Jules' (Bookwormjules) 2014 Category Challenge

This will be my year! I swear! 102/131 for the 2013. Let's see what I make of this years categories. I have a lot of Canadian Lit themes categories and the others are closer to my comfort zones. I figure the best way to finish this challenge off is to stay close to what I know - I'll attempt other challenges to get out of my comfort zones.

Good luck!

14 Categories of 10 book in each Category

1) Across Canada Reading (10 Books)
2) Climbing Up Mount TBR (Pre-Selected) (10 Books)
3) Staggering Up Mount TBR (Randomly Selected, books I own before January 1, 2014) (10 Books)
4) Falling Down Mount TBR (Books I've added to my list thanks to others) (10 Books)
5) Give Me More Short Stories! (10 Books)
6) Giller Fever (Longlisted Books from 2006 - present) (10 Books)
7) O' Canada Part Deux (New to me Canadian Authors) (10 Books)
8) Irish & Scottish Books and Authors (10 Books)
9) Curling up with book and a cup of coffee (Books from my favourite authors)(10 Books)
10) Finish That Series (books from a series, doesn't necessarily mean finishing the series)(10 Books)
11) Books That Followed Me Home (Books that came home with me in 2014, virtually, physically or Library Books) (10 Books)
12) Cat vs Dog (Short books 250 and under and long books 400+)(5 books of each, 10 books total)
13) Published before the Year 2001 (10 Books)
14) Canada Reads 2014 - The Other 30 (Books selected from the top 40 books, that didn't make the top 10) (10 Books)

Across Canada Reading (3/10)

1) Alberta - The Unfinished Child - Theresa Shea My Review
2) Prince Edward Island - Tide Road - Valerie Compton My Review
3) Northwest Territories - The River My Reveiw
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Climbing Up Mount TBR (10 Books) - 3/10

1) The Blind Assassin - Margaret Atwood - My Review
2) The Girl Who Played with Fire - Stieg Larsson
3) The Winter Vault - Anne Michaels
4) The Rosie Project - Greame Simison - My Review
5) Mansfield Park - Jane Austen
6) A Tale o Two Cities - Charles Dickens
7) The Golem and the Jinni - Helen Weckler
8) Silver Linings Playbook - Matthew Quick My Review
9) The Red Tent - Anita Diamant
10) Revolt - Qaisra Shahraz My Review

Staggering Up Mount TBR (10 Books) -5/10

1) Miranda's Vines - Kimberly Kafka My Review
2) The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared - Jonas Jonasson My Review
3) Baggage - Jill Sooley My Review
4)Omens - Kelley Armstrong - My Review
5) A Song for Stone - Iain M. Banks My Review
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Falling Down Mount TBR (10 Books) - 5/10

1) Before I Go to Sleep - S. J. Watson
2) Annihilation - Jeff VanderMeer My Review
3) The Death of Bees - Lisa O'Donnell My Review
4) Cold Hearts - Gunner Staalesen My Review
5) The Enchanted - Rene Denfeld My Review
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Give Me More Short Stories! (10 Books) - 5/10

1) What Becomes - A. L. Kennedy
2) As Birds Bring Forth the Sun and Other Stories - Alistair MacLeod My Review
3) On the Prowl - Multiple Authors My Review
4) Secrets of a Fire King - Kim Edwards My Review
5) Stone Mattress - Margaret Atwood My Review
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Giller Fever (Longlisted Books from 2006 - present) (10 Books) - 5/10

1) Cockroach - Rawi Hage My Review
2) The Orenda - Joseph Boyden My Review
3) Waiting for the Man - Arjun Basu My Review
4) Tell - Frances Itani My Review
5) The Betrayers - David Bezmozgis My Review
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O' Canada Part Deux (New to me Canadian Authors) (10 Books) - 2/10

1) Cataract City - Craig Davidson My Review
2) The Blue Guitar - Ann Ireland My Review
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Irish & Scottish Books and Authors (10 Books) - 5/10

1) The Perils of Morning Coffee - Alexander McCall Smith (Scotland) My Review
2) Lilac Bus - Maeve Binchy - My Review
3) Black and Blue - Ian Rankin My Review
4) Letter from Chicago - Cathy Kelly My Review
5) Docherty - William McIlvanney My Review
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Curling up with book and a cup of coffee (10 Books) - 3/10

