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Welcome to the future year of Two Thousand, None Hundred and Twenty Five. I'm Gertrude Perkins, and after some years of leisure it has fallen to me to administer the Booklord thread. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to take on a challenge! A challenge that will compel you to read more, read more widely, step outside your comfort zone, get back into the habit of regular page-turning fun! To join, simply tell us what your own Personal Reading Challenge is: Want to read more nonfiction? Hit a goal for total books finished? Finally start that series that's been gathering dust? Actually read an entire book in less than a year? Declare your goals! But also, let us know if you would like to submit to the BOOKLORD 2025 CHALLENGE, following the prompts deviously concocted by myself and previous Booklord DurianGray! Once you've signed up, then get reading! Post some updates - most folks do it monthly - and tell people about what you've been reading and what you thought about them! BOOKLORD 2025 CHALLENGE 1. Set a goal for number of books or another personal challenge! 2. Make sure at least 25% of the books you read this year are not written by men. 3. Make sure a least 25% of the books you read this year are written by writers of colour. 4. Make sure at least 10% of the books you read this year are written by LGBTQ writers. 5. Read something fictional about a real person. 6. Read two books published in the same month. 7. Read a book by someone known better for making other art (music, sculpture, film, etc). 8. Read something told from a non-human point of view. 9. Read something with a mystery at its centre. 10. Read something that recently entered the public domain. 11. Read: something with a colon in the title. 12. Ask someone in this thread for a Wildcard, and read it! 13. Participate in the TBB Book Of The Month thread! 14. Read something in verse. 15. Read something with a high body count. 16. Read something with a happy ending. Feel free to take the challenges as strictly or as loosely as you wish! This is all about broadening our horizons and discovering new books and new writers and spending more time swimming the vast ocean of words. Over the years this thread has introduced me to some superb books, spanning all sorts of genres and topics and perspectives. Running this again for 2k25, I hope I can discover more, and help other folks find new favourites. "But Gertrude, how can I read more?" Lots of ways! The best things are the simplest: keep a book closeby, carry it with you on your commute. Join a library - online catalogues can have countless great titles, and apps such as Libby allow you to access audiobooks with a library card! Find it hard to get through a full length book? That's what short story and essay collections are for! Having trouble getting into poetry? Try reading it aloud! Importantly: you don't have to finish something you're simply not enjoying. Life's too short and there are always more books to try! Finally, if you want to sign up, just use this template: Name: Personal Challenge: Booklord 2025? (Yes or No) Good luck, have fun, read well! Books!
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Jan 5, 2025 04:31
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Participants megapost: Name: Gertrude Perkins Personal Challenge: 52 books Booklord 2025? Yes! Name: FPyat Personal Challenge: Read THE CAMPAIGNS OF NAPOLEON by David W. Chandler and THE LINE UPON A WIND: THE GREAT WAR AT SEA, 1793-1815 by Noel Mostert Booklord 2025? No Name: Lord Zedd-Repulsa Personal Challenge 100 books, at least 10 of which are physical. Booklord 2025? Yes. I will print the list this week to have as a reference all year. Name: DurianGray Personal Challenge: 52 books, at least 10 of them to be physical books I already own Booklord 2025? YES Name: Zurtilik Personal Challenge: I'm gonna aim for 20! Booklord 2025? I'm gonna give it a shot! Name: ulvir Personal Challenge: at least 25 books. in addition, at least four books from 800 pages or more. Booklord 2025? yes Name: Volcano Personal Challenge: Read 72 books, 5 of them physical books I already own Booklord 2025? Yes Name: Lil Larceny Personal Challenge: 48 books, with at least 12 being borrowed from a public library Booklord 2025? Sure, I'll go for it! Name: UnbearablyBlight Personal Challenge: 20 books, at least one per month Booklord 