READY FOR A FRESH READING START

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Over this past year, I’ve managed to read 121 books. You can see the complete list, by genre & in ranked order here. To see an alphabetical listing by author’s last name, go here.

I ranked most of those 121 books 3 or 4 stars. There were some, though, that I thought merited top ratings. Here’s my list of picks for the year.

Best Book I read in 2011, hands-down: A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry. It rates five plus, plus, plus stars and will become one of my lifetime bests.
Set in 1975 India during “The Emergency” when the Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, “ruled by decree”, A Fine Balance tells the stories of four people who, because of circumstances, end up living together in a small flat. It’s a sweeping and powerful novel that has been compared to works of Tolstoy or Dickens. A rich study of a difficult time in India’s history, it features complex and flawed characters. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

The next fifteen best non-mystery novels I read in 2011:
1. Barney’s Version by Mordecai Richler
Driven to write his own memoirs by his sworn enemy’s public statement that he is a wife abuser, an intellectual fraud and probably a murderer, Barney Panofsky tells an absurd but at least partially believable story. Set in Paris, Montreal and the Haliburtons, it’s an unforgettable love story, a story about family and the riches of friendship. I loved the uncertainty that Richler was able to maintain throughout the book – did Barney kill Boogie, or did he not? Is Barney’s memory failing? Is he in denial? The ending, that I should have seen coming, caught me completely off guard and settled matters once and for all. I recommend this for people who: love literary fiction, enjoy family sagas, like Canadian references and settings, or those who appreciate a potent ending to a story.

2. Altamont Augie by Richard Barager
This novel is a riveting story of the 1960s youth culture and the politics of the Vietnam War from that point of view. It’s provided much fuel for discussion in our household and food for thought. It’s been a while since I’ve read such a thought-provoking book, one that stays with me as Augie has. Read this if: you were there, man, and want to know more about both sides of the ideological battle of that decade, or if you missed the 1960s and want a captivating introduction.

3. The Stone Angel by Margaret Laurence
A tour de force of Canadian literature, this book is the story of 90-year-old Hagar Shipley, told in flashbacks as she struggles with her declining abilities. Laurence writes in an authentic voice, with brevity of words but deep insight. The Stone Angel should be read by anyone who has an aging friend or relative.

4. A Dog’s Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron
Not great literature, but a wonderful read, A Dog’s Purpose is told from the point of view of the titular dog throughout his four lives. Cameron keeps the concept of a canine narrator from becoming overly cutesy and maintains a roller coaster ride of emotions for the reader. I recommend it for all readers, of all ages, who have ever loved a dog.

5. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Set in WWII Germany, this is the story of a young girl and her best friend, the boy down the street. In a twist that makes it stand out from other books in this genre, the story is narrated by Death. If you love to own books, you’ll appreciate this YA novel.

6. Oscar & Lucinda by Peter Carey
Set in Australia in the late 19th century, this is the story of two social misfits who form a friendship despite the taboos of the day. Set in both the city and the wilderness, it is a brilliant depiction of Australia as the 1800s draw to a close, and the country struggles to reconcile their English sensibilities to the reality of life in a raw new place. Made into a movie (with a completely different ending) starring Cate Blanchett and Ralph Fiennes. Read this if you love literary fiction, want to learn about 19th century southern Australia, or don’t need happy endings.

7. Amy and Isabelle by Elizabeth Strout
In the very hot New England summer of 1969, mother and daughter learn about life, love, and each other. This is literary fiction that verges on women’s fiction but doesn’t quite fall into that category. Read it if you enjoy a coming of age story with an edge.

8. February by Lisa Moore
On February 15, 1982 the oil rig The Ocean Ranger sank in Canadian waters off Newfoundland, with all hands lost. February is the fictional account of one woman whose husband died in the disaster. Moore has brilliantly captured the physical and emotional cold of that winter. Read this if you: appreciate learning about the human toll behind the headlines.

9. People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
“The book” is a five-hundred-year-old copy of a Jewish Haggadah, a text used at Passover meals. This real-life treasure came to light in Sarajevo in the 1990s and Brooks has imagined a rich history for it in this novel. Fans of historical fiction will eat this up, but it’s also a treat for all lovers of books.

