The Chaos Imperative

Finished January 5
The Chaos Imperative: how chance and disruption increase innovation, effectiveness and success by Ori Brafman and Judah Pollack

This book looks at how, despite what people often think, chaos can actually help you achieve success. The authors use lots of examples and take us through the processes they work through when consulting on this subject. These examples bring things to life in a way that theory cannot and shows how a variety of elements workings together can introduce this element of chaos in a way that brings new ways of thinking, new ideas, and new processes that move an organization forward.
The examples range from medieval history to video game development, showing that these ideas work across vastly different situations. There are several elements than can bring this controlled chaos into an organization. One is creating white space, time to step back and let people or groups stop working full-tilt at a problem so different connections can be made. This works the same way that solutions come to you in the shower, overnight, or while doing some unrelated activity. A second one is unusual suspects, which is bringing people with different experiences, different backgrounds, different methods, different ways of looking at things, into the mix. A third is planned serendipity, setting up a culture that encourages spontaneous interactions across the organization between all levels and all departments. This encourages the flow of new ideas.
A book that offers a lot to think about.

The Obituary Writer

Finished January 3
The Obituary Writer by Ann Hood, read by Tavia Gilbert

This novel follows two story lines that come together near the end.
One story occurs in 1919, when Vivien Lowe is living in Napa and writing obituaries for people who come to her door. Vivien had moved to Napa some time after the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake, devastated by the disappearance of her lover that day. She searches for him still. She finds that understanding grief has made her more able to listen to others and help them cope.
In 1961, Claire lives outside Washington with her husband Peter and young daughter. She is feeling caught in her marriage to a man she doesn't thing she loves after an affair with another man. She is also pregnant and unsure of whose baby it is. As inauguration day for J.F. Kennedy approaches, the family travels to Rhode Island for Peter's mother's 80th birthday. It is here that Claire will make a life-changing decision and find a connection to her mother-in-law that will help her face the future.
I liked both Claire and Vivien as characters, and found Claire's situation very relevant to her time and the expectations of women then. Vivien was more of a rebel in some ways, but also got stuck in her own past for a while. A very good read, with a fascinating plot.

Around the World in 80 Books Challenge

AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 BOOKS READING CHALLENGE 2014!

Just heard about this challenge and decided to try it as well. This one is just fiction, but has a few sub-challenges to it as well.
Since I read 115 fiction books last year, I think 80 is doable. 

Here are the details:

• You will collect gems for each part of the challenge you complete.

The red gem

• Read 80 books in 2014. They can be any fiction genre and any length, as long as they are published and are available to purchase.
• Since this challenge is about going round the world, read books set in different locations of the world. For example, there shouldn't be two books set New York. 
• Complete this mini-challenge and collect the rare red gem.

   The green gem   

• Read at least one book set on each continent –Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, South America and Antarctica. If you need help finding books set in Antarctica check out this Goodreads List.
• Complete this mini-challenge and collect all 7 green gems.

   The yellow gem   

• Read our selected book of the month. There will be one each month. Complete this mini-challenge and collect the 12 yellow gems.

The blue gem

• The coveted blue gem will be awarded to all those who complete all the mini-challenges and collect all the green, yellow and red gems. 

Please note:

• You don’t have to select your books ahead of time. Feel free to add them as you go along. Also feel free to change them if you list them and then change your mind at a later date.
• The books listed can also be used in other challenges.
• Feel free to join in at anytime, as long as the books are read in 2014.
• Book formats include paperbacks, hardbacks, ebooks and audiobooks.
• This is a fiction only challenge.
• Anyone can join in. You don't need a blog. Simply leave a comment below with the name you will be using for the challenge and add the link to your Goodreads, Amazon, or any other site you use to track your books.
• Every month, there will be an Around-The-World-In-80-Days post where everyone can post links to their book reviews and discuss the books they've read.

Around the World in 12 Books Challenge 2014

This is another new one for me. It is more flexible than the Global Reading Challenge as it also allows nonfiction, and I can read from more countries in particular regions. I also like the emphasis on the country as setting or subject. I am going for the Seasoned Traveller which is 12 books.