2025? I'll try... Name: Kuule hain nussivan Personal Challenge: 52 Booklord 2025? Yes Name: Heavy Metal Personal Challenge: 30 books Booklord 2025? no Name: freelop Personal Challenge: 25 Booklord 2025? Yes Name: AlbertFlasher Personal Challenge: 12 Booklord 2025? No Name: TrixRabbi Personal Challenge: 52 books, at least half physical that I already own Booklord 2025?: Yes Name: RoastBeef Personal Challenge: 52 books and finish The Power Broker Booklord 2025? Yes Name: Neito Personal Challenge: 15 books Booklord 2025? Yes Name: DariusJonna Personal Challenge: Vampire Hunter D Omnibus 1-8 Booklord 2025? Yes Name: Cassian of Imola Personal Challenge: 40 books Booklord 2025? Yep Name: moana Personal Challenge: 120 books Booklord 2025? Yes Name: aware Personal Challenge: 36 books Booklord: Nah Name: Count Thrashula Personal Challenge: 12 books Booklord: Nah Name: Magic Hate Ball Personal Challenge: Read as much of my backlog as possible Booklord: Probably not Name: SilkyP Personal Challenge: 40 books, at least 10 of which come from the insane number of NYRB classics I have amassed. Booklord 2025? No but I am going to dabble with the criteria Name: Ben Nevis Personal Challenge: 75 Booklord 2025?: Sure Name: UltraShame Personal Challenge: 45 Booklord 2025?: YES Name: Lifg Personal Challenge: 40 books Booklord 2025? No Name: 8one6 Personal Challenge: 75 books, at least 12 non-fiction and at least 12 that show up on multiple "classics" or "must read" lists (I'll admit this one is vague on purpose) Booklord 2025? No Name: Lawman0 Personal Challenge: Just finish as many as I can - at least 10-15 books Booklord 2025? No Name: TV Zombie Personal Challenge: Read The Brothers Karamazov Booklord 2025? No Name: McSpankwich Personal Challenge: 50 books, 40 from the library Booklord 2025? Yes Gertrude Perkins fucked around with this message at 19:01 on Mar 15, 2025 |
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Jan 5, 2025 04:32
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Name: FPyat Personal Challenge: Read THE CAMPAIGNS OF NAPOLEON by David W. Chandler and THE LINE UPON A WIND: THE GREAT WAR AT SEA, 1793-1815 by Noel Mostert Booklord 2025? (Yes or NO) No
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Jan 5, 2025 07:12
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Name: Lord Zedd-Repulsa Personal Challenge 100 books, at least 10 of which are physical. Booklord 2025? Yes. I will print the list this week to have as a reference all year.
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Jan 5, 2025 08:08
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Name: DurianGray Personal Challenge: 52 books, at least 10 of them to be physical books I already own Booklord 2025? YES And massive thanks to returning Booklord emeritus Gertrude Perkins for picking up the thread this year! Happy Booklording to all!
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Jan 5, 2025 12:32
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Name: Zurtilik Personal Challenge: I'm gonna aim for 20! Booklord 2025? I'm gonna give it a shot! Some brave soul should wild card me! I usually read Fantasy and Sci-Fi, so preferably something that isn't those genres. Zurtilik fucked around with this message at 13:32 on Jan 5, 2025 |
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Jan 5, 2025 13:29
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sure, why not. Name: ulvir Personal Challenge: at least 25 books. in addition, at least four books from 800 pages or more. Booklord 2025? yes
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Jan 5, 2025 13:36
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This looks fun. Name: Volcano Personal Challenge: Read 72 books, 5 of them physical books I already own Booklord 2025? (Yes or No) Yes
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Jan 5, 2025 13:38
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Let's do this! Name: Lil Larceny Personal Challenge: 48 books, with at least 12 being borrowed from a public library Booklord 2025? Sure, I'll go for it! A question: If I've already read two books this year, can I include them in my list? Or does our count start from when we sign up?
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Jan 5, 2025 15:24
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Lil Larceny posted:
If you read them in 2025 there's no reason not to include them! Thanks for signing up!
