Weekly Geeks 2009-23: Challenges

Well, summer's finally here. Don't know how half a year got away from me, but here we are – getting ready for the last few days of June. So I thought it might be a good time to take a look at my reading challenge situation and see just how things stand, at just about the midpoint of 2009. And since this week's Weekly Geeks topic is just that, I also thought I'd join in this week. I believe it's been several months since I participated in a Weekly Geeks event – must try to do better in the future.

This week's topic was suggested by Sheri of A Novel Menagerie. She writes:

"Reading Challenges: a help or a hurt? Do you find that the reading challenges keep you organized and goal-oriented? Or, do you find that as you near the end of a challenge that you've failed because you fell short of your original goals? As a result of some reading challenges, I've picked up books that I would have otherwise never heard of or picked up; that, frankly, I have loved. Have you experienced the same with challenges? If so, which ones? Do you have favorite reading challenges?"

I joined a lot of challenges this year. A lot of challenges. Probably more than I should have, but I don't regret it. They've kept me reading; and I've read a lot of books I probably wouldn't have thought of reading without the challenge to spur me on. I always try to look for challenges that don't call for a set number of books or put a huge limit on the kinds of things I can read (like MizB's Read Your Own Books Challenge, one of my favorites). And even if I don't manage to read all the books required, I don't usually feel terribly guilty when the challenge ends. I'm a slow reader, so I know going in that it's likely I won't be successful with each and every challenge. But I like the self-discipline they impose – and I enjoy the list-making and record-keeping almost as much as the reading itself. Well, I am a geek, after all.

So far, I've completed the following challenges in 2009:

• Winter Reading Challenge (12 books)
• Book Awards II Challenge (10 books)
• Spring Reading Thing (14 books)
• Once Upon a Time III Challenge (1 book)
• Victorian Challenge (4 books)
• What An Animal! Challenge (6 books)
• Southern Reading Challenge (3 books)
• Chunkster Reading Challenge (2 books)
• Books Into Movies Challenge (7 books)
• 20 in 2009 Challenge (20+ books)

Haven't written the wrap-ups for all those challenges yet. And I still have an embarrassing number of reviews I need to get posted (running behind, as usual).

So it looks like I've read quite a few books. Well, looks can be deceiving – many of those books were shared among several challenges. Still, I have read twenty-six books so far this year, which is a goodly number, for me. That means if I keep up the pace, I'll easily reach my goal of fifty books for the year – might even do a little better than that. I'm not making any promises, of course. My reading challenges have given me a nice big nudge, but it's best not to expect miracles!

Weekly Geeks #18: Catch Up On Something – The Wrap-Up

This week’s theme for the Weekly Geeks group was “Catch Up on . . . Something.” Now that’s a challenge I can always use – I’m one of the great procrastinators of my generation. But this gave me a nice firm nudge, and I’ve been working really hard all week on getting my reviews caught up, and my challenge books organized. Really hard.

I ignored email and phone messages. I stopped cleaning the apartment. I let the laundry pile up. I chained myself to my computer and went without sleep.

OK, I lied about chaining myself to the computer.

But I worked very diligently. Like a little beaver. Like a madwoman. Like one possessed. I gave up cooking and hired Boy Scouts to bring me hot meals.

OK, I lied about the Boy Scouts.

But I did work on it a lot. And after a whole week of concentrating on catching up, I have to admit … I didn’t really get all that caught up after all. Could we please have catch-up week every week? Pretty please?

So this is what I did get accomplished:

Made a survey of the reading challenges I still have to finish up this year (five). Made a list of all the books I should be reading (fourteen), and when I should have them finished (too soon). Wrote a post about it for my blog.

Finished reading and wrote a review of my last LibraryThing Early Reviewer book, Mr. White’s Confession, by Robert Clark (see review).
Reviewed American Wife, by Curtis Sittenfeld (see review).
Reviewed So Long at the Fair, by Christina Schwarz (see review).

Pulled together a list of all the books I read during the summer that I still need to review (about half a dozen).

Updated my spread sheet database of ARCs. Also realized that I need to declare a bit of a moratorium on requesting ARCs until I can get some of my challenge books read and blogged about. [Note to self: Cut it out!]

Entered a bunch of recently-acquired books in my LibraryThing catalogue. This wasn’t something I’d planned to do, but it was definitely something I needed to catch up on. I’m up to 1,865 books now, with more to come.

Finished writing that novel I started twenty years ago, and sold it to Random House.

OK, I lied about the novel.

Challenge Countdown

This week’s Weekly Geeks theme is “catching up.” And one of the things I said I wanted to do was organize the rest of my reading challenges for the year – see what’s left to read, and how long I have to do it.

And after looking at my challenge blog, and checking the spreadsheet record I keep (well, I said I was a Geek, didn't I?), I realize that I still have about fourteen books left to read in the next three months. Actually, it looks like seventeen, but a few of those are cross-over reads, so it’s not quite as formidable as it looks. Well, actually it is pretty formidable at that.

So, the list:

R.I.P. III Challenge (ending October 31) – 2 books. Probably:
The House With a Clock in Its Walls, by John Bellairs, and The Penguin Complete Short Stories of M.R. James. I’m reading both of those right now, and enjoying them a lot.

