Seems a little early for a reading challenge wrap-up but it’s true, the Christmas in Summer Reading Challenge, hosted by Brona’s Books, is done and dusted.
I read 17 books as part of this challenge (scraping in to finish on 29th Feb – thank you leap year). Of those 17, there were a couple of shockers and although I don’t normally harp on about books that I haven’t enjoyed, I must reiterate that Unspeakable Things by Kathleen Spivack was spectacularly bad. I never want to read the words ‘aureole’ or ‘thrumming’ in a story again.
Thankfully, I read a few truly wonderful books as part of this challenge. Wallace Stegner’s Crossing to Safety was a brilliant beginning to the 2016 reading year, quickly followed by the memorable The Portable Veblen by Elizabeth McKenzie and the crushingly sad My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout.
I had fun reading Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson and, on the strength of the book’s closing line alone, I handed out four stars to Fred Uhlman’s Reunion.
Special mention must be made of Rush Oh! by Shirley Barrett. I still haven’t quite articulated what I loved about this book – I’ve been thrown by the fact that a book about the gruesome, cruel practice of whaling can also be so charming and funny.
Thanks again to Brona for hosting.
Thank you for enthusiasm for this challenge – it outlasted the hosts!!
I’m so glad you’ve discovered Crossing to Safety. And I can’t wait to get stuck into the Strout myself. I will happily leave Unspeakable Things unread on your say so 🙂
Thanks again for hosting.
The Strout is fantastic (will it be on the Baileys Prize longlist? I suspect so)… and Unspeakable Things? Well, a bad book always puts the good ones in perspective!
“Aureole” sounds like the name of a disease anyway xD
I’m glad you made some wonderful book discoveries with this challenge. I have yet to take part in more than the goodreads challenge but they always seem so intimidating that I haven’t had the courage to participate.
Oh no! Get stuck into a challenge or two – there’s no judgement if you don’t complete them (there are lots I didn’t finish). I guess the fun is in making lists (most book bloggers like an opportunity to look through their TBR stacks!) and the fact that some challenges push you outside of your comfort zone. I suggest that you start small – pick a challenge associated with a genre that interests you – and just give it a go (eg. The What’s In a Name challenge is fun). The danger is in signing up for too many.