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Great going - congrats!

Very well done, Deb.

You and John are such fast readers ! I feel like such a slowpoke.

Side note: I didn't know if it was slow poke or slowpoke. I found this tidbit. I've never heard of the term slow coach.

Q: In Rohinton Mistry’s novel A Fine Balance, a father tells his son that “slow coaches�� get left behind. He uses “slow coach�� the way I’d use “slowpoke.�� Which term is more popular? And where does “slowpoke�� come from?

A: Both terms refer to a slow or idle person, and both showed up in the 19th century—“slow coach�� first in the UK and “slowpoke�� soon after in the US.

So it’s not surprising to find “slow coach�� used in Mistry’s novel about four people thrust together in a cramped apartment in India. The author himself was born and brought up in India, where English is of the British variety.

Which term is more popular? “Slowpoke�� (or “slow poke��) by far, with 2.2 million hits on Google compared with 443,000 for “slowcoach�� (or “slow coach��).

But a lot depends on where you live. “Slowcoach�� shows up more often in the UK and Commonwealth countries. “Slowpoke�� is seen more often in the US. (Most of the standard dictionaries we’ve checked prefer the single-word versions of these terms.

Maybe it's because i'm from Oklahoma but i have long thought that "slowpoke" meant a slow cowboy. I'm guessing this is because cowboys are also called "cowpokes". We used "slowpoke" as a sort of joke for the last person into a room in grade school.

The things we learn here!

Anyway, thanks for the comments. I've been on a sort of run in finding books which keep me engaged lately. As you may well remember, this wasn't true in April and May.

Another update.

1 - Book you picked because of the cover--The Brief History of the Dead--Kevin Brockmeier. There are neater and more colorful covers but this one called to me, as did the topic, Does a person fully die when no one on earth is left who remembers you?

43- Book from the Banned Book list. (any year) AND 63- A book published in 1980 --The Outsiders--S.E. Hinton. I really liked this one but can see why some folks would have wanted it banned when it was published. It's a shame because i felt it spoke beautifully about non-related families whose members find one another.

53- Book about racism--White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism--Robin DiAngelo. Workshop leader Dr. DiAngelo challenges white people to consider tackling racism in their own lives when it presents itself, even in jokes.

85- adventure or espionage--All the Horses of Iceland--Sarah Tolmie. This is a stretch for the category but it was a delightful adventure. The story begins in Iceland, travels down to the steppes of Mongolia and back. There is a sort of white-ghost-horse for half the trip, too. In this mythic adventure, the horse is the predecessor of the famous horses of Iceland.

Great categories to tackle! Adventure is broad enough to fit your book for sure

Well done, Deb !

Thank you both. I admit to stretching some of these. Tonight i finished. The Premonitions Bureau: A True Account of Death Foretold--Sam Knight. I've decided this fits quite nicely under Science, although i wouldn't have thought so when i began. It's a wide-ranging book, which i liked but i've always been a sucker for this topic.

Ostensibly about a psychiatrist, John Barker, who investigated premonitions in the UK, setting up the bureau. However, the book strayed quite a distance, covering other health and science issues, all relating to brain, medicine and death. So, i'm adding it to #28.

I am not getting much reading done this week and i wonder if this will be the case all week. It has been family week the last two days with my daughter visiting from NYC. Monday we head to San Antonio for 3 days to visit my 95 year-old mother-in-law. The following week we head to the Pacific Northwest where we will be spending the next two months, at least. There are number of folks to visit there, as well as a late October wedding and an Alaska cruise.

On the cruise, i know i'll read but other than that, i'm going to have to work making time to read. Or not. It's tough to know in advance.

I mention all this because it dawned on my that the rest of my reading year may be iffy, so my 100 challenge may not be as completed as i thought. LOL! Darned family!

August is shaping up a bit slower for me than expected. I've accepted that some of the titles I've slotted in for the challenge just aren't going to happen.

As we've agreed, at least it's doing a great job with TBR clearance!

True, John. Thanks for the reminder. Regardless, i've been quite pleased with TBR's cleared & many not-often-read genres. Next year i will select my own & only make a 50 category...or tailor my 50 to my TBR!

madrano wrote: Monday we head to San Antonio for 3 days to visit my 95 year-old mother-in-law. The following week we head to the Pacific Northwest where we will be spending the next two months, at least. There are number of folks to visit there, as well as a late October wedding and an Alaska cruise..."

