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I had set a goal of reading 60 books last year, 40 of them by women authors. I exceeded my goal by 20 books.

My challenge is to read 70 books this year, 45 of them by women authors. But I also want to break my reading down into different categories. I realize there will be a lot of overlapping, but I'm trying to be more deliberate in my readings. I will keep track of my readings here and will include a link to my reviews.

I write book reviews because I enjoy writing, because reviews help me to think about what I've just read, and because they help me to remember the book.

Wish me luck!

My goals for 2020:

*Read 70 books for the year

*45 books by women authors

*12 books in translation

*12 books by African authors

*5 books of non-fiction

*5 classics (either classics I read years ago or classics I've been meaning to read but have yet to do so)

Good luck with your challenges in the New Year, Tamara!

Leslie wrote: "Good luck with your challenges in the New Year, Tamara!"

Thanks, Leslie. And good luck with yours.
all best.

Goal: 70 Books for the year

1/70. Nineveh by Henrietta Rose-Innes.
My first read for 2020. It was an usual book about a beetle infestation. But it's not really about that, at all. I read it as an allegory about all things creepy-crawly that lie beneath the surface. The writing was lush and full of evocative detail. It was a good way to start the year because I really enjoyed it.

Goal: 45 books by women authors
1/45. Nineveh by Henrietta Rose-Innes.

Goal: 12 books by African authors
1/12. Nineveh by Henrietta Rose-Innes. (South Africa)

My review: /review/show...

Goal: 70 books for the year

2/70. Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami.
A very tender love story that builds up gradually between a thirty-something woman and her seventy-something former professor.

Goal: 45 books by women authors
2/45. Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami.

Goal: 12 books in translation
1/12. Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami. (Japan)

My review: /review/show...

Goal: 70 books for the year

3/70. Will and Testament by Vigdis Hjorth (Norway).
An exploration of the impact of childhood trauma on a family. There were a lot of grammatical errors (fused sentences, comma splices, etc.) which I found bothersome. I don't know if it is because of the translation or because the author was trying to capture the fractured life and attitude of the victim. Either way, it didn't work well for me. But it may not bother others as much.

Goal: 45 books by women authors
3/45. Will and Testament by Vigdis Hjorth

Goal: 12 book in translation
2/12. Will and Testament by Vigdis Hjorth (Norway).

My review: /review/show...

Goal: 70 books for the year
4/70.How Jesus Became God: The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher from Galilee by Bart D. Ehrman.
Prof. Ehrman is a biblical scholar who has written nearly two dozen books on early Christianity. This book may not be for everyone, but I thought it was a fascinating study.

Goal: 5 books of non-fiction
1/5. How Jesus Became God: The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher from Galilee by Bart D. Ehrman

My review: /review/show...

Goal: 70 books for the year
5/70. The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak. I thought it was disappointing.

Goal: 45 books by women authors
4/45. The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak.

My review: /review/show...

Goal: 70 books for the year
6/70. The Pagan Lord, book 7 in The Saxon series by Bernard Cornwell.
It's not the type of book I normally read, but I figure it's good to step outside of my comfort zone, occasionally. It's got a lot of gory battles and chest-thumping males. It is well-researched historical fiction about a turbulent time in England's history. I enjoyed it.

My review: /review/show...

Goal: 70 books for the year

7/70. The Bookseller of Kabul by Ã…sne Seierstad, translated by Ingrid Christopherson. She is a Norwegian journalist who spent 4 months in the home of a Kabul bookseller. It was strong in some areas, but I wish she had let the Afghan women speak for themselves instead of interpreting and mediating for them.

Goal: 45 books by women authors
5/45. The Bookseller of Kabul by Ã…sne Seierstad, translated by Ingrid Christopherson.

Goal: 12 books in translation
3/12. The Bookseller of Kabul by Ã…sne Seierstad, translated by Ingrid Christopherson.

Goal: 5 books of nonfiction
2/5. The Bookseller of Kabul by Ã…sne Seierstad, translated by Ingrid Christopherson.

My review: /review/show...

Goal: 70 books for the year

8/70. Lab Girl by the award-winning scientist, Hope Jahren. I thought it was wonderful. I especially loved her chapters on the natural environment. Full of fascinating information.

Goal: 45 books by women authors
6/45. Lab Girl by Hope Jahren.

Goal: 5 books of nonfiction
3/5. Lab Girl by Hope Jahren.

My review: /review/show...

Goal: 70 books for the year

9/70. The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter by Hazel Gaynor. I thought it was a good historical novel although the ending was a bit mushy for me.

Goal: 45 books by women authors
7/45. The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter by Hazel Gaynor.

My review: /review/show...

Goal: 70 books for the year

10/70. The Library Book by Susan Orlean. I enjoyed it when she focused on the library, but I thought it lost focus when she wandered off topic about half way through.

Goal: 45 books by women authors
8/45. The Library Book by Susan Orlean.

