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"Read 25 Books by the End of the Year" Challenge

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Discussions' started by George, Jun 28, 2008.

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  1. George

    George Senior Member

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    I saw something similar to this on another forum and thought it would be fun to start here. It's pretty straightforward: read 25 books by December 31st 2008.

    We could each set up a post where we list the books we read and maybe give a bit more information about it. Something like this:

    [1] A River Runs Through It and Other Stories by Norman Maclean; 217 pages
    3 short stories about life in western Montana around the 1920's-40's. I liked this book. Lots of stuff about lumberjacks and being tough.

    They don't have to be "traditional" books, either. Feel free to list graphic novels/comics, audiobooks, ebooks, posts by Zenpharaohs, etc.

    If you're in, make a post. :)
     
    #1 George, Jun 28, 2008
  2. George

    George Senior Member

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    In Progress:

    book
    [20] King Lear by Shakespeare; 126 pages

    audio book
    -

    graphic novel
    -

    Completed:

    books
    [1] A Brief History of Time: Updated and Expanded Tenth Anniversary Edition by Stephen Hawking; 206 pages
    [2] Training Three Days a Week by Jim Wendler; 66 pages
    [3] Under the Bar by Dave Tate; 139 pages
    [4] Bartleby and Benito Cereno by Herman Melville; 104 pages
    [5] The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky; 822 pages
    [6] Shakespeare: The World as Stage by Bill Bryson; 196 pages
    [7] The First Third by Neal Cassady; 222 pages
    [8] Candide by Voltaire; 144 pages
    [9] East of Eden by John Steinbeck; 601 pages
    [10] Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse; 152 pages
    [11] Under the Bar by Dave Tate; 139 pages
    [12] The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks; 184 pages
    [13] The Ends of Our Tethers by Alasdair Gray; 181 pages
    [14] The Stranger by Albert Camus; 154 pages
    [15] The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays by Albert Camus; 151 pages
    [16] The Stornoway Way by Kevin MacNeil; 252 pages
    [17] Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh; 344 pages
    [18] Devils by Fyodor Dostoevsky; 756 pages
    [19] The Trick Is to Keep Breathing by Janice Galloway; 236 pages

    audio books
    [1] 10 Days to a Sharper Memory audio book
    [2] A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
    [3] Beginner's Guide to Buddhism by Jack Kornfield
    [4] Getting Things Done Fast by David Allen
    [5] 1984 by George Orwell
    [6] A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
    [7] The Prince by Machiavelli
    [8] Animal Farm by George Orwell
    [9] Great Philosophical Debates - Free Will and Determinism by Shaun Nichols

    graphic novels
    [1] Watchmen by Alan Moore; 416 pages
     
    #2 George, Jun 28, 2008
    Last edited: Dec 3, 2008
  3. MannishBoy

    MannishBoy Senior Member

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    Audiobooks count? :)

    I read as well as listen to books these days. I've got less time to actually sit down and read (went from a book or two a week to a book a month probably), but I listen to tons when I'm in the car, mowing the yard, etc.
     
    #3 MannishBoy, Jun 28, 2008
  4. OrangeTiger

    OrangeTiger Active Member

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    Nice Challenge George, I'm in! :tu:.

    Currently Reading:

    [1] The Road by Cormac McCarthy
    [2] The Revolution: A Manifesto by Ron Paul
    [3] In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
     
    #4 OrangeTiger, Jun 28, 2008
  5. George

    George Senior Member

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    :whistle:
    Welcome aboard. :)
     
    #5 George, Jun 28, 2008
  6. MannishBoy

    MannishBoy Senior Member

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    :whistle:

    I've been playing around with www.goodreads.com lately. Anybody use that? Kind of a book tracker/social site.

    Audiobook
    The Host by Stephanie Meyer (meh)
    Carpe Jugulum by Terry Pratchett
    Legacy (Sharing Knife Book 2) by Lois Mcmaster Bujold
    Passage (Sharing Knife Book 2) by Lois Mcmaster Bujold
    Nake Empire by Terry Goodkind
    Catch Me if you Can by Frank Abignail
    Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold
    Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold
    Victory of Eagles by Naomi Novik
    All the Weyrs of Pern by Anne McCaffrey
    Spook Country by William Gibson
    When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris - Not what I was expecting. But it was rated high on amazon and was in the "new books" on my library audiobook site. Good to get out of the comfort area once in a while.



