2015 reading challenge: quarter four.
"You have read 32 of 24 books - 133%!" I'd say the 2015 Goodreads challenge is complete, thanks to three more months of housesitting and a few really nice personal and public libraries.
Here are 4Q results... A "*" means you should TOTALLY read this book.
- Summer House with Swimming Pool (Herman Koch) - if The Dinner (which I loved) was a train wreck, this one was a nuclear holocaust... which I did not love at all.
- A Long Way Down (Nick Hornby) - my friend put this in her "free" box this summer so I snagged it thinking it would be a fun, easy read. I did laugh out loud quite a few times but hated all the characters by the end of the story. Maybe that was the point?
- * And the Mountains Echoed (Khaled Hosseini) - I tried to read The Kite Runner several times and kept putting it aside. I'm glad I read this one instead.
- Postcards (Annie Proulx) - a novel about the non-romantic side of farming? By the author of The Shipping News? Sign me up! Unfortunately, I struggled to finish this one. The characters weren't particularly engaging and story dragged a bit too much for my taste.
- I Remember Nothing: and Other Reflections (Nora Ephron) - I finished it in about an hour. I enjoyed it but I remember nothing (other than "oh yeah she's the one who wrote "When Harry Met Sally").
- Yak Butter and Black Tea: A Journey into Tibet (Wade Brackenbury) - I hope to never read another self-indulgent piece by an egotistical western traveler who invades a secluded community and then whines that no one is willing to feed or house him.
- There's Nothing in This Book That I Meant to Say (Paula Poundstone) - I like this lady a lot, but I think I'll stick to listening to her on WWDTM.
- Angry Optimist (Lisa Rogak) - an interesting view into the man we all think we know, but her writing style really bugged me.
- * The Year of the Goat: 40,000 Miles and the Quest for the Perfect Cheese (Margaret Hathaway) - so relevant to our past three years! So inspiring, life- and memoir-writing-wise! So glad Patrick found this at the library!
- Crazy Enough (Storm Large) - I saw (and loved) her PCS show several years ago. However, I knew that her show was pretty tame in comparison to her real life, and honestly, if I'd run across this memoir in Portland I would've ignored it. Finding it in a Canadian library during my memoir-writing phase meant it was a must-read. Part uncomfortable, part WAY TMI, part heartwrenching - glad I found it.
