-Eva-'s 2+0+1+6 Challenge - Part 2

This year I'll be going for (2+0+1+6=) 9 categories with a minimum of 7 books in each. Last year I was bad at keeping up with the CATs and I also want to get a bit further in my lifelong(?) Orbis Terrarum challenge, so I have categories for those. Of course, any of these categories may change depending on the reading-mood, but hopefully I'll get through a lot of planned reads - I do want to put a proper dent in Mt. TBR.

1. New Acquisitions
2. Mt. TBR
3. BingoDOG
4. Orbis Terrarum
5. CATs and/or Group Reads
6. Graphic Novels
7. Non-Fiction
8. Vacation Reads
9. Audio/Ebook

New Acquisitions

1. Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith Finished February 2nd
2. Stockholm Noir edited by Nathan Larson and Carl-Michael Edenborg Finished February 25th (LTER)
3. The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins LTER Finished March 17th
4. Even Dogs in the Wild by Ian Rankin Finished April 4th
5. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel Finished June 18th
6. A Tiding Of Magpies by Peter Sutton (psutto) Finished June 29th
7. The Worst Breakfast by China Miéville Finished September 3rd

Mt. TBR

1. A Thief of Time by Tony Hillerman Finished March 13th
2. The Last Kabbalist of Lisbon by Richard Zimler Finished March 26th (March DeweyCAT)
3. Aftermath by Peter Robinson Finished March 29th ♫
4. Shaman Pass by Stan Jones Finished April 11th (April GeoCAT)
5. Lúcio's Confession by Mário de Sá-Carneiro Finished September 4th (September RandomCAT)
6. The Relic by José Maria De Eça de Queirós Finished September 27th (September RandomCAT)
7. Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovitch Finished November 21st

BingoDOG

1. Esio Trot by Roald Dahl Finished January 21st
2. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie Finished February 4th
3. Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman Finished June 5th
4. Old Dogs by Donna Moore Finished September 18th
5. The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón Finished October 13th
6. Doctor Who: Wishing Well by Trevor Baxendale Finished October 14th
7. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith Finished November 5th

Orbis Terrarum

1. Chile: The House of the Spirits (original Spanish: La Casa de los Espíritus) by Isabel Allende Finished January 29th (January GeoCAT)
2. Russia: War and Peace (original Russian: Война и мир) by Leo Tolstoy Finished March 12th (March GeoCAT)
3. Canada: Fifth Business by Robertson Davies Finished April 22nd (Robertson Davies Quarterly Group Read May-July)
4. New Zealand: The Bone Tiki by David Hair Finished June 14th (June GeoCAT)
5. Portugal: The Elephant's Journey (original Portuguese: A Viagem do Elefante) by José Saramago Finished July 21st
6. Brazil: The Silence of the Rain (original Portuguese: O silêncio da chuva) by Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza Finished August 13th
7. Ethiopia: Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese Finished August 28th (August GeoCAT)

CATs and/or Group Reads

1. Sodoms kniv by Hans Capelen Finished January 4th (January RandomCAT)
2. The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt Finished February 13th (February RandomCAT)
3. The Manticore by Robertson Davies Finished April 27th (Robertson Davies Quarterly Group Read May-July)
4. Grimm Fairy Tales Omnibus Vol. 1 by Ralph Tedesco Finished September 28th (September DeweyCAT)
5. The Painter of Birds by Lídia Jorge Finished December 14th (December GeoCAT)
6. The True Actor by Jacinto Lucas Pires Finished December 27th (December GeoCAT)
7. The Strange Awakening of Lazy Smurf by Peyo Finished December 28th (December GeoCAT)

Graphic Novels

1. Vinland Saga, Omnibus 1: For Honor And Vengeance by Makoto Yukimura Finished February 17th
2. Civil War by Mark Millar Finished March 13th
3. Nimona by Noelle Stevenson Finished March 24th
4. The Story of My Tits by Jennifer Hayden Finished March 25th
5. Mandrake the Magician: The Hidden Kingdom of Murderers by Lee Falk Finished April 21st
6. Grimm Fairy Tales Omnibus Vol. 2 by Raven Gregory Finished September 29th (September DeweyCAT)
7. Doctor Strange: Marvel Masterworks Vol. 1 by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko Finished November 23rd

Non-Fiction

1. The Book That Changed My Life: 71 Remarkable Writers Celebrate the Books That Matter Most to Them edited by Roxanne J. Coady and Joy Johannessen Finished March 12th (March RandomCAT)
2. Last Chance to See by Mark Carwardine Finished April 15th (April RandomCAT)
3. Humans of New York by Brandon Stanton Finished June 14th
4. Humans of New York: Stories by Brandon Stanton Finished June 20th
5. Before Night Falls by Reinaldo Arenas Finished July 8th (July GeoCAT)
6. Outlander Kitchen by Theresa Carle-Sanders Finished July 10th
7. Ask the Pilot: Everything You Need to Know About Air Travel by Patrick Smith Finished November 8th

Vacation Reads

1. Små minnen by José Saramago Finished May 21st
2. Han som älskade livet by Irving Stone Finished May 24th
3. Gatukatten Bob by James Bowen Finished May 24th
4. Mitt liv med Bob by James Bowen Finished May 25th
5. Troubled Souls by Garth Ennis Finished May 26th
6. En undrens värld by Robertson Davies Finished June 3rd
7. Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere by Mike Carey Finished June 4th

