Cecrow - 2018 TBR Challenge

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Cecrow - 2018 TBR Challenge

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1Cecrow
Editado: Jun 27, 2019, 8:08 am

Primary List:
1. Little, Big - John Crowley (2018/02)
2. Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life - Jon Lee Anderson (2018/04)
3. Islandia - Austin Tappan Wright (2018/06)
4. Samuel Pepys: The Unequalled Self - Claire Tomalin (2019/04)
5. Passages from the Diary of Samuel Pepys - S. Pepys (2019/04)
6. Vanity Fair - William Thackeray (2018/08)
7. Blue Mars - Kim Stanley Robinson (2018/09)
8. Memoirs of Hadrian - Marguerite Yourcenar (2019/01)
9. David Copperfield - Charles Dickens (2018/11)
10. The Cruel Sea - Nicholas Monsarrat (2018/11)
11. The Histories - Herodotus (2019/03)
12. Narcissus and Goldmund - Hermann Hesse (2018/12)

COMPLETED 2019/04

Alternative List:
1. The Pelbar Cycle - Paul O. Williams (2018/11)
2. The Samurai: A New History of the Warrior Elite - Jonathan Clements (2018/05)
3. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte (2018/03)
4. The Power and the Glory - Graham Greene (2018/06)
5. Japanese Fairy Tales - Yei Theodora Ozaki (2018/03)
6. Tortilla Flat - John Steinbeck (2018/08)
7. A Sicilian Romance - Ann Radcliffe (2018/06)
8. Unless - Carol Shields (2018/11)
9. Consider Phlebas - Iain M. Banks (2018/01)
10. Hothouse - Brian Aldiss (2019/03)
11. The Complete Stories by Flannery O'Connor (2019/06)
12. The Corrections - Jonathan Franzen (2018/12)

COMPLETED 2019/06

2Cecrow
Editado: Dez 15, 2017, 11:52 am

2018 is my eighth year of this challenge. I thought I had this year's list locked down months ago, but it saw a lot of evolution in the past six or so. Now I've arrived at 24 titles I can get excited about. I'm bringing back nearly every slippery customer from 2017, and the rest is my usual mix of suspects: classics, non-fiction and genre fiction, with a balance of large and small. The Pelbar Cycle is a collective item with a breakdown to make tracking more fun. Japanese stuff pertains to a personal project. Someone or other famous apparently said read Vanity Fair when you're forty-five, so of course I must obey because that isn't a vague source at all. Nothing too notoriously challenging this year, Blue Mars probably being the slowest of the bunch.

3Narilka
Dez 15, 2017, 11:57 pm

Quite an interesting mix you have planned. David Copperfield is one of those I feel I should have read and just never got around to so I'm interested to hear your thoughts.

4LibraryLover23
Dez 16, 2017, 3:05 pm

Nice list! Thumbs up from me for putting a Steinbeck on your list. Maybe I should do that...

5majkia
Dez 16, 2017, 3:16 pm

Quite the mix! Good luck!

6Cecrow
Dez 18, 2017, 9:11 am

>3 Narilka:, I'm reading the Dickens novels in publication order and that's the next one (#8 by my count).

>4 LibraryLover23:, he almost didn't make it, I had to oust The Scarlet Letter to squeeze him in.

>5 majkia:, variety is the spice of a challenge list! Twelve months is a long time to have no regrets about too narrow a focus.

7LittleTaiko
Dez 18, 2017, 10:14 am

Nice list! I'll be reading David Copperfield as well. It's handy that we're both at the same point in reading his novels and averaging one Dickens a year. I've had The Corrections on my shelf for so many years but just haven't brought myself to read it yet. Maybe your review of it will nudge me to finally read it.

8Cecrow
Dez 18, 2017, 1:25 pm

>7 LittleTaiko:, I might need a nudge myself, seeing as it already slipped from 2017 ;) And putting it last, on my alternative list, basically means it's the final one I'd pick up. But I've beat this challenge a few times before, so we'll see.

9Petroglyph
Dez 18, 2017, 2:08 pm

Nice list!

I've actually read a few books on your list this year -- fancy that!

Wuthering Heights I thought was interesting rather than good. The Power and the Glory was on my 2017 list, and I loved it: it was just so well-written (shameless plug for my review). Consider Phlebas is solid science fiction: you can hardly tell it was written in the early eighties. Flannery O'Connor, well, she is her
fascinating self. Radcliffe I've read, but not A Sicilian romance

Little, Big is one of those that I started reading and then fell by the wayside, not because I didn't like it but because I'm always reading too many books. I should pick it up again. Perhaps we could compare notes?