10. Room by Emma Donaghue
This is the story of five-year-old Jack and his mother and their life as prisoners in an 11×11 foot storage locker (the titular Room). Eventually, they devise a plan for escape and make it out into the world. This is a book about the indomitability of the human spirit, the capacity to adapt, and the power of love. Recommended for parents, but also for those interested in the effects of social deprivation.

11. Wrecker by Summer Wood
In 1969 San Francisco, young single mother Lisa Fay finds herself swept into a drug deal and looking at 15 years in jail before parole. Her young son, Wrecker—named for his destructive tendencies—is sent to live with Lisa Fay’s sister, Meg, and her husband Len in Humboldt County, California, although Lisa Fay is not aware of his fate. Wrecker is never cliché in its setting or its emotions. As much as it is a story of being foster or adoptive parents, it is not one-sided. I felt as empathetic toward Lisa Fay as I did toward Melody. There are beautiful insights and rich emotion, caught in spare and lovely prose. Recommended for anyone with children, and those interested in the dynamics of families of all kinds.

12. Postcards by E. Annie Proulx
Publisher’s description: “Winner of the 1993 Pen/Faulkner Award for Fiction, Postcards tells the mesmerizing tale of Loyal Blood, who misspends a lifetime running from a crime so terrible that it renders him forever incapable of touching a woman. Blood’s odyssey begins in 1944 and takes him across the country from his hardscrabble Vermont hill farm [to present day California] (…)In his absence, disaster befalls his family; greatest among their terrible losses are the hard-won values of endurance and pride that were the legacy of farm people rooted in generations of intimacy with soil, weather, plants, and seasons. Postcards chronicles the lives of the rural and the dispossessed and charts their territory with (…) historical verisimilitude and writerly prowess. (…) It is a new American classic”. Recommended for those interested in post WWII America, readers of literary fiction, and people who don’t need neat and happy endings.

13. Late Nights on Air by Elizabeth Hay
This novel, set in 1975 and 1976 Yellowknife (capital of North-West Territories, Canada), is the story of a group of people who operate the radio station there, and their canoe trip into the wilds of The Barrens, following the route of doomed explorer John Hornby. Read it if you’re interested in the Canadian North, the CBC or enjoy literary fiction.

14. The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields
Classic CanLit, the Stone Diaries garnered the author the Governor General’s Award, the National Book Critics Circle Award, and the Pulitzer Prize. Described as a family album set to a novel, it’s the account of 90-something Daisy Goodwill’s life from birth to death… Jeffrey Canton says: “Shields includes a variety of other documents and perspectives–letters that Daisy received over the years, a list of her bridal trousseau, an occasional reminiscence by a son, daughter, or family friend, an objective third-person description of a house, and a wonderful collection of photos that supposedly come from the Goodwill family–which give us the sense that this is more than just fiction. Here we have a rare glimpse into the nooks and crannies of an ordinary life as we watch Daisy cope with love, marriage, children, gardening, old age, and death.” It’s rich and real and I recommend it for lovers of literary fiction, and those who enjoy a book that covers the passage of decades.

15. The Book of Lies by Mary Horlock
This novel is set on Guernsey in the Channel Islands in 1985 and, in memories and flashback, during the German occupation of the Islands during WWII. It’s told from the point of view of a teenaged girl who is hiding her involvement with the death of a school mate. The Book of Lies is a well-told story with lots of new-to-me information. If you’re interested in Guernsey, or how WWII affected ordinary people, especially those in Occupied countries, this is the book for you.

The five best mysteries I read in 2011:
1. Five Little Pigs: Hercule Poirot mystery #24 by Agatha Christie
Considered to be among the very best from the grande dame’s pen, this Hercule Poirot mystery focuses on five suspects in a 16-year-old murder. Told in Poirot’s conversation with each, and then an accounting by each in a follow-up letter, at first it seemed repetitive. Then I began to notice small inconsistencies between the stories. This is one of the only Christies that I have solved partway through the book, but rather than being disappointed that it was easy (it wasn’t, )I was fascinated to watch the author misdirecting readers. Very satisfying, and worthy of its reputation

2. A Murder is Announced: Miss Marple mystery #4 by Agatha Christie
This features Miss Marple and is considered to be one of the best books written by this author. It’s a great mystery with classic misdirection, and a wonderful period piece.