Goal: 5 books of nonfiction
4/5. The Library Book by Susan Orlean.

My review: /review/show...

Goal: 70 books for the year
11/70. The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins. It's the craziest and most bizarre fantasy novel I've read. And I loved it!

My review: /review/show...

Goal: 70 books for the year

12/70. My Favorite Thing Is Monsters, Vol. 1 by Emil Ferris.

I don't usually read graphic novels, but this was recommended to me. Told in the voice of a 10-year old girl, set in 1960s Chicago, has a murder mystery, a holocaust survivor, and a whole host of other interesting characters. The story was good. The illustrations, breathtaking.

Goal: 45 books by women authors
9/45. My Favorite Thing Is Monsters, Vol. 1 by Emil Ferris.

My review: /review/show...

Goal: 70 books for the year

13/70. Green Lion by Henrietta Rose-Innes.
I thought it was very good, but I preferred her Nineveh. Her books embody a message about the relationship between humans and insects/animals.

Goal: 45 books by women authors
10/45. Green Lion by Henrietta Rose-Innes.

Goal: 12 books by African authors
2/12. Green Lion by Henrietta Rose-Innes. (South Africa)

My review: /review/show...

Goal: 70 books for the year

14/70. The Medusa Reader edited by Marjorie Garber and Nancy J. Vickers.
It's a comprehensive anthology of excerpts referring to the figure of Medusa and her myth. It begins with Homer and goes all the way to Gianni Versace's adoption of her face for his logo. It shows how feminists have transformed Medusa from a figure of horror to a representation of female empowerment coupled with rage at patriarchal strictures. I recommend the book if you're interested in Medusa.

Goal: 45 books by women authors
11/45. The Medusa Reader edited by Marjorie Garber and Nancy J. Vickers.

Goal: 5 books of nonfiction
5/5. The Medusa Reader edited by Marjorie Garber and Nancy J. Vickers.

My review: /review/show...

Goal: 70 books for the year
15/70. Ms Ice Sandwich by Mieko Kawakami, a charming, subtle novella, translated from the Japanese, about a young boy's first infatuation.

Goal: 45 books by women authors
12/45. Ms Ice Sandwich by Mieko Kawakami.

Goal: 12 books in translation
4/12. Ms Ice Sandwich by Mieko Kawakami.

My review: /review/show...

You are making good progress Tamara!

Thanks, Leslie!
I'm chugging along and having a blast.

Goal: 70 books for the year
16/70. The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner. I found it to be as brilliant now as I did when I first read it eons ago.

Goal: 5 classics
1/5. The Sound and the Fury.

My review: /review/show...

Goal: 70 books for the year
17/70. Elsewhere, Home by Leila Aboulela, a collection of short stories with variations on the theme of the challenges and rewards faced by immigrants in their adopted country. It's a good collection but the focus was a bit repetitive.

Goal: 45 books by women authors
13/45. Elsewhere, Home by Leila Aboulela.

Goal: 12 books by African authors
3/12. Elsewhere, Home by Leila Aboulela (Sudan).

My review: /review/show...

Happy reading Tamara!

Thanks, Christine! Same to you.

Your welcome Tamara and aww thanks Tamara

Goal: 70 books for the year
18/70. The Plains by Gerald Murnane. I read his Border Districts last year. Well, this is another strange and fascinating book. I'm not sure how he does what he does, but the effect is mesmerizing.

My review: /review/show...

Tamara wrote: "Goal: 70 books for the year
16/70. The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner. I found it to be as brilliant now as I did when I first read it eons ago.

Goal: 5 classics..."

Yay - another Faulkner fan! I also love this book. And your review was excellent.

Thanks, Leslie!

Goal: 70 books for the year
19/70. Tale of a Boon's Wife by Fartumo Kusow. A haunting tale of a young woman's life in the turmoil of Somalia leading up to the civil war.

Goal: 45 books by women authors
14/45. Tale of a Boon's Wife by Fartumo Kusow.

Goal: 12 books by African authors
4/12. Tale of a Boon's Wife by Fartumo Kusow (Somalia).

My review: /review/show...

Goal: 70 books for the year
20/70. Butterflies in November by Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir. I enjoyed it but not as much as her Hotel Silence.

Goal: 45 books by women authors
15/45. Finished Butterflies in November by Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir.

Goal 12 books in translation
5/12. Butterflies in November by Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir (Iceland).

My review: /review/show...

Goal: 70 books for the year
21/70. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway. It's considered a masterpiece but it just wasn't for me. I'm more of a Faulkner fan.

Goal: 5 classics
2/5. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway.

My review: /review/show...

Goal: 70 books for the year:
22/70. A Fist or a Heart by Kristín Eiríksdóttir (Iceland).
I seem to be on a binge lately of reading women authors from Iceland. I enjoyed this one a lot. It's an award-winning novel.

Goal: 45 books by women authors:
16/45. A Fist or a Heart by Kristín Eiríksdóttir (Iceland).

