March 19, 2024

Newtonville Books Reading Challenge – Final Tally @newtonvillebks

Newtonville Books published a 2015 Reading Challenge. The goal was “something fun to get you out of your comfort zone.” I read and I was up for a challenge.

The challenge definitely had me read books that I would not otherwise have picked up. I surprised myself to be reading Shakespeare and Maya Angelou. I even read, or at least started reading, a few books I was supposed to have read in college. Mrs. Doug stared quizzically at some of my reading choices.

The challenge also meant that my “To-Read” stack of books remained tall while I queued up books that fit into the challenge categories instead.

Of the 39 categories on the challenge, I finished 36.

I tried getting through Robinson Crusoe, the book I picked for being over 100 years old. It was so boring. I put it aside to grab something else on the list. I never got back to it. And I don’t think I will.

I had trouble finding authors with my initials. At least anything interesting by an author with my initials. I thought I had found something with Went the Day Well?: Witnessing Waterloo. I was wrong. I didn’t finish that book either.

I had a book ready for the “autographed book” category. I never got to it. But it’s still in my tower of to-read-books on my nightstand.

Here is the final list and my entries:

Category Book Read
A book that became a movie: Argo: How the CIA & Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History
Argo: How the CIA & Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History
by Antonio Mendez
An Oscar-Winning movie
March 27
A book with non-human characters:
Ancillary Justice
by Ann Leckie.
Set in an alien world where spaceships and soldiers are run by artificial intelligence. The protagonist is a ship’s AI.
January 2
A book with a one word title:

Wool
By Hugh Howey
One word title, six word description: Civilization trapped in an underground silo.

April 6
A book of short stories: Tenth of December: Stories
Tenth of December: Stories
Saunders, George
August 30
A book from a small press: Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919
Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919
by Stephen Puleo
Published by Beacon Press
September 21
A book based on a true story:
Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania
by Erik Larson
November 18
A book more than 100 years old:
Robinson Crusoe
by Daniel Defoe
Didn’t Finish
A book based entirely on its cover: Deep Down Dark: The Untold Stories of 33 Men Buried in a Chilean Mine, and the Miracle That Set Them Free
Deep Down Dark: The Untold Stories of 33 Men Buried in a Chilean Mine, and the Miracle That Set Them Free
by Héctor Tobar
Saw this one on the table at Newtonville Books
March 31
A book you’ve pretended to read:
1984
George Orwell
Sorry college literature class
December 11
A book you can finish in a day: Dept. of Speculation
Dept. of Speculation

by Jenny Offill
I didn’t finish it in a day, but you can.
January 23
A book set somewhere you’ve always wanted to visit:
On the Beach
by Nevi Shute
The book is set in Australia.
March 31
A book in translation: Galileo's Telescope: A European Story
Galileo’s Telescope: A European Story
by Massimo Bucciantini, Michele Camerota, Franco Giudice;
translation by Catherine Bolton
May 18
A graphic novel: The Walking Dead, Vol. 22: A New Beginning
The Walking Dead, Vol. 22: A New Beginning

It’s a TV show, but it’s a graphic novel series first
March 24
A book you own but have never read:
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
John le Carré
December 26
A book by an author with your initials: Went the Day Well?: Witnessing Waterloo
Went the Day Well?: Witnessing Waterloo
by David Crane
DC just like me
Didn’t Finish
A play:
Romeo and Juliet
Shakespeare
November 15
A banned book: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Mark Haddon
Picked this one up from the Newton Library’s Banned Book Week display
October 5
A book you previously started but never finished: Lost in Shangri-La: A True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War II
Lost in Shangri-La: A True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War II
By Mitchell Zuckoff
December 12
A Pulitzer Prize-winning book: The Goldfinch
The Goldfinch

by Donna Tartt
2014 winner of the Pulitzer Prize
April 23
A book by a Nobel Prize-winner: The Old Man and the Sea
Old Man and the Sea
by Ernest Hemingway
November 2
A book that takes place in the area where you grew up: Bay State "Blue" Laws and Bimba
Bay State “Blue” Laws and Bimba
by William Wolkovich.
Documentary study of the Anthony Bimba trial for blasphemy and sedition in Brockton, Massachusetts, 1926
October 22
A book by an author you’ve never heard of: In the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette
In the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette
by Hampton Sides
May 6
A book written by an author under 30:

The Beginner's Guide to Bicycle Commuting
The Beginner’s Guide to Bicycle Commuting

by Mathias Rechtzigel

September 30
A book written by an author over 70: Alone on the Ice: The Great...
Alone on the Ice: The Greatest Survival Story in the History of Exploration
by David Roberts
Born in 1943; Book published in 2013
October 18
A book of poetry: maya
The Poetry of Maya Angelo
 October 28
A young adult book: Wonder
Wonder
by R.J. Palacio
A recommendation from my son.
March 21
A book set in the future or in a different world: Lock In
Lock In
by John Scalzi
Fifteen years from now, a new virus sweeps the globe.
February 24
A book your mom or dad loves/loved: Boston Strong: A City's Triumph Over Tragedy
Boston Strong: A City’s Triumph Over Tragedy
by David Wedge and Casey Sherman
Written by my cousin so the whole family loves it
September 4
A Newtonville Books staff pick: Ship Breaker
Ship Breaker
by Paolo Bacigalupi
One of Nicolle’s picks
September 2
A signed book:
Independence Day
(Dewey Andreas, #5)
by Ben Coes
Still to Read
A bestseller:
The Girl on the Train
by Paula Hawkins
‘The Girl on the Train’ is a runaway hit in USA Today
January 20
A book with an animal on the cover: Authority (Southern Reach, #2)
Authority

by Jeff VanderMeer
See the bunny
February 18
A library book: Disclaimer: A Novel
Disclaimer: A Novel
Borrowed from the Newton Free Library
June 6
A book with a color in the title Red Notice: A True Story of High Finance, Murder, and One Man's Fight for Justice
Red Notice: A True Story of High Finance, Murder, and One Man’s Fight for Justice
June 1
A book you then discuss in a bookclub
I Am Pilgrim
by Terry Hayes
Discussed in a Goodreads group
January 29
A book that came out the year you were born: The Third Policeman
The Third Policeman
by Flann O’Brien
Published in 19…..
April 13
A book with magic: The Magicians (The Magicians, #1)
The Magicians
by Lev Grossman
A Harry Potter knock-off
March 3
A book by an author that lives in Boston: Power Down (Dewey Andreas, #1)
Power Down
by Ben Coes
Wellesley is Greater Boston
June 14
A book set in a different country: The Diver's Clothes Lie Empty
The Diver’s Clothes Lie Empty
by Vendala Vida
Morocco
August 31