Marguerite Yourcenar is on my TBR authors list somewhere, and The memoirs of Hadrian is precisely the one I'm eyeing.

I'll be looking forward to your comments on these 24!

10Cecrow
Dez 18, 2017, 2:18 pm

>9 Petroglyph:, I was about to say Consider Phlebas was actually early nineties. Nope, 1987. Since our average guess is correct, we're both right! (?) I'm cheating by the way, already halfway through it. Tell no one.

11Petroglyph
Dez 18, 2017, 2:32 pm

>11 Petroglyph:
So I was wrong. Memory updated. Thanks!

Tell no-one about what? ;þ

12passion4reading
Dez 20, 2017, 4:57 am

Great list. I look forward to reading your reviews.

13billiejean
Dez 26, 2017, 3:33 pm

Nice list! I look forward to seeing what you think of Corrections. I came to a dead stop about a third of the way in. Maybe you can encourage me to pick it back up again.

14.Monkey.
Jan 1, 2018, 4:28 am

Oh yay you did wind up putting Che on your list for this year, me too! :D
I have Pepys' diary also, I'll be curious to know your thoughts!
Wuthering Heights! Awesome!!
Ohh I have Tortilla Flat but haven't gotten 'round to it yet.
More yay, more Gothic! I've not read that one yet, only The Italian, and Udolpho is on my shelves. :P

15Cecrow
Editado: Fev 1, 2018, 1:41 pm



#1 Consider Phlebas (Culture Novels, #1) by Iain M. Banks

Last year I started a book in December that I thought I'd finish before the new year, but it dragged into January and set me back. This time I was more pessimistic, and consequently I get a nice start instead.

The Culture series is highly praised in science-fiction circles and still popular, even though this first novel was published in 1987 and the author died of cancer in 2013. It's a 'space opera', which is generally 'science fiction lite', although there's enough discussion here about warp speeds and energy, etc. that it might satisfy those so inclined. Primarily it's devoted to providing action set pieces, which get pretty exciting, and the central character is very clever at reasoning his way through some tricky dilemnas. It was a fun ride that I worried lacked for substance, but now I think there's more than meets the eye going on here in light of that tense and troubling ending. Some of the subsequent novels have a lot of buzz, so I may return. It would almost be worth it just for the sake of collecting more covers in this edition, they're very well done.

16.Monkey.
Jan 4, 2018, 10:27 am

Woo, one down! :)

17LittleTaiko
Jan 4, 2018, 10:34 am

Way to get off to a strong start!

18Narilka
Jan 4, 2018, 12:20 pm

>15 Cecrow: I swear everyone but me is reading that series. I just might have to give it a try one of these days.

19.Monkey.
Jan 4, 2018, 4:18 pm

Not me! :P

20Petroglyph
Jan 4, 2018, 4:39 pm

One down already? Good show!

21Cecrow
Editado: Fev 5, 2018, 8:01 am



#2 Little, Big by John Crowley

An ordinary man from the city discovers upon marriage that he is now united with a country family that has a close relationship with the fairy world. That's a bit hard for him to take since he doesn't believe in fairies, but he does very well at navigating these waters like a float for the reader to cling to. We're not limited to his viewpoint, as the author treats us to a wide enough array of other perspectives to prove our poor man doesn't know the half of it. Yet we're never shown the whole picture either, as everything is kept rather mysterious but always with the underlying sense that this novel is eventually going somewhere if you can just wait and see.

I was enjoying this one right down to the sentence level. That's terrible from a daily page count perspective, but also great at the same time when there's rewards to be had while being that studious. Be cautioned, this is one of those novels whose plot is veiled as part of its mystery. If you have a driving need to understand where it's going and what the relevance of everything is along the way, the waiting is liable to drive you bonkers. I was a little exasperated as it brought "Night Circus" comparisons to mind: no conflict, no tension, no suspense. Just then, however, there was a time jump and scene change to liven things up. By the end the pieces were coming togther in a satisfying way, while still retaining the mystery element. A predecessor of similar books like Winter's Tale and Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, I'd rate this one a bit higher.

22.Monkey.
Fev 5, 2018, 8:33 am

Sounds interesting :)

23Narilka
Fev 5, 2018, 9:40 am

That does sound interesting.

24billiejean
Fev 28, 2018, 8:00 pm

Nice review!

