#TBR 2018 update 25.09.2019

1. When will I ever manage to read all these books?
2. My first plan of action:
3. List: books bought 2018
4. Goal: READ these books in 2019-2020 (no new books!)
5. Start challenge: 23 August  2019
6. End challenge: 31 March 2020
7. 2018 TBR     9/63

My new reading motto:

Just remember, when you should grab something,
grab it;
when you should let go,
let go.”
— Taoist proverb

UPDATE: 25.09.2019

1. The Afterlife of Edgar Allan Poe  – S. Peeples – READING  (TBR 2016)

UPDATE: 04.09.2019

• First new book since 06 June 2019!
• I just made an exception …..just once!

Finished: 04.09.2019
Genre: non-fiction
Rating: A++++
#NewBook… made an exception for this one!
Conclusion:
I was looking for a do-able fitness routine that can be done @home
in combination is a 21 day eating plan.
3 days per week of 30 minutes exercise (…not an exhausting routine, really!)
I’ve followed the menu plan for the first 3 days
…and I am VERY impressed with recepies! Delicious!
Elkaim does fill many chapters about the nuts and bolts of why
many people have difficulty losing weight
(some scientific basic knowledge how the body stores fat)
which I found interesting.
This plan can be easily incorporated into my lifestyle long term.
Caveat: NO BREAD….but I don’t miss it at all!
#PerfectDietBook….in any case it is for me!

January 2018 – MUST READ   9/11 TBR

1. Alibis: Essays of Elsewhere – André Aciman
2. Findings (K. Jamie)

UPDATE: 23.08.2019

• The Empty Family –  C. Tóibin (9 short stories) – READ (review)
  
• 
• Finished: 22.08.2019
  Genre: short stories (9)
  Rating: D –
  #20BooksOfsummer
  Conclusion:
  First story was the ‘hook’
  One Minus One: very moving…
  …but the rest of the book was a huge disappointment.
  It was painful to keep reading…no ‘great writing’.
  This is my second Tóibin book…and it is my last.

UPDATE: 23.08.2019

1. Best US Essays 2017 – READ (20 essays) (review)
   
2. Starting some Best American Essays 2017.
3. I’m taking them as they come
4. I may like some more than others essays
5. ….and perhaps a few not at all.
6. 
7. Finished: 24.08.2019
   Genre: essays
   Rating: D-
   #TBR list 2018
   Conclusion:
   Not the best collection I’ve ever read!
   If you are looking for some great essays
   …I’ve added some suggestions in this review.
8. Look for Rachel Ghansah in articles in The Atlantic and
9. her Pulitzer Prize winning article in GQ.
   I’m sure if you Google her name you’ll find more in
10. The New York Times and The Guardian.
11. Wikipedia was my first stop
12. …truly inspirational how she writes! I jealous of her talents!

UPDATE: 24.08.2019

1. America’s War for the Greater Middle East – A. Bacevich – READ (review)
   
2. 
3. Finished: 25.08.2019
   Genre: non-fiction
   Rating: A
   #TBR list 2018
   Conclusion:
   USA fights wars:
   …1776 for independence
   …1861 for slavery
   …1980 US embarks upon a war for oil
   But why does this last war go on for almost 40 years?
   Bacevich sheds light on this endless war.

UPDATE: 25.08.2019

1. My Name is Leon – Kit de Waal – READ (review)
   
2. 
3. Finished: 25.08.2019
   Genre: fiction
   Rating: C
   #TBR list 2018
   Conclusion:
   So many people love this book
   …why didn’t I love it?
   I have been racking my brain for the answer.
   It is well written and not over sentimental.
   Lots of people connect with emotional,
   difficult subjects for example
   Leon a child  who needs foster care.
   It’s really about being interested
   in human nature
   …but the book just makes me sad.

UPDATE: 25.08.2019

1. A Time for Gifts – P. Fermor – READ (review)
   
2. 
3. Finished: 26.08.2019
   Genre: non-fiction
   Rating: D
   #TBR list 2018
   Conclusion:
   The books has its moments….
   …but I didn’t feel it was a great travelogue.
   

UPDATE: 25.08.2019

1. Billion Dollar Spy – D. Hoffman – READ  (review)
   
2. 
3. Finished: 26.08.2019
   Genre: non-fiction
   Rating: D
   #TBR list 2018
   Conclusion:
   Not every spy exposé is a home run!
   Book is filled with long descriptions of
   car surveillance, dead drops and pop-up
   cake that turn into 2 dimensional doll.
   Not interested.
   Just look up some spy names:
   Tolkachev, Edward L. Howard, Aldrich Ames
   in Wikipedia and you’ve read the book!

