I did well in a cack-handed way for 2017. My aim was
3 or more books first published more than 50 years ago,
4 non-fiction, and read or remove 30 books from the earliest 50 on my TBR.
In fact, I read several more of the first published more than 50 years ago - Listed 8, probably read 10 or more.
4 non-fiction? Listed 7, probably read 10 or more (and one removed not read. Finally, the earliest 30 from my TBR?? Listed 21, but actually only read 11, and removed 10 - but whooo hooo! Lot of books!
Now for 2018. I think I will keep reading(!), but won't you join me with your own challenge? This is what I want to do:
* Read more books by male authors, so at least 5 books
* Read
every book on the top shelf of my bookcase (There are 20 currently)
* Read 3 books first published 100 or more years ago
* Read the 5 oldest swaps on my TBR
Read More Men. DONE
1. The Free - Willy Vlaughtin
READ - liked a lot
2. Some Buried Ceasar - Rex Stout READ -ditto!
3. The Prime of Tamworth Pig - Gene Kemp READ - cute for reading aloud to tinies
4. Three Day Road - Joseph Boyden READ - harrowing, but brilliant
5. The Norfolk Mystery - Ian Sansom DID NOT FINISH - charity shop
6. The Rest of Us Just Live Here - Patrick Ness READ - Brilliantly odd YA novel
7. The Z Murders - J Jefferson Farjeon READ - enjoyed
8. Drifting South - Charles Davies READ - enjoyed
9. The Rabbit Back Literature Society - Pasi Ilmari Jaaskelainen - READ - didn't care for much
10.Over My Dead Body - Rex Stout - READ and enjoyed
11. This Side of Brightness - Colum McCann READ- harrowing, but with perhaps a hope that things might improve.
Every book on the Top Shelf
1. The View on the Way Down - Rebecca Wait -
READ -
A brilliant read2. Unexpectedly, Milo - Matthew Dicks
READ - a slow start - and then pure enjoyment3. Angel - Elizabeth Taylor READ - quirky but perfect, really enjoyed
4. A Half Forgotten Song - READ - too long by about 100 pages; not bad
5. The Final Confession of Muriel Stark ** SEE BELOW under 5 oldest swaps
6. The Song Collector - Natasha Solomons - READ and enjoyed
7. Tales from Firozsha Baag - Rohinton Mistry - READ - quite good interlinked stories
8. Beck - Mal Peet
9. Dress your family in Corduroy and Denim - David Sedaris READ - dark and wryly amusing
10. The Namesake - Jhumpa Lahiri - READ - clever insight into immigrant families in the USA **
11. Family Roundabout - Richmal Crompton - READ - and enjoyed
12. Gap Creek - Robert Morgan - Brilliant READ!
13. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle! - Barbara Kingsolver - READ - fiction author who decided to eat local for a year. Fascinating!
14. The Heart's Invisible Furies - John Boyne OH! what a read!
15. Songs of Willow Frost - Jamie Ford - Slow to start but a good one.
16. Human Crocquet - Kate Atkinson - DNF
17. The End of Everything - Megan Abbott
3 books published 100 years ago or more. DONE
Anne of Green Gables - L M Montgomery
READ and lovedAnne of Avonlea - L M Montgomery READ and enjoyed
Anne of The Island - L M Montgomery READ and enjoyed
5 oldest swaps on my TBR. DONE
1. The Final Confession of Mabel Stark - Robert Hough**
READ - not best ever but OK (7-8 years since swap!)
2. Dona Nicanora's Hat Shop - Kirstan Hawkins READ - Good fun - liked it!
3. The Things We Never Said - Susan Elliott Wright READ and liked much more than expected
4. The Namesake – Jhumpa Lahiri - READ - and liked better than expected ** listed also under "top shelf"
5. The Ballad of Trenchmouth Taggart - Glenn Taylor - READ and enjoyed.