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Read 25/26 challenges.
I'm going into the year with a plan but I'm sure it will completely fall apart!
Finished: 23/25
��: Finished
*- Currently reading

1. A book you received as a gift.
- Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser
- The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See
- Penguin Island by Anatole France

��2. A book that takes place in New York, New Mexico, New Jersey, New Hampshire.
- The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera - 4 stars
Set in 2 locations: New Mexico and outer space!

��3. A book about: book clubs, book stores, libraries
- The Cat Who Saved Books by Sōsuke Natsukawa Fin: Feb 7 (4 stars)

��4. A book from Moderator Recommends
- The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding: a Hercule Poirot Short Story by Agatha Christie

��5. A new release
- The Magician by Colm Tóibín, pub Sept 2021 (that's a new release for me.)
Fin: March 31 (5 stars!)

��6. A lesser known book written by any author.
- Maigret on the Riviera by Georges Simenon Fin: Feb (2 stars)

��7. A book with a two word title.
-The Aviator by Eugene Vodolazkin Fin: Jan (3.5 stars)

��8. A book with a different culture than yours.
- A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki Fin: 2/23 ( 5 stars!)

��9. A book about someone who is dead.
-The Immortal Irishman: The Irish Revolutionary Who Became an American Hero by Timothy Egan Fin: Feb (5 stars)

��10. A book from a genre you don’t usually read. (Humor)
-Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Fin: Jan (1 star)

��11. Read two books by one author, name author.
- Daphne du Maurier: My Cousin Rachel & The Glass-Blowers

��12. Book set in a fictional town.
- Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy Fin: Jan 9 (4 stars)

��13. A light hearted or fun book.
- Nives by Sacha Naspini
(The subject matter wasn't light-hearted but I found myself laughing out loud at the dialogue.)

��14. A book about betrayal.
- The Betrayers by David Bezmozgis Fin: April 4 stars

��15. A book written by an author who uses initials for his/her name.
- VALIS by P.K. Dick

��16. A book you own but haven’t read yet.
- The Trumpeter of Krakow by

��17. A book from the bottom of your tbr list.
-The Metamorphosis by Franz kafka

��18. A highly anticipated book.
- I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys Fin: March 16 (5 stars)

��19. A book you picked up at the library.
- Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

��20. A book you bought/borrowed w/o reading the inside blurb.
The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

��21. A book that starts with the letter W, X,Y, or Z*
-World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments by Aimee Nezhukumatathil

��22. A book from a series.
The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper Fin: Jan (4 stars)

23. A book with a number in the title.
- 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke
- 23 Degrees South: A Tropical Tale of Changing Whether...

24. Read a book set in a state with a direction in its name: North, South, East, or West. (N.C, N.D, S.C, S.D, W.V)
- The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls (WV)
- Evensong by Gail Godwin (NC)

��25. A book written by someone from The U.K. (N. Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales)
-The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart Fin: Jan (4 stars)

��26. A book with an Orange cover.
- Don't Look Now by Daphne du Maurier
Fin: March 16 (5 stars)

You've thought this out very well. Excellent selections.

Bill wrote: "You've thought this out very well. Excellent selections."

Thanks Bill! I already had to delete one book since I started reading it this month! It never fails. I'm going to leave #18 open for a 2022 published book. I also want to try to find some other options for #25 - specifically authors form Scotland and Northern Ireland. All of the Irish authors I originally came up with are not from Northern Ireland. I've never really thought about the distinction before.

You have some great options, Pam. Good planning. Good luck on the challenge.

Good luck, Pam! Happy reading! 🐾

Pam wrote: "Bill wrote: "You've thought this out very well. Excellent selections."

Thanks Bill! I already had to delete one book since I started reading it this month! It never fails. I'm going to leave #18 o..."

Jane Harris, originally from Northern Ireland, later Scotland. I liked her Gillespie and I and The Observations.

Oh wow, you have some great selections on your list! I love anything by Barbara Kingsolver and look forward to hearing your thoughts on The Island of Sea Women if you get to that one. Sounds really fascinating!

Pam wrote: "Bill wrote: "You've thought this out very well. Excellent selections."

Thanks Bill! I already had to delete one book since I started reading it this month! It never fails. I'm going to leave #18 o..."

Stuart Neville has a series set in Northern Ireland

I finished 5 books in January. My favorite was the classic Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy. I'm almost finished with my 6th The Immortal Irishman: The Irish Revolutionary Who Became an American Hero by Timothy Egan, which I highly recommend for any of you who like history. This book spans 3 continents and includes the Civil War. The writing is terrific, reading like an adventure novel. After finishing it, I'm going to attempt to finish the Count of Monte Cristo which I started in 2021. At 1100 pages, it's just a monster of a book! I'm going to take it 1 chapter a day so I can read some other books, also!

Finished books #6 and 7.
Prompt #9. A book about someone who is dead. I read The Immortal Irishman: The Irish Revolutionary Who Became an American Hero. Really interesting biography!

Prompt #3. A book about: book clubs, book stores, libraries
This was a prompt I thought would be really hard since I've already read the books that I was interested in. But, I found this wonderful title, The Cat Who Saved Books, that I couldn't resist reading. I thoroughly enjoyed it and read it in one day! I would classify it as Japanese YA Magical Realism.

Finished books 8 & 9.

Prompt #6. A lesser known book written by any author.
- Maigret on the Rivieraby Georges Simenon
This was my 2nd book by Simenon, a very prolific mystery writer. I didn't like either one of them. I picked up 5 of his books for free. My dad is enjoying them but I'm going to pass on reading any more. The main character Inspector Maigret is just not interesting to me. Plus, I'm not a big mystery reader.

Prompt #8. A book with a different culture than yours. (Japanese)
- A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki
Absolutely loved this book from start to end! So much to ponder, including quantum mechanics, and emotions to feel. I think I will go sit zazen right now in honor of the characters Nao, old Jiko, and Haruki #1! This book will be one of my favorites of the year!

You're quite well organized here!

Finished books 10-16 but I'm too lazy to write a blurb for each one right now! Everything I've read has been really good except for Cat's Cradle. I am not a Vonnegut fan and only read the book for a library book club meeting, which I had to miss because I was quarantining due to COVID. Ugh.
I highly recommend Nives, The Magician, I Must Betray You, Don't Look Now, and Klara and the Sun.

I will probably get to 22, maybe 23 books. I think I will be shy a few to complete the challenge.

I'm now at 23 books! I finished #2 - A book that takes place in New York, New Mexico, New Jersey, New Hampshire. I read the 2022 Newberry Medal winner The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera. (Cuentista translates to Storyteller.) I really enjoyed it! It was a nice break from reading Russian classics. It is a sci-fi story about humans leaving the Earth, in anticipation of a cataclysmic event, and the events that unfold when they reach their destination. I've read a few of these types of stories but this one was different with the storytelling aspect of the main character Petra and the main characters being children. It's set in 2 locations, New Mexico and outer space, and alternates between the two.