Athena's Reading List 2014

[Anna Begins]

Veronica Roth - Divergent: Four: Free Four: Tobias Tells the Divergent Knife-Throwing Scene

 

 

 

La la la la la  I can't read this til I am done in about an hour or so!

[Athena]

It doesn't contain any spoilers, but it's good to be on the safe side. I hope you enjoy the short story .

[Brian.]

After the story there were a few pages about the author which I enjoyed reading as well. I have 1984 by him on my TBR, which I hope will be good too.

 

 

I think if you liked Animal Farm you will also like 1984. Its obviously quite a different story but the writing is as witty and thought provoking.

[Athena]

I think if you liked Animal Farm you will also like 1984. Its obviously quite a different story but the writing is as witty and thought provoking.

Thanks! I'll be sure to read it some time .

[Anna Begins]

Ya I second 1984.  It's an amazing book.  I've never tried to read Animal Farm though, as for the reasons you describe- it was too hard to follow in the beginning.  I didn't know it was only 100 pages.  I might have to pick that up for November's read a thon.  Devi got me thinking about the Night, Dawn and Day series by Elie Wiesel, so I might have a re-read of those for November as well.

[pontalba]

Good reviews, Gaia. 

It's been so long since I read 1984 and Animal Farm that I don't remember any details, only very vague images.  I should definitely reread. 

[Anna Begins]

Good reviews, Gaia. 

It's been so long since I read 1984 and Animal Farm that I don't remember any details, only very vague images.  I should definitely reread. 

Maybe if it's been that long, you could re-read 1984, but let me just say, I read it about 10 years ago and tried a re read last year- wow- I remembered much more than I thought I did.  And like, 25 pages in, I thought, "I do I really want or need to read this again?"  Nope was the answer  It's pretty harsh (in fact, one of the more disturbing books I've read), but oh so fascinating!  Personally, I'd recommend Swastika Night, really good, really well writen and came out before 1984, which stunned me while reading it because it is so far advanced (Katharine Berdekin).

[Athena]

Ya I second 1984.  It's an amazing book.  I've never tried to read Animal Farm though, as for the reasons you describe- it was too hard to follow in the beginning.  I didn't know it was only 100 pages.  I might have to pick that up for November's read a thon.  Devi got me thinking about the Night, Dawn and Day series by Elie Wiesel, so I might have a re-read of those for November as well.

 

If you do (re)read any of those, I hope you enjoy it / them .

 

Good reviews, Gaia. 

It's been so long since I read 1984 and Animal Farm that I don't remember any details, only very vague images.  I should definitely reread.

Thanks Kate . If you do re-read either or both at some point, I hope you enjoy them (though it's a little bit weird to say enjoy with books like this). 

 

Maybe if it's been that long, you could re-read 1984, but let me just say, I read it about 10 years ago and tried a re read last year- wow- I remembered much more than I thought I did.  And like, 25 pages in, I thought, "I do I really want or need to read this again?"  Nope was the answer  It's pretty harsh (in fact, one of the more disturbing books I've read), but oh so fascinating!  Personally, I'd recommend Swastika Night, really good, really well writen and came out before 1984, which stunned me while reading it because it is so far advanced (Katharine Berdekin).

I get that a lot too. I think I don't remember much but it comes back once I start reading. Thanks, it sounds interesting so I'm putting it on my wishlist .

[Alexi]

I didn't really get on with 1984 when I read it about 8 years ago, I've always meant to try again one day. I definitely mean to read Animal Farm though.

 

Nice reviews Gaia!

[Athena]

Thanks Alexi ! I hope you enjoy Animal Farm when you read it .

[Athena]

I went to the Minibieb in Brandevoort and traded in two of my books for:

 

Annie M. G. Schmidt - Minoes (really liked this book when I was a child but didn't have my own copy)

Nicci French - Verlies

 

There was a deal at the supermarket, two Donald Duck pockets for 5.99 euros, so I bought:

 

Disney - Donald Duck Pocket 199: Bezoek uit de Ruimte

Disney - Donald Duck Pocket 202: De Zwarte Magiër

[Signor Finzione]

Personally, I'd recommend Swastika Night, really good, really well writen and came out before 1984, which stunned me while reading it because it is so far advanced (Katharine Berdekin).

 

I'll second Swastika Night.  It's a dystopia set in an alternative future - kind of bleak in places, but very good. 

