mathgirl40's 2023 BC challenge
Talk BookCrossing Reduce MTBR and Other Challenges
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1mathgirl40
My goals are similar to last year's:
1. Read any ABC books that arrive in a reasonable amount of time and if possible, end the year with zero ABC books.
2. Read books that have been languishing on my shelves, so that I can register and release them.
ABC books:
1.Broken Glass by Alain Mabanckou (BC link) -- finished, released
2.The Help by Kathryn Stockett (BC link) -- finished, released
3.The Invisible Child and the Fir Tree: Two Moomin Stories by Tove Jansson (BC link)-- finished, released
4.Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy (BC link -- finished, released
5.The Maid by Nita Prose (BC link) -- finished, released
6. An Astronaut's Guide to Life by Chris Hadfield (BC link) -- to be read
7. State of Terror by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Louise Penny (BC link) -- to be read
8.North Water by Ian McGuire (BC link) -- finished, released
9.Winter Flowers by Angélique Villeneuve (BC link) -- finished, released
10.Yolk by Mary H. K. Choi (BC link) -- finished, released
11.Anxious People by Fredrik Backman (BC link) -- finished, released
12.Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik (BC link) -- already read, released
13.The Secret Life of Cows by Rosamund Young (BC link) -- finished, released
14.In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado (BC link) -- finished, released
15. The Spectator Bird by Wallace Stegner (BC link) -- to be read
Books from my shelves for release:
1.Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood (BC link) -- released
2.One Good Story That One by Thomas King (BC link) -- released
3.The Deception of Livvy Higgs by Donna Morrissey (BC link) -- released
4.Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots (BC link) -- released
5.For the Sake of Elena by Elizabeth George (BC link) -- released
6. Mulengro by Charles de Lint (BC link) -- registered, to be released
7. Death at Sea by Andrea Camilleri (BC link) -- registered, to be released
1. Read any ABC books that arrive in a reasonable amount of time and if possible, end the year with zero ABC books.
2. Read books that have been languishing on my shelves, so that I can register and release them.
ABC books:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6. An Astronaut's Guide to Life by Chris Hadfield (BC link) -- to be read
7. State of Terror by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Louise Penny (BC link) -- to be read
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15. The Spectator Bird by Wallace Stegner (BC link) -- to be read
Books from my shelves for release:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6. Mulengro by Charles de Lint (BC link) -- registered, to be released
7. Death at Sea by Andrea Camilleri (BC link) -- registered, to be released
2mathgirl40
I finished Broken Glass by Alain Mabanckou, a book that I had received from the Favourite Book of 2022 roundabout. In it, a disgraced former schoolteacher sits in a bar in the Congo and writes about the other bar patrons, the politics of his country and his own sad life. It was darkly humorous, but I'm pretty sure I missed many of the jokes because I don't have all the cultural context.
3mathgirl40
I finished two more roundabout books:
The Help by Kathryn Stockett is a historical fiction novel set in the 1960's during the US civil rights movement, and it's about 2 Black maids who help a white writer tell their stories and those of fellow maids. I loved the novel, as well as the movie, which I watched shortly after finishing the book.
The Invisible Child and the Fir Tree contains two stories of the Moomin family written by Finnish author Tove Jansson. This was my first encounter with the Moomins and I found them delightful!
I also added a few more books to my TBR stack: another roundabout book and three others from a book box.
The Help by Kathryn Stockett is a historical fiction novel set in the 1960's during the US civil rights movement, and it's about 2 Black maids who help a white writer tell their stories and those of fellow maids. I loved the novel, as well as the movie, which I watched shortly after finishing the book.
The Invisible Child and the Fir Tree contains two stories of the Moomin family written by Finnish author Tove Jansson. This was my first encounter with the Moomins and I found them delightful!
I also added a few more books to my TBR stack: another roundabout book and three others from a book box.
4mathgirl40
A couple more roundabout books finished:
Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy is near-future story about a restless woman with a mysterious past who is on a journey to follow the migration of one of the last birds remaining on a dying Earth. The story is quite sad but very gripping too, as the backstory unfolds.
The North Water by Ian McGuire is a tense and fast-paced historical thriller set on a 19th century whaling ship in the Arctic waters. I really liked the story and the author's writing, but I also found some parts quite disturbing. The book is considered part of the "realist literature" genre, and the author doesn't hold back on the grim details.
Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy is near-future story about a restless woman with a mysterious past who is on a journey to follow the migration of one of the last birds remaining on a dying Earth. The story is quite sad but very gripping too, as the backstory unfolds.
The North Water by Ian McGuire is a tense and fast-paced historical thriller set on a 19th century whaling ship in the Arctic waters. I really liked the story and the author's writing, but I also found some parts quite disturbing. The book is considered part of the "realist literature" genre, and the author doesn't hold back on the grim details.
5gypsysmom
>4 mathgirl40: I listened to Migrations about a year ago and thought it was very well done. Congrats on finishing 4 books.
6mathgirl40
>5 gypsysmom: Thanks!
I've fallen a bit behind in my reviews. Here are the last 3 books I finished for the 2021 and 2022 roundabouts.