Level 1: The Happy Camper

- The Happy Camper likes to keep things simple and enjoys exploring her/his own backyard
- Read a minimum of 2 books over the course of the year
- Books can be set in your own neighbourhood, your home country or somewhere else entirely
- No re-reads
- Any genre is okay (including non-fiction) BUT books MUST be set in a specific country or region with a noticeable attention to the location or environment; some genre books won’t be much use for this challenge

Level 2: The Wayfarer

- The Wayfarer doesn’t like to plan; he/she likes to journey as the need takes them, deciding where to go on a whim or inspiration or simply how they’re feeling
- Read a minimum of 4 books over the course of the year
- Books can be set in any country, but they must all be different countries
- You do not need to decide on your choice of books ahead of time. You can select books as you go
- No re-reads
- Any genre is okay (including non-fiction) BUT books MUST be set in a specific country or region with a noticeable attention to the location or environment; some genre books won’t be much use for this challenge

Level 3: The Casual Tourist

- The Casual Tourist likes to plan ahead but isn’t too ambitious. They’ve saved up their money and plan carefully, and intend to really explore the places they visit
- Read a minimum of 6 books over the course of the year
- Books can be set in any country but you should aim to read 1 title from each of the following areas: South America, Africa, Asia, Europe
- You can list your title selections in your challenge intro post but last-minute changes are allowed
- No re-reads
- Any genre is okay (including non-fiction) BUT books MUST be set in a specific country or region with a noticeable attention to the location or environment; some genre books won’t be much use for this challenge

Level 4: The Seasoned Traveller

- The Seasoned Traveller doesn’t do anything by half-measures: they go the whole hog and the more obscure the better!
- Read 12 books over the course of the year, each set in a DIFFERENT country
- Books selected should include ones set in Africa, Asia, Europe, Australia+New Zealand, North America and South America. The Middle East is a bonus
- You do not need to plan ahead but it might help you keep on track
- No re-reads
- Any genre is okay (including non-fiction) BUT books MUST be set in a specific country or region with a noticeable attention to the location or environment; some genre books won’t be much use for this challenge

SOME CHALLENGE DETAILS

Unlike previous years, we are no longer reading a book every month. You can read your selected titles whenever you like throughout the year (hell, you can read them all in January and be done if you like!) and you can take as long as you like to finish them

Unlike previous years, the countries to visit are no longer decided upon ahead of time. We will all be visiting different countries, at different times. The choice is all yours! (You can “visit” countries we’ve covered before in the challenge, too)

Reviews should include your chosen level badge and link back to this post (if you would like a high-resolution badge for your blog, send me an email and I’ll send you the bigger version)

Spread the word! This isn’t actually a rule, just an encouragement.  Tweet using the hashtag#AroundtheWorldBooks and link to me using my handle, @GiraffeDays. This is an effective way of letting me know you’ve left a review link

Eclectic Reader Challenge 2014

This is a new challenge for me, but I think I read pretty broadly so it should be quite doable.
Here is the info about it.

In it’s third year, the aim of The Eclectic Reader 2014 Challenge is to push you outside your comfort zone by reading up to 12 books during the year from 12 different categories.

The challenge will run from January 1st to December 31st 2014. Participants may join at any time up until December 1st 2014

• Select, read and review a book from each genre listed below during the year for a total of 12 books. A book may be in print, electronic or audio format.

*  You can choose your books as you go or create a list in advance. You may combine this challenge with others if you wish.

*  Where a book is identified by more than one genre eg historical romance, it may only count for either the historical fiction or romantic fiction genres – not both.

*  You can read your chosen titles in any order, at any pace, just complete the challenge by December 31st 2014 to be eligible for the prize drawing.

Categories

1. Award Winning

2. True Crime (Non Fiction)

3. Romantic Comedy

4. Alternate History Fiction

5. Graphic Novel

6. Cosy Mystery Fiction

7. Gothic Fiction

8. War/Military Fiction

9. Anthology

10. Medical Thriller Fiction

11. Travel (Non Fiction)

12. Published in 2014

Global Reading Challenge 2014

Glad to see this one going again and maybe this year, I will actually complete it! I am going for the Expert level again.

Sign In and Challenge Rules

As in the past, the 2014 Global Reading Challenge (2014GRC) challenges you to expand your reading boundaries, go where you haven't been before, move a little outside your comfort zone.

You may read any genre so long as the books are fiction.

