Thanks.

Challenge #20: Read a book that takes place during the summer

No other season allowed, it can't span more than the three months of June, July, and August in the northern hemisphere, or December, January, and February if the story takes place in the southern hemisphere.

>97 elkiedee: Did you intend to list a book for your challenge, because if so, you might need to go and edit your listing?

>97 elkiedee: I meant to, but got distracted, thanks!

Addendum: I put in five books that I'm pretty sure meet the requirements.

>1 SqueakyChu: Could you add a WORKS section to the TIOLI meter this month? Thanks!

>99 LoisB:

Sure!

I just read the most charming novella, a Korean fable for challenge #14, The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly. The main character is Sprout, a little hen who escapes cagedom. It would make a quick shared read if anyone is interested.

For challenge 9 (about art theft or art forgery), I would highly recommend Headlong by Michael Frayn, about a man who thinks he's found a long-lost Breughel painting.

>101 avatiakh: I was surprised to see that my library has it, so it's on request.

Oh that's great. It's such a soulful little story, and a bestseller in Sth Korea.

I'm looking forward to challenge #9. I love books about art forgery and theft. The best one I've read recently is The Gardner Heist. I've also recently read A Nearly Perfect Copy and The Dissemblers, both fiction, the second an ER book from several years ago. I'd describe both as okay, not great. 3-star material.

I put The Plover into Challenge 5 on the basis of the chart of the Pacific Ocean on my ARC version. The final publication has a different cover. If this is not ok, let me know and I'll move it..

>102 wandering_star: What a good idea -- thanks! I think I've had that on my shelf FOREVER. If I can find it.

I also have an ARC of a book by Sonya Cobb, Objects of Her Affection.

For those looking for a non-fiction book, Loot by Sharon Waxman is fabulous -- deals with antiquities, and questions of ownership. LOVED it.

>106 Helenoel: If that's the image you see on the cover you have, I'll trust you with that one! :-) Go for it.

ETA: walked right over to my shelves, and found the Frayn immediately. For those of who you have seen the pics of my shelves in my current thread, you will realize what a sense of accomplishment I feel. It's a UK hardcover first edition, so it's been hanging around unread for 15 years. Sigh.

Whoops, I just realized that a book that I have listed in my own challenge #14 doesn't fit as there are two authors and one definitely has more than one A in her name. I am moving it to challenge #20, as this is a story of two women who are crossing the Antarctic continent on foot, and must complete their journey in the summer months.

Challenge 21: Read a book by a writer who is/was a political activist.

Definition of a political activist:

- an elected representative - eg president, prime minister, MP, senator, local councillor
- stood as a candidate for such a position
- was a member of a political party
- was active in a political campaign - this would be more than expressing support, and doesn't have to be party political - it could be a single or multi-issue campaign which was outside government structures

Books read for this don't have to be about politics, to be especially political or to obviously express the views of the author, though it's fine if they do. They can be fiction or non fiction.

Examples - politicians include Benjamin Disraeli, Barack Obama, Bob Marshall-Andrews, Michael Dobbs, Nadine Dorries (ugh!), Louise Bagshawe/Mensch, Tristram Hunt, Tony Benn, Ellen Wilkinson (genres there include memoir, crime fiction, chicklit, history, diaries)
Unsucessful candidate - Anthony Trollope (he stood as a Liberal parliamentary candidate)
political party members - Elizabeth Taylor (novelist), Christina Stead, Tillie Olsen, Katharine Susannah Pritchard, Jessica Mitford were all Communist Party members
Josephine Pullein-Thompson was an author of pony books, and as a leading figure in PEN, campaigned for the human rights of writers internationally

Would you consider Luke Harding, who has been involved in the Wikileaks issue and generally an advocate for first amendment/free speech rights (against government attempts to shut down/control media?) There is a book by him that I'm rather interested in reading about his confrontation with Putin's new security state...

Ilana- do you think we should move Legend to challenge #17. I've just picked it up and the setting is Los Angeles.

>110 Chatterbox: Assuming that's addressed to me, yes.

The First Rule by Robert Crais - TIOLI #6. Read a book set somewhere you have been on vacation (Los Angeles)

If I were a beach bunny, this would be a good beach read. Just enough action and mystery to keep a reader occupied, no deep thinking necessary.

Frank Meyers was a stand up guy with a family and a nanny when he met his demise. But ten years ago, he was part of a mercenary security for hire team with deadly training. When someone kills the entire household, it is surmised this had to do with Frank's unseemly past.

As readers of mystery books know, someone lies. Usually several someones lie, and they all underestimate the strength of their enemy. Men from Frank's past band together to solve the murder mystery, and avenge Frank's death.

All I will say is that on the way to avenging Frank, Joe Pike and Elvis Cole (two mainstay characters in Crais' books) discover something so unsavory and rotten that even I was rooting for bloody mayhem. "Shootin's too good fer 'em."

>112 elkiedee: Thanks, yes, it was, but it was 3 a.m. here and I was headachey, sleepless and too darn hot to remember to do the arrow thingy it seems!

>109 elkiedee: How about Isabel Allende? In addition to her writing, she has a foundation that supports assorted education and women's issues including economic justice. And Facts On File calls her a political activist, for what that's worth.

And Happy 4th of July to all those who wish to celebrate!

>115 Dejah_Thoris: Ok, I think of Isabel Allende as a political writer more than an activist, certainly her first novel is quite explicitly political, but I think you've made a case. Wikipedia also clarifies my confusion on her nationality - the reason she wasn't born in Chile is because she was a diplobrat, and her father was ambassador to Peru at the time of her birth. It also suggests that she was politically active at several points in her life.

>111 avatiakh: Kerry, absolutely! I thought the same thing when I started it, but somehow didn't think to ask you. I'll go move them both now.

Cannery Row by John Steinbeck - TIOLI #11. Read a book that centers on People, Places, or Things (Rolling challenge) (PLACE)

Cannery Row is the protagonist of the story. It's denizens described in moving, nonjudgmental prose as life on Cannery Row goes on.

The linchpin is Doc, a quiet, bearded, scientist who collects specimens from the Pacific ocean for his clients. Although he is quiet, he has touched the people in such a way as to prompt them to say, "I must really do something nice for Doc."

And so the story of how the friends of Doc set about planning not one, but two surprise parties for him is the backdrop for this loving homage to the bums, the whores, the hard working men and women, the Chinese store owner and the down on their luck come together to do something nice for Doc.

Cannery Row is a lovely quick read filled with character sketches of both people and locale told with the fondness of someone who lived to tell the tale. Although the book can be romantic, Steinbeck's writing pulls it back enough for it not to be maudlin.

Somehow my June sweep was dropped from the hall of fame on the TIOLI Meter. Dunno why it went AWOL, but if anyone has a query about it, feel free to ask? We had voted to count works toward a sweep, as I recall, and if anyone has any other problem, let me know.

If anyone is considering reading Midnight in Europe by Alan Furst this month, I've listed it under challenge #13.

#120 by @Smiler69> I got it at NetGalley and read it last month. It's a typically terrific Furst.

>120 Smiler69: It's yummy -- one of his classics, definitely.

101> I've been reading only shared reads so far this month. Well, I've been picking books already on the wiki at least. So I'd looked at that Hen one. Looked at the sample. Sample was something like first line, or first three sentences. hehe.

>123 Lexxi: I know you like LGBT books, I've just added The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth to Challenge #14. I heard of it because it was removed from a middle school summer reading list they say because it contained swear words but others have said because it deals with the coming of age of young girl with same sex attraction.

124) thanks, I'll take a look at it. The last line in the haiku, "can God de-gay her", and the line in the description about the gay conversion therapy center is a little potentially off putting, but it might be interesting.

Reminds me of a movie I saw where a cheerleader gets sent to a gay conversion place. RuPaul dressed as a man was in it, I think.

>18 avatiakh: I just saw that my library has Cinder available...I'm going to try to get it today. Once I have it I'll go ahead and list Scarlet too. Perfect time of year to read through some series!!

Thanks, souloftherose for listing Bog Child in challenge #2. I'm about 1/3 of the way in, and it's so interesting. The combination of archeology and compulsion, the war between destruction and aspiration is irresistible. Poor Fergus, what is going to happen to him.

>125 Lexxi: Are you thinking of "But I'm A Cheerleader"? It's a cult classic.

#126: Oh good, that will give me a push to pick it up. I've just finished the 2 Comoran Strike books when I only intended to read one.

Thanks for finishing #2, though, Kerry; that will push me to read Silkworm!

For Challenge #5...another excellent read...

QB VII by Leon Uris

This was my second read of a work by Leon Uris, and it was superb! In the first half of this book, the author introduces you to the two men who will eventually meet in court, "QB VII". Uris takes his time building so extensive a biography, that you really feel you know these people. I found myself having empathy for both Sir Adam Kelno and Abe Cady.

At the halfway point we are placed in QB VII court, with the barristers, judge, and jury, the plaintiff and defendant, and a sad assortment of witnesses. Due to the previously developed empathy, I felt strongly when the evidence came out, more so, I believe, because of the way the author introduced the characters in the first part of the book.

The court scenes are especially well-done, with plenty of tactics and terminology, and this book is highly recommended.