[pontalba]

Maybe if it's been that long, you could re-read 1984, but let me just say, I read it about 10 years ago and tried a re read last year- wow- I remembered much more than I thought I did.  And like, 25 pages in, I thought, "I do I really want or need to read this again?"  Nope was the answer  It's pretty harsh (in fact, one of the more disturbing books I've read), but oh so fascinating!  Personally, I'd recommend Swastika Night, really good, really well writen and came out before 1984, which stunned me while reading it because it is so far advanced (Katharine Berdekin).

I'll second Swastika Night.  It's a dystopia set in an alternative future - kind of bleak in places, but very good. 

 

 

I took a look, and agree, it's going on my wish list.  Thanks for the rec!

 

 

 

If you do (re)read any of those, I hope you enjoy it / them .

 

 

Thanks Kate . If you do re-read either or both at some point, I hope you enjoy them (though it's a little bit weird to say enjoy with books like this). 

 

 

I get that a lot too. I think I don't remember much but it comes back once I start reading. Thanks, it sounds interesting so I'm putting it on my wishlist .

 

Thanks, Gaia.  I know what you mean, not enjoy, but appreciate the message, sorta.

 

I do the same thing, sometimes I'll start reading and as I read, I recall.    Hah, we'd save time if we could remember just when we initially pick up the book!   

[Athena]

I do the same thing, sometimes I'll start reading and as I read, I recall.    Hah, we'd save time if we could remember just when we initially pick up the book!   

That's very true !

 

I'll be posting a review now. My copy of Joe Hill - Horns has just arrived in the post and I also downloaded a few free Kindle ebooks in the past few days.

[Athena]

Arthur and Carly Fleischmann - Haar Stille Stem (Carly's Voice)

 

 

Genre: Biography

Age-range: Adult

Format: Paperback

Pages: 431

Synopsis (GoodReads):At the age of two, Carly Fleischmann was diagnosed with severe autism and an oral motor condition that prevented her from speaking. Doctors predicted that she would never intellectually develop beyond the abilities of a small child. Although she made some progress after years of intensive behavioral and communication therapy, Carly remained largely unreachable. Then, at the age of ten, she had a breakthrough.

 

While working with her devoted therapists Howie and Barb, Carly reached over to their laptop and typed in HELP TEETH HURT; much to everyone's astonishment.

 

This was the beginning of Carly's journey toward self-realization. Although Carly still struggles with all the symptoms of autism, which she describes with uncanny accuracy and detail, she now has regular, witty, and profound conversations on the computer with her family, her therapists, and the many thousands of people who follow her via her blog, Facebook, and Twitter. In Carly's Voice , her father, Arthur Fleischmann, blends Carly's own words with his story of getting to know his remarkable daughter. One of the first books to explore firsthand the challenges of living with autism, it brings readers inside a once-secret world and in the company of an inspiring young woman who has found her voice and her mission.

 

My thoughts: I bought this book at the most recent book fair. I had seen a clip online of Carly on TV and when I saw the book I didn't hesitate to buy it. After the read-a-thon I felt like reading a book like this.

 

This book is written by Arthur (Carly's father) and Carly. It's about her early childhood upto when Carly is 14. I found it very thought provoking. Life has been and still is difficult for Carly and her family. I'm amazed at the progress she's made, I think that's very impressive. It makes me glad that my parents didn't have it as difficult, I'm not saying things were easy, they weren't at all, but it must have been really difficult for Carly's family as well as for herself. It was really interesting to read how Carly experienced things.

 

The book is split up into three parts, and each of those parts is split up into chapters with titles. Most of the text is written by Arthur, some parts are written by Carly. I loved her story of the Elephantprincess (the book contains a few pieces from it), I thought that was so very creative. The last few pages of the book are wholly written by Carly and it was really interesting to read her point of view. She has a lot of humour. It's amazing she is now on a high school and really doing her best. She has learned so much.

 

It's an inspirational story. While my disability was not as severe as hers, I too have come a long way. Overall I really enjoyed reading this book, it was inspirational and really interesting to learn about Carly and her family.

 

Rating: ***** (9/10)

[Athena]

So I went to the library but their sale doesn't start until later this afternoon even though it says on their website all day long. So I told the lady so she could contact someone to rectify it. I'll be going there again tomorrow.

 

I did go to the charity shop (I had to pass the time before my mum could pick me up again, she was at the hospital) and bought some nice books there though . List (and perhaps a photo) will follow at a later time but I'm too tired now.

 

It was a bit frustrating that there was no sale at the library yet, it's always difficult for me when something unexpected like this happens. I hope to find some nice books there tomorrow.

