2023 Yearly Challenges - Wrap-Up Post

This is the wrap-up post for the 2023 yearly challenges...

2023 Book to Movie, 2023 Read Your Shelf, and the 1000 Books Project: Banned Books 2023.

I'm posting the links to the 2023 challenges below. If you completed the challenge (or even if you didn't) and you post a wrap-up, please link up in the original linky on the challenge sign up post. When you put your name/blog name, just add "wrap-up." Like so: truebookaddict/wrap-up

Here are the links to the 2023 challenges:

2023 Read Your Shelf Challenge

2023 Book to Movie Reading Challenge

1000 Books Project: Banned Books 2023

Be sure to leave a comment on the post so I know you added your wrap-up.

In case you missed the sign-up for this year's yearly challenges, you can find them below.

2024 Read Your Shelf Challenge

2024 Book to Movie (and TV) Reading Challenge

1000 Books Project 2024: Collins/Dickens

Here's to a new year of reading!

2024 Read Your Shelf Challenge

As you know (hopefully), Read Your Shelf had an overhaul in 2023. Previous incarnations weren't working for me and then I found this article on Book Riot...

PRETEND YOUR HOUSE IS A LIBRARY: A STRATEGY FOR ACTUALLY READING THE BOOKS YOU OWN.

Basically, the premise is to take one shelf on your bookshelf (or some other designated place where you can place books for this challenge) and think of it as your "holds shelf." If you buy or receive a book you haven’t read, it automatically goes onto that shelf. 

As you can see from the image below, my holds shelf has grown exponentially. I did manage to read some of the books I placed there that I received in 2022, and I've added books acquired in 2023, including those I received for Christmas. When I did read a book from my holds shelf, I shelved it on my main shelves and chose a book from my main shelves to replace it. So, out of the original 25 books I placed on my holds shelf in 2023, I managed to read six. Not great, but I'll take it.

Further challenge details

For this challenge, you will only read the books on your holds shelf. When you have read one of the books, you put it back on one of your other shelves (think of it as "main circulation"). By design, there is no room in main circulation for this new book (probably not the case in some instances) so you must take a book from main circulation and place it on your holds shelf.

If you want, you can leave some space on your holds shelf for any new books you might receive or buy, just be sure to set a number of spaces available so you don't go over. Remember, the ultimate goal is to read books you already own. Not only are you reading newer books you were excited about when you bought them, but you're knocking out books that have been languishing on your shelves for years. 

From the original Book Riot post (linked above): "This revolving door system has turned my bookshelves into my own mini library. Each time I finish a book I own, I return it to main circulation, and then I get to spend a few minutes browsing the stacks. I pick out a new book I’m excited about reading, and get the satisfaction of putting that book on hold (i.e. on my TBR shelf).

The best part: eventually all the unread books in my house will either get cycled onto the holds shelf, or I’ll realize there aren’t any unread books left in main circulation that I still want to read, in which case, I’ll donate them."

The goal of this yearly challenge is to see how many books you can get through on your holds shelf, and your "main circulation," by keeping track of how many you read from each. You can set a personal goal of a set number, or just see how far you get. There's no winning or losing here. It's all in fun.

• Challenge runs January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2024
• You can use books from your holds shelf for other challenges (this will give you even more incentive to get them read!)
• Hashtag for social media #ReadYourShelf
• Any questions? Leave me a comment below, or contact me via the button in the sidebar.

Sign up in the linky below, and grab the button at the top of the post. Sharing is appreciated. Happy Reading in 2024!

 

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1000 Books Project 2024 - Collins/Dickens

Challenge Backstory:
I picked up a copy of James Mustich's amazing 1000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life Changing List and upon looking through it, I realized it really is a well-rounded reading recommendation book. I was pleased to discover I have read quite a few of the books he lists, and that many of them are on my personal reading lists (and they are books I own). So, to ever expand my reading horizons, and include others in the journey, I decided to create a read-along challenge, or project, if you will.

Very proud of myself because this year I managed to read and post discussions for all four 2023 1000 Books selections! You can take a look at discussions for all four books under the 1000 Books Project label here.

One thing I did realize is that it's not a good idea to schedule these read-alongs during the holidays so in 2024, I will avoid that. This year we will only be reading two books with the first read-along January to April, a month break between, and then the second in June to September.

