Yvonne
What’s In A Name 4 – 2011
I have just posted my final link in this great challenge, so thought I would write a wrap-up post, that would document all the great books that have passed through my hands to fulfil the diverse categories within it, thus providing some interesting and varied reading along the way.
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What’s It All About?
Between January 1 and December 31, 2011, we were set this challenge, by the host this year Beth Fish Reads. Read one book in each of the following categories:
- A book with a number in the title
- A book with jewelry or a gem in the title
- A book with a size in the title
- A book with evil in the title
- A book with a life stage in the title
- A book with travel/movement in the title
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I haven’t been that imaginative with some of my book choices, but to be fair, they have all come from my TBR pile, so I have helped the environment by not rushing out to buy more new books to fulfil the challenge.
These are my book choices, with links to the review of each one, if you would like to know more about any of them:
- ‘Apartment 3b‘ – Patricia Scanlan
- ‘Hearts Of Gold‘ – Jessica Stirling
- ‘The Big, Bad Wolf’ – James Patterson
- ‘Evil Under The Sun’ – Agatha Christie
- ‘A Dead Man’s Debt’ – Grace Elliot
- ‘The High Flyer‘ – Susan Howatch
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This has been the only challenge that I have chosen to participate in this year and I have greatly enjoyed it. If I have to sum up the books I have read, I would say that the weakest book amongst them was ‘The Big Bad Wolf’ by James Patterson. The strongest and most inspiring storyline was probably ‘The High Flyer’ by Susan Howatch. However, the book that I enjoyed reading the most would certainly be ‘Apartment 3b’ by Patricia Scanlan.
Why not stop by Beth’s blog , she has set up a special page, just for this challenge. There are individual links for each element of the challenge and a round-up link for those who have already completed the challenge.
You can post a link to your own challenge page, then check out some of the imaginative ways that others have fitted book titles so neatly into the category briefs.
You’ll also find some great recommendations amongst the many books and reviews that have been posted.
Oh! and don’t forget to leave a comment or two along the way, we all like to receive them.
Well done on finishing. And great that you only read books on your tbr pile, I think that’s excellent. I’ve been trying to use challenges like that myself this year and by and large succeeding. I still have 3 books to read for this challenge but 2 will be read with Carl’s Halloween challenge in Sept. or Oct. thereby doubling up, which I quite like to do. Glad you enjoyed the challenge, I did too and hope to do it again next year.
Hi Cath,
My TBR pile will sustain me for many years to come, I fear.
My kindle archive is getting to be just as log jammed now, as my mother-in-law keeps downloading books, which she reads avidly, but which are sitting in my archive waiting for me to download. At this rate, I will never have to buy a book again, but everyone out there in blogland just keeps adding to my reading list, with their great new recommendations …. HELP!!
On a serious note, I really did enjoy this challenge and can’t wait to see if it is going to be with us again next year. I may look out for another challenge to run alongside it then, but would want it to be something completely different, so if you get to hear of anything let me know, so long as it isn’t fantasy or sci-fi, as I know you are partial to that…
Hi Yvonne. I’m like your m-i-l with Kindle downloads, although I tend only to go for the free ones or ones that are really cheap. And as they take up no shelf space I’m okay with that.
Don’t worry, I too have a tbr pile that will probably last me out. I am starting to make a little bit of space but that space *is* very little. Still, it’s a start.
There’s a blog that tells you about challenges and readathons and so on. It’s called A Novel Challenge and it’s here: http://novelchallenges.blogspot.com/. I have it on my follow list as it’s very useful.
Hi Cath,
Thanks for that link, I have added it to my follow list and will be visiting the site regularly from now on.
M-I-L only goes for the downloads that are free or cheaper than the printed copy, as she does still like to buy the occasional book! and still tries to keep up with the library visits.
Some poor relative is definitely going to have to tackle a mountain of books when I am gone, I don’t envy them, as none of them read on a regular basis.