25Petroglyph
Mar 11, 2018, 7:38 pm

I started Little, Big but only made it a few dozen pages in -- not because it wasn't enjoyable, but because I'm always reading too many books at the same time. This review has inspired me to pick it back up!

26Cecrow
Mar 23, 2018, 7:37 am



#3 Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Most classics I've read are pleasant for their tone, language, etc. and there's few that make me uncomfortable. This one is all kinds of uncomfortable, which doesn't make it bad but does make it atypical. It's full of nasty customers I wouldn't care to live in the same town with, let alone know in real life, and that includes the two leads. At the end I'm left wondering what the point of it was. The tragedy of obsession, the rending of the veil cast by typical romances? A reminder that happily ever afters don't come naturally in the course of loving, that love can also be violent and destructive? This is the grunge rock of the classics genre.

27Narilka
Mar 23, 2018, 9:20 am

>26 Cecrow: I remember liking that one when I read it in high school. Apparently I don't remember the plot at all because nothing about your notes sounds familiar. Maybe I should work this in as a reread in the next year or so.

28.Monkey.
Mar 23, 2018, 10:14 am

Haha, the description is apt, though I quite enjoy the book. :P

29billiejean
Mar 26, 2018, 1:29 am

Grunge rock of classics. . . interesting. I like grunge rock, though.

30Cecrow
Editado: Abr 23, 2018, 8:30 am



#4 Japanese Fairy Tales by Yei Theodora Ozaki

This was an e-reader book. Having read Charles Perrault, Brother Grimm, Hans Anderson, etc. and being a fan of most things Japanese, curiosity demanded I read this collection of Japanese fairy tales translated by Yei Ozaki. She's typically identified as their author, which I suppose is fair given the liberties she describes in her preface to make them Western-friendly. The author might instead be identified as Iwaya Sazanami, or Sadanami Sanjin. Beware of nerd angst over deciding which author to link this entry to.

Despite the culture gap, a fairy tale proves to be a fairy tale, at least in Ozaki's tellings. Some of them are nasty violent, but that's no different than the original Sleeping Beauty or Cinderella. They are populated however with some distinctly Japanese beings, and the tales come assisted by the occasional footnote to explain that Japanese ghosts have no feet, etc. My takeaway doesn't always align with the stated moral, but that's also par for the course. The footnotes and inserted comments were a great benefit, and now I can watch for and understand references to these tales when that occurs.

31billiejean
Abr 13, 2018, 10:42 am

Nice review. I enjoy reading fairy tales, violent or not.

32Cecrow
Abr 23, 2018, 8:29 am



#5 Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life by Jon Lee Anderson

I picked this out of the list of 501 Must-Read Books, where it is categorized as "history". I suppose that's valid, given how many significant events Che Guevara was involved in, but it's very much a biography of the individual. Everything's here, starting with Ernesto's forged birth certificate and his childhood in Argentina, up through Guatemala, Cuba and Africa and finally his capture and execution in Bolivia. I learned a lot of intriguing things that ran counter to my assumptions. Che Guevara suffered from a bad case of asthma, grew up in a loving and prosperous upper class family, pursued engineering and medicine, and was more well-read than me long before my present age. He had several admirable qualities, but I can't say I like the guy. Fortunately, I never felt like the author was trying to make me. A few things make this biography a must-read: the man himself who is simultaneously a symbol, the many events touched on as noted, just the right balance of breadth and depth, and the writing's fairness. These 750 pages have a lot of detailed content, and non-fiction always drags my reading speed down, but after more than two months this still didn't feel onerous and it was far more often compelling than not. Worth it, every page.

So I've finally finished my February book! In April! Yay? Which means I'm striking off the idea of getting to know Samuel Pepys this year. The plan for my primary list now is to read Islandia next, then straight ahead to Vanity Fair.

33Cecrow
Maio 8, 2018, 10:00 am



#6 The Samurai: A New History of the Warrior Elite by Jonathan Clements

I can't vouch for the rest of the "Brief History" series, but this entry was perfect for me. It's a great high-level view of Japanese military history, not just outlining the events but also in many instances how they were recorded and why we only know what we know. Samurai are at the heart of every chapter, of course, and I received a full picture of the role they played, and learned the names of many of the major players. Military history is only one view into history, but in Japan's case I suspect it played a larger role than normal in forming the culture and society that exists today. This ranks among the least dry history you can find anywhere, full of action, derring-do, and even some humourous episodes. For anyone else interested in this topic, this is a great place to start.

Another instance of an alternative title unexpectedly taking over my reading life; also, I'm not sure it was a good idea reading all of my non-fiction in one clump. Anyway, back to the primary list now ... maybe?

