I have never before participated in one of the more intense long-term reading challenges such as
or The Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge (Popsugar).
But that is about to change with the start of a new year!
I have decided to fully indulge my love of listing
books to read and 'scheduling' my reading!
Since I do not have a ton of spare time due to
working full-time and still working out at the gym and heated therapy pool at least 10-15 hours per week
to fully rehabilitate these new knee joints
and get in the best physical shape I can accomplish,
I will approach this a bit differently than I might
if I had more reading time.
I will list the books I must read for the book clubs in which I participate first. Then books I own...
And then there will, of course, be some books that are new, or at least new-to-me, that I still need to own and read! :)
Rather than select one book for each prompt,
I will fit each book into as many prompts as possible,
thereby guaranteeing that I cover all the prompts with fewer books! Pretty nifty, huh?
Did I mention that both of these groups are located on Goodreads? If not, I should have...
And as much as I despise the fact that Jeff Bezos/Amazon
owns and manages Goodreads, I am still using it.
Seems as if Bezos encroaches upon everyone's life in one way or another, if not through Amazon or Goodreads, then IMDB...or Whole Foods...or...?
I just avoid all the other entities except Goodreads, which serves as my "bible" in so many ways!
On to the listing of book club reads
currently scheduled for 2019!
Although the company has been bankrupt for some years,
the book club I founded while working there has survived!
I was absolutely thrilled when the core of six reliable members
chose to continue the book club after our local store closed!
This group meets each month and we currently have books selected through July 2019:
January 2019: We are Okay by Nina Lacour
I am about one-third through this one and am really enjoying it.
I admit the cover initially confused me--my immediate thought was this was a graphic novel!
It is not... :)
February 2019: Less by Andrew Sean Greer
2018 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
(We selected this way before the Pulitzer Prize winners were announced!)
March 2019: Chocolat by Joanne Harris
I have such great hopes for this book! I absolutely loved the movie!
April 2019: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Another one I am anxiously anticipating and just hope I won't be disappointed!
May 2019: The Truth According to Us by Annie Barrows
That name may look familiar--she was the co-author of
A book this same club read and everyone loved!
June 2019: On Turpentine Lane by Elinor Lipman
The cover image is quite intriguing!
July 2019: Them Bones by Carolyn Haines
This selection is the result of my having purchased one of the later books
in this Sarah Booth Delaney Mystery series at a library sale for 50 cents.
What can I say? I loved it!
Sometime this summer we will select another 12 books to read over the following year,
so there will be at least 5 more books for this book club alone!
The next book club is the Literary Wives online book discussion group.
We "meet" every other month to discuss a book with regard to this question:
What does this book say about wives or about the experience of being a wife?
Our reviews are posted the first Monday of that month.
The cohosts of this club are rather diverse in their opinions and analyses of these books.
It makes for varied reactions and great discussion!
Check it out on Facebook!
Here are the six books selected for 2019...
February 4, 2019: They Were Sisters by Dorothy Whipple
This is a Persephone reprint and my copy has already shipped from the UK to me in the US!
I am hopeful it will arrive this week. I believe this one may be intense!
It is a "classic" originally published in 1944.
April 1, 2019: Wait for Me, Jack by Addison Jones
The subject is a marriage that has lasted 60 whole years! Wow!
June 3, 2019: A Separation by Katie Kitamura
August 5, 2019: Ties by Domenico Starnone, translated by Jhumpa Lahiri
Interesting cover image! Makes me wonder!
October 7, 2019: Happenstance by Carol Shields
December 2, 2019: The Home-Maker by Dorothy Canfield Fisher
Another Persephone reprint that is making it's way to the US and my house!
Anxious to read this role reversal where a stay-at-home wife and mother
is forced to work outside the home to support her children and newly disabled husband.
Originally published in 1924!
February 3, 2020: The War of the Wives by Tamar Cohen
(I can cheat and read this in 2019! lol)
This club meets monthly at my favorite bookstore!
There is currently only one book scheduled:
January 27, 2019: The Dry by Jane Harper
I am quite anxious to read this mystery!
I believe it will be a series
I will want to continue reading!
Never fear, Laura and Justin, the owners,
will schedule 11 more for 2019!
I have definitely read outside my comfort zone for this group and have had only one DNF! :)
IUPUI Book Club
Perhaps I left this one for last because it is my favorite book club!!
Why? Simple. It offers the greatest diversity among the participants:
including faculty, staff, and students of varied ethnicities,
geographic origin, and life experience.
All this variety creates such wide-ranging reactions and opinions!
I love that!
IUPUI is a joint venture higher-education institution located in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The school is administered by Indiana University (main campus in Bloomington, Indiana),
but includes Purdue University School of Engineering and School of Science.
Unfortunately, this group meets just 3-4 times per year.
The next book selected is An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green.
Yes, THAT Hank Green! Brother to and cohost with brother John Green.
Check it out on YouTube: Vlog Brothers!
There will be another three books or so selected for this group in 2019 as well!
Now that I have this posting done, I will work on a page
for each the ATY challenge and the Popsugar challenge!
I have at least one book listed for almost all 102 prompts--
52 for ATY and 50 for Popsugar.
However, there are way fewer than 102 books listed overall.
Remember, I am counting each book for every prompt it fits!
You are welcome to return to follow my progress!
How about you? Have you ever participated in either or both of these events?
If so, please let me know your thoughts!
If not, why not?!? ;)
Happy reading!
--Lynn
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