3. Thereby Hangs a Tail: Chet & Bernie mystery #2 by Spencer Quinn
This is the second book in the delightful Chet & Bernie series. Chet is the canine half of the PI team and the story is told through his eyes. This mystery revolves around a missing show dog named Princess and her owner, who we learn early on, has been murdered. But Chet can’t convey that to Bernie and so Bernie must discover it for himself. Chet’s advanced doggie senses of hearing and smell bring interesting angles to the story.

4. To Fetch a Thief: Chet & Bernie mystery #3 by Spencer Quinn
This is the third in the Chet & Bernie mystery series, of which I am a huge fan. In this story, the intrepid detectives track a stolen circus elephant across the California desert. Chet is, as ever, endearing. This series is outstandingly readable, the mysteries are solid, and Chet’s observations can be laugh-out-loud funny. You will not be able to help yourself from feeling good when you’re reading these. Recommended for lovers of cozy mysteries, especially those who love a dog.

5. Holmes on the Range: The Amlingmeyer brothers mystery #1 by Steve Hockensmith
This is the first in what promises to be a delightful series: brothers Old Red & Big Red Amlingmeyer are cowboys in the American west of the 1890s, but Old Red harbors a deep admiration for the exploits of one Sherlock Holmes. The mystery is solid and the brothers extremely likable. Read this if you love take-offs on Sherlock Holmes, or if you’d like a cozy look at the American west of the late 19th century.

The best non-fiction I read in 2011:
1. A Clockwork Universe: Isaac Newton, the Royal Society, and the Birth of the Modern World by Edward Dolnick
Dolnick has written a compelling, extremely readable history of the birth of modern science, including calculus, which explains the world around us. Fascinating and recommended for lovers of math, science or history.

2. In the Queens’ Parlor by Ellery Queen
This is a compilation of behind the scenes observations on authors, publishing, plotting, naming and other mysteries of mysteries by Manfred Lee and Frederic Dannay who wrote scores of mystery novels as the fictional Ellery Queen. First published in 1942 and updated several times, the last in 1957. It’s out of print, but I was lucky enough to get a copy on inter-library loan. I loved it and recommend it for all EQ lovers, and those who enjoy other vintage mysteries.

3. Building the Pauson House: the letters of Frank Lloyd Wright & Rose Pauson
Told in the form of more than fifty previously unpublished letters written between 1938 and 1943–alongside rare site photographs and Wright’s architectural drawings–Building the Pauson House: The Letters of Frank Lloyd Wright and Rose Pauson chronicles the design and construction of that house, as well as the architect-client relationship. Beautifully laid out, it is a feast for the eyes and will be pored over for much longer than the evening it takes to read. And who should read this? For sure, architects and their apprentices. But it also contains valuable lessons for anyone having a home built. Students of design or architecture, lovers of Wright’s work or the Arts and Crafts movement in general, those interested in history, the desert environment, or the psychology of letters: any of these would be delighted with this volume.

December was an incredibly slow reading month – I was so busy wrapping up my year lists and signing up & organizing for next year’s challenges that my actual reading fell by the wayside. Here’s the meagre accounting:

The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Neffenegger
I had balked at reading this because I unintentionally saw the movie last year (and didn’t really like it) and hesitate to read books after seeing the movie adaptations. It was better than I thought it would be but I can’t really objectively judge because I knew how it would end. (See? I shouldn’t have seen the movie first.)