34billiejean
Maio 26, 2018, 11:24 pm

Nice reviews! I'm interested in both of those books.

35Cecrow
Jun 4, 2018, 8:13 am



#7 A Sicilian Romance by Ann Radcliffe

I think I'm missing the gothic-loving bone in my body. First Walpole and now Radcliffe have left me feeling unimpressed. There's an atmosphere I can feel is being striven for that is never achieved, not like it later would be in novels like Jane Eyre. There is too much that is artificial here, a thin story arc that is carried on and on again by even thinner means. I have the lingering sense that there are plot holes which I would gleefully list, if only I'd troubled myself to work them out. Instead I just went with the flow, trying generously to find the mood it wanted to evoke, but came up dry. A novel I would only recommend reading for the sake of following the history of literature, rather than for entertainment. The most memorable part of this novel for me may be the rumour that Radcliffe had never travelled to Sicily and invented its scenery from whole cloth. In her imagination, it looks remarkably like jolly old England.

36Cecrow
Jun 25, 2018, 8:02 am


#8 The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene

The opening scene alone is a master class in swiftly establishing setting, character, mood and launching the plot. Catholic persecution was pursued to a literally murderous extent in southern Mexico in the 1920s, and Greene's tour of the area not long after inspired him to center this novel there. It follows one priest in particular as he seeks to evade the law while confronting himself and his beliefs, and those of the people. Many practices he took for granted, many words he recited by rote, begin to feel hollow as he is exposed to and forced to recognize the truths of his life and of the lives of the people around him. He finds the dishonesty in the church that led to its persecution, and flounders in search of finding what it is that he is defending and believing in that still has value. Being irreligious myself, some of these complexities didn't engage me as they might another reader but they did impress me for their psychological depth. After this proof I think I've no need to worry over what Greene's topic is for any given novel, and just enjoy the ride.

This might conclude my June status, four books off the pace. Still finishing up Islandia, and I'm returning to the Pelbar Cycle.

37LittleTaiko
Jun 25, 2018, 11:39 am

I'm not particularly religious myself either but I do enjoy getting insights into characters/people who are. Once again, I really do need to read something by Greene. If I don't do it this year then I'm going to make a point to include him on my challenge list next year.

38Cecrow
Jun 27, 2018, 7:40 am



#9 Islandia by Austin Tappan Wright

I try to save all the best for my primary list, and this novel entirely answered my anticipation. It is a milestone book, one I know I will remember reading for years to come. By happy coincidence the kind of reader that I am (i.e. the kind to be intrigued by this out-of-print novel's origin story - see Wikipedia - enough to go to the trouble of finding a copy) was the same kind of reader who enjoys it immensely once found. This is not an ideal novel, but it did supply an ideal reading experience. Islandia presents a master class in worldbuilding, establishing its sense of place with such solidity that my mind rails a little against the sure knowledge that I can't book a ticket to travel there. It is never explained in boring detail, only experienced, and the impression that it forms evolved over the course of a 1,000 pages until I arrived at a full understanding that is more emotional than intellectual. Like its protagonist, I can tell you whether something feels Islandian without quite being able to define why. Unfortunately its magic won't work for everyone. Writing in the 1920s, Mr Wright had an admirable attitude towards sexual equality, but I've the impression he made different assumptions when it comes to race.

39Petroglyph
Editado: Jun 27, 2018, 9:02 am

>36 Cecrow:
The power and the glory was on my list for last year, and was also my first Greene. I absolutely loved this book, and I have a feeling it's going to be a gateway drug to more Greene.

Islandia sounds very interesting, as well. Will look further into it.

40billiejean
Jun 29, 2018, 11:37 am

Nice review of Islandia.

41.Monkey.
Jul 21, 2018, 5:58 am

>32 Cecrow: Well it took a bit but at least you really enjoyed it! I haven't actually picked this one up for ages, I should get back to it soon, lol.