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Jan 5, 2025 16:20
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This is the year that I actually finish booklord instead of getting burnt out on reading sometime in June. Name: UnbearablyBlight Personal Challenge: 20 books, at least one per month Booklord 2025? I'll try... Zurtilik posted:Some brave soul should wild card me! I usually read Fantasy and Sci-Fi, so preferably something that isn't those genres. Last time I attempted this challenge someone wildcarded me Under the Sun of Satan by Georges Bernanos. I loved it and now I'm passing it on to you. Hope you enjoy! Can someone wildcard me as well? I like books that are thoughtful and/or dreamlike with excellent prose. Edit: possibly stupid question - what's the best way to tell what month a book was published? A glance at the copyright page of the one I'm reading now only shows the year. UnbearablyBlight fucked around with this message at 17:17 on Jan 5, 2025 |
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Jan 5, 2025 17:07
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UnbearablyBlight posted:
It'll be on Wikipedia/GoodReads/whatever online bookshop you're browsing. And also most library catalogues!
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Jan 5, 2025 18:45
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UnbearablyBlight posted:Can someone wildcard me as well? I like books that are thoughtful and/or dreamlike with excellent prose. Have you read The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov? That's my pick if you haven't yet.
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Jan 5, 2025 19:04
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DurianGray posted:Have you read The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov? That's my pick if you haven't yet. I have! Good pick though, that’s exactly the kind of thing I’m talking about. Gertrude Perkins posted:It'll be on Wikipedia/GoodReads/whatever online bookshop you're browsing. And also most library catalogues! Ok thanks, I was only seeing year on Wikipedia as well but I’ll google around more.
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Jan 5, 2025 19:19
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UnbearablyBlight posted:I have! Good pick though, that’s exactly the kind of thing I’m talking about. Aw nuts, but also glad since it's an excellent book! I'll do three more just in case you've read some of them already: Piranesi by Susanna Clarke Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman and if you've already read Between Two Fires and liked it, Hollow by Brian Catling is in a similar vein of kind of trippy medieval supernatural/spiritual horror.
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Jan 5, 2025 19:57
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Name: Kuule hain nussivan Personal Challenge: Going to keep the same number I had last year, 52 Booklord 2025? (Yes or NO) Yes Also, give me a wildcard! My last years reads can be found here, though a lot of them are moon language books.
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Jan 5, 2025 21:38
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Name: Heavy Metal Personal Challenge: 30 books Booklord 2025? no Good to be back in the hallowed halls of this fine thread! A good 2/3rds of these 30 books will probably be graphic novel collections, especially One Piece. And audiobooks in the mix too. Looking forward to more reading than I have the past couple years, ready to get off the net more and into some stories. Heavy Metal fucked around with this message at 06:25 on Jan 6, 2025 |
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Jan 6, 2025 06:21
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Name: freelop Personal Challenge: 25 Booklord 2025? (Yes or No) Yes
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Jan 6, 2025 07:48
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Name: AlbertFlasher Personal Challenge: 12 Booklord 2025? No Thanks for setting up this year's thread Gertrude Perkins. I managed to finish last year's challenge of 6 books. I am going to push it further this year and go for 12 books. Well probably 10 books and 2 plays. It was a bit more fiction last year than I normally read which I did enjoy but I do want to throw in some more non-fiction this year. I have some biographies that I want to read so I will definitely be reading them this year. Anyways, good luck everyone.