Winter Flowers by Angélique Villeneuve -- This is a book that I probably would have never discovered if it were not for the "Favourites" roundabout. It's a compact, sad and beautiful story, set at the end of WWI, about a family's struggles with poverty and the severe disfigurement of the returning father and husband. The novel shows many of the challenges that Parisians faced in the aftermath of the war.
Yolk by Mary H. K. Choi -- This story is about two estranged Korean American sisters trying to reconcile while grappling with their own individual challenges. As a Canadian-born child of Chinese immigrants, I could relate to the narrator's feelings about straddling the line between two cultures, and I enjoyed all the food references. I really liked the humour and the exploration of the themes of illness and sibling relationships.
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman -- This is a rather convoluted and humorous story about a bank robbery gone wrong. I didn't love this book the way I did Beartown, the only other Backman I've read. However, I really liked how the characters' lives were all intertwined and the idea that one person's actions can have such a great effect on others.
I've fallen a bit behind in my reviews. Here are the last 3 books I finished for the 2021 and 2022 roundabouts.
Winter Flowers by Angélique Villeneuve -- This is a book that I probably would have never discovered if it were not for the "Favourites" roundabout. It's a compact, sad and beautiful story, set at the end of WWI, about a family's struggles with poverty and the severe disfigurement of the returning father and husband. The novel shows many of the challenges that Parisians faced in the aftermath of the war.
Yolk by Mary H. K. Choi -- This story is about two estranged Korean American sisters trying to reconcile while grappling with their own individual challenges. As a Canadian-born child of Chinese immigrants, I could relate to the narrator's feelings about straddling the line between two cultures, and I enjoyed all the food references. I really liked the humour and the exploration of the themes of illness and sibling relationships.
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman -- This is a rather convoluted and humorous story about a bank robbery gone wrong. I didn't love this book the way I did Beartown, the only other Backman I've read. However, I really liked how the characters' lives were all intertwined and the idea that one person's actions can have such a great effect on others.
7mathgirl40
Reviews of the final books BC books I finished for 2023:
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik -- This came through the Favourites of 2022 roundabout and I passed it on without a reread, as I'd read it not too long ago. It's an excellent fantasy story, inspired by Russian folk tales.
The Secret Life of Cows by Rosamund Young -- Another roundabout book, this is a non-fiction book all about the life of cows, as the title suggests. I found it a little slow and rambling but charming nevertheless.
In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado -- This memoir, another roundabout book, was disturbing and eye-opening, with some really beautiful lyrical passages. It's about the author's experiences in an abusive same-sex relationship.
The Maid by Nita Prose -- One of my ABC books, this is a charming cozy murder mystery about a maid who discovers a corpse in a hotel room she is cleaning. It's fun and full of unexpected twists.
Mulengro by Charles de Lint -- A book off my own shelves, this is a supernatural horror story set among the Romany population of Ottawa, Canada, from one of my favourite authors. De Lint is better known for his Newford urban fantasy series but I like his horror novels (some written under pseudonym Samuel M. Key) too.
Death at Sea by Andrea Camilleri -- Another book from my own shelves, this is a collection of short stories featuring Inspector Montalbano and set in Sicily.
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik -- This came through the Favourites of 2022 roundabout and I passed it on without a reread, as I'd read it not too long ago. It's an excellent fantasy story, inspired by Russian folk tales.
The Secret Life of Cows by Rosamund Young -- Another roundabout book, this is a non-fiction book all about the life of cows, as the title suggests. I found it a little slow and rambling but charming nevertheless.
In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado -- This memoir, another roundabout book, was disturbing and eye-opening, with some really beautiful lyrical passages. It's about the author's experiences in an abusive same-sex relationship.
The Maid by Nita Prose -- One of my ABC books, this is a charming cozy murder mystery about a maid who discovers a corpse in a hotel room she is cleaning. It's fun and full of unexpected twists.
Mulengro by Charles de Lint -- A book off my own shelves, this is a supernatural horror story set among the Romany population of Ottawa, Canada, from one of my favourite authors. De Lint is better known for his Newford urban fantasy series but I like his horror novels (some written under pseudonym Samuel M. Key) too.
Death at Sea by Andrea Camilleri -- Another book from my own shelves, this is a collection of short stories featuring Inspector Montalbano and set in Sicily.
8mathgirl40
I finished 2023 with 2 ABC books left to read plus a rounadbout book that came in right at the end of the year. I finished reading and registered 7 more books from my own shelves.
The bad news is that, with the end of the pandemic restrictions, I've been visiting used bookstores and book sales again, and as a result, I have many more books on my shelves to read and release. On to 2024 ....
The bad news is that, with the end of the pandemic restrictions, I've been visiting used bookstores and book sales again, and as a result, I have many more books on my shelves to read and release. On to 2024 ....
9gypsysmom
>8 mathgirl40: Yeah, I never seem to really decrease the number of books in the TBR pile. And then as I was pulling out some of those really old books I found one that I had never registered and it's by Anne McCaffrey, who is one of my favourite authors. I'll have to get it registered and added to the pile.
10mathgirl40
>9 gypsysmom: Ha, you just reminded me that I have an Anne McCaffrey book that has been on my shelves for years, maybe even decades! I'll have to dig it out and add it to the current TBR stack.