    Books
    Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss (excellent, can wait for the next one)
    Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan

    Graphic Novels
    Watchmen
    Sin City 1
    Sin City 2
    Sin City 3

    Total 18
     
    #6 MannishBoy, Jun 28, 2008
    Last edited: Sep 29, 2008
  7. guava

    guava Elite Member
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    I'm in. :tu:
    So the goal is 25 books by the end of this year? Might be tricky. I'll have to throw in some short ones

    Just wondering if all of you guys finish the books you start.

    I'm reading
    Pigtopia by Kathy Fitzgerald
    right now, and it's difficult for me to get through. The language is awkward, and the theme is repeating itself more than introducing fresh things.

    I don't know if I want to finish it. So I started a couple more.

    1) A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby
    about suicide, but it's quirky and insightful, not morose and dreadful. ;)
    2) As a Man Thinketh by James Allen (only 40 pages :dance:)
    short bursts of insight, most of which I've already heard dozens of times, but it's still nice to hear them again
     
    #7 guava, Jun 28, 2008
  8. guava

    guava Elite Member
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    No, I use Books iRead on Facebook.

    :spaz: I just reread George's rules. So I can add all the Oprah magazines I read to my list? No problem then. :cool:
     
    #8 guava, Jun 28, 2008
  9. MannishBoy

    MannishBoy Senior Member

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    Generally. I feel guilty if I don't. A book has to be really bad for me to give it up. :(
     
    #9 MannishBoy, Jun 28, 2008
  10. vanDutton

    vanDutton Active Member

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    Hmmm... this looks interesting. I'm in. Although one of my books is gonna be taking quite a while to finish. After this first one, I should be able to fly through them.

    Reading
    Trying to decide a new one...

    Completed
    1. The Contender - Robert Lipsyte
    2. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand - 1165 Pages
    3. The Outsiders - S.E. Hinton
    4. Invincible - Troy Denning
    5. Revelation - Karen Traviss
     
    #10 vanDutton, Jun 28, 2008
    Last edited: Jul 18, 2008
  11. Nowhereman

    Nowhereman Well-Known Member

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    Sweet! I'm in.

    Do we create one post and edit it each time we read a text or do we reply to our own posts as we read each book? I just think it would be great to see what everyone is reading, espicially if you find someone whose tastes are similar to your own, and not have to search all over for it.
     
    #11 Nowhereman, Jun 28, 2008
  12. George

    George Senior Member

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    I'm doing the one post with edits. That way we can free up the rest of the thread for any discussion we might have. Kinda like the 100 challenges. I don't think we have to be as structured though 'cause I don't see this getting a huge following. If you want to just quote previous posts and add on then feel free to. :nod:
     
    #12 George, Jun 28, 2008
  13. Nowhereman

    Nowhereman Well-Known Member

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    wish you would have posted this 3 weeks ago, I've read like 4 books the last 2 weeks (for a class).
     
    #13 Nowhereman, Jun 28, 2008
  14. Pete5

    Pete5 Active Member

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    Completed

    [1] Friday Night Lights - A Town a Team and a Dream by H.G. Bissinger; 416 pages
     
    #14 Pete5, Jun 28, 2008
    Last edited: Jul 4, 2008
  15. HevyMetal

    HevyMetal Well-Known Member

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    Currently I am undertaking my Master Thesis with the complete unabridged works of Zenpharoahs...

    Zenpharoah's later work is definitely his best..... but he's one of these writers who has remained consistently a "home-run hitter" from day one...his work on Linear Algebra not-with-standing.

    Zen's work highlights the perils and pitfalls (and also successes) of the neo-post second World War lifter.

    I devoured the last 25 posts of Zen quite easily....I could probably digest another 25 within two weeks with no problem.

    His writing style takes you right into the action. It's as if you were there yourself.

    Definitely on a par with Hemingway...but with a little Tolkien sprinkled on it for good effect and just a trace of Salinger.

    :)
     
    #15 HevyMetal, Jun 28, 2008
  16. Pete5

    Pete5 Active Member

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    LOL :lol:
     
    #16 Pete5, Jun 28, 2008
  17. Antimatter

    Antimatter Well-Known Member

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    I'm reading "The Void" by Frank Close, about what really the vacuum of space contains.

