The 'Book Challenge' Thread

[kissmesweet]

1. My Own Words by Ruth Bader Ginsburg with Mary Hartnett and Wendy W. Williams
2. 21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari
3. The Art of Forgery by Noah Charney
4. Sunset Survivors by Lindsay Varty
5. A Private War: Marie Colvin and Other Tales of Heroes, Scoundrels and Renegades by Marie Brenner

Came across the last book having seen A Private War at the cinema in January. Marie Brenner's series of essays is brilliant, least of all her raw and insightful portrayal of Marie Colvin (which was first published in Vanity Fair in August 2012). Brenner's writing shows us that Colvin will not only go down as one of the greats in modern war journalism, but that she was also a heroic, interesting and flawed person. Highly recommended!

 

[Les_Sucettes]

Only a pleasure! What are you reading now?

I just finished The end of Eddy by Édouard Louis, an autobiographical novel about what it is to grow up gay and bellow the poverty line in a rural isolated village in Picardy. I do not know if you read it but maybe because it's such a short book and packed with so much violence it just hits you like a well aimed punch. Courageous and very good.

 

[jexxica]

My list of books read for now this 2019:

1. Books of Blood #1-3 by Clive Barker
2. Wildfire by Richard Ford
3. Por qué volvías cada verano by Belén López Peiró
4. Un año sin amor by Pablo Pérez
5. Amores como el nuestro by Charo Márquez
6. El desierto y su semilla by Jorge Barón Biza
7. The ghost stories by Edith Wharton
8. El gato tuvo la culpa by Hebe Uhart
9. El nervio óptico by María Gainza

As last year, I'm trying to read many Argentinian authors, and also female authors in general.

10. Espectra by Pilar Pedraza
11. La venganza del cordero atado, by Camilo Blajaquis
12. Journal of Katherine Mansfield
13. A journal of love by Anaïs Nin
14. Kentukis, by Samanta Schweblin
15. The journals of John Cheever
16. Los peligros de fumar en la cama, by Mariana Enríquez
17. Llamada perdida, by Gabriela Wiener
18. #LesRares, by Verónica Dema and Alejandro Viedma
19. Pájaros en la boca, by Samanta Schweblin (current)

 

[kissmesweet]

1. My Own Words by Ruth Bader Ginsburg with Mary Hartnett and Wendy W. Williams
2. 21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari
3. The Art of Forgery by Noah Charney
4. Sunset Survivors by Lindsay Varty
5. A Private War: Marie Colvin and Other Tales of Heroes, Scoundrels and Renegades by Marie Brenner
6. Family Trust by Kathy Wang

Family Trust by Kathy Wang was my first novel of the year. It was alright. An easy read and quite enjoyable. I liked what the author had to say about the Chinese-American immigrant mentality as well as the corporate culture in Silicon Valley. I didn't find the characters, except for Linda perhaps, very interesting though. Furthermore, more things needed to happen in the novel for it to be more engaging.

 

[jexxica]

10. Espectra by Pilar Pedraza
11. La venganza del cordero atado, by Camilo Blajaquis
12. Journal of Katherine Mansfield
13. A journal of love by Anaïs Nin
14. Kentukis, by Samanta Schweblin
15. The journals of John Cheever
16. Los peligros de fumar en la cama, by Mariana Enríquez
17. Llamada perdida, by Gabriela Wiener
18. #LesRares, by Verónica Dema and Alejandro Viedma
19. Pájaros en la boca, by Samanta Schweblin (current)

19. Pájaros en la boca, by Samanta Schweblin
20. La caja Topper, by Nicolás Gadano
21. We should all be feminist, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
22. En celo, anthology by several Argentinian writers
23. La hermana menor, by Mariana Enríquez
24. Pet Sematary, by Stephen King
25. The haunting of Hill house, by Shirley Jackson
26. The year of magical thinking, by Joan Didion
27. The course of the heart, by M. John Harrison
28. 84, CHaring Cross Road by Hellen Hanff
29. Tres inviernos en París, by Marta Minujín
30. Yo también tuve una novia bisexual, by Guillermo Martínez
31. ¿Alguien será feliz?, by Marina Yusczczuk
32. Una madre protectora, by Guillermo Martínez

And currently reading:
Dear Diary by Lesley Arfin
El pasado by Alan Pauls

 

[TheoG]

1. Heavy by Kiese Laymon*
2. Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
3. We Cast a Shadow by Maurice Carlos Ruffin
4. The World According to Fannie Davis by Brigett M. Davis*
5. The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein*
6. The Far Field by Madhuri Vijay
7. We Are Never Meeting in Real Life by Samantha Irby*

*Nonfiction

We Are Never Meeting in Real Life by Samantha Irby was hilarious.

