Kkunker's 2015 C. S. Lewis Category Challenge

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Kkunker's 2015 C. S. Lewis Category Challenge

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1kkunker
Editat: des. 31, 2015, 10:02 am

Like 2014 I've decided to go with an Inklings theme for my categories. It was a bit tougher to come up with C. S. Lewis titles which matched my categories, but I had fun working on it.

I will be doing another stacked challenge with the following categories:

Update: I moved around a few categories now that we are 2/3 of the way through the year. Here's the current list and progress.

C. S. Lewis' Lost Aeneid (Something by Homer) Completed
Studies in Medieval and Renaissance Literature (Books about Books) Completed
Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Brandon Sanderson) Completed
The Discarded Image (Mythgard Institute) Completed
Surprised by Joy (History/Biography) Completed
J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis (Inklings) Completed
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Children/YA) Completed
Prince Caspian (Fantasy) Completed
Out of the Silent Planet (Science Fiction) Completed
God in the Docks (New and Notable) Completed
Screwtape Letters (Urban Fantasy and Steampunk) Completed
Mere Christianity (Christian/Jewish) Completed
Magician's Nephew (Alternate/Speculative History) Completed
Image and Imagination (Freebies/ARCs) Completed
Of other Worlds (Catch All) Completed
The Great Divorce (The Bible) Completed

I decided to keep track of my total pages read for 2015, just for fun.


2kkunker
Editat: gen. 21, 2015, 5:23 pm

C. S. Lewis' Lost Aeneid

Something by Homer

Category Completed

1. The Odyssey by Homer 1/19/15

3kkunker
Editat: des. 23, 2015, 10:11 am

Studies in Medieval and Renaissance Literature

Books about Books/Films/Popular Culture

Category Completed

1. The Hobbit and History 8/22/15 ROOT
2. Star Wars and History 10/15/15
3. Game of Thrones and Philosophy 12/23/15

4kkunker
Editat: des. 15, 2015, 11:28 pm

Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Books by Brandon Sanderson, fantasy author

Category Completed

possibilities: The Mistborn Trilogy- Mistborn, The Hero of Ages, and The Well of Ascension

1. Steelheart 5/8/15
2. Mistborn: The Final Empire 7/30/15 ROOT
3. Well of Ascension 10/25/15 ROOT
4. The Hero of Ages 11/18/15 ROOT
5. Alloy of Law 12/16/15

5kkunker
Editat: nov. 15, 2015, 11:30 pm

The Discarded Image

Mythgard Institute and Academy
course reading list

Category Completed

Spring 2015: Tolkien and Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics, Beowulf together with Sellic Spell, Finn and Hengest, Hengest's Tale, Klaeber's Beowulf

Summer 2015: Tolkien's Poetry: The Tolkien Reader, The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, excerpts of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings

Fall 2015: The Force of Star Wars: Heir to the Empire, Star Wars: A New Dawn, Aftermath: Star Wars Journey to the Force Awakens, Kenobi, How Star Wars Conquered the Universe

Mythgard Academy:
February-March: The Book of Lost Tales, Part 2
May-June: The Princess Bride
July-August: The Lays of Beleriand

1. Hengest's Tale by Jill Paton Walsh 1/24/15
2. The Monsters and the Critics 3/14/15
3. Finn and Hengest by J. R. R. Tolkien 4/17/15 ROOT
4. The Adventures of Tom Bombadil by J. R. R. Tolkien 6/12/15 ROOT
5. Star Wars: Journey to the Force Awakens: Aftermath 9/7/15
6. Star Wars: Journey to the Force Awakens: Lost Stars 9/29/15
7. Ultimate Star Wars 10/5/15

7kkunker
Editat: des. 29, 2015, 11:33 pm

J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis: The Gift of Friendship

Inklings

Category Complete

1. Defending Middle-Earth by Patrick Curry ROOT 1/10/15
2. Anglo-Saxon Community in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings ROOT 1/18/15
3. Roots and Branches by Tom Shippey ROOT 4/10/15
4. The Chapel of the Thorn by Charles Williams 5/9/15
5. Tolkien in the Land of Heroes 6/18/15 ROOT
6. Bedeviled: Lewis, Tolkien, and the Shadow of Evil by Colin Duriez 7/23/15
7. A Question of Time: J. R. R. Tolkien's Road to Faerie by Verlyn Flieger ROOT 7/29/15
8. Tolkien, Race, and Cultural History by Dimitra Fimi ROOT 8/10/15
9. The Fall of Arthur by J. R. R. Tolkien ROOT 9/28/15
10. The Oxford Inklings by Colin Duriez 12/23/15
11. A Grief Observed by C. S. Lewis ROOT 12/29/15

