Streamsong is BOMBing the mountain

Snak(BOMBS) Books Off My Book Shelves 2012 Challenge

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Streamsong is BOMBing the mountain

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1streamsong
Redigeret: aug 23, 2012, 9:29 am

Good ole MT TBR is being bombed.

My goal is a minimum of 30 books--hopefully I'll read a few more in this new year which seems all bright and shiny. But as we all know, new books are also bright and shiny and sneak onto shelves when we're not looking.

I'd really like to finish reading or discarding the TBR books I entered when I first joined LT in 2006 .... so I'm giving my goal a twist.

Goal: minimum of 30 books AND 150 points with the points being assigned as follows:

1. BOMBS entered into LT in 2006 --6 points
2. BOMBS entered into LT in 2007--5 points
3. BOMBS entered into LT in 2008--4 points
4. BOMBS entered into LT in 2009--3 points
5. BOMBS entered into LT in 2010--2 points
6. BOMBS entered into LT in 2011 --1 point
7. BOMBS not previously entered into LT but which have been around the house pre-2011 (most of these are pre-2006)--1 point

I'm happy to talk about any of the books I'm reading, but I'm not going to post a lot of reviews here since I don't want to entice people to add to their own TBR mountains! Here's my 75 books challenge thread where my reviews live: http://www.librarything.com/topic/129819#3131253







2FAMeulstee
jan 1, 2012, 3:23 pm

hi Janet, nice to see you here too :-)

Interesting concept with the points, I am just going for those 555 Childrens and YA books read pre LT, or never read at all, my goal is 40 for this year.

3streamsong
jan 2, 2012, 11:06 am

Hi Anita--It may be too complicated, but I'll give it a try for a while to see if it helps me stay in the 'deep end' of the TBR sea.

January 2nd, and I haven't acquired any books, yet. But I look at all the wonderful books people are reading in their threads and the TIOLI challenge and I have to sit on my hands to keep from ordering more.

4streamsong
Redigeret: jan 21, 2012, 11:36 pm

Yay--finally get to put a book here!

1. Beyond Religion: Ethics for a Whole World by H. H. Dalai Lama.
-ER book. (Review to come)
-75 er's TIOLI January 2012 #13. Read a book written by someone who was already famous for something OTHER than writing
-Book Added in 2011 = category 6= 1 point.

Total: 1 Bomb--goal 30
1 point--goal 150

5FAMeulstee
jan 14, 2012, 3:30 pm

YES!!
One down ;-)

6streamsong
Redigeret: jan 21, 2012, 11:37 pm

Thanks for stopping by, Anita. I've been working on getting my 75 book thread updated, too. I'll do my book review comments on that thread.

2. Journey of Crazy Horse by Joseph Marshall--audiobook
75er's TIOLI January #11. Read a narrative non-fiction.

--Book added to LT in 2011 = category 6 = 1 point.

Total: 2 bombs--goal 30
2 points--goal 150

7streamsong
Redigeret: jan 30, 2012, 8:54 pm

3. Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
75er's TIOLI January #23; Read a debut or first in a series by an author new to you.
Morphy's Green Dragon Fantasy Book read

--book added to LT in 2011 =category 6 =1 point

Totals:
3 bombs--goal 30
3 points--goal 150
3 books added to LT in 2012 (well at least it's not HIGHER than the number of books I've read so far.)

I plan to start reading some older tomes from MT TBR as soon as I get this month's group reads/ ER/ Book Club reads out of the way. At this rate, I may reach my TBR book goal, but not get much off the stacks from previous years!

8streamsong
Redigeret: jan 30, 2012, 8:54 pm

4. A Girl Named Zippy by Haven Kimmel audiobook
--75er's TIOLI January #8. Read a book where a word in the title can be used as a verb or another part of speech (Named--verb/adjective)

book added to LT in 2011 = category 6= 1 point
Totals:
4 bombs ---goal 30--26 to go
4 points--goal 150--146 to go--need to start reading some of those books that have been languishing much longer on MT TBR
3 books added to LT catelog in 2012

9streamsong
Redigeret: jan 30, 2012, 8:54 pm

5. Uncompromised by Nada Prouty
--LT ER book
--75'er's TIOLI challenge #11 --narrative non-fiction

Book added to LT in 2011--catagory 6= 1 point

Totals:
5 bombs--25 to go!
5 points--145 to go (need to start reading older books!!!)
3 books added to LT catalog in 2012

10streamsong
jan 29, 2012, 11:40 pm

Not quite done yet, but I should get this one done before February 1st

Fighting Angel by Pearl S Buck

Book added to LT in 2007 = catagory 2--5 points Yay!