UPDATE: 26.08.2019

1. Spy of the First Person – Sam Shepard – READ (review)
   
2. 
3. Finished: 27.08.2019
   Genre:
   Rating: B-
   #TBR list 2018
   Conclusion:
   This is Sam Shepard’s last book…
   Just 92 pages…but it packs a punch.
   You may like it..maybe not.
   Shepard is a stronger playwright than
   fiction writer.

UPDATE: 27.08.2019

1. A Wizard of Earthsea – U Le Guin – READ (DNF)
2. 
3. Finished: 27.08.2019
   Genre:  fantasy
   Rating:  none
   #TBR list 2018
   Conclusion:
   I did not finish this book
   
4. ….I didn’t even start it.
5. I love Le Guin, great woman
6. ….but I am  just NOT made for
7. magic, talented boy going to a wizard’s school and
8. and shadows chasing him around
9. #HonestOpinion

1. Fancies and Goodnights – J. Collier (32 short stories) – READ (review)
   
2. 

February  2018  – MUST READ   0/5 TBR

1. The Break  – M. Keyes
2. The China Model: Political Meritocracy (NF) – D. Bell
3. Secret Pigeon Service (NF) – G. Corera
4. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (play) – S. Stephens
5. Bookworm: A Memoir  – L. Mangan

March  2018  – MUST READ   0/10 TBR

1. Three Plays: The Fiddler’s House, The Land, T. Muskerry – by Padraic Colum
2. In the Woods – Tana French (CF)
3. Patrick Kavanagh, A Biography — A. Quinn (NF)
4. The Prophets of Eternal Fjord – K.L. Rasmussen (novel)
5. Russian Émigré Stories – Karetnyk (short stories)
6. Joy Ride: Lives of th Theatricals – J. Lahr (NF)
7. Ink – J.  Graham (play)
8. The Ferryman – J. Butterworth (play)
9. Labour of Love – J. Graham (play)
10. The Enlightenment of the Greengage Tree – S. Azar (novel)

April   2018  – MUST READ   0/5 TBR

1. Silent Invasion – Clive Hamilton
2. Enormous Changes at the Last Minute – G. Paley (short stories)
3. See What I Have Done – S. Schmidt (novel)
4. Notes on a Foreigen Country – S. Hansen (NF)
5. The Unseen – R. Jacobsen

May   2018  – MUST READ   0/ 1 TBR

1. The Torrents – O. Gray (play)

June   2018  – MUST READ   0/2  TBR

1. Not That Bad – R. Gay
2. Ghost Stories – C. Dickens

July   2018  – MUST READ   0/2   TBR

1. Passage To India – E.M. Forster
2. Richard the Third: The Great Debate – P.M. Kendall

August   2018  – MUST READ   0/6   TBR

1. Suicide Club – R. Heng
2. I Don’t Want to Know Anyone Too Well – N. Levine (short stories)
3. The Town Below – R. Lemelin
4. Midnight Queen – M.A. Fleming
5. The Flying Years – F. Niven
6. The Mayor of Côte St. Paul – C. Ronald

September   2018  – MUST READ   0/13   TBR

1. Ghost Stories – E. Wharton
2. The Beetle – R. Marsh
3. A Warning to the Curious – M.R. James (short stories)
4. Sharp Objects – G. Flynn
5. A Life Underwater – C. Veron (NF)
6. The High Places – F. McFarlane (short stories)
7. Danger Music – E. Ayres (NF)
8. Talking to My Country – S. Grant (NF)
9. I, Clodia and Other Portraits – A. Jackson
10. The Secrets She Keeps – M. Robotham
11. May Week Was in June – C. James
12. Snuff – T. Pratchett
13. Dead Wake – E. Larson

October   2018  – MUST READ   0/2   TBR

1. Motherhood – S. Heti
2. The Halloween Tree – R. Bradbury

November   2018  – MUST READ   0/5   TBR

1. Selected Essays – A.S. Byatt
2. A Short History of the World – H.G. Wells
3. The Little Years – J. Mighton (play)
4. Landscape With Landscape – G. Murnane
5. Waiting for Elijah – K. Wild

December   2018  – MUST READ   0/1  TBR

1. The Christmas Tree – Jennifer Johnston (novel)

#TBR 2019 Challenge Finished!! 39/39

TBR:

1. This is what I look like when I think of my TBR.
2. When will I ever manage to read all these books?
3. My first plan of action:
4. List: books bought 2019 (e-book, paper, audio)
5. Goal: READ these books in 2019. (no new books!)
6. Start challenge: 08 July 2019
7. End challenge: 31 December 2019

This is what I look like  TODAY.. I FINISHED  this challenge!!

