Reading Challenge 2023

Merry Christmas, everyone!

While I have a few moments of unexpected solitude, I thought it might be fun to share my plans for the coming year.  As longtime readers know, I love to read, and every year I try some sort of reading challenge.  I usually do well, but I never finish, so this time, I'm trying something a little bit different.

Past attempts have seen me using a book for as many prompts as I could.  Other years, each book can only complete one prompt.  I've tried starting in December.  I've tried keeping track on paper.  I've tried keeping track online.  And this time, I think I found the magic solution.

I desperately want to whittle down my TBR list, so I'm going to try and take books from that list exclusively.  And in order to do that, and to make sure that I don't get stuck throughout the year, I've started putting together a list of books (from my TBR) that fit each prompt.  I've done something similar in the past, where I had one or two books selected.  But, this year, I've got lists upwards of 10 titles to choose from for each prompt.  There should be no way that I'll be at a loss for titles to fit my mood!

I'm combining PopSugar's Reading Challenge with three others I found online, plus one I made up (a book title for each color of the rainbow).  It's going to be a real challenge, but I'm very excited.

To keep me on track, each month, at the end of the month, I'll post a list of all the books I read and the prompts they fulfilled (with a small description of the book and my thoughts).  So, keep your eyes peeled throughout the year, for 12 book prompt reading lists!

I'll start the festivities off on January 1st.  We're looking at 173 prompts.

I hope you'll join me in sharing your reading selections (and reading challenge prompts) in the comments throughout the year!

Thank you for being a part of my ramblings!

♥Emmy

The Parasite and Other Tales of Terror (Arthur Conan Doyle)

As we are still in the Summer Reading Prelude, this next story came to me via the post once again.  I must admit I was very excited, especially considering how interesting the last one had been.  I eagerly curled up in my favorite chair with a cup of tea.  There were quite a few tales to unpack in this collection, and I devoured each and every one.

I won't go into much detail about the stories, as I don't want to spoil them, but I can at least give you a short synopsis or teaser.  I started with The Parasite, a chilling tale of a scientist who first learns about the fascinating world of psychology, and decides to participate in an experiment involving hypnotism--to his great peril.  It was by far the longest title in the collection and a great start to the reading.

Fans of the supernatural and of psychic phenomena will also enjoy The Great Keinplatz Experiment, about a professor and his student who attempt an "impossible" venture where their souls leave their bodies, and How it Happened, which is being narrated through a medium who writes instead of speaking.

As you well know, last summer I went out to sea, so the tales J. Habakuk Jephson's Statement and The Captain of the Pole-Star were of particular interest to me with their nautical themes.  I especially liked the former, as it dealt with the mysterious circumstances surrounding the ship Mary Celeste, a real-life mystery that was never solved.

The rest of the stories were all equally good, with The Bully of Brocas Court turning out (for me) to be the scariest in the collection, as a boxer and his sponsor end up in a fight against a terrifying opponent.  The Mystery of Sasassa Valley was a suspenseful tale of two friends (Englishmen living in Africa) who hear a story about a demon living in Sasassa Valley and go to investigate.  The Ring of Thoth is a classic mummy story set in the Louvre, and finally, my favorite in the collection had to be Selecting a Ghost, where an insufferable homeowner goes to great lengths to make sure that there is a ghost in his new house.  While all the tales had some element of horror to them, this one was also surprisingly funny.

The collection as a whole was a very good one, and while I felt that How it Happened was the weakest of the collection, I thought on the whole, the stories were all very good and there was not a clunker in the bunch.  I can only say that I now greatly look forward to my next Conan Doyle adventure, and with Memorial Day quickly approaching, I know I have a whole summer to enjoy these delicious tales!

The Doings of Raffles Haw (Arthur Conan Doyle)

As our first teatime is before Summer Reading officially begins, Sir Arthur and I are communicating by letter.  I sit down and eagerly tear open the envelope, pulling out the  sheets containing our first story: The Doings of Raffles Haw.

Now, for reasons completely unknown to me, I keep referring to this novella as "The Goings of Israel Daw".  I'm pretty sure that Chesterton had a short story or a novel with a similar name*.  But, I digress.

My tea of choice for this story is chamomile, since this is a somewhat more relaxed story (relying more on tension than direct action) and it would do me good to be relaxed.  The tea is the same golden color as the pollen-covered landscape outside, which also seems fitting.  Because of the inhospitality of the landscape, I am reading this in my library.

One word of warning before you start this story.  Do not Google it.  In fact, don't really read the book description, either.  The description I got in advance did not reveal the secret to Raffles Haw's wealth, which meant it came as a complete surprise to me.  But, when I googled it afterwards: BOOM!  Big spoiler right away.  Save yourself the surprise.

So, the story was a really interesting one, and I was completely hooked from the start.  The McIntyres are down on their luck after their father's failed business venture, and have to move to a small town in the countryside.  Quite by chance, they become acquainted with their insanely rich neighbor, Raffles Haw (Gatsby has nothing on this guy!).  But, as everyone gets closer, the eldest Mr. McIntyre becomes more and more suspicious of Haw and his money.  Where does it all come from?

This story is amazing.  The plot itself is pretty simple, but the magic is in all the inventions that Haw has in his house.  Conan Doyle's imagination is boundless, and it was so much fun to see all the insane gadgetry that he concocted.  I won't talk too much about that here, as with the secret of his wealth, it was more fun to come across it as I was reading, as opposed to knowing it in advance.  The central message of this story might come across as a little preachy at times, but it never felt overwhelmingly so.  And it certainly never affected my enjoyment of the story.