11streamsong
Redigeret: feb 10, 2012, 1:08 pm

This year I've taken the challenge to read my Bible completely through in a year. It's something I've never done. I've started to do it several times but gotten bogged down in the lists and begats of the Old Testament and petered out. But when a group here at LT committed to doing it, I found the following scheme which really appeals to me: http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.html

The Bible is divided up into groups of books: Epistles/Law/History/Psalms/Poetry/Prophecy/Gospel. Each day you read from a different section. So far this is keeping me from bogging down.

And to make it more complicated, I decided to read a commentary series I have (People's Bible Commentary from Concordia Publishing) along with the daily reading. This series is a bit over 40 books. A good number of these are unread; some have been read several times, some partially read and discarded. If I'm successful, it will get a large number of books off MT TBR (although there are several I will have to buy to fill in the series).

So using the above scheme, I've finished my first book of the Bible and commentary.

6. Joshua by Adolph L. Harstad.

And this was added in 2006--6 points for my category/point challenge.

Totals:
6 BOMBS--24 to go
11 points--139 to go
3 new books added to LT catalog so far in 2012

12mrsrochester
feb 4, 2012, 4:52 pm

I've started the Old Testament several times but the farthest I've ever gotten was about half way through Exodus, so not very far. I like the idea of the companion series, but I'm more interested in a historic approach than a religious one. What sort of approach does the series you're using take?

13streamsong
feb 5, 2012, 1:27 pm

MrsRochester (love your user name!) thanks for stopping by and leaving your comment. The Old Testament is boggling, isn't it! Concordia is a Lutheran Publishing House, so the series is definitely religious. I think, though, if you search the groups, you will find a like-minded non-spiritual read/discussion going on.

On the other hand, the Christianity group has an ongoing support thread for people reading the Bible through in a year in a spiritual way.

14streamsong
Redigeret: feb 10, 2012, 1:08 pm

Finally finished and reviewed

7. Fighting Angel by Pearl S Buck.

--started as 75 'ers TIOLI January challenge about China, but since I didn't finish it, I changed it to the February anagrams challenge. (Angel/Angle) Not an inspired anagram, but it works.

This was another 'graybeard' of MT TBR. I had picked it up at a sale in 2007.

Added in 2007 = my catagory 2 = 5 points
Total off Mt TBR: 7--23 left)
Total TBR points: 16--goal 150-- 134 to go

15streamsong
Redigeret: feb 17, 2012, 7:54 pm

8. Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean

audiobook
Added to my LT catalog in 2011= my catagory 6 = 1 point
Total off MT TBR:
8--22 to go
Total TBR points 17--133 to go.

But eek eek eek--I have four new books in hand and two more ordered. Time to haul out the steel resolve!

16FAMeulstee
feb 10, 2012, 2:44 pm

Did you like Orchid Thief?
I think I owned it long ago, that it even was one of the books I did read in English ;-)
Don't recollect the story, but have a rather good feeling when I see the title.

17streamsong
feb 17, 2012, 7:52 pm

Hey Anita--I wasn't crazy about the Orchid Thief. For some reason it just didn't hit me.

I would like to read her newest book Rin Tin Tin whcih made the New York Times noted nonfiction list. Hey, it's about a dog--it should be good, right?

18streamsong
feb 17, 2012, 7:55 pm

9. The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde--audiobook. Great production by High Brook audio.

--Added to my LT catalog in 2011= 1 point
totals:

9 books off the mountain--21 to go
Total TBR points 18--132 to go.

19streamsong
feb 17, 2012, 7:58 pm

10. Ape House by Sara Gruen

--Feb TIOLO challenge #1--animal on left side of page, drink on right, both pages contain a number 3.

--added to MT TBR in 2011--my catagory #6 = 1 point

10 books off the mountain--20 to go
Total TBR points 19 -- 131 to go

20FAMeulstee
feb 18, 2012, 3:26 pm

> 17: yes, dog, it should be good ;-)
But I doubt that it will be translated...

21streamsong
Redigeret: feb 28, 2012, 1:23 pm

Anita, did you ever see any of the old Rin Tin Tin TV shows? I vaguely remember seeing them in the sixties. He was an absolutely beautiful German Shepherd, but I don't remember what the stories were about. It would be interesting to see what Orleans has to say about it.