How to Be an American Housewife by Margaret Dilloway
This was a very kind gift from Jen at Crazy for Books after I tried to enter her giveaway a year late(!) It’s the story of Shoko, a Japanese woman who married an American serviceman in the 1950s, and her efforts to become accepted in the American society in which she found herself. Since Shoko was trying so hard to be assimilated, she didn’t share much of her history and culture with her daughter, Sue, who has to take on a reconciliatory mission to Japan for her ailing mother. Although I wasn’t as enthralled by the book as Jen was, and found the redemption issues overly simplified and too easily solved, I did enjoy exploring the mother-daughter relationship, and considering how attempts to ‘fit in’ affect immigrants.

Snakewoman of Little Egypt by Robert Hellenga
As he turns 40, anthropology professor Jackson Jones can’t decide whether he should go back to Africa where he did his fieldwork, or settle down at the university where he is. At the same time, Sunny, who grew up in a snake handling church in southern Illinois, rents a garage apartment from Jackson. She’s just been released from jail where she served five years for shooting, but not killing, her husband after he forced her at gunpoint to put her arm in a box of rattlesnakes. Of course, Sunny & Jackson commence a relationship.

I didn’t find Sunny’s metamorphosis or her relationship with Jackson plausible, nor could I warm to Sunny, Jackson, or Sunny’s ex-husband, Earl. My overall reaction: ‘meh’.
I received this as part of the Early Reviewers page at LibraryThing.com and I’m sorry I can’t give it a higher rating

The Goat Woman of Largo Bay by Gillian Royes
Shelf Awareness billed this as a ‘mystery’, but it’s about as much of a mystery as Alexander McCall Smith’s Ladies No. 1 Detective Agency. The protagonist, Shadrack Myers, tends bar at a failing former hotel in Jamaica run by aging American ex-pat Eric Keller. This story revolves around a mysterious woman who comes to inhabit the island just off-shore, that is owned by Eric. There’s some shady island politics thrown in, but Jamaica didn’t come to life for me the way Botswana did in Smith’s novels. The whole book seemed to me lack cohesiveness (not to mention a plot). My overall reaction: ‘huh?”

The Global Reading Challenge (GRC) challenges me to expand my reading boundaries, go where I haven’t been before, move a little outside my comfort zone. I may read any genre so long as the books are fiction.

I’m entering The Easy Challenge in which I must read one novel from each of these continents :

• Africa
African Love Stories, edited by Ama Ata Aidoo (various countries) Completed May 2012

• Asia
A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth (India) Completed Apr 2012

• Australasia/Oceania
The Secret River by Kate Grenville (Australia) Completed Feb 2012

• Europe
Half-Blood Blues by Esi Edugyen Completed Mar2012

• North America (my own continent, so I’m challenged to try to find a country, state or author that is new to me):
The Homecoming of Samuel Lake by Jenny Wingfield (Arkansas, USA) Completed Jan 2012)

• South America (may include Central America)
The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder (Peru) Completed Sep 2012)

• The Seventh Continent (here I can choose either Antarctica or my own ´seventh´ setting, eg the sea, the space, history, the future – whatever).
The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury (space) Completed Sep 2012

Although 2012 is the year I concentrate on books I already own and put a moratorium of book-buying, I know I won’t be able to resist entering contests for interesting-looking books I see on blogs. And if my record continues, sometimes, just sometimes, I’ll win them!

Teddy Rose, who blogs over at So Many Precious Books, So Little Time is hosting the perfect challenge for me to work my way through these wins. I’m entering the Books Won 2012 Reading Challenge at the Bronze level, pledging to read (and review!) four – six books I’ve won.

COMPLETED although I did receive several wins that I did not manage to get around to reading – yet. I will do my best to get to them in 2013!

Tree books:
1. Northwest Corner by John Burnham Schwarz
Won from Colloquium

2. The Homecoming of Samuel Lake by Jenny Wingfield
Thanks to Kat at Reviews from the Heart

3. A Small Furry Prayer by Steven Kotler
Won through Library Thing Early Reviewer program

4. White River Junctions by Dave Norman
Won through Library Thing Early Reviewer program

5. Oxford Messed Up by Andrea Kayne Kaufman
Courtesy of the author through Shelf Awareness Author Buzz

6. African Love Stories edited by Ama Ata Aidoo
Thank you to Amy McKie of Amy Reads for this book!

7. UContent by Nicholas G. Tomaiuolo
Won through Library Thing Early Reviewer program

8. Colony of Unrequited Dreams by Wayne Johnston
I’m so sorry that I can’t remember who was the kind donor of the Book Depository gift certificate that allowed me to buy this. If you know who it is, please let me know!