Audio/Ebook

1. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams Finished January 5th ♫
2. Cold Is the Grave by Peter Robinson Finished January 29th ♫
3. So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish by Douglas Adams Finished March 2nd ♫
4. Cinder by Marissa Meyer Finished March 19th ♫
5. The Aeronaut's Windlass: The Cinder Spires, Book 1 by Jim Butcher Finished April 17th ♫
6. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett Finished May 2nd ♫
7. Still Alice by Lisa Genova Finished September 2nd

1: Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman
2: Old Dogs by Donna Moore
3: The Story of My Tits by Jennifer Hayden
4: Ask the Pilot by Patrick Smith
5: The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
6: Last Chance to See: In the Footsteps of Douglas Adams by Mark Carwardine
7: Esio Trot by Roald Dahl
8: Small Memories by José Saramago
9: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
10: Cinder by Marissa Meyer
11: Even Dogs in the Wild by Ian Rankin
12: The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt
13: Sodoms kniv by Hans Capelen
14: Doctor Who: Wishing Well by Trevor Baxendale
15: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
16: Outlander Kitchen by Theresa Carle-Sanders
17: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
18: World of Wonders by Robertson Davies
19: Nimona by Noelle Stevenson
20: Vinland Saga, Omnibus 1: For Honor And Vengeance by Makoto Yukimura (Japanese original: ヴィンランド・サガ)
21: Lust for Life by Irving Stone
22: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
23: Civil War by Mark Millar
24: Still Alice by Lisa Genova
25: Mandrake the Magician: The Hidden Kingdom of Murderers by Lee Falk

Welcome to the second part of the year! Time flies when you're having fun. And a very happy 4th of July weekend for those of you who are in the part of the world that celebrates that. :)

Happy shiny new thread!

Happy new thread! How is it halfway through the year already??

Happy New Thread!

Happy new thread!

Happy New Thread!

You have hit me with a BB for psutto's book!
Nice new thread! It looks like you'll be overflowing all of your categories real soon.

Happy summer thread and happy fourth of July weekend! Looks like you've made good progress in all your categories.

Happy new thread! Looks like you've had a really good first half of the year already.

Howdy! Marking a spot here.

>18 mamzel:
Haha, I deliberately set my goals low this year... :) 7 is a minimum - the idea is to read more, but who knows. I'm part-time TV-oholic, so sometimes nothing gets read. :)

I hope you get to check A Tiding of Magpies out - it is a really great read!

Hi Eva! Happy new thread!

Hi Eva!

Nice new thread Eva. You are doing really well on your challenge. :)

>12 -Eva-: Love the book flag.

Happy new thread, Eva! :)

Happy new thread!!

Happy new thread! I also took a BB for A Tiding of Magpies - I'm a big fan of short stories to begin with. And I will take your advice on W&P when I get around to reading it and read the 2nd epilogue first.

#43



Before Night Falls: A Memoir by Reinaldo Arenas

The story of Reinaldo Arenas' life from his childhood and youth in Cuba to his eventual death in New York. I was slightly disappointed by this read since I have seen the film version and was hoping for much more insight into what life in Castro Cuba was actually like. I did get some of that, for sure, but the larger part of the first half of the book is almost solely a list of men that Arenas and his friends had sex with in Havana and surrounding areas. And not in an erotic way, but rather as if you had played a game of golf without keeping score and then tried to remember the number of strokes for each hole afterwards. The parts that are about Cuba and what life was like there are very interesting indeed and when Arenas uses a more poetic voice to describe the horrific conditions they all lived under, the story is very intriguing (and terrible) indeed. I only wish those parts had taken up a much larger part of the book. Unfortunately, I would recommend the film version and suggest a look at Arenas' novels instead.

#44



Outlander Kitchen by Theresa Carle-Sanders

Carle-Sanders has been running the cooking website Outlander Kitchen for a long time and when the TV-series came to be, it was the right time to publish a book with selected recipes. Some recipes are straight from the Outlander-books, some are inspired by the times and characters, and one is a Gabaldon family recipe, which makes for a wonderful mix of foods. The overall theme is Scottish, but there are variations for readers who may like Gabalon's book, but not British fare. I particularly appreciate all the work Carle-Sanders has done to adapt old recipes and make them practical for a modern kitchen. Lots of quotes from the book series accompany the recipes to show where the inspiration came from. Interesting book for cooks and equally interesting for an Outlander-fan, whether prone to cooking or no.

Hi, Eva! Your challenge categories and Bingo card are filling up nicely!

#45



The Elephant's Journey by José Saramago

A fictional telling of the elephant Solomon's journey from the court of King João III of Portugal to Archduke Maximilian and his imperial city of Vienna in 1551. You'd expect a historically influenced story to have majestic opening, an impressive arc, and a finale to remember, but Saramago does not do the expected. His story is one that deals with little people (animal carers, soldiers, farmers) and the physical practicalities of transporting a huge animal across Southern Europe (food, water, and shelter). A big story becomes a small story then, but a small story that stays with you for a long time. Subhro, Solomon's mahout, is a simple man, but his thoughts about religion, power, class, and life in general are only simplistic on the surface and Saramago gives him a humble voice that has plenty of sharp things to say. It's a meandering story and the ending is almost abrupt, but Saramago's style is such that he will let the reader out on a loose line for a while and will then reliably reel him or her in to make a subtle and ironic point. Saramago is one of my favorite storytellers because, even when I feel completely lost, I know that in the end I can always rely on his skill to bring me home safe.

I know I'm a couple of days early with my summary, but I'll be in New York for the next few days and won't be reading much. I have books on my iPad, but not sure if I'll actually read anything.