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Jan 6, 2025 14:42
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Name: TrixRabbi Personal Challenge: 52 books, at least half physical that I already own Booklord 2025?: Yes
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Jan 6, 2025 15:53
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This will be the year I actually do all of the challenges. Name: RoastBeef Personal Challenge: 52 books and finish The Power Broker Booklord 2025? (Yes or No) Yes Wildcard: 253, by Geoff Ryman To get an early start, someone wildcard me. RoastBeef fucked around with this message at 20:20 on Jan 7, 2025 |
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Jan 7, 2025 18:44
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Name: Neito Personal Challenge: 15 books Booklord 2025? (Yes or No) Yes
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Jan 7, 2025 20:00
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RoastBeef posted:
253, by Geoff Ryman AlbertFlasher posted:I managed to finish last year's challenge of 6 books. I am going to push it further this year and go for 12 books. Well probably 10 books and 2 plays. It was a bit more fiction last year than I normally read which I did enjoy but I do want to throw in some more non-fiction this year. I have some biographies that I want to read so I will definitely be reading them this year. Doubling your goal is very exciting! Wishing you luck with it! Gertrude Perkins fucked around with this message at 20:36 on Jan 7, 2025 |
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Jan 7, 2025 20:10
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Name: DariusJonna Personal Challenge: Omnibuses 1-8 (parts 1-24) of Dark Horse book's translation of Vampire Hunter D. Booklord 2025? (Yes or No) Yes
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Jan 7, 2025 21:25
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Name: Cassian of Imola Personal Challenge: 40 books Booklord 2025? Yep
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Jan 7, 2025 21:36
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ulvir posted:sure, why not. wildcard me
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Jan 7, 2025 21:36
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Cassian of Imola posted:wildcard me The Moscoviad by Yuri Andrukhovych
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Jan 8, 2025 12:30
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ulvir posted:The Moscoviad by Yuri Andrukhovych ty
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Jan 8, 2025 15:06
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Name: moana Personal Challenge: 120 books Booklord 2025? (Yes or No) Yes If anyone hasn't already read Watership Down, you can use it as a wildcard suggestion for the non-human point of view book. So far this year: 1. It Goes So Fast by Mary Louise Kelly. Really interesting read about journalism and motherhood. As someone who struggles with having given up work to stay at home with my kid, this was a good viewpoint to be able to look at my own issues. 2. What's Math Got to Do With It? by Jo Boaler, Absolutely fantastic book about math education, specifically project based learning. I'm getting more involved in volunteer work as a math teacher and this was a great read. I have fifty post it notes in this book to go back to and I just bought a copy so I can mark it up with notes on my inevitable reread later on. 3. Because Internet by Gretchen McCulloch. Something Awful got a mention in this book!!! (the invention of image macros). Super fun read about language in the age of the internet. 4. The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center. Basic rom com book, enemies to lovers, nothing special. HAPPY ENDING 5. By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult. I'm convinced, Shakespeare was a woman! No, but this was a really fun novel that bounces back and forth from present day to Elizabethan times. 6. The Myth of Ability by John Mighton. Good premise - that math can be taught to every kid, regardless of their starting ability - but mediocre writing and assertions without any studies to back them up, just anecdotal evidence. Very much the antithesis to project based learning, so I'm glad I read it, but it definitely isn't as striking. The main thesis was "tell kids they are smart and give them easy steps so they can learn math". Very meh. 7. Pluses and Minuses by Stefan Buijsman. Pretty boring book about how math is used in real life. Was hoping for more, but it's very much a rehash of lots of other math books out there. Bayes Law! Konigsberg bridge! Integrals! Lots of historical math, which was more of a mishmash of wikipedia facts. Stats I'm Tracking: 5/7 women, 0/7 POC, 0/7 LGBTQ, 5/7 nonfiction Would welcome a wildcard. Something fun like Lev Grossman or Max Barry would be nice to ease up from all the nonfiction.
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Jan 9, 2025 08:43
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moana posted:Would welcome a wildcard. Something fun like Lev Grossman or Max Barry would be nice to ease up from all the nonfiction. If you're in a magical realism mood and can find it Juhani Karila's Fishing for the Little Pike is an excellent read.
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Jan 9, 2025 08:56
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moana posted:If anyone hasn't already read Watership Down, you can use it as a wildcard suggestion for the non-human point of view book. I just put it on hold with Libby. I've heard that it's horrifying but somehow haven't got around to it.