>35 Cecrow: You definitely need to just go with the flow on Gothic and sensation novels, haha. There's usually various totally implausible things and potentially even holes, but it's the atmosphere and tension that drives that that's important. I think they're lots of fun. ;P

>36 Cecrow: Glad to see you're still so pleased with Greene! :D I've been thinking of picking a second slimmer one myself this year, since there's so many on my shelves still to go. :P

>38 Cecrow: That sounds quite interesting. :)

42Cecrow
Editado: Ago 28, 2018, 8:35 am



#10 Tortilla Flat by John Steinbeck

I pulled this one out of a yard sale, thus the strange cover. A lot of this novel was hilarious, which surprises me. After reading Grapes and Mice, I wouldn't have characterized Steinbeck's work that way at all. A pack of do-nothings has the good fortune to inherit a house, providing shelter as they lie, cheat and steal (as honourably as possible) to support their drinking habit. Sounds like a bunch of losers, right? But we're invited from the start to find parallels with King Arthur's court. They do have a code they live by and are often motivated by the will to do good for others, however poor their judgement and excuses sometimes are. I thought for sure the author was having a dig at Monterey, California. Apparently he had nothing but respect for his one-time home and was sore with critics who assumed otherwise. But if that's the case he had a funny way of showing it (in both senses).

Really glad I finally read more Steinbeck, he's a favourite. There's just so much else in that darn TBR pile, I can't circle back often enough to the authors I really want to revisit (Steinbeck, Helprin, Forster, Conrad, etc.). Making another trip to the Pelbar cycle next, and I'm two thirds done with Vanity Fair.

43Petroglyph
Ago 13, 2018, 3:46 pm

You're making good headway!

44billiejean
Ago 16, 2018, 11:13 pm

I need to read that one someday.

45Cecrow
Editado: Ago 29, 2018, 8:11 am

>43 Petroglyph: .... I guess, lol. I'd consider "good" to be on track for 24 and I'm not there, might make it to 18.

>44 billiejean:, it was a lot more fun than I anticipated from Steinbeck, pretty light reading.

46Cecrow
Editado: Ago 28, 2018, 8:35 am



#11 Vanity Fair, A Novel Without a Hero by William Makepeace Thackeray

Too often dull as ditchwater, although a couple of surprises made me sit up. Thackeray does a fine job of social critique laced with humour, and a lot of it is as relevant today as ever, but I couldn't quite shake it as a cynical viewpoint rather than objectively humanitarian. He sometimes rises as the narrator in defence of his characters' roguery, but it's always tongue-in-cheek. His entire cast is there to be made fun of, and he wants to participate in that fun. If it's all one big joke then I'm not too sure what the point of it is, other than to turn a buck (which he very successfully did). He fails to cast Captain Dobbin in a bad light, which is good since I needed at least one character to like. Something I did appreciate was his demonstration of Becky as a more interesting character than angelic Amelia, which could be a dig at something like Richardson's "Clarissa"; I enjoyed that novel a lot, but I accept the point he's made. It's an invitation to dispense with the overly sentimental in literature, such as was seen by this time in "The Old Curiosity Shop" etc., and it was a welcome one.

This primary list has really bogged me down, and next is Blue Mars which was my #1 suspect for bogginess. I'm targetting 18-out-of-24 by year-end, and that's only if I'm steady.

47Narilka
Ago 27, 2018, 9:04 pm

Hmm. That's one classic I see on lists often and I've always passed on it. I think I made the right choice. Thanks for the review.

48billiejean
Ago 28, 2018, 1:13 am

>46 Cecrow: Vanity Fair is on my shelf, as well. I didn't realize it was A Novel Without a Hero.

49Cecrow
Ago 28, 2018, 8:16 am

A common observation of Vanity Fair is that none of its characters change. None of them learn anything. A few of them correct some misapprehensions, but not one of them is a different person at the end than they were at the start. The ending isn't entirely arbitrary, but I think this story could have endlessly continued until they all died of old age and the takeaway would have been the same. It's still a valid way to write a novel (transmitting the message that nobody ever really learns from their mistakes or becomes wiser, I guess), but yup, pretty dull. Lots of times I could have just left it, but I'm stubborn.

50Cecrow
Set 26, 2018, 12:46 pm



#12 Blue Mars (Mars Trilogy #3) by Kim Stanley Robinson

Perhaps it was because of Vanity Fair's dullness just before, but this zipped along at a much faster pace than I'd anticipated. It's probably my favourite of the trilogy, although it's hard to choose between this and the first. Portions that other readers might find dry, I generally found fascinating: the constitution drafting reminded me of Embracing Defeat, a non-fiction work that delved into drafting the Japanese constitution following World War II. Sections taking place on future Earth and other locations were a first for this trilogy and a welcome contrast. Many of the science bits that lost their way in geological explanations I could just skim through to capture the idea and they never felt unbearable. It's hard to say whether this novel was written differently than the first two (it's been too long), or maybe my expectations were finally in tune with the author's style and the trilogy's broad focus. Whatever the answer, it worked for me.