1) Oryx and Crake - Margaret Atwood My Review
2) Riders of the Storm - Julie Czerneda My Review
3) Dead in the Family - Charlaine Harris - My Review
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Finish That Series (10 Books) - 4/10

1) Naked Heat - Richard Castle My Review
2) The Heart Goes Last My Review
3) From Dead to Worse - Charlaine Harris My Review
4) Two Roads - Geonn Cannon My Review
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Books That Followed Me Home (10 Books) 3/10

1) Cry Wolf - Patricia Briggs My Review
2) Dead and Gone - Charlaine Harris My Review
3) Frog Music - Emma Donoghue My Review
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Cat vs Dog (10 Books) - 2/10

1) Good Morning, Midnight - Jean Rhys My Review
2) Chronicle of a Death Foretold - Gabriel Garcia Marquez My Review
3) Reap the Wild Wind - Julie Czerneda - My Review
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Published before the Year 2001 (10 Books) - 4/10

1) The Colour of Space - H. P. Lovecraft (1927) My Review
2) The Last of the Crazy People - Timothy Findley (1967) My Review
3) Ethan Frome- Edith Wharton My Review
4) Going After Cacciato - Tim O'Brien My Review
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Canada Reads 2014 - The Other 30 (10 Books) - 4/10

1) Accusation - Catherine Bush My Review
2) Afterlands - Steven Heighton My Review
3) Fifth Business - Robertson Davies My Review
4) Matadora - Elizabeth Ruth My Review
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Love the CanLit categories (along with the Scottish and Irish category)... oh, who am I kidding, you caught my interest with almost all of your cateogries! Welcome back for another year!

Welcome back! This WILL be your year!

I love the picture I have of you with a trail of books yapping around you ankles. Thanks for making me aware of authors from our northerly neighbor!

I agree wholeheartedly with Lori's comment! Really looking forward to seeing what you read this year :) Good luck!!

Looking forward to seeing how you fill your categories.

Thanks Everyone!

16 - The Irish Scottish category is one of the ones I'm most looking forward to. Especially trying to find some new Scottish authors or books taking place there!

17 - I hope so.... no wait not hope, it will be my year!

18 - Haha! It eels like that some days with all the books waiting to be read. I hope you find some good authors to read!

19 - Thanks and too you!

20 - So am I :)

First book of the year!

1) The Perils of Morning Coffee - Alexander McCall Smith (Irish/Scottish) - My Review

I just hope I don't suffer any perils having my cup of joe in the morning.

23 - I hear er.... read you there! Nothing should interfere, alter, etc with morning coffee

Great to see you back for another year. Looks like I will be learning about my own country as I follow along. I don't read nearly enough Can-Lit so I hope to gather a few ideas along the way. :)

25 - If you want a great site to find some CanLit go to 49thshelf.com I love it, found a lot of great books there. Hopefully I can get some read this year.

Thanks for the info on 49thShelf, I've bookmarked it and will go back and scroll through it slowly.

Also bookmarked, although I am a little scared to find out what that site will do to my future reading list! ;-)

27 & 28 - I loved looking at map where you can find books based on province and territory. I think I added close to 200 books thanks to that section alone. Enjoy your new possible reads

Great set-up! Good luck with the reading!

Thanks Eva! Good luck with your reading as well

And I'm back. Long story short - Computer died, had to buy new one, had to get data off dead computer, so reading/reviewing took a hit!

- Cataract City - Craig Davidson (OCanada part Deux!) My Review

A dead computer is an awful thing. The sinking feeling you get when it won't wake up, the horror at the thought of losing all that data... I hope you were able to recover all your data and that you're enjoying the new computer.

Good review of Cataract City! I seem to recall being interested in that one, but I never bothered looking for it. Sounds like a safe bet for the "maybe" list, as opposed to the "must read this now!" list.

Yikes to the dead computer but yay for the new one! My other half is responsible for making sure our computers don't die and I have gotten rather complacent with the fact that I don't have any problems because he is always monitoring the computer' performance, cleaning it, etc. I really need to surprise him with a proper 'Thanks you". ;-)

Oh, the dreaded dead computer. Glad to see you back. I wish either my hubby or I were computer-smart, I have to either go banging on my neighbours' door or put in a call to one of my son-in-laws when things start to gp pear shaped.