Sounds like you have a terrific trips planned, deb !

John wrote: "August is shaping up a bit slower for me than expected. I've accepted that some of the titles I've slotted in for the challenge just aren't going to happen.

As we've agreed, at least it's doing a..."

I didn't get any reading done this past week. Though I brought my Kindle. After being out and about all day I was too tired to read.

I took a trip to Buffalo for the state fair then to Niagara Falls. The weather was absolutely perfect. Daytime temp around 79, no humidity, and sunny. A good time was had by all.

Alias Reader wrote: "John wrote: "August is shaping up a bit slower for me than expected. I've accepted that some of the titles I've slotted in for the challenge just aren't going to happen.

As we've agreed, at least..."

Great to hear you had such a good time! 👍

Thanks, John ! It was a nice change from the normal day to day stuff.

I'm happy to hear your trip and the Weather were so delightful. Usually i can always manage to read a little something at the end of the day but lately my vacations leave me drained. Sure sign of my aging, i suppose. Still, i'd rather be tired from "doing" than reading.

Adding to my completed challenge list the following:

37. Literature - fiction�� Butcher's Crossing��John Williams

48. A Pulitzer prize winning book or Nobel prize winning author-- Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster��Svetlana Alexievich

65. A book published in 1960��Butcher's Crossing��John Williams

70. A book set or about a country you would love to visit��The Blackhouse��Peter May. Set in northern Scotland.

Very nice, deb !

Impressive!

Thank you both.

I must say my mind is still on Scotland, as a result of May’s novel. It’s delightful when that sense of place lingers.

Adding 3 more to my list.

38- book about or set in outer space or astronauts��Dead Space��Kali Wallace. Mining an asteroid, a systems analyst is murdered. The investigators find much amiss. Did I mention this is sci-fi? ‘Tis.

40- bio of a U.S. President or leader of country you live in�� Lion in the White House: A Life of Theodore Roosevelt��Aida D. Donald. Quick but complete bio of TR. Some meat was missing, such as how such a hale man died. It felt quite rushed at the end but that’s why we have Wiki!

69- A book about education or takes place in a school setting��
Reading with Patrick: A Teacher, a Student, and a Life-Changing Friendship��Michelle Kuo. Setting within the school set up for last chance students, so to speak. When the author left after two years, she learns what occurred to some students, including one accused of killing a man. She returned to help.

98- Book set on a plane, train or cruise ship��Cabin Fever: The Harrowing Journey of a Cruise Ship at the Dawn of a Pandemic��Jonathan Franklin & Michael Smith. The beginning was about the guests and staff—work and pleasure, which was informative. The rest, about the spread of COVID on board & the response from Holland America, as well as nations which forbade docking spoke volumes. Panama is proud of what they did, as well they should be, by allowing passage through the Canal.

How did you like Cabin Fever? I'm always in search of a buddy-read for my husband and myself (we like very different books), and this looks like it might appeal to a wide range of readers?

Nice, deb. I continue to be amazed at how quickly you read !

Congrats on crossing off several categories!

Thanks for the comments. We watch little tv and are retired, so it’s not surprising I have been reading so much.

Lindsey, cabin Fever wasn’t terrific but i felt it balanced the stories shared. While a reader could understand decisions made, the personal human ones were intriguing. The fact that we all experienced the pandemic helped bring about memories and thoughts we may have forgotten. There could be quite a bit to discuss—both as individuals and as nations and the decisions they made when accepting or rejecting permission to dock.

While my husband wasn’t moved to join me in reading the book, hearing points about what i read was good for chatting. I hope that helps.

At Last! I have finished The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman-Laurence Sterne! This fulfills #4, a Classic and #14, a book over 500 pages. And what a book! Written in the mid 1700s, Sterne humor was delightful and ahead of its time. The premise is that Tristram will relate his life story. But before that, he discussed his father, Walter, his Uncle Toby, and so much more that it is well over 1/3 into the book before Tristram’s birth. At which point he returns to the family.

Oh, my! The book is full of wandering, as Tristram seems unable to tell one story without a lead-in, usually several chapters (short ones, sometimes only a page long), before beginning the story anew. Frustrating…and delightful. Eventually readers realize that what he tells us about his father is an echo of what we discover about Tristram himself.