    Is it just me or are those Clive Cussler books everywhere.
     
    #17 Antimatter, Jun 29, 2008
  18. zenpharaohs

    zenpharaohs Elite Member
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    Ay! Ay! I saw that.

    Like someone could read 25 of those by New Year's.

    If you count audiobooks, I'll get 25 easily. Paper books? I wish I had time to read.

    OK So far audiobooks (unabridged):

    Patrick O'Brian: The Road to Samarkand

    Patrick O'Brian: Master and Commander
    Patrick O'Brian: Post Captain
    Patrick O'Brian: H. M. S. Surprise
    Patrick O'Brian: The Mauritius Command
    Patrick O'Brian: Desolation Island
    Patrick O'Brian: The Fortune of War
    Patrick O'Brian: The Surgeon's Mate
    Patrick O'Brian: The Ionian Mission
    Patrick O'Brian: Treason's Harbour
    Patrick O'Brian: The Far Side of the World
    Patrick O'Brian: The Reverse of the Medal
    Patrick O'Brian: The Letter of Marque
    Patrick O'Brian: The Thirteen Gun Salute
    Patrick O'Brian: The Nutmeg of Consolation
    Patrick O'Brian: The Truelove
    Patrick O'Brian: The Wine-Dark Sea
    Patrick O'Brian: The Commodore
    Patrick O'Brian: The Yellow Admiral
    Patrick O'Brian: The Hundred Days
    Patrick O'Brian: Blue at the Mizzen

    Shelby Foote: The Civil War: A Narrative. Vol 1: Fort Sumter to Perryville
    Shelby Foote: The Civil War: A Narrative. Vol 2: Fredricksburg to Meridian
    Shelby Foote: The Civil War: A Narrative. Vol 3: Red River to Appomattox

    Books:

    A. Ya. Khintchine: Continued Fractions
     
    #18 zenpharaohs, Jun 29, 2008
    Last edited: Oct 27, 2008
  19. mastover

    mastover Well-Known Member

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    I try and read at least 2-3 books per month, currently in a few book clubs, and also like browsing in the book stores. Last month I read:
    ~The Nature of the Chemical Bond - Linus Pauling
    ~Skeletons in the Sahara - Dean King

    At the present time I am reading three books:
    ~Amino Acid and Peptide Synthesis - John Jones
    ~The Seventh Scroll - Wilbur Smith
    ~Disease (in ancint Egypt) - Joyce Flier
     
    #19 mastover, Jun 29, 2008
  20. Gila Monster

    Gila Monster Well-Known Member

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    Cool thread, I'm in!
    I bought a gazillion books last month so I'm well armed! :p

    [1] The Stranger by Albert Camus - an existentialist novel that muses about the meaning (or lack of thereof) of life. 144 pages. Read.

    [2] A Tribute to 6 Prominent Authors of the 19'th Century including: Sandman by E.T.A Hoffmann, A Tale About Ivan Ivanovich and Ivan Nikiforovich by Gogol, Bartleby by Herman Melville, A Simple Heart by Gustave Flaubert, The Real Thing by Henry James, The Cart of Tosafot Yom-Tov by Mendele Mocher Sforim - 310 pages. Read

    [3] Persepolis - A graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi on her life during the Iranian political events of 1980-1984. Read.

    [4] Persepolis 2 - A graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi that depicts her teenage years as she struggles to form her identity between two cultures. Read.

    [5] Man's Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl - An autobiographical book by a concentration camp survival on his psychotherapeutic method of finding meaning in all sorts of existance. Read.

    [6] King Matuish by Janusz Korczak - A book for children than grown ups can enjoy :) - 540 pages. Read.

    [7] Monday Begins on Saturday by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky - The Russian Harry Potter... Written 40 years earlier. This book offers a satirical glance at the Russian (but not only) Scientific work ethic. This is one of the best sci-fi books I've read - 260 pages. Read.

    [8] Tale of the Troika by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky. A sequel to Monday Begins on Saturday, offers a satirical view of the Russian bureaucracy (211 pages). Read.
     
    #20 Gila Monster, Jun 30, 2008
    Last edited: Sep 12, 2008
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