July Summary:

Number of books: 3

Category Progress:
1. New Acquisitions 6/7
2. Mt. TBR 4/7
3. BingoDOG 3/7
4. Orbis Terrarum 5/7
5. CATs and/or Group Reads 4/7
6. Graphic Novels 5/7
7. Non-Fiction 6/7
8. Vacation Reads 7/7
9. Audio/Ebook 6/7

Best read of the month: The Elephant's Journey because I find Saramago's stories and voice magical.
Least good read of the month: Before Night Falls because the first half of the book felt wasted.

Ooh, have a great time in New York! I hope you will get some reading time in. Any plans to visit Strand Books? ;)

>34 rabbitprincess:
I'm traveling very light, so The Strand would be a dangerous place to go... But perhaps - I can just buy another suitcase, right? :)

The Strand ships!

>36 mstrust:
You terrible enabler!! :D

>36 mstrust: If I could "like" this post, I would ;)

Edit: I've "added to favorites", which is the best I can do.

>37 -Eva-: Oh, you know it's what you wanted to hear. : )

>38 rabbitprincess: Ha, thanks! "qmm" is the closest thing to a thumbs up I can figure out.

New York sounds like fun! Enjoy your trip!

Have a great time!

No comment... :)



I didn't shop a lot, though, I promise. :)

>42 -Eva-: Yay! Great photo! :D

Catching up (or just jumping past everything I haven't read really).

Love the photo! Yay for shopping!

>42 -Eva-: You're having a good time! Now we wait for you to list all you bought.

>42 -Eva-: I've never been to New York (though I'd love to), but if I do I will make sure that Strand is on my must-see list!

>42 -Eva-: I hope you did a little shopping, otherwise, how do we live vicariously?

Can't wait to see the list too!!!

And your review on The Elephant's Journey is almost enough to convince me to give Saramago another chance. I tried Blindness and couldn't get past the yuk.

Thanks all! I wasn't kidding when I said shopping was light, though - I got there after a 10 mile "stroll" across town and was going to walk down to Katz's for dinner, so the thought of carrying even a small paperback was out of the question! I came away with a couple of t-shirts and a tote (the lightest things I could find...). Their selection is amazing though - especially 3rd floor's rare books is worth a look (and a rest-your-feet-break in their nice armchairs)!

Such willpower! And, 10 miles is anything but a "stroll" in my books! I would have sunk into those armchairs you described and they would have had to pry me out.

10 miles is an impressive hike. Sounds like it was fun.

I had a fantastic time and some great walking shoes (without the shoes, the time would not have been so fantastic)! :) Did about 15 miles of walking per day without too much suffering, which I'm surprised by myself, but there's so much to see that I just kept going. I was staying with a friend in Brooklyn, but took the subway in to Manhattan every day and just walked and walked and walked (and ate a lot of great foods...).

Here are the soft chairs - the kind you'll just sink down into about a foot:

SOFT CHAIRS..... MMMMMMM.

>52 -Eva-: The trip sounds wonderful, and those chairs would be tempting after all the walking!

Lovely chairs! And you can always go back for more books, some day any way.

Ooh! I'm so excited about my upcoming visit to NY in December when I finally go to the Strand. So happy that you had a great time. Did you see any shows while there?

>55 cammykitty:
As the lovely mstrust pointed out in >36 mstrust: - The Strand ships... :)

>56 LittleTaiko:
Have a great time when you go! No shows for me. It's not really my thing - I am all about walking and smelling and tasting when I get to a city. And I did that, so I'm very pleased with my trip!

#46



The Silence of the Rain by Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza

A man is found dead in his car in Rio de Janeiro and while Inspector Espinosa tries to find his killer, the other characters in the drama are murdered, one after the other. This was different from what I had expected in that the reader knows the whole time what happened to the first man who dies, but it is really difficult to figure out what on earth happens to everyone else. I did catch on quite a few chapters earlier than I had wanted to, but it was still a good read. I only wished there had been more descriptions of Rio de Janeiro as, other than the names of the streets, the story could have taken place anywhere. I'm a little undecided about the main character, but I do like that he sometimes just checks out from everything and goes book-shopping, so I will soon continue with the next book in the series.

>42 -Eva-: Nice photo! Sounds like you had a great time in New York.

#47



Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese

Marion and Shiva are conjoined twins born to an Indian nun and a British surgeon in 1950s Ethiopia and raised by adoptive parents to be physicians, but as difficult as their beginning is, the continuing road to adulthood is fraught with constant personal and political turmoil. This is such an intricate and involving story that gets a little bit to get going, but once you've gotten going, there is no stopping until you get to the resolution at the end. Funnily enough, I picked this up because I had heard that the descriptions of Addis Ababa were very accurate and I was wanting to read something that would evoke Ethiopia for me. I did indeed get plenty of local color, but I also got a group of characters that couldn't help but engage me in their individual fates; each character is so wonderfully fleshed out that even if you don't care for the character, you will still want to find out what happens to them. I should add that I find medical procedures quite fascinating, but have to caution other readers that there are some very detailed descriptions of the same in this book, some more grim than others.

August Summary:

Number of books: 2

Category Progress:
1. New Acquisitions 6/7
2. Mt. TBR 4/7
3. BingoDOG 3/7
4. Orbis Terrarum 7/7
5. CATs and/or Group Reads 4/7
6. Graphic Novels 5/7
7. Non-Fiction 6/7
8. Vacation Reads 7/7
9. Audio/Ebook 6/7

Best read of the month: Cutting for Stone because I only read two books this month and this was a little better than the other one.
Least good read of the month: The Silence of the Rain because I only read two books this month and the other one was a little better.

