2016 Reading Challenge: List

#1 A book based on a fairy tale : Peter Pan
#2 A National Book Award winner : Invisible Man
#3 A YA bestseller : The Perks of Being a Wallflower
#4 A book you haven't read since high school : The Great Gatsby
#5 A book set in your home state : The Help
#6 A book translated to English : The Catnerbury Tales
#7 A romance set in the future : Never Let Me Go
#8 A book set in Europe : Oliver Twist
#9 A book that's under 150 pages : The Story of Vampires
#10 A New York Times bestseller : Gone Girl
#11 A book that's becoming a movie this year : High-Rise
#12 A book recommended by someone you just met : The Knife of Never Letting Go
#13 A self-improvement book : Clutter Control: Useful Tips for Getting Rid of the Mess
#14 A book you can finish in a day : The First True Lie
#15 A book written by a celebrity : Leonard: My Fifty-Year Friendship With a Remarkable Man
#16 A political memoir : I Am America (And So Can You!)
#17 A book at least 100 years older than you : Utopia
#18 A book that's more than 600 pages : A Game of Thrones
#19 A book from Oprah's Book Club : Night
#20 A science-fiction novel : The Martian
#21 A book recommended by a family member : Lamb
#22 A graphic novel : The Vampire Lestat
#23 A book that is published in 2016 : The Cracked Spine
#24 A book with a protagonist who has your occupation : I Work at a Public Library
#25 A book that takes place during Summer : Tender is the Night
#26 A book and it's prequel : Rosemary's Baby & Son of Rosemary
#27 A murder mystery : Death in Ecstasy
#28 A book written by a comedian : Dad Is Fat
#29 A dystopian novel : Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep
#30 A book with a blue cover : Drowning Instinct
#31 A book of poetry : The Poetry of Doctor Zhivago
#32 The first book you see in a bookstore : The Good Neighbor
#33 A classic from the 20th century : The Bell Jar
#34 A book from the library : The Jeffrey Dahmer Story: An American Nightmare
#35 A autobiography : Cloris
#36 A book about a road trip : Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test
#37 A book about a culture you're unfamiliar with : Kite Runner
#38 A satirical book : President Taft is Stuck in the Bath
#39 A book that takes place on an island : The Tempest
#40 A book that's guaranteed to bring you joy : Diane Arbus

Date Started: January 1, 2016
Date completed: December 28, 2016
Books finished in challenge: 41 of 41
Books finished in total for year: 121

2016 Reading: Mortal Trash

It's been a while since I read a book of poetry and I'm quite fond of Kim's work so I thought I would just slide this into this year's reading so it didn't end on an even number. 121 FOR THE YEAR, WOOO!!!

I think one of my favorite poems in this book is one called "My Sword Sleep In My Hand"

"My Sword Sleep In My Hand"

There's a skunk on the golf course.

Bring me my nine iron.

I can kill the little shit

without raising a divot.

My caddy is an idiot.

My maid is illegal.

My wife's tits sag.

I covet the babysitter.

Bring me my putter.

I own this town.

I don't know why. I liked a lot of her poems in this book and I hope to find some more books by her in the future to enjoy.

2016 Reading: Death in Ecstasy

#27 A murder mystery

The fourth book in the Chief Detective-Inspector Alleyn series. I still hear Benedict Cumberbatch's voice in my head when I read these. And I am not complaining.

Eventually I am going to read all of the books in this series because I find them very entertaining and just the right amount to British-wit dry.

2016 Reading: The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test

#36 A book about a road trip

I actually finished this book before Christmas but I was busy with the holiday stuffy-stuff that I didn't get the chance to write about it.

This book, while a little difficult to get through because of the way it was written, was actually a very good read. Once you get passed the language, then it just becomes this whirlwind story that you can hardly believe actually happened. I was happy to see some people's names that I recognized and it made me want to go back in time so that I could meet them all at once in their prime. Especially Allen Ginsburg.

This quote stuck out:

Sometime after that I was up in Haight-Ashbury with some kid, not a Prankster, a kid 

from another communal group, and the kid was trying to open an old secrétaire, the 

kind that opens out into a desktop you can write on, and he pinches his finger in a 

hinge. Only instead of saying Aw shit or whatever, the whole thing becomes a parable 

of life, and he says: 

"That's typical. You see that? Even the poor cat who designed this thing was 

playing the game they wanted him to play. You see how this thing is designed, to open 

out? It's always out, into, it's got to be out, into your life, the old bullshit thrust—you 

know?—they don't even think about it—you know?—this is just the way they design 

things and you're here and they're there and they're going to keep coming at you. You 

see that kitchen table?" There is an old enamel-top kitchen table you can see through a 

doorway in there. "Now that's actually better design, it actually is, than all this ornate 

shit, I mean, I truly dig that kitchen table, because the whole thing is right there—you 

know?—it's there to receive, that's what it's all about, it's passive, I mean what the hell 

is a table anyway? Freud said a table is a symbol of a woman, with her shanks open, 

balling it, in dreams—you know?—and what is this a symbol of?" He points to the 

secrétaire. "It's a symbol of fuck-you, Fuck you, right?" And so on, until I want to put 

my hand on his shoulder and say why don't you just kick it in the kneecaps and let it 

go at that. (pg 12)

I don't think I have ever been that mad at a piece of furniture.

Well now I have to go download me some Grateful Dead and paint myself in Day-Glo...

2016 Reading: The Kite Runner

#37 A book about a culture you're unfamiliar with

This book was fascinating. I had no idea what it was about going into it, but I am so glad that I got the chance to read it.The fact that it was set in Afghanistan really didn't have a bearing in the story at first, but then as time passed, events began to change the style of the story and the lives of the characters and it just blended it all so seamlessly that I could barely put this book down once I really got it started.

There were some tough subjects in this book, but they needed to be told because they are happening every day still and the message is that life can go on and be good again. Mistakes are made and regretted, but that doesn't mean life stops.

I don't know if I will have the heart to watch the movie of this, but I would definitely recommend the book to anyone who asks.

2016 Reading: The Spider and the Fly, The Night World (2 books)

I read this to my nephew the other day and my sister looked at me after we were done and was like, "Why do you bring him this gothic stuff?!" and I had no answer. She immediately read him some nice happy story afterwards to erase the death and despair.

This story looks dark and gothic from the beginning but is actually a very nice and happy story and I really enjoyed the illustrations.

2016 Reading: The Tempest

#39 A book that takes place on an island

I was supposed to read this a few years ago for my Shakespeare Literature class, but I never did. I guess it just wasn't the right time for me. I watched the movie and gleaned everything I needed to know to pass the assignment from there so I didn't really worry about it.

For this challenge, I was going to read another Charles Dickens book and go with the whole "England is an island" thing, but after Oliver Twist, I decided I didn't want to read another of his books quite just yet. Maybe someday.

I don't know how some people say they don't understand Shakespeare. I guess I'm just used to it because I have read so much of it that the language doesn't bother me anymore. I have always loved Shakespeare. While this is a short and sweet play, it's not really one of my favorites. Everything ends too neatly for my taste. Everyone is happy in the end and that is just too easy for me.

2016 Reading: Oliver Twist

#8 A book set in Europe

This book is ENTIRELY too sarcastic. Seriously, every other line should be read with tongue firmly planted in cheek.

I knew the story going in so nothing was really a surprise to me. I don't know what else to say about the book other than it was longer than I expected.

Please sir, I don't want any more.