Thanks for sharing your wrap-up, interesting mix! Here is my wrap-up: http://wordsandpeace.wordpress.com/2011/06/10/whats-in-a-name-reading-challenge-wrap-up/
Emma
Hi Emma,
Your own mix of books was great as well, and it was interesting to note that there was at least one book amongst our individual chosen reading, that we each failed to fully enjoy.
Whilst I always try to pick out the positive points of a book when I am reviewing, I can’t see the point in rating a book highly as if I thought it was great, when perhaps it just wasn’t my cup of tea.
To me, that doesn’t mean that it is a bad book, or there is something inherently not good about the author, it just means that it wasn’t for me, although someone else may think it is great.
Overall though, this was a great challenge and lots of fun, although I can’t believe how many challenges you are signed up to, you have my total admiration!!
What an interesting challenge….I don’t seem to read as much as I used to so I would find it hard to do this challenge, but I LOVE the idea of the categories—It leaves one’s choices wide open, in a way, doesn’t it…..
Hi,
There are literally hundreds of reading challenges out there, based on every different theme you can think of.
I only decided to go with the one challenge, for two reasons.
Firstly because I don’t really get that much time to read and I was afraid that if I committed to more challenges, I may not get them finished in time, then I would get angry with myself.
Secondly, I do like to be able to read what I fancy, when I fancy it and to be forever conscious that a book I was reading wouldn’t fit into a challenge category, would get very frustrating.
The ‘What’s In A Name’ challenge was short, with pretty open categories, and I managed to make my book selections from my ‘to be read’ books, quite quickly, so I could be organised about reading them.
It was also great fun and not too stressful!
Thanks for the sweet comment on my blog, Yvonne! I love your blog, and plan to spend more time here in the future.
I’ve always wanted to visit the UK. When I was a little girl living in Beirut, Lebanon for a few years, I attended a British school for a while. It made a huge impression on my life! Someday I’ll get to make my visit to England, Ireland, and Scotland…hopefully before I get too old!
Blessings,
Cindy @ Cindy’s Book Club
and Notes in the Key of Life
Hi Cindy,
I forget now, just where I found the link to your site, but it is great and I stop by often just to take a look at the new postings, although I don’t always get as much time as I would like to leave comments.
My husband has visited quite widely from coast to coast across the US, although the only place I have gotten to myself, has been Florida.
I have relatives, an Aunt and Uncle, who have lived in California for nearly fifty years and have children and grandchildren, who are now well and truly US citizens.
My Uncle is a mastercraftsman stained glass designer and his son and grandson have now followed him into the business. I would love to see firsthand some of his work, but have to content myself with the knowledge that he had a hand in some of the stained glass windows, in our own Canterbury Cathedral, before he decided to emigrate, although these are very early examples of his work.
I love this challenge – it was one of the things that inspired me to start blogging a few years ago – and I am impressed that you have read from your TBR and finished well ahead of schedule. I am inspired to check where I am and prioritise my outstanding books. Oh to be one of life’s organised people!
Hi Jane,
If you could see just how many books I have stashed around the house, the fact that I managed to find entries for just 6 categories, wouldn’t surprise you at all.
I decided to enter this challenge, as I hadn’t been blogging long and thought it would something that would be manageable. Over the months, I have been amazed at the amount of challenges some bloggers sign up to, and can’t imagine how they ever get the time to complete them all!!
I don’t think that I could cope with having too many challenges on the go at once, as I like to be very organised and well ahead of the game at all times and can get quite ‘stressy’ if things don’t go according to plan!!
Reading for me is something that relaxes me and not something that I want to be doing to a timetable.
Way to go! I still have a couple categories I need to read for in this challenge.
Hi Kathy,
Not quite so impressive if you take into account that this was my only challenge for the year!!
My reading time is quite limited however, so for me it was more than enough.
Along with author and publisher reviews, my TBR pile is going nowhere very fast, so to get a couple of books knocked off the top of it, is a great achievement.
I shall look forward to reading your wrap-up post, as there have been some great interpretations of the categories by some readers, with the obvious consequences that my reading list is growing ever longer with all the great recommendations.
It has been a great challenge, that I have thoroughly enjoyed.