22streamsong
Redigeret: mar 10, 2012, 11:33 am

11. Romans (People's Bible Commentary) by Armin J. Panning

Another in the People's Bible Commentary series that I'm reading in hopes of reading through the entire Bible.

--11 books off the mountain; 19 to go
--added to MT TBR before 2006 = my catagory 1 = 6 points; Total TBR points 24/150

23FAMeulstee
mar 4, 2012, 2:22 pm

> 21: No I don't recall seeing Rin Tin Tin, but did read a lot about the show in various dog magazines.
I do remember some Lassie movies I think, or tv shows, I am not sure.

24streamsong
Redigeret: mar 10, 2012, 11:35 am

12. Proust and the Squid by Maryanne Wolf
-- audiobook
-- 12 books off the mountain; 18 to go
-- added to MT TBR in 2011; my catagory 6 = 1 point. Total TBR points: 25/150.

25streamsong
mar 13, 2012, 12:03 am

13. Letters of a Woman Homesteader by Elinore Pruitt Stewart
--13 books off the mountain; 17 to go
--nonfiction
--Added to MT TBR in 2006; my catagory 1 = 6 points.
--Total TBR points: 31/150.

14. Grayson by Lynne Cox
--14 books off the mountain; 16 to go
--nonfiction
--Added to MT TBR in 2011; my catagory 6 = 1 point
--Total TBR points 32/150.

Here's the link to my 75 book thread for reviews....
http://www.librarything.com/topic/129819#3131253

26streamsong
mar 17, 2012, 3:55 pm

15. Judges, Ruth by John C Lawrenz
--nonfiction
--15 books off the mountain - 15 to go
--Added to MT TBR pre 2006--my catagory 1 = 6 points
--Total TBR points = 38/2011
--these are part of a People's Bible Commentary series that I am challenging myself to read. I've probably had them 15-20 years before committing to reading them.
--75'er's TIOLO challenge # 14-- read a book with a map at the beginning or end.

16. Riding Shotgun by Rita Mae Brown
--fiction
--16 books off the mountain; 14 to go
--Added to LT in December 2011 = my catagory 6 = 1 point
--total TBR points 39/150
75'ers TIOLI challenge March #17 unintended consequences (protagonist out fox hunting and time travelled)

27streamsong
mar 30, 2012, 9:21 am

17. Lost Gospel of Judas Iscariot by Bart Ehrman
--non-fiction
--17 books off the mountain; 13 to go
--Added to LT in December 2011 = my catagory 6 = 1 point
--total TBR points 40/150
--75'er March TIOLI challenge #15--book where the author's last name is divisible by 3

28streamsong
Redigeret: jan 11, 2013, 6:14 pm

18. Hot Zone by Richard Preston

--non-fiction
--75er's April TIOLI challenge #5. Read a work in which one of the main characters (fiction) or subject(s) (non fiction) can be described with a word ending in –ologist (virologist)
--BOMBS challenge- book has been living on MT TBR since 2008
= my catagory 3 = 4 points. Total Bombs points 44/150

In 1980, a terrifying new illness broke out in the region along Africa's Mount Elgon. Within just a few days of their initial symptoms, patients had major internal organs completely destroyed and uncontrollable bleeding from every body orifice. Over 90% of those infected died.

Luckily the outbreak was brief--not because of efforts by humans but the virus seemed to be less transmittable than originally feared. The virus identified in the outbreak became known as Ebola. Sporadic outbreaks continued to pop up and then fade away.

In 1989, primates in a research center on the edge of Washington DC began dying. Symptoms once again resembled Ebola, and scientists isolated and identified a virus that looked identical to Ebola in electron micrographs. The army and CDC moved in to euthanize the entire operation--450 monkeys. They managed their operation in the very shadow of a daycare and the Washington Beltway.

If this virus had not been a less virulant strain and if Ebola was as easily transmitted as first feared, scientists believe a major outbreak could have wiped out as much as 90% of the human population.

Luckily, Ebola outbreaks continue to be fairly limited. But new viruses keep emerging. This truly is non-fiction horror, described in a blurb by Stephen King as 'one of the most horrifying things I've ever read."

The book is very fast paced and easy to read. After its inital debut, it was on many high school reading lists. The science is well done and well described. Yes, there are scientific errors, but they are few and do not detract from the overall story.

--I chose to read this at this time because an Ebola researcher (Guido van der Groen) is giving a Distinguished Lecture at my workplace this week.