UPDATE:…43 books 2019 TBR

4 books – DNF….just NOT going to read these books

• Offshore – M. Gleeson (Boochani’s book was enought!)
• Ultimate Guide to Poetry  – R. Bradford (layout on Kindle is unreadable…grrr!)
• Pachinko – M.J. Lee (…sorry, not in the mood for a family saga)
• The Gun – D. Kavanagh (CF…not in the mood)

1. After non-stop reading…and mini-reviews
2. Today I finished 39/39 books!
3. I’m exhausted and cannot
4. ….read one more poem …for many weeks!
5. 22 Aug:  taking inventory of all books
6. bought in 2018 and making new TBR list!
7. This is the only way to reduce Mt TBR!

BOOKS BOUGHT IN 2019….  READ    39/39

1. James Tiptree, jr. The Double Life Alice Sheldon – J. Phillips – READ —  A
   
2. Ghosts of the Tsunami – R. L. Parry – READ — B
   
3. We Can Make a Life – C. Henry – READ — C
   
4. The Coddling of the American Mind – G. Lukianoff, J. Haidt – READ — A++++
   
5. The First Casualty – Peter Greste – READ — C
   
6. 100 Essays I Don’t Have Time to Write – S. Ruhl – READ — B++
   
7. Indecent (play) – Paula Vogel – READ — A
   
8. Astonished Dice – G. Cochrane (short stories) – READ —  F (…sorry, New Zealand)
   
9. From a Low and Quiet Sea – Donal Ryan- READ  — F (…sorry, Ireland)
   
10. The Heart’s Invisible Furies – John Boyne – READ — D (…sorry, Ireland…Boyne can do better!)
    
11. The Best of NZ Poems – READ ( …just too many poems to reveiw…just read) — C
    
12. …only like poems by:
13. Cilla McQueen
14. Ashleigh Young,
15. C.K. Stead,
16. Selina Marsh
17. Michele Amas.
18. New Zealand….where is Therese Lloyd ? (…short list Ockham 2019!)

UPDATE: 21.08.2019

1. Parang – Omar Musa – READ (27 poems)  STUNNING!
   
2. 

Parang – with a name like this (knife)
I expected blood, gore, guts.
I got insight, openness, much humanity,
at times a palpable joy.
No ‘Hippa to Da Hoppa’ rap beat
…only the beating of a true poet’s heart.

UPDATE: 20.08.2019

1. Lemons in the Chicken Wire – READ
2. 
3. Finished: 20.08.2019
   Genre: potry
   Rating: C-
   #TBR list 2109
   Conclusion:What can I say…poems are very personal.
   You like this one and I like that one.
   Collection: 50 poems and I like just 13 = 26%
   Blakwork ….is Whittaker’s a great, inpired collection of poems.
   Lemons in the Chicken Wire pales in comparison.
   C’est la vie.These were: very good
   Growing Soon -…loved the structure/symmetry
   Carry the One – …young girl’s thoughts at school
   AH -..young girl’s observations + “ I go by Koori time”
   Cinnamon Eggs – …young girl’s unexpected bike accidentThese were: goodEXT.INT. title = “ exterior” interior” thoughts as stage directions
   A Funeral …family around grandfather’s grave….
   Insider Knowledge …family knows more than you think!
   Preface: Another Funeral …family memories Great Nan’s death
   Whatcha glimpse in a of a young girl’s life
   The Sticking Place …time…, a limp carcass…soundless bubble
   Epilogue: A Funeral
   Do Ya?
   Chicken Wire Lemons

UPDATE: 19.08.2019

1. Fast Talking PI – Selina T. Marsh (NZ poet) – READING
2. Winner, 2010 NZSA Jessie Mackay Award for Best First Book of Poetry
3. 