9. 419 by Will Ferguson
Courtesy of the publisher

EBooks:
10. Chickens, Mules & Two Old Fools by Victoria Twead
Won through Library Thing Early Reviewer program

11. Winnie & Gurley by Robert G. Hewitt
Won through Library Thing Early Reviewer program

12. Falling Into Green by Cher Fischer
Won through Library Thing Early Reviewer program

13. Promise Me Eternity by Ian Fox
Courtesy of the author

14. A Shortage of Bodies by Dr. Gary D. McKay
Won through Library Thing Early Reviewer program

This year Jillian at a Room of One’s Own has started reading some books that she didn’t finish because she got side-tracked. Now with 2011 coming to a close, she’s scrambling to read these half-started mighty tomes, or else feeling guilty and low because she didn’t finish what she started, by the end of the year.

But Jillian has declared that shame or guilt doesn’t belong in the world of literature!! So she’s hosting the Books I Started But Didn’t Finish Reading Challenge.

I didn’t get distracted and forget about books, but I did abandon a few. One of those, I was convinced to try again – but I haven’t yet. So I’m going to enter Jillian’s challenge and finish the The Magnificent Spinster by May Sarton.

Alas! Once again, this book goes unread. I DID NOT COMPLETE this book nor this challenge.

COMPLETED

Darlene. who blogs over at Darlene’s Book Nook, loves audio books – they’re the perfect way for her to fit reading in with her active ‘mom’ lifestyle. In 2012 she wants to listen to some longer books, but couldn’t find a “big book” challenge that allowed her audio books. So she designed The Mammoth Book 2012 Reading Challenge.

This challenge allows books of all formats, including audio books and ebooks. The regular-bound format equivalent of any title must be a minimum of 450 pages.

Since I’m participating already in the Chunkster Reading Challenge, I thought this would be a good fit for me. I’m entering at Level 2, committing to read four mammoth-sized books.

YEAR-END UPDATE

1. A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth 1488 pages

2. 11/22/63 by Stephen King 849 pages

3. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins 764 pages

4. Mordecai: His Life & Times by Charles Foran 717 pages (in progress)

5. The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins 626 pages

6. The Colony of Unrequited Dreams 608 pages

7. Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie 552 pages

8. Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe 544 pages

This seems like a fun challenge and one that is a bit different: instead of using book titles, it looks at the images on the covers of books.
To complete the Find the Cover Challenge, I must find images on my book covers starting with the letters that spell out the year: Two Thousand Twelve. No cover may be used for more than one letter.

T ***TREE on the cover of A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth
W ***WASTECAN on the cover of The Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard
O ***OLD WOMAN on the cover of The Market Square Dog by James Herriot

T ***TATTOOS on the cover of The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury
H ***HOLLY LEAF ON HAT on the cover of I Am Half-Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley
O ***ORNATE METAL FENCE on the cover of Postern of Fateby Agatha Christie
U ***UNIFORM on the cover of The Absolutist by John Boyce
S ***SCREEN DOOR on cover of Northwest Corner by John Burnham Schwarz
A ***ANDIRONS on the cover of The Mystery of the Cape Cod Tavern by Phoebe Atwood Taylor
N ***NOSEGAY on the cover of Memoirs by Pierre Elliott Trudeau
D ***DAISY on the cover of A Recipe for Bees by Gail Anderson-Dergatz

T ***TEETH on the cover of At Bertram’s Hotel by Agatha Christie
W ***WINDOWS on the cover of Heading Home by Lawrence Scanlan
E ***EARS on the cover of The Antagonist by Lynne Coady
L ***LABEL ON SUITCASE on the cover of Lonesome Hero by Fred Stenson
V ***VERDIGRIS FROG on the cover of The Golden Mean by Nick Bantock
E ***EVERGREEN TREE on the cover of Coyote Sings to the Moon by Thomas King

Since one of the first books I’m going to tackle in the new year is A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth, it seemed foolish not to join The South Asian Reading Challenge being hosted by Swapna over at S. Krishna’s Books.