Decide which level you will attempt, although you can change that later if you wish.
Use the Mr Linky below to sign up with your name, the level you intend to attempt, and your blog URL.

Feel free to include the logo in your blog posts or on your blog (with a link to this page) 

Your reading will take place in the calendar year 2014.

You may like to consult Global Reading Challenges for 2011, 2010, 2012, and 2013 for suggestions of books.

Please advertise the  2014 Global Reading Challenge (2014GRC) on your blog and direct your readers back to this page.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

The Easy Challenge
Read one novel from each of these continents in the course of 2014:

Africa, Asia, Australasia/Oceania, Europe, North America, South America (please include Central America where it is most convenient for you)

The Seventh Continent (here you can either choose Antarctica or your own ´seventh´ setting, eg the sea, the space, a supernatural/paranormal world, history, the future – you name it). 

From your own continent: try to find a country, state or author that is new to you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Medium Challenge

Read two novels from each of these continents in the course of 2014:

Africa, Asia, Australasia/Oceania, Europe, North America, South America (please include Central America where it is most convenient for you)

The Seventh Continent (here you can either choose Antarctica or your own ´seventh´ setting, eg the sea, the space, a supernatural/paranormal world, history, the future – you name it). 

From your own continent: try to find a country, state or author that is new to you.

Try to find novels from fourteen different countries or states.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Expert Challenge

Read three novels from each of these continents in the course of 2014:

Africa, Asia, Australasia/Oceania, Europe, North America, South America (please include Central America where it is most convenient for you)

The Seventh Continent (here you can either choose Antarctica or your own ´seventh´ setting, eg the sea, the space, a supernatural/paranormal world, history, the future – you name it). 

From your own continent: try to find a country, state or author that is new to you.

Select novels from twenty-one different countries or states if possible. (For Australasia, selecting a different state for your last book will be acceptable)

---

European Reading Challenge 2013

Challenge Home Page

My Signup Page

The gist: The idea was to read books by European authors or books set in European countries (no matter where the author comes from). The books could be anything – novels, short stories, memoirs, travel guides, cookbooks, biography, poetry, or any other genre. You could participate at different levels, but each book must be by a different author and set in a different country – it's supposed to be a tour. (See note about the UK, below)

What counts as "Europe"? For this challenge, we used the list of 50 sovereign states that fall (at least partially) within the geographic territory of the continent of Europe and/or enjoy membership in international European organizations such as the Council of Europe. This list includes the obvious (the UK, France, Germany, Spain, and Italy), the really huge Russia, the tiny Vatican City, and the mixed bag of Baltic, Balkan, and former Soviet states.

Note: Technically, the United Kingdom is one country that includes England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.  So one book from any one of these four should count as your one book for that one country. I'm not going to be a stickler about it because challenges should be about fun not about rules. However, when it comes to winning the Jet Setter prize, only one book from one of the UK countries will count.

Here is the list, in alphabetical order: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Macedonia, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and Vatican City. 

I chose the top level

Five Star (Deluxe Entourage): Read at least five books by different European authors or books set in different European countries, and managed to read twelve, so I'm pleased.

Books Read:

1. Dark Dreams by Michael Genelin (Slovakia) Finished January 5
2. City of Women by David R. Gillham (Germany) Finished January 13
3. Young Turk by Moris Farhi (Turkey) Finished January 13
4. Harvest by Jim Crace (UK) Finished February 20
5. The Smell of the Night by Andrea Camilleri (Italy) Finished March 15
6. A Mountain of Crumbs by Elena Gorokhova (Russia) Finished March 16
7. Two Pints by Roddy Doyle (Ireland) Finished May 2
8. The Ghost Riders of Ordebec by Fred Vargas (France) Finished May 11
9. Léon & Louise by Alex Capus (Switzerland) Finished June 2
10. The Lullaby of Polish Girls by Dagmara Dominczyk (Poland) Finished July 2
11. HHhH by Laurent Binet (Czech Republic) Finished July 17
12. Norwegian by Night by Derek B. Miller (Norway) Finished July 30

2013 Reading Summary

I took a picture of just one of my overflowing bookcases to illustrate the task ahead of me, but here is the progress I made this year. I read a total of 202 books, which was better than my aim of 200 books.