I just started Still Alice, so won't be finishing any more books this month. August started off TV-heavy and then most of my time went to a new little family-member. Everyone, meet Oliver:

>61 -Eva-: Oh! I can't take the cuteness overload! Congratulations on the new puppy!

Your trip to NY sounds like it was fantastic and I absolutely ADORE Oliver!

What a sweet boy.

Eva, what a little sweetheart! I bet you fell in love at first sight. :)

PUPPY!!!!!! Awwwwwww!!!! What a cutie! :D

>61 -Eva-: Oliver is adorable!

>61 -Eva-: Awww, pupper! They do take up a lot of time, don't they? But all worth it, of course.

57> "I am all about walking and smelling and tasting when I get to a city." I hope you've been to New Orleans. I think at this point, I've been there more than my friend who lives in Louisiana.

61> I'm a cat person, but AWWWWWWWW! I especially love the over-the-shoulder shot.

Thank you all! Yes, he is all kinds of adorables.

>64 DeltaQueen50:
I did. :) Especially when I heard that the rescuer's son called him "Pokedude" because of his funny ears. I do like a funny ear on a dog. :)

>67 sturlington:
And eats my time like nothing else. :)

>68 BookLizard:
I have indeed! It's one of my favorite cities in the US.

Oliver's a little cutie!

*Waves a paw at little Oliver*

>61 -Eva-: Cute!

>61 -Eva-: What an adorable puppy! Adrian was on my lap so I showed him the photo, and he immediately went to his perch in front of the picture window to look for Oliver.

Oliver is so cute!

cute new addition to your home.

How cute! I love the little white tip on his tail. And I hope you like Still Alice - it's one of my favorite books.

Oliver is absolutely beautiful! Fabulous colouring! I hope you have a wonderful life together.

>73 cbl_tn: I love Adrian's reaction.

This was a really, really good one. It was tough, though, and took some extra time to read since my sister-in-law suffers from this horrific disease and I had to take breaks from reading when I came across passages that reminded me too much of her situation.



#48



Still Alice by Lisa Genova

When Harvard psychology professor Alice Howland starts forgetting everyday things, it turns out not to be a sign of stress, but the beginning of her long path into early onset Alzheimer's disease. Genova has done a fantastic job of describing a very tragic disease in a remarkably unsentimental way. I picked this up because I have a close family-member who is suffering from this nightmarish disease and, even though it was at times very hard to read, it was very rewarding to get even a little glimpse into the monster that is destroying the minds of so many people's loved ones. Genova's prose is very easy to read, which I was happy about since the topic is tricky enough as it is, but I wouldn't have complained if the characters had been a little more developed - as it is now they are functions of the story first and people second. Recommended for anyone who has an interest in what Alzheimer's can look like from the inside.

I'm sorry about your sister-in-law. That would make it very difficult for anyone. I have liked all of Lisa Genova's books but this is still my favorite. Probably in my top 5 ever list. I've seen the movie too and although Julianne Moore was good, they have to leave so much out when making a movie from a book that I just didn't like it that much.

>79 dudes22:
It was tough, but a great (and enlightening) read. I had to muster the strength to read it, but it was really worth it. I won't see the film, though, I was mainly interested to see Alice from the inside and I really got that from the book.

My lovely mail woman came by with this, my current LTER-book, while I was having breakfast this morning and it was a fast read... :) Luckily, my breakfast was better than the one in the book... :D



#49



The Worst Breakfast by China Miéville and Zak Smith

Two sisters discuss the worst breakfast they've ever had - and it's was a really bad one indeed. I know that one of Miéville's goals is to write a book in each genre, so I've been waiting for this, his foray into children's literature. It started off like any other book, but very soon Miéville's penchant for playing with language comes into play and things get a lot of fun. I'm not sure that the art is styled for children, but I had a lot of fun looking for the various monsters that show up in the sisters' kitchen. Miéville is quite an accomplished artist in his own right, so while I understand he had fun teaming up with someone else, I would have adored this had he done the illustrations himself.

Congrats on the new family member, Oliver is adorable!

Oh, Oliver is a little cutie!

So sorry to hear about your sister-in-law. Still Alice was good but scary for me, as there is much Alzheimer's in my family.

Good review of Still Alice. I plan to read it but hesitating because the disease is my worst nightmare.

I received Mièville's book, too. I tore it open and read it standing in the kitchen. Too cute!

>61 -Eva-: Oliver is so adorable.

>83 tymfos:
It's such a horrific disease! The character once talks about (not really a spoiler, but I'll play it safe) how she would rather have had cancer and I don't know how many times my family have talked in the exact same veins. With a disease like that there's some hope, even if it's small, but with this one, it's a one-way road to the end and it SUCKS.

Thank you all! Oliver is very cute indeed, but I can't wait for the day his puppy-teeth fall out - small puppies have razor-sharp teeth! :)

#50



Lúcio's Confession by Mário de Sá-Carneiro

After spending ten years in prison for murder, Lúcio is writing the story of how Ricardo de Loureiro was actually killed in order to prove his own innocence. This was considered quite shocking at the time of publication and it's somewhat unnerving even today, because of the eerie mood caused by the reader never getting to be completely sure of what is reality and what is the narrator's madness. Also, the questionable sexualities may not be disturbing today, but for an early 20th century audience, it may have been outright alarming. Sá-Carneiro was part of the "Geração D'Orpheu" (named for the avant-garde publication Orpheu) which was responsible for introducing Modernism to Portugal, but his style is very purple compared to someone like Pessoa, for example, so be prepared for some very flowery language. I've not read anything else by the author, but I will be reading more for sure, since I am intrigued to see if his other works are as "trippy" as this one. As usual, Margaret Jull Costa shines as translator - you can't go wrong when you're in her safe hands.