>121 majkia: >122 Chatterbox: Finished listening to it last night and definitely enjoyed Midnight in Europe. My first, but not my last Furst! (couldn't resist the wordplay).

Finished The Plover in #5 - it could also go in #2 with only a little need to argue.

>52 DeltaQueen50: I am going to thoroughly enjoy your challenge! I have several books by Joyce Stranger that I have not yet read, and three brand new ones that arrived in the mail on Monday, woo!!

Madeline -- can you clarify when we should log our shared reads on the TIOLI meter -- when we complete them or when the people we are sharing with complete them and they become shared? I'm seeing different things happening and I'm confused. Thanks...

>135 Chatterbox:

Log your shared reads on the TIOLI meter when you COMPLETE them - if they still seem to be shared reads at that time. You never need to go back later to see if they remain shared reads. That's because people are always adding and subtracting books and moving books from one challenge to another. At the end of the month, I'm also deleting books that are not COMPLETED, and I'm definitely not going to try to figure out who has shared reads and who doesn't!

The TOP NEWT can really only be our best guess from day to day.

>136 SqueakyChu: So as long as someone else intends to read the book, we can still count it as a shared read when we complete it? (I have been driving myself crazy all these months doublechecking to see when/whether other people complete shared reads in vain???)

>137 Chatterbox:

Yeah. Don't make yourself crazy. When you COMPLETE a book, mark it either a shared read or not at that time. Don't go back and look at it again. Set it and forget it.

There's no contest over shared reads. The original idea of "shared reads" was to try to get people to talk about them together. It was meant to be a conversation starter among the threads of various TIOLI challengers. Now there are so many threads and they're so long that I can hardly follow any of them any more. I don't even know when we started marking shared reads on the TIOLI meter. That just sort of seemed to evolve over time.

P.S. What I've been doing all along is what I've described in msg #138. I had no idea that others were constantly checking back and forth.

>138 SqueakyChu: Ok! For some reason, I had it stuck in my head that I wasn't supposed to log a shared read until someone else had completed it. So I've been diligent about doing so! I know I'll never end up with the biggest # of shared reads, because that is never even a priority for me. I began adding them whenever someone requested that we do so; ditto the page numbers. I certainly wouldn't be doing complicated mathematical calculations on page numbers every time I finish a book had someone not made that a formal request at some point...

I don't care if we have a rule or not. I just wanted to know whether we did!

Yea! My copy of the Silkworm just came in to the library.

I've only logged shared reads when I have completed and someone else has.

>142 elkiedee: Yep. Me, too.

I think I've OD'ed on vacation books. I finished Getaway by Lisa Brackmann and The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry for Challenge #8. I need something different so I'm picking up Northanger Abbey from the to-read shelf for Challenge #12, read a book about books.

By the way, Mr. Mercedes would make an excellent beach book. It's a page turner.

>139 SqueakyChu:

Okay, I think we've unanimously decided that each of us may tally our "shared reads" however we want to. That's good enough for me.

Everything on the frog meter is optional and for you to track however you want. Think of it simply as personal bookkeeping (no pun intended!).

(message deleted)

I always feel kinda guilty when I don't or can't complete a shared read--though not guilty enough to force my way through a book I'm not enjoying...

I've only ever noted shared reads when more than one person, me, has read/completed the book.

I think I have something like 5 or 6 shared reads then if count from moment I complete and not from moment others do.

Redeeming the Dream: The Case for Marriage Equality by David Boies and Theodore Olson was an interesting and good book though quite repetitive. One of the two books I've read this month without shared reader.

I have

one completed shared read - Jack of Spies
2 current reads that will be shared reads when I complete them - War Girls and Dark Lord of Derkholm
2 books that I've read and that I'm waiting for anyone else to read, never mind complete (I listed one first and 3 other people had listed the other one) - The Black Echo and Plainsong

I'm hoping that others will read Plainsong for the Alex Award challenge, just because I really loved it.

>149 elkiedee: I have Plainsong here from the library, so I do plan to read it! It's a renewable book, which increases the odds still further. That said, I have to confess that I started a re-read of The Magicians last night. I've decided to re-read the first two books in this series before I read the third.

I'm looking forward to hearing what you think of it when you get there.

>149 elkiedee: on request from the library, we'll see if it gets here on time.
Another list mentioned Whipping Girl by Julia Serano/on sale on Amazon for Kindle for only .99. I won't have time to read it this month, but what a bargain.

I just finished an eye-opener of a book for Challenge #7, the uniform challenge, and thank you for starting that because I otherwise never would have thought of picking up the book. It's Thank You For Your Service about veterans, PTSD, TBI, grieving, family interactions, treatment, red tape and lots of suicide and the attempts to stop it. Written by David Finkel, a journalist who was imbedded with troops in Iraq, it contains the personal stories of veterans and their spouses and also looks the officials trying to deal with the crisis. 5 stars from me, I can't recommend it highly enough.

>153 Citizenjoyce: Just placed a hold at my library, though I'm not sure I'll get it in time to make it a shared read. Thanks for the rec!

A Perry Mason Omnibus by Erle Stanley Gardner (gift) (Californian author) - TIOLI #19. Read a book whose author is from a country that competed in the 2014 World Cup (US)

My memories of Perry Mason stem from the television show, not the books. And those memories are pretty dim, so it was with a sort of newness I started this omnibus.

The Perry Mason of the books is gruff and very tricksy. He knows the technicalities of the law, and all the loopholes and employs them to get his clients off. It seemed to me that a lot of what Mason did was borderline unethical. And in these three particular books The Case of the Velvet Claws, The Case of the Sunbather's Diary, and The Case of the Demure Defendant, it's always some dame who wants saving.

Then there's the devoted and loyal Della Street, who takes the measure of these dames and gives Mason her opinion. In The Case of the Velvet Claws, she told him in no uncertain terms that his client was up to no good with a startling vehemence. Turns out, the client was almost as tricksy as the lawyer.

And Paul Drake, he does most of the heavy lifting with his detective agency, finding all manner of information about clients, police, and people related to the case.

The Perry Mason books are formulaic; client comes in with a problem, Mason, Street and Drake investigate, Mason fights with the police and the DA, then during the trial there's a courtroom scene in which Mason uses his tricksy knowledge and lets the air right out of DA Hamilton Burger's pompous sails.

Only one Perry Mason mystery was written without a courtroom scene, and that was the first book, The Case of the Velvet Claws.

I can't say that I enjoyed these books, and I definitely won't be reading more. But getting a historical taste of the genre was fascinating.

>129 avatiakh:

I just added Cinder and Scarlet from the Lunar Chronicles to Challenge 4 if anyone is reading them or wants to.

I'm also about to add The Gardner Heist to Challenge 9. I haven't started it yet, but it looks good!

Thanks, I added Scarlet which I'll make a start on today.

Fuel to the Fire by David Staniforth - TIOLI #4. Start a series and continue if you want

Ptui ... this should have been a thumping great read what with the wizards, and the dragons, the girl disguised as a boy to survive in her world, and then the girl finding the small breakdown in the border between worlds, and the evil emperor who tortures handmaidens for fun ...

It shoulda been fun but it really wasn't. It became predictable what with the girl is discovered to be a girl and then falls in love, the son who takes over the dragon training because his father is injured, the mother who loves the girl like a daughter, the prophecy what can't be unraveled ...

It could have been fun despite the spelling and grammatical errors. And it might have been fun if not for all the things listed above and the horrible, horrible cliff hanger.

On that other reader social media site, the only place I could find any information about the author, Staniforth states "‘Fuel to the Fire’ has been sitting on my hard-drive since 2005 waiting to be released. " It should have stayed there.

>158 AuntieClio: like your review. :)

>158 AuntieClio: can we assume that the second element of the challenge "and continue if you want" will not be taking place?

Smiler69, I'm happily joining you in your read of Codex Seraphinianus for challenge 13. I tracked down the book after seeing it on your thread. What a strange, incredible, beautiful book it is!

Karen O.

>159 fuzzi: Thank you!

>160 Helenliz:, yes the second element will not be taking place. I do not want to continue this series.

>127 Citizenjoyce: I'm really glad you're enjoying it. :-)

Ilana, I just finished Chasing Vermeer which is a shared read with you in my challenge #4, the series challenge. If you don't plan to add any of the rest of the series, would you consider moving it to the art theft challenge, #9. It fits perfectly, and for a YA book it's pretty good.

>162 klobrien2: Karen, I'm glad I somehow encouraged you to get your hands on this book. It really needs to be seen to be believed!

>165 Citizenjoyce: I'll be happy to move it Joyce. I'll also make a point of actually reading it this month. It's been sitting on my tbr for years and I must have listed it on various TIOLI challenges countless times too.

>166 Smiler69: I hope you do. I would say it's charming, but it's more interesting than that. Lots of stuff about Vermeer, and if you're a puzzle solver (which I'm not, they make me nervous), it's your cup of tea. Besides, anything about the University of Chicago has my vote.
ETA I moved them both.

I started the second E-Audiobook in the Maggie Hope series, Princess Elizabeth's Spy and, while I think the story is even better than in the first one, the narrator is killing it for me. For some reason Susan Duerden reads in a sing song voice. Perhaps she's used to reading poetry. Wanda McCaddon did such a good job on the first one I don't know why they didn't continue with her, or why at least someone didn't listen in to Duerden's sessions and give some direction.