That's the first primary list read that I got through at anything like my normal pace; hopefully David Copperfield goes as smoothly.

51Narilka
Set 27, 2018, 9:21 am

I see Kim Stanley Robinson come up a lot from people I follow. I really need to try her books one of these days.

52Cecrow
Set 27, 2018, 9:55 am

>51 Narilka:, Kim is a "he" :) And much as I enjoyed this award-winning trilogy, I don't think I'll pursue any of his others. Very verbose, meandering stuff - but wow, he must be a really smart guy.

53Narilka
Set 27, 2018, 12:26 pm

Oops :) Shows you how much I know about the author!

54Cecrow
Editado: Out 17, 2018, 10:11 am

Goodreads wants to help me plan my TBR challenge for 2019. So helpful!

55LittleTaiko
Out 17, 2018, 10:42 am

Oh wow! What algorithm came up with that connection? Looking forward to your thoughtful review of Horton in 2019. :)

56billiejean
Out 24, 2018, 8:56 pm

But I thought you didn't like Vanity Fair?

57Cecrow
Out 25, 2018, 9:51 am

>56 billiejean:, I gave it 3.5 stars here on LT, which for me means "not bad, but it didn't quite live up to what I wanted it to be". Goodreads doesn't do half stars, so I gave it four over there. I guess that's "enjoyed" on their scale, makes sense.

58billiejean
Nov 3, 2018, 10:27 pm

I see. I hope that I like it whenever I get to it. Are you looking at your list for next year at all?

59Cecrow
Nov 5, 2018, 7:58 am

>58 billiejean:, yup, I'm ready for 2019. But I won't post until mid-December in case I want to switch something last minute.

60LittleTaiko
Nov 5, 2018, 12:12 pm

You are much further along with your planning for 2019 than I am. I have a tentative list started with 10 books on it so far. The only definite selection is my annual Dickens book. Yikes! Just realized that mid-December is basically a month away.

61Narilka
Nov 5, 2018, 5:52 pm

My mind is blown. I have no idea how you plan for 2019 so early :)

62billiejean
Nov 5, 2018, 9:21 pm

I've been thinking about my list, but I keep changing it around. Plus, I have started reading some of the books on the list which changes things. I will definitely put my last old titles on the list.

63Cecrow
Nov 6, 2018, 9:00 am

I took the leftovers that didn't make the 2018 list, added sequels or otherwise next logical read after the 2018 books, spiced it up with whatever's topical over the course of 2018, left some room for the 2017/2018 books I didn't get to ... it practically made itself. Still didn't have room for everything, but that's what 2020 is for!

64Cecrow
Editado: Nov 7, 2018, 9:39 am



#13 David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

This is the eighth Dickens novel in my quest to read them all in the order they were written. It starts off brilliantly and remains fantastic all the way up to the confrontation between Betsey and the Murdstones: five stars for that portion. Unfortunately it then takes half the remainder to build up any real steam again. The problem through this middle section is that David's travails are never very serious after that, or else are of short duration. All the real drama happens to the people around him. These are some of the best Dickens characters I've met, Aunt Betsey first and foremost, but nearly the entire reason to keep turning pages hangs on them being amusing or vile in their various ways. Dickens may have been trying harder at plotting by this point, but he was still letting his central character's story fall into the background. Finally things turn around and David gets some agency again, so it all finishes up well. I don't find it much of a step up from Dombey, though. In fact (ducking...), I think I liked Dombey better.

Now I'm off to witness the Battle of the Atlantic, just in time for Canada's veterans day on November 11th.

65Cecrow
Editado: Nov 13, 2018, 8:09 am



#14 Unless by Carol Shields

Stepping outside of my usual reading comfort zone, I found a very good story here about an author whose teenage daughter inexplicably gives up university to go begging on a Toronto street corner. Reta is trying to cope with her anxiety for her daughter through every strategy that avails itself. In the process she does a deep dive into her moral centre, learning some important things about what she stands for. Any novel that posits an author as its central character reads a bit lazy to me, but there are exceptions and this is one of them. Reta's writing becomes part of her search for answers and it adds another critical layer to the story. I'm always impressed with a book that can zip along like this one does but at the same time carry so much depth.

66Petroglyph
Nov 13, 2018, 9:18 am

Nice!

To me, part of this challenge is being exposed to books I wouldn't normally embark on, and the feeling of satisfaction when they turn out to be excellent is like no other.

So many books, so little time...

