Take It or Leave It Challenge - April 2010 - page 2

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

********************************
The April 2010 TIOLI Challenge is to Read a Book of Short Stories.

Yikes!! Stop that groaning! I don’t want to hear about how you never read books of short stories. This is a time for you to e-x-p-a-n-d what you usually read. So, go to it!

The book of short stories you choose may be vintage or contemporary. It may be an anthology or a collection of stories by the same author. Hopefully, it will be a book you’ve discovered in your TBR mountain, but that’s not a requirement.

If you do not particularly like this genre, may I suggest that you pick a smaller book as some anthologies are quite lengthy. In addition, consider a short story collection by a favorite author of yours whose novels you’ve read and loved in the past. Alternatively, you could pick a book of short stories by trusting a book’s blurbs and know nothing about either the author or his subject. In this case, be brave.

When you’ve finished your book, please report back onto this thread with the title and a sentence or two about your favorite short story in the book you chose. See if you can entice others to choose the same book you chose... :)

To help you along, here are some books I’ve read and liked:
The Elephant Vanishes – Haruki Murakami
Interpreter of Maladies – Jhumpa Lahiri
Follow Me – Paul Griner
The Tiki Palaces of Detroit – Michael Zadoorian
Everything’s Eventual – Stephen King

I’ve not read these, but they look interesting:
Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri
Birds of America by Lorrie Moore
A Good Man is Hard to Find and Other Stories by Flannery O'Connor
McSweeney's Enchanted Chamber of Astonishing Stories – Michael Chabon, editor
20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill

Hope you have fun with this month’s selection!

***************

This thread is continued from our previous thread.

I'm trying to read poetry in April. So far this month I've finished Black Feeling Black Talk by Nikki Giovanni, and she is very much alive. So this fits into Darryl (kidzdoc)'s TIOLI.

Conveniently, my two reading trouble spots are short stories and poetry so this month's challenge really works for me. I've read two stories in The Little Disturbances of Man by Grace Paley.

Conveniently, my two reading trouble spots are short stories and poetry

Great! I'm hoping that by sharing the best that we find in both short stories and poetry that we can open these genres up to others who often tend to avoid them.

How are you finding Grace Paley?

#4 I've read two stories. The first, about a woman who has spent her life as a mistress rather than a wife and has some surprises for her young nieces, I liked a lot. The second, about a young girl - I think she is 12 or 13 - who is sexually aggressive with a soldier in pursuit of marriage, I'm not sure about.

Paley is very funny and I'm enjoying that aspect. It's just that short stories feel like potato chips to me - never enough to be satisfied. I know they are an art form of their own not just shortened novels, but I always want to know more than what I get.

Hi Nancy, I have a suggestion for a poetry read this month: Easy: Poems by Marie Ponsot. I reviewed the collection just now, and used one full poem plus a part of another in it, so perchance you can see the reason I was so laudatory.

My review is also in my fifth thread, in post #31.

I have now started a book with an animal in the title The Book of Chameleons by Jose Eduardo Agualusa.

#7: I will be interested in seeing what you think of that one, calm. I have been trying to get my hands on it for quite a while now.

I loved her stories when I read them a few years ago, I would like to reread.

#8 Going well so far, I'll put my comments on my 75 Books challenge thread when I've finished.

#7, I loved The Book Of Chameleons! I'd highly recommend it to anyone else who might still be looking for a TIOLI read... at this late stage...

I'm trying desperately to catch up on threads and oh no, I think I will be giggling for the rest of the day over the morbid mental picture of poets keeling over because Stasia picked up their books... oh dear!

#12: Anything for a laugh, Milda :)

I am currently reading one of John Haines' books, former poet laureate of Alaska, but it is not poetry. No way am I going to be responsible for an 86-year-old man dying.

Oh man, I hope the whole karma thing realizes your book doesn't count! :)

How cool is it, to help us decide which tbr to read next, we get to scroll through all those monthly TIOLI challenges... especially the early rvwrs and orange ones that have handy links... and, whoa, way cool, when you go to the early rvwrs one you can even click a link that shows you which of those books are in your library, if you have your tbr's listed. woo hoo! Yay, the tbr piles get narrowed down so much more quickly with this fun TIOLI stuff! Hmm, which to choose next... The Help or Small Island or Schooled or Atomic Lobster... and woo hoo, a 3-day weekend with time for enjoying one of them! Life is good.

Started the Neil Gaiman short stories, Smoke and Mirrors tonight. This looks good! It's going to be a good reading weekend.

bfertig posted Challenge #11 to April's wiki. Be sure to take a peek to see what it is.

To those who post challenges on the wiki: Feel free to promote your challenges on this thread. Otherwise they might remain somewhat hidden.

I finished Tea with the Black Dragon for Linda P.'s challenge, so now I am off to see what challenge bfertig has set up - like I need another one :)

I finished my first TIOLI book, The Teaberry Strangler by Laura Childs and now am about one-third through a book for Cheli's challenge. Died in the Wool by Mary Kruger.

Now I need to check out bfertig's challenge, even if I do already have more TIOLI books planned than I can shake a stick at, this month.

even if I do already have more TIOLI books planned than I can shake a stick at, this month.

Yeah. I'm reading a ton of them, too. The surprise TIOLI of the month for me is a book called Yarn: Remembering the Way Home by Kyoki Mori. I picked it up with a batch of books I was going to give away later this month at a book festival, but when I saw the title........I just *had* to add it to Cheli's other challenge. :) So far, its a good book, too!!

By the way, how many of you are doing the 24-hour ReadaThing ReadaThon today? It's not too late. Just sign up for whatever time slot you want, and read along with others. No, you do *not* have to read for a full hour. See the information here and the sign-up here.

P.S. I did my hour last night. Now I'm off to a Bookcrossing meet-up.

I have added another book to Richard's 'Read an Indian Writer' challenge: The Autobiography of an Unknown Indian by Nirad C. Chaudhuri.

I finished another TIOLI book, a collection of short stories by Neil Gaiman, Smoke and Mirrors. I admit, I like Neil Gaiman better than Margaret Atwood.

This was an eclectic collection from 1998, the stories are as short as 1 or 2 pages to 34 pages, and some in poetry form (so.... this could count as poetry by a living author...)

His introduction is fun because he tells a bit about how each one started or why he wrote it. My favorites would be the wedding story in the introduction, Murder Mysteries (an interesting retelling of Lucifer's fall), Goldfish Pool and Other Stories, and Snow, Glass, Apples (a new take on an old fairy tale). Very fun reading!

It took me TEN DAYS to read Atwood's Moral Disorder - collection of short stories. My review, such as it is, is here.

Now on to something a bit more engaging, I hope.

I finished my first book with an animal in the title The Book of Chameleons and have moved on to another Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood.

I finished Bluebeard's Egg by Margaret Atwood for the short story challenge. It took me a while to get through them and although they well written I really felt like I just didn't get most of them. I've reviewed it on my thread.

I might try some more short stories if I have time later in the month but by a different author!

Sorry, Madeline :-(

#24 I have Cat's Eye in my TBR pile but I don't know whether I'm going to get to it this month - so many books to read!

--> 25

I might try some more short stories if I have time later in the month but by a different author! Sorry, Madeline :-(

Hey! I just suggested short stories. It wasn't I who suggested Margaret Atwood's Bluebeard's Egg. :)

--> 22

I read Neil Gaiman's Smoke and Mirrors a while back. My husband suggested that book to me at the time, although he knew I didn't particularly like fantasy. I also ended up thinking it was a fun read.

Stories from that book that I liked the most were "Chivalry", "Troll Bridge", “Shoggoth’s Old Peculiar”, “Looking For the Girl”, “Snow, Glass, Apples”, and “Nicholas Was...”. Yeah. There were quite a few good ones.

Just to tempt others: The last short story I mentioned was a two-paged tale of who St. Nick really was, being an ancient man who did not like his job at all. Ho, Ho, Ho!

I finally began the first of my two April TIOLI's, Old New York by Edith Wharton. She certainly has a way of creating a sense of space.

>28 Carmenere: I don't know that Wharton book, Lynda. Will be waiting for your thoughts.

I'm almost done listening to Shanghai Girls for the book-with-a-city-in-the-title challenge and was going to listen to Moral Disorder next, but it doesn't look so appealing now. I think I'm going to go with Louise Erdrich's The Plague of Doves instead. That'll fit into the animal challenge. I'm not reading a book of poetry, but read a great poem today on Garrison Keillor's Writer's Almanac:

At the Mystic Aquarium
by Patricia Fargnoli

Still sun blind, I wheel your chair
through the darkened room
to the largest tank, where hammerheads swim
in the aquamarine glow, the torpedo of their bodies
sleeking past you beyond the glass.
Wanting respite from the heavy pushing,
wanting unburdened time to take in
the small brilliant lives of darting reef fish,
for once, I leave you, brake on and safe.
But when I turn away into the milling crowd,
it is I who fall—only a few feet from you, tripping
over a small girl, my body old, heavy,
coming down on her, her arms flailing,
trying to fight it back.
She lets out a cry that rips straight through
and her mother snatches her up, snaps at me in anger.
Sorry. Sorry. I say again and again
as I try with no luck to struggle to my feet,
straining against the dark and the gravity,
thinking how hard it is to rise
from the downthrust of weight and age,
aware of shame's bloodrush, tears beginning
as if I were the hurt child, the one who needed saving.
Suddenly I hate your wheelchair,
the knees that will not hold you, your blocked heart.
I want you here at my elbow, your hand pulling me up,
your arm gripping my shoulder, comforts in my ear.
But you've never even noticed, hooked as you are
to the aqua light, flashing points of the teeth,
the flat implacable eyes.
"At the Mystic Aquarium" by Patricia Fargnoli, from Necessary Light. © Utah State University Press, 1999

Wow! That's so sad, but moving. I just printed the poem out to add to my poetry collection. Thanks for sharing it.

