A Quick Look at My Reading Challenges for the First 4 Months of 2024

First a side note. As I was thinking of how to phrase the title of this entry, I started looking to see if there is a word that reflects a 4-month period. Quarterly reflects every 3 months of the year but there does seem to be a word for 4-monthly. So there you go. Oh and while I'm at it. I always found it interesting that in English when someone sneezes, you tend to say Bless you. Or in German you say Gesundheit. But I've never been able to find a French word or phrase that's equivalent. I imagine there is, but hey. So if you happen to be one of the people who glances at this BLog once in awhile, let me know if there are words that apply to the above. 😎

At the beginning of 2024, I outlined the 5 reading challenges that I would use to organize my reading this year. They are highlighted below and also how well I've progressed with them.

1. 12 + 4 Reading Challenge - The Works of Ursula K. Le Guin

My aim is to read as many of Le Guin's works as possible this year. I've highlighted 16 of those that I have on my book shelf. I'll focus on the Hainish Cycle and the Earthsea adventures as well as some of her other stories.

As of 30 April, I've finished 7 of the 16 on my list. Of those 7, my favorite thus far was Very Far Away from Anywhere Else, a 5.0 star read. I'm currently reading Tales from Earthsea, the 5th book in the Earthsea stories, a collection of short stories about the history of Earthsea. So far it's been excellent. Next in line will by Searoad, one of her standalone stories, originally published in 1991 and set in Le Guin's home state of Oregon. I'm well on the road to completing this challenge by year's end.

2. Series Challenge (Start, Middle, Finish a Series) 

I didn't set a limit. So far I've completed 14 books. My favorite to date has been the one I started first, Doomsday Book by Connie Willis, the 1st book in the Oxford Time Travel series (4.5 stars). I am currently reading, having just started, To Walk in the Way of Lions by Canadian author, H. Leighton Dickson, #2 in the Tails of the Upper Kingdom. My plan for the next book is probably Six Ostriches by Philipp Schott, Canadian mystery writer of the Dr. Bannerman veterinarian mystery series set in Manitoba, Canada.

3. Non-Series Challenge (Any genre)

I've read a mix so far, finishing 9 books so far. One was listed as a Did Not Finish (DNF), that being The Fall of the Sparrow by Nigel Balchin. I just couldn't get into this one at all. My favorite so far has been a graphic novel, Lunar New Year Love Story by Gene Luen Yang & Leuyen Pham, 4.5 stars. I currently have two books on the go in this challenge, The Confidential Agent by Graham Greene, kind of a slow read so far, and How to Stand Up to a Dictator by Maria Ressa, quite interesting. Next in line will probably by Ratlines by Stuart Neville, a thriller set in Ireland.

4. Tome Challenge (Any book over 500 pages)

I did set a total of 10 for this challenge. One of my Ursula K. Le Guin books would have fit into the category, that being the Complete Orsinia. At the moment I've completed completed 3 books in the challenge with my favorite being The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson, 5.0 stars. I've just started The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson, the biggest book (page-wise) that was on my shelves. The next book will probably be Wanderers by Chuck Wendig, another new author for me.

5. Monthly Foci - Various Authors

Each month I'll try to read two or more books by various authors. I selected them based on the quantity of their books I've currently got on my shelves. So far I've focused on Agatha Christie - January (completed 3 books), Adam Hall - February (only completed 1 books), Simon Brett - March (completed 3 books) & P.D. James - April (completed 2 books). Of those books my favorite has been They Do It With Mirrors by Agatha Christie, the 5th Miss Marple mystery, a 4.0 star selection. My May Focus author is John Creasey, a prolific writer who also wrote under a number of pseudonyms; JJ Marric, Andrew Morton, etc, etc. My first book is Meet the Baron written as Andrew Morton, the 1st book in the Baron thriller series. Next will be a crime story, Inspector West Takes Charge, the 1st book in that series, written as John Creasey. 

So there you go, a quick look at my year in reading to date. 8 more months to go.