UPDATE: 18.08.2019

1. Cambridge Guide  Irish Poets – READ
2. 
3. Finished: 19.08.2019
   Genre: non-fiction
   Rating: D
   #TBR list 2019
   Conclusion:
   This book is targeted for an
   audience who has a basic knowledge of
   Irish poets and wants to know just a little bit more.
   It is NOT a book for a poetry novice ….like me.
   I struggled with some of the first 10 poets
   (Goldmith, Moore, Mangan, Yeats, Ledwidge, Clarke….)
   to find some clear basic info.
   These essays are a forest of academic jargon.
   Read this book if you feel adventurous
   …otherwise basic info is better on Wikipedia.
   This is my LAST Cambridge Companion book…ever!

UPDATE: 17.08.2019

• Cane – Jean Toomer – READ
• 

UPDATE: 17.08.2019

1. Milkman – Anna Burns – READ
2. 
3. Finished: 17.08.2019
   Genre: novel
   Rating: D-
   #TBR list 2019
   Conclusion:
   I’m taking the high road with the author Anna Burns and her
   prize winning Milkman.
   I realize that no one really will remember
   or care what I think.
   Let me just say…it did not make my 10 best books of the year
   ….not by a long shot.
4. This book is in a class all of its own….
   just not the class I enjoy.
   But more power to Anna Burns for writing
   an opaque yet an unique book.

UPDATE: 17.08.2019

1. 1. My Name is Revenge – A. K. Blunt – READ
   2. 

UPDATE: 16.08.2019

1. Show Them a Good Time (8 short stories) – N. Flattery – READ
2. 

UPDATE:06.08.2019

1. The Barracks – J. McGahern – READ
   
2. 
3. Finished: 06.08.2019
   Genre: novella ( pg 232)
   Rating: D –
   #TBR list 2019
   Conclusion:
   Sorry, this book was not what I expected.
   Swept away by J. McGahern’s breathtaking
   “All Will Be Well: A Memoir” (read this one!)
   ….I hoped his novel could reach the
   same level of excellence….unfortunately it did not.
   #Disappointment

UPDATE: 28.07.2019

1. Wake in Fright – K. Cook – READ (…disappointment)
   
2. 

UPDATE: 03.08.2019

1. The Hate U Give – A. Thomas – READ
   
2. 
3. Finished: 03.08.2019
   Genre: novel
   Rating: A+++
   #TBR List 2019
   Conclusion:Books may seem like small comfort.
   But in a time like this, when it’s hard to understand
   how American culture became so hate-filled,
   reading is probably the best possible option…
   …to get off the internet,
   …pick up a book, and
   …think about how the country has gotten here.
   #TheHateUGive is a good place to start!

UPDATE: 02.08.2019

1. Tin Man – Sarah Winman – READ (..mèh)
   
2. 

Finished: 03.08.2019
Genre: novel
Rating: C –
Conclusion

This book is about loneliness.
I found the book to be an attempt to
paint loneliness with landscapes….
(sunflowers fill the frame,
swallows soar with heat on their wings (pg 210)
and not describe
the deep feeling of loneliness
…like a mould growing slowly around you.
Yes there are cries of the heart that evoke your emotions
…but all in all the book was too lyrical, too sugar-spin sweet
and just seemed to scratch the surface of the ache of loss.

I read both the winner of Costa Award 2017 and this shortlisted book for the same prize back-to-back. Then I compared the impact of both books on the subject of loneliness. The stark difference in approaching loss….probably was an big factor
that influenced my review of Tin Man.
After reading Gail Honeyman’s book “Eleanor Oliphant is Compelety Fine’ (winner Costa Award 2017)….Tin Man felt “tinny”.
#Disappointed

UPDATE: 01.08.2019

1. Driving Into the Sun – Marcella Polain – READ
   
2. 

UPDATE: 10.08.2019

1. Exit West – M. Hamid – READ
2. 
3. Finished: 10.08.2019
   Genre: novella/allegory
   Rating: D-
   #TBR list 2019
   Conclusion:
   Two lovers Saeed and Nadia meet in nameless Middle East City.
   They decide to leave and seek a better life.
   The couple manages to hold onto their love throughout moving to Mykonos, London, Marin California…..always hoping for salvation….always Exiting West.
   It took me a little while to realise that they were actually going from country to country by these doors. It felt very “Narnia’ -like to be honest!
   Conclusion: not an entertaining read but it’s not dark either
   …it was exhausting b/c Hamid’s writing style is characterized by long convoluted sentences.
   Sometimes I just lost interest

UPDATE: 04.08.2019

1. Brother – David Chariandy  – READ
2. 
3. Finished: 04.08.2019
   Genre: novel
   Rating: C-
   # TBR List 2019
   Conclusion:
   This is a very short read.
   Two brothers (immigrant backround) dealing
   with their place in society.
   Staying streetwise means survival.
   I never found it riveting.
   That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t read it
   because it does have a powerful message.
   Score is based on my personal reaction…just not for me.

