Donan's 2018 Challenge

Hello all!

I'm back for my third year of the Category Challenge. This group has been so helpful in inspiring me to read more and I look forward to reading what all of you are reading

This year, I'm going to limit my categories to CATs, KITs and Bingo Dog and three repeats from last year (Group, Work and BookBingoNW.)

My goal is to read 100 books in 2018.

Finished: 107
5/31/18: Finished 50
8/13/18: Finished 75
11/14/18: Finished 100

1) ColourCAT

January-- Black
Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America (started but couldn't finish. Maybe I'll pick up again later in the year)
finished The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales-- I especially loved the last section of this book including the title story.
finished Long Way Down a beautiful book of poetry about a 15-year-old mourning the murder of his big brother.

February-- Brown
Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership
Father Brown's Mysteries-- I tried these on audiobook. I fell asleep twice. Maybe I'll try again in a few years?
finishedThe Man in the Brown Suit. I picked this suggestion up from the ColourCat thread. I loved it! I haven't read Agatha Christie in many years and forgotten how delightful I find her writing. I enjoyed the heroine. I enjoyed the mystery. I enjoyed the secondary characters. I enjoyed just about everything. I highly recommend.

March--Green
finished Frogkisser
1916
Anne of Green Gables
Grasshopper Jungle
Passing Bells
Y is for Yesterday read for book bingo in May

April--Yellow
The House on Mango Street
Reality Hunger: A Manifesto
finished Keeping Place: Reflections on the Meaning of Home

May--Blue
finished Island of the Blue Dolphins-- I remembered why I liked this book so much as a kid-- strong woman!!
Wonder-- read for book bingo in June
finished Gathering Blue was a book club recommendation that I did not like or understand the ending
finished Esperanza Rising loved this book! Love that the story was inspired by author's grandmother. Love the main character. Love the historical setting. Beautiful story!

June--Purple
The Divine Conspiracy Continued
finished A Feminist Manifesto which I counted in Book Bingo!
Avalon High

July--Pink
Fresh Off the Boat
finished Girls and Sex which I counted in book bingo.

August--Grey
Let's Pretend this Never Happened
finished Raven Black which I loved!
All the Birds in the Sky
We Have Always Lived in the Castle
Washed and Waiting
A Grace Disguised
Hillbilly Elegy
In the Unlikely Event
The War that Saved My Life
Present Over Perfect

September--Metallic
finished The Golden Compass which got really good in the last half. Until then-- just so-so.
Glittering Images

October-- Orange
finished One Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street-- There was so much to like about this book: characters, plot, mouth-watering descriptions of oranges. I enjoyed it.

November--Red
finished The Rosie Project
Northanger Abbey

December-- White
The Writing Life
The White Darkness
White Like Me
finished listened to the audiobook One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories. Loved some while others were just so-so
Lean In-- white cover

2) RandomCAT

January: read The Fifth Season, a book bullet from my best friend that I've heard lots of good things about. There was so much to love about this book but it also left me feeling very unsettled. I'm still figuring out how to rate it. Powerful writing and compelling characters but I'm not sure that I liked it.
February: read Plum Lucky which will also count for February MysteryCAT. This was light, entertaining read.
March: currently The New Jim Crow
April: finished Kit's Wilderness which I added in April 2016 to LT. I think I added all the Printz winners together. This book was not what I expected-- more magical realism when I expected a survival story. While I was intrigued by the premise and writing, something fell flat for me.
May ideas finished Flowers for Algeron. This book unsettled me in a good way.
June ideas: Unlikely narrator The Art of Racing in the Rain
July ideas: Getting to know you/reading outside your comfort zone or generation
August ideas: Going to the mountains maybe Mountains Beyond Mountains
September ideas: Happy birthday-- author or book
October: finished Every Heart a Doorway which was a beautifully written book. I enjoyed the characters and the setting. It was so good that I might even read the next one in the series.