I read almost half the novel before connecting to Cliff Notes. What a blessing for interpreting what i barely understood, such as Uncle Toby’s fascination with building life-size reproductions of battles in which he & his friend/servant served.

I am glad i stayed with it but would be cautious in suggesting it to today’s reader, unless they like reading novels which helped shape & reshaped literature. It is surprisingly modern but references to places, clothing and such means plenty of dictionary action.

Glad to have this under my belt!

Well done, Deb. I find Cliff Notes and other aids a great help when reading classics.

There is plenty of info in Cliff Notes, that’s for certain. I don’t think to use them often but in this case, i’m so very glad I remembered them.

Finished but haven't commented elsewhere about the following;
27-Current Events--Living in a World That Can't Be Fixed: Reimagining Counterculture Today--Curtis White.
I was disappointed in this one. The title seems to promise something White doesn't live up to--answers. Basically he proposes living outside the Amazon/Federal Government/Media world but without any guidance at all. Just examples primarily from the last century--gays in San Francisco and hippie communes. He's not advocating not paying taxes or such, just not following the herd.

36. Graphic Novel--Pretending Is Lying-Dominique Goblet. Interesting graphic, a genre i do not much like for myself. This one isn't splashed with vivid coloring. Indeed, it is mostly brown, black, white and another muted color or two. The stories depict one family and how they have talked themselves into what they see about themselves, rather than how things really are. Sad but interesting, in some ways.

41. Bio of President or Leader of a country you don't live in--A Kim Jong-Il Production: The Extraordinary True Story of a Kidnapped Filmmaker, His Star Actress, and a Young Dictator's Rise to Power--Paul Fischer. Well, i thought i was reading about the current leader of North Korea but this was about his father. From what i know of the present leader, he is very, very similar to his father. The interest in films is remarkable and it was Kim Jong-Il's intention to lift the image of his father even further into a god-like status. Curious combination of bios--the actress and her filmmaker husband, kidnapped by NK to show their nation how to make better movies.

Well done on some really difficult categories, deb.

The Kim Jong book sounds interesting!

Thanks, Alias. I must have sampled 30 graphic novels to find one that fit my iPad screen. Too many couldn’t be enlarged, as they were browser-only books.

Julie, that book read very easily. And it told a remarkable story!

Great job with those titles! Honestly, not sure I'd have been able to get through them.

madrano wrote: "Thanks, Alias. I must have sampled 30 graphic novels to find one that fit my iPad screen. Too many couldn’t be enlarged, as they were browser-only books.
..."

I admire your dedication madrano. Kudos to everyone who takes on these challenges. 🙂

(I don't have the patience or drive.)

Thanks to each of you for your comments. John, you make a good point. Honestly, one of the reasons i selected that graphic novel was its brevity. I have little patience for them. For the White book, i was quite bummed when he didn’t deliver.

Barbara, frankly, i didn’t think I would stay with the challenge. But as i researched titles to fit categories, i began really enjoying the process. However, my TBR is feeling quite ignored.

Just finished One Life--Megan Rapinoe for 19-Sports Related. Rapinoe is a soccer superstar about whom i knew nothing. Now i know where she grew up and how her politics have now become an important part of the woman she now is. Many photos at the end illustrated from what small town beginnings she rose. Good for her!

This is a tough category for most of us, so kudos to you for managing it!

100 book challenge - 19-Sports Related

John wrote: "This is a tough category for most of us, so kudos to you for managing it!"

I few years ago I read an amazing book on tennis. It's the autobiography of tennis great Andre Aggasi. Tennis is something I know zero about and don't follow. That said, Open is an excellent read and I gave it a top rating.

Though the book lists Agassi as the author it was ghost written by
J.R. Moehringer , Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of The Tender Bar: A Memoir The Tender Bar was another terrific book .

Open by Andre Agassi

Thank you both for your encouragement! I recall your praise of that book when you read it, Alias. It didn’t come to mind, however, when seeking a book for this category.

Change, for #22- Legal or featuring the legal profession. Originally i listed Guilt by Association��Marcia Clark but, as there was ZERO action in a courtroom, led to guilt. So, i read Anatomy of a Murder��Robert Traver. It was billed as “the original courtroom thriller��. While i didn’t consider it a thriller it was set in a courtroom for at least half the book. And very good it was, i must say.