Authors
Male: 84
Female: 115
Multiple authors: 3

Sources
Library books: 76
Advance reading copies: 41
Netgalley: 14

Audience
Adult: 166
Teen: 21
Children: 15

Formats:
Audiobook: 28
ebook: 15
Graphica: 4
book: 155

Content

Translated: 12

• French: 6
• German: 2
• Italian: 2
• Japanese: 1
• Spanish: 1

Fiction: 162
I also counted those that fit into some genres, not everything did, but some fit into multiple genres

• Mystery: 49
• Romance: 21
• Historical: 34
• Fantasy: 9
• Science Fiction: 4
• Short Stories: 3

Nonfiction: 40

• Biography or memoir: 23
• Poetry: 3 (must do better)
• Essays: 1 (which is weird because I love essays)

Challenge books: For details on my challenge reading see my 2013 Challenge page
European Challenge: 12
Science Challenge: 3
Tea and Books Challenge: 1 (sadly did very badly on this one)
Colorful Challenge: 9 (squeaked in at the last minute!)
Postal Reading Challenge: 7 (didn't get to my target)
Global Reading Challenge: 16 (always seem to have issues with Africa, Australasia, and South America)
War Through the Generations Challenge: 4 (it was American Revolution, so a little harder to find stuff)
TBR Challenge (To Be Read): 3 (out of 12, so not good, especially as 2 were late December)
What's in a Name Challenge: 6 (Completed, again last minute)
Chunkster Challenge: 5 (didn't make my target)
Canadian Reading Challenge: 22 for the 6th year and 17 for the 7th (runs from July through June)

Out of Circulation

Finished December 30
Out of Circulation by Miranda James

This is part of a mystery series called "A Cat in the Stacks" featuring library board member, archivist and library volunteer Charlie Harris and his thirty-six pound Maine Coon cat Diesel.
Two local older ladies An'gel and Dickce Ducote, also on the library board are having another instance in a long-standing disagreement with another library board member, this time over where to hold this year's fundraising gala. Charlie tries to stay out of these as both he and Diesel dislike disagreements.
But it does seem like the one older woman, Vera, has no shortage of enemies. When Vera turns up dead at the gala, held at the Ducote sisters large house, the sheriff seems to suspect the only witness and Charlie is asked to help get to the bottom of things.
We are introduced to Charlie's lady friend, as well as his two children and their friends, as well as Charlie's boarder Stewart.
The deputy has a personal interest in the case since the witness is her mother, and Charlie's housekeeper. Lots of false trails and intrigue and some family skeletons that emerge.
Despite the presence of cats and libraries and a decent plot, the book didn't grab me and I won't be going out of my way for more of the series.

TBR Challenge 2014

The Goal: To finally read 12 books from my “to be read” pile (within 12 months).

Specifics:

Each of these 12 books must have been on my bookshelf or “To Be Read” list for AT LEAST one full year. This means the book cannot have a publication date of 1/1/2013 or later (any book published in the year 2012 or earlier qualifies, as long as it has been on my TBR pile – the host WILL be checking publication dates). Caveat: Two (2) alternates are allowed, just in case one or two of the books end up in the “can’t get through” pile.

My complete and final list must be posted by January 15th, 2014.

Crossovers from other challenges are totally acceptable, as long as I have never read the book before and it was published before 2013!

I decided to look at the top shelf of my living room bookcase, which has been unchanged for more than a year (like 3 I think) and pick what I can see there. My books:
1. The Book That Changed My Life: 71 Remarkable Writers Celebrate the Books that Matter Most to Them edited by Roxanne J Coady
2. Drowning Anna by Sue Mayfield. Finished October 31
3. Mental Traps: the Overthinker's Guide to a Happy Life by Andre Kukla
4. Bizarre Books by Russell Ash. Finished December 10
5. Dry Store Room No. 1 by Richard Fortey. Finished December 28
6. Serious Things by Gregory Norminton. Finished November 8
7. Dead Men by Stephen Leather. Finished November 18
8. Slam by Nick Hornby. Finished May 22
9. The Unfree French: Life under the Occupation by Richard Vinen.
10. Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. Finished October 31
11. Ysabel by Guy Gavriel Kay. Finished December 15
12.Stitch Me Deadly by Amanda Lee. Finished May 29

Alternates:
1. Lauchlin of the Bad Heart by D.R. MacDonald
2. Drivetime by James Meek