Goal: 12 books in translation:
6/12. A Fist or a Heart by Kristín Eiríksdóttir (Iceland).

My review: /review/show...

Goal: 70 books for the year:
23/70. A Meal In Winter by Hubert Mingarelli, translated from the French by Sam Taylor.
Set in World War II in Poland. It's short, powerful, and brilliant.

Goal: 12 books in translation:
7/12. A Meal In Winter by Hubert Mingarelli, translated from the French by Sam Taylor.

My review: /review/show...

Goal: 70 books for the year:
24/70. The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman by Laurence Sterne. An 18th C. classic. I've been reading it with a group for the last couple of months. It's not for everyone because it can be frustrating. But I enjoyed it.

Goal: 5 classics:
3/5. The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman by Laurence Sterne.

My review: /review/show...

I also liked Tristram Shandy but agree that it isn't for everybody. You are making good progress on your goals!

Thanks, Leslie. I'm chuggin' along!

Goal: 70 books for the year:
25/70. Mama Hissa's Mice by Saud Alsanousi; translated by Sawad Hussain, takes place over a thirty year period in Kuwait. It is a compelling narrative of the devastating impact of war and sectarian violence.

Goal: 12 books in translation:
8/12. Mama Hissa's Mice by Saud Alsanousi; translated from the Arabic by Sawad Hussain.

My review: /review/show...

Goal: 70 books for the year:
26/70. A Tiger for Malgudi by R.K. Narayan. A delightful story told from the first-person point of view of the tiger.

My review: /review/show...

Goal: 70 books for the year:
27/70.The Sea, The Sea by Iris Murdoch, a compelling chunkster (500 pages) about a first-person narrator's obsession with resurrecting a lost love. It won the 1978 Booker Prize. Interesting characters and wonderful writing.

Goal: 45 books by women authors:
17/45. The Sea, The Sea by Iris Murdoch.

Goal: 5 classsics:
4/5. The Sea, The Sea by Iris Murdoch.

My review: /review/show...

Glad to see the positive review of The Sea, The Sea as it is on my TBR!

I enjoyed it. I hope you do, too, Leslie.

Goal: 70 books for the year:
28/70. Oblomov by Ivan Goncharov about a Russian landowner and one of the most endearing couch potatoes in all of literature. This is a re-read for me, and I loved it as much now as I did when I first read it eons ago.

Goal: 12 books in translation:
9/12. Oblomov by Ivan Goncharov.

Goal: 5 classics:
5/5. Oblomov by Ivan Goncharov; translated from the Russian by Ann Dunnigan.

My review: /review/show...

Goal: 70 books for the year:
29/70. Blue Jewellery by Katharina Winkler, translated from the German by Laura Wagner. It's a quick and important read, but it's not for everyone because of the frequent and graphic description of domestic violence inflicted on a young Turkish girl.

Goal: 45 books by women authors:
18/45. Blue Jewellery by Katharina Winkler.

Goal: 12 books in translation:
10/12. Blue Jewellery by Katharina Winkler, translated from the German by Laura Wagner.

My review: /review/show...

Interesting challenge Tamara 😀 great progress so far and I love the way you have categorised your plan and laid it out.

Thanks! I'm an inveterate list-maker. The categories help me to get a handle on the types of books I'm reading so that it's not one chaotic bundle. I'll use it to figure out what to modify for next year.

Goal: 70 books for the year:
30/70. Tortilla Flat by John Steinbeck--a delightful novel loosely based on King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.

Goal: 5 classics:
6/5. Tortilla Flat by John Steinbeck.

My review: /review/show...

Goal: 70 books for the year:
31/70. Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome. I've read this classic umpteen times, but it never gets old. I start laughing as soon as I pull it off my bookshelf. I recommend it for anyone who wants a good laugh.

Goal: 5 classics:
7/5. Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome.

My review: /review/show...

Goal: 70 books for the year:
32/70. The Law of Inheritance by Yasser Abdellatif, translated from the Arabic by Robin Moger. It's a series of vignettes that flash back and forth in time, capturing the zeitgeist of Cairo in the 1990s. I thought it was quite good.

Goal: 12 books in translation
11/12. The Law of Inheritance by Yasser Abdellatif, translated from the Arabic by Robin Moger.

Goal: 12 books by African Authors
5/12. The Law of Inheritance by Yasser Abdellatif, translated from the Arabic by Robin Moger. (Egypt)

My review: /review/show...

Tamara wrote: "Goal: 70 books for the year:
32/70. The Law of Inheritance by Yasser Abdellatif, translated from the Arabic by Robin Moger. It's a series of vignettes that flash b..."

I'd never heard of Yasser Abddellatif before. Thanks for introducing him to me! Is this the first book you've read by him? If not, is there a particular book by him you would recommend for me to start with? Would it be this one?

Greg, this is the first book I've read by this author.

I was able to download it for free from Seagull Books. They post different books on their site every week to help people out during the pandemic. You might want to check out the site. I think this book is still up there.