>87 -Eva-: Puppy teeth are the only thing NOT CUTE about puppies!

>87 -Eva-: Awww, that's like the most adorable piranha about to take your fingers off. We once had a boxer puppy who spent weeks teething on my dad's earlobe.

I'm finally catching up on threads and have fallen in love with Oliver, puppy teeth and all! He is just too cute!

>81 -Eva-: I really like Miéville's books and hadn't realized he'd written a children's book. Sounds fun!

#51



Old Dogs by Donna Moore

Classic heist-story about a pair of septuagenarian ex-hookers turned con artist who plan to steal statuettes from a museum, but with half a dozen other people also after the statuettes, the plan obviously goes awry in a convoluted and humorous manner. As always with books that are described as rip-roaringly funny, this isn't quite the laugh-fest I expected. It is, however, an amusing and clever story filled with quirky characters that all have something for the reader to like, even though most, if not all, of them are "baddies." I especially liked Letty and Dora whose crusty language provides for some nice chuckles. It's not one I'll keep on my bookshelf, but it was a very decent read.

#52



The Relic by José Maria De Eça de Queirós

This picaresque tells the story of Teodorico, a Portuguese playboy, who is determined to be the sole heir of his extremely pious aunt, a goal that brings him on a quest to the Holy Land for a sacred relic worthy of his aunt's esteem, while hiding his true lascivious nature. I am a huge fan of this author and although this is not one of his greater works, it's still a quality read and quite entertaining in its own way. Teodorico is a great character to laugh at in his attempts to hide his shadier affairs while trying to out-do his aunt in religious fervor and the aunt, albeit a caricature, is a wonderful "villain" to our "hero." The middle section of the book - a long dreamlike sequence where Teodorico lives through the last days of Jesus of Nazareth - is an oddity that threw me off at first, but after a few pages, Teodorico's frantic hunt for the Savior through the streets of ancient Jerusalem was quite engaging. Having been to modern Jerusalem helped keep me on track a little as the older parts of the city are remarkably unchanged, even today. It wouldn't be Eça de Queirós if the novel wasn't at the same time a sharp critique of Portuguese society and both the overly religious and the highborn of his era get their fair share of punches, which makes for some entertaining quips by various characters. Not the greatest of his works, but absolutely one worth the time for readers of 19th century literature. I read the translation by Aubrey F. G. Bell rather than the more modern one by Margaret Jull Costa, who is normally my favorite translator of Portuguese literature and I thought it quite accomplished if not really easy to read. I have a feeling that Bell's translation lies slightly closer to the original in that some of the peculiarities of Eça de Queirós' language has been left intact, despite that it sometimes makes for awkward English.

#53 and #54



Grimm Fairy Tales Omnibus Vol. 1 and Grimm Fairy Tales Omnibus Vol. 2 by Ralph Tedesco et. al.

These are collections of comic book spins on various classic fairy tales and legends. I do love when classic stories get a new spin and these are very entertaining. The first collection (includes #1-#24 of the original issues) has most of the beloved Grimm tales and the second collection (includes #25-#50 of the original issues) expands on the universe a little by having side stories about the main characters more incorporated into the overall story. The stories are entertaining, but make no mistake, the art is absolutely ridiculous, so if that is important to you, skip this whole thing; some of the art is just poorly made (e.g. to show a character cocking their head, one eye is simply drawn lower on the cheek than the other) and the female bodies are nothing short of ludicrous (blimp boobies galore!). All in all entertaining, but absolutely not up to the same standards as Fables or similar things in that field.

September Summary:

Number of books: 7

Category Progress:
1. New Acquisitions 7/7
2. Mt. TBR 6/7
3. BingoDOG 4/7
4. Orbis Terrarum 7/7
5. CATs and/or Group Reads 5/7
6. Graphic Novels 6/7
7. Non-Fiction 6/7
8. Vacation Reads 7/7
9. Audio/Ebook 7/7

Best read of the month: Lúcio's Confession because it's a trip I've not been on before.
Least good read of the month: Old Dogs because it was a trip I have been on before.

Sorry I haven't been around for a while - and won't be either... I'm having electrical issues at home and am staying off the computer (basically trying to make sure that what little electricity I have powers the fridge!). I got my few reviews written at lunch at work, so at least I'm caught up with September. :)

I'm currently reading The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón, which I am liking even more than The Shadow of the Wind, so that's high praise indeed. So far - I do hope it keeps its momentum all the way through.

Hope you're all doing well with your reads and I'll make the rounds once everything's been sorted.

Oh no, electrical problems! Yikes!

It's probably better not to turn on your computer if the electricity is wonky! Last Sunday we had a grand total of about 6 drops of rain and the power went out. Seriously?? Luckily I had recently saved my game so not much was lost.

I hope your electrical problems are over soon. I'm sure you'll get more reading done. : )

Adding my hopes that your electrical issues are soon a thing of the past.

>97 -Eva-: BTW, I'm reading The Shadow of the Wind now, and really enjoying it.

