Purple Iris 2024 challenges

Hi! I am posting this in hopes it will make me more likely to come back and add info about the challenges I'm setting this year. I meant to do it in January and that did not happen! I have been reading, though!

Ok, this is my first time doing challenges on LT, so hopefully I can figure it out.
I want to try BingoDog. I guess I should try to post a card here?

Ha! Ok, I seem to have figured it out. Fun. I find the POC box pretty funny. I am Haitian and teach Haitian literature, so most of what I read for work would count for that.

I guess I will try the CalendarCAT but I feel like that's pretty daunting.

BingoDOG
1. The Vegetarian Food features prominently in the first part.
2.Etre ou ne pas être: La gestion de la souveraineté nationale en Haiti
3. Manifestes et programmes littéraires aux Caraïbes francophones
4. Happiness Falls - The twins are not the focus of the story, although one is the narrator, so I might change this if I find something that fits better.
5. Le Joug -- One of the books I wrote my dissertation so, I think it fits.
6. Happily Never After - Published in March 2024
7.
8. Big - very powerful children's book
9. Haiti: State against nation - in TLShields' library
10. Killing Me - a woman finds friends for the first time
11. Betting on you
12. Summer reading 2 librarian characters, 1 dyslexic character who is writing a cookbook
13. It started with a dog Romance novel for February CAT
14.
15. Fat Chance, Charlie Vega
16. Love buzz set in Seattle
17.Konfidans - looks like I'm the only one on LT with this book
18.The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks
19.La Gravitante - published when the author was 72
20. Float Plan - the protagonist sails from Ft. Lauderdale to Trinidad
21. Sanite Belair - historical play
22. Zoune chez sa ninnaine - one of my favorites and I'm teaching it again
23. The Break - set in Ireland like most of Keyes' books
24. Again, Rachel - set in Ireland and the US
25. Funny Story - the cover says it's a NYT bestseller

Other challenges I want to try are:

10 Haitian books published in 2019 or later
10 work-related non-fiction books
5 books in Haitian Creole

Welcome to the Category Challenge. The Calendar Cat can be as daunting as you want it to be - you chose the book and it can be as easy as an author who has a birthday in the month or you can chose an obscure celebration from the month and find a book that has some connection. It's totally up to you and the main thing is to have fun with it.

Welcome and have fun!

Welcome! Enjoy your reading.

Thank you! And I appreciate the info about the CalendarCAT. I will start looking up birthdays!

>3 purpleiris: I’ve already got my “POC” square covered, but not my “other cultural tradition” square. Can I ask for a recommendation for Haitian literature?

Sure, but it would help to know what kind of stories you enjoy.

>10 purpleiris: I like contemporary literary fiction, science fiction, horror, mysteries. I dislike “epics”—sprawling multigenerational sagas and prefer smaller, more intimate stories. Some of my favorite authors are Margaret Atwood, A.S. Byatt, Louise Erdrich, Ali Smith, Kurt Vonnegut, and Jeanette Winterson.

There are a few Haitian authors who write in English, like Edwidge Danticat and Myriam Chancy. I prefer Danticat. You might like Farming of Bones and Claire of the Sea Light.

In translation, maybe The other side of the sea, Kettly Mars' I am alive (I can't find this one on LibraryThing. Also, it is kind of multigenerational, but not an epic), The infamous rosalie, or Children of heroes by Lyonel Trouillot (again, can't find the translation here).

I hope you find something that works! A lot of my favorite books have not been translated, which is a bummer.

Looking at other people's challenge threads, it looks like I should create a space for each individual challenge?

>13 purpleiris: You can do it that way if you want, but you don't have to! There are no hard-and-fast rules here; just participate in a way that makes sense for you. I hope you enjoy your 2024 reading!

>12 purpleiris: Thank you for the recommendations! I’ve added I Am Alive to my TBR list, so there’s at least one copy on LibraryThing now.

>15 Charon07: You're welcome! I look forward to hearing what you think of it.

>14 christina_reads: Thank you! I really appreciate how helpful everyone has been. This group is very welcoming! :)

Good luck with your 2024 reading challenges!

Welcome aboard and have lots of fun with your challenge :)

Recent Haitian literature (2019 or later)

1. Konfidans Published in 2019. This was my second time reading it. I didn't love it and not sure I would teach it again.
2. Nouveaux écrits du peyi lòk Published in 2023. Just ok
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Non-fiction for work

1. Bay lodyans I thought I would like this a lot more than I did. I did learn a lot about popular Haitian film, though.
2. Etre ou ne pas être It was ok, but I feel like I didn't learn anything new.
3. Detain and punish This was a tough read. About Haitians in US immigration system.
4. Haiti for the Haitians I really enjoyed this. My first time reading the edited volume which includes critical essays.
5. Manifestes et programmes littéraires aux Caraïbes francophones A bit underwhelming. A solid reference book, I guess.
6. Haiti: State against nation I have been meaning to read this for years and am glad I finally did. Brilliant analysis.
7. After the dance, the drums are heavy Definitely an interesting read, but the book could have used better editing. Much too long and rambling.
8. Oswald Durand: pionner de la littérature créole. Just ok
9. Urban dwellings, Haitian citizenships. I really enjoyed this one.
10. The prophet and power. Very good summary of the Aristide years

Books in Haitian Creole

1. Konfidans
2.Bonjou Silans. This is actually an unpublished manuscript, but I want to count it. Not sure if I'm "allowed" to add it to the catalogue.
3. Wòch nan solèy
4. Epi oun jou konsa tèt Pastè Bab pati I'm glad I reread this because I didn't remember it well from the first time, but I did not love it.
5.