3) MysteryCAT

January: Nordic mysteries-- thinking about The Ice Princess
February: Plum Lucky which also counted as RandomCAT (took place during St. Patrick's Day.)
March: planning on Death of a Red Heroine
April: Golden Age
May: Involving transport so maybe Murder of the Orient Express
June: True Crime-- whatever I don't read in #readharder challenge?
July: Police Procedurals
August: Historical Mystery

4) KITs

ScaredyKIT
January/Gothic:Frankenstein. This was a re-read. First time was as a freshman in college. I struggled with the period language but found the themes engaging specifically around ambition. Appreciate the existence of this text but can't say that it was an enjoyable read.
February/Survival: Life as We Knew It
March/Weird: maybe American Gods
April/Supernatural
May/Close to Home
June/Adapted to Film
July/Science or Techno Thriller
August/Series

5) Bingo DOG



Ideas
Unread 2017 purchase: White Awake

Finished
1. Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch might be the longest book I read this year. There was much to love (Queen Elizabeth II is unlike any other female leader with her blend of duty and subtle guidance) but the biography felt too textbook-y by the end for my taste.
2. The Importance of Being Ernest: I listened to an audio production. I laughed. I marveled at the critique of Victorian society. I'd love to see a live production. Pretty enjoyable.
3. My Brilliant Friend: Wow! I agree with many reviews I read-- this is a brillant novel about friendship. Character development is amazing. I'm eager to read the next book!
4. Ready Player One has been suggested by multiple folks. I had it on my Kindle and read it on a long flight when nothing else was keeping my interest. I LOVED it. Nothing profound but such a fun story. I recommend it.
5. Aunt Dimity's Death was alright. I loved the premise but the characters fell a little flat for me. Also, plot line got hokey.
6. $100 Start-Up
7. Educated
8. The Poet X: I LOVED this book. Written in verse, there was a rich story and character development with powerful poetry. Highly recommend.
9. Roma
11. Not Your Sidekick
12. Siddhartha
13. The Fifth Season: for January RandomCAT
14. The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street
15. Lumberjanes: I've had this on my TRB for awhile and started off 2018 with a flurry of graphic novels including this one. I loved the story of female friendship with a 2017 spin. It's a little too silly for my personal taste but I can see recommending it to my daughter when she gets older. I love that an all-female team created, wrote and illustrated this series.
17. Enchanted Air
18. Call it Courage: 1940 Newberry Award winner. I think this would be a great book for 12-14 year old boys. For me, it was okay-- not much character development and tension wasn't allowed to build.
19. Plum Lucky fit February's RandomCAT and MysteryCAT.
20. Everything Happens for a Reason: And Other Lies I've Loved: This was a beautiful book-- thought-provoking and well-written. I wanted to drink in the text. I wanted to share this book with everyone I know. I want to read it every year. It was tragic and beautiful. It was deeply theological yet intimate.
21. The Hiding Place started off slowly but I grew to love Betsie and Corrie. The last 20% was powerful and thought provoking. I especially appreciate the story of Corrie meeting one of her jailers.
22. Brighton Beach Memories: I grew up around the theater. My mom was active in college and then community theater in my elementary years and I have fond memories of watching Neil Simon shows. I thought this would be a fun trip down memory lane. I was right! A perfect Friday night read.
23. The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency: I know so many people who love this book. I've had it on my TBR list for so long. And yet, I just didn't like it.
24. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane: A friend recommended this sweet story to me. I loved it and will recommend it to lots of kids and friends with kids.
25. Princess Academy

6) Work

currently reading
God, Sexuality and Self-- I am SO excited to read this book!!

Finished
1. Embrace by Leroy Barber: I loved some many pieces of this book but felt it never came together as a book. I especially struggled to understand the connection of the last chapter to the larger manuscript. In the end, I will quote this book but not recommend it.
2. Beyond Colorblind: This is one of the books that I'd like everyone to read. Shin provided a thorough and compelling description of why ethnicity matters and why all people need to develop ethnicity awareness. I especially appreciated her stories from a variety of people. I hope to incorporate some of her language into my own training.
3. The Year of Small Things which a friend loaned to me. She said she wanted to talk with someone about it. I am fascinated by the concepts and eager to talk with her more.
4. The Throne, the Lamb & The Dragon: A Reader's Guide to the Book of Revelation: given me to prep for a big event in December. This book was so helpful. Lots of quotes to help sort through a book that was been misrepresented throughout the years.
5. Evil and the Justice of God: I read this in preparation for a teaching event in December and participated in a book discussion. I was intimated by this book, the title and the author. I don't think I've read an NT Wright from cover to cover. I wasn't sure that I could finish it. I did and I loved it! I found his arguments compelling and thought-provoking. I find it easy to understand and will recommend it!
6. Liturgy of the Ordinary was excellent! I'm sending a copy to all my friends.
7. As Kingfishers Catch Fire-- I'm thankful that I own this book. I will read it over and over to soak in Pastor Peterson's voice. May I always be inspired by his words and style as I was this year.
8. Sabbath Keeping-- this is a very accessible book, very introductory. Not what I needed but good to pass along to others.