I finished reading Hearts and Minds by Amanda Craig, my second Orange Prize longlist book for this challenge, and the 4th I've read, this afternoon. It's excellent. I don't know if it will make it to the shortlist but it's my favourite that I've read (though the Roopa Farooki is also quite good).

An update...
I was trying to read A Season of Second Chances for the Early Reviewer challenge. I've reviewed it, but did not technically read it all (I got so fed up I just kinda skimmed and skipped to the end to get the gist of it...) so I removed it from the wiki. I did, on the other hand, read Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, which happily fits in that same challenge and was a really charming read.

I'm still planning on reading Steampunk for short stories and The Haunted Hotel: a Mystery of Modern Venice this month - will probably start on the short stories tonight.

>30 Citizenjoyce: Citizenjoyce -- don't rely solely on my review of Moral Disorder. I think part of it was my own inability to engage with much of anything last week.

Okay, I finished my three TIOLI books for the offered for ER - Charlemagne Pursuit, Apple Turnover Murder, and The Brutal Telling. Now I'm starting my animals and sweater books.

Cheli, did you notice I'm doing a "sweater book", too? :)

I just finished my second TIOLI book for the month. Cheli, I loved the Mary Kruger debut knitting mystery, Died in the Wool.

#34 teelgee That's ok. I find Margaret Atwood is kind of hit and miss with me. The one's I love, I really love, and the others, oh well. I'd rather try the Louise Erdrich.

>30 Citizenjoyce:: I enjoy the daily poem in The Writer's Almanac and thought that one was especially affecting. I loved The Plague of Doves. Btw, Louise Erdrich was on Bill Moyers Journal on PBS last night talking about her latest book, Shadow Tag.

I've just finished the two short story collections I read for Madeline's challenge: Cheating at Canasta and Elementals: Stories of Fire and Ice. I didn't do full-blown reviews on them, but if you're interested, my comments are here.

ETA: In Post #69....I couldn't seem to fix the link to go directly there.

Donna828 I just saw the Erdrich interview. She kind of takes your breath away, doesn't she?

I've been mostly lurking around here and picking up titles to add to my TBR list, but since I love short stories I thought I'd give this TIOLI thing a go. I'll read Jhumpa Lahiri's Unaccustomed Earth for the Short Story Challenge (unless I read a second book of stories and scoot her over to the Indian Author Challenge) and Michelle Tea's The Beautiful for the Living Poet Challenge.

I usually read my books of short stories and poetry the same way, which is that I pick through them and read a story here and a few poems there, so that I can have a book for years & years without having read all of it. I've been wanting to read more books of poems and short stories in their entirety (at least with single-author books that aren't collected works. I'll never read a Best American cover to cover! :) so this seems a good opportunity to try it out.

My library finally got a copy of Hotel On the Corner of Bitter and Sweet to me, and it turns out it was an ER book so I can include it in the TIOLI challenge. I'm really enjoying the book.

--> 41

Hi Shauna!

Glad to have you take a dip into the TIOLI with us. My original idea was to have done one challenge a month, but then I realized that the multiple challenges give everyone a chance to both jump into the shared reading pool and into those particular categories liked most by each individual. Hope you find them fun!

I finished my second poetry book (by a living poet) for this month. It was Father Said by Hal Sirowitz. I posted a review of it here. I surprised myself as I didn't think I was going to be seized by that challenge. It was a nice surprise!

Now I *have to* finish my second Early Reviewer (they had been piling up!) so I can eventually request more of those books. :)

I hope all of you are starting to think up some interesting TIOLI challenges for May. That month will be here sooner than you know...

This has been quite a fun month for very different challenges. I think the most unique one was Cheli's "A book with something related to sweaters", although "Opposites Attract" was quite clever as well.

Don't forget bfertig's challenge #11 for "Awesome Audiobooks". It's still there looking for a few more takers.

>30 Citizenjoyce: Absolutely stunning and boy does that hit home. Maybe that's why I appreciate it. Thank you Joyce.

>36 SqueakyChu: - Squeaky, I did see that you had joined the sweater challenge. You'll problably finish yours before I finish mine!

Hm ... can't seem to add titles to the Wiki page. After I hit save, the message "Sorry! We could not process your edit due to a loss of session data" comes up. Any ideas why?

I get that all the time, just keep saving until it works.

Thanks! 4th time was the charm. :)

--> 47

A good workaround is to first press "show preview". Look at the preview to see if it looks correct. If it is, then press, "save page". You won't get that error message if you do that. :)

I finished my second Read-A-Living-Poet book...Hello Sunshine by rock singer Ryan Adams.

I'd rather read nothing but Dickens ever again than ever even see this book again.

Memo to all prospective poets: Line breaks
do
not make
vapid, tem-
pestuous maunder
ings
poetry.

>51 richardderus:: Ha! =p
A shame. I've always thought many of his lyrics were lovely & poetic. Maybe they only work in that form.

I'd rather read nothing but Dickens ever again than ever even see this book again.

Memo to all prospective poets: Line breaks
do
not make
vapid, tem-
pestuous maunder
ings
poetry.

I think you should have posted this as your review. Hilarious!

You didn't?? Oh definitely that should be the review.

I think he changed it just now, unless my grasp on sanity is not as strong as I'd like to think....

Yes, I did...but as to the sanity thing....

:D

Hysterical. Thumbs up.

Thumb! Richard you never cease to amaze me.

I finished by Early Review book today, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. I enjoyed it immensely.

Amaze how? By being unkind to famous rock stars with delusional pretensions to poetical talent? Poor lad should stick to singing, which I understand he does fairly well.

>61 richardderus: Amaze how?

In that you manage to write a 30 word review that says it all.

There's not much reason to say *more* than 30 words about that...that...hideous misuse of a dead tree, but thanks!

I have added a couple more books to the wiki that others are reading this month: Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet and Major Pettigrew's Last Stand. I think this brings me up to 15 TIOLI books this month. Yikes!

I've realised that the Bookbag review book I'm currently reading and expect to finish this weekend was an Early Reviewer book - Trevor Byrne's Ghosts and Lightning so I can add it to the challenge (will update the Wiki thing tonight). People seem to have loved or loathed it - I like it a lot better than the first ER book I ended up with from the same publisher (Canongate) in what may have been the same month.

Canongate seem to be trying to promote a few slightly different youngish writers - Trevor Byrne and Chris Killen are both in their late 20s - are they angling for a certain demographic too? (A bit younger than me but I don't think I'd have liked the other book any more in my 20s).

Finished Cat's Eye and I've added another book with an animal in the title to the Wiki - Morgan Llywelyn's Lion of Ireland.

I've finished The Disturbances of Man. I didn't like it. Here is my review.

Fun fact:

Of all the animals in Chèli's Book with an Animal in the Title challenge, 38% are birds! :)

Oooh, I'd better go check the Wiki... I didn't know that was one of the challenges! *considers*

#68 - That reminded me to add mine, also a bird! (although in the book, it's the name of a boat)

Only one insect though! Maybe that could be a TIOLI for the future - it could be quite a challenge...

Hmmmmmm....

*ponders the insect TIOLI*

:)

I'm changing mine slightly - I shan't have time to read everything I'd planned to read this month - but I can double the insect count because I have just finished The Case of the Gilded Fly.

Hm ... now does it count if the animal in the title is part of another word, such as "catfight" or "dogeared"?

There must be lots of Ladybird, Spider and Fly titles!

--> 72

I can double the insect count

LOL!!

--> 73

It absolutely counts if there is an embedded word in the book title. This also applies to words that are not directly connected, such as the word dog in Where Do Ghosts live? by Noodles or the word hen in Search Engine Marketing by Andreas Ramos. So be creative, everyone! :)

ETA: ...unless Cheli objects, as this is her challenge.

ETA2: No objection from Cheli!

>74 elkiedee:: ditto butterflies. and bees.

My head is full of insect book titles now. I think someone is going to have to throw down that challenge some time. :)

>76 SqueakyChu: Seriously? If ...Do G.... is in the title? That opens up some possibilities!

Seriously.

I finished up another of my TIOLI challenge books in the wee hours, The Autobiography of an Unknown Indian.

I learned today that The Elegance of the Hedgehog is in transit to me at the library so I added it to the TIOLI challenge.

I finished Eaarth (reviewed here), my second ER book this month. It's a book about our changing earth, the damage that's been done, and how we should respond.

I'm so glad I liked this book better than Diet for a Hot Planet, the first book I read for Zoe's A Book That Was Offered for Early Reviewer challenge. That makes me less skeptical of selecting another ER book in the future. :)

Fun Fact:

Zoe's Challenge, A book That was Offered for Early Reviewers, is proving very strong. It's only 6 books behind the main challenge of this month.