ETA I just checked and it looks like Duerden reads the whole rest of the series. What were they thinking?

>167 Citizenjoyce: Thanks for moving them Joyce. I will pick it up no later than today, having just finished my latest Maigret novel.

>168 Citizenjoyce: I don't know why anyone hires Susan Duerden to narrate audiobooks at all. Obviously she must have her fans, but I find she makes the experience truly and needlessly painful. I endured her through The Tiger's Wife and it's a testament to how much I liked Obreht's storytelling abilities that I ended up loving the book despite Duerden's best attempts to destroy the experience for me. I stay clear away from her now, even though she narrates some books I really would love to listen to. But no more.

TIOLI Question of the Month:

Have you found anything in any of the books you've read so far in July offensive to you? If so, what were the situations, and why did you find them offensive?

Offensive may not be the right word, but I found The Maltese Falcon to be irritating in the way that Sam addressed women. I have to admit that it was reflective of its time, but it did bother me.

I don't know if 'offensive' is the right word, but I did find the crime and the details of the manuscript in The Silkworm to be truly disgusting. I guess you could say it offended my sensibilities, so, yes. Not sure I can describe without giving away spoilers.

>170 SqueakyChu: In QB VII I found the "experiments" on concentration camp prisoners carried out by the Nazis to be extremely offensive, as well as disgusting. It is hard to believe how some people are capable of such cruelties!

Aside from the very offensive reader of Princess Elizabeth's Spy I was rather offended by the assumption of the main character in Americanah, Ifemelu, that white people just don't "get" racism and her equal ridiculing of any attempt to do so. That seems a pretty defeatist attitude. If we not only don't understand racism but are unable to do so, there seems little point in trying. Is that just white petulance? Am I not understanding what she is saying?

>170 SqueakyChu:

I finished reading American Psycho this month. It is meant to be offensive so I'd be hard pressed to pick anything that was not offensive about it. I probably was most turned off by its graphic violence and sex, but, oddly enough, the book was a worthwhile read and, with its very dark humor, made quite a statement about materialism, class, and educational status as well as the emptiness which can accompany all three.

>174 Citizenjoyce: it smacks off elitism, to me.

>170 SqueakyChu: I found aspects of Daphne Du Maurier's personality as revealed in Daphne Du Maurier and Her Sisters to be rather offensive. She needed her alone time to write and pretty much ignored her husband and children, and then was shocked when it turned out her husband was having an affair. Never mind that she herself had almost broken up a friend's marriage while her husband was off fighting World War II and then humiliated her lover's family by fictionalizing their story in Hungry Hill. There's a bit more to it than that, but suffice to say I don't think I'd want to invite her to dinner.

I guess if that's the worst thing I've read this month, I must be having a pretty good month. :)

ETA: I forgot, the love rival in Kate's Progress kicks an English setter. I find dog abuse horridly offensive, but for some reason I don't feel the same kind of visceral revulsion about that scene as I do Du Maurier's personality.

>170 SqueakyChu: Am currently reading Ginsberg by Barry Miles, and while I understand this as a reflection of the times, am completely offended by the way people (psychiatrists, his father, brother, etc.) were convinced that he needed to practice being straight, and put those homosexual thoughts out of his mind.

Plus, William S. Burroughs just offends me for taking up space in my books. So does Hubert Huncke.

>178 AuntieClio: I've not read either William S. Burroughs or Herbert Huncke, why don't you like their works?

>174 Citizenjoyce: Not to excuse ridicule, but I do feel there is a certain level of racism I will never get because I am not black. I will never truly understand how it feels to exposed to every day racism, of being pulled over for "driving while black" or it being assumed that I'm a shoplifter because I'm black (Google neil degrasse tyson shoplifting.) Just like I don't believe that men can truly understand women's experience of sexism. They don't live it day to day with the comments, expectations and fears. There is a visceral level that can't be explained only experienced.

>174 Citizenjoyce: and >180 Morphidae: Ifemelu in Americanah is a young Nigerian woman studying in America who starts a blog about her experiences, and my memory of that part is that the ridicule is a reaction to particular experiences. I can't imagine that I'm going to "get" an experience of racism in the way that she does. Not everyone white in the novel as a whole turns out to be inevitably racist. And I wouldn't excuse Ifemelu ridiculing prejudice as she experiences it on her blog, what's to excuse about a person blogging about her own experience as such?

>174 Citizenjoyce: >180 Morphidae: >181 elkiedee: I didn't love Americanah, partly because I ended up feeling that once you remove the interesting element of an African commenting on race issues in North America (including relations between "white" and African Americans), what was left kinda felt like chick lit: a plot revolving around relationships and career. But what was interesting to me was the race issue. Perhaps because I never got over reading Black Like Me, in which a white man literally transforms his skin color through a combination of skin dyes and medication to really experience what life was like as a black man in the South on the eve of the Civil Rights era. Observing and imagining is one thing; experiencing is another. So perhaps what she is trying to communicate is that we can only ever understand racism from one perspective and that we need to acknowledge that? Just as men need to understand they'll never know what it means to be uncomfortable walking down a street at night alone, however much they understand that it makes us women uncomfortable. It's not something they have experienced, and it's not about something in themselves that they can change -- gender, race, sexual identity, physical disabilities, etc. are inherent and (with the possible exception of sexual identity) visible. It's like the whole debate over "white privilege" and "male privilege" that folks are increasingly discussing.

>179 fuzzi: LOL at the taking up of space in your books by Burroughs et al!

Offensive? Not thus far.

Usually there are only two categories. In non-fiction, sloppy research, lazy writing and demented ideas that don't stand up to a lot of logical scrutiny. None of those this month.

In fiction: Authors who kind of dial it in, because they're too complacent to bother to work hard to make their work the best it can be. (Usually applies to established authors trying to make annual deadlines.) Laziness with facts; creating characters that are Mary Sues or their masculine equivalents. Some young MFA program graduates who try so so so hard to be clever that all that cleverness and effort spills over into the writing. Generally, combinations of bad writing, limp characterization and predictable plots annoy me. I'm not sure that rises to the level of "offensive", unless being offended at spending hours reading a book that is actually painful is offensive. But much of it ends up feeling disrespectful to the reader -- especially the laziness and sloppiness -- and that attitude is one I find offensive. I did find, on re-reading a childhood favorite, Knight Crusader, that the author took a very one-sided view of the history, now that I'm familiar with that history and able to judge. I don't think it offends me, though, because it was first published in 1954, so would have been in keeping with its times.

An interesting question, generally -- is it what the author does that is objectionable, or the actions of the characters that are objectionable?? I'm seeing examples of both in the responses, and wondered, Madeline, whether you were thinking of a book's themes (as chosen and explored by the author) or the way the characters behave? If the latter, The Silkworm definitely has its share of creepy characters. Offensive? Well, it's about a murder, and murder is always offensive...

>170 SqueakyChu: In The Collaboration I learned how the major Hollywood studios worked with nascent Nazi Germany through the 1930s to scrub their films clean of references to Jews or anything else that might offend fascists. Offensive? Outrageous.

On racism: as the life partner of a Black woman I've become keenly aware that I will never "get" the racism (and sexism) experienced regularly by my best friend. We've found that listening and support do not require any pretense that I "feel her pain." That said, I think those who try to "get" racism are generally trying to help; ridicule is probably not the best way to redirect that positive energy.

>182 Chatterbox:

Madeline, whether you were thinking of a book's themes (as chosen and explored by the author) or the way the characters behave?

Well, both...and anything, really. Sometime things that are offensive are very subtle. Sometimes an author may unintentionally cause offense. It's interesting to hear about what each of us thinks is offensive from different pespectives of all kinds of books, be they fiction or nonfiction.

I can definitely see your point about feeling offended having read books which you felt were a total waste of time.

>177 inge87: I suspect if we found out intimate details about what it's like living with many (most?) authors, we'd be turned off by how self-involved they generally seem. I don't think I'm too far off the mark when I say that most successful artists and creators necessarily tend to put their work ahead of everything and everyone else, and families and relations are the first to suffer in consequence.

>184 SqueakyChu: It's a very different level of offense reading a book that I think wastes my time than reading a book by an author who is racist or sexist or homophobic, and who is using his/her platform as an author to promote views that I find reprehensible. The latter is definitely an order of magnitude greater!!

>185 Smiler69: Ilana, I agree with you about authors. Horrifically self-involved, most of 'em. Egomaniacs. They can make politicians look nice. Hemingway was a bit of a sh*t to women, to put it mildly. Flaubert's household revolved around him. HG Wells had affair after affair, including with Rebecca West, who was a rather bad mother who dumped her young son in boarding schools and told him to call her "Auntie". The relationship was, ahem, strained, throughout their life. (Wells was his father; the boy was illegitimate.) I wonder if we end up judging female writers differently/more harshly than we would if they were men? Had Wells fathered the child and walked away (he didn't, completely, although he was even less present than West was, but gets more of a free pass from his son) would he be criticized in the way West still is by some biographers for her behavior?