So, what are we reading? Well, in honor of Wilkie Collins' birthday on January 8, 2024, we will be reading The Moonstone. Now you're probably wondering where Dickens comes in. Well, since Collins and Dickens were good friends (until a late-life falling-out), we will be reading a Dickens book for our second selection which is The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby.

You can reference The Moonstone in the 1000 Books to Read Before you Die book on pages 168 - 169. To sum up Mustich's summary of the book, it is considered Collins' masterpiece, and "Psychological acuity, formal virtuosity, the social and human amplitude of a Victorian novel, and the narrative pulse of a thriller add up to make The Moonstone the prototype of (as T.S. Eliot said) 'the book you can't put down.'"

 

Since we are starting The Moonstone on January 1st, I'm posting the reading schedule for it now. 

My edition: Open Road Media Mystery & Thriller (April 22, 2014) - Kindle edition, 384 pages.

Discussions will be posted here on the blog on the dates indicated in the schedule. Feel free to stop by the discussions any time. Post your thoughts in the comments, or share a link to a blog post.

Note: Because of the way the chapters and sections in this book are arranged, the reading may be heavier some months. Since this Kindle edition does not give page numbers, it's very difficult to determine the number of pages. Hence, the lack of page numbers in the schedule.

Reading Schedule

• January: Prologue - First Period Ch XXIII (Ch 23)
  Discussion post: January 31
• February: Second Period, First Narrative, Ch I - Ch VIII (Ch 8)
  Discussion post: February 29
• March: Second Narrative, Ch I - Third Narrative, Ch X (Ch 10)
  Discussion post: March 31
• April: Fourth Narrative - Epilogue, Ch III 
  Discussion post: April 30

I hope the schedule isn't too confusing. Strange arrangement of sections and chapters!

Our second selection for this year's project is The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens. Because he is Dickens after all, Mustich does not focus on just one book by the prolific author. His write up about Dickens in 1000 Books can be found on pages 215 - 222, with commentary on Nicholas Nickleby on page 218. He refers to the book as "Pure Storytelling Bliss."

This read-along, as stated above, will run from June to September. I will post the reading schedule in May.

If you would like to join us, sign up by leaving a comment below (and a link, if you post about it on your blog or social media).

2024 Book to Movie (and TV) Reading Challenge

Welcome to year eight of the Book to Movie (and TV) Challenge! 

Let's see what books are coming to the screen in 2024. As usual, these releases are subject to change.

The info below comes from Booklist Queen and Screen Rant.

Legend: Movies = M, Streaming series = S, Streaming movie = SM (these will only be indicated if I know for sure which format the adaptation is.)

S: The Tiger’s Apprentice, Lauren Yep (Jan 19)

M: Argylle, Elly Conway (Feb 2)

M: Force of Nature, Jane Harper (The Dry 2 - Feb 8)

M: It Ends with Us, Colleen Hoover (Feb 9)

M: Frankenstein, Mary Shelley (Lisa Frankenstein - Feb 9)

M: Dune, Frank Herbert (Dune: Part 2 - March 15)

M: Mickey 7, Edward Ashton (Mickey 17 - March 29)

M: The Watchers, A.M. Shine (June 7)

S: It's Not Summer Without You, Jenny Han (The Summer I Turned Pretty: Season 2 - July 14)

M: Harold and the Purple Crayon, Crockett Johnson (Aug 2)

S: Heartstopper: Volume 2, Alice Oseman (Season 2 - Aug 3)

M: The Amateur, Robert Littell (Amateur - Nov 8)

M: Wicked, Gregory Maguire (Part One - Nov 27)

M: LOTR: The Two Towers, J.R.R. Tolkien (The War of Rohirrim - Dec 13)

S: Fool Me Once, Harlan Coben (Jan 1)

S: The Expatriates, Janice Y.K. Lee (Expats - Jan 26)

SM: Orion and the Dark, Emma Yarlett (Feb 2)

SM: Spaceman of Bohemia, Jaroslav Kalfar (March 1)

SM: The Three-Body Problem, Liu Cixin (3 Body Problem - March 21)