 

[kissmesweet]

1. My Own Words by Ruth Bader Ginsburg with Mary Hartnett and Wendy W. Williams
2. 21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari
3. The Art of Forgery by Noah Charney
4. Sunset Survivors by Lindsay Varty
5. A Private: War Marie Colvin and Other Tales of Heroes, Scoundrels and Renegades by Marie Brenner

6. Family Trust by Kathy Wang
7. The Order of Time by Carlo Rovelli
8. Shortest Way Home by Pete Buttigieg
9. An Obvious Enchantment by Tucker Malarkey
10. Sugarbread by Balli Kaur Jaswal

11. The Enchanted Hour: The Miraculous Power of Reading Aloud in the Age of Distraction by Meghan Cox Gurdon
12. Dear Madam President: An Open Letter to the Women Who Will Run the World by Jennifer Palmieri

Having quite a fun year in terms of what I am reading!

 

[kissmesweet]

I haven't been here for a while... I thought I'd provide an update!

1. My Own Words by Ruth Bader Ginsburg with Mary Hartnett and Wendy W. Williams
2. 21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari
3. The Art of Forgery by Noah Charney
4. Sunset Survivors by Lindsay Varty
5. A Private: War Marie Colvin and Other Tales of Heroes, Scoundrels and Renegades by Marie Brenner

6. Family Trust by Kathy Wang
7. The Order of Time by Carlo Rovelli
8. Shortest Way Home by Pete Buttigieg
9. An Obvious Enchantment by Tucker Malarkey
10. Sugarbread by Balli Kaur Jaswal

11. The Enchanted Hour: The Miraculous Power of Reading Aloud in the Age of Distraction by Meghan Cox Gurdon
12. Dear Madam President: An Open Letter to the Women Who Will Run the World by Jennifer Palmieri
13. Becoming by Michelle Obama
14. Blood and Silk: Power and Conflict in Modern Southeast Asia by Michael Vatikiotis
15. The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

16. Save Me the Plums: My Gourmet Memoir by Ruth Reichl
17. Yes We (Still) Can: Politics in the Age of Obama, Twitter, and Trump by Dan Pfeiffer
18. Chasing Chaos: My Decade In and Out of Humanitarian Aid by Jessica Alexander

Been reading so many fantastic books this year.

 

[TheoG]

1. Heavy by Kiese Laymon*
2. Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
3. We Cast a Shadow by Maurice Carlos Ruffin
4. The World According to Fannie Davis by Brigett M. Davis*
5. The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein*
6. The Far Field by Madhuri Vijay
7. We Are Never Meeting in Real Life by Samantha Irby*

*Nonfiction

We Are Never Meeting in Real Life by Samantha Irby was hilarious.

Bump!

8. What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Blacker: A Memoir in Essays by Damon Young*
9. White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo*
10. The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
11. How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi*
12. Meaty by Samantha Irby*
13. I'm Telling the Truth, but I'm Lying: Essays by Bassey Ikpi*

*Nonfiction​

 

[axiomatic]

10. The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead

What did you think of this book? It's one in my stack to be read. Did you Read Water Dancer by Ta-Nehesi Coates??

 

[TheoG]

What did you think of this book? It's one in my stack to be read. Did you Read Water Dancer by Ta-Nehesi Coates??

I enjoyed it. I didn't love it as much as I than I thought I would. Colson tone was way more distant than I wanted it to be. So for me it was hard to really connect with the characters. With that said a great story.

I'm literally listening to The Water Dancer as I'm typing this! The first chapter is the slowest but once you get past it, you don't want to stop. I've been reading and listening these past few days and I'm almost done.

 

[axiomatic]

I enjoyed it. I didn't love it as much as I than I thought I would. Colson tone was way more distant than I wanted it to be. So for me it was hard to really connect with the characters. With that said a great story.

I'm literally listening to The Water Dancer as I'm typing this! The first chapter is the slowest but once you get past it, you don't want to stop. I've been reading and listening these past few days and I'm almost done.

I thought the same way about Water Dancer. It took a bit to get into it, but once I did, it was hard to put down.

I liked Nickel Boys a lot. Look forward to reading more from him.

I finished Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson- definitely worth a read

 

[TheoG]

^ Red at the Bone is on my TBR for sure this year.

I'd say 2019 was a very successful year for reading for me. I believe I set a goal of 15 - managed to read 22.

1. Heavy by Kiese Laymon*
2. Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
3. We Cast a Shadow by Maurice Carlos Ruffin
4. The World According to Fannie Davis by Brigett M. Davis*
5. The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein*
6. The Far Field by Madhuri Vijay
7. We Are Never Meeting in Real Life by Samantha Irby*
8. 8. What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Blacker: A Memoir in Essays by Damon Young*
9. White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo*
10. The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
11. How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi*
12. Meaty by Samantha Irby*
13. I'm Telling the Truth, but I'm Lying: Essays by Bassey Ikpi*
14. Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi*
15. A Particular Kind of Black Man by Tope Folarin (my favorite book of the year!)
16. Everything Inside by Edwidge Danticat
17. The Stranger by Albert Camus
18. She Came to Slay: The Life and Time of Harriet Tubman by Erica Dunbar Armstrong*
19. American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson
20. Swimming in Darkness by Lucas Harari (Graphic Novel)
21. The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates
22. My Time Among the Whites: Notes from an Unfinished Education by Jennine Capó Crucet*

* - indicates nonfiction books

 

[kissmesweet]

Managed to read 20 books in total! Really enjoyed most of these books as well. Always happy to discuss!