I finally feel like I am all set up and ready to go! Now all I have to do is keep up with the reading. I feel like the non-fiction will probably be my biggest challenge. I am currently reading a romance novel for the February CAT which is not much of a challenge since I read a lot of romance novels!

I was worried about square 21 since warriors and mercenaries are really not my thing. But I just finished a historical play that works. The protagonists are a husband and wife team that fought in the Haitian Revolution.
Sanite Belair

>23 purpleiris: A belated welcome to this group! Reading nonfiction is a challenge for me to - there are so many nonfiction books I would like to read, but it takes some effort.

>23 purpleiris: I don’t read a lot of nonfiction either, so I made one of my categories nonfiction too. But I’m much less ambitious—I’ll be happy if I read two nonfiction books this year.

BTW, I’ve been looking in my usual sources for a copy of I Am Alive by Kettly Mars, and now I think I know why there are so few copies of the English translation, at least, on LT. None of my local libraries has a copy, and that includes the university library (which, ironically enough, has some theses and other scholarly works ABOUT it—maybe I should find out where those scholars got their copies!). My favorite new & used bookstore has a hardback copy for $100 (!) and a paperback for $32.67. (I finally located an ebook edition for $14.46, which I’ll probably spring for next month, since Libby doesn’t have the ebook edition either.)

>26 Charon07: That's really too bad. I often request my libraries buy stuff. Sometimes they do and sometimes they don't, but it's worth a shot!

I just finished a book for my ugly cover square! :) And it also counts for my nonfiction challenge.

I finished summer reading last night for the paper-based item square. I've read a few books this year that would work for this, but I am trying not to repeat books. This was my first time reading a book by this author and it was fun. I might try something else of hers.

I just added Float Plan for the water square. I liked it enough that I will check out the others in the series. If I read something set in a city next, I will have completed a row. That should not be too hard to do. Exciting!

I am working my way through a couple of more serious books as well. Those will take longer to finish. I am really enjoying Detain and Punish. Enjoy is a weird word to use for this kind of book, but I'm learning a lot and it's well written. I am also reading veilleuse du calvaire which I am enjoying less than I had hoped I would.

I just finished a book for my non-fiction challenge. If I continue at the pace of one a month, I should definitely be able to complete the challenge this year. On verra!

I added yet another Keyes book for bingo. Set in multiple countries (US and Ireland). I have already read 4 Keyes books this year, which is kind of weird. I think that's it, though. I don't think I'll be reading anything else from her in the short term, unless she unexpectedly publishes something new!

I just added an unpublished manuscript to one of my personal challenges, but I didn't enter the book info to the website since it's not an official book yet!

I am still reading, but have really slowed down wrt filling up my card. I have been starting and stopping a lot of books lately. It's been tough to concentrate. But the year is not half over yet, so I think I'll be fine.

I finally got a line!

I finished Love Buzz last night and used it for the "set in a city" square. The story takes place in Seattle, which is on my list of places to visit.

Congratulations on your first bingo! And I hope you can make it to Seattle someday—it’s one of my favorite cities.

>32 purpleiris: I hear you on the starting and stopping books! March was like that for me as well. Just couldn't find the right thing to read. Hope you've found something good!

>33 purpleiris: Congrats on your first bingo line!

Thanks for the congrats! :)

I did find something good. I just finished Killing Me last night and really enjoyed it. How do I find out if something was a bestseller?

I just checked some lists and did not find this book so I guess it was not a bestseller. But I decided to use it for the friendship square. As the main character dodges serial killers, she makes and keeps friends for the first time.

You are really filling up those bingo squares. Congrats!

I can't believe it's been over a month since I updated this thread! I have been reading, though and managed to fill 3 new squares (twins, author and title only, and -24 publication date).

I am on track with reading one non-fiction book per month, so it looks like I will be able to make that goal.

Reading recent Haitian fiction has proved more challenging than expected. I have been reading and teaching older Haitian works. And at night before bed, I usually grab a romance novel or YA. I started Blindness weeks ago and haven't finished yet.

7 more bingo squares to go and only 4 more non-fiction books needed for the year. I need to start working on my other challenges a bit more!

You’re doing so well with the nonfiction! I also challenged myself to read more nonfiction, and it is very challenging for me. I’ve read only 3 so far and am bogging down in my fourth.