Cheers to Zoe and others who suggest fun challenges to spice up our reading!

I discovered I have 30 books in my collection in the books offered for Early Reviewers (including my 3 ER books but also lots of books that I bought/borrowed or in the case of Ghosts and Lightning snagged another review copy.

As for quality, I've loved one ER book, hated one and am quite perplexed by the latest one. I didn't want to read it when it eventually turned up this month, and finally picked it up deciding I could manage 10 pages a day and it was only 163 pages, read 27 pages that evening, and then finished the whole book the next evening (yesterday).

I also thought Sacred Hearts was great and really quite liked Ghosts and Lightning - more than most of the Early Reviewers.

am quite perplexed by the latest one. I didn't want to read it when it eventually turned up this month, and finally picked it up deciding I could manage 10 pages a day and it was only 163 pages, read 27 pages that evening, and then finished the whole book the next evening (yesterday).

Glad this one turned out well for you in the end, elkiede!

I posted A Tree Grows in Brooklyn under the Books With a City in the Title challenge but it's actually just a neighbourhood. What to you guys think, should it stay or go? (I wish I remembered how to make one of those fun poll things).

For a poll, you just put the text of the poll in "vote" tags: (vote)Your Question Here(/vote), but with triangular brackets.

I'll say yes, since Brooklyn was its own city in the past....

I consider Brooklyn a city, even though it's technically not.

Incidentally, per Wikipedia, "Brooklyn was an independent city until its consolidation with New York City in 1898". Since we're using fictitious cities, I'd say we can also use former cities. What sayeth you? Vote in message #90 above to let Deedledee know.

I'm about to read Brooklyn by Colm Toibin for a discussion on another site, so will vote yes on this one. Glad someone else asked.

Oh, that's a wonderful book, elkiedee. Hope you enjoy it.

I just finished and reviewed After the Fire, a Still Small Voice for the Orange Prize challenge. Hated it.

I just finished Mother Said: Poems, another poetry book by Hal Sirowitz, and posted my review here (includes one poem).

I finished No Instructions Needed for the ER TIOLI challenge. Not wonderful, but not bad either.

I finished The White Woman on the Green Bicycle for my Orange Prize TIOLI challenge, which was very good. I'll review it later today or tomorrow. Today I'll start Black Mamba Boy, which is also on the 2010 Orange Prize longlist.

I finished The Haunted Hotel: A Mystery of Modern Venice for the City challenge. It was kind of a "meh" read for me...I think I would've liked the melodramatic, atmospheric writing more as a teen. Oh well, it's still an interesting example of an early mystery story (and only 127 pgs.).

Finished two books of short stories - one by Margery Allingham: The Allingham Case-Book - classic golden period English detective stories, some but not all involving Allingham's main mystery-solver and "universal uncle" Albert Campion. Some enjoyable stories here, though I prefer her full length novels to the story collections.

The second book was more of a departure and a challenge for me, being in a different language for a start: Man zoekt vrouw om hem gelukkig te maken by the Dutch/Moroccan writer Yusef el Halal. As far as I know, not available in translation yet, so only available to those who can read Dutch, which I found I can just about (used to live in Holland years ago but have not been in the habit of reading in Dutch). Review here: http://www.librarything.com/work/3948223/reviews.

As I have read in recent years several novels by women about Muslim immigrant experience in Britain, it was interesting to read something by a young male writer reflecting on the immigrant experience from what seemed a very different perspective indeed.

I finished Cheating at Canasta for this month's TIOLI challenge.

I've upped the feline count for the book with an animal in the title challenge by reading The Unadulterated Cat by Terry Pratchett.

Halfway through Wolf Hall for the 2010 Orange longlist challenge.

Yesterday I finished Bicycles: Love Poems for my poetry challenge, and added a book of short stories, Twilight & Moonbeam Alley by Stefan Zweig to the short story challenge. I've reviewed these books, along with The White Woman on the Green Bicycle.

I've reviewed the last of my "Read a Living Poet" books, Lucifer at the Starlite by Kim Addonizio. I liked this one as much as I loathed the Ryan Adams.

I've got some challenges out of the way. The Dirty Duck was a slightly-below-average entry in the Jury/Plant series by Martha Grimes. There's some humor and the ambience is well done, but the story has a most implausible resolution.

Passages: 24 Modern Indian Stories was excellent. There are only a couple of clinkers among some real gems. My favorite stories were "Nothing Must Spoil this Visit" by Shauna Singh Baldwin; "The Farewell Party", a remarkable little number by Anita Desai; "A Day Like Any Other" by Shashi Deshpande; the chilling "The Assignment" by Saadat Hasan Manto; and a very funny and charming "The Bottom Pincher" by Khushwant Singh. There are a lot of new-to-me authors here to explore further.

Right now I'm in the midst of The God of Small Things for Richard's Indian challenge. I'm enjoying it very much. I still hope to get to The Coffee Trader if time and my whims permit.

I'm reading Kay Ryan's The Best of It, but I'm not sure I'll finish in time to add it to the TIOLI Living Poets Challenge. If yes, I may try to squeeze it in for the month...

edited to clarify the question.

Here's a fun idea* for the Read-A-Living-Poet challenge:

Make a tagmash of "poetry" plus one other term (your passion or interest). I did one for dchaikin: (example). Now do one for yourself. Then find a book of poetry in the list. Be sure the author is still alive! Come back to report what you thought of the book you found (and read)!

*I cross-posted this idea to the Club Read 2010 group as well.

ETA: The example is not really much good, but the idea is... :)

Finished my short story TIOLI, Old New York and the review is right here.

I've just added a book of short stories, Love Me Tender by Jane Feaver, a book I will be writing a review of for The Bookbag.

Finished the first of my TIOLI books for the month, Old Chicago, the Fort for the book with a city name in the title challenge.

I also finally finished my first TIOLI book of the month, in the cities category as well: Inside the Apple: A Streetwise History of New York City. Only three more to go. Hmm....

I seem to be challenge-hopping a lot this month. I've got reviews due for several titles! A last-minute addition was Cod: The Biography of the Fish that Changed the World for the Easter Bunny Animal challenge. Hey...Victorians though cod was the fish in the Biblical miracle of the loaves and fishes, since there were so many of them!

Really, really good book.

For book with an animal in the title i've just started Dogs of Riga by Henning Mankell.

I took the Easter Bunny challenge (since my elected short story book, The Blythes Are Quoted seemed impossible to obtain in time), and read Dragon Bones by Patricia Briggs.

Dragon Bones was a engrossing read. Ward of Hurog is the hero who has grown up pretending to be stupid, as a survival tactic, and must now prove to everyone that he is not, in order to inherit his family lands, to which he is tied by magic. As we join him on his adventures, we encounter magic, court politics, warfare, betrayal, and of course, dragons; and to add to the fun, there are twists and turns to the plot that take it in a new direction again.

Just finished a book that ticks multiple TIOLI boxes – NZ poet Sarah Broom's debut poetry collection, Tigers at Awhitu. I've posted at length about it here. Fantastic collection. Really, really good.

I reviewed an LT ER book for that challenge: An American Type by Henry Roth. It's a 3.5-star read.

I finished Unaccustomed Earth for the Short Story Challenge. It was my first book of Jhumpa Lahiri's and I absolutely loved it. She's an amazing writer and she draws her characters so well. I'm really looking forward to reading her other books.

I finished The God of Small Things last night. After I closed the book, I had to sit quietly for awhile to get my breath back...not that it has a big suprise on the last page, but because the book as a whole is both moving and awful, in the original sense of the word. I'd recommend it to those interested in Indian authors, those interested in twins, and readers who like to explore the not-so-pleasant subterranean parts of the human psyche, but it's not a book for the squeamish or or those easily offended, and certainly not for children. That said, it's amazing: funny, brutal, vulgar, and lyrical, all at once. I'm keeping this for a re-read.

I loved The God of Small Things too.

>119 Matke: Gail, I liked your review better than I liked the book! It's got some good storytelling, I admit, but I didn't end up on the plus side because I felt so...cheated...by some of the set-piece events.

I'm going to post my review of Sea of Poppies today, come hell or high water. The painters are finishing up the lower level, though the front door is causing them some angst; the back door isn't even begun; and the kitchen and sun porch doors appear not to have occurred to them yet.

It wasn't until the painting got started that I bothered to count the windows in this place...31! Just heard a crash, have to go see what the cleaners are doing....

Message #110. A few days ago I finished According to Ruth by Jane Feaver. I'm very interested in your comments regarding Love Me Tender.

So, I was initially pretty dubious about the short story thing, but I'm actually really enjoying Some Rain Must Fall so far.

#122: I've still to write my review, but I quite liked Love Me Tender and will look for other work by her.

I have finished a book for my 'Opposites Attract' challenge: North and South.

#125 What did you think of it?

#126: I really enjoyed it, Genny. The only Gaskell I had read before was Cranford, which I also enjoyed. Have you read either of them? I am thinking about revisiting Cranford now that I have read this one.

#127 I read it a long time ago - so long that I can't really recall much detail, but I did enjoy it at the time. Haven't read Cranford - would like to do so now to compare with how it was recently serialised by the BBC.