This copy came to live on MT TBR several years ago after I attended a talk by Peter Jarling, the scientist who isolated the Ebola strain from the Virginia monkey house. There's an incident described in this book where Jarling made a major mistake that could have been fatal. When his initial cell cultures were blown away by the unknown virus, Jarling chose to open a lid of a flask and sniff it to try to dectect the presence of a contaminating bacteria called Pseudomonas. Jarling said that wherever he goes in science, whatever further great work he does, somone is sure to say ,"Hey you're the guy who sniffed the Ebola flask!" This NYT bestseller immortalized his lapse forever.

29rabbitprincess
apr 8, 2012, 10:52 am

The Hot Zone is on my TBR list but I haven't plucked up the courage to read it yet. Scary stuff!

30streamsong
apr 12, 2012, 8:56 am

19. Labrador Pact by Matt Haig

--fiction, audiobook
--BOMB # 19; 11 to go
--purchased December 2012 = my catagory 6 = 1 BOMB point
--total 45 BOMB points completed, 105 points to go
--3.5 stars

31streamsong
apr 21, 2012, 10:26 am

20. Forfeit by Dick Francis

--fiction-- action, crime, horses
--75er's April TIOLO #8. Read a book by a different author that is related to another book you've read for TIOLI (Horses, mystery)
--BOMB #20; 10 to go
--Acquired 2007 = my BOMB catagory # 2 = 5 points
--Total BOMB points: 50; 100 points to go

32streamsong
Redigeret: maj 18, 2012, 9:32 am

21. Jingo by Terry Pratchett

-fiction-fantasy, humor, Discworld
--75er's TIOLO #14. Read a book that fills the requirements of a previous TIOLI challenge that you tried, but failed, to complete --Prev April challenge rolling last letter.
--BOMB #21
--cataloged into LT in 2012, but has been around the house for a long time = my catagory 7 = 1 BOMB point for a total of 51/150 bomb points.

22. 1 Corinthians People's Bible Commentary by Carleton A. Toppe (5/16/2012)

--Bible Commentary, New Testament, Epistles
--My personal challenge: reading through the Bible with commentaries
--BOMB #22
--cataloged into LT in 2006 = my catagory 1 = 6 BOMB points for a total of 57/150 BOMB points

33streamsong
Redigeret: maj 27, 2012, 2:34 pm

BOMB #23. Great World Religions: Islam - The Teaching Company (The Great Courses) by John Esposito audiobook

This is part of The Teaching Company's class on the Great World Religions. I chose to listen to this now because the RL bookclub is reading Karen Armstrong's Islam: A Short History for the meeting Thursday. The Armstrong book condenses 1500 years of history into about 180 pages and I needed more detailed information.

Esposito is a scholar of Islam (although, I think he himself is not Muslim), author of dozens of books on Islam and in 2003, when this was written, a professor at Georgetown University.

This is a very helpful introduction to many topics in Islam--history, beliefs, community, emergance of various sects and the role of Islam in the world today. Like all the Teaching Company classes, it has a very helpful course book which in this case contains an outline, supplementary reading for each chapter, timeline (which for some reason Armstrong's book omitted), and bibliography.

I'll give this one four stars and will have to rate Armstrong's history (if I ever get it done!) somewhat less.

- non-fiction
- audiobook
- BOMBs (Books Off My Bookshelves) challenge #23/30
- This series went unentered into LT when I acquired it through a library sale; I've had them several years so it's catagory 7 for me and equal to one point. Total BOMB points = 58/150

34streamsong
maj 28, 2012, 11:33 am

Bomb # 24 Lust Killer by Ann Rule

I was totally blown away (wow-bad pun) by Ann Rule's book Small Sacrifices when I read it in the 80's. I reread it several times along with others of Rule's true crime books. The aberrant psychology and just plain evil was incomprehensible to me.

This is an very early book written by Rule under the pseudonym Andy Stack. It's the story of Jerry Brudos who kidnapped, raped and killed young women in Oregon in the late 1960's. Written at a time when young women were perhaps not quite as street savvy as today, it is still a great cautionary tale about keeping oneself safe. Like others of Rule's books that I've read it's also an interesting look into the dysfunctional psychology of a killer.

The evil is there. My fascination with it is not. I had picked up this book several years ago and finally read it this month for May's Murder & Mayhem reads. I'm no longer hypnotized by the evil weaving back and forth like a serpent before its prey. I'm happily throwing this one into the Goodwill box. 3.6 stars.

