Friday, 30 December 2016

Book Bingo

it seems I have read 105 books this year (55 more than the target I set myself on Goodreads). With only one more day to go, it seems unlikely that I will read more, so I'm drawing a line under this year's challenge.



As a bit of fun, I'm going to have a go at Reading Bingo, using only the books listed on my goodreads page:



A book with more than 500 pages:I went with the longest book on my listSeveneves (Neal Stephenson)

A forgotten classic: I love a crime story, so: Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)

A book that became a movie: This wasn't obvious for me this year. I had to do some research, but found Gorky Park (Martin Cruz Smith)

A book published this year: A lot of my books were new this year. The newest was released on Christmas Eve. Rupture (Ragnar Jónasson)

A book with a number in the title: Easy. Seventy-Seven Clocks (Christopher Fowler)

A book written by someone under thirty: This was really difficult, but I found a website that looks current and claims this author is 26. Bitter Sixteen (Stefan Mohamed)

A book with non-human characters: There were several to choose from, but this has river goddesses… Foxglove Summer (Ben Aaronovitch)

A funny book: I don't go much for comic writing, but this just happened to slip onto my pile. The Ladybird Book Of Mindfulness (Jason Hazeley, Joel Morris)

A book by a female author: There are lots of female writers in my collection, but this author is a favourite.  The Waters Of Eternal Youth (Donna Leon)

A book with a mystery: Another favourite author, writing in a new genre with a twist to his name. Moskva (Jack Grimwood)

A book with a one-word title: Loads of these, but I thought I'd choose a non-crime book. Nutshell (Ian McEwan)

A book of short stories: I prefer a novel, but there are a couple of collections in my list.  This one has a creepy touch. A Cat, A Hat And A Piece Of String (Joanne Harris)

A book set on a different continent: Most of my books are set in the UK, Europe, or Scandinavia (which is part of continental Europe, I think. Geography isn't my best subject.) I feel that Soviet Russia also counts partly as Europe. Iceland is Europe… The only book I can be absolutely certain is set on another continent is Kitchens Of The Great Midwest (J Ryan Stradal)

A book of non-fiction: There is only one this year (to my shame). Seven Brief Lessons On Physics (Carlo Rovelli)

The first book by a favourite author: Okay, this is cheating a bit, but if you treat this as not JK Rowling, it counts. The Cuckoo's Calling (Robert Galbraith)

A book you heard about online: I heard about this one on tumblr. People were outraged that it was "a bit gay". The Song Of Achilles (Madeline Miller)

A best-selling book: I tend not to read "blockbusters" This one is on the Times  best-sellers list. The Essex Serpent (Sarah Perry)

A book based on a true story: I'm not sure if this actually, really, truly happened, but I know Caravaggio was one for duelling and stuff, so it could have happened. Sudden Death (Álvaro Enrigue)

A book at the bottom of your "to be read" pile: I've been meaning to read this for years, and finally only managed it because I found a brilliant audio version. Moby Dick (Herman Melville)

A book your friend loves: I can't fill this square, sadly. And I was doing so well

A book that scares you: Can't fill this square either. I don't read horror, and I don't have any dystopias on this year's list

A book that is more than ten years old: One that I finally, finally can say, with truth in my heart, that I have actually read. Ulysses (James Joyce)

The second book in a series: There were several contenders for this, but a good alternate-universe sci-fi will always win (especially if there are no spaceships or aliens). Europe At Midnight (Dave Hutchinson)

A book with a blue cover: I thought it was time I read a book by this author. The Mermaids Singing (Val McDermid)

If I tot up the squares I have filled on the card(including the free square), I have 4 horizontal lines, 3 vertical lines and 1 diagonal. Time to get next year's challenge on the road.



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