I can't believe October has come and gone. I felt as if I just posted about my excitement to participate in what was to be the most thrilling challenge of the year. November, already? No way. I think I'm also a little late to the completion party. I actually finished ahead of schedule but failed to get a neat little package together before my travels through America's heartland. Here's a recap of my RIP VI Challenge picks:
My original reading list:
1- The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
2- And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
3- The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
4- The Likeness by Tana French
Meaning: Read four books, any length, that you feel fit (my very broad definitions) of R.I.P. literature.
That's me!
My actual reading list:
1- The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
2- The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
3- The Likeness by Tana French
4- The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Aside from the fact that I just didn't dig Christie's simplistic language, I found And Then There Were None such a borefest that I decided against trying to finish it for the challenge. I knew that The Night Circus contained elements of supernatural activity and believed it to be a perfect alternative. (I'll be posting this review in the next couple of days.)
Absolutely loved The Woman in White
Was chilled and thrilled by The Likeness
Laughed and speculated throughout The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
Dreamed something spectacular because of The Night Circus
Note: I plan to finish at least ONE Agatha Christie novel in my lifetime. Perhaps I put it down a moment too soon.
I have The Woman in White on my TBR shelf and I'm really excited to read it. I've only heard extremely positive things about it.
ReplyDeleteI used to love Agatha Christie when I was younger, and I still enjoy her now, but I think her mysteries can seem very slow-paced compared to the types of thriller/mysteries published now. I read her Death on the Nile during the April readathon this year and it was the perfect circumstance.
I can't believe October is over either. This entire year has been flying by.
ReplyDeleteNice job on the challenge! I'm so happy to hear you loved The Woman in White. I'm going to incorporate that one into the classics challenge for 2012. Did it take you forever to read, or was it fast-paced? My copy is quite heavy, which is probably why I've put off reading it for a couple years.
I hope you had a great vacation! From the couple of pictures I saw on Twitter, it looks like you visited some fantastic places, especially Cades Cove!
Congrats on finishing the challenge! October really did fly by fast. Now I'm seeing Christmas stuff in the stores...I just want to tell time to SLOW DOWN a little bit.
ReplyDeleteI really need to start my Tana French book. You definitely have me interested the more I hear your rave reviews.
The Alan Bradley series is one I'm excited to try. It sounds just quirky enough that I'll not care it's a mystery (usually don't like them for some reason). I'm excited to read your review of The Night Circus as it's one of my faves for the year so far. :D
ReplyDeleteRayna,
ReplyDeleteI loved The Woman in White even though it wasn't quite as mysterious as I had expected. The character's really make the story quite entertaining. I'm still trying to get through And Then There Were None and may look for others because it just seems like a must!
Brenna,
I don't know if I'll be joining the Challenge this year. I don't think I'm going to complete it for this year :( It's definitely a door stopper but I thought I got through it rather quickly (3 or so days). Collins is a bit long-winded at times but I think the storyline moved right along.
Jenna-
Thanks! I can't believe it's already November. It's been a great year and I'm already looking forward to all the friend stuff we can plan to celebrate the holiday! Book club/Christmas Swap/Cookie decorating party?!? I think we should plan it!
Andi,
I can't wait to get the other two books in the series (and I'm thinking that the 4th comes out soon)! I was just at a great used book store yesterday and completely forgot to look for those until you reminded me!