S: Romancing Mister Bridgerton, Julia Quinn (Bridgerton Season 3 - May 16)

M: Cold Storage, David Koepp (June 20)

M: Landing on My Feet: A Diary of Dreams, Kerri Strug & John P. Lopez (Perfect - Sept 9)

M: The Legacy of Mark Rothko, Lee Seldes (Oct 25)

S: Lady in the Lake, Laura Lippman (TBD)

S: A Gentleman in Moscow, Amor Towles (TBD)

S: The Sympathizer, Viet Thanh Nguyen (TBD)

SM: Turtles All the Way Down, John Green (TBD)

S: The Sandman, Neil Gaiman (Season 2 - TBD)

SM: The Electric State, Simon Stalenhag (TBD)

S: Trust, Hernan Diaz (TBD)

S: The Spiderwick Chronicles, Tony DiTerlizzi & Holly Black (TBD)

SM: The Shrinking of Treehorn, Florence Parry Heide (TBD)

SM: Uglies, Scott Westerfeld (TBD)

S: Shogun, James Clavell (Feb 27)

This list is by no means exhaustive. If you find out about any I haven't mentioned, leave me a comment and I'll add to the list.

Main Levels

The Enthusiast: read 1-3 books
First One to the Theater: read 4+ books

Read only books being made into movies for release in 2024 (you are not required to only read from the list above. As I stated, if you find another movie or TV series/mini-series, based on a book, coming out in 2024, feel free to read it).

Additional Levels

Not Ready to Let Go: read at least one (1) book made into a movie or series in 2023

Here's a list of 2023 movies adapted from books. (Note: Some of the movies listed may have been moved to 2024).

Living in the Past: read at least one (1) book made into a movie in previous years

You can Google for previous years, or check Goodreads lists.

The Movie Was Better (What?!): watch the movie(s) for the book(s) you read.

*the additional levels are optional, you still must complete one of the main reading levels above

Additional Guidelines

• The books you read can count for other challenges. Ebooks, audiobooks, and traditional formats all count.
• The start date is January 1, 2024. End date is December 31, 2024.
• Remember, TV series/mini-series count too.
• Pick your level (and additional levels, if you like)
• Sign up below and grab the button (top of post). I hope you will join me!
• If you have any questions, click the contact me button in the sidebar, or leave a comment.

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1000 Books Project - Beloved Discussion

Yes, I missed the first discussion (doing this during the holidays is not a great idea...next year's challenge will avoid that), and I finished the book early. Just getting around to posting this. I won't say much because I have tons of stuff to get done before New Year's (our family Christmas is on New Year's Day). Also, to those who celebrate, I hope you had a great Christmas!

Books about slavery are always a hard read for me. Ever since I was a child, when my parents let me watch Roots, it is a subject that has affected me deeply. No matter how long I live in this world, I still cannot wrap my head around the horrific treatment of fellow human beings. 

What Sethe feels she must do to keep her children from being taken back to slavery is both horrifying and understandable at the same time. Imagine thinking death would be better for them than living as slaves. I imagine many former slaves had post-traumatic stress disorder, something I think Sethe suffers from. 

The supernatural aspect of the book...Beloved. She is so disturbing. When Sethe finally comes to the realization of who she really is, the story becomes even more disquieting. My theory is that Beloved is the physical incarnation of Sethe's guilt, and it almost ends up killing her. It's a statement on what a person's guilt can do to them. In those days, there was little to no help for the mentally ill, and probably highly doubtful for former slaves. As shown at the end of the book, it's community that these people relied on to get them through tough times. That was a truly heartening aspect of the book. 

Despite the difficult subject matter, I thought this book was excellent. Yet another testament to Toni Morrison's brilliance.

If you joined me for the read-along, I'd like to thank you. Please share any final thoughts you had on the book in the comments.

I'll be announcing the 2024 1000 Books Project this week so stay tuned!

1000 Books Project - Beloved Reading Schedule

Pardon me for being late with the schedule. The month crept up on me!

Time to start our next book in our 1000 Books Project: Banned Books 2023 read-along challenge...Toni Morrison's Beloved, winner of the 1988 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. 

My edition: Plume (Penguin Books) 1998 - trade paperback, movie tie-in edition, 275 pages.