UPDATE: 31.07.2019

1. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine  – G. Honeyman – READ  STUNNING !!
   
2. 

UPDATE: 01.08.2019

1. The Shepherd’s Hut – Tim Winton – READ – Bah!
   
2. 
3. Finished: 02.08.2019
   Genre: novel
   Rating: F –
   Conclusion:
   So glad to be done with this book.
   I’m amazed that it received so many 4 and 5-star ratings.To “call a spade a spade” is a figurative expression.
   It refers to calling something “as it is” without
   “beating about the bush”.
   Tim Winton can write ….read Cloudstreet for the proof.
   Tim Winton just wasted my reading time with this s**t.
   Sorry to be so blunt…but there it is!

UPDATE: 05.08.2019

1. Aquarium – David Vann – READ  (…why in heaven’s name did I buy this book?)
   
2. 
3. Finished: 06.08.2019
   Genre: novella (pg 272)
   Rating: F —
   #TBR list 2019
   Conclusion:
   Blurb: Elegant? Gripping?
   Please, I’ve read a recipe for a boiled
   egg that was better than this!
   #WasteOfTime

1. Red Ribbons – L. Phillips –   READ (Irish profiler/psychologist Dr. Kate Pearson #1)
2. 
3. Finished: 10.09.2019
   Genre: CF
   Rating: F
   #TBR list 2019
   Conclusion:
   Where do I start?
   I start and end with …..no comment.
   Taking the high road with this book!
   #WasteOfTime

1. Crocodile Tears – M. O’ Sullivan – READ  (Irish Detective Leo Woods #1) STUNNING!
   
2. 
3. Finished: 05.08.2019
   Genre: CF
   Rating: A+++++
   #TBR list 2019
   Conclusion:
   I could NOT put this book down!
   Did not have a clue who killed Dermot Brennan
   ….and finally after 97% of the book…the reader
   gasps!
   #Excellent ‘Who dunnit?‘

1. Seeing Yellow  – E. Bourke – READ  shortlist Irish Times Poetry 2019   STUNNING!
   
2. 

UPDATE: 07.08.2019

1. Insistence – Ailbhe Darcy – READ 18 poems (review)
   
2. Wales Book of the Year Award 2019
3. Roland Mathias Poetry Award (Wales)
4. Pigott Poetry Prize 2019 (Ireland)
5. Shorlist: T.S. Eliot Prize 2018
6. Shortlist: Irish Times Poetry Award 2019
7. 
8. Finished: 07.08.2019
   Genre: poetry
   Rating: D
   #TBR list 2019
   Conclusion:
   My thoughts are my own.
   Please take the time to read these poems
   …I’m curious what YOU think….and what I am missing.

UPDATE: 09.08.2019

1. Are Friends Electric ? – H. Heath (Ockham NZ Award poetry 2019) – READ
   
2. 
3. Finished: 09.08.2019
   Genre: poetry
   Rating: B
   #Winner Ockham New Zealand Award Poetry 2019
   Conclusion:
   My Thoughts

UPDATE: 11.08.2019

1. The Twelve – S.Neville – READ  (Irish Noir)
   
2. 
   Finished: 011.08.2019
   Genre: CF
   Rating: D
   #TBR ist 2019
   Conclusion:
   No intrigue…no whodunnit
   …no story development
   just guns, blood, violence and some
   ’12 walking dead’.
   #IrishNoir I expected better

UPDATE:  12.08.2019

1. Harbour Lights  (poetry) – D. Mahon (winner Irish Times Poetry Award 2006) – READ
2. 

UPDATE: 15.08.2019

1. Now We Can Talk Openly about Men – Martina Evans – READ
2. 

Conclusion:
I didn’t like it…
…but I didn’t hate it either.
“dilemme cornélien”

Finished: 15.08.2019
Genre: poetry
Rating: C
#TBR list 2019

UPDATE: 15.08.2019

1. The Boys of Bluehill – E. Ní Chuilleanáin – READ  (40 poems, Irish poet)
2. 

UPDATE: 13.08.2019

1. The Radio (32 poems) – Irish poet L. Flynn (shortlist 2017 T.S. Eliot Prize) – READ
2.