----BOMBs challenge (Books Off My Book Shelves) #24.
-- Entered into my LT catalog 2006 = my catagory #1 = 6 BOMB points =64/150 BOMB points
--non-fiction, true crime
--May Murder & Mayhem reads
--TIOLI # 10 - Read a book with a word in the title suggesting violent death

35streamsong
jun 3, 2012, 11:36 am

Bomb # 25. Islam: A Short History by Karen Armstrong

Read for the real life book club. An ultra condensed history with incredible amount of information crammed into its 180 pages. Perhaps not the best introduction as it is so condensed, but I still learned a lot.

--BOMB --my catagory 2--entered into LT in 2007 = 5 points. 69/150 BOMB points completed and 25/30 books.
--non-fiction
--Library Brown Bag Book Club
--TIOLI challenge #18. Read a book with a title word that forms another word when reversed (am/ma)

36streamsong
jun 3, 2012, 11:41 am

26. Bindweed by Janis Harrison

--fiction, mystery
--May Murder & Mayhem reads
--TIOLO Challenge 13. Read a book with a word related to gardening in the title
--Books Off My Book Shelves challenge--been living on MT TBR since 2008 = my catagory 3 = 4 points. Total Bomb points = 73/150

Wow I might actually make my goal of 150 BOMB points and getting some of the older books of the mountain. I'm going to have to read a lot more BOMBs than my goal of 30 to do it, though, since so many of the ones I've read were from 2011.

37streamsong
Redigeret: jul 30, 2012, 11:26 am

Eeek --5 weeks since I've finished one from MT TBR. And unfortunately, this one was a bomb in more way than one.

I'm way ahead of schedule in the number of BOMBS books I've read that acquired in 2011 or before. I'm at #27 with my goal at 30 books.

I'm just over halfway done with accomplishing my BOMB point goal explained in post 1. This was supposed to inspire me to read older books on the bottom of MT TBR. It's not impossible to accomplish this year--but I'll have to work at it and read a lot more books from the mountain than my original goal of 30. Right now I'm at 77 points with a goal of 150.



27. Crazy Horse and the Real Reason for the Battle of the Big Horn by A. Ross Ehanamani

I had picked up this book several years ago (2008) and after loving the audiobook of Joseph M Marshall III's Journey of Crazy Horse in January, expected to love this one, too.

Unfortunately this one was a disappointment.

The first part of the book is a distillation from other published sources of the events (well documented with footnotes and bibliogrphy) taking place leading up to the battle. The battle itself is very detailed with many maps. Besides the published accounts, some of this is from oral Lakota history; other is information from Ehanamani's spirit guides which he received during trances.

He then goes into what he feels are the real reasons that the battle took place--most revolving around the white man's lust for gold in the Black Hills (true and well documented). Unfortunately, he wanders into the creation of the Federal Reserve System some 40 years later as the root cause of the Indian's current problems including alcoholism and poverty on the reservation. He refers to 'a small library' of books on the Federal Reserve System conspiracy but none of these are included in the bibliography. There may be something here, but this section comes off as hysterical conspiracy theory with nothing to back it up.

He then offers two astrological natal charts for Crazy Horse and the Battle itself, showing how honorable and inevitable the whole thing was. Ah c'mon. This author is a PhD - so where are the controls for this bit of research-- two charts from thousands of participants in a battle is not convincing evidence of anything. And again--no references for astrology in the bibliography.

This book badly needed an editor; it illustrates many of the problems with self-published books.

I feel like I'm being generous giving this one a two star rating; part of this is for the good bibliography on the Indian wars.

--Books Off My Book Shelf (BOMBS challenge) (27/30)
-- acquired 2008 = 4 BOMB points (77/150)
--July TIOLI #15. Read a book with a picture of something that can be carried by the wind on its cover (storm clouds with lightning)

38streamsong
aug 1, 2012, 1:23 am

28. The Way West by A. B. Guthrie, Jr

This is Guthrie's Pulitzer Prize winning novel of a wagon train to Oregon.

Former mountain man Dick Summers agrees to lead a wagon train of immigrants. The isolation of the train as well as the dangerous trip, lasting many months, becomes a microcosm of life as the train meets unexpected death, personal rivalries, betrayals and joy.

I'm not sure I've previously read the book, but the movie is iconic--with Kirk Douglas and Sally Field in starring roles.

As a side note, Bud Guthrie used to come in and hang out at a bookstore I worked at in the mid-70's when I was about 19. I was totally star struck. He was the first author of note that I met, and as such, will always hold a special place.