>41 Charon07: Thanks! I have been very deliberate about choosing things I want to read rather than those I feel like I should read, which is what I usually do. I'm pretty sure that's why I've been able to actually finish the nonfiction I start this time around.

In fact, I should probably apply that strategy to recent Haitian fiction. I keep starting books and putting them down.

Just reread Zoune chez sa ninnaine for class.

I only need one more book to complete my Haitian Creole challenge for the year. I set a very low bar with only 5 books!

>44 purpleiris: It is good to have an early success and you can always read more if you feel like it even if you have completed the challenge :-)

>45 MissBrangwen: I definitely agree!

I thought about using https://www.librarything.com/work/32392818/book/265789139 for the short story square, but it's a mix of stories and poems. I am happy to be able to count something towards my recent Haitian literature challenge, though. I am lagging behind on that one!

I am still reading, but teaching an intensive summer program that is kicking my butt!

I can't believe the summer is almost over already. Teaching an intensive summer class really slowed down my reading, but I am back! I am pretty confident I will be able to complete my bingo card and two of my other challenges. I am not sure about recent Haitian literature, though. I have 8 books left to go!

I'm teaching a fall course and I can't believe summer is almost over!

>50 Tess_W: I know. Super sad! :( It doesn't seem fair that the summer seems to go by a lot more quickly than the semesters!

I have not been posting, but I have been reading! Unfortunately, nothing that fits my challenges. I am traveling this month, but hope to get back into the groove in November.

I only need one more book for my non-fiction challenge, which is great, but I have really neglected the recent Haitian fiction. I am not sure how realistic it is to think I will read 8 books in that category between now and the end of the year. On verra.
I also need to get back to work on my Bingo card. Only 4 sqaures left!

I finished The Vegetarian today. I really enjoyed it. I know there was a lot of talk about the translation, but I don't read Korean, so I can't say anything about that. I will read the French translation if I find it, to compare.

Anyway, I am using it for the food square, so only three squares left to go. I am currently reading a short story collection, but it's slow going so no guarantee I'll be done before 2025.

I've been wondering this week if maybe one of the reasons this site has fewer reviews than Goodreads is because people put reviews in their own threads rather than on book pages? I've been consistently on here for a year now, and I like it, but I find myself still going to Goodreads to read reviews since there are so many more of them there. As I read through a couple of challenge threads, I realized that maybe people are using reviews differently here.

Relatedly, I have used this thread only for books that fit into one of my three challenges or that I can use for BingoDog. The stuff that doesn't fit, I just add to my shelves and sometimes I write a short review. I just finished The Message which I enjoyed a lot, but it does not fit any of my challenges.

>55 purpleiris: That's an interesting question. I am definitely one who posts my reviews to my challenge thread but not to the book page, though I'm not really sure why. (Maybe it just feels like One More Thing I'd have to do, and it doesn't feel worth the effort. I don't post reviews on Amazon or Goodreads either.) I don't really think of LT as a book review site -- for me, it's more like social media. It's about the community and the specific users I follow. If I'm looking for reviews of a specific book, I go to Amazon or Goodreads rather than LT. But LT has the thoughtful conversations that often put new books on my radar or convince me to read something I wouldn't otherwise have picked up.

>55 purpleiris: I think the biggest cause is that Goodreads has something like 150 million users, while LT has something like 3 million. LT might be doing as well or better in terms of reviews per capita. I always try to write a sentence or two in threads where I mention reading a book, but I’m trying to do much better about posting reviews on the book page.

FWIW, you can find the Conversations where a book is mentioned on the work page, but it’s hard to know whether there’s a review in a post or just a passing mention, so I don’t usually bother.

>57 Charon07: Thanks for the tip about Conversations! I was wondering if something like that existed.

I didn't realize there was such a huge difference in terms of user numbers between the two sites!

I definitely enjoy the conversations here and never post on Goodreads anymore. And yes, posting reviews in two places definitely feels like one thing too many to do! I tend to do reviews on the book page and at most one sentence on my own thread. I would maybe do more on my own thread if I knew how to do the cute book covers everyone else is doing. :D

>58 purpleiris: Here’s how you add a picture to a post:
<IMG SRC="http://host.com/picture.jpg" HEIGHT="hhh" WIDTH="www">

Here’s an old post that gives a lot of tips for formatting posts:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/177029#4750147

And from the Reviews page under your profile, you can grab a link to your review of a book, like this:
https://www.librarything.com/work/27318233/reviews/232216035
so you can always just link to your full review for those who are interested, though I think that only works if your library is not private.

Thanks so much for all these tips. I really appreciate it!

I checked Big out from the library to fill another square before the end of the year, but I'm glad I accidentally discovered it. The illustrations are beautiful and the story is very powerful, yet told in few words.

I finished my non-fiction challenge today! I guess I have about 4 or 5 days left to finish some of the other ones.

>62 purpleiris: Congratulations! I’ve got a couple of books I’d like to finish before the end of the the year myself.