>170 SqueakyChu: There was actually one chapter in The Lace Reader that I found very offensive. It was the only chapter written from the point of view of the protagonist's alcoholic ex-boyfriend. I found it offensive in two ways: the content, and it was completely unnecessary for the book. It pretty much tanked the book for me, which I ended up giving a lukewarm rating. I don't want to spoil it, but if you're interested in specifics, I did mention it in my review.

>186 Chatterbox:

The latter is definitely an order of magnitude greater!

I definitely agree!!

#186 by @Chatterbox> regarding your answer to Smiler69 : this is why I don't want to know a lot about authors, especially non-contemporary ones. I don't want to color my reading of the book based on my anger/irritation at the author.

>187 sturlington:

I read The Lace Reader three years ago so I went back to read your spoiler. I couldn't remember anything about the book except for the fact that I wondered if there was really such a thing as "lace reading". There was not. Fortunately for me, I also blocked out in my memory the part that was offensive. :)

>189 majkia:

this is why I don't want to know a lot about authors, especially non-contemporary ones.

I'm just the opposite. I want to know all about the author...but often I'll wait until after I read a novel before learning as much as I can about its author.

I think what I learn about an author doesn't change my view of a book, and in most cases the same is probably true of any work of art -- music, literature, painting, etc. Caravaggio was a drunkard and a brawler who was a wonderful artist. I probably would have hated him, but he was brilliant.

Had Pol Pot, Hitler, etc. been wonderful artists or musicians, I'd have to reconsider this. But even someone like Wagner: he had reprehensible views on a lot of stuff, and I doubt I would have wanted to have dinner with him or recommend him for a humanitarian award. But musically? He redefined a lot of what was happening. I'm usually glad I read books before I read literary biographies for that reason!

I suppose what I'm saying is that most of the things that I find unforgivable are real crimes -- mass murder, being a sociopath, pedophilia, etc. I just can't think of a case of someone of that order writing books that I would read anyway.

On the flip side, there are people whose offenses are more interpersonal -- and I'm not the person on the receiving end, being caricatured in the latest book, being ignored in their personal life, etc. Which gives me the emotional distance to separate the writer from the work. There are plenty of authors that I could care less about, and some I probably even dislike as people. Some of their works I still like or admire. And in other cases (and these are tricky!) I like the person a lot IRL but find the books simply OK. That's a tricky one to navigate...

>187 sturlington: I couldn't remember that spoiler either! Like Madeline, a lot of the details of that book have vanished. It was one of those novels that was very widely buzzed about that whose author has sort of vanished from the scene since. There was a second book, but it was a DNF for me.

Interesting discussion...

>190 SqueakyChu: and >192 Chatterbox: The fact that you couldn't remember many details about the book speaks to its overall quality.

I just can't think of a case of someone of that order writing books that I would read anyway.

Huh. I was going to do a neener neener but no Marion Zimmer Bradley in your library. You win. :D

>194 Morphidae: LOL! Nope was never into those books; not much of a sci-fi fan. I suppose there is always a chance that someone who IS in my library has also been involved in such nefarious stuff and it simply has never come to light: sadly, that's all too possible. I've been sickened by the news out of the UK about the pedophile ring and its high-level protection.

>193 sturlington: Yup, books of enduring quality tend to be slightly more memorable. This one should have been more memorable, given that its plot -- the lace reading, etc. -- was so memorable. Compare that to Geraldine Brooks, though, and I find I can bring whole passages to mind. Or the single book of Kathleen Kent's that I have read, The Wolves of Andover, still sticks in my memory, and has prodded me to read more about that era, about some of the historical events it deals with, about some of the RL characters. Not great literary fiction, but a solid, quality work of historical fiction.

>195 Chatterbox: Oooh, another Geraldine Brooks lover. I've read every book she's published.

>195 Chatterbox: I read several William Mayne books as a child, and he apparently used to come to Puffin Club events (organised by Penguin's children's section for their readers) - he's dead now but a few years before he died he was found out to have been an abuser, and the Puffin club involvement was an opportunity.

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2004/may/27/childprotection.uk

>183 swynn: That's the way I see it. Years ago I said to a black woman collegue, "But doesn't increased police presence make you feel safer?" She looked as me like I was an idiot, which I frequently am, but I guess I'm one of those people who does want a cookie if I'm trying to figure things out. I was discussing, with the white members of my book club, the fact that even successful, well educated balck women have a higher incidence of premature birth which is thought to be due to the stress of racism. The general response was that if the woman is successful then she's not experiencing racism. So day to day effects really are almost impossible for unaffected people to see. Trying to see it though, is important and should not be discouraged.
Regarding artists in their personal lives - from what I've read, artists first devotion is to their work, and personal relationships frequently come second. So if an artist is not devotedly attuned to his or her spouse (or alas, children), I can't hold that against them. It's the artist who actively mistreats or ridicules the spouse or child who gets my disdain.
>194 Morphidae: MZB? Oh no,what?

Hadn't been aware of the William Mayne link... I remember his name, but while I may have read some of his books, none are springing to mind. That said, I was a Puffin Club member. That's egregious, and definitely crosses my line. The other examples she mentions come down, again, to distinguishing between the writer as a person and the works. I suppose everyone has to draw that line for themselves, ultimately.

>198 Citizenjoyce: MZB's daughter says she was systematically abused by her mother, as were other young children.

Morphy, I have been a fan of Geraldine's ever since we both worked at the WSJ. Back then, she was the star, with Tony along for the ride as the self-employed spouse. Then, Confederates in the Attic hit it big, and suddenly he became better known. Now I think they're both equally known, which is great, because I think their talents are roughly equal. That said, I was impressed that she has done such an amazing job in fiction, given that her first books were classic narrative non-fiction -- the usual books for journalists to crank out. I wish I had an iota of their talent... I used to use Tony's series on job creation from back in 1994 when I taught a biz journalism seminar to show that a story that is about numbers (job creation) really is about people. The series is "9 to Nowhere" and takes readers behind the scenes in the industries where the most jobs were created -- Tony went to work in each of them. The following is from the first of those, at a poultry processing plant, and it's the "lede", or the opening segment:

"They call it "the chain," a swift steel shackle that shuttles dead chickens down a disassembly line of hangers, skinners, gut-pullers and gizzard cutters. The chain has been rattling at 90 birds a minute for nine hours when the woman working feverishly beside me crumples onto a pile of drumsticks. "No more," she whimpers. A foreman with a stopwatch around his neck rushes up. "Come on now," he bellows. "Pump it up.!" Down the chain, a worker named Jose yells and waves wildly, like a drowning man. Bathroom trips are discouraged and require approval. But the foreman can't hear because of the din, and Jose is left grimacing and crossing his legs. Finally, half an hour later, a weary cheer ripples along the line. "The last bird's coming!" someone shouts. Jose sprints toward the bathroom -- and right into the path of a cleanup crew hosing offal into floor drains. Jose slips and then flops onto a sodden bank of fat and skin. "Gotta go," he says, struggling up from the mire. "Gotta go." "

>198 Citizenjoyce: >199 Chatterbox: Her son also accuses her of abuse. And in her own deposition, she is an apologist for her pedophile husband. After all, if a (pre-)teen boy says no, especially if he's bigger than the adult, there's no problem. Essentially, that all the boys her husband molested "gave consent." Ugh.

What an interesting conversation.

Biographies are always a bit of a risk, but once in a while they're a risk I take. This is in spite of the fact that if I dislike the person or something they did, I'll frequently stop reading them (even if I enjoyed other books by them). I was planning to read Laurence van der Post's A Far-Off Place at one point, when I read how he'd seduced and impregnated a 14 year-old temporarily placed in his care. Suffice to say I never picked it up.

But I like to think that I'm an equal opportunity offendee. I may no longer want to read Daphne Du Maurier, but I also don't read much Dickens, because I can't stand how he treated his wife.

And as for MZB, anyone who thinks 11 and 12 year-olds can give consent has serious issues. She's on my no-read list too.

>179 fuzzi: Naked Lunch, made it through about 30 pages before giving up. Burroughs is often lauded as the godfather of punk with his work. Anthony Bourdain says "if you don't get Naked Lunch there's no hope for you." (or something to that effect) Burroughs was one of the most f***ed up people of the Beat Generation. He made Hemingway look like a school boy.

Herbert Huncke, I've never read. And I don't plan to. He was in and out of prison for theft, among other things. Moved into Allen Ginsberg's flat and took advantage of him by moving stolen good through. I've seen Huncke in documentaries and he just gives me the heebie jeebies.

I know none of the Beat Generation were angels, they were all confused drug and sex addicts, drinkers and misogynistic bastards. Burroughs was the worst of them all. Neal Cassady ranked right up there.

Ginsberg seems to be the only one who actually tried to understand and improve his understanding of his life.

And yet, I love most of their work. I even enjoy Bourdain's writing. But Burroughs and Hunke just offend my not-so-delicate sensibilities.

I've just listed The Shape of Water, book 1 in the Commissario Montalbano series under challenge #4, which I've just completed. I'm rereading the first four books and plan to continue reading the whole series over the summer, so have also listed the next two books, The Terra-Cotta Dog and The Snack Thief, which I'll probably get to this month.

Have started on Phineas Finn this evening.