Discussions will be posted here on the blog on the dates indicated in the schedule. Feel free to stop by the discussions any time. Post your thoughts in the comments, or share a link to a blog post.

Since the holidays are coming up, I'm going to make this easy (and it won't be hard since it's such a short book). There are two parts. We will discuss Part One at the end of November and Part Two at the end of December.

• November - Part One, pp. 1 - 165
  Discussion post will go up on Thursday, November 30
• December - Part Two, pp. 167 - 275 (end)
  Discussion post will go up on Sunday, December 31

The original 2023 1000 Books challenge post with info and sign-up is here.

I hope you will join me!

1000 Books Project - The House of the Spirits Discussion Two (Final)

I apologize for delaying and combining the final two discussions into one. I'll admit I struggled with the middle section of the book. While I enjoyed the magical realism, I sometimes felt Allende went into too much detail. 

Frankly, I was horrified when it came down to the coup d'etat with the government and military. The warnings early on of what was probably going to happen, with the left and the right constantly at odds, and the right not giving a shit about the poor. Sound familiar? I can only hope that our country never comes to that, but I'm certainly not going to say it could never happen because the sad reality is...it could. 

I did a Google search to see if there was any historical context regarding the political upheavals in the book (which I figured there was some basis in fact). Turns out...

HOS could be considered a fictional version of the history of Chile from the 1930s to the 1970s leading up to the military coup d’état led by General Pinochet. In fact, politics is a major theme throughout the novel, as there is constant conflict between the socialists and conservatives. The characters in the novel resemble known characters during the Chilean revolution. For example, Pedro Tercero parallels the tale of Victor Jara. Both were musicians and used songwriting to express their revolutionary ideas. Unlike how Jara was murdered, Tercero was simply kicked out of the Tres Marias and eventually runs away to Canada with Blanca. Other parallels include the novel's the Poet and real life, famous Pablo Neruda, whose real death came twelve days after the coup d’état. The Poet’s funeral was somberly described in the final pages of the novel. Another parallel was the fictional character, the President, in conjunction with real life Salvador Allende, who was assassinated very accurately described in the novel. The behind-the-scenes drama of left versus right and super power USA versus USSR was also dramatically brought to life in this novel.

Most importantly, General Hertado correlates with the persona of Augusto Pinochet. Both yearned for power and money. Similar to how Pinochet overthrew socialist President, Allende, Trueba dedicated all his work to support the right-wing government. Ultimately, Pinochet became president and Trueba became disenchanted, isolated, and ignored by the military rulers. The 1970-1980s were the saddest period in Chilean history where a “brain-drain” where the talented and well-educated fled the country and stripped the nation of its best and brightest for a generation including Miss Allende.  

Source: The House of the Spirits - Historical Context

What befell Alba during the upheaval was horrific. It was heartening to learn that Trueba had worked with Miguel to find her. I think in the end Trueba finally realized how wrong he had been about everything. His political ideology had harmed his family, and I feel family, above all, was ultimately the most important thing to him. Clara, with her clairvoyance, never truly abandoned him because I think she knew deep down the truth about him. 

At the end, I was teary-eyed. The quote below really got me at the end. The older I get the more I think back and try to remember things that happened in my life, particularly having to do with my sons. I wish I had written down more, kept notebooks, as Clara did. My mom has always kept a journal so I know when she finally leaves this world it will be sad to read them, but also a blessing to have all those memories captured for all time. Personally, I have started thinking back and writing things down because I feel it's never too late. 

"I write, she wrote, that memory is fragile and the space of a single life is brief, passing so quickly that we never get a chance to see the relationship between events; we cannot gauge the consequences of our acts, and we believe in the fiction of past, present, and future, but it may also be true that everything happens simultaneously--as the three Mora sisters said, who could see the spirits of all eras mingled in space. That's why my Grandmother Clara wrote in her notebooks, in order to see things in their true dimension and to defy her own poor memory."

If you joined me for the read-along, I'd like to thank you. Please share any final thoughts you had on the book in the comments.

I did a more extensive write-up about this book for Banned Books Week at my main site, True Book Addict. You can read that here.

Our next book for the 1000 Books Project is Beloved by Toni Morrison which we will read in November. I will post the reading schedule by the end of October.