1. My Own Words by Ruth Bader Ginsburg with Mary Hartnett and Wendy W. Williams
2. 21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari
3. The Art of Forgery by Noah Charney
4. Sunset Survivors by Lindsay Varty
5. A Private: War Marie Colvin and Other Tales of Heroes, Scoundrels and Renegades by Marie Brenner

6. Family Trust by Kathy Wang
7. The Order of Time by Carlo Rovelli
8. Shortest Way Home by Pete Buttigieg
9. An Obvious Enchantment by Tucker Malarkey
10. Sugarbread by Balli Kaur Jaswal

11. The Enchanted Hour: The Miraculous Power of Reading Aloud in the Age of Distraction by Meghan Cox Gurdon
12. Dear Madam President: An Open Letter to the Women Who Will Run the World by Jennifer Palmieri
13. Becoming by Michelle Obama
14. Blood and Silk: Power and Conflict in Modern Southeast Asia by Michael Vatikiotis
15. The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

16. Save Me the Plums: My Gourmet Memoir by Ruth Reichl
17. Yes We (Still) Can: Politics in the Age of Obama, Twitter, and Trump by Dan Pfeiffer
18. Chasing Chaos: My Decade In and Out of Humanitarian Aid by Jessica Alexander
19. Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson
20. The Thoughtful Dresser: The Art of Adornment, the Pleasures of Shopping, and Why Clothes Matter by Linda Grant

 

[kissmesweet]

For 2020, the books that I have read so far. Been reading a lot while social distancing.

Bolded the books that I really loved. Happy to talk about any of the books below!

1. Lungs by Duncan Macmillan (a play)
2. Leadership in the Performing Arts by Tobie S. Stein
3. The Education of an Idealist by Samantha Power
4. Constellations by Nick Payne (a play)
5. If There Is, I Haven’t Found It Yet by Nick Payne (a play)
6. Buzz, Sting, Bite: Why We Need Insects by Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson (9th February 2020)
7. Invisible Women: Data Biases in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez
8. Our Women on the Ground: Essays by Arab Women Reporting from the Arab World edited by Zahra Hankir
9. I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai with Christina Lamb
10. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
11. The Parisian by Isabella Hammad
12. First Confession: A Sort of Memoir by Chris Patten
13. A Private Life: Fragments, Memories, Friends by Michael Kirby

 

[kissmesweet]

Oops, the bolding didn't work. The most memorable books for me thus far are 3, 8, 11, 12 and 13.

 

[TheoG]

^^ I've too have been reading a lot too due to the quarantine. Books 12-19 have been read within the last month LOL and i'll probably finish more. "Our Women on the Ground: Essays by Arab Women Reporting from the Arab World" looks terrific. It's been on my TBR for a while now.

1. Threading My Prayer Rug by Sabeeha Rehman*
2. Thick: And Other Essays by Tressie McMillan Cottom*
3. Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
4. Felons by Reginald Dwayne Betts (poems)
5. Invisible Man, Got the Whole World Watching: A Young Black Man's Education by Mychal Denzel Smith*
6. In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado*
7. The Collected Schizophrenias: Essays by Esmé Weijun Wang*
8. Your House Will Pay by Steph Cha
9. Real Life by Brandon Taylor
10. That Reminds Me by Derek Owusu
11. We Real Cool by bell hooks*
12. Everywhere You Don't Belong by Gabriel Bump
13. The World Doesn't Require You by Rion Amilcar Scott
14. These Ghost Are Family by Maisy Card
15. Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward*
16. Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde*
17. As Black As Resistance by Zoé Samudzi*
18. Eloquent Rage by Brittney Cooper*
19. Lakewood by Megan Giddings

* - nonfiction books

 

[kissmesweet]

TheoG, glad to hear that you've been able to make time to read books during the quarantine as well. Our Women on the Ground is a superb book. I honestly didn't want the book to end. The stories are magnificent, and you can tell that it's all been written and compiled together with the utmost love and care.

Your reading list is fascinating! I'll need to steal some recommendations from you.

 

[Kiyoko]

I haven’t read a book in 3 years !?
I’ve started reading American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins - lets see how far I get

BTW I’m fascinated by your reading lists - I will investigate

 

[kissmesweet]

Always interested in discussing books!

I'm in the middle of a few books at the moment, Sour Hearts by Jenny Zhang, Grace: A Memoir by Grace Coddington, and Over Here: How the G.I. Bill Transformed the American Dream by Edward Humes. All really enjoyable so far!