7) Group Reads

currently reading

Finished
1. Book of Dust was February's pick for local YA book club. I loved the first half and then got lost in the seemingly overly complicated plot. Maybe there are ties to other Philip Pullman stories that necessitated plot complexities? I haven't (yet) read The Golden Compass but it's on my ColorCAT list this year.
2. The Bear and the Nightingale
3. A Time to Dance-- written as poetry but probably the least successful of such stories I've read. Could have taken it or left it.
4. Curse of the Thirteenth Fey: My book club likes fantasy and fairy tale stories. I usually do too. This book was just ok. I felt the lead-in (world explanation) was long (1/3 of the book.) The plot was fine. The characters were somewhat interesting. Nothing special.
5. West of the Moon: beautifully designed. Story was fine.
6. The Accident Season
7. The Accidental Highwayman: so much potential and just fell short.

8) BookBingoNW (it's here! it's here!)

1. Recommended by librarian: I really wanted to love Little Fires Everywhere. The writing was excellent but something about the ending felt incomplete to me.

2. Fiction: read Flowers for Algernon

3. Finish a book you started and put down: Liturgy of the Ordinary was the book I've been waiting to read and I think I'll re-read to soak in more this intersection between my life stage, theological musings and very present spiritual formation needs.

4. Mystery or Thriller: Y is for Yesterday. I waited so long to read this book knowing that it would be the last. I loved it. Loved the evolution of Kinsey's character. Loved the suggestions of what might be next for her. Thankful for this series and Sue Grafton

5. Written by an author from another country: read Dear Ijeawele, or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions

6. Award-Winning Author: read Island of Blue Dolphins which I loved as a kid but couldn't remember the details about anymore. This book won the Newberry in 1961 and O'Dell wrote 4 other Newberry Honor award books.

7. About the environment: read Stuff which was an exploration of where things originate. I found the concept interesting but the book was published in 90s and thus not as relevant.

8. By an author of color: listened to Esperanza Rising which was a beautiful story!

9. Recommended by an independent bookseller: Prairie Fires was excellent. Meticulously researched. I learned so much about history.

10. History: Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy

11. Made you laugh or cry outloud: read Yes, Please.

12. Graphic Novel:I've had Ms. Marvel on my list for so long wanting to see what the hype was about-- I loved it! Love the characters, the art and the writing. I want to read more!!

13. FREE

14. Author (or character) has a disability:read Gathering Blue where main character has a deformed leg. It wasn't The Giver and the ending was disappointing.

15. Take place in the area where you were born: a more laid-back approach with Chocolate Chip Cookie Mystery and it was not well written. I will not be reading another.

16. Memoir or biography: read At Home in the World: Reflections on Belonging while Wandering the World which inspired me to think about traveling with my family-- exactly what I wanted it to do!

17. Your best friend's favorite book: A Little Life was beautiful and heart-wrenching. I will be thinking about this novel for the rest of the year.

18. Past (or upcoming) SAL speaker:Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible

19. About travel or read while traveling: West of the Moon with book club

20. Outside your bubble: Girls & Sex is an important book for parents who want insights into contemporary culture. I appreciated the stories and historical perspectives on sex education.

21. Local author: took a non-fiction approach with The Read-Aloud Family. I like the podcast so there wasn't anything new in the book. I still appreciated having it all in one place. Highlight for me was the booklists!

22. LGBTQI author or character: finished I'll Give You the Sun. I read this in one night. I found Jude to be an incredibly compelling character. I'm not sure I like the plot twist-- feels a bit contrived. And yet, loved Jude and loved the grandmother character (reminded me of my own relationship with my grandmother.)

23. Poetry or essays: read Heirlooming for Early Reviewers. You can find my review by clicking on title (I'm the only review)

24. First in a series: loved Wonder!! I was crying on the plane. I'm not sure what made this story so special-- multiple POVs or the way Auggie writes or the true friends he finds. There was so much to love!

25. Suggested by a young person:Finished Uglies which was great-- unexpected plot lines, great characters. I immediately checked out the second book Pretties to see what happened next (which was a bit disappointing...) but the first book was delightful!!

Finished as of June 3: 8/25
Finished as of June 20: 12/25
Finished as of July 3: 17/25
Finished as of July 12: 20/25
Finished card on August 13

9) Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge 2018
I just couldn't resist doing this again!