I’m to choose my own goal, and to make it a ‘challenge’ I’ll add to the one book I know I’m already reading and commit to reading two.

1. A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth (set in India) 1,488 page Completed April 2012

2. Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie (set in India & Pakistan) 536 pages Completed Oct 2012

The goal in the Read Your Name Challenge is to read my name or the name of my blog in book title first letters. Since I’m already in for the A- Z Reading Challenge, I’ve covered off every letter of the alphabet at least once. Using those books, and titles from my reading list for other challenges, I’ve super-sized this.

So, here’s my challenge:
D Death on the Oxford Road by E.C.R. Lorac
E Emma by Jane Austen
B Blizzard of Glass by Sally M. Walker Completed January 2012
B The Big Gold Dream by Chester Himes
I I Am Half-Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley Completed January 2012
E Elegy for Eddie by Jacqueline Winspear

@

E The Echo Maker by Richard Maker
X The WaXworks Murders by John Dickson Carr
U Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe Completed January 2012
R The Root Cellar by Janet Lunn
B The Bridge at San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder
A The Antagonist by Lynn Coady Completed January 2012
N Northwest Corner by John Burnham Schwarz Completed January 2012
I I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen Completed January 2012
S Sabine’s Notebook by Nick Bantock Completed January 2012

Okay, I’ll admit: I didn’t think I’d ever even heard of Terry Pratchett before I saw this challenge posted over at Once Upon a Time. Then I picked up my library reserves this week and, what should I find, but four Terry Pratchett books. I guess someone must have recentlyrecommended Pratchett so very highly that I was moved to zip these titles right past my wish list onto my library list (before promptly forgetting both name & titles).

Anyway, these aren’t due until the new year and by the time I get them in my reading queue, it will be January. So I thought I might as well give the Sir Terry Pratchett Reading Challenge a go. There are no set levels, so I’m committing to reading at least one Pratchett in 2012.

1. The Carpet People

CHALLENGE COMPLETED Jan 2012

As a break from posting up my reading challenges, I want to share a few book-related items with you. Some you may have already seen around the web, but I hope you enjoy them anyway.

Since I’m a terrible procrastinator at reading the books I think I want to have read over the year, I was intrigued by AbeBooks’ Top Ten Reasons Why We Don’t Get to Certain Books. With me, it’s often a combination of these factors. Maybe it’s the same with you.

I just discovered a new blog (well, it’s new-to-me) called Isak. As Anna Clark, the voice behind the blog says: “Isak is a space to celebrate tales and truth in the curious, joyful way embodied by the writer for which it is named. The name ‘Isak,’ after all, means ‘laughter’.” Anna has just released her third annual Choose Books: A Gift Guide for People Who Care About Stories. It’s a free PDF file that goes beyond run-of-the-mill recommendations and profiles a delightful range of books with intelligent insights into the people for whom she proposes they be bought. Which is a fancy way to say: She’s fun, she’s bright, she’s surprising. You’ll like it! (Oh! And did I say it’s free?)

And, last but not least, I was charmed by this gingerbread typewriter, made by Patti of Baked Ideas and featured at BoingBoing. It’s edible, right down to the rice-paper ribbon. Don’t you just love details like that?

Pretty, isn’t it?

It’s been snowing lightly since before dawn – and it’s slippery out there!

COMPLETED

I love books that involve time-travel – always have, probably always will – so The Time Travel Reading Challenge appeals greatly to me. And because at least one book on my 2012 reading list “takes me back”, and I’d like to add another in this genre if I can fit it in, I’m taking it on.

Books from other challenges count as long as they are about time travel and they can be children’s, middle-grade, YA or adult fiction. If this intrigues you, there’s a list of suggested titles on the sign-up page.

