Sunday, June 17, 2007

Chunkster Challenge Wrap Up

“A big leather-bound volume makes an ideal razor strap. A thin book is useful to stick under a table with a broken caster to steady it. A large, flat atlas can be used to cover a window with a broken pane. And a thick, old-fashioned heavy book with a clasp is the finest thing in the world to throw at a noisy cat.” - Mark Twain

I have nothing against big books, however, they do tend to linger on my shelves longer than their shorter counterparts. Nancy over at Bookfoolery and Babble provided the perfect opportunity for me to finally dig into some of those heftier volumes.

Because of the six month time frame, I decided to only challenge myself to read 3 books, each over 800 pages. Initially, I had hoped to read three shorter chunkster books in between my offical selections, however, that was not meant to be. You see, I went reading challenge crazy and suddenly my plate was too full to fit in the extra books.

Chunkster Challenge Book List
1. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (817 pgs)
2. The Way the Crow Flies by Ann-Marie MacDonald (820 pgs)
3. I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb (894 pgs)

Not one of my choices in this challenge turned into a disappointment. I expected them to take awhile to get through, however, they were so engrossing that I flew through them. Each one held its own magic for me and earned high ratings from me in the end. The Way the Crow Flies is perhaps my favorite not only for this challenge, but of all the books I have read so far this year. Anna Karenina is not too far behind.

Having tackled these three books, anything less than 800 pages should seem like a breeze, right? Well, maybe not, but I imagine I will not wait so long to pick up the next chunkster just because of its size.

Many thanks to Nancy for hosting this fun challenge.

12 comments:

  1. Congratulations on completing the Chunkster challenge! The Way the Crow Flies was one of my top 5 reads last year. Great book! I have yet to read anything by Wally Lamb. Someday..

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  2. Wendy, can you please suggest few books about business and/or economy, or bloggers who review books on these subjects? Thanks!

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  3. I loved Anna Karenina as well.

    Congrats!

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  4. You did really well. You chose super-chunksters like I did. I think I might read a couple more before the year is out. I love the long novels.

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  5. Wow, you did fantastic! The Way the Crow Flies is still on my TBRs. I was hoping I'd get to it, but I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed it!! Maybe I'll get to it soon. One can only hope. I'm thrilled that the challenge was a positive experience for you. :)

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  6. COngrats on finishing your challenge. I read Anna Karenina this year too and really enjoyed it (apart from the last section which didn't really seem to fit).

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  7. Congrats on finishing your challenge books! I have The Way the Crow Flies somewhere in the stacks too. Hope Nancy aka Bookfool hosts another one and maybe I can get this heavy shelfsitter off my tbr shelf :)

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  8. Wow, Congratulations on reading all these! I've read numbers 2 & 3 on your list and enjoyed both very much.

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  9. I am planning on reading some of my big heavies this next winter. I am going to try and tackle War and Peace.

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  10. Tanabata - Thank you. I was really lucky for this one, I think, in that I picked some great books to read. :-) It's been so long since I read She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb, but I remember really enjoying it (it's why I decided to try I Know This Much Is True). Both are worth reading, I think.

    I think The Way the Crow Flies is going to be among my top five this year also--unless I read some pretty amazing books in between now and the end of the year. :-)

    Maya - I will see what I can find for you, Maya. I'm afraid I know nothing about business nor do I frequent blogs that deal in that subject, but I will ask around for you.

    3M - Anna Karenina is a wonderful story. I am so glad I decided to read it.

    Kookie - Thank you. I have a number of super-chunksters on my shelves and figured it was time to do something with them other than occasionally stare at them. :-)

    Nancy - Thanks! I really did enjoy this challenge and am so glad I could participate in it. If you host it again next year, I have plenty more books to choose from. :-)

    Rhinoa - Thank you! Yes, the last section in Anna Karenina was interesting--not really what I would have expected.

    Iliana - Thanks! Yeah, I'm hoping she'll host the challenge next year too. I've got plenty of hefty books just waiting to be read.

    Tara - Thank you!

    MyUtopia - I would like to read War and Peace someday. I'm not quite sure I'm ready to tackle that one anytime soon, but it's on my wish list. :-) I look forward to reading your thoughts on that one once you get to it.

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  11. Hi Wendy, I have Anna Karenina in my pile and I think I'll include it in my very own July Reading Challenge after hearing your nice words about the book.

    The piles still heaping up pretty fast and I wish I could have MORE time!! LOL. Happy reading!

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  12. I know just how you feel, Alice. My piles are tipping over under all that weight. :-) I do hope you will enjoy Anna Karenina.

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