>97 -Eva-: Loved The Shadow of the Wind so glad to hear you think the next one is even better. I should get back to that series at some time especially as I already have The Angel's Game already sat on the tbr shelves.

#55



The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

David Martín want nothing more than to be an author, and after being released from a grueling contract with a unscrupulous publisher, he makes a pact with another, very shady publisher who requests that he write one book abut religion, one that will cause Martín to encounter some possibly demonic characters. I really enjoyed this trippy trip through 1920s Barcelona; the characters' tragic choices are very engaging and the descriptions of the various locales are evocative and colorful. The story itself is as, if not more, intriguing than The Shadow of the Wind, but unfortunately it falls apart a little at the end with some very convoluted twists and turns. It is still a fantastic read and my trust in Zafón's ability to deliver a riveting read remains strong. This second book in the series is technically a prequel to The Shadow of the Wind, but the ties between the two are such that it doesn't matter which you read first.

#56



Doctor Who: Wishing Well by Trevor Baxendale

The Doctor and Martha come across a village with an old wishing well, but instead of being a curiosity for tourists, the well hosts a terrifying monster. This is one of the better Who-books I've read because the story is very easy to visualize being a regular episode and both the Doctor and Martha sound like the characters they are on the show. Its a very quick and entertaining read for Whovians, but I wouldn't really recommend this to someone who hasn't already seen the show - books like these are mainly advanced fan-fiction after all.

My electrical problem at home has been taken care of - YEY!! I have a lot of catching up to do, though, so I'll make it around to everyone as soon as I can. Hope you're having a great reading time!

Monsieur teased me last Saturday because BBC America went from a Dr. Who marathon to Sherlock! Definitely an abundance of eye candy!

>105 -Eva-: Hurray for electrical problems being resolved! Also glad to hear that the Doctor Who novel was good.

>106 mamzel: That would be an awesome marathon!

Glad to hear that your electrical issues are over. Last year I lost power to all the heating units in my apartment after something exploded in my living room wall. Took over a week to fix and I was constantly afraid something might spark a fire in the walls. Electrical problems can be scary.

Happy to see you're back with us!

Happy to hear your electricity has been fixed.

Great to see you're back, Eva and that those pesky electrical problems are in the past.

I'm glad to hear that your electrical issues have been fixed! I've been hoping for Oliver updates. :-)

Glad to hear the electrical problems have been resolved!

Thank you all! I have now, however, managed to come down with a majestic head-cold, so my brain can't manage reading hardly at all. :) So typical. I've started A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, but I'm too tired to enjoy it, so it'll be postponed until I feel better. :)

>112 cbl_tn:
All is well with the little stinker! :) The vet has just confirmed that he is NOT (as we have feared) part Pitbull, which I was VERY happy about. He doesn't seem to want to stop growing, so we'll see how big he'll be at the end. He's still small enough to fit in my suitcase...

>114 -Eva-: Take care of yourself and feel better soon. Nice to have an update on Oliver. Seems like he's settled in his new home readily enough.

Feel better, Eva!

Glad there's no pitbull in your little bud. His paws don't look too huge so he'll probably be a manageable size. That's a cute pic. Looks like he's ready to go!

>114 -Eva-: Adorable! He looks like he's settled in for a trip!

I loved A Tree Grows in Brooklyn! It's worth waiting until you're well enough to give it the attention it deserves.

>114 -Eva-: - We should all be as relaxed as Oliver. Just adorable! Hope you're feeling better.

Glad your electrical woes are done. Sorry about the head cold -- get well soon.

Oliver is cute! Love the photo!

Glad your electrical problems are fixed. And, I'm glad to hear your comments on The Angel's Game that I recently added to my collection. I wasn't sure which one to read first. Now I know.

Oliver looks like he will be a good little travel companion!

Look after that cold.

>117 mamzel:
I think he has ginormous front paws, but I've only had Chihuahuas or Chihuahua-mixes before and they've all been fairly dainty - Oliver is a tank! :)

In other news, I've read two books this whole month! I blame my cold - I've only had the strength to watch telly... :)

October Summary:

Number of books: 2

Category Progress:
1. New Acquisitions 7/7
2. Mt. TBR 6/7
3. BingoDOG 6/7
4. Orbis Terrarum 7/7
5. CATs and/or Group Reads 5/7
6. Graphic Novels 6/7
7. Non-Fiction 6/7
8. Vacation Reads 6/7
9. Audio/Ebook 7/7

Best read of the month: The Angel's Gamen because it's so full of odd twists and turns that you're kept on your toes throughout the story.
Least good read of the month: Doctor Who: Wishing Well because I only read two books this month, and the other one was better.

Hope it was good telly! :)

Feel better, Eva!

>122 -Eva-: Hope you're feeling better! Looking at your stats, it looks like you only have 7 books to go to finish your whole challenge! You can do it! :)

>123 rabbitprincess:
Lucifer and Father Ted marathons on Hulu! Good times!

>124 mstrust:
Thank you!!

>125 Jackie_K:
Thanks! I am much better, except a lingering cough that's a bit annoying. I just finished another one, so technically 6... :)

#57



A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

Classic coming of age story about Francie Nolan and her and her family's life in early 1900s Williamsburg, Brooklyn. This has been on my to-read list for a long time and I am very happy I read it now that I just came back from a trip to New York and Brooklyn since it made it a lot easier to picture the places the narrator is describing. Even though it's not a very eventful novel (and can sometimes feel slow), its pacing works so well with the characters and their life and the descriptions of the tenements and the everyday life that was lived in the neighborhoods at the time - the early 1900s is very well evoked and smells and sounds are easily imagined. It's not strange that this has become a classic - the history books very rarely deal with "normal" people and here they are brought to life with a huge amount of humanity and respect.