#128: I watched the first couple of episodes of the miniseries, but ended up missing several and finally gave up on watching it rather than trying to figure out what was going on again. I prefer books to movies anyway.

"I prefer books to movies anyway."
In theory so do I, but often I am lazy and watch something rather than going to fetch my book. But the Cranford series was well done of its kind, so I don't regret that one.

I just got a profile message from a bohemima who said that, due to the spam above (posts #130-133), no new messages are able to be posted to this thread. I see, though, that gennyt was indeed able to post a message at this time. Therefore, I assume that posting is now allowed again. If not, or if you encounter any difficulty posting, please let me know (either here or by profile message), and I'll start a new thread. Thanks!

All fixed now. Kind of made me nervous for a minute! Thanks, Madeline, for your immediate response here.

--->121 richardderus:: Thank you, Richard. There was just "something" about this book...perhaps the p.o.v. slipperiness between a child's eye and and adult's eye...I'm not sure. It was the right book at the right time, I guess.

And that brings up something I've noticed, but because of my limited exposure in the field my idea may be way off base. It seems as though we have many more female than male Indian authors available to us. Am I out in left field here? (Wouldn't be the first time.)

--->129 alcottacre:: Usually I agree with Stasia, books over their movie versions. However, I love some movies specifically created as such; and of adaptations, Brideshead Revisited, the original one with Jeremy Irons, was in my opinion completely true to the book. But that was highly unusual.

Your opinions?

1. How do you go about choosing your monthly TIOLI challenge? Do you start with the main challenge, or do you look over the list of challenges and begin with the challenge you like the best?

2. If you don't like the main challenge, do you try it anyway because you've "been challenged?"

3. Are you willing to post a new challenge if you don't like those posted?

4. Are there too few, too many, or the "just right" (kind of like the three bears!) amount of challenges being posted monthly?

5. Have these challenges actually tempted you into completing a book that you otherwise might not have read?

#137:

1. If at all possible (meaning that I have a book that fits in my personal library), I will do the main challenge, plus I am starting to do ones of my own for which I have the books, and then I look over the list of challenges to see if I have anything else that fits.

2. Yes, unless you try and make me read horror :)

3. Yes

4. I like the variety to choose from personally. I think it makes the TIOLI challenge accessible for a greater number of people.

5. Yes

*scratches horror off the list* ;)

Thank you!

You're welcome.

*places all her Stephen King books back on Mt. TBR*

#141: Since I do not have any, that would be a very short-lived challenge for me!

1. How do you go about choosing your monthly TIOLI challenge? Do you start with the main challenge, or do you look over the list of challenges and begin with the challenge you like the best?
I tend to read in multiple challenges throughout the month, but I start by looking at what is added and then pick something already on my TBR to fit one of them.

2. If you don't like the main challenge, do you try it anyway because you've been "challenged?"
I did this month, it was good to be challenged to read some short stories.

3. Are you willing to post a new challenge if you don't like those posted?
Oh yes, I love that part of it too. I enjoyed the response to the Hugo award winner challenge I added last month.

4. Are there too few, too many, or the "just right" (kind of like the three bears!) amount of challenges being posted monthly?
I think it's about right. I enjoy the variety and it leads me to books I wouldn't have found as well as encouragement to read books already on my TBR.

5. Have these challenges actually tempted you into completing a book that you otherwise might not have read?
I found the Neil Gaiman book of short stories through this challenge, which I may not have known about otherwise.

I enjoyed the response to the Hugo award winner challenge I added last month.

Yeah. That was a good one. The "counter-challenges" are getting increasingly great responses, I've noticed.

1. I like to think of my own challenge ahead of time. I also look over the main challenge and any other challenges to see which ones I'd like to do.

2. Not really. I will try it if I can but if I have no interest (e.g., poetry), I just won't do it. If I can, I try to make it work in terms of something I do like, such as mysteries.

3. Absolutely. I would probably post my own even if I do like the challenges posted.

4. Just about the right number of challenges. No one is making me do every challenge. In fact, my eyes often are bigger than my reading time and I often expect to read a lot of TIOLI books and then never get to more than 3 or 4.

5. They haven't yet but I think they might, given the right circumstances.

(Have these challenges actually tempted you into completing a book that you otherwise might not have read?) They haven't yet but I think they might, given the right circumstances.

Okay, then. We'll just keep working on you! :D

#146, I'm thinking of something like this month's short stories challenge.

Not a short story fan but I do like mystery short stories. If I can get to it, I might read English Country House Murders by the end of the month, for instance. I'm taking that book with me on vacation, along with my Kindle.

*nudges Linda, then disappears*

This is only my second TIOLI challenge, so I'm not sure how representative my opinions are just yet, but:

1) Choosing my monthly challenge - last month, I tried for the LT Authors, because I thought it was a good cause, but had to switch to the Green challenge, since I didn't finish in time. I thought I'd try again this month, since I'm a long way behind on my 75 books, and I thought it might give me a boost. Tried for the main challenge, again, but it involved buying a book & having it delivered internationally, and I'm running out of time, so I switched again.

2) Disliking the main challenge - not really happened yet. I might try it anyway, depending on my mood, how much time I've got, if I've got something that fits the bill.

3) Posting a new challenge - not ready to try that yet; I have a feeling if I do, it would be to make the challenge fit my reading, and I'd be the only one on that challenge!

4) 3 bears of challenges - I think there are a good number; gives me enough to choose from for my reading to fit into one list or another (I'm currently trying to re-read my existing library, and I have some bought, not yet read - so I don't want to go out and get a book just for TIOLI; and I'd like to TI )

5) A book I might not otherwise have read - not yet (see 4) ). Maybe, if I get to the end of my respective TBR piles, and there's a popular book with tempting reviews.

ps - had a look at lists like LT Authors and Early Readers - they're HUGE! Is there a way to break them down, or correlate them to my library to look for familiar authors, rather than reading through the whole 3,000 odd entries?

it involved buying a book & having it delivered internationally

Actually, I created the TIOLI challenge to help members move books off of TBR piles. My intention was that, if a member didn't have a book at home that fit the main challenge, he could then create his own counter challenge to fit a TBR book of his own that he felt like reading.

Posting a new challenge - not ready to try that yet; I have a feeling if I do, it would be to make the challenge fit my reading, and I'd be the only one on that challenge!

So let's see if that's true or not! Give it a try next month. :)

--> 150

Unfortunately not. There are checkmarks for individual books in your collections, but not for lists such as LT Authors or Early Reviewers.

I thought the "book of short stories challenge" was going to be a bit controversial this month. Let's see how we did. Be honest!

1. I begin with the main challenge, if I do not have something on my TBR shelves that fit I either create my own challenge and find one of the other challenges that may fit.

2. Oh definately. I was not crazy about the April Challenge (short stories) but I found one in my collection and loved it. Being Wharton, it would have been a long time until I planned on reading it (alpha order thing) so it was a pleasure to have a reason to move it up.

3. Yes, I already have, the natures elements challenge back in March or Feb.

4. Perhaps there are too many. I feel so guilty when I sign up for more that I can chew and can't accomplish the challenge. But that's my problem.

5. No, I don't think so, since they are coming from my TBR stacks I do want to read them eventually but a nudge now and then is rather helpful.

#153: I voted No, but I did it anyway :)

LOL @ Stasia!

I voted undecided because I didn't like it at first and now I've come around. Not enough to actually read a short stories book yet, though I still might.

*smiles*

You're running out of time, Linda!

I'm starting Three Cups of Tea today in fulfillment of the challenge, but it's killing me because I really want to start a copy of Dennis Lehane's The Given Day that I just got from the library. I've liked all the movies I've seen of his books but never read one before. Must try to read fast. So, it feels like I'm not giving Three Cups of Tea the respect it deserves.

First, it's a Take It or Leave It Challenge so if I don't like the challenge, or if I have other books that I really want to read at that time, I just "leave it." I thought that was the purpose. I skipped the March challenge because I had other books I wanted to read at that time. In January, I read two books for the debut novel challenge.

I'm not a short story reader but enjoyed In Other Rooms, Other Wonders and was glad to have the opportunity to read that Pulitzer Prize finalist. (I voted yes.)I'm now reading an ER book that I've wanted to read since teelgee recommended it, The Lotus Eaters.

The number of challenges is just right.

1. How do you go about choosing your monthly TIOLI challenge? Do you start with the main challenge, or do you look over the list of challenges and begin with the challenge you like the best? When this first started I kind of looked at the main challenge but then I always seem to post my own. It gets me moving to reading the books that I want to read but never seem to manage to get to.

2. If you don't like the main challenge, do you try it anyway because you've been "challenged?" I did the main challenge in March as well as my own but otherwise I Leave it

3. Are you willing to post a new challenge if you don't like those posted?
I have posted my own challenges every month, sometimes more than one.

4. Are there too few, too many, or the "just right" (kind of like the three bears!) amount of challenges being posted monthly? The more the merrier is my philosophy...if someone doesn't like it they can Leave it.

5. Have these challenges actually tempted you into completing a book that you otherwise might not have read? The challenges have pushed me to read books that I own that have been waiting a while.

>>137 SqueakyChu::
This is the first month I've done any challenges, but I plan to continue. :)

1. I'd take the main challenge first, unless it was something I couldn't find a book in my TBR pile to match, which seems v. unlikely.