[Athena]

Here's a list and a photo of the books I bought at the charity shop.

 

Isabelle Minière - Een Doodgewoon Stel

Carrie Slee - Hot / Not (Your Choice)

Tonke Dragt - The Torens van Februari

Janwillem van de Wetering - Grijpstra en de Gier 1: Het Lijk in de Haarlemmer Houttuinen (recommended by LittlePixie)

Maj Sjowall and Per Wahlöö - Sjöwall & Wahlöö 3: De Man op het Balkon

Maj Sjowall and Per Wahlöö - Sjöwall & Wahlöö 5: De Brandweerauto die Verdween (both recommended by an old friend)

Loes den Hollander - Nooit Alleen

Joost Zwagerman - Duel

Anna Enquist - Mei

Simon Vestdijk - Ivoren Wachters

Leon de Winter - Supertex

J. J. Voskuil - Het Bureau 1: Meneer Beerta (recommended by one of my secondary school Dutch teachers, I read it at the time at the library, now I have my own copy)

 

 

Funny, out of the 12 books, 7 of the author's names start with V-Z.

Edited October 10, 2014 by Athena

[Athena]

Update on my reading after nine months (and ten days)

 

Statistics of the first nine months of 2014 (and ten days) (for more details see post #3 in this thread)

 

Days: 283 (01-01 <-> 10-10)

Total books read this year: 185

Amount of pages read (averaged): 48338

Average amount of pages per book: 261 (19 less than in the first half year)

One book per x days: 1.5 days (better than the first half year)

Pages per day: 171 pages (read more pages than in the first half year)

Amount of books bought: 697 + more to come + some ebook comics -> still too many

Amount of books free: 27 + more to come (birthday) + some free ebook downloads that I haven't counted yet

Reads TBR / R: 141 (76%) vs. 44 (24%) (more re-reads in the past few months than in the first six months of the year)

Male / Female authors: 79 vs. 101 (excluding 7 unknowns or multiple)

Nationalities (from most to least): US (68), UK (37), Japan (34), Netherlands (29), Australia (6, Belgium (2), Canada (2), France (1), Ireland (1), Norway (1), Germany (1) (I read a lot more from US and Japanese authors in the past three months)

New authors vs. known authors: 79 vs. 103 (3 a combination)

Standalones vs. series books: 85 (45%) vs. 99 (55%) (read more series books in the past three months than in the first half year)

Genres (most to least): Contemporary Fiction (49), Information (31), Chick-lit (31), Fantasy (23), Biography (16), Science-fiction (14), Detective (9), Thriller (6), Literature (8), Historical Fiction (4), Horror (2)

Type: Textbooks (133), Manga (33), Comics (6), Graphic Novels (2)

Format: Paperbooks (173) (157 paperback, 14 hardback, 2 hardcover), Kindle (12) (read more on the Kindle in the past three months compared to the first half of the year)

Ageranges: Adult (101)(52%), Young-Adult (74)(38%), Children's (19)(10%) (I read more YA, and less adult and children's books in the past three months) (note: some books are counted for multiple age-ranges)

Fiction vs. Nonfiction: 144 (78%) vs. 40 (22%) (this ratio stayed almost the same!)

Languages: English (131) (70.x%), Dutch (53)(29.x%), Flemish (1) (0.x%) (I read less Dutch and more English in the past three months compared to the first half of this year)

Publication Years: Oldest books are from 1990, most books are from 2000-2014. (this didn't change much)

Ratings: Mainly 10s, 9s, 8s. Average rating: 8.8 (the average rating is higher by 0.2)

 

Totals of Reading

 

I read 185 books! I didn't think I'd read this much. I've been enjoying most of the books I read, which is really nice. I've read 48338 pages, so almost 50000.

 

Buying and free books

 

I still bought too many books, though not as much in the last three months as in the first six months. I did download more free ebooks in the past three months compared with the first six months.

 

Zooming in on the variety of books

 

I've read more re-reads in the past three months and more series. Genre wise it's still a big variety, though I seem to lead more strongly towards some genres than towards others. I've read a lot of contemporary fiction, chick-lit, information, fantasy, biographies and science-fiction (the rest of the genres were 10 books or less).

 

I've also read more from female authors than male in the past few months (though the ratio is still quite allright). I've read more young-adult books and less adult and children's books. I can explain the very latter, I finished all of Roald Dahl's children's books that I own, for example. I guess there've been more YA reads that drew my attention, though overall in 2014 so far I've still read more adult than young-adult books. I've mainly read more from the US and Japan in the past few months, and only some more of other countries. I read (even) more English than Dutch than in the first six months.