>202 AuntieClio: Anthony Bourdain also thinks if you're not willing to eat live fish that has been sauteed and is still writing in pain you're not much of a gourmet. I think I can do without his approval. (and if I could pick a hell for someone else, I would love for him to spend a while in an environment ruled by marine life)

>204 Citizenjoyce: Yeah, Bourdain and I would not be friends. I'm not hip enough for him, or something and I'm okay with that. I enjoy his books and his shows. The man can write, that's for sure, but some of the things he says with such certainty I disagree with. There's nothing wrong with me for not liking Naked Lunch, thank yew very much. And my food must be dead for me to eat it. I am not a Klingon.

Curious: are oysters dead when we eat them? I've never really known. That said, I quite like oysters.

>206 Chatterbox: Yes, if they're eaten raw they are alive at point of consumption. People do eat cooked oysters too, though, and they're obviously not alive (but have to be when thrown in the pan). Eating oysters that aren't alive/raw or cooked alive = food poisoning.

>204 Citizenjoyce:

if I could pick a hell for someone else, I would love for him to spend a while in an environment ruled by marine life

Joyce, you're too funny!

Well, I suppose I would meet with Bourdain's approval and Citizenjoyce's and AuntieClio's disapproval, then, but I like oysters! Not eating them every day, but not relinquishing them out of principle...

C'est la vie!

>54 susanna.fraser: Sorry if you've already answered this, but would you count a fictional revolution (in a dystopian future) as well as a real one?

>210 bell7: Sure!

The 'summary' version: Read another shared read. For the first challenge, which I do not seem to find books for, now covered. Read a Nero Wolfe book written by a different author. Remembered that I do not particularly like reading Nero Wolfe books, though gave one or two five stars. Oh, and I've also read other books in other challenges.

----
For whatever reason I never seem to find a book to read for the first challenge. Finally did that this month through my attempt to mostly read shared reads. Except for three or four books, everything I've read has been instigated by the challenges. 7 shared reads, ten books read, though one of those books would have been read regardless of the challenges (Silkwood).

The challenge 1 book I read was Robert Goldsborough's Murder in the Ball Park. Looked interesting. Would add to my "shared read" count. Baseball related, mystery, mid-1950s setting, New York setting. I'd forgotten that there were some Nero Wolfe books I'd actually read, and while I loved one or two, I didn't really like any of the others. And the Ball Park book was ok, just dragged. I'd been reading roughly 1 book a day, average, and that one took me three days. And it was only 228 or 194 pages (depending on edition). I probably will not read another Goldsborough Wolfe book, nor, for that matter, another Rex Stout Wolfe book. 3 out of 5

Challenge 2 book was Borderlands by Brian McGilloway. Now this one is one I'd never even heard of except through these challenges (not that I had heard of Goldsborough's extension of the Wolfe series, it's just that I'd heard and read Nero Wolfe before). Rather liked this one. Not a favorite, but a good solid book. Interesting look at Ireland, and the borderlands (the area between Ireland and Northern Ireland). One or two offensive things occurred, though I can't mention them even in passing as they would be spoilers. 4 out of 5 Probably would have read next book in series, but didn't look to see if it could fit a challenge I've not yet read, and didn't want to read it in a challenge already read.

Callenge 3 was another one I probably never would have read without the challenge, and desire to read a shared read. I knew Edge of Tomorrow was based on a book, but I didn't actually like Edge of Tomorrow so I never dug deep to figure out which book that might be. Turned out to be a Japanese book called, in English, All You Need is Kill and is by Hiroshi Sakurazaka. Book was actually quite interesting, with certain simularities and differences between book and film (like Cruise's character is either a heavily modified Japanese soldier, or, more likely, the American camera/newsman who has about three to five lines in the book). I found the book more interesting than the movie on several levels, though I do not forsee myself reading anything else by Sakurazaka. 3 1/2 or 4 out of 5

Two books read so far for Challenge 4. The Silkworm is the one that I was going to read regardless of the challenges, and it just so happened to be a shared read anyway. This second book by Rowling as Robert Galbraith is somewhat less interesting than the first book in the series. And, oddly, I don't particularly like some of the attitudes towards women that came out in this book, though I still like Robin Ellacott (and rather dislike her boyfriend). Was actually a quite neat little story. A missing novelist, an unpublishable manuscript, strange happenings surrounding the events. Hmms. Despite recalling liking the first book in the series more than this one, it appears I gave both 4 out of 5 stars.

Challenge 4 also saw my first non-shared read. Money Shot by Christa Faust. Certainly had some offensive things occur, like rape. Was somewhat unexpected, that. Money Shot was a book I'd look at for a while and kept not reading/buying. I believe I might have actually also removed it from my maybe pile at some point. Looking for something to read, 'now', with no luck finding anything immediately, I took a chance and read this first book in a series. I haven't really been very forthcoming about these books. Just random thoughts. Money Shot involves an ex-porn star who runs an agency for women in the adult industry. Called upon by an old friend from the industry to come out of retirement, Angel Dare is talked into it both because it's her old friend, and because her old friend is/was in a bit of a jam, needed her immediately or he might have another failure on his hands. One thing leads to another and Angel is bound in a trunk of a car, shot and left for dead. And some tough scary looking people bouncing around looking for "it" leaving bodies in their wake. heh. I just read what I wrote. Glanced up at the description on Goodreads (Librarything is down at the moment), and saw "she'll get to the bottom of what's been done to her even if she has to leave a trail of bodies along the way". *shakes fist at Goodreads* It's not Dare leaving bodies! It's the scary tough dudes! Right, well this one I gave 4 stars to on Goodreads and 3 1/2 on Librarything. Goodreads does not have half stars. I might go ahead and read the next book in the series. Though, based on the way the last book ended, I'm not sure I'm that interested. *looks* And description doesn't look that exciting.

Challenges 5-6 - no books found to read yet.

Challenge 7 - read another book probably never would have heard of nor read. The Martian by Andy Weir. And . . . apparently I forgot to record that I had read it on both Goodreads and Librarything. Correcting now. Right, that was annoying. Especially since I 'gave', apparently only in my mind, this book 5 stars. Rather exciting story about a man left for dead, that appears to be a theme in my reading, on Mars. Sand storm attacks. Astronauts rush to thingie that will shoot them into space and safety. Mark Watney struck by flying debris. Hits exactly right to 'kill' the sensors in the suit indicating his being alive or not alive. Storm continues. Almost destroying getaway vehicle. Rest of astronaughts flee assuming Mark dead. Mark wakes up left on Mars. Rest of book follows Mark as he attempts to keep from dying, though it is quite likely he will die. As I already mentioned, I gave this one 5 stars. Quite exciting quick read. Hmms, the only other thing written by this author is a four page short story. Both book and story have 2012 dates on them. hmms.

Challenges 8-9-10 - no books found to read yet.

Challenge 11 - the second book I read without sharing it with anyone else. That sounds wrong. Like I was hoarding toys. Redeeming the Dream: The Case for Marriage Equality by the two guys on opposite sides in that Gore vs. Bush case. David Bois and Theodore B. Olson write about their experiences bringing about a court case about California's Proposition 8 outlawing same sex marriages, and voiding all such marriages that had taken place between the time it was briefly legal and the time Proposition 8 came to be voted on and approved by the voters of California. An interesting nonfiction book by a conservative and a liberal who both agree that marriage equality for all is important, and 'civil unions' and the like are not good enough. Actually, the book is more about following the court case from two couples attempting to get marriage licenses, then suing in Federal district court when they are not allowed licenses. Winning. Fighting again in Federal appeals court. Which delayed it's ruling to ask the California Supreme Court to ask if the defenders of Proposition 8 had standing (no government official in a position to defend the law, wished to do so, the people defending the law were the 'voters', in the form of the people who backed Proposition 8). California Supreme Court said the voters had standing, Federal Appeals Court upheld Fed district court findings. US Supreme Court asked to consider the matter by the defenders of Proposition 8 backers. US Supreme Court found that the voters did not have standing, and therefore the findings in the district court stood - overturning Proposition 8. I gave this one 4 out of 5 stars.

Challenge 12 - no book found yet.

Challenge 13 - Stephen Kings Mr. Mercedes. Probably would not have otherwise read except for challenge and seeing could be shared read. Though I had read King before. Terrorism thriller. Or something like that. Gave it 3 stars. Was interesting but . . still, 3 stars.

Challenge 14 - Citizenjoyce mentioned The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth. Looked interesting enough so tried sample. Then read book. Actually read this one, then the Marriage Equality one. This one set in, if I recall correctly, the earlly 1990s. Young girl learns she likes kissing girls after being dared to do so. Same day actually kissed a girl, learns her parents died. Linked the two events in her mind. Guilt. Born-again aunt shows up to raise the young girl, with a loved grandma in same house. Grows up, years pass, Born-again aunt learns of Cameron's lesbian desires and ships her off to a reeducation camp. To be degayed. I knew this going in, but the degaying camp actually occurs much later in the book than I somewhat assumed it would. Romance blossoms, boys and girls kissed and dated. Life occurs in a small town setting. With the reluctance I felt going in, I'm still somewhat surprised that this ended up being one of the two books I've given 5 star ratings to this month.

Challenges 15-16-17 - no book found yet.

