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A new year and a new challenge. I started out thinking I needed to read more variety so I’d read at least one book from every decade since 1900. That seemed a little thin even for me who usually only reads twenty books a year. Then I thought about reading a pangram of author names and calling it The Quick Brown Fox Jumps Over the Lazy Dog challenge or just The Lazy Dog Challenge. I switched it up from the pangram to just read a book by an author whose last name begins with �?� for every letter of the alphabet. So there it is. You can see the booklist here.

You will probably be able to track my progress over on MobileRead as well, but I’ll post a quick review of the books here as I complete them and give a status of where I am.

Status
Alphabet: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Decades: 19 00 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 00 10

The Required Reading List

1. Paul Auster, The New York Trilogy (1980s)
2. Ray Bradbury, R Is for Rocket (1960s)
3. Italo Calvino, Invisible Cities(1970s)
4. Philip K. Dick, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1960s)
5. Jennifer Egan, A Visit from the Goon Squad (2010s)
6. William Faulkner, The Sound and the Fury (1920s)
7. Steven Galloway, Ascension (2000s)
8. Aldous Huxley, Brave New World (1930s)
9. Masuji Ibuse, Black Rain (1980s)
10. James Joyce, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1910s)
11. Franz Kafka, The Trial (1920s)
12. Jack London, The Call of the Wild (1900s)
13. Rohinton Mistry, Such a Long Journey (1990s)
14. R.K. Narayan, The Guide (1950s)
15. Kenzaburo Oe, A Personal Matter (1960s)
16. Terry Pratchett, The Wee Free Men (Discworld, #30) (2000s)
17. Paul Quarrington, Whale Music (1990s)
18. Tom Robbins, Another Roadside Attraction 1970s)
19. John Steinbeck, Cannery Row (1940s)
20. Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (19th C)
21. John Updike, Rabbit, Run (1960s)
22. Catherynne M. Valente The Labyrinth (2000s)
23. Virginia Woolf, To the Lighthouse (1920s)
24. Gao Xingjian, Soul Mountain (1980s)
25. Charles Yu, How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe (2010s)
26. Markus Zusak, The Book Thief (2000s)


The Extra Books Reading List

27. Ted Hughes, Birthday Letters (1990s)
28. Stanley Elkin, Van Gogh's Room at Arles: Three Novellas (1990s)
29. Gordon Neufeld, Hold On to Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More Than Peers (2000s)
30. Kurt Vonnegut, God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater (1960s)
31. Neil Gaiman, Neverwhere (2000s)
32. James Gleick, The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood (2010s)
33. Ransom Riggs, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2010s)
34.Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club (1990s)
35. Terry Pratchett, A Hat Full of Sky (1990s)
36. Richard Matheson, I Am Legend (1950s)
37. Naomi Aldort, Raising Our Children, Raising Ourselves (2000s)
38. Arlene G. Taylor, The Organization of Information (2000s)
39. Dave Bidini, Tropic of Hockey: My Search for the Game in Unlikely Places (2000s)
40. Terry Pratchett, I Shall Wear Midnight (2010s)
41. Andrea Resmini, Pervasive Information Architecture: Designing Cross-Channel User Experiences (2010s)
42. Roddy Doyle, Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha (1990s)
43. Luke Tredinnick, Why Intranets Fail (And How To Fix Them) (2000s)
44. H.G. Wells, In the Days of the Comet (1900s)
45. Ha Jin, The Crazed (2000s)
46. Terry Pratchett, Wyrd Sisters (1980s)
47. Terry Pratchett, Pyramids (1980s)
48. Sarah Selecky, This Cake Is for the Party (2010s)
49. Terry Pratchett, Unseen Academicals (2000s)
50. Carlos Ruiz Zafon, The Shadow of the Wind (2000s)
51. Neil Gaiman, Stardust (1990s)
52. Paolo Bacigalupi, The Windup Girl (2000s)
53. Diane Duane, So You Want to Be a Wizard (1980s)
54. Robert Lynn Asprin, M.Y.T.H. Inc. in Action (1990s)
55. Dave Bidini, On a Cold Road: Tales of Adventure in Canadian Rock (1990s)
56. Douglas Coupland, The Gum Thief (2000s)
57. Kurt Vonnegut, Hocus Pocus (1990s)
58. Robert Lynn Asprin, Sweet Myth-Tery of Life (1990s)
59. E. Annie Proulx, Accordion Crimes (1990s)
60. Robert Lynn Asprin, Myth-ion Improbable (2000s)
61. Robert Lynn Asprin, Something M.Y.T.H. Inc. (2000s)
62. Terry Pratchett, Making Money (2000s)
63. Dave Bidini, Home and Away (2010s)
64. Diane Duane, Deep Wizardry (1980s)
65. Charles Stross, Halting State (2000s)
66. Haruki Murakami, South of the Border, West of the Sun (1990s)
67. Jim Butcher, Storm Front (2000s)
68. Paolo Bacigalupi, Pump Six and Other Stories (2000s)
69. Russell Meek, The Madness of Hallen (2010s)
70. Terry Pratchett, Moving Pictures (1990s)
71. Kelly Link, Magic for Beginners (2000s)
72. Charles Stross, The Atrocity Archives (2000s)
73. Chuck Palahniuk, Damned (2010s)

