A challenge that I was NOT successful at in any sort of meaningful way. Looking back at the past three months, there have been a multitude of personal challenges along the way, and snuggling down into the "big books" just wasn't very successful.
So, here's what I planned, and what actually got done:
Things As They Are by Paul Horgan
North of Hope by Jon Hassler
Catholics by Brian Moore
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
Life at Blandings by P.G. Wodehouse I read the first of three novels included in the omnibus
And I didn't read any of these. OK, I started Pickwick, but it's not a good time for that--too much distraction
Poland by James Michener
Once an Eagle by Anton Myrer
The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens
What I read INSTEAD (go figure):
Book by Book by Michael Dirda
The Defiant Child
Beauvallet by Georgette Heyer
The Unknown Ajax by Georgette Heyer
The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie
The Enchanted Castle by E Nesbit
The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger
The Samurai's Garden by Gail Tsukiyama (review coming soon!)
Memento Mori by Muriel Spark (review coming soon!)
and by the end of this week I will have finished my book club book for December, because I've got to pass it on to others to read:
Mr. Ives' Christmas by Oscar Hijuelos
Not bad. But not what I had planned. Oh well, December 1 will start another personal 3 month "Winter Reading Challenge." I'm finalizing my choices, keeping in mind that the holidays are not the time, for me, to take on giant books. More to come on that, probably tomorrow.