67.Monkey.
Editado: Nov 19, 2018, 5:47 am

>46 Cecrow: /49 Hm, well now you've actually intrigued me a bit. LOL. I feel it's often thoughtful "bad" reviews of things that interest me more than good, lol, since it makes me curious what I will think and such, and I tend to enjoy older satire, so now I'm rather wondering whether that's one I'd toss in the good pile or agree that it falls short of the mark, haha.

>52 Cecrow: I agree on Robinson, I've only read The years of rice and salt and it was quite interesting, but holy crap did it go on forever and yeah, verbose, lol. Some books I want to never end, but that one... oof. It was good, but I've not much desire to read any more of him.

68Cecrow
Editado: Nov 26, 2018, 9:07 am

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#15 The Pelbar Cycle (7 volumes, beginning with The Breaking of Northwall) by Paul O. Williams

This hit the nostalgia button for me in a big way, an overlooked 1980s SFF series with all the hallmarks. A thousand years after nuclear war, humanity is back on its feet again in a society that features a fun mix of indigenous and medieval elements. A good part of the fun lies in waiting for the society to discover (or rediscover, in this case) notions we take for granted. There's more to be had in the seemingly infinite variety of cultures that arose from the ashes. Women largely get a fair shake in this one, which is impressive for its era. Each of the seven books is about 200 pages and makes for light reading. It's a fun romp through a post-apocalyptic world, as unlikely as that sounds, and it only becomes a little tired towards the end.

Paul Williams wrote a great deal of haiku and loved the form for getting straight to the point; he aimed for it in his novels too, and the pace is almost too quick. His characters are likeable but a little flat, the romance is cute but childish, and there's an occasional groaner in the dialogue or the plot. All this is compensated for with engaging world-building and optimism. It's not great literature, but it has that atmospheric "something" that kept me reading. This article does a good job of highlighting the series' unique qualities: http://sfwp.com/amanda-pell-and-the-post-post-apocalypse/

It doesn't escape my attention that I'd be a LOT farther ahead on this challenge if I hadn't lumped all of these together as one item. A sorry case of "eyes bigger than my stomach", I guess. Still think I can get three more done this year.

69LittleTaiko
Nov 26, 2018, 11:45 am

Well, maybe you'd be farther ahead but would the reading have been as enjoyable? Sounds like a fun series.

70Narilka
Nov 26, 2018, 4:10 pm

That series sounds pretty great. It's nice to see a post-apocalypse that has optimism.

71Cecrow
Editado: Jan 21, 2019, 2:12 pm



#16 The Cruel Sea by Nicholas Monsarrat

I put this war-related book on my challenge specifically for the November timeframe, to coincide with Canada's Remembrance Day on Nov 11th. This is a well-reviewed classic novel of the Battle of the Atlantic from the British perspective, and it's considered to be a thinly veiled memoir. It started off friendly enough, me as reader being pretty much as naive as the recruits showing up to board their newly commissioned vessel. By the halfway point it was practically traumatic as it exposed me to a whole new set of war horror I'd never imagined before. Some really awful stuff happens, and none of it is gratuitious because I doubt any of it is invented. It is probably all based on things the author experienced (he's widely viewed as being embodied in the character Lockhart) or else knew someone who did. Pair that with his excellent ability to convey what it meant emotionally to participate in these convoys, using his cast to explore all the variants, and this is is one heck of an accomplishment. It's a must-read book for every war buff you know, and anyone else who can stomach it.

I picked my beat-up copy out of a library book sale; ninth edition, printed 1952. Holding something printed that soon after the event only added to its feeling of authenticity. I've ordered a new copy for someone as a Christmas gift, and I won't be able to resist peeking to see whether it has an introduction/afterword.

Follow-up note: it didn't. :(

72billiejean
Nov 28, 2018, 8:42 pm

Great reviews! I want to read them all! I'm going to get the Pelbar Cycle series for my brother for Christmas. Thanks a million! And I love nautical fiction or nonfiction. :)

73Cecrow
Dez 18, 2018, 10:43 am

Still feeling confident I'm gonna get through two more of these, but it's really coming down to the wire now with the busy holidays just ahead ... !

74LittleTaiko
Dez 18, 2018, 11:14 am

Hopefully you can find some quiet reading time during the holidays. I'm lucky in that after Friday I don't go back to work until Jan 2nd. Lots of potential reading time there especially since part of that time will be spent on an airplane.

75billiejean
Dez 18, 2018, 10:12 pm

Good luck!

76Petroglyph
Dez 19, 2018, 6:28 am

Read for pleasure, Cecrow, not for bragging rights! Enjoy the remaining twelve reading days of 2018!