9kkunker
Editat: des. 10, 2015, 11:31 pm

Prince Caspian

Fantasy

Category Completed

1. The Crown Tower by Michael J Sullivan 1/16/15
2. Elantris by Brandon Sanderson 2/11/15
3. Trigger Warning by Neil Gaiman 4/21/15
4. The King's Hand by Anna Thayer 5/11/15 ROOT
5. Songs of the Earth by Elspeth Cooper 5/28/15
6. The Broken Blade by Anna Thayer 6/6/15
7. Trinity Rising by Elspeth Cooper 6/21/15
8. The Rose and the Thorn by Michael J Sullivan 6/26/15
9. Mirror Sight by Kristen Britain ROOT 7/8/15
10. The Raven's Shadow by Elspeth Cooper 7/16/15
11. Scorpion Mountain by John A Flanagan ROOT 9/2/15
12. Mouse Guard: Legends of the Guard Volume 2 ROOT 10/12/15
13. Jackaby by William Ritter 11/11/15
14. Beastly Bones by William Ritter 11/27/15
15. Six of Crows 12/10/15

10kkunker
Editat: des. 7, 2015, 1:35 pm

Out of the Silent Planet

Science Fiction

Category Complete

1. Star Wars Rebels: The Rebellion Begins 1/5/15 ROOT
2. Star Wars: Scoundrels 1/11/15 ROOT
3. Stargate SG-1: The Drift 1/24/15 ROOT
4. Star Wars Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void 3/12/15 ROOT
5. Off Armageddon Reef by David Weber 4/12/15
6. By Schism Rent Asunder by David Weber 5/7/15
7. Stargate SG-1: Moebius Squared by Jo Graham 5/20/15 ROOT
8. Stargate SG-1: Permafrost by Sally Malcolm 5/26/15
9. By Heresies Distressed by David Weber 7/15/15
10. A Mighty Fortress by David Weber 8/11/15
11. Stargate SG-1: Two Roads 8/19/15 ROOT
12. Star Wars Dark Forces: Soldier for the Empire 9/13/15
13. How Firm a Foundation by David Weber 9/21/15
14. X-Wing Mercy Kill by Aaron Allston 11/30/15 ROOT
15. Stargate SG-1: Ouroboros 12/7/15 ROOT

12kkunker
Editat: des. 31, 2015, 10:04 am

The Screwtape Letters

Urban Fantasy and Steampunk

Category Complete

1. Riese: Kingdom Falling by Ryan Copple 1/3/15
2. Unshapely Things by Mark Del Franco 1/27/15
3. Unquiet Dreams by Mark Del Franco 2/28/15
4. Unfallen Dead by Mark Del Franco 3/19/15
5. Unperfect Souls by Mark Del Franco 3/24/15
6. Cold Copper by Devon Monk 3/27/15 ROOT
7. Uncertain Allies by Mark Del Franco 8/11/15
8. Undone Deeds by Mark Del Franco 8/17/15
9. Veiled by Benedict Jacka 8/28/15
10. Downfall by Rob Thurman 10/3/15 ROOT
11. Foxglove Summer 12/14/15

13kkunker
Editat: des. 31, 2015, 10:05 am

Mere Christianity

Christian/Hebraic

Category Completed

1. Celebrating the Jewish Year: the Winter Holidays ROOT 1/10/15
2. The Hebrew Yeshua vs the Greek Jesus ROOT 1/17/15
3. Two Powers in Heaven ROOT 2/26/15
4. What Every Christian Needs to Know about Passover 3/21/15
5. Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus ROOT 4/19/15
6. Pathways to the King ROOT 6/29/15
7. Meet the Rabbis by Brad Young ROOT 7/28/15
8. Back to the Melchizedek Future ROOT 10/23/15
9. Living the Beatitudes by John Fogal ROOT 12/31/15

14kkunker
Editat: oct. 12, 2015, 9:23 am

The Magician's Nephew

Alternate history/Speculative Fiction

Category Completed

1. Visitors by Orson Scott Card 2/26/15
2. High King of Montival by S. M. Stirling 4/22/15
3. Tears of the Sun by S. M. Stirling 6/4/15
4. The Change: Tales of Downfall and Rebirth by S. M. Stirling 8/20/15
5. Lord of Mountains by S. M. Stirling 8/26/15
6. Blood of Tyrants by Naomi Novik 9/1/15
7. The Given Sacrifice by S. M. Stirling 10/11/15