Homeinmyshoes wrote: "Here is my required reading list to complete the challenge. In case people like that sort of thing.

1. Paul Auster, The New York Trilogy (1980s)
2. Ray Bradbury, R is for Rocket (1960s)
3. Ita..."

Nice list!


4. Philip K. Dick, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1960s)

The science channel or the history channel had a documentary on PKD. Can't remember the name but you might like it, it was very interesting.

Homeinmyshoes wrote: "Here is my required reading list to complete the challenge. In case people like that sort of thing.

1. Paul Auster, The New York Trilogy (1980s)
2. Ray Bradbury, R is for Rocket (1960s)
3. Ita..."

Yes, we like that sort of thing. That's a nice list!

I think I might be getting The Short Novels of John Steinbeck for the holidays.

I gave my wife a list of books I wanted and I'm pretty sure a lot of them weren't going to be found at the bookstore.

I also see that the MobileRead January Book Club voting is on. There might be a substitution for I.

Well, two days into the challenge and I've already substituted a title. Black Rain is in and The Hotel New Hampshire is out.

Finished #3 on the required reading list.

Italo Calvino, Invisible Cities (1970s)

Hooray! Highly recommended.

1 down, 25 to go. Of course that was a short one. We'll see how well the next few go.

Finished #12 on the required reading list.

Jack London, The Call of the Wild (1900s)

Some weak parts to this one. While I might say some parts were weak, it wasn't unenjoyable at any time it's just that the first portion of the book is just so good that it fell off a little in the end. This was not a book that had me wondering when it was going to suck me in.

Wow HIMS you're going through your list, like water!! I'm still trying to finish my first book of the year.

^It helps when both books were of the shorter variety. 165 and 208 pages respectively. I'm well into slowing down now already, but I did take advantage of the couple of days at the beginning of the year to average 100 pages a day so far. I usually only manage about 40 a day. I will take any jump I can get. :)

I hear you. My "bump" in the road was trying to find the right version of and then switching to it for a day or two.

I've decided to finish , and then go to The Iliad. Unfortunately, it means I'll be behind in the discussion, as that starts on Monday.

^I'm forgoing the Iliad right now. I just look at it and figure there's other things to read. I'll read it some time.

I just finished #6 on the list. Third book this year. I'll pay for that later as a skipped lying down for a nap when my son had his in order to finish it. :)

William Faulkner, The Sound and the Fury (1920s)

No comment on this one yet. I found the first chapter to be a very difficult read. All dialog and without much narration at all to give any indication of circumstance. Definitely a thinking book. I did enjoy the last half of the book a lot.

I finished #11 on the list.

Franz Kafka, The Trial

I like how this can be read on so many different levels. Highly recommended.

I finished #9 from the list.