1. A book published posthumously: finished reading Bright Hour. This was a beautiful text. Hard to process as a mom to two little ones who is about the same age at Riggs. I can't imagine her life and yet I know cancer and a terminal diagnosis could come to any of us. Waiting for the redemption of the world.

2. A book of true crime: finished The Man Who Loved Books Too Much which I bought at a used bookstore (an irony that I appreciate.) I loved the characters but felt like the author wanted to go beyond the story and just tried too hard.

3. A classic of genre fiction: tried the The Color of Magic which I really wanted to like and yet I just couldn't get into it. Story never caught me.

4. A comic written and illustrated by the same person: One Dead Spy. I love this series. Always good for a laugh.

5. A book set in or about one of the five BRICS countries: Cry, The Beloved Country which was moving and beautifully written. I underestand why it's a classic.

6. A book about nature:Vitamin N was a good, beginning of the summer read. I got lots of ideas to do with my kiddos and gained a general enthusiasm for the outdoors.

7. A Western: I listened to Hondo which I enjoyed more than I expected.

8. A comic written or illustrated by a person of color: American Born Chinese-- I LOVE Gene Luen Yang's writing. Incredible story about ethnic identity development.

9. A book of colonial or post-colonial literature: Things Fall Apart.

10. A romance novel by or about a person of color: finished When Dimple Met Rishi. Enjoyed this!

11. A children's classic published before 1980: I'm not sure this qualifies as a children's classic but I've been wanting to read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I loved these characters. I so badly wanted them to do well and I was so concerned that something terrible was going to happen.

12. A celebrity memoir:read Born A Crime which I enjoyed but I expected to love. I waited for five months for this book to come from the library so expectation were high. My favorite chapter was the final chapter where Noah writes about his mother. I also learned more about apartheid which had been a genreal concept previously.

13. An Oprah Book Club selection:finished An American Marriage which is the newest Oprah book. I enjoyed it more than expected-- compelling characters and dialogue. The final scences felt a bit much too me-- not in the same tone at the first 2/3 of the book. Overall, I enjoyed it and recommend.

14. A book of social science: listened to Grit. There were many good tidbits in this book especially as a parent and leader of a team (how do you create a gritty culture?) I'll be thinking about this for many months to come.

15. A one-sitting book: read Macbeth: The Graphic Novel Honestly, I've never understood the plot of Macbeth until this book. It's so disarming to have Shakespeare laid out in graphic novel form but I enjoyed the experience. I wouldn't say there is many nuances to this book but it was a fine one-sitting book. I can see the value of this type of literature for high school students or those just starting to read Shakespeare.

16. The first book in a new-to-you YA or middle grade series: I finally read Warriors: Into the Wild which my dad and family have loved for years. I was not impressed with the plot-- a little too predictable for my taste. However, I found myself compelled by the setting of wild cats and the world they live in. I don't think I'll read another in the series but I might recommend it to my daughter as she gets older. I can see why this appeals to elementary students.

17. A sci-fi novel with a female protagonist written by a female author: Someone in my book club recommended Bumped and I was intrigued by the idea of teenage girls being paid to bear kids. This book was more than I expected with the social stratification that happens between those who can and can't have children as well as the faith element. Since I really wanted to find out what happened next, I read the sequel. Predictable ending but perfect for an airplane read.

18. A comic that isn't published by DC, Marvel or Image: Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong

19. A book of genre fiction in translation: The Shadow of the Wind. There were so many things to like about this book. However, in the end, I just didn't get it. I wanted to see how the overlapping themes but just didn't get there.

20. A book with a cover you hate: I browsed the library shelves for this one and came up with Tales from the Igloo. After reading the book, the artist is a Native Alaskan using a more traditional style that is unfamiliar to me. I've been enjoying reading "folk tales" this year with The People Could Fly in January and this book in February. I like to wonder why these stories were passed on-- what's the hopes of communicating these to the younger generation? What are the cultural values being communicated?

21. A mystery by an author of color or LGBTQ author: Bluebird, Bluebird which I found through Goodreads suggestions. I read this book in one day because I didn't want to put it down! The mystery plot was rich and believable. I'm not from the South so I don't know how well the culture is communicated. However, the small town web of relationships was familiar and interesting, especially given power dynamics of race and class. I would recommend this book.

22. An essay anthology: Why Not Me-- I was looking for something funny and this was available on Overdrive. I loved Mindy Kaling's first book and thought I would give this a try. It was quick with a few laughs but, overally, I liked her first book better.

23. A book with a female protagonist over 60: Read The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax and loved it! Fun characters. Interesting plot. Just the right blend of reality and heros saving the day. I've already recommended it to several people.