77Cecrow
Editado: Dez 20, 2018, 7:42 am



#17 The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen

Here's a holiday tale about a disgruntled family pulling its various shredded/shredding pieces back together in time for Christmas, where the suspense lies in discovering to just what delirious heights this disaster-waiting-to-happen is going to rise to. The title is the theme: trying to compensate for past errors, or those of others, and also what's going on in the world around them. Each of the three children as well as the parents have their backstory explored. While on the surface a label or two might have summed them up, the story reveals deeper complexities in every case. As family members they both help and hinder one another, and sometimes even heal. It doesn't land in too very dark a place. Drawing light comparison's to Rowling's The Casual Vacancy, I found Rowling's novel easier to relate to personally and appreciated that one more, but there's a similar degree of understanding in these studies of life's darker edges.

78billiejean
Dez 20, 2018, 9:57 am

I'm glad to see your thoughts on that one. In noticed that it wasn't on your new list. I tried to read this many years ago, and I couldn't like any of the characters, so I abandoned it. I might give it another try if I can find where it is.

79LittleTaiko
Dez 20, 2018, 11:09 am

That's a book I've had on my shelf for years and can never quite bring myself to read. Still not sure if I should give it a go or not. Happy for you that you were able to knock if off the list though.

80Cecrow
Dez 20, 2018, 11:18 am

It's a book full of anti-heroes, I guess; but I found at least half of them were just committing average sorts of forgivable (or at least understandable) errors that anyone might, and the other half were living out the consequences of bad life choices. None of them (well ... maybe Gary was over the line) could be called malicious. If I meet somebody else who's read it, might be fun to swap rankings of the five main characters on a morality scale, lol.

81Cecrow
Editado: Jan 2, 2019, 7:46 am



#18 Narcissus and Goldmund by Hermann Hesse

Hesse landed among my Favourite Authors as soon as I read Magister Ludi for my 2014 challenge, but this is the first time I've circled back to him. Narcissus and Goldmund are friends but also diametric opposites in terms of personality, the scholar versus the sensualist, and it's a bit of a compare/contrast exercise. This author's style is approximately 90% telling rather than showing, but what I appreciate about him is that he makes puzzles out of his characters which he then proceeds to unravel. His fictional worlds lack irrationalism: everyone can be understood right down to their nuts and bolts, if they are just examined hard enough and long enough. It's not the real world, but it's how I wish the world was, and his fiction delivers it. The surface question in play here is an interesting one, about wishes and regrets. Given a single life, we only get to try it one way or the other if we go whole-hog, so who feels they're ahead in the end?

Glad I could stuff this one in and make it official: everything I missed on this 2018 challenge is in my 2019.

82Petroglyph
Dez 26, 2018, 4:21 pm

83Cecrow
Jan 2, 2019, 7:44 am

Final Tally: 18/24

Had a super slow start in my primary list, thanks initially to Che Guevara (evidence that he's still upsetting world order). Islandia also took a while but it was entirely worth it, best thing I read this year followed by The Cruel Sea. Tortilla Flat, Blue Mars and Unless were better-than-expected surprises, and the Pelbar Cycle was a fun series that will stay on my shelf. Tough year for classics, since I didn't much like Wuthering Heights, A Sicilian Romance or Vanity Fair, but David Copperfield redeemed the field.

My TBR pile is down to 116, only a minor improvement (thanks a lot for the new additions, grabby hands!) but that's the smallest it's been in eight years. Hoping I'll start a new completion streak in 2019 and knock it down even more.

84billiejean
Jan 2, 2019, 9:41 am

I think you had a great reading year in 2018. I got my brother the Pelbar books for Christmas based on your recommendation. Thanks for that!

85Cecrow
Editado: Jan 2, 2019, 11:38 am

>84 billiejean:, I hope because he's already a fan of the genre from that era? I think they're fun if approached from that perspective; they don't read like something you'd buy off the stands today.

The new edition features a new forward by the author at the start of the first book; I'd really like to read that, can't find it online anywhere.

86LittleTaiko
Jan 2, 2019, 5:31 pm

Still a really solid number for 2018 especially with the longer books. Congrats!

87Petroglyph
Jan 2, 2019, 6:03 pm

How much is that in pagecount? There were indeed quite a solid (and stolid) books in there!

88billiejean
Jan 2, 2019, 6:40 pm

Just looking for ideas for him. He does read some really old books. Like me. :)

89Narilka
Jan 2, 2019, 8:14 pm

You did great :)