342,745 Ways to Herd Cats (tl;dr) Challenge (ending November 30) – 1 more book, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon. I’ve started reading that one, too. Also enjoying it.

Man-Booker Challenge (ending December 31) – 5 books.
I’ve only read one of the six books for this challenge, so I’ve still got those last five to go. But one of them is Haddon’s Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, a cross-over with the Herding Cats Challenge – so only four “new” books for this challenge. The other books I’ve got lined up are:

Hotel Du Lac, by Anita Brookner
Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont, by Elizabeth Taylor
The Public Image, by Muriel Spark
The Road to Lichfield, by Penelope Lively

Young Readers Challenge (ending in December) – 8 books.
I know this sounds like lot, but kids’ books are usually very quick reads. And one of the books I’ll be reading is another crossover (Bellairs’ The House With a Clock in Its Walls), so only seven “new” titles. I made a list of books when I joined the challenge, but it’s sort of fallen by the wayside – I’ll probably just choose the books as I read them.

I also have the Short Story Challenge finishing up in December. But the M.R. James ghost stories will work there, too.

So, altogether, I think that’s fourteen separate titles. Now the question is will I be able to read (and blog about) almost five books a month for the next three months? All signs point to “NO,” especially since I’ll probably be traveling during a good part of that time. But I’m gonna give it a good solid try.

Weekly Geeks #18: Catch Up on Something!

It’s been a while since I participated in Weekly Geeks – quite a while actually. But this week, the theme is perfect for my situation, so I’m dropping back in.

The instruction to go forth and catch up on something is exactly what I need right now. I’ve fallen so far behind in review writing, I might need more than a week to do any real catching up. But I’m going to give it a shot. I also need to get my remaining challenge books organized and see which ones I need to be reading in the next few months. I know there are a couple of challenges I’m probably not going to finish, but I’ve decided not to let that bother me too much – life is too short and there are too many books out there, calling my name.

I need to catch up on a number of other things, too – sleep, vacuuming, laundry, etc. – but for now I think I’ll concentrate on reviews and reading challenges.

Weekly Geeks: Catching Up

Live long and prosper! (Sorry. Just couldn't resist saying that.)

OK. Onward.

I don't think I've participated in Weekly Geeks since the first week it started. But this week's theme caught my eye because it was supposed to be "Catch Up on Reviews Week." Now that's a great idea for me because even when I get a lot of reading done, I'm a terrible procrastinator when it comes to doing reviews. And I had the best intentions – I really did. But, as so often happens around here, real life kept interfering with blog life this week. So I never got those reviews written, darn it.

Well, I did get one written. I'm reading Susan Cooper's The Dark Is Rising series for the Once Upon a Time II Challenge, and I actually finished the second book a couple of weeks ago. But it took me till yesterday to get the review posted. I've finished reading the next book in the series, too (Greenwitch), and I'm going to try (really I am) to get a review of that one up in the next few days.

So, anyway, here's my list of books that I've finished reading and need to blog about.

The Bookman's Wake, by John Dunning
Chasing Vermeer, by Blue Balliett
Granny's Wonderful Chair, by Frances Browne (a re-read)
Greenwitch, by Susan Cooper
Mrs. Malory and the Delay of Execution, by Hazel Holt
Mrs. Malory and the Silent Killer, by Hazel Holt
Wish You Were Here, by Rita Mae Brown

Hmmmmm. Seems to be mostly mystery novels and children's books, doesn't it? Didn't realize I had gotten into such a rut. Have to work on doing some more "serious" reading in addition to writing reviews. Now if Weekly Geeks could just have "Catch Up on Reviews Week" every week, maybe that would be just the little kick in the pants I need!

Random Notes

Carl V. at Stainless Steel Droppings is showcasing some really amazing altered book art on his site (see: Book Week: Day Two). I know altered books are controversial with book people – if you love books, the idea of cutting them up or obscuring the text in any way can amount to wanton disfigurement, pure and simple. But some of Carl's examples are breathtaking. I don't think I would ever have come up with the idea of carving a book.

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I'm sure everybody has probably discovered Weekly Geeks by now. It's a new kind of challenge hosted by Dewey at The Hidden Side of a Leaf, and it has a different theme every week. It started off this past week with "Discover New Blogs Week," with the following guidelines:

1. Look through the list of blogs on the Mr Linky ... and see if you can find five that are new to you. If you can’t, find as many new blogs as possible and then some you don’t read super regularly.
2. Visit those new blogs. A comment would be nice; people like comments.
3. When you’re ready, at some point by Friday if you want to be included in the blurbs next week, write a post in your blog featuring those new blogs you visited.
4. Don’t forget to come back here and leave a link to your post, so that I can get it into the blurbs!

I haven't had time to do a lot of sampling, but I did find a few new book blogs that look interesting.

Mysteries in Paradise is devoted to reviews and talk about mysteries and crime fiction – one of my favorite genres.
Books & Other Thoughts has many fine reviews of children's and YA titles, and a nice inviting tropical design.
The Book Mine Set is owned by John Mutford. Well, technically this wasn't a new find – I've visited John's site before. He's Canadian and hosts the Canadian Book Challenge. His blog is a great way to learn a bit about Canadian literature, and there are always lots of amusing comments to read, too.

Well, I know that's not five, but I'm still exploring.