4 stars.

--TIOLI #12. Read a Western
--Books Off My Book Shelves (BOMBS) challenge book #28/30.
--Cataloged into Library Thing 2006 = catagory #1--6 points =83/150.

39streamsong
Redigeret: sep 3, 2012, 5:56 pm

One more for July:

29. Daybreak by Belva Plain

I don't think I have read anything by Belva Plain before, but my mother enjoys her and she had passed this on to me several years ago. I listed it in the August TIOLI 5: Read a book that was recommended to you by one of your parents, or is a favorite of one of your parents. But as I had a day in bed Monday feeling under the weather, I picked up this book and finished it, making it a July book.

This is a story of two babies switched at birth. One is the son of a prominent Jewish family. The other family is equally prominent but has ties to the KKK and neo-Nazi organizations. The switch is discovered when the Jewish family loses their son to cystic fibrosis, a genetic disease not found in their family.

I found the characters a bit unbelievable and the plot leaned heavily on coincidence with the problem being solved by the death of one of the major players. Nevertheless there was something about the writing that kept me turning the pages. There was a twist at the end that I didn't see coming.

Not a bad beach or staying-in-bed-under-the-covers chick lit read. 3 stars.

--July TIOLI Challenge #8: Read a book where the author's initials form a commonly used abbreviation or initialism or acronym (BP/blood pressure)
-- Books Off My Shelf Challenge (BOMBS) book # 29
--cataloged into MT TBR in 2008 = catagory 3 -- 4 points = 87/150

40streamsong
Redigeret: aug 4, 2012, 10:41 am

Darn--I was feeling pretty good about my BOMBS challenge.

I know I had set my book number goal low, but I wanted to be able to achieve it and it looks like I'll make it in August. I should be able to reach my point goal --making me read older books towards the bottom of the mountain-- by the end of the year, too.

So here is how I've done this year: 61 total books read as of first week of August

11 - cataloged into LT 2006
3 - cataloged into LT 2007
4 - cataloged into LT 2008
__ cataloged into LT 2009
__ cataloged into LT 2010
13 - cataloged into LT 2011
2 - acquired previously but uncataloged until 2012 (have lots of these!)
28 - acquired 2012 (including those from library)

(doesn't quite add up to the numbers above because there are a couple rereads in my stats which I don't count as BOMBS)

And I knew that I had over 300 TBR books cataloged and more not cataloged.......

I have only 7 books that I acquired this year that I haven't read (Yay me!) and another 13 cataloged in 2012 that have been around the house for several years but not yet read or cataloged.

But what really struck me was that I still have over 100 TBR from 2008!!! Eek --Book Mooch and library sales were obviously VERY good to me that year and the 4 I have read from 2008 have not made any sort of dent at all.

Even though I am meeting my goals, I need to double down and get reading more from the mountain!

41streamsong
Redigeret: sep 3, 2012, 5:57 pm

And the first one for August--Yay! I have reached my books-off-MT-TBR goal! However I am going to continue on to try to reach the 150 'BOMBS points' challenge, too. I'm currently at 88 points and have several more oldies in progress.



63. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

We meet our narrator, Kathy H, as a young teenager at a special boarding school for human clones created for the sole purpose of organ donation. All the clones know their purpose in life--all know they will give organs several times until they are 'completed' -- used up to the point that life is no longer viable and consciousness is gone. Gruesomely enough, these donors are then kept on life support while odds and ends continue to be harvested from them.

Most of the donor clones never question their fate. They drift toward their future completions, never questioning, never seeing that alternatives may exist. When Kathy and her beloved Tommy search for a mysterious deferal, their hopes are ambiguous at best.

The reader is left with many questions that the donors and the society that knows they exist don't ask. Why did they? Why didn't they? Why do we?

--TIOLI August #1: Read a book by a new-to-you author chosen from a list of author names generated at “Literature-Map" (Matched read)
--BOMBS challenge--Yay! this is BOMB 30 out of a goal of reading 30 books cataloged into LT before 2011. This part of the MT TBR challenge is met!
--cataloged into LT 2011 = 1 BOMB point = 88/150
--new to me author, although I have previously enjoyed the move Remains of the Day (never read the book)

42rabbitprincess
aug 21, 2012, 5:08 pm

Hurray for meeting your books-off-Mt-TBR goal! :)

43streamsong
Redigeret: sep 3, 2012, 5:58 pm

Thanks rabbitprincess! I appreciate you stopping by!