I’m entering at the Surprise Trip level that requires me to read 1 – 3 time travel books. Thanks to Laura at Library of Clean Reads for hosting this.

1. 11/22/63 by Stephen King

2. A Dog’s Journey by W. Bruce Cameron

I seem to read a lot of memoirs (I think it’s the most popular form of non-fiction going right now, which is why the non-fiction, non-memoir challenge is a reach for me) so The Memorable Memoirs 2012 Reading Challenge hosted by Melissa at The Betty and Boo Chronicles seems like such a natural fit.

Melissa is defining a memoir as a record of events written by a person having intimate knowledge of them and based on personal observation. Published letters, diaries, journals, autobiographies, nonfiction books on the craft of writing memoirs … in her book, they all count as Memorable Memoirs for this challenge. And for those of you looking for challenges that permit e-books and audiobooks, this is one you might want to consider.

Since I already have at least one memoir on other challenge reading lists, I’m entering this at the Diarist level of 1 – 4 books.

1. A Prairie Boy’s Winter by William Kurelek

2. Chickens, Mules, & Two Old Fools by Victoria Twead

3. A Small Furry Prayer by Steven Kotler

4. Notes to My Mother-in-Law by Phyllida Law

5. Heading Home: On Starting a New Life in a Country Place by Lawrence Scanlan

6. Memoirs by Pierre Elliott Trudeau

COMPLETED

Collections of short stories aren’t eligible for a lot of reading challenges so even though I have a large one on my 2012 Bucket List and another in mind for a prize-winners challenge, I can’t count them for anything else. When I saw The 2012 Short Story Reading Challenge, hosted by Laura over at Library of Clean Reads, I knew I was in.

I’m entering at the Tell Me a Story level of 1 – 3 books. That will be another notch on my Challenge Addict belt.

1. My Financial Career & Other Follies by Stephen Leacock

2. The Innocence of Father Brown by G.K. Chesterton

3. African Love Stories edited by Ama Ata Aidoo

4. QBI: Queen’s Bureau of Investigation by Ellery Queen

5. The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury

6. The Museum of Dr. Moses by Joyce Carol Oates

7. The Beggar’s Garden by Michael Christie

8. Bush Studies by Barbara Baynton

COMPLETED

I’ve been anxiously waiting for The Chunkster reading Challenge to be set up for 2012. A chunkster is 450 pages or more of ADULT literature, whether non-fiction or fiction. A chunkster should be a challenge. No audio or e-books are allowed but this year for the first time, essay, poetry, and short story collections will be permitted. (Collections have to be read in their entirety to count.)

I’m going in at the Chubby Chunkster level, requiring me to read four books. I’d like to commit to more, but I have to remember about that 150 book overall goal I have!

YEAR-END UPDATE

1. A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth 1488 pages

2. 11/22/63 by Stephen King 849 pages

3. Mordecai: His Life & Times by Charles Foran 717 pages (in progress)

4. The Colony of Unrequited Dreams 608 pages

5. Midnight’s Children
552 pages

Lindsey over at Babies, Books & Signs is hosting this fun challenge. The object of the A-Z Reading Challenge (that’s ‘eh’ to ‘zed’ for us Canucks!) is to read a book starting with each letter of the alphabet.

Since most letters were already covered in my existing 2012 reading list, this seemed like a good fit. I had to find books for ‘G’ (of all letters!), ‘Q’, ‘Y’, and ‘Z’. I think I’ll just update this post as I complete each book.

A Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, The by Mordecai Richler
B Beggar’s Garden, The by Michael Christie
C Crow Lake by Mary Lawson
D Divine Ryans, The by Wayne Johnston
E Elegy for Eddieby Jacqueline Winspear
F Firmin by Sam Savage
G Gillespie & I by Jane Harris
H Heading Home:On Starting a New Life in a Country Place by Lawrence Scanlan
I I Am Half-Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley
J Jest of God, A by Margaret Laurence
K Kilmeny of the Orchard by Lucy Maud Montgomery
L Lonesome Hero by Fred Stenson
M My Financial Career & Other Follies
N Notes to my Mother-in-Law by Phyllida Law
O One Winter Night by Jennifer Lloyd & Lynn Ray
P Practical Jean by Trevor Cole
Q QBI: Queen’s Bureau of Investigation by Ellery Queen
R Recipe for Bees, A by Gail Anderson-Dergatz
S Sister Brothers, The by Patrick DeWitt
T Twenty-Six by Leo McKay Jr.
U Underpainter, The by Jane Urquhart read Dec 2012
V Virgin Cure, The by Ami McKay
W Winnie & Gurley: The Best Kept Family Secret by Robert G. Hewitt
X oXford Messed Up by Andrea Kayne Kaufman
Y Yellowthread Street by William Marshall
Z Tragedy of Z by Ellery Queen

COMPLETED

I haven’t made it a practice to read picture books since my daughter was young, over 35 years ago. But now that our three-year-old grandson and his mom are living with us, I’m back at them. (In fact, I’m determined that I will never be too busy to read a book to Steven if he asks.) Besides – I have to read 150 books in 2012 and anything with an ISBN qualifies.

So when I saw that An Abundance of Books was hosting The Illustrated Year: A Picture Book Reading Challenge, I jumped at it. And why not? Sometimes it’s the story, sometimes the illustrations, and a lot of the time it’s the fun of reading them out loud to kids that makes picture books so enjoyable. Picture books are a great way to share stories and the experience of reading with children. I’m going to include Steven’s opinion of the book along with mine.

I know that not all of my readers are looking for this genre, so I’ll keep my reviews of picture books short & sweet and, to keep them few and far-between, I’m entering only at Level 1 which requires me to read just 12 books over the course of the year. But I’ll be toting them up for this challenge!

1. Giraffe & Bird written and illustrated by Rebecca Bender
2. I Want My Hat Back written and illustrated by Jon Klassen
3. Do You Know Which Ones Will Grow? written & illustrated by Susan A. Shen
4. Madeline written & illustrated by Ludwig Bemelmans
5. Fuddles written & illustrated by Frans Vischer
6. A Few Blocks written & illustrated by Cybele Young
7. Horton Hears a Who written & illustrated by Theodore Seuss (aka Dr. Seuss)
8. Gimme Jimmy written & illustrated by Sherrill S. Cannon
9. Dog in Boots written by Greg Gormley; illustrated by Robert Angaramo
10. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom written by Bill Martin Jr; illustrated by John Archambault
11. Harry, the Dirty Dog written by Gene Zion; illustrated by Margaret Bloy Graham
12. There Were Monkeys in My Kitchen written by Sheree Fitch; illustrated by Sydney Smith
13. The Market Square Dog written by James Herriot; illustrated by Ruth Brown
14. One Winter Night written by Jennifer Lloyd; illustrated by Lynn Ray
15. Curious George written by Margaret Ray; illustrated by H.A. Rey
16. Eloise written by Kay Thompson; illustrated by Hilary Knight
17. Coyote Sings to the Moon written by Thomas King; illustrated by Johnny Wales

And some non-children’s picture books:
18. Griffin & Sabine written and illustrated by Nick Bantock
19. Sabine’s Notebook written and illustrated by Nick Bantock
20. The Golden Mean written and illustrated by Nick Bantock

FAILED TO COMPLETE

On the heels of the Picture Book Challenge and my goal never to say “no” to the request from my three-year-old grandson for a story, comes The 3660 Minute Reading Challenge, hosted by Mommy Wants To Read.

What is this Challenge? “To spend 10 minutes every single day reading to our children. Since this year is a leap year there are 366 days hence 3660 minutes. The goal is to promote reading, increase imagination, foster a love of words, bolster comprehension skills, and spend quality time with the children in our lives.”

Sounds good to me!

YEAR-END UPDATE:
Unfortunately, Steven & his mom moved unexpectedly to Vancouver at the end of January and our reading time was curtailed. For the first couple of weeks, I tried reading to him on the phone but there were always too many distractions for him.

For the year, I recorded an abysmal 380 minutes spent reading to him.