2. I think I would, yes. That's the fun of it. If the challenge was some genre I didn't like, I'd ask for suggestions and try something out.

3. Sure. Hard to imagine not liking any of the challenges though.

4. There seem to be a good number. Variety w/out having so many that some have only one or two takers.

5. Yes. I never read my books of poetry straight through cover to cover but I'm doing that for the Read a Living Poet challenge this month.

--> 159

Truthfully, I'm having a hard time with Three Cups of Tea and most likely will not finish it this month. It's too long! Greg Mortenson's story is interesting, but the writing is mediocre. If I were you, I'd read the book that interests me the most. Your call, though.

--->137 SqueakyChu::
1. I look at the main challenge, look at my shelves, and then pick something that I "just haven't had time for". Then I go on to others as posted; usually I can find a couple more where I have title(s) that fit.

2. Oh,yes, I would try the main challenge even if I didn't like it. The whole point of this, for me, is to get me reading those books that hang around on my shelves, sobbing quietly because they are skipped over, sometimes for years. Poor, poor things. I wouldn't try a challenge if I had to buy a book to do it; maybe not even borrow one from the library. I've got to clear some shelf space!

3. I'm willing to post a challenge, but I usually score negatively on creative issues, so it might be hard for me to come up with one...at least one that anyone else would want to do.

4. I think the number is about right. I like lots of choices so that I can read lots of my books, and skip those that just don't fit into my collection.

5. I had avoided the Neil Gaiman first novel---beyond putting it off, seriously avoided it---so the First Novel Challenge got me going on that one. Same for The Dirty Duck on the Easter Bunny challenge this month.

Actually this whole thing has been a great help to me, as I have a serious book-buying problem---I want them, but then I just save them...I guess "for best" as we used to say in New England. Well, "the best" is right this minute, as I may have mentioned before.

ETA: One funny thing is that the main challenge for this month prompted me to read Go Down, Moses, which I then realized was a novel, however disjointed. Heh. Got me with that one.

>137 SqueakyChu:

1. Main challenge first, then move through the list.

2. Yeup, sure does.

3. Yeup, sure do.

4. Since it's Take It or Leave It, doesn't make me no never-mind.

5. ~Mezzo-mezzo~

--> 164

One funny thing is that the main challenge for this month prompted me to read Go Down, Moses, which I then realized was a novel

LOL at bohemima!!

I'm going to add a children's short story collection which I now think I will actuall finish this month. I love reading short stories and this is one of three such books I've read this month but I've put one of them under the city heading (Los Angeles Noir).

All But a Few by Joan Aiken is great fun - it's a collection of short stories first published in the 1950s in which magic plays a part. I particularly like the stories about the apparently ordinary middle class Armitage family, which have also been collected separately in a book called The Serial Garden which I bought last year. Things just happen to them, like acquiring a unicorn, being haunted by a ghostly governess. There's also some good stories about unconventional princesses, and the first story features a Public Magician's Department as a section of the local Council.

This is the first time I've tried the TIOLI challenge.

How do you go about choosing your monthly TIOLI challenge? Do you start with the main challenge, or do you look over the list of challenges and begin with the challenge you like the best?

I begin with the challenge I like the best and/or which is easiest to fit in with my reading.

I love reading short stories and seriously considered whether I could fit in rereading Bluebeard's Egg or reading Old New York, both of which I own, but didn't think I fit them in at that point. I also kept thinking of other collections I'd love to read or reread. Must read more short story collections.

2. If you don't like the main challenge, do you try it anyway because you've been "challenged?"

I probably wouldn't but I did like the main challenge.

3. Are you willing to post a new challenge if you don't like those posted?

Maybe. This is the first month I've done it and there were no challenges that didn't appeal at all.

4. Are there too few, too many, or the "just right" (kind of like the three bears!) amount of challenges being posted monthly?

I'd be happy to see even more but think the number is great. No one has to do them all. Next month I'm going to attempt to fit in reading under more headings, and I'd also like to try and squeeze in books that others are reading, especially if I already have them lying around.

5. Have these challenges actually tempted you into completing a book that you otherwise might not have read?

No, I would have read all of them at some point but it might mean picking up a book which could have waited months/years/decades for my attention.

How do you go about choosing your monthly TIOLI challenge? Do you start with the main challenge, or do you look over the list of challenges and begin with the challenge you like the best?

I read over all the challenges as soon as they're listed and see whether I have any books that fit. These should come from my TBR pile. Then, once the month has started, I may also add books that have already had a positive response from a couple of readers. These can come from the bookstore if necessary.

I'm not worried about starting with one challenge and then moving on to others; I just list as many books as I want across the various challenges. I can always delete them later if it turns out I was too ambitious.

2. If you don't like the main challenge, do you try it anyway because you've "been challenged?"

I admit I wasn't too eager about the short stories. But since the book came from my TBR pile, I don't think I can say I'm reading it just because I was challenged.

On the other hand, I liked the concept of the Red-Spine challenge and just failed to finish it in time because the book wasn't engaging enough (though I did complete that book this month, and it conveniently had a city in the title!).

3. Are you willing to post a new challenge if you don't like those posted?

Whether I post a new challenge has nothing to do with what other challenges are up there; I just post a new challenge whenever I can think of something worthwhile.

4. Are there too few, too many, or the "just right" (kind of like the three bears!) amount of challenges being posted monthly?

I'd say the number is just right for now!

5. Have these challenges actually tempted you into completing a book that you otherwise might not have read?

They've certainly tempted me to pick books from the TBR pile that might otherwise have continued sitting there for many years.... But I like to think that I would eventually have read them anyway.

The challenge isn't a magic cure-all, though; my poor ER book is still sitting unread.

my poor ER book is still sitting unread.

Horrors, Zoe! It was *you* who posted the ER challenge!! :)

I know, it was supposed to be motivation! But there's still a week left....

:)

Egad! Is the book *that* bad?

But there's still a week left....

Zoe's right. Time's running out. Think about finishing up your current TIOLI book(s) and some fun ideas for challenges in May. I'll be posting May's TIOLI a few days early again, so keep your eyes open. :D

#173: I already have my challenges picked out for both May and June :)

Egad! Is the book *that* bad?

The worst part is, I haven't even started it! But I saw some negative reviews almost as soon as it was sent out, and it currently has an average rating of 3.2, which is well below what I'd normally consider acceptable. So I've just lost all desire even to begin.

Think about finishing up your current TIOLI book(s) and some fun ideas for challenges in May.

Oh, I already have my idea for next month.... As for finishing up the current challenges, it looks like I'll end up with two of my planned four accomplished.

1. How do you go about choosing your monthly TIOLI challenge? Do you start with the main challenge, or do you look over the list of challenges and begin with the challenge you like the best?

I look over all the challenges and see if I have any books waiting to be read which fit the challenges.

2. If you don't like the main challenge, do you try it anyway because you've "been challenged?"

Yes, if I've got a book that fits, even if it's short stories!

3. Are you willing to post a new challenge if you don't like those posted?

I haven't so far but I have got one in mind. Maybe I'll post it for May! Although I'd still do some of the other challenges too.

4. Are there too few, too many, or the "just right" (kind of like the three bears!) amount of challenges being posted monthly?

Just right - I don't try and do all the challenges so to me, there can't be too many!

5. Have these challenges actually tempted you into completing a book that you otherwise might not have read?
Sort of. I've read books that I hadn't heard of before because they'd been read by others for the challenge, His Majesty's Dragon being the main example, but it's the sort of book that would have appealed to me anyway.

#173 I've nearly finished Wolf Hall but I still have another Early Reviewer book to read and Winter in Madrid - eek!

And I have a challenge planned for next month!

1. How do you go about choosing your monthly TIOLI challenge? Do you start with the main challenge, or do you look over the list of challenges and begin with the challenge you like the best?

I usually choose something that fits a book I have in my TBR pile, or something that interests me.

2. If you don't like the main challenge, do you try it anyway because you've "been challenged?"

Yes

3. Are you willing to post a new challenge if you don't like those posted?

Maybe - so far that hasn't been a problem for me.

4. Are there too few, too many, or the "just right" (kind of like the three bears!) amount of challenges being posted monthly?

Just Right - meaning I don't feel obligated to choose more than one (:

5. Have these challenges actually tempted you into completing a book that you otherwise might not have read?

Yes, a good example is the Living Poet challenge. I don't generally read poetry, but I have really enjoyed The Trouble With Poetry.

Have these challenges actually tempted you into completing a book that you otherwise might not have read? Yes, a good example is the Living Poet challenge. I don't generally read poetry, but I have really enjoyed The Trouble With Poetry.

Me, too, Jenn. I was planning to ignore that poetry challenge, but then ended up reading three (living poet) poetry books in April. I hadn't read a book of poetry for years!! Kidzdoc's challenge really sucked me right in. Come on folks, keep tempting me! :)

Well, I have three TIOLIs left for this month - 2 I'm about halfway through - if I get them all done I will have completed 5 of the Challenges - 2 of my own and 3 by others. I have my challenges for next month ready to enter as soon as the wiki goes up!

I have done very badly this month: I started out with several books that I was really enthusiastic about reading, but I've only completed one - and it wasn't even one of the ones I planned to read.