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Jan 10, 2025 02:56
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Can confirm, Watership Down is just a drat good book
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Jan 10, 2025 05:21
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Name: aware Personal Challenge: 36 books Booklord: Nah I'm going to try and read at least 12 books that aren't SciFi/fantasy related in genre.
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Jan 10, 2025 09:53
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Name: Count Thrashula Goal: 12 books (I have a toddler, I have no time) Booklord? Nah We'll see what happens, I want to push myself this year. Count Thrashula fucked around with this message at 22:29 on Jan 10, 2025 |
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Jan 10, 2025 16:22
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Name: Magic Hate Ball Personal Challenge: Read as much of my backlog as possible Booklord: Probably not
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Jan 10, 2025 16:39
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Name: SilkyP Personal Challenge: 40 books, at least 10 of which come from the insane number of NYRB classics I have amassed. Booklord 2025? (Yes or No) No but I am going to dabble with the criteria
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Jan 11, 2025 01:31
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Name: Ben Nevis Personal Challenge: 75 Booklord 2025? (Yes or No): Sure
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Jan 13, 2025 20:04
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Name: UltraShame Personal Challenge: 45 Booklord 2025?: YES I shot for 25 last year and ended up closer to 40, so I'm going to aim high this time around. Last year was the first time I used audiobooks, so maybe that will help me take DUNE down this time. It's beaten me two years in a row. Participating in the last one made me read a lot more diverse things and it was wonderful finding stuff I never would have sought out on my own. UltraShame fucked around with this message at 22:40 on Jan 25, 2025 |
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Jan 25, 2025 22:37
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UltraShame posted:Participating in the last one made me read a lot more diverse things and it was wonderful finding stuff I never would have sought out on my own. That's a part that I find really fun. Funnily enough though I'm dropping my booklord attempt this year (though I might still monitor it) I decided to gather up all my unread books lying about in the house and organise them on a single shelf thus meaning everything will get it's turn instead of certain ones being left for "another day" I've double stacked a [narrow] bookcase
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Jan 28, 2025 11:44
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First update of the year. Started out pretty well, I think. A mixture of poetry, non-fiction and novels. by happenstance, every single book I finished was released last year. Currently reading The return of Philip Latinowicz by Miroslav Krleža (1932). 2. Make sure at least 25% of the books you read this year are not written by men. 3. Make sure a least 25% of the books you read this year are written by writers of colour. 4. Make sure at least 10% of the books you read this year are written by LGBTQ writers. 5. Read something fictional about a real person. 7. Read a book by someone known better for making other art (music, sculpture, film, etc). 8. Read something told from a non-human point of view. 10. Read something that recently entered the public domain. 12. Ask someone in this thread for a Wildcard, and read it! 13. Participate in the TBB Book Of The Month thread! 14. Read something in verse. 15. Read something with a high body count. 16. Read something with a happy ending. 4/25, 1/4 tomes (>800pp.) 1. Shëkufe Tadayoni Heiberg (2024): Livets verber: Tilføjelser til Nudansk ordbog (Life's verbs: additions to the modern danish dictionary) 2. Thomas Hylland Eriksen (2024): Det umistelige - Fra global ensretting til et nytt mangfold (a title that's difficult to translate well. The unlosable, perhaps? a non-fiction book about all the ways modern capitalism homogenizes everything in its path, from culture and language, to biodiversity, our ways of living, etc. and how that loss affects us.) 3. Gunnhild Øyehaug (2024): Her kjem sola (here comes the sun). 4. Johan Harstad (2024): Under brosteinen, stranden! (971 pages. the title is taken from a slogan of the 1968 protests in France, which was "Sous les pavés, la plage!") ulvir fucked around with this message at 13:28 on Jan 31, 2025 |
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Jan 31, 2025 13:22
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