TSS: 2010 Challenges Round-Up 1

So the year is coming to an end. Time to sum up the reading done. Since much of my reading has been for challenges I am going to start by wrapping up those challenges I have not yet written wrap up posts for. Since I took part in quite a few challenges I’m doing them in batches (also I am still living in a somewhat vain hope that I will get a few more books read before the end of the year and thus get in a few more challenges done).

My start of challenge post
Level: Suffragette (8 books, at least 3 non-fiction)
My List of Books:
Fiction

1. My Ántonia by Willa Cather
2. The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (short story)
3. Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
4. Madicken by Astrid Lindgren 
5. Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
6. The Forbidden Daughter by Shobhan Bantwal 
7. The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
8. Gaudy Night by Dorothy Sayers

Non-Fiction

1. Mias Systrar (Mia’s Sisters) by Maria Eriksson and Kerstin Weigl
2. Lilla Feminist-boken (The Little Feminist Book) by Sassa Buregren
3. Living History by Hillary Rodham Clinton
4. Mystics, Mavericks, and Merrymakers by Stephanie Levine
5. Baby Catcher: Chronicles of a Modern Midwife by Peggy Vincent 

I enjoyed all the books I read for this challenge. The books that stayed with me the most though are Gaudy Night and Mystics, Mavericks, and Merrymakers. I read Gaudy Night on the recommendation of several bloggers and although I enjoyed the earlier books in the series this one pretty much bowled me over. I stayed up late several evenings to read it. I really couldn’t put it down. Mystics, Mavericks, and Merrymakers was interesting from a different perspective as I felt that it gave me a nice insight into a world that I didn’t even know existed. In addition to this from a very geeky perspective, I found reading the methodology and reasoning for the methodology to be quite interesting. I am definitely glad I took part in this challenge.

My start of challenge post
Level: Read 3 Books
My List of Books:

1. The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
2. The Forbidden Daughter by Shobhan Bantwal 
3. Haunting Bombay by Shilpa Agarwal

My favourite here was beyond a shadow of a doubt Haunting Bombay. It was really quite spooky but also very interesting. I will admit that I was disappointed by The Namesake. I really liked Interpreter of Maladies by the same author but this book suffered from not having a proper ending. You can tell that this story was originally meant as a short story. This is a challenge I will be repeating in 2011.

My start of challenge post
Level: Read 20 Books
My List of Books:

1. Young Adult
   1. My Most Excellent Year by Steve Kluger
   2. The Bermudez Triangle by Maureen Johnson
2. T.B.R. **
   1. John Adams by David McCullough
   2. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
3. Shiny & New
   1. White Noise by Don Delillo
   2. A Fountain Filled With Blood by Julia Spencer-Fleming
4. Bad Blogger’s ***
   1. Baby Catcher: Chronicles of a Modern Midwife by Peggy Vincent
   2. Gaudy Night by Dorothy Sayers
5. Charity
   1. The Life and Times of The Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson
   2. Emma by Jane Austen
6. New in 2010
   1. Fantasy in Death by J.D. Robb 
   2. Indulgence in Death by J.D. Robb
7. Older Than You
   1. Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery
   2. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
8. Win! Win!
   1. The Last Hero by Terry Pratchett
   2. The Forbidden Daughter by Shobhan Bantwal
9. Who Are You Again?
   1. Tracks by Louise Erdrich
   2. The Distance Between Us by Masha Hamilton
10. Up to You! Memoirs
    1. Living History by Hillary Rodham Clinton
    2. True Compass by Edward M. Kennedy

I really enjoyed that this challenged made me read a wide variety of books. Since I have already spoken of my love for Gaudy Night I will comment on some other books I read for this challenge. I found True Compass to be absolutely fascinating. I am at times a bit of a political junkie and it was so interesting to hear about American politics in the last 50+ years from someone who saw it from the inside. Further this was an audiobook for me and I really enjoyed the narration. A Fountain Filled with Blood is part of the Reverend Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne series that I discovered at the beginning of this year and absolutely adore! I can’t wait for the next book in the series which is due out in April.

My start of challenge post
Level: Cashier at Ankh-Morpork Mint (3)
My List of Books:

1. Hogfather by Terry Pratchett
2. The Last Hero by Terry Pratchett 
3. Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett

I’ve loved Terry Pratchett for many many years and that particular love affair continues. Hogfather was a re-read that I enjoy reading around Christmas. The Last Hero was a beautifully illustrated book which I HIGHLY recommend. The illustrations elevated a great book to awesome. I enjoyed Unseen Academicals both because of its discussions of football (soccer) and it’s commentary on social classes. All of the books were fantastic.

My start of challenge post
Level: Read at least 4 Memoirs/Biographies/Letters/Diaries
My List of Books:

1. Freedom in Exile by the Dalai Lama
2. Living History by Hillary Rodham Clinton 
3. Baby Catcher: Chronicles of a Modern Midwife by Peggy Vincent  
4. The Life and Times of The Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson 
5. John Adams by David McCullough 
6. True Compass by Edward M. Kennedy

Since I’ve already talked about True Compass in this post I wanted to highlight two other books: Baby Catcher and John Adams. Baby Catcher was really interesting for me even though I have never given birth. The experiences of Vincent’s patients sound so incredibly different from all the birth stories I hear here in Sweden. Yes she has an agenda but still… John Adams was a very interesting look at American history. I have to admit that although I have a fair general idea of American history the two books by McCullough I have read have really helped me understand the history around the formation of USA. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in history. This is another challenge that I am repeating for 2011.

Copyright ©2010 Zee from Notes from the North. This post was originally posted by Zee from Notes from the North. It should not be reproduced without express written permission.