Lori - Monsieur is my guru. He does the computers, wifi, internet, etc. and I do the shopping and cooking. Each time I turn on my clunker I hold my breath to see if it does boot up.
It's a good reminder to back up my files!

How I wish I had someone to go to for advice or help. I'm the techie around here. The good part is that if I give a "techie" explanation, they think I'm smart, not that I just made it up :))

Thanks everyone! I can troubleshoot some computer problems, sadly with the old computer, it was beyond saving. Ah well, the new one is shiny! Just need to learn the different key bored. I was used to the old one this one is different so I keep hitting the wrong keys!

3) What Becomes - A. L. Kennedy (Give me more short stories) My Review

4) The Unfinished Child - Theresa Shea (Across Canada Reading) My Review

5) The Blind Assassin - Margaret Atwood (Climbing Up Mount TBR) - My Review

Great review of The Blind Assassin! It's on the TBR :)

Thabks rabbitprincess. I hope you enjoy it when you get a chance to read it.

6) As Birds Bring Forth the Sun and Other Stories - Alistair MacLeod (Give me more short stories) - My Review

7) Naked Heat - Richard Castle (Finish that Series) My Review

8) Revolt Qaisra Shahraz - (TBR) My Review

9) Cockroach - Rawi Hage (Giller Fever) My Review

10) Before I Go to Sleep - S. J. Watson My Review

11) Lilac Bus - Maeve Binchy (Irish/Scottish Lit) My Review

12 - The Colour of Space - H. P. Lovecraft (Published before 2001) - My Review

Good review of the Maeve Binchy! I have a friend who likes her work -- should see if she's read this one. It also has a very nice cover!

51 - The cover art on a lot of her books is lovely. Evening Class was another book by the author, and on well worth reading.

13) Good Morning, Midnight - Jean Rhys (Cat vs Dog) My Review

14) Tide Road - Valerie Compton (Across Canada Reading) My Review

15) Oryx and Crake - Margaret Atwood (Curled Up.....) My Review

16) The Last of the Crazy People - Timothy Findley (Published Before 2001) My Review

17) Accusation -Catherine Bush (Canada Reads 2014) My Review

18) The Orenda - Joseph Boyden (Giller Fever) My Review

Nice batch of reviews! Will have to see if my parents have Last of the Crazy People; they have a few other Findleys. And good to know about the POV issue in The Orenda. I bought it because the library had something like 800 holds on it, but it will probably be a while before I get around to it.

Great reviews! I was blown away when I read The Last of the Crazy People and that was the book that sold me on Findley as one of my favorite Canadian authors.

Sorry to hear the The Orenda didn't work for you, it's one that I have had my eye on for some time.

59 - ANY Findley is worth reading, this one was stunning, hopefully you can find it in your Parents collection. I'm one of the few who didn't like The Orenda, so it might be a good book for you.

60 - Thanks. It's an amazing book. The Wars did it for me, I think it's one of my favourites by the author. But stunning book. Are there other books you've read by him?

61 - You like some, you don't. This one just didn't work with me. I hope it's a book you can enjoy.

I seem to collect Findley novels faster than I read them. I have read You Went Away which has quite a different feel to it. The story still focuses on family issues but with a WWII theme from the viewpoint of maintaining the Canadian home front instead of being in the thick of the battle. Different but in a quieter, more subtle way.

63 - I'm slowly collecting all of his works. I think I'm only missing a few. I recently bought You Went Away it looks better than I thought, I like the idea of a WWII from the Canadian Home front. Maybe this one will be my next Findey.

19) Miranda's Vines - Kimberly Kafka My Review

20 - Cry Wolf - Patricia Briggs (BTFMH) - My Review

21 Annihilation Jeff VanderMeer (Falling Down MTBR) My Review

22) Chronicle of a Death Foretold - Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Cat vs Dog) My Review

23) The Blue Guitar - Ann Ireland (O' Canada Part Deux ) My Review

>68 bookwormjules: - I found Chronicle of a Death Foretold to be a good read but one that was really hard to pin down my thoughts in a concise manner. You did a really good job of hitting the interesting bits as well as the problem areas.

70 - Thanks! I find the author hard to pin down my thoughts when talking about his books.