24. An Assigned book you hated (or never finished): planning on Edith Hamilton's Mythology

Welcome back! I think with all the CATS, Kits, and Bingo you've got your plate full. I'm doing much the same and hope to whittle down the TBR.

I hope you have a fun and rewarding reading year!

I'm reading Father Brown in February too! Or, well, sometime next year -- I picked it for the same challenge ;) Have a great reading year!

Welcome back, hope you have a great reading year ahead of you.

Good to see you back for another year. Enjoy your reading! One day I'll adopt your "work" category, I really would like to read more books related to my daily work...

>13 rabbitprincess: I think I saw your list and it gave me the idea! My grandfather loved these mysteries and I've never read them. Feels like the perfect excuse to do so!

>16 donan: Yes, this challenge is a great excuse! I have the complete set in a Penguin omnibus and have read most of it, but I can't remember whether I actually finished it. Nevertheless, it's the perfect time for a re-read :)

Great to see you back! I have never read the Father Brown books but I have thoroughly enjoyed watching the TV adaptions. ;-)

Do you have an author that you love? More specifically, you've loved everything this author has written? I've never found an author like that before Gene Luen Yang. I first read Shadow Hero for a book club and fell in love with graphic novels. Then I read Saints and Boxers which was a powerful insight into Chinese history. And this month I read American Born Chinese which is a powerful story of ethnic identity development. All these books are five stars for me.

Do you have an author like that? I'd love to hear about it.

>19 donan: I had the pleasure of seeing GLY when Saints and Boxers came out.

One author that I have enjoyed is Steven Saylor who writes mysteries that take place in Ancient Rome. I always get pulled into the ancient world.

>20 mamzel: Thanks for recommending Steven Saylor. I think I'll check out Roma unless there is another title you would recommend. I'm looking for a title that's longer than 500 pages for BingoDOG-- looks like a good fit!

>21 donan: I didn't read Roma but the Gordianus the Finder series (Roman Blood was the first) and the subsequent series which introduced Gordianus as a young man.

>19 donan:
I too liked Boxers and Saints and they put American Born Chinese on my wishlist, but I haven't gotten to it yet.

My "favorite" author is Etgar Keret, but if you're not a short story-reader, he may not be for you as he writes flash fiction, the shortest of the short story genre. He has a wicked way of putting an immense amount of emotion into very few words. (You can find a bunch of his stories online if you want to give him a try.)

Do you ever have those moments when you get the reading itch? As in, you want to read many books right now. I just checked out four titles from Overdrive-- all from my ColourCat list for May. Don't know why but I just felt compelled to get them all today!

>24 donan: That feels very familiar! Happy reading!

>24 donan: Yes! And when that happens to me, all of the books I want to read are 500+ pages each.

>26 rabbitprincess: Thankfully these books were about 200 or so pages so I've already done with 2 and 75% through the 3rd. I've got a couple 500+ page books up next!

Favorites (so far) of 2018....
Fiction: I'm late to this party but I loved Wonder I read it in one sitting on the airplane and had tears running down my cheeks at various points. The characters were so vivid. I was expecting something so juvenile and found something life-giving.
Non-fiction: Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder. This is the type of book that you read and you share tidbits with your friends as you read. And they say to you, "You should tell so-and-so about that book because..." There is so much packed into this book!
Graphic Novel: Ms. Marvel

Adding a category for some 'extra' reading that I ended up doing this year...

10) Potpourri

Local Library Summer Book Bingo
Historical fiction: Column of Fire-- I've been waiting to read this large book and this gave me the perfect excuse. I didn't enjoy this as others by Follet but it was still a captivating story with interesting characters.
Mystery genre: Sunburn is Laura Lippman's latest. I was intrigued and disturbed by this book. While I loved the way all the characters were playing the long game, I felt the plot didn't quite follow along
Recommended by a Friend: I read Eyre Affair which came recommended by a fellow book club member. I don't think I'm a big enough Jane Eyre fan to really appreciate this book. It was fine but not captivating.

Because sometimes you just get inspired....
The Brutal Telling: I love Three Pines. I love Armand Gamache. I love spending time with characters that I already know. This book was the best kind of comfort food.
There There was recommended by a librarian friend. Book was amazing! Well-written. Developed characters. Best thing I've read this year.
Crazy Rich Asians: I put this book on hold right after seeing the movie. I read it in two days. A fun read. Much more character development than the movie and I'm excited to read the next one.