Challenge 18 - saw Jeeves and Wooster book in challenge 1. Noticed it wasn't the first in the series, so looked at that book, My Man Jeeves. Which turned out to be a short story collection book. Some funny stories. Some boring events. Some dated language. Jeeves and Wooster stories are more 'dip in, glance at, take long breaks between' type stories. At least to me. Devouring all at once lead to me giving only 3 out of 5 stars to the collection. There's only so much Jeeves I can take before I wish to flee.

Challenges 19-20-21 - no book found yet.

TIOLI Question of the Month:

Have you found anything in any of the books you've read so far in July offensive to you? If so, what were the situations, and why did you find them offensive?

The rape in Money Shot. Attitudes regarding women found within The Silkworm, My Man Jeeves, and Murder in the Ball Park. Attitudes regarding homosexuals found within The Miseducation of Cameron Post and Redeeming the Dream: The Case for Marriage Equality.

>213 Lexxi: Another interesting question raised by this -- re Wodehouse & Jeeves. Given that he was writing in the 1920s and 1930s (well, primarily), do we/should we judge his books by the same standards when it comes to attitudes to women? I am enjoying The Small House at Allington but still even while I acknowledge that Trollope's idea of the ideal heroine/woman CAN'T be one that I would share, given that it's from the 1860s, I still find it grates on me. Not to the point of being offensive, but every time that I hear phrases like "her sweet, womanly confiding, trusting nature..." or something like that, I want to growl. Just out of curiosity, can anyone recall whether George Eliot describes Dorothea in those terms in Middlemarch (since some of you may be doing that group read)? I can't recall, but it doesn't stick in my mind that she does. So if not, it may indeed be partly a gender based phenomenon. (Although Louisa May Alcott certainly did in Little Women...)

>209 Chatterbox: I've never eaten oysters (they don't live near here and it's expensive as all h*ll) but I'd love to try it. I love shellfish in general so I'm fairly certain I'd like that, too. Though talk of oysters always reminds me of my favourite ever TEDTalk (http://www.ted.com/talks/kate_orff_oysters_as_architecture)

>212 Lexxi: Jeeves & Wooster is my version of Ben & Jerry's (I've never been able to understand why people eat ice cream when they're feeling down). If I need a pick-me-up, I'll devour J&W until I feel better, whether it be one short story or 1000 pages.

I once ate 6 dozens of oysters in one sitting. Sort of have a craving for them now thanks to this discussion, but of course will have to wait for the -er months.

As I was saying on my thread a short while ago, I haven't made much headway with Chasing Vermeer, but so far it's not doing much for me. I guess I'll persevere because it's been so highly recommended by many LTers, but I'd honestly rather be reading something else at this point. Ah well, maybe things will turn around when the real action kicks in.

>209 Chatterbox:

I like oysters!

...and I like sport fishing. :/

214> Yes, it was more irritating than offensive, the attitudes towards woman as found in Rex Stout's series, and My Man Jeeves. And Stout himself was writing from 1934-1952. Sure, the 'Murder in the Ball Park' book is from 2014, but is a continuation of a series and set in 1950s. Can still end up being offensive, but I'm reading from the end of the 20th century/beginning of 21st.

I think it was more of an eye-roll when Archie, in Murder in the Ball Park went on and on about how much money his girlfriend had, but refuses to have her pay for things when they are out and about. Because he's a man, and she's a woman. There was a wink to Archie not wishing to come across as a gold digger, but stepped over the line into 'me man, she woman, me provide'.

I've vaguely wondered if Stout had been writing in a different era if he would have had Archie and Nero as a couple instead of employee employer. Especially with the repeated mentions of how much Nero dislikes women and the company of women. And how many years Archie and Nero lived in the same dwelling. Gives off the vibe of two older women living together as spinsters in the 19th century, only to later learn that they were actually two women in a relationship together. While it is true that Archie has a girlfriend in this most recent book, I do not recall him having them in the Stout series. Other than flirtations. Though again, I've read very few Stout books and am probably reading into things.

--

The linking of homosexuals with pedaphiles that came up in both The Miseducation of Cameron Post and Redeeming the Dream: The Case for Marriage Equality is one of the main things I found offensive, though there were others.

Worst bout of food poisoning EVER came from eating some fruits de mer in Brittany in a NON "er" month, after it had been raining for several days (I didn't know; I had just arrived the night before.) I was sick for days -- in the days before the Chunnel/Eurostar, it took me three days to crawl myself to Calais (one day), across the Channel (one day) and up to London (one day). Thought I was going to die. Lost ten pounds.

>218 Lexxi: I am annoyed by the linking of homosexuality with pedophilia. Clearly, these are two different issues, but because some male pedophiles favor young boys, it is seized on by the anti-gay crusaders.

Apparently the reason that female homosexuality was never banned in England was that Queen Victoria didn't believe it existed or was possible. Possibly apocryphal? I hope not, because it's just too good a story...

In regards to the TIOLI question of the month and also along the lines of holding someone from the past to the same standards of today, in Letters of a Woman Homesteader it was upsetting to read a few racist remarks that she had casually insterted in her writing.

My daughter and I don't eat lobster because they must be cooked live. I have occasionally eaten oysters smoked or in stew. I've tried them raw, and they don't do a thing for me, so I don't have to worry about the cooked or eaten live rule. I put oysters in the "Not worth it" category along with macadamia nuts and cheesecake. They don't have enough to offer to make it worth my while to eat them.

In answer to this month's question, I'm having trouble getting past a certain point in The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. The passage isn't offensive, but it's difficult for me to read. Several chapters in the middle of the book are dealing with a severe famine affecting most of the country. That in itself is difficult to read. I've now reached the part where William has to watch his dog die because he can no longer spare any food to feed him. It's really difficult to read this part with my little dog curled up beside me. It's reminding me of why my mother quit letting me watch the Lassie TV series as a child. I got too upset when the animals were in danger.

>222 cbl_tn: I have so much trouble reading about any cruelty or hardship to animals. I'm quite able to cope with the same stuff if it's dealing with human beings -- although it will arouse empathy and horror, of course -- but somehow I feel that people have more resources to deal with other, cruel people. Somehow, a small animal is more vulnerable to our whims and too often seen as lesser by the ugliest members of our society. I hate running across passages in a book where a bad guy hurts the family dog to show what he is prepared to do, for instance. Offensive? I don't know, but VERY hard to read.

>222 cbl_tn: That sounds wrenching. It is so hard to read about certain subjects, and sometimes I wonder if I should force myself to. For instance, anything having to do with the Holocaust. I feel like I have read a lot on this subject, but the horrors never abate. Is it necessary to continue exposing myself to them? Sarah's Key is an example of a story that made me think that's the last Holocaust story I need to read/watch.

>223 Chatterbox: I hate that device too of the bad guy hurting the family pet, for all the reasons you mention, but also because it's become such a cliche that it feels like lazy writing to me.

>222 cbl_tn: As bad as that part is, it only gets worse. A while ago there was a challenge to read something good about Africa, and this was a recommended book. I think it's very good, and there is much good in it, but the whole episode about the famine and later the discussion of witchcraft and the education system that demands payment for substandard everything is enormously depressing. However, keep heart-- good is yet to come.

>222 cbl_tn: Thanks for the head's up, Carrie. I've mentioned elsewhere that I have an elderly cat who is in decline and reading about the loss (or even illness of or injury to beloved pets) is very difficult for me right now. Famine is not exactly easy to read about, either.

>225 Citizenjoyce: Joyce, I'll take your word for it that things get better in The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind and while I'm going to put it down for now (I've only read the first chapter) I'll make a point of reading it another time.

>218 Lexxi: I joined you in reading My Man Jeeves, so while I was updating the TIOLI Meter for myself, I updated it for you as well, increasing your shared reads to 9.

227> Thanks. Hope you like it.

Two Newts and Two Frogs at moment, again.

>225 Citizenjoyce: Thanks for the encouragement. I'm going to try to finish it this evening, if I can just get past this rough spot. I didn't realize it was going to take so long to get to the part about the electricity.

I just finished Puddinhead Wilson and have to say, wow! I'd heard that Twain wrote a book about switching a black baby with a white baby, but I didn't know this was the one. It's pretty much offensive in every way. I think more book clubs should read it because this little book offers so much for discussion.

I just finished The Miseducation of Cameron Post and I also gave it 5 stars. What a shame it was removed from the pre-high school reading list because it's full of ideas for kids to ponder. It's a coming of age story of a homosexual girl and all parts of that topic are done right: coming of age, homosexual and girl. I read that it took the author, Emily M. Danforth 7 years to write, and those were years well spent. The first half of the book is devoted to Cameron's awakening sexuality, her increasing athletic ability, the loss of her parents, and her devotion both to movies and redesigning a doll house her father had built for her. The second half of the book revolves around her enforced enrollment in a gay conversion Christian school. In preparation for the book I watched the documentary Kidnapped for Christ http://www.kidnappedforchrist.com about a teen aged boy, friendly, talented, intellectually driven who is forcibly flown to a Christian school for disturbed teens in the Dominican Republic after he tells his parents he is gay. The movie is excellent and can be viewed at Showtime on demand documentaries.
Cam's school isn't as bad as the one in the Dominican Republic. There's no physical abuse or enforced extreme physical exercise. There's a counselor who is misguided but well meaning thinking that he himself has had his sinful homosexual tendencies removed by the same Christian conversion therapy he uses on his teen aged charges. There's also a counselor who seems to be struggling with control issues and feels the need to exert power over all aspects of the students' lives. The school is well portrayed with its intense surveillance, the enforced counseling sessions, the children who both rebel against the program and truly try to "get better". The lack of any outside regulation is well portrayed as is the psychological abuse inherent in the treatment.
From a literary perspective, there's a wonderful variety of believable well-rounded characters.
The good thing about all the controversy over removing the book from the reading list is that it's getting a much wider readership than it ever would have had. That's what made me check it out, and I'm very glad I did.

