2015 TBR Pile Challenge Complete!

Adam, the Roof Beam Reader hosted the TBR Pile Challenge again this year and despite the craziness of the past few months, I actually completed it! Here's the link to my original post.
The goal was to read 12 books from your “to be read” pile within 12 months. Each of the 12 books must have been on your bookshelf or “To Be Read” list for AT LEAST one full year. Caveat: Two (2) alternates are allowed, just in case one or two of the books end up in the “can’t get through” pile. 

There were two on my main list that I didn't get to, but I read both of my alternates. I found a new favorite, A Girl of the Limberlost, tried Haruki Murakami for the first time, and read a good book set in my home state, The Circus in Winter. It was definitely a successful challenge.

Here’s my list:

1) Gulliver's Travels (Done)
    by Jonathan Swift 
2) A Girl of the Limberlost (Done)
    by Gene Stratton-Porter 

3) The Ghost Map (Done)
    by Steven Johnson 

4) Tess of the D'urbervilles (Done)
    by Thomas Hardy 

5) Asterios Polyp (Done)
    by David Mazzucchelli 

6) Master and Commander (Done)
    by Patrick O'Brian 

7) Kafka on the Shore (Done)
    by Haruki Murakami 

8) The Night Watch (Done)
   by Sarah Waters 

9) Light in August  
    by William Faulkner 

10) The Circus in Winter (Done)
    by Cathy Day 

11) Inherit the Wind (Done)
    by Jerome Lawrence 

12) On the Beach  
    by Nevil Shute
ALTERNATES:

1) A Monstrous Regiment of Women (Done)
     by Laurie R. King   

2) A Quiet Storm (Done)

     by Rachel Howzell Hall

Kafka on the Shore

Kafka on the Shore

by Haruki Murakami
★★★★

I was so intimidated to read this author. For years I've seen people recommend his books, but I never took the plunge. Murakami has such a strange reputation and it's definitely not unwarranted. In Kafka on the Shore we have fish are falling from the sky, cats that talk, a pimp named Colonel Sanders, and a Oedipal curse. Throw in a bit of Picnic at Hanging Rock, Stargate, and a dozen other odd pop culture elements and you've got the novel. But at the same time it's about philosophy and literature and finding your identity.

It's a weird book but it's not hard to follow. There are two main plots that eventually wind together. One follows a 15-year-old boy who has run away from home and renamed himself Kafka. The other follows an older man, Nakata, who is unable to read or write after an accident in his youth.

Kafka ends up at a small private library in Takamatsu run by the aloof Miss Saeki and Oshima, both of whom have their own secrets. Nakata hitchhikes with a truck driver named Hoshino. I actually enjoyed Nakata’s sections more, though I can’t put my finger on exactly why.

The book doesn’t follow a normal arch of a novel and many things are left undetermined by the end. I was surprised that this didn’t bother me more. The strange thing about this book is that I didn’t feel like I needed to understand the “Why” behind everything that happened. It was just enough “out there” stuff that I could just accept it and go along for a ride. I don't think this book would work well if you did focus on knowing every detail and having an explanation.

BOTTOM LINE: If you've never tried Murakami, this is a fascinating one to start with. It's strange, but in a wonderful way. He's not my new favorite author, but I am curious to read another of his books and see how it compares.

“There’s only one kind of happiness, but misfortune comes in all shapes and sizes.”

“Reality is just the accumulation of ominous prophecies come to life. You have only to open a newspaper on any given day.”

2015 TBR Pile Challenge

The Roof Beam Reader (Adam) is once again hosting the TBR Pile Challenge. I am pretty picky about what challenges I participate in, but I love this one because it encourages me to read books I already own. 

The Goal: To finally read 12 books from your “to be read” pile (within 12 months).

Specifics: Each of these 12 books must have been on your bookshelf or “To Be Read” list for AT LEAST one full year. Caveat: Two (2) alternates are allowed, just in case one or two of the books end up in the “can’t get through” pile.

Here’s my list for 2015:

1) Gulliver's Travels (Done)
    by Jonathan Swift

2) A Girl of the Limberlost (Done)
    by Gene Stratton-Porter

3) The Ghost Map (Done)
    by Steven Johnson

4) Tess of the D'urbervilles (Done)
    by Thomas Hardy

5) Asterios Polyp (Done)
    by David Mazzucchelli

6) Master and Commander (Done)
    by Patrick O'Brian

7) Kafka on the Shore (Done)
    by Haruki Murakami

8) The Night Watch (Done)
   by Sarah Waters

9) Light in August  
    by William Faulkner

10) The Circus in Winter (Done)
    by Cathy Day

11) Inherit the Wind (Done)
    by Jerome Lawrence

12) On the Beach  
    by Nevil Shute

ALTERNATES:

1) A Monstrous Regiment of Women (Done)
     by Laurie R. King  
2) A Quiet Storm (Done)

     by Rachel Howzell Hall

Top Ten Popular Authors I've Never Read

The Broke and the Bookish asked for the Top Ten Popular Authors I've Never Read. I broke it up into five authors I want to read and can’t believe I’ve never gotten to and five that I’m fine if I don’t ever read them.
Five That I Want To Read:
1) Anthony Trollope (Fig and Thistle and I will be hosting a readalong of his work starting in This month!)
2) Haruki Murakami
3) Isaac Asimov
4) Gabriel García Márquez
5) Marcel Proust

Five That I Don’t Want To Read:
1) Nora Roberts
2) E.L. James
3) Dean Koontz
4) Danielle Steele
5) Clive Barker

Start Here: Read Your Way Into 25 Amazing Authors

Start Here

Read Your Way Into 25 Amazing Authors

by Jeff O'Neal and Rebecca Joines Schinsky

★★★★

The lovely people at Book Riot put this gem together to help readers navigate their way through the work of 25 authors.

There are a few authors on the list that I have already read all of the mentioned books. That list includes; Jane Austen, Ray Bradbury, Charles Dickens, E.M. Forster, and Edgar Allan Poe. I think that with each of these authors the suggested books are a great snapshot of their work.

There are other authors that I have read almost all of the work mentioned, like Ernest Hemingway, Neil Gaiman, Richard Russo and John Irving. With each of these authors I either learned a new tidbit about their lives or was encouraged to pick up another book they’ve written.

The authors I was the most excited about were the ones that are completely new to me and the ones I’ve heard about for years, but have never managed to read. Most are intimidating authors that I’ve never really known where to start. I’m hoping to try one by Italo Calvino, Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Haruki Murakami this year and I’m grateful to have a place to begin.

BOTTOM LINE: If you’re curious about finding new authors this book is a must. Someone else has already done the hard work for you. All you have to do is pick up the suggested books and start reading!

**You can get a kindle copy here. I’m in no way affiliated with Amazon or Book Riot, I just think this book was a great idea and I’m excited that people may find some new authors they love.