31. No cover picture available for the edition I have. Second Corinthians (People's Bible Commentary) by David J. Valleskey

Although my original goal was to get through the Bible in a year, using this set of commentaries, I've sort of petered out with this project. Reading the commentaries has broadened my understanding, but slowed my reading speed. I'm way off pace, as I'm just beginning the readings for week 21. In addition, this commentary series (published by the Lutheran Concordia Publishing House) is a bit more literal than my faith which makes it somewhat less inspirational for me. I am also relying on a Teaching Company series on Paul by Luke Timothy Johnson to get me through the Pauline letters.

I'll be finishing II Samuel and Job very soon, with Jeremiah finished shortly afterwards. Hopefully the change in considering several new books will spur me back to my study. I'll keep picking away at it and even if not done this year, I'll eventually get the project done.

--Book from MT TBR; This is book # 31/30 of my BOMBS challenge.
--Added into LT 2006 = 6 points for my BOMBS point challenge = 94/150 BOMB points

44streamsong
aug 23, 2012, 9:29 am






45streamsong
Redigeret: jan 11, 2013, 6:11 pm

32. Samuel by John R Mittelstaedt Yet another of the People's Bible Commentary Series as I continue working my way through the Bible. This one covers the prophet Samuel, and King David's rise to power and rule.

--cataloged Into LT 2006 = 6 BOMB Points for a total of 100/150

33. The Hanging Tree by Dorothy M. Johnson

Great collection of western short stories. Some are sweetly romantic, some very poignant. Many of these were printed in Collier's & Saturday Evening Post in the 1950's and 1960's. Dorothy M Johnson is considered one of Montana's treasures.

I read all of these as part of the short story challenge September TIOLI.

--cataloged into LT in 2008 = 4 BOMB points (total 104/150)

34. The Time and the Place by Naguib Mahfouz

Short stories by the Nobel prize winning Egyptian author.

I allso read for the TIOLI short story challenge as well as the Reading Globally- Middle East challenge. This book was around the house (DD had used it in a class), but not cataloged into my LT collection, so catagory 7 = 1 point for a total of 105/150 BOMB points.

46streamsong
sep 22, 2012, 6:24 pm

35/30. Colour Scheme by Ngaio Marsh

The first book I've read by this vintage but well respected mystery author.

I purchased this at a library book sale in 2008 so it equals 4 BOMB points for a total of 109 out of my goal of 150. I need to keep plunking away at this--it means I tend to choose newer rather than older books off the mountain.

I am at 35 books from MT TBR which is 5 beyond my goal. I think I'll change it and try to get 50 done for the year. At that rate, I should be caught up, in ....oh 10 years or so......knowing that I'll also add to my pile as I go. Next year, I think I'll keep better track of how many books I've acquired during the year.

47streamsong
Redigeret: okt 29, 2012, 12:13 pm

36/30. The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

Due to a blizzard, Dr. David Henry delivers his pregnant wife with only the aid of his nurse. A healthy little boy is followed by a daughter with Down Syndrome. Because of his own unhealed childhood wounds with a sister with Down Syndrome, Dr. Henry gives the baby to his nurse to take to a home for mentally challenged individuals. He tells his wife that the baby girl was dead at birth. The nurse decides to keep and raise the little girl as her own. A secret this large changes them all.

By the over 11,000 copies here on LT, you can tell this book made a big splash when it came out several years ago. Nevertheless, I didn't find much meat here.

3 stars

--Books Off My Book Shelves (BOMBS) challenge. Book #36/ goal: 30 (would like to reach 50).
-- I purchased a copy in 2011 but listened to a library copy of the audiobook = catagory 6 (acquired in 2011) for one BOMB point. My total is now 110 points out of a goal of 150.
--September TIOLI #12. Read a book that has been on your TBR pile for at least six months--with a buddy who has also had the book on their TBR pile for at least six months!

48Kirconnell
sep 30, 2012, 5:31 pm

Good work towards your goal. I admire you for reading the Bible through. Not eveyone can do that or even wants to try.

49streamsong
okt 8, 2012, 10:45 am

Thanks for stopping by Kirconnell. Going through the Bible with commentaries is much more of a challenge than I thought it would be. Right now, it's going very slowly.

