Big Book Summer Challenge 2024
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 ต.ค. 2024
- I discuss my anticipated participation in the Big Book Summer Challenge 2024 created and hosted by the lovely Sue Jackson @SueJacksonDE
According to Sue's blog, all you have to do to participate in this challenge is to read a BIG BOOK (400 pages or more).
Channels mentioned:
@SueJacksonDE
@LibroParadiso-ep4zt
@bighardbooks770
@anotherbibliophilereads
@CliffsDarkGems
@FacelessBookReviews
@jonathankoan
@KindlesandKicks
@throughthepages_with_dee
Events Mentioned:
#bigbooksummer2024
#BigBookSummerChallenge2024
#JaneAustenJuly
#RocketSummer
#booktrek2024
#Ulysses2024
Books Mentioned:
Smith, Zadie. The Fraud.
Joyce, James. Ulysses.
Holiday, Hilary. The Power of Adrienne Rich.
Trevor, William. Selected Stories.
O'Faolain, Nuala. Best Love, Rosie.
Binchy, Maeve. Circle of Friends.
King, Stephen. The Stand.
Kowal, Mary Robinette. The Calculating Stars.
Jimenez, Simon. The Spear Cuts Through Water.
Verghese, Abraham. The Covenant of Water.
Great video. I’m also taking part. Ulysses is a big help as is Dune 😊. I have a selection that hopefully will tie in with other challenges. Happy reading 😊
Oh Dune and Ulysses will definitely help! I had to say no to Dune this month. Some day….😊
A delightful stack of chunksters! I think I've become an accidental participant due to the BookTube prize judging - two of the books qualify and are bumping out the other longer book I was looking at. I read The Stand when I was maybe 13 or 14 and loved it....I am looking forward to hearing how our shared brain likes it now as an adult!
Oh the judging! Yes, I’m sure you’ve already participated! I’ll keep you posted on The Stand! 😂
Simon Jimenez is absolutely stellar, its a challenging read but so rich in basically all aspects. I can't wait to see what you think.
Thanks, Becca. You’re the third person now to endorse this book! 😊
You look so excited talking about all of these books! 😊 I hope you have a great summer reading them, however many you get to. I have a feeling you’ll do very well in this challenge 😄 I was pretty proud of myself for picking one big book! 😅
You'll do great too! Four hundred pages isn't all that big, right? The Stand is the one I'm worried about....But I'll try. OK. I have to ask you a question that I am embarrassed to ask: is your first name Ellen, or is it Ellenmade? Is that a ridiculous question?
@@BookChatWithPat8668 It’s not ridiculous at all, I’m so glad you asked! Always ask 😊 That just shows that you care, and I’m very happy you do.
My name is Ellen! I have this dream of making things to sell one day, like art or tote bags or bookmarks and things, and my brand name for that is ellenmade, because they would be things that I made! So when I started this channel it became the book club that I made 😂 It’s not very obvious to anyone but me and since it’s one word I get how that could be confusing. Please don’t be embarrassed, we can’t be expected to keep track of everything 😊
400 pages is manageable over time 😂 I’ve been struggling a bit with my reading lately and have just about finished 3 books in total in May, and late at that, so that’s probably less than the Stand alone 😄
@@ellenmadebookclub I’m so glad I asked! And I love that Ellenmade is your brand name! I thought your name was Ellen, but then I thought maybe Ellenmade was a Swedish name! 😊 I’m glad I asked!
@@BookChatWithPat8668 I know, you’ve said it in videos before! 😊 Haha it could well have been! 😄
Well, I didn’t want to let anymore time go by! 😂 Glad we’ve straightened this out!
Awesome plans Pat! I’ll be very curious to see what you think of the Stand. It really didn’t work for me personally.
Hi Chas. It’s a huge book, so if it doesn’t go well, I’m not going to feel obligated to keep reading. As I’ve said, I’ve had mixed reactions to Stephen King. But I keep getting into conversations about it with people I really respect, so I’ll give it a shot.
Yes, I think you will love The Covenant of Water! Strong women navigating a patriarchal society in India.
@@bookwalk1 Perfect! 😊
Nice stack! I hope you enjoy them all!
Thanks, Nicky. We’ll see how far I get…😊
Happy Summer Reading! 🌞
Thank you, Mariandrea! To you too!
Yes!!!! The Stand... Maybe. 😂 Thank you for considering it... Love it! ❤
Going to give it a try! 😉
@@BookChatWithPat8668 All joking aside if you do decide to read it I can't wait to hear your take on it... Have a great rest of you weekend!