I had one of those over optimistic moments. Borrowed The Goldfinch from the library on CD and thought, " ahh, that will fit in the art theft challenge". Then reality kicked in. I usually manage 6-7 CDs a week, so I'm not going to finish 25CDs in under 2 weeks. Ho hum, that's another carry over into August.
hint - a challenge that would fit in would be appreciated

Ender's Shadow completed, and will be given extremely high marks. It's been several years since I read Ender's Game, but without rereading it, I'm going to rank Ender's Shadow close to it. It's a "I can't-participate-in-real-life-I've-got-to-finish-reading-this" book.

I've just added The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny (Challenge #13: Read a book by a living author who is older than you are...in this case, by 7 days).

I just finished The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly and got more than I was expecting. This is not a cheery little fable though it is very good.

>235 Citizenjoyce: ....but the ending was appropriate I thought. Thanks for sharing the read.

Oh, the ending and everything else about it was appropriate, but I had a hard time getting to sleep last night because I couldn't stop thinking about it. I would say it couldn't have been written in America, then I thought of Bastard Out of Carolina. Hard truths can be written anywhere, but they're still very hard.

I just completed The Terracotta Dog as a reread, part of my plan to get through the whole Montalbano series in the coming couple of months. I see other people benefited from me listing a few of the books in the series, so have gone ahead and listed #4 & 5, The Voice of the Violin and Excursion to Tindari, as it's possible I might get to them this month also.

Ginsberg by Barry Miles - TIOLI #14. Read a book where the author has only one A in his/her name

To say Ginsberg is a hero to me would be like saying chocolate tastes good. Both true statements, but also understatements. Barry Miles' autobiography just cements this status for me.

Miles makes it clear that he worked for Ginsberg for several years, and knew him socially before then, when Ginsberg walked into the bookstore in London Miles worked in, looking for a place to stay. In some ways, it is precisely this friendship that makes Ginsberg an informative read. It is also because of this friendship which allows for Miles to get in deep, and to pull no punches when the flaws and foibles of the people in this book come boiling up.

There's no real true ground covered here, but Miles lends a more friendly, "insider," look to Ginsberg's life than other biographers.

One notion this book solidified for me is that without Allen Ginsberg, there would have been no Beat Generation, no Poetry Renaissance in San Francisco, and someone other than William S. Burroughs would have been dubbed the godfather of the punk rock movement.

Although Jack Kerouac was the first published of the core group (Burroughs, Ginsberg, Kerouac, Corso and Cassady), it was due to Ginsberg's efforts that his friends got published. He shopped their manuscripts around mercilessly, convincing publishers these writers were genius and needed to have their voices heard. I have quibbles with some of those voices "needing" to be heard, but that's personal taste, which cannot be measured objectively.

The thought that Naked Lunch and On the Road might never have been published is intriguing. What would the world of literature would have been without these seminal works of the Beat Generation?

Whatever problems had with Ginsberg, and there were many, they all agreed that he was gentle and kind, and generous, both of spirit and pocketbook. He seems to me to be the only writer of that generation bent on learning about himself, expanding his knowledge of the world and spirit of the world. He was ever expanding his consciousness by experimenting with drugs and traveling the world to learn of other peoples and cultures. Ginsberg's motivation to dig deep led to his activism and advocacy on behalf of a number of causes including equal rights for homosexuals, legalization of marijuana, fights against censorship and the Vietnam War. He often got himself in political trouble with his forthright opinions and was expelled from Cuba and Hungary for his views.

I'm sure there is much he probably regretted throughout his life, but he worked so hard to overcome with love and openness, that he really can be seen as one of the angels.

I'm listening to Dreamers of the Day for #13 and enjoying it very much.

Well, only took 4 years but I have finally read at least one book in each challenge. Though I was only an active participant this year and in 2011.

Was fun bouncing from challenge to challenge, looking for shared reads. I'll have to look back over what I read, but all but two were read either for shared reading and/or to complete a challenge. Only one I knew I was going to read, going into the month regardless of the challenges, that Silkworm one, and only one book previously examined to see if I should read. That Money Shot one. Which I read despite already having read Silkworm for that challenge. I think Money Shot is the only "extra" work I read.

Really opened options up when there was that discussion about when to count a shared read. Allowed me to look at any book in a challenge instead of limiting myself to completed works.

Figured that I would find myself, after reading all these new to me books and authors, that I would end up with lots of low rated reads. Instead I found more 4 and 5 star books than expected. I'd be more exact, but on phone.

Ah. Typing on a phone with a screen with a thousand and one cracks in it. Hopefully writing in English. Can't really see what I'm typing.

Congrats on competing all the challenges! And, congrats on typing that long message on your phone! I limit my phone messages to 1 sentence.

>241 Lexxi:

Good job, Lexxi!

TIOLI stats for June 2014:

In June, 2014, we read a total of 657 books of which 146 or 22% were shared reads. We accumulated 80 TIOLI points for a YTD total of 366 TIOLI points.

Our numbers were looking very good for June! The totals were the most of any 2014 months for total books read, total books shared, percentage books shared, and TIOLI points in one month. Good job, challengers!

The most popular book of June was Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut. That book was read by 6 challengers.

Chatterbox's challenge to read something old, something new, something borrowed, or something blue was both the most popular challenge, with 102 books read, and the challenge with the highest number of TIOLI points (12 TIOLI points).

Soon to come...the TIOLI Awards for June...

>241 Lexxi: Congratulations, Lexxi. I too have been very pleasantly surprised at how much I've enjoyed many of the shared reads that I never would have got to on my own.

242, 243, 245> Thanks.

>241 Lexxi: That's great going Lexxi! I'm always impressed when anyone achieves that particular challenge. I don't know that I'll ever manage it, but you're inspiring me to at least attempt it... eventually.

Congratulations, Lexxi!

Thanks :)

Good thing I didn't get sidetracked by that world cup challenge earlier. I'd have been tempted to try for it instead. Already did USA, and just completed the book for England.

@souloftherose I see you're reading CJ Cherryh's Chanur series. I hope you are enjoying it: it's one of my favorite series.

Ugh! The first time since TIOLI started that I'll not have participated :0( A Game of Thrones is a more than 1 month read.

TIOLI Awards for June 2014:

The Mighty Number Award goes to swynn for reading Five Billion Years of Solitude for lyzard's challenge to read a book with a title containing a number of things. Five billion? I'd say that was quite a few years!

The Make That Triplicate Award goes to Dejah_Thoris for reading Words, Wordlessness and the Word for lindapanzo's challenge to read a book with duplicate 4+ letter word in the title. You guessed it. This book made the duplicate into triplicate. Well done!

The It's About Time Award goes to lahochstetler for reading Kwik Krimes for the challenge by helenliz ro read a book you said you would read before but didn't. This challenger's comment of "too many TIOLI challenges to count" just cracked me up! :)

The Most Confusing Challenge Rules Ever Award definitely goes to wandering_star for the challenge to read at least two books with a matched word - going up in alphabetical order. All of us challengers finally understood the rules, but it was with sheer luck that the enire month didn't go by before we did! ;)

The Strangest Body Part Award (Heh!) goes to helenoel for sturlington's challenge to read a book with a body part on the cover. The cover of the book Spider Woman's Daughter was graced with the face of a stylized spider woman. I admit that I had to check this body part out!

Congrats to our Award winners!

Cool ! I love your awards categories - I did think that one was a little on the edge, but it didn't fit anywhere else....

Oooh! I won an award for my laziness! Awesome!!

>253 Helenoel:

I did think that one was a little on the edge

I thought it was on the edge as well, but yours was the only one which aroused my curiosity. That says something. :)

>254 lahochstetler:

I won an award for my laziness!

That depends entirely on how you interpret your award. I thought I was awarding it to celebrate the conquest of your laziness! ;)

>255 SqueakyChu: Well, it's definitely only a person's face, grafted onto the body of a spider, so it did fit the parameters of the challenge. I only specified one human body part but didn't forbid additional animal body parts.

>252 SqueakyChu: Five billion? I'd say that was quite a few years!

Thanks Madeleine! And it didn't feel a minute longer than four and a half billion years!

(Just kidding. The book is really quite good.)

>257 sturlington:

I only specified one human body part but didn't forbid additional animal body parts.

So true!

>258 swynn:

And it didn't feel a minute longer than four and a half billion years!

Some of my books feel as if it takes five billion years to read them...like an Early Reviewer book which I'm working my way through now. :(

>252 SqueakyChu: Thank you, Madeleine! I actually struggled to find something for Linda's challenge, when I notice the, ehem, wordy book just sitting there waiting for me to read it. I'm thrilled to win an award my first month back!