37/30 . Unbridled Spirits: Short Fiction About Women in the Old West edited by Judy Alter

In the introduction to this book, Judy Alter writes that her purpose was to pull together stories of women on the American western frontier that did not conform to the western stereotypes of women--ie the sweet school marm, the soiled dove with the heart of gold, etc. In fact some of these stories do echo those stereotypes,but others are unique. We meet Native American women and Californio washer women; farm wives, prostitutes and misplaced gentry. Some of the stories sentimental and romantic, some tragic showing the harsh realities of the old west.

The first section begins with several selections from three classic women western writers, including a short non-fiction essay by each: Mary Hallock Foote, Willa Cather, and Dorothy M Johnson. The second section has stories by other women western writers; the third section is stories of women by men authors. The male authors are icons in the field: O Henry, Owen Wister (author of The Virginian), Jack London, 1800's Sioux physician and author Charles Eastman, Jack Schaeffer (author of Shane), Elmore Kelton who turned from writing westerns to thrillers after the explosion of what he considered poorly written westerns and more.

Although I have enjoyed pioneer memoirs and fiction, I have never considered myself an affecionado of westerns. Many of these shorts were my first encounter with iconic author's works. I came away impressed, both by the authors and this collection.

while I do think it was logical to start this collection with Mary Hallock Foote's stories as she is the earliest of the three notable women highlighted, her stories were the weakest. Written in the flowery prose from the late 1800's-early 1900's, a browser picking up this book and sampling the first few stories could well set the book back down. I know that's what would have happened to me. As it was, I read these in random order in a short story challenge and thoroughly enjoyed myself.

4 stars

--book 37 from MT TBR -2011 or before. My original goal was 30 although I'll now try for 50.
--on MT TBR since a library sale in 2008
--4 of my personal challenge BOMB points for a total of 114/150

50streamsong
okt 29, 2012, 12:19 pm

Time to get caught up on my October BOMBS:

38/30 Jeremiah Lamentations People's Bible Commentary by David M. Gosdeck Onward with my reading the Bible project. Where I would be in the BOMBS challenge without these commentaries? I'm not counting the few I've read before as BOMBS, but this one was new for me.

--cataloged into LT in 2006 = 6 points for a total of 120/150 in my Read-the-old-ones BOMBS challenge.

39/30 Great World Religions: Judaism The Teaching Company - Isaiah M Gafni I love the Teaching Company/Great Courses offerings. I bought this set at a library book sale several years ago. Unfortunately it's on cassette tapes, which makes it not as handy to listen to.

The teacher, Isaiah M Gafni is an historian of Judaism in the Second Temple and Talmudic periods. He is the Sol Rosenbloom Chair of Jewish History at Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

He is also very engaging and, although I have little knowledge about Judaism, I thought this is a good introduction to a complicated subject. As with all the Teaching Company/Great Courses works, there is an amazing bibliography of other books to read. I hope to pursue more reading on this subject.

There are three more sets in this series: Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism. I listened to the one on Islam earlier this year.

4 stars

although I bought this set several years ago, I did not catalog it into LT until this year so it falls into my point challenge as catagory 7 = 1 point for a total of 121/150 for the challenge.

I have two more books that I hope to finish in the day and half before October ends.

51streamsong
Redigeret: okt 30, 2012, 9:49 am

Finished my last two off the mountain for October for a total of 5 bombs for the month. I think that is the most BOMBS I've completed in a month. I'm hoping to make it to 50 BOMBS (origianl goal was 30) and 150 BOMB points.

40/30. Gothic Tales by Elizabeth Gaskell

Written in the mid 1800's, these tales are nothing like the horror that is popular today. A nice mellow Halloween read.

--I've been reading them for the short work challenge TIOLI #21.
--Added to LT catalog in 2008 = 4 BOMB points Total: 125/150

41/30 She Went a Whaling: The Journal of Martha Smith Brewer Brown, 1847-1849 by Martha Smith Brewer

Also added to my collection in 2008. Another 4 point BOMB for a total of 129/150 BOMB points and 41 books.

52streamsong
dec 28, 2012, 10:56 am

Time to get caught up in order to start 2013!

November

42/30. Ill Wind by Nevada Barr

Acquired in 2008 = 4 BOMB points for a total of 133/150.

43/30. Galatians Ephesians by Armin J. Panning
acqd pre 2006 - cataloged into LT 2006 = 6 BOMB points for a total of 139/150

44/30. Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
purchased lib sale 2011 = 1 BOMB point for a total of 140/150

53streamsong
Redigeret: dec 28, 2012, 10:59 am

DECEMBER

45/30 Shepherds Abiding by Jan Karon
acq 2011 = 1 BOMB point for a total of 141/150