Oh I’ll definitely let you know! 😉 Enjoy your Sunday! 😊
Welcome to Big Book Summer, Pat! I have a Zadie Smith in my BBS stack, too :) Good luck with Ulysses - I've heard it's a tough one! Enjoy your upcoming trip - sounds great! I love to read about my destination :) I've heard good things about The Calculating Stars. The Stand is possibly King's BEST novel ever - it's a stunning sci fi/fantasy epic. You said you didn't like Holly - did you read all the books starring Holly prior to that (the Mr. Mercedes trilogy and The Outsider)? Most people who love Holly are fans of the character from those earlier books. The Covenant of Water is on my list (not for this summer but for someday) - if you join the Goodreads group, you'll see that lots of others are reading it this summer, too. Looks like a great reading summer ahead for you, Pat! Glad you decided to join the fun & thanks for adding your link to the challenge page - I'll share it on social media.
I haven’t read all the Holly books-just the one called Holly. I liked her character just fine; I was just totally repulsed by the villains. It was hard for me to finish it. This is my third reread of Ulysses, so I knew what I was getting into, for sure. It’s alternately a very intense book and an exercise in frustration! This will be the summer, I think, that I finally read The Stand! Hope you’re doing well, Sue! 😊
Fantastic variety of books, Pat! I have Ulysses and The Stand definitely on my list for “someday” and that Covenant of Water book has such a pretty cover. There are so many wonderful challenges and events for this summer and I will definitely be trying to tackle some of my lingering big books and hopefully find something for Star Trek and Historathan Q2/3. Hope you enjoy all of these wonderful stories that are waiting for you! 📚✨
Hi Farrah! Yes, there really are a lot of great events taking place! This is an ambitious pile of books. I'm already making some headway, but I don't know that I'll get through them all. I'm reading Star Trek books now. They tend to be pretty short, so they don't fit the Big Books of Summer, but they are fun. I hope you're doing well, Farrah, and that you have a great reading summer too!
Awesome video! I have a number of big books I need to get through this month. Thank you for the mention, I am sure you will love The Stand if you give it a chance. 😀 You could break it down to small portions over the year. 😀 I will definitely be participating in Rocket Summer!
Thanks, Cliff. I'm sure it will be fine if I break it down into smaller bits, as you suggest. Looking forward to Rocket Summer too!
Circle of Friends was the first Maeve Binchy book I read and I loved it (it's MUCH better than the movie, which should be no surprise!). There was a period where I was reading everything of hers I could get my hands on, and I think I may have overdone it. Still, I picked up a couple of her books the last time I was at the library book sale. I think it is time to re-introduce myself to her.
The Calculating Stars was really good--it's the start of a Sci-Fi series and I think the series as a whole is pretty Sci-Fi, but the first one reads more like alternate historical fiction. It's actually quite fascinating and I wholeheartedly recommend it. But, if you finish it and feel like it wasn't really sci-fi, the following books should scratch that itch for you. (I've only read the first...so far...but that is what I've been told). (I keep editing this...sorry!) If Rocket July is what it sounds like, The Calculating Stars would be a fantastic choice for it...
Wow! Great, Melinda! Thank you! I do remember reading Maeve Binchy long ago, too, and I think my mother read a lot of her fiction as well, but I’m reading a lot of Irish fiction now in preparation for my trip to Ireland, and I really wanted to revisit her. Thanks for this really thoughtful comment! 😊 By the way, I tagged you again on yesterday’s tag! 😊
Hey Pat! I'm glad you discovered Sue Jackson's Channel!
Hi Todd! Yes, Sue and I discovered each other a little while ago. Isn't she great? Hope you're doing well.
Wonderful to see Ulysses on your list!!
It’s my third re-read of Ulysses, but it’s been a long time since I last read it. We’re reading it in a group read.
@@BookChatWithPat8668 it’s been many moons since read it as well. May I ask the group? I’ve never participated in an online reading group but it’s sounds like a great idea.
@@maureencampbelldonatelli8370 Sure. There are two booktubers who are hosting the group. If you look up Greg at Another Bibliophile Reads and Allen at Big Hard Books and Classics, you will find information about the read-along. Greg has set up a Discord channel where we have a reading schedule and a discussion group. Everyone is welcome.
I really liked The Stand when I read more than 20 years ago.
That's good to know, Greg. Really, most people who have read it do tend to recommend it. I guess it's time that I give it a try.
Good luck with your plans. My big book of summer will be Rebecca. I picked it up again after hearing a BookTuber raving about it after her first time read of it. I have read it many times and I felt compelled to return to it. The opening dream sequence is one of my all time favourite passages. So many events to look forward to.
That sounds like a wonderful choice!
"The Stand" is calling me, too, Pat! It whispers in my ear at night. (It has a deep baritone voice - kind of a James Earl Jones thing!) It says, "Read me! Read me now!" I reply, "Soon!"