What a lovely book this was! And now I'm on to Doctor Strange since I may have overdone my shopping at the sale Comixology is/was having.

>126 -Eva-: Father Ted! Hurray! My favourite episode is the one with the rabbits (obviously). :D

>126 -Eva-: >128 rabbitprincess: I love Father Ted too. My favourite episode is Speed 3 (the one with Dougal driving the milk float).

My facebook cover photo is of me in 2011, standing outside the actual Craggy Island Parochial House (which in reality is in mainland Ireland, in Co. Clare). It was quite the pilgrimage! (I didn't go inside - apparently you can arrange in advance with the owners to have a cup of tea there, but the inside of the house on the show is a studio, so it would have spoilt it to have gone inside and it to have been different to what I was expecting). There were quite a few people like us, posing at the gate for pictures. The owners must be very, very patient!

>128 rabbitprincess:
Haha, not too surprising... :) Here's my favorite: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tYOkVbB_Q4 (We keep a copy of that chart at work - it is sometimes very apt...)

>129 Jackie_K:
I'd love to go there - adding to the bucketlist!

Ooh Father Ted!

>126 -Eva-: I am much better, except a lingering cough that's a bit annoying.

I hope your cough is going away by now!

>132 tymfos:
Thank you! Yes, much better now!

And, in other news, I have also managed to complete my Bingo card with this one:



#58



Ask the Pilot: Everything You Need to Know About Air Travel by Patrick Smith

A collection of answers to questions about air travel posed in the author's Salon column of the same name. This is a very informative, sometimes dry, collection about airport procedures, weather conditions, and airplane quirks that a regular passenger may have about their trip. It's not sensationalist or an airline fluff-piece, but a very straight forward collection that any layman can understand. He does cover a few major crashes (just in case you suffer from aviophobia), but he points out how extremely rare they are and what the particulars of each crash were (in a nutshell - flying is statistically more safe than pretty much all other modes of transport). I like to travel and since most of my travels involve at least one airplane, I found this quite enlightening, even if Smith is not the most charismatic of authors.

#59



Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovitch

Peter Grant is an officer in the London Metropolitan Police who, after he meets a ghost in the line of duty, is drafted into a branch of the Met that handles cases involving magic and the supernatural. I am already a fan of the genre and a big Dresden-fan, so as soon as I was alerted to this series, I put it on the wishlist. Now that I've read the first installment, I know that this series will go to the top of my "favorites" list; the locale is credible, the characters engaging and entertaining, and the writing is clever and funny without seeming like the writer is in love with his own style and witticisms. It sometimes made me think of Doctor Who and when I found out that Aaronovitch has indeed written for that show, I was not surprised. Very thankful to my fellow LT:er Dave (AHS-Wolfy) who put it on my radar in the first place.

#60



Doctor Strange: Marvel Masterworks Vol. 1 by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko

Neurosurgeon Stephen Strange becomes Doctor Strange, Master of the Mystic Arts, and battles the evil forces in the universe with the use of black magic and martial arts. I vaguely remember reading Doctor Strange as a kid, but my favorite comic magician was Mandrake, so Strange was a little too, well, strange for me to love. I picked this up on a pre-movie sale and it turned out to be better than I remembered (even if I still prefer Mandrake). The art is colorful and the story lines entertaining - the baddies are evil on an epic scale and are left alive (because our heroes are good) so that they can come back and try their villainy over and over again. I'd probably not recommend that a new-comer start with these stories as they are not very complex plot-wise, but if you'd like to see how it all started, this is a great collection.

Congratulations on filling your Bingo card!

Yes, congratulations on completing your Bingo Card, Eva!

>134 -Eva-: Yay! So glad you liked Rivers of London! :D I love Peter's cheeky narration, especially when he makes Harry Potter jokes ;)

Oops, in my eagerness to sign up for SantaThing, I forgot to post my summary for November (it's already December, people!!).

November Summary:

Number of books: 4

Category Progress:
1. New Acquisitions 7/7
2. Mt. TBR 7/7
3. BingoDOG 7/7
4. Orbis Terrarum 7/7
5. CATs and/or Group Reads 4/7
6. Graphic Novels 7/7
7. Non-Fiction 7/7
8. Vacation Reads 7/7
9. Audio/Ebook 7/7

Best read of the month: Midnight Riot because I like everything about it.
Least good read of the month: Doctor Strange because it feels a bit dated.

So close to a perfect finish! The finishing line is in sight.

>134 -Eva-: Glad you enjoyed it. The series has reached its sixth book now and of the 5 of them I've read so far there hasn't been a bad one.

Slowly making me way back into visiting threads. Stunned to discover just how long I have been absent. Pretty much skim reading to get caught up. Station Eleven I can see as being the kind of book that affects readers differently. It is definitely not Emily St. John Mandel's usual fair... although at this stage, I am not really sure she has a "usual", each new book comes across as a bit of an experiment. It is definitely not my favorite dystopia novel and I think she gets a little 'complicated' with some of the plot lines. If you are still interested in reading more of her books, I would suggest Last Night in Montreal. Very happy to see the easy hugh praise for Pete's book! Very happy to see your positive review of Saramago's The Elephant's Journey. A truly wonderful tale! YAY for trip to New York and visit to the Stand Bookstore!!!

OMG! Oliver is soooooo adorable!!!! What a sweetie!