The whole experience left me very excited for more adventures to come.

*He did.  It was "The Honor of Israel Gow"

Summer Reading 2022

Welcome to another Summer Reading post!  Last year's theme, A Summer at Sea was so much fun that I actually considered creating themes for my Fall and Winter reading, as well.  But, I didn't.  Summer Reading is a sacred thing, and I don't want to mess with something that's not broken.

So, it's pretty much summer again, and I'm preparing for my next theme.  I've hashed out multiple themes over the last few months, including Haunted Houses, Adventure Stories, Fairy Tales, and The Foreign Legion, but nothing felt quite right.  Then, quite by chance, the perfect idea fell into my lap.

It may come as a surprise to you that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote more than just Sherlock Holmes stories.  In fact, he wrote tons of novels, short stories, and scientific treatises on a variety of topics, from historical fiction to military history to spiritualism.  Now, normally, I won't make one author my Summer Reading theme, since their work tends to be somewhat similar to itself, and I get bored.  But, with such a wide array of topics such as this, I know that I'll have plenty to keep me occupied for months!

So, welcome to this month's Summer Reading Theme: Teatime With Arthur!  Otherwise known as reading the writings of Arthur Conan Doyle!

For the curious reader, who has been following along for a while, here is a rundown of my themes so far:

• 2010: Gothic Novels
• 2011: Scary Stories and Mythical Monsters
• 2012: A Summer in Middle Earth
• 2013: Summer School
• 2014: It's a Mystery!
• 2015: To Read or Not to Read
• 2016: Professional Fan-Fiction
• 2017: [Skipped this year]
• 2018: Monster Mash
• 2019: [Skipped this year]
• 2020: [Skipped this year]
• 2021: A Summer at Sea
• 2022: Teatime with Arthur

And as always, if you want to keep up with ALL my readings for the summer (and beyond!) you can follow me on Goodreads.

Summer Reading starts Memorial Day, but I'll be adding a Summer Reading Prelude this year, for the next two weeks until the big day!  I hope you'll join me--grab a cup of tea and a Conan Doyle book (Sherlock or otherwise!) and get ready to read!

Two Years Before the Mast (Richard Henry Dana Jr.)

Your captain regrets to say that after two weeks at sea with Mr. Dana, she has decided to quit reading Two Years Before the Mast.  It's not a decision that I come to lightly, as I hate quitting books, but I'm just not getting into it, and it's been two weeks of on-and-off reading and I've barely made any headway.

Now, the story itself is actually a memoir by a young Harvard student who starts losing his sight.  In an effort to fix what the doctors could not, he decides that working as a sailor will be just the cure he's looking for (a strange conclusion, but okay...).  Anyway, he goes on to spend two years as a sailor and recounts the experience.

The book had the potential to be really interesting, but it also had the potential to be very boring.  And it fell somewhere in the middle, but closer to the boring side.  Still, I enjoyed some of the passages, but had to stop about 20-30% in.  I would, however, be curious to learn if Dana ever went back to school, or if he chose to pursue the life of a sailor full-time.  I'm guessing, since he wrote this book, that he went back to continue his studies. 

If you are looking for a true story of life at sea, then this is certainly the book for you.  However, if you are looking for more of a high-seas, swashbuckling adventure, than I would advise you to choose a different book.

Fourth of July (Fireworks and a New Friend)

As I'm sure many of you know, I'm terribly afraid of spiders.  I hate, hate, HATE them.  But last night, as we watched the fireworks from a small side window, I noticed a creepy crawly friend chilling in the window frame (on the outside).  He was just hanging there, completely relaxed, his little face turned towards the fireworks, enjoying the show.  I wonder what spiders think of when they see fireworks.  Was he enjoying it, or just confused about the bright lights in the dark sky?  Either way, it was nice to enjoy the sight with my family and a new, eight-legged friend.

Captains Courageous (Rudyard Kipling)

Ahoy!  We have a special guest for this entry in the Captain's Log.  Those of you who follow me on Goodreads know that I have been having many reading adventures with my grandpa (who appears in my reviews as Dz.).  This was our 30th book together, and since it's a nautical book and we're reading it this summer, I wanted to include it in my list.

As the crew of the Arabella continued on our way, we watched as a young boy fell from the side of a cruise liner and fell into the water.  This was Harvey Cheyne, who was picked up by the crew of a local fishing boat and taken aboard as a new crew member until they were able to return to America and bring him home again.

The adventure was strong in this one, and Kipling's language really brought the story together.  It was a beautiful tale, very well-written, and there would be times when you could practically taste the salty sea air and feel the spray of the sea on your face.  It was  grand time.  This is one of the best books that I've read for my Summer at Sea so far.  We just finished reading this afternoon, and already, I'm thinking about reading it a second time.  I'll let it sit for a few days before I do, but I would love to give it another go.

If you're looking for a well-written adventure on the high seas, this is it.  It's not a swashbuckling tale (much to my grandfather's chagrin), but it was engaging and interesting, and felt very "real".  There was a romance to the tale, and it never got too graphic, but it also didn't feel like a fairy tale, either, striking the perfect balance between fantasy and realism.  If the rest of our adventures are anything like this one, I feel that we are in for a real treat!