Set in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in the late ��50s, a military man has killed a barkeeper, who raped his wife. It held my interest not as a whodunit but as a question of laws and case presentation.

Also, 35- computers / tech involved in the book��Upgrade��Blake Crouch. In it an agent’s very genes are upgraded in a criminal explosion. Fascinating science fiction and work about technology.

madrano wrote: "Change, for #22- Legal or featuring the legal profession. Originally i listed Guilt by Association��Marcia Clark but, as there was ZERO action in a courtroom, led to ..."

I'm happy the challenge led you to discover two books that you may have not read otherwise.

I usually enjoy courtroom drama's. So I'm putting Anatomy of a Murder on my TBR list. My sister used to live in the UP of Michigan. Very nice, but wicked winters.

Darn. My library only has the audio not the eBook. That would have ticked off two for me. A book published before 1960 and legal crime.

Deb, do you think the book would be hard to follow with audio?
I need a linear timeline and not too many characters.

Alias, this would be perfect, imo. It is linear, good storytelling and fairly easy to follow. It didn’t seem to me as though there were too many characters, either, once things were underway. I would definitely give it a try via audio.

madrano wrote: "Alias, this would be perfect, imo. It is linear, good storytelling and fairly easy to follow. It didn’t seem to me as though there were too many characters, either, once things were underway. I wou..."

Thank you !

I didn't think courtroom scenes were necessary? My book for this didn't have any, being set at a law firm.

Generally i agree, John. In the case of Marcia Clark’s novel, the entire story was told more like a mystery novel. A courtroom was never entered, nor were any legalities mentioned beyond the usual Miranda, etc.. For me, the point was to read about the application of law in cases, not the clue-finding action.

I'm adding a few more books to my list...and am running out of characters. Am truncating titles but keeping links.

13- A health, diet, exercise, fitness & wellness book�� The One-Minute Workout: Science Shows a Way to Get Fit That's Smarter, Faster, Shorter--Martin Gibala. I learned much and am attempting to give this a go.

24- Self- help�� The One-Minute Workout: Science Shows a Way to Get Fit That's Smarter, Faster, Shorter--Martin Gibala

25- religious or spirituality-The Colony: Faith and Blood in a Promised Land--Sally Denton

61- book about philosophy- A Philosophy of Walking-Frédéric Gros

77- A book you think would be a challenging read for you- A Philosophy of Walking-Frédéric Gros. It was challenging but not as bad as i expected, at all. I selected right for me.

80- Read a book set on or about one of the continents - Asia, Africa, N America, S America, Antarctica, Europe and Australia. Extra credit if you read one from each continent. Ivory Vikings: The Mystery of the Most Famous Chessmen in the World and the Woman Who Made Them--Nancy Marie Brown. I had hoped to make all continents but only managed Asia & Europe.

94- Read more books then you did in 2021, accomplished November 11/23, by reading 107 books this year.

Good job! Especially impressed you managed (the dreaded) philosophy category!

Really well done deb. I'm curious. I know you are a big traveler.
#80 had me thinking. Have you been to each continent ?

madrano wrote: "I'm adding a few more books to my list...and am running out of characters. Am truncating titles but keeping links.


I had this issue, too. Initially I was listing all the books I read that fit a category.

My questions for you, John and anyone else who is going to particpate in the 100 Book Challenge of 2023:


1- Should I make a separate Folder for the Challenge? This might make it easier to find on the board and make it easier to see how others in the challenge are doing or should I leave it in the Determination Lists & Challenges Folder.

2- Since we ran out of characters allowed in a single post, when I make up the final challenge list, should we separate it into group 1 and group 2 of prompts? Fifty prompt in each.

3- Should I set up the Master Prompt list next week? I think that should give us enough time.

Then people can add prompts to it as they wish. Then towards the end of the month, I'll make sure there are no duplicates. I'll post a final list and everyone can make one or two challenges to bump a prompt and replace it with one from the Master list that didn't make the initial list.

I've never done this before, so all ideas are welcome from anyone who is going to participate in the challenge.

Thanks !!!

Alias Reader wrote: "Really well done deb. I'm curious. I know you are a big traveler.
#80 had me thinking. Have you been to each continent ?"

I wish! No, we've been to North & South America, Europe and Africa with our one visit to Egypt. Before we end, i hope to visit Japan, after the number of books i've read about it, from natives.