 

I've read more series books in the past few months, and also more Kindle reads (% wise). My fiction / non-fiction ratio stayed almost the same, which is pretty interesting. My average rating went up by 0.2 since the first six months of the year.

 

Overall then I think I've done pretty well with my reading. I should be able to read 200 books in total this year, hopefully , and more than 50000 pages. Sorry that this is a bit short, I'm tired and not sure what else to say .

[Signor Finzione]

185 books! Oh my goodness. Well done!

 

Sorry to hear about the library sale. How annoying. Hopefully you can still pick up a few bargains tomorrow.

[Athena]

185 books! Oh my goodness. Well done!

 

Sorry to hear about the library sale. How annoying. Hopefully you can still pick up a few bargains tomorrow.

Thanks Laura !

[Athena]

So I went to the library sale and bought a lot of books !

 

I don't have enough time and energy to catalogue them all now but I will post a list soon .

 

I mainly got a lot of children's and young-adult books, some of which I loved as a child and now I have my own copy, some of whose authors I really like(d) and some which are new to me but sounded good. I also got a couple of adult books. Most of the books are fiction with only a few non-fiction.

 

But I'm quite happy with it all .

 

P.S. But I do buy too many books (although these were quite cheap). And I'm getting books for my birthday (though they are gifts). I'm also going to the book fair in a couple of weeks..

 

Lately though I've been trying to cull some of my book buying orders with downloading free ebooks, which does add to the TBR but doesn't cost anything moneywise.

 

It'll keep being a work in progress..

 

I was quite embarrassed to be honest, I bought more books than the other customers did and the teenager who was in charge of the payment was a bit surprised! She got another teenager to help her and a supervisor too (at least the two girls didn't seem older than 20, to me). I told her that I read 185 books this year so far, she was surprised. So I did feel embarrassed but heh what can you do. I do have a problem..

[pontalba]

Amazing, and wonderful!

 

Very interesting breakdown and analysis, Gaia.

 

And, please don't be embarrassed! Reading a lot is a Good Thing! <<>>

[Kylie]

Wow, I wish I could read 200 books per year!

 

How do you distinguish between children's books and YA books? What age range do you use? Just curious. And do you keep these statistics updated as you go along, or do you spend a lot of time doing it in one go?

 

I look forward to reading the list of your latest haul.

[Athena]

Amazing, and wonderful!

 

Very interesting breakdown and analysis, Gaia.

 

And, please don't be embarrassed! Reading a lot is a Good Thing! <<>>

Thanks Kate !

 

Wow, I wish I could read 200 books per year!

 

How do you distinguish between children's books and YA books? What age range do you use? Just curious. And do you keep these statistics updated as you go along, or do you spend a lot of time doing it in one go?

 

I look forward to reading the list of your latest haul.

Thanks Kylie !

 

I tend to use the same system our libraries use or used to use, ages 12+ is young adult (12-16 generally), below 12 is children's. Children's books are divided up into A (ages 6 and below), B (6-12) and C (young adult), or at least that's how it used to be! The books I bought at the library this time, they have B's and C's on them so I will use those. I generally (also for books I didn't buy at the library) also look at the cover of the book (how 'childish' is it), the language used in the book (long sentences, complicated words) and the size of the font and the amount of text on the page. Now that I'm typing this, I realise, sorry if it sounds complicated! The BSC books I rate as children's and YA because they're 10-14 (that's what it says on mine on the back) so they're a bit in the middle. Of course other people might use a different age rating, I'm just doing what feels right for me. The only difference really is that it'll be set as a children's or a YA book in Book Collector and perhaps a different place on my shelves (though I haven't completely decided yet how I'm going to shelve them). How do you decide if a book is a children's book or young-adult?

 

Last year I did the statistics at the end of the year. This year I've been keeping track, editing it every time after finishing a book (other than the procentages, those I edit only in the goal updates). It takes a bit of time but it means I don't have to do as much at the end of the year. I find it interesting to see how my reading progresses.

 

A list and a photo of the new books will follow later. I'd better get on with cataloguing the books .

[Signor Finzione]

I do have a problem..

 

No - everyone else has a problem. We're the normal ones!

 

A list and a photo of the new books will follow later. I'd better get on with cataloguing the books .

 

Can't wait to see them!