24) Black and Blue - Ian Rankin (Irish/Scottish Lit) - My Review

>69 bookwormjules: Great review, I've started to play guitar last year and it'll make an interesting read, thank :)

73) It is a very good read, especially for those who like music and the competition. I hope you get a chance to read it soon!

25) The Heart Goes Last - Margaret Atwood My Review

26) Silver Linings Playbook - Matthew Quick My Review

27) Afterlands - Steven Heighton (Canada Reads - Other 30) - My Review

Super fantastic review of Afterlands, Jules! That 9/10 rating has convinced me to move that book to the top of my TBR pile as the perfect read for the July GeoCAT. It has been languishing on my TBR bookshelves since I bought my copy back in *gulp* 2008. ;-)

I am looking forward to reading what you think about The Road.

I read The Road a few years ago You can find it here :)

I hope you get a chance to read Afterlands, I found it by chance, and well worth reading!

28) Letter from Chicago - Cathy Kelly (Irish/Scottish Lit) - My Review

29) On the Prowl - Multiple Authors (Give me more short stories) - My Review

30) The Death of Bees - Lisa O'Donnell Mt Review

31) The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared - Jonas Jonasson (Staggering Up MTB) My Review

Ethan Frome - Edith Wharton (Published Before 2001) - My Review

>82 bookwormjules: It's a hit, your review makes me want to know more about Marnie and Nelly.

>83 bookwormjules: I had this one on my radar since I've seen the cover. For the French edition, Allan Karlsson has a pink costume, which looks like a sleeper :)

85 - I hope you enjoy Death of Bees, and share your reviews. As for the French edition, the cover sounds amazing! Costume that looks like a pink sleeper, that picture is now in my head! Heh.

32) Fifth Business - Robertson Davies (Canada Reads) - My Review

33) Cold Hearts Gunner Staalesen (Falling Down MTB) My Review

The Enchanted - Rene Denfeld (falling down MTBR) My Review

From Dead to Worse - Charlaine Harris (Finish that Series) My Review

>87 bookwormjules: Great review of Fifth Business, I had already been hit by a BB for this one.

>89 bookwormjules: The Enchanted is definitely going on the BB list. The writing and the story are intriguing.

The River - Cheryl Kaye Tardif (Across Canada Reading) My Review

Reap the Wild Wind Julie Czerneda (Cat and Dog) My Review

The Rosie Project - Graeme Simsion My Review

Two Roads - Geonn Cannon My Review

>94 bookwormjules: Nice to see your review of The Rosie Project, as I'm planning to read it next month!

Riders of the Storm - Julie Czerneda (Curling up with a good book) My Review

Going After Cacciato - Tim O'Brien My Review

The Secrets of a Fire King and Other Stories - Kim Edwards My Review

Matadora - Elizabeth Ruth (Canada Reads) My Review

Baggage - Jill Sooley My Review

I have loved reading your wonderful reviews over the year. Stopping by to wish you a Merry Christmas and best wishes for 2015!

Thank You!! I hope you had a great Christmas and Happy New Year!

47) Frog Music - Emma Donoghue (Books that Follow Me Home) My Review

48) Waiting for the Man - Arjun Basu (Giller Fever) My Review

49) Omens - Kelley Armstrong (Staggering up MTBR) My Review

50) Tell - Frances Itani (Giller Fever) My Review

51) The Betrayers - David Bezmozgis (Giller Fever) My Review

52) Dead in the Family - Charlaine Harris (Curling Up with a good book) My Review

53) Stone Mattress - Margaret Atwood My Review

Adding Stone Mattress to the TBR!

Excellent! I hope you enjoy it, it was such a great read!

54) Docherty - William McIlvanney (Scottish/Irish Lit) My Review

55) A Song of Stone - Iain M. Banks My Review

And Docherty! I've read McIlvanney's Laidlaw trilogy, which is very good.

I just bought a copy of Laidlaw, to see what its like.

McIlvanney does a great job of presenting a very realistic 1970's point of view of Scotland - I had my other half who grew up in Glasgow during the time period to confirm it - in Laidlaw. I will be very curious to see what you think about it..... and it looks like I will be adding more McIllvanney to my future reading list as I have read Docherty. Happy New year!

Now that two people have made comments about Laidlaw I think it's a book I'll have to bump up on the TBR list. Does anyone know if The Kiln is any good?

I don't know anything about The Kiln so I won't be any help.