This is mostly because this month has been really busy: I've only finished six books in total so far this month, whereas last month I read 18, and books have mostly been fluff to offset the study that has been wearing my brain out. There are at least six more in progress that I was hoping to finish off by the end of the month, but realistically I shan't get through more than about three.

1. How do you go about choosing your monthly TIOLI challenge? Do you start with the main challenge, or do you look over the list of challenges and begin with the challenge you like the best?

Begin with the one I like best.

2. If you don't like the main challenge, do you try it anyway because you've "been challenged?"

Depends what it is. If I can work something from the TBR into it, probably. (I am still reading this month's book of short stories, and I will finish it - but I almost certainly won't finish it by the end of the month.)

3. Are you willing to post a new challenge if you don't like those posted?

In theory, yes - but I'm so bad at reading the books I've planned to read that I'd probably fail at my own challenge.

4. Are there too few, too many, or the "just right" (kind of like the three bears!) amount of challenges being posted monthly?

Just right: I can pick the ones I like without feeling I ought to try them all, I don't struggle to find something interesting on offer, I don't have to plough through a huge list, and I don't find so many things that I want to do that I feel swamped.

5. Have these challenges actually tempted you into completing a book that you otherwise might not have read?

Not yet - everything I've read or thought about reading so far has come from my shelves.

I'm so bad at reading the books I've planned to read that I'd probably fail at my own challenge.

LOL @CatyM!

everything I've read or thought about reading so far has come from my shelves.

...which is exactly the point of TIOLI.

Looks like we're on the right track, everyone!

I finished my short story book, Some Rain Must Fall, and really enjoyed it! This was a surprise for me since I usually end up disappointed by short stories.

There was a good program on NPR today called Studio 360. All the parts were good, from Ricky Gervais to Whether or not literary writers or characters should be medicated for their emotional problems (there was a skit with a medicated Holden Caulfield ) to Textbook Wars, but the part that was pertinent here was about a Miami group that produces poetry on demand.
http://www.studio360.org/episodes/2010/04/23

By the way, SqueakyChu, I have to read Three Cups of Tea for my RL book club on May 21, so I'm just forcing myself to read it early. All the time cutting my eyes toward The Given Day which continues to call to me.

I have to read Three Cups of Tea for my RL book club on May 21, so I'm just forcing myself to read it early. All the time cutting my eyes toward The Given Day which continues to call to me.

...which is exactly the reason I don't think I'd enjoy RL book clubs. As soon as I *have to* read something, I don't want to do that any more. I simply love reading at whim. :)

Very cool...about the poetry! And they even compose the poems on a typewriter!!

Oh, I get what you're saying completely, SqueakyChu. I've read some books I never would have considered for RL book clubs. For the most part, though, it's been to my benefit. I tend to be such a hermit, it's an opportunity to interact with different types of people (but not illiterate different types of people).

I completed the read a living poet challenge - and enjoyed it very much. I read The Trouble With Poetry - I believe it was recommended by Madeline? I review briefly and include one of my favorite poems here - http://www.librarything.com/topic/80449

Now I just have to get back to Unaccustomed Earth, my short story collection for the TIOLI. I've still got a week...

I'm so glad you liked Billy Collins book of poems that I recommended. My favorite poem was "The Lanyard". It so reminded me of when my kids were little and in camp. I should look for more books of Collins' poetry. They'd be quick and fun reads to add to my 75 Books Challenge this year.

I really liked The Lanyard too. It made me think of all the times I gave my mom some really lame gift and she treated it like it was pure gold.

Mothers do that, you know!

I committed to two TIOLI books this month, but it's been a struggle to get through them. To date, I have been dedicated to the "original" challenge, so I spent the last few days dedicating myself to finishing the Short Story challenge - and just completed Old New York by Edith Wharton. I did enjoy it, but I've had many other tomes tempting me, and I was distracted.

I had added a title for the Early Reviewers Challenge - solely because I had just snagged one last month, and it was the perfect reason to keep it on the top of the pile. But this one has been tough. How Lincoln Learned to Read has an interesting concept behind it, but it's not keeping my interest. I like it enough to finish it (and I do feel kind of obligated to review books I get through the program), so that is my goal for next week, but so far, it's not likely to get a high rating.

Like some of the others, I look at the challenge and see if I have anything on my wishlist or in my TBR pile which fits. Since she started the challenge, I have (so far) always honored SqueakyChu by making sure one of my books fits that challenge. This month I happened to have Old New York on my shelf, but I've happily hit the public library and my local bookstore for some of the challenges from earlier in the year.

But unlikely some of the others, I do not structure my own challenges. For me, the joy of LT is tweaking my reading patterns to make sure I mix things up. I doubt my TBR pile is nearly the size of many of the other 75'ers, so it's more fun (again, this is just me) to use the challenge as a reason to find something new to read.

Can't wait to see what's in store for May.

I just finished A Good Man Is Hard to Find and Other Stories by Flannery O'Connor for the short stories challenge, which was superb (5 stars). I'll start English, August: An Indian Story by Upamanyu Chatterjee for Richard's Read an Indian Writer challenge, and continue reading Black Mamba Boy by Nadifa Mohamed for my Orange Prize challenge. I'll remove Hearts and Minds by Amanda Craig, from the Orange Prize challenge though, as I won't be able to finish it by the end of the month. I will read it next month, as I'd like to continue the Orange Prize challenge in May (if that's okay with Madeline).

--> 190

Patrick, your TIOLI month didn't sound like much fun to me. Too bad you can't just cast aside that ER book (but you can't, I know). Gee! the TIOLI is supposed to be fun. You're *allowed* to ditch those books you don't want to read. That's the "LEAVE IT" part of the challenge. Okay. Not so for ER books, but you have to take that up with Zoe! ;)

Can't wait to see what's in store for May.

*just smiles*

--> 120

I'd like to continue the Orange Prize challenge in May (if that's okay with Madeline).

Darryl, that's absolutely fine! Just add it to the March wiki once it's posted.

#190, I've got that same ER book, How Lincoln Learned to Read yet to read. I've had a bunch of ER duds in a row and it sounds like this might be yet another.

I've had a bunch of ER duds in a row and it sounds like this might be yet another.

Oh, you poor, unhappy readers! :(

#195 I thought the How Lincoln Learned to Read had gotten some great reviews. I still need to give it a fair shot.

Just not on vacation.

OK - I was counting up challenges, and I have done more than I realized.

One for read-a-living-poet. One for ER books, and serendipitously, one for something to do with a sweater. I am still working on the short stories. That could make 4, which is a big improvement for me (:.

I started Unaccustomed Earth on friday. It´s really good! Most of the stories have characters that are Indian immigrants or children of Indian immigrants in USA. It is written with ease and elegance. The characters are truly well developed and believable.

I can recommend No one belongs here more than you by Miranda July as well. A collection of quaint and moving characters.

197> Jenn, I'm curious which book you read for the sweater challenge because I didn't see it in the Wiki and I might want to take a look at it myself.

192> I did redeem myself a little last night and picked up something completely for fun - How to Rule the World: A Handbook for the Aspiring Dictator. Hysterical! I cranked it out in only a few hours (there are a lot of pictures and most of the text are in tables (such as, "Do you have the personality to be a dictator?" (Do you have Citizen Kane on DVD? Do you enjoy giving instructions in a loud voice?, etc.).

now back to How Lincoln Learned to Read!

#137
1. This was my first TIOLI challenge - I discovered that the main challenge fitted what I had just started reading already from my TBR pile, so stuck to that one. In future I think I will aim to do the main challenge first, and if I have time try one or more others.

2. Yes - it's good for me to widen my reading experiences and try something new.

3. I don't think I'd want to do that just yet - but if I ever have a bright idea for one, I might.

4. Just right for me, especially as I will be focussing on the main challenge, but glad to have other suggestions if I feel like taking them up.

5. Too early to say - as I'd already started my two short story collections this month. I don't know if I will be organised enough to buy/borrow books for the challenge in future if I don't have anything suitable. Most of my fiction TBR pile will get read sooner or later anyway, but the challenge may help me get round to some of my neglected non-fiction in future.

Finished this month's challenges. The Coffee Trader was something of a disappointment; although the book is obviously well-researched, the main character was singularly unattractive to me, leaving me uncaring as to what happened to him. On the plus side, Liss paints a clear picture of the beginning of futures trading, something that has always seemed, um, not nice to me. Just too much taking advantage of others, too much greed, etc. But it was a relief to find out that our present crises are an old, old, oft-repeated story.

My poetry book, A Walk Through the Memory Palace a Chapbook winner, was delightful: the poems clear, lyrical language, engaging humor, and a wide range of subject material. I'd read it once before and will surely read it again.

#199 - I didn't put it in the wiki - I haven't really figured that bit out yet.

I don't know if you will want to read it, but it's Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knitter's Almanac which I read all the way through because it's an enjoyable read, and I am also working on knitting my way through the projects. Not ALL the projects. If I don't like it (the March sweater) I don't knit it. Anyway, if you like knitting, it's a great book. EZ is pretty funny. I like her commentary.

I haven't really figured that bit out yet.

Click on the wiki link in post #1. Follow the instructions at the bottom of the page. That's it. You cannot mess anything up, so give it a try!