Great review of Still Alice. That was a 5 star read for me. Sorry to read that there was a personal element to reading the story. My heart goes out to you, your sister-in-law and the whole family.

Great batch of reading since I was last visiting!

... all caught up!

Midnight Riot sounds great, especially since you compare it to Doctor Who. ;)

>134 -Eva-: I just finished the latest Peter Grant book and was alerted by another LTer fan that there have been a couple of short stories published as graphic novels this year as well.

>144 avatiakh:
Oooh, going on my list to Santa!

#61



The Painter of Birds by Lídia Jorge

A young woman tries to piece together a coherent picture of her father from two childhood visits, other people's stories, and the few mementos he left behind. This is a very slow read with a plethora of threads from different time periods woven together in a less than direct manner to form a nebulous whole. It's interesting to see how the narrator's mind moves and how she folds events together to match some previously undiscovered fact, but it's sometimes difficult to follow along in the flow. What I'm mainly left with after reading is a profound understanding of "Saudade," the melancholic longing that so defines the Portuguese people and even if I am not a huge fan of the work itself, I am very grateful to have gotten such an insight into a mood that was previously a mere dictionary definition for me, especially since I read a lot of Portuguese fiction that tends to include at least some of this (for me) peculiar nostalgia.

Great review. I'm fascinated by member and piecing together of stories through ephemera and The Painter of Birds sounds interesting for that reason — but although I feel like I would probably like it, I'm not sure it's something I would pick up any time soon based on your review.

>147 andreablythe:
It's not one I would recommend for pleasure reading, unfortunately. Unless you're someone who reads Faulkner for pleasure rather than for literary reasons, in which case, I would highly recommend.

>148 -Eva-:
Haha. No, I'm not really one of those people. But I am one who reads Faulkner out of a sense of obligation to read the "classics", so it's not entirely out of the question.

>149 andreablythe:
I'd say go with Faulkner and leave Ms. Jorge to the Portuguese. :)

>150 -Eva-:
Hah. Good to know. :)

Have a great Christmas, Eva!

Happy Holidays Eva!

Wishing you a Merry Christmas Eva!

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays Eva! Thanks for our lovely group.

Thank you all and happy holidays to you too! Hope you had a great time and got many bookish presents. I normally don't get any books, but I made out like a bandit this year! Being part of SantaThing helped, of course, but even outside of that I did very well indeed!

#62



The True Actor (Portuguese original: O Verdadeiro Ator) by Jacinto Lucas Pires

Americo Abril is an actor/stay-at-home dad who plays Paul Giamatti in a film where he gets trapped in a video game and, in real life, his mistress is murdered and Abril becomes a suspect, all the while the Euro-crisis in Portugal rages around him with its many protests and political upheavals. I really wanted to like this a lot - it's a big story that Pires manages to tell in a very quiet and subtle way. Unfortunately, for me, it became a little bit of "form before function;" the way of telling got in the way of the story and Abril never made his way into my heart. I know that Pires is also a playwright and had this been a play, the hallucinatory passages and the Kafkaesque meetings with the police would have made for a very exciting evening at the theater, I think. Interesting, but too abstract for my personal taste.

I know, my last book of the challenge is a bit of a "cheat." I needed one more book to finish but Santa brought the entire œuvre of Avengers Universe movies, so I am not likely to emerge from that universe before the end of the year, and, thus, I picked this nice short one so that I can call the challenge complete! :)



#63



The Smurfs #17: The Strange Awakening of Lazy Smurf by Peyo

A collection of shorter tales about life in the village and about the evil wizard Gargamel who is forever hunting, and failing to catch, the Smurfs. I've loved the Smurfs since I was a kid and I still enjoy reading about their various shenanigans. I do prefer the longer stories to these short ones, but it's still fun to see in how many different ways Gargamel can be thwarted.

December Summary:

Number of books: 3

Category Progress:
1. New Acquisitions 7/7
2. Mt. TBR 7/7
3. BingoDOG 7/7
4. Orbis Terrarum 7/7
5. CATs and/or Group Reads 7/7
6. Graphic Novels 7/7
7. Non-Fiction 7/7
8. Vacation Reads 7/7
9. Audio/Ebook 7/7

Best read of the month: The Strange Awakening of Lazy Smurf because it's the Smurfs, and when are they ever not great?
Least good read of the month: The True Actor because it felt too much form over function for my taste.

And there we are - this challenge is officially completed successfully. To continue tradition, I'm bringing on the dancing girls:



Top 3 reads of the year (by rating):
Humans of New York: Stories by Brandon Stanton
Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
Last Chance to See: In the Footsteps of Douglas Adams by Mark Carwardine

Bottom 3 reads of the year (by rating):
Sodoms kniv by Hans Capelen
Doctor Who: Sick Building by Paul Magrs
The Wicked The Divine, Vol. 1: The Faust Act by Kieron Gillen

Happy New Year, everyone!

Woo hoo! :D

Yes the dancing girls! Congratulations on your challenge completion Eva!

At Last - the dancing girls!! Congratulations on finishing your challenge.

Congrats on completing your challenge!

Hooray, well done! Let's hope the dancing girls can dance again in 2017!

The traditional dancing girls are always a treat! Happy New Year to you congratulations on completing your challenge!

Congratulations on completing your challenge! See you in the 2017 group.

Always love your dancing girls. Congrats on completing!

I almost missed seeing the dancing girls. I just realized I never finished reading 2016 threads. Congratulations on completing your challenge.

Came back to seethe dancing girls as well.