Lol! You’ve read a lot more King than I have, I think. I’m going to give it a try, but I’m feeling very intimidated already!😳
@BookChatWithPat8668 Under the Dome is also very good and it's a whopper, as well. I got through that just fine. People tell me The Stand is a similar writing style. ✍️
Ok…Well, I guess I’ll give it a try. 😳
@@BookChatWithPat8668 me, too! I'll start it in July.
That sounds like a good plan.
Spear Cuts Through Water is one I get really excited to read, then I forget I grabbed it on Kindle 🤦♂️, such a pretty cover although I didn't realise it was so big 😂. Calculating stars sounds interesting as well, great video
Thanks, Ven. Spear Cuts…has been highly recommended. We’ll see how far I get with all of these.😳
@@BookChatWithPat8668 as long as you enjoy what you are reading that's all that matters, and I hope you enjoy the ones you get to
Thanks, Ven.
Nice vid Pat, I just decided to join and did my vid for Big Book Summer as well lol. Looks like it'll be fun. I might give Stephen King another try, I've seen a lot of people mentioning Ths Stand lately.
I saw that you had just added your video to Sue's blog when I just botched my own attempts to add mine. I will check out yours now. Yes, so many people have been talking about The Stand. I struggle with King, but I feel like all these people talking about The Stand must be seeing something important in it. I'll give it a shot....How are you doing, Justin? Nice to hear from you!
@@BookChatWithPat8668 I don't read much fiction but I tried The Gunslinger of his from the Dark Tower like 10 years ago and I just wasn't getting it haha. Looks like this'll be a fun but chill event
@TriumphalReads I never tried The Dark Tower series. I’m sure I’d never have the patience for that. This is going to be a fun event. Four hundred pages isn’t all that much. Like you, I tend to think of a big book as the mammoths we were reading in March.
@@BookChatWithPat8668 yeah I know what you mean. I did note that my science and nature reads pretty much never get to that 800 pages but some get into the 400+ range so that's good
@@TriumphalReads I don’t know how you feel about poetry. I don’t know if I’ve ever heard you talk about poetry. But I do think you might be interested in an anthology I talked about yesterday in my video on Poet Laureate Ada Limon. She’s just released an anthology of nature poetry by 50 contemporary poets. It’s part of her “You Are Here” project as poet laureate. The book is really lovely…
Great choices as ever. Hope Ulysses is treating you well!
Some chapters are easier than others to get through. It’s definitely still a challenge, even on this third re-read.
Summer's lease hath all too short a date.
William Shakespeare
But thy eternal summer shall not fade…😉
@@BookChatWithPat8668 touché
😉
I always love a good big book!
I know you do! I do too! 😊
The Stand is my white whale. Maybe when I retire. I’ve heard good things about the Calculating Stars. I may have asked you this already, but did you ever read Zadie Smith’s White Teeth?
I am so intimidated by The Stand, but so many people have been talking about it lately…I kind of feel like I should at least give it a try. I haven’t read White Teeth. I’ve read very positive reviews of it. Have you read it, Dave?
@@BookChatWithPat8668 I read part of it. It was her first book… I think she wrote it while she was supposed to be studying for exams in college, if I remember correctly… was a bit a phenom at the time. I read part of it, but had 1 year old twins and a new job at the time, so never finished. That was a long time ago. I keep thinking I should try again.
@@BookBlather You are absolutely right that it was a great success at the time. It's one I've heard a lot about and probably ought to get to one of these days.
It’s strange and sad that you studied Ulysses at school and I never did living in Ireland 🤣I started reading it at college but never finished
I have a lot going on with family but hope to make time to read a few,this summer, I loved IT by Stephen King and Dolores Claiborne, another great Irish author is Denis Lahane and Small Mercies is supposed to be his best if you want to check it out
@@claresmith9261 I did read Ulysses in college and in graduate school, but it’s been a long time since I last read it. I had a very powerful experience when I read it in the 1980’s. Much less so now. I have read Lehane-Shutter Island and Mystic River. I’ve had Small Mercies on my radar but haven’t gotten to it. I think he’s Boston Irish-born here to Irish parents. I started reading some William Trevor short stories very early this morning. He’s very good.
Wow Pat, thank you for the mention😊
Spear Cuts Through Water (& possibly Stephen King) YAY!!! 🥳
We should read The Covenant of Water Together when you get round to it I’m looking forward to that one.
Great line up 😊
That would be great! My nephew gave it to me for Christmas, and I still haven’t gotten to it. You and Darko both spoke so passionately about the Simon Jimenez book that I thought I have to see what this is all about. 🥰
@@BookChatWithPat8668 I think you will enjoy it Pat it’s beautiful
I think I will too!