I guess I should have said I haven't even tried to figure that out yet. Not that I would have known where to go. Off to add books to the wiki!

Jenn - I'll take a look at it when I get a chance, it sounds interesting.

I just realized that I'll manage to fit in another TIOLI book after all: Alchemy and Meggy Swann for the animal challenge! I started this book today without even realizing that it fit (and am enjoying it so far).

I'm squeaking by (no pun intended) with another TIOLI book as well. A poet, Ron Ames, I met today at the International Day of the Book Festival donated his book of poetry, Vocare to BookCrossing. It's a quick read, but sadly it's not speaking to me. I'll probably finish it tomorrow and then see if any other Bookcrossers would like to read it.

I was doing some work around the house and managed to almost fiinish n audiobook so I have another TIOLI - should finish tomorrow.

I finished my second book of short stories for the April TIOLI challenge, Good Evening, Mrs. Craven. Good stuff in this one!

#204,205 Thanks for the pointer to the Wiki and the encouragement - I've just added my reads also - first time I've ever added anything to a wiki page. (What a sheltered life I've lived!)

I have lost the desire to continue reading my 2nd TIOLI choice, Romancing Miss Bronte. It's not that I am not enjoying it, I am, but I'm anxious to see what Madeline has in store for us in May. I'll get back to Miss Bronte soon enough.

Lynda, you may (your choice, of course) take Romancing Miss Bronte out of the April wiki and create a new (and different, if desired) challenge for it on the May wiki, afterthat one's posted. That is, if you wish to continue reading it without pressure to read it quickly. If you decide to simply "leave it", well, that's different matter altogether!

Club Read 2010 is onto us! Take a peek. :D

We have been purloined! Should we take it as a compliment?

Absolutely! It made me smile.

ETA: Of course, they probably would not want to steal away some of our more esoteric challenges (i.e. a red-spined book, something to do with a sweater, etc.). Ha!

#216: I would kind of like to see what they would do with my 'Opposites Attract' challenge. It took me a bit to come up with 4 books to read for it - although the inspiration actually came from two books I was planning to read and the titles just stuck with me.

I've tried to set up other challenges in the past that I've scratched off my list because I couldn't come up with enough books. I'm not going to reveal them now just in case I decide to do a revised version of them.

I actually liked your Opposites Attract challenge a lot, even though someone finding a book to meet that challenge had a big enough challenge - even before starting to read their selection. Remember us voting out multiple suggestions? :)

#218: Yes, I do :)

I try and come up with at least 4 books for my own challenges, 1 for the principal challenge (although I actually did 2 this month), and then fit in the other challenges as I can.

>214 SqueakyChu: You do know that Club Read had a Read a Living Poet Challenge for April right?

I do. That's why kidzdoc brought it over to the TIOLI (Right, Darryl?). He wanted to share it with us. It was really a successful TIOLI challenge as well. I'd actually been posting about my poetry reads on both threads. I prefer hanging out in the 75 Books group, but, every now and then, I drop into the Club Read 2010 to see what they're up to! :)

Me too :)

I finished 2 more books for TIOLI today - Death and Judgment on audio and Teaberry Strangler

I was also playing around and designed a button for our challenges here.



What do you think?

That's so cute, Cheli! Where should we put it (or how should we use it)?

>>198 ThereseW:: Therese, you should add Unaccustomed Earth to the wiki - that makes 3 of us reading it this month!
And I agree about No One Belongs Here More Than You. :)

GREAT button, Cheli! I love it!

#221, 222:

You do know that Club Read had a Read a Living Poet Challenge for April right?

I do. That's why kidzdoc brought it over to the TIOLI (Right, Darryl?).

Right!

BTW, the Club Read challenge for May is to read a short fiction collection. We're already doing that, so I won't add it as a challenge.

The Reading Globally group is reading books from Mexico in May; I'm tempted to add that as a challenge here, if there is enough interest. Or would it be better to make it a Latin American challenge (Central and South America)? A number of us are Mario Vargas Llosa fans, and it wouldn't take much for me to want to read another of his books next month (e.g., The Green House, The War of the End of the World, or The Bad Girl).

Madeline, I thought you might want to put the button the Wiki and/or Opening post each month.

I'm not sure how to put the button on the wiki (I'll have to figure that out), but I can surely put it (...and would be delighted to do so) at the top of each month's TIOLI thread.

That button is so cool! How did you do that?

--> 228

Darryl, I'd bet if you posted a Mexico, Latin America or Mario Vargas Llosa challenge here, you'd get more than enough takers. It's simple. Think about what *you* specifically would like to read and have your challenge fit that criterion for the TIOLI.

By the way, everyone, don't be shy about cross-posting your TIOLI reads on various groups/challenges. Many of us cross-post. I know I was really bouncing around this month to talk about my poetry reads on various threads/groups.

Thank you again, Darryl, for getting me into the Read-a-Living-Poet challenge. It's been such a long while since I've read poetry, and I'm finding it great fun.

I had an interesting experience yesterday when I was working at a book festival. An author (a poet, no less) offered to give my Bookcrossing group a signed copy of his self-published book. I told him I'd register it, read it, and review it. I also encouraged him to join the writers groups here on LT. Now I'm not liking that book and am trying to figure out how to post a review of it without hurting his feelings. It's tough, but I have to be honest. I took that problem to a different thread (message 23). That poet has no idea that his book made my TIOLI challenge this month! :)

--> 215

Stasia, To quote an old saying, "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery." :)

230>> I just put a few graphics together and group them into a picture. I put it in Flicker so if you click on it you should be taken to Flicker to get the HTML.

Where can I find it on Flickr? Could you point me to the page?

I PM'd the link.

My answers to #137

1. How do you go about choosing your monthly TIOLI challenge? Do you start with the main challenge, or do you look over the list of challenges and begin with the challenge you like the best?

I look at all the challenges and see if I have anything on my TBR that will fit.

2. If you don't like the main challenge, do you try it anyway because you've "been challenged?"

Well, as I am trying to read "off the shelf" for TIOLI I'm not likely to get something just to fit the main challenge.

3. Are you willing to post a new challenge if you don't like those posted?

I haven't yet as there is such a range of challenges. I might consider it in the very unlikely scenario that I get a good idea for a challenge.

4. Are there too few, too many, or the "just right" (kind of like the three bears!) amount of challenges being posted monthly?

I like the number of challenges. There seems to be something for everybody.

5. Have these challenges actually tempted you into completing a book that you otherwise might not have read?

Interesting question. The challenge is putting books on the radar that I might not have considered reading but I don't think I will complete reading a book just because of the challenge unless I am actually enjoying it.

All that said I have completed 9 books in 4 different challenges this month. 7 were already on my shelves. I bought 2 - one collection of short stories that I would have bought anyway but I read it straight away rather than just putting it on the shelf. The other was an author new to me but after Richard's prompting - telling me that I must read The Palace of Illusions - I felt that she was someone whose works I would like to read. I didn't manage to find a copy but came across another book by the same author and added it to the challenge.

So, last month's new thread began on the 27th... the tension is rising!

Just under the wire, I finished my book of short stories - Both Ways Is the Only Way I Want It. My review is here. It was a good one.

I used to think I didn't like short stories, but several of my favorite books from last year were short story collections (The Boat, Unaccustomed Earth, Krik? Krak!). Good pick for the TIOLI challenge, Madeline.

--> 236

the tension is rising!

:)

--> 237

I used to think I didn't like short stories, but several of my favorite books from last year were short story collections

I'm not trying to get people to like everything. I'm only trying to get everyone to give books they think they don't like a chance to win their hearts.

Just to let you know...the May 2010 TIOLI Challenge has been posted!

This is a reminder for you to either finish your book(s) before the end of the month or remove them from the April wiki. If you remove them, you may enter them into a May challenge (someone else's or your own). Do NOT leave any of your unfinished books in April's wiki after April 30th. We're on to new and different challenges...

I am just about finished with The Book of Masks by Sun-Won Hwang. It's a very interesting read. I'm not sure if I'm over-thinking the stories or what, but I'll read each story, and they will make sense all the way up until the last sentence. And the last sentence just blows everything out of the water and suddenly the whole story doesn't make sense.

It's very confusing, but it's giving me a lot to think about. I wish I had my English teacher from high school here with me to help explain some of these to me, or at least talk them through with.

I finished the audio book of Louise Erdrich's A Plague of Doves and liked it very much. It's a novel but reads like a series of interconnected short stories. That was one of very many surprising things about the book. I think the audio format was perfect because Erdrich writes in a very oral style, many of the stories could be told around a campfire by family elders.

I have two more that I'm going to finish by Friday and then I'm ready for the new month!

I have (yes, last moment once again) 6 more to finish before Friday. Yikes!

I've finished three more TIOLI books - The Year of the Shanghai Shark & Winter in Madrid for the books with a city in the title and Flaubert's Parrot for the book with an animal in the title. Comments are on my thread here
Still got my living poet book to finish.

I'm nearly done... ish... I'll make it though!

I'm just pacing myself...I only have one story and two essays left of my short story collection, so I'll definitely finish by Friday.