15kkunker
Editat: des. 28, 2015, 7:53 pm

Image and Imagination

Freebies
ARC and gifts

Category Completed

1. Band of Giants by Jack Kelly July 2014 LT Early Reviewer 2/17/15 ROOT
2. The Politics of Piracy: Crime and Civil Disobedience in Colonial America 8/14/15
3. Smaug: Unleashing the Dragon gift ROOT 9/16/15
4. The Shock of Night by Patrick Carr 9/19/15
5. The Sea Mark 12/28/15

16kkunker
Editat: des. 4, 2015, 1:08 pm

Of Other Worlds

Catch-All

Category Completed

1. The Maze Runner (dystopian) 2/19/15
2. Track of the Cat by Nevada Barr 10/5/15
3. Star Wars: Shattered Empire (graphic novel) 12/4/15

17kkunker
Editat: des. 4, 2015, 1:08 pm

The Great Divorce

Category Completed

1. The Bible

18mamzel
des. 11, 2014, 1:39 pm

I think you did a great job matching categories to titles. I will be back to see what you've read.

19rabbitprincess
des. 11, 2014, 8:37 pm

Great theme and a nice continuation from 2014! Enjoy!

20-Eva-
Editat: des. 11, 2014, 11:14 pm

Nice theme! My Lewis reading is limited to his Narnia books, so I enjoyed following those Touchstones.

21kkunker
des. 15, 2014, 4:23 pm

Eva: glad you enjoyed the touchstones. C. S. Lewis wrote on a huge variety of subjects both academic and popular. I really enjoyed my Tolkien and Lewis class from this past semester since it really highlighted some great Lewis works I hadn't studied before.

22lkernagh
des. 25, 2014, 9:02 pm

I don't know anything about Inklings but I did see a steampunk category up there, so I am looking forward to seeing what books you read.

23kkunker
gen. 1, 2015, 1:31 am

Happy New Year everyone, and happy reading in 2015.

24JDHomrighausen
gen. 2, 2015, 1:06 am

I love this theme. I really like Lewis' fiction, but have never had must liking for his nonfiction. Maybe this time around...

25kkunker
gen. 3, 2015, 10:14 am

Finished off my first book for 2015, Riese Kingdom Falling a short steampunk book. It provides the background story for a SyFy miniseries of the same year which was released online a few years ago. I watched the miniseries and found out about a book a few weeks ago at my library, so of course I had to read it.

I enjoyed the plot of the book, but found the split time frames a bit rough. The book's heroine is Riese, the heir to the throne of Eleysia, who is forced into hiding when her aunt pulls off a coup which results in the death of the rest of Riese's family. The book jumps back and forth between Riese on the run and the fatal events which led to her parents death ten years ago. The steam punk elements were rather minor in the book, the religious Sect is composed of humans who weld themselves to clockwork mechanisms but other than their one group technology was quite minimal. A fun read, it was cool to see the background for the miniseries. I'd probably give it 3.5 stars.

26kkunker
gen. 5, 2015, 5:09 pm

Finished my second book of the year today, first book for sci-fi category, Star Wars Rebels: The Rebellion Begins. This book is the junior novel which recounts the events of the first episode of the new cartoon series.

27electrice
Editat: gen. 7, 2015, 10:06 am

>25 kkunker: I've seen the two first episodes of this one, you remind me that I'll like to see the rest. I'll keep in mind that there's a book.

28kkunker
gen. 7, 2015, 3:09 pm

>26 kkunker: electrice: I've seen the first 8 or so episodes, it's fun to watch. The junior novel was a really quick read. There's a full length novel called New Dawn which is a prequel to the show. It recounts how Hera and Kanan first meet and join forces.

29electrice
gen. 7, 2015, 4:19 pm

>28 kkunker: Great !

30kkunker
gen. 10, 2015, 2:42 pm

Finished off my third book of the year, first book for Christian/Hebrew studies Celebrating the Jewish Year: the Winter Holidays.

31kkunker
gen. 11, 2015, 3:17 pm

Finished off two more books today, one for Inklings and one for Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe (Hobbit).

Defending Middle-Earth by Patrick Curry
The Hobbit Chronicles: the Battle of the Five Armies: Art & Design

32kkunker
gen. 14, 2015, 3:25 pm

Finished three more books recently.
Two for the history category, doing some research for work:
Defending the Wilderness and Contested Terrain: A New History of the Nature and People of the Adirondacks.

I also finished off Star Wars Scoundrels, for sci-fi.

33kkunker
Editat: gen. 21, 2015, 6:27 pm

Finished off several more this past week.
My first for fantasy: The Crown Tower

Second for Christian/Jewish: Hebrew Yeshua vs Greek Jesus

And another for Inklings: Anglo