Masuji Ibuse, Black Rain.

Riveting and disturbing. This book will stay in my memories for a long time.

Homeinmyshoes wrote: "I finished #9 from the list.

Masuji Ibuse, Black Rain.

Riveting and disturbing. This book will stay in my memories for a long time."

I agree. At times my mind didn't know what to do with the information. I had to keep reminding myself that "we" (the US and Japan) were at war.

It's made me go and read some background information on the Peace Memorial and the bomb itself. My knowledge of the war is so limited.

I had conversations with the Media Specialist for the school where I volunteer/sub. Although she was born a few years after the war, she is former military, well versed in world history, and has a specific interest in Japan. She helped me understand some of the basic political aspects of Japan's part of the war and the bombing itself.

Finished #16 on the list.

Terry Pratchett, The Wee Free Men

Fun.

Dang it. I'm only a quarter of the way through John Steinbeck's Cannery Row and I can already see that I'm probably going to have to read the entirety of The Short Novels of John Steinbeck .

"Hazel hated that, it meant casting about in his mind for an answer and casting about in Hazel's mind was like wandering alone in a deserted museum. Hazel's mind was choked with uncatalogued exhibits. He never forgot anything, but he never bothered to arrange his memories. Everything was thrown together like fishing tackle in the bottom of a rowboat, hooks and sinkers and line and lures and gaffs all snarled up."

I finished #10 on the list James Joyce, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man .

I can’t say I’d recommend Joyce to anyone to read. He’s difficult and his wanderings can be downright obtuse, but then he can captivate me and write some of the most beautiful lines. It’s just such a love/hate scenario. Take the 2* rating with a grain of salt. It’s not that bad, but it’s not a real like for me.

Finished #19 on the list.

John Steinbeck, Cannery Row

Read this book. That's all I'll say.

Finished the first non-original-list book.

Ted Hughes, Birthday Letters

Just a remarkable collection. So very tangible.

I also finished #26 on the list.

Markus Zusak, The Book Thief (2000s)

A little slow starting, but definitely worth the effort. I wasn't enamored with Death to start, but he grew on me.

I'm working my way through Gilgamesh right now...

^You're not the first person to mention that book. What version are you reading?

I finished #13 on the list.

Rohinton Mistry, Such a Long Journey (1990s)

Good, but this one suffers rating wise because Mistry has written such stunning stuff that what is excellent for one author becomes merely good with another. I'd recommend reading it, but if you haven't read A Fine Balance then read it and not this one.

I've tried two different translations that were just WRONG or not the column I wanted to start in - and that was trying both PG and MR. I ended up grabbing a a partial translation online. It's decent and much closer to the translations I've read in the past.

I refused to break down and buy another copy of the Norton Anthology just to read Gilgamesh...

I've been pondering or maybe


I haven't been let down by anything I've picked up from Yann Martel's What is Stephen Harper Reading blog.

Dr. Drib on MobileRead just posted a freebie horror boxed set thread and...I must hang my head in shame...

Homeinmyshoes wrote: "Dr. Drib on MobileRead just posted a freebie horror boxed set thread and...I must hang my head in shame..."

Haha! You too, eh? :-)

lol!

I've poked my toe in the Jennifer Crusie waters and found that it is my perfect temperature!

Homeinmyshoes wrote: "I've been pondering Gilgamesh, Derek Hines or maybe
Gilgamesh, Stephen Mitchell

I haven't been let down by anything I've picked up from Yann Martel's What is Stephen Harper Reading blog."

Maybe I should look at that.

I'm following along with an World Lit I course on iTunes and I keep having to remind myself that I am NOT going to re-buy this book, lol.

The only challenge I'll be achieving this year is the bury yourself in your TBR challenge. Amazon's monthly 100 list is out...

Elkin, Vonnegut...

Curses!

lol!

I finished book #1 on the required reading list.

Paul Auster, The New York Trilogy (1980s)

A very good read. Very interesting. Geeky stuff and mystery and about writing and disappearing and everything. Scarlett Thomas must have read Auster.