>261 Dejah_Thoris:

Welcome back, DT! :)

Great funny awards. Congratulations all.

>262 SqueakyChu: Thank you!

I'm happy to say that I have completed a sweep this month with a book for each Challenge. Woohoo! I knew I was going to have extra time to read this month, so it was the perfect time to do it. I seriously doubt it's going to happen again in August, although the Challenges already posted are excellent!

>264 Dejah_Thoris: Congrats!

#264 by @Dejah_Thoris> Wow! Great!

>264 Dejah_Thoris: Good going Liane!

A Trail Through Time by Jodi Taylor - TIOLI #11: Rolling Challenge Read a book that centers on People, Places, or Things

There's nothing I can add to the praise being heaped on the fourth installment of The Chronicles of St. Mary's. Still historians making fun of techies, and techies making fun of historians as they work together to jump through history. Only to observe ... ahem. As Rocket J. Squirrel would say, "That trick never works."

There's some serious mayhem going on in A Trail Through Time and Max and Leon pull through it, only to leave us in limbo again.

To say anymore would be to spoil this lively adventure which revolves around saving St. Mary's in one of the timelines. Explosions abound. Yup, I loved it and already crave the next episode.

>264 Dejah_Thoris:

Wonderful, D_T. Congrats!!

264> Congrats

>265 LoisB: >266 majkia: >267 Smiler69: >269 SqueakyChu: >270 Lexxi: Thank you all very much! I got to read some great books in the process, some of which I wouldn't have picked up without the Challenges.

>271 Dejah_Thoris: good job!

I agree: there are a lot of books I would not have read without TIOLI. :)

>250 fuzzi: I am really enjoying The Chanur books. Just about to finish Chanur's Venture and as my omnibus only contains the first 3 books I have ordered books 4 and 5 so that they will hopefully have arrived by the time I finish book 3. Sadly Cherryh's books aren't easily available in the UK so they are coming to me from the US.

>273 souloftherose: I am so glad you enjoy them! They remain my favorite series by CJ Cherryh, well, tied with the Morgaine series, which is very different.

I love Pyanfar, she's wonderful.

Six months after I last swept TIOLI, I have done it again! It took a bit of challenge shuffling towards the end, but I managed to see it through and finished my last two challenge books today.

Seeing as I'm the third one this month, July must be a good time to attempt this kind of thing.

>275 inge87: Congrats!

>275 inge87:

Congrats on your fun accomplishment!

Congrats to everyone who read for every challenge! At one point when I had one of every challenge in a page (so, 6 books) I felt like I was going to complete them all! Then I had another page of challenges filled in (ok, it was only 3 on the last page) I thought I was the bomb. Yeah, I maybe read 11 books. So, I realize what an accomplishment you have. Maybe some month I'll get it done.

Congrats to the sweepers.

Not going to make it this month, I slowed down even before we came away. Maybe I will try to do it in September or October. Congratulations to those who have read for every challenge.

275> Congrats

Thanks everyone!

I finished my last book of the month with a What???? New Orleans Mourning has a Sopranos ending. Fortunately I had the next in the series, The Axeman's Jazz on my kindle because I couldn't go to sleep with that big question running around in my head. Hm, New Orleans, nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there. Now, on to Mr. Mercedes for August.

Housekeeping Day... is on July 31st. Remember to delete any books from the wiki that you don't finish by midnight on July 31st. In the case of rolling challenges, just remove the name of the author and your name if you don't finish those books.

If you haven't yet discovered August's TIOLI thread, here it is!

>284 SqueakyChu: don't delete me yet, I'm trying to finish Firmin for the book about books challenge!

>285 fuzzi:

I won't! I don't do the deletions until a few days into the new month.

>286 SqueakyChu: thank you. :)

I did go through and clean up my unfinished messes. Firmin might make it, might not...I'm having a little trouble getting into the story, still, and I'm over halfway through. :(

I think this is the first time I didn't get a book read in my own challenge!

:(

>288 Morphidae: (:

>288 Morphidae: It's always funny when that happens. Ah, good intentions...

I finished How Few Remain late last night but haven't had a chance to add it to the wiki.

I deleted my unfinished reads, I seemed to luck out on my reading time on the last day of the month.

How Few Remain by Harry Turtledove - TIOLI #13. Read a book by a living author who is older than you are (b. 1949, 65)

I really wanted to like this alternate history about what would have happened if the South had won the American Civil War. It seemed like a good idea to read How Few Remain, because I know very little about the Civil War (or, if you're a Southerner, the War Between the States), and so wouldn't get too ticked off if the author got something egregiously wrong. So while the history resonated true to me, there was too much to keep up with. And a very anti-climactic ending.

Using the incident of lost plans that could have won the war for the South, How Few Remain instead imagines a reality in which the South did win. This causes what we now know as the United States to be split into two countries, the United States and the Confederate States, where slavery is still legal and encouraged.

10 years after the War of Secession, the CSA buys Sonora and Chihuahua from the Empire of Mexico for a trifling amount and the government of the USA loses its mind and declares war ... again. Soon, the entire continent is enmeshed in wars and skirmishes involving Britain, France, and Canada supporting the CSA. The USA just stands on principle, and a perverse hope that being anti-slavery will be enough to win the war, this time for sure. Which, you know, that trick never works.

So Sam Clemens never becomes Mark Twain and stays in San Francisco as editor of a newspaper so he can report on the idiocy of the US government, and the British warships in the bay bent on blowing San Francisco to smithereens. Abe Lincoln survived his time in office but was not re-elected since now, everyone blames him for the loss of a war which has torn the country in two. Abe tours the North and its territories lecturing to any audience that will listen that labor is akin to slavery, and workers need to stand up for better working conditions. Frederick Douglass lives in Rochester, NY with his wife and son and writes stirring articles and speeches for the freeing of the slaves. Theodore Roosevelt owns a ranch in Montana territory and pays the expenses to form a regiment of volunteers ready to serve their country by beating the Canadians back across the border. The Mormons are up to no good in Utah Territory, taking advantage of the war to insist on living by their religious laws which allow polygamy, against US law. And ... oh right, I don't remember which general winds up in the newest states in the Confederacy working with the Apaches and Mexicans against the US incursion. And then the Apaches and Mexicans have a good ol' time killing each other.

What the heck any of this had to do with this war was really sort of beyond me. And as time went on, and I kept reading to see how Turtledove was going to resolve this mess, it became clear that nothing was going to be resolved ... ever. Was the point of the book that war is pointless? Or that the Civil War, in any history, was stupid? Or ... I don't know ...

Too many characters, too many subplots, salacious incidents which don't really drive the story and, my pet peeve, incorrect history about Christmas trees. I don't recommend this to anyone.

>293 AuntieClio: sorry you did not like it. I have a friend who loves Harry Turtledove's alternative histories, but I have given up on his works after reading at least 50 pages in each of two books.

I did like The Guns of the South, but lost interest with the story after the war ended. The other book's title escapes me, but it was about the Spanish winning with their Armada, and ruling England.

How come you are always sneaking in when I'm posting my books on the wiki and doing the final tally? Huh?

:P~~~

No shared reads though.

293) What Ifs/ alternative history books are not designed to resolve themselves. At least in terms of getting back to the original timeline. They are designed to be a starting off point to an alternate world. Like, what might have happened if Julius Caesar's trip to Britain was the only official Roman visit and therefore the Romans zooming in and taking over in 48 AD and holding Britain for 300 years never happened. What next?

Or, if you mean resolved as in the internal plot just dies without a good ending, etc - How Few Remains is the first book in a really long, and in my opinion, lessor series. I think that there are at least 9 or 10 books in the series. Following the split USA and south up through a different WWI and, if I remember right, WWIi.

Personally, I think I liked his Shakespeare one best. And it's a stand alone. Involves the Spanish Armada actually reaching England and invading.

ETA. Oh heh. 294) Ruled Britannia is the name of the book. And I didnt read your post before I replied.

ETA: I loved a few of Turtledoves books, but I can't read him now.

>296 Lexxi: why can't you read him now?

>295 Morphidae:

How come you are always sneaking in when I'm posting my books on the wiki and doing the final tally? Huh?

If you add books after I post "final tally", just remove the words "final tally...and I'll do it on another day. No problem, Morphy.

If there are no shared reads, though, just leave the "final tally" memo as is.

>296 Lexxi: I wasn't expecting a resolution to the original time line, but was expecting a resolution of some sort applicable to the plot of How Few Remain. That there was none, or an indication of "to be continued" was what bothered me.

297, 299) That's kinda why. Whole lot of writing/books and almost nothing seems to happen in any individual book. There are exceptions. Most of his books and series just kind of end without resolution.

He has less 'excuse' with How Few Remain. Which is a stand alone that later had a series tacked onto it. Or a 1 book subseries. The overall series is broken down to 4 sub series. 1) How Few Remain, 2)Great War trilogy, 3) American Empire trilogy, 4) Settling accounts 4 book subseries..

My absolute favorite alternate history is S. M. Stirling's The Peshawar Lancers .

>300 Lexxi: thanks for your answer. I like to have an "end" in the stories I read, with few exceptions (Gone with the Wind was one exception, so I won't read the sequel).

>298 SqueakyChu: It was a rhetorical question. Sometimes lack of tone in text is a pain! ;)