Tag: 2012 Challenges

2012 Challenges

Back to the Classics Challenge 2012 – COMPLETE!

Geoff W

Back to the Classics Challenge 2012And just like that, I’ve completed all of my challenges for 2012! I’m glad to be done and have already put sever limitations in place for next year, but that’ll come later when I announce my 2013 challenges. On to the recap!

The Back to the Classics Challenge, hosted by Sarah of Sarah Reads Too Much was incredibly enjoyable because it wasn’t just about reading the classics. It was about reading classics from a broader variety of areas that you might not necessarily read without some sort of catalyst. (I know I wouldn’t have read some without some one saying, hey you should read this.) To find out more click either of the above links or read my original sign up post here.

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2012 Challenges

Mount TBR Reading Challenge 2012 – COMPLETE!

Geoff W

I AM ON TOP OF MOUNT VANCOUVER! I signed up for 25 books for this challenge and I have completed 25 books! The Mount TBR Reading Challenge, hosted by Bev of My Reader’s Block was probably my favorite challenge this year! I desperately have WAY too many books to read and this is a great way to hold me accountable.  I’m working on my list for the 2013 challenge!  To find out more click either of the above links or read my original sign up post here.

Overall for the challenge I read a very wide variety of physical and e-books. Some I enjoyed, some I didn’t.  Many counted as cross overs for other challenges (and will again in 2013).  Check out some quick facts about my challenge.

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Updates

October 2012 Recap – Part 2

Geoff W

As promised here is Part 2! I’m seriously facing a book buying ban after this last stint! Almost all of those below were purchased in the last 10 days! (The top left photo was purchased at the end of September just after I finished writing my recap. Needless to say I’m excited about the purchases and still have money to spend at a couple of local bookstores!

Recent Acquisitions (Don’t I sound like a library?)

Well there goes, saving any money – but I will say I was really good about not spending too much…I was going to list all the books out, but decided not to. You can click on the pictures to see what they are. I did get two in the top left photo for October and November book group (The Talented Mr. Ripley and Get Shorty) and a Pulitzer Prize Winner (The Stone Diaries) and the top right photo has one book on my Classics Club list (Down and Out in Paris and London) and one Booker Prize Winner (Midnight’s Children). The bottom left photo has this year’s Orange Prize Winner (The Song of Achilles). And in the bottom right I picked up both the Edith Wharton books I want to read from the festival (Ethan Frome and The Age of Innocence), another Pulitzer Prize Winner (Middlesex), a book that’ll make Alie happy (Twilight) and I got 1Q84 for helping out (I wanted to pay for it but they wouldn’t let me).

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Books

Mount TBR: Climbing Mt. Vancouver (Checkpoint 3)

Geoff W

Bev of My Reader’s Block has called for the third check in of the 2012 Mount TBR (To Be Read) Reading Challenge and I’m quite pleased with my progress this quarter!  With the recent completion of Kafka on the Shore I have read 22 of 25 books—an astounding 88%!

In addition to our basic check in – Bev has asked us to do a couple of things.  The first is determine how far we’ve made it up the mountain (that’s above) and if possible convert it into actual distance.  As of the last check in, I was 10,735ft or 3,272m up Mount Vancouver (Mount Vancouver is 15,787 ft/4,812m tall according to Google). This check in I am 13,893ft or 4,235m up Mount Vancouver! I’m defintiely entering that final stretch and am very excited as I’ve already completed one challenge for 2012.

The second thing she asked us, is to do one of the following 1) compose a poem (with extra words if needed), 2) Make a suggestion for a new level of Mount TBR (with a corresponding mountain suggestion) or 3) Share a book which has surprised us.

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2012 Challenges

Tea & Books Reading Challenge 2012 – COMPLETE!

Geoff W

The Tea & Books Reading Challenge, hosted by Birgit at The Book Garden, was a great idea and an awesome experience.  You can find out more about the challenge by clicking any of the above links, or reading my original sign up post here.

I originally signed up for the Earl grey Aficionado level (six books) but upgraded to the Sencha Connoisseur after I quickly plowed through George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series. For my upgrade I originally planned on adding Anna Karenina and Ulysses.  I did end up reading Anna Karenina, but decided to wait on Ulysses and instead substituted Doctor Zhivago which I planned on reading for another challenge.

If I have one piece of advice for this challenge in the future.  Definitely break up the books! And make sure to see if your books come with convenient stopping points.  Martin’s series was emotionally demanding and exhausting. I read the first three back-to-back and then took a break.  The two Russian novels were also demanding and incredibly tedious (and totally worth the read), but they came with convenient stopping points in ‘books’ within the novels.

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