Regarding your questions -

1. How do you go about choosing your monthly TIOLI challenge? Do you start with the main challenge, or do you look over the list of challenges and begin with the challenge you like the best?
Well, I've only participated for two months, though I've been following the threads all year. I look at what I have on my TBR shortlist - the books already out from the library - and see if any of the challenges fit what I already have. I then think of the other challenges that I'm participating in - Monthly Author Reads and 1010 Category, for example - and see if I can find a book to do double duty, as I did when I chose the Wilkie Collins book with a city in the title.

2. If you don't like the main challenge, do you try it anyway because you've "been challenged?"
No, I'm pretty practical about trying to read books that I was going to anyways. I tried to read a book for the LT author challenge, but the one I picked just didn't gel for me...so I didn't.

3. Are you willing to post a new challenge if you don't like those posted?
Sure, I'd be willing, but I'm not sure I'm that creative. :)

4. Are there too few, too many, or the "just right" (kind of like the three bears!) amount of challenges being posted monthly?
I'm in "the more the merrier" when it comes to this. I will try to read a book a month that satisfies one of the challenges. This month I happened to have a lot that covered what I was already planning to read, but I can always "leave it" so a larger number of challenges just means a greater variety, not pressure to read more.

5. Have these challenges actually tempted you into completing a book that you otherwise might not have read?
I think the challenges have affected how I choose a book to read more than the completion of it. For example, I was planning on reading a book of poetry for National Poetry Month, so I just modified it to make sure my poet was living to fit the challenge. I guess it does sometimes mean I read a book I might otherwise not have; I'm splitting hairs because I don't feel pressure to complete the book if it's not working for me.

With all the doctoring I have to do in the enxt three days, I don't see how I can get reviews done of my TIOLI books for April:

1) Sea of Poppies--amazing, dense, enfoldingly complex read about the Opium Wars's genesis, through the lens of several remarkable-yet-ordinary people. Recommended but with a red flag up for the dialectophobic.

2) Baumgartner's Bombay by Anita Desai--"He found a room in a great decayed house off Free School Street, at the end of a narrow passage that had an overflowing gutter in it -- 'In Calcutta a street gets flooded if a dog lifts its hind leg,' they said. There was noting in it or around it that was not broken or decayed or stained -- the high wall was crumbling, the palm trees were lopped, the portico was falling down, the light-bulbs were smashed, the banisters and stairs were broken." If you liked that, you'll like the book. I did, so I recommend it.

3) The Complete Stories of Eudora Welty--oh now really, do you *need* a review to make you go and get this book? If so, shame shame shame. This is the best the USA has done in short stories. Go! Read!

4) The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh--I keep stumbling into historical facts I never knew I didn't know about in the world of fiction. The Other Death March from Burma to India is one of these great unknowns, and it's a HUMDINGER! Excellent book.

Now off to tootle auntie to the headshrinker.

Yay, I finished Major Pettigrew's Last Stand last night. Just in time to fit it in to this month's challenge.

>248 richardderus: Loved, loved loved Sea of Poppies and can't wait for volume 2 of the trilogy; haven't read Baumgartner's Bombay but have read others by Anita Desai that are similarly wonderful and will be adding it and The Glass Palace to the pile. There, are you satisfied Richard; three out of four onto the teetering pile.

I don't know that I'll get all my reviews for April's TIOLI books up in the next few days, but at least I finished all the ones I intended to read! Geektastic was enjoyable (had its ups and down) and Mornings in Jenin was heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time...

I finished my second TIOLI book for this month The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff. A re-read of a all time favorite :-)
I had a lot of reserved library books popping up this month, so time for TIOLI was limited ;-)

I finished and reviewedTatjana Soli's wonderful debut novel, which concludes my April TIOLI Challenge. It was a great way to end it.

Okay, I think it's a sign: you know that ER book that I've been meaning to read for months, that led me to start an ER challenge for extra encouragement? I was just looking at the list of books in my library reviewed by others, and the very first one was another negative review for that book!

I removed it from the TIOLI list. Maybe next month.

From the ER challenge, I just reviewed Reporting at Wit's End: Tales from The New Yorker which is just amazingly good. And Bonnie...I am not yet satisfied...you haven't added this book to your teetering tower!

It's in post #132. It's a 4-1/2 star read.

>Honestly Richard is there no end to your cruel and unusual ability to come up with enticing titles? Duly noted and added.
**grumble grumble**

Also thumbed.

>254 _Zoe_: Don't feel bad Zoe, I removed my ER book as well and added it to a new challenge for May. I'm hoping I will be more motivated to read it next month.

>257 Carmenere: Thank you for telling me that; I'm glad I'm not the only one.

--> 254

LOL @ Zoe and her ER troubles!!

I've just finished Nam Le's The Boat. It's a bit late in the month I expect to entice anyone else to choose it, but I do recommend it whether it's for TIOLI or for sheer pleasure. These are well-crafted stories about the old verities "love and honor and pity and pride and compassion and sacrifice."

In fact, "Love and Honor and Pity and Pride and Compassion and Sacrifice" is the title of my favorite story in the collection, which is both a heartbreaking confrontation between a son and his father, and a meditation on writing fiction.

For Challenge #2 I read David Moolten's Primitive Mood which I also recommend but which may be a bit harder to locate.
_______
For the questions from #137, I've only been doing this a couple of months, but here's what feels right to me:

1. Do the main challenge, and as many others as appeal to me.

2. Yes.

3. Willing? Yes. Inclined? Probably not usually.

4. I've noticed neither a lack nor a surplus.

5. Yes. I've read at least three books I would not otherwise have even pulled from the shelf: Strip search in February, To ride Hell's chasm in March, and Primitive Mood this month. Missing the first wouldn't have been so bad, but missing the other two would have been a shame.

>256 brenzi: Wait'll next month, Bonnie...this month's temptations will seem pale and racked by ague....

I've just finished Black Mamba Boy by Nadifa Mohamed, for my 2010 Orange Prize longlist challenge. I'll give it 4 stars, and write a review either tomorrow or over the weekend.

I finished The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters earlier today - I am unimpressed and fail to understand why it was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize - and will be finishing Wolf Hall tonight, which thus far has been very good.

I've removed Winter in Madrid from the City challenge because it's not going to get finished but instead I did read another book for the Animal challenge, The Owl Service by Alan Garner - a fantastic YA book. And I am going to finish my 2nd ER book in time. I hate it though - but it needs to get read!

Just a reminder to everyone to finish up your April TIOLI books tonight or tomorrow. This thread will be closed after April 30th (tomorrow night).

Take all of your unfinished books off of April's wiki by that time. You may add these books to any challenge on May's wiki or create your own challenge to fit them. Hope you enjoyed April's challenges and are thinking about what to read in May.

The irony of it! I just got a notice tonight that I won an Early Reviewer book with an animal in the title from the LT ER program. Needless to say, it doesn't fit into May's wiki anywhere. :D

Since we're finishing up our short story challenge, I thought you might be interested in seeing what Club Read comes up with next month. They're doing a short fiction challenge in May. It will be interesting to see if they pick some of the same books that we did.

I finished Wolf Hall today, but still have 4 more to complete before 11:59:59pm tomorrow night :) I will make it, I will! (I think)

ETA: OK, I have been rethinking this and have decided that I am not going to kill myself to get all 4 books done by tomorrow. I would have to literally not sleep at all and I think it is doing a disservice to both myself and the books to hurry through them, especially since the two I probably will not get to, Music and Silence and Husband and Wife, are books I want to take my time with. So off the wiki they are going, even though I hate to admit defeat.

I officially concede defeat on English Country House Murders and Major Pettigrew's Last Stand. I'm really enjoying them both, but I shan't finish either by midnight. I didn't even get to start any of the others I'd planned to read. Sigh.

According to my time zone I only have 3 hours left to rush through Alison Wong's Cup for the living poet challenge. Off the wiki it goes.

Boy, we are a defeatist bunch ending April, aren't we? I vote next year we add an extra day to April!

Hey, everyone... May has 31 days. :)

#270: That's not really helpful in April though, Madeline :) That's why next year our April has 31 days!

Stasia, did you know that, on the Hebrew calendar, there's an extra month every four years? It's true! Check out Adar on wikipedia. There's an Adar I and and Adar II. Perhaps we should try that strategy (i.e. we could save that month for those chunky books) ?

#272: I know the Ancient Egyptians had a calendar that reflected extra days every 4 years, but I did not realize the the Hebrew calendar had that. Cool. More time just when you need it, lol.

More time just when you need it, lol.

The problem is that I always need more time!

#274: I am seriously considering moving to Venus myself. Other than the temperature, it should be no problem :)

I have one novelette to finish in my volume! I hope to make it...

--> 275

...but do they have a TIOLI challenge there? If not, what will you do for fun?

#277: Read, of course!

whew! I finished my second TIOLI - How Lincoln Learned to Read - just in time. This group motivated me, and for a little while, the book got better....well that didn't last. But I finished it and will write my review soon.

Sorry about the book, but looking forward to your review, Patrick...

I'm closing this thread to new messages. Please post your remarks to May's thread which you can find here.

Please remove all unfinished books from April's wiki. It's your choice whether or not to post them to a challenge for the month of May.

I hope you enjoyed April's challenges and are ready to move on to some fun challenges for May. Thanks for being part of this challenge group. It's your participation that makes this so much fun!

THIS THREAD IS NOW CLOSED!!