"Faced with a million bits of random information, led down a million paths of false inquiry, I had to find the one path that would take me where I wanted to go." - Paul Auster -

I finished another non-original list book.

28. Stanley Elkin, Van Gogh's Room at Arles (1990s).

It might end up being a substitution pick for Jennifer Egan, but we'll see if I have something else to cover the 2010s time period.

You're doing great to stay on your goal list!

Upfront detailed research makes it a lot easier to stay on track. My OC tendencies help a lot on that one too.

13 read, 10 from the original list. Not bad. Elkin and Hughes were off the original list and Ibuse was a substitution for Irving under the 'I'.

I need to update the original post so it's clear what the list was.

Love the idea of your challenge list - a book for each decade.

I've got challenges coming out of my proverbial this year so I won't suddenly whip up something similar, but I'll keep the idea aside for future challenges.

Caleb wrote: "Love the idea of your challenge list - a book for each decade.

I've got challenges coming out of my proverbial this year so I won't suddenly whip up something similar, but I'll keep the idea as..."

Thanks. I find that when it comes to architecture we ignore the mid-century from a preservation of great examples standpoint so I figured I should do some searching to see what I might be missing out through the decades of publishing. It was a lot of fun generating the list.

I might have to do another substitution. Catherynne M. Valente's The Labyrinth isn't available from my library, isn't available at Chapters, isn't available as an e-book and amazon only has new and used copies starting at $214.

$*(@(!)~

I finished a third non-required book.

29. Gordon Neufeld, Hold on to Your Kids (2000s)

A good read. Lots of practical and useful stuff.

14 books down now.

Finished #24 on the required list.

Gao Xingjian, Soul Mountain (1980s)

Does anyone know how the widget is calculating the on-pace with the schedule number? Mine is saying I am 9 books ahead or 16% ahead of schedule. 16%? That's way low. My calculations say I should be at about 7.1 books read and I just finished number 15. So I'm more than 100% ahead of schedule. If I was 16% ahead of schedule I would have just finished book number 9. I know my pace is not going to last. Is the widget factoring in the knowledge that I won't keep this pace up? :)

Updated the list. Made a format change so that replacements to the original list are now in the required list, but the original option is still shown as a strike-through.

Well, time to mark off V for Vonnegut and the 1960s.

Kurt Vonnegut, God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater (1960s)

All I have to say is: God Bless You, Mr. Vonnegut. A fine read, one of my favourite ones from Vonnegut.

Homeinmyshoes wrote: "Does anyone know how the widget is calculating the on-pace with the schedule number? Mine is saying I am 9 books ahead or 16% ahead of schedule. 16%? That's way low. My calculations say I should be..."

I have no clue. I wish I did...

Under the G,

Neil Gaiman, Neverwhere (2000s)

Very entertaining. Might be my favourite Gaiman title so far. Definitely recommended for some fantasy in the sort of creepy, but not too scary variety.

17 letters done.

Homeinmyshoes wrote: "Under the G,

Neil Gaiman, Neverwhere (2000s)

Very entertaining. Might be my favourite Gaiman title so far. Definitely recommended for some fantasy in the sort of creepy, but not too scary var..."

I've got to get into some Gaiman...just to figure out all the hype, at least.

I really enjoyed The Graveyard Book which is more young adult. Good Omens which he co-wrote with Terry Pratchett is brilliant as a comic-fantasy-satire.

I've got American Gods on my short list of probably reads. I might not get to it this year, but it would be on next year's list unless I come up with something weirder than this year's challenges that would prevent it from being on the list.

I finally just noticed the add book/author option for these posts. I guess I'll have to go do some editing in this thread so it works for the books/authors mentioned properly.

Homeinmyshoes wrote: "I really enjoyed The Graveyard Book which is more young adult. Good Omens which he co-wrote with Terry Pratchett is brilliant as a comic-fantasy-satire.

I've got [boo..."

I've got a copy of American Gods so I really will get to it...one day, lol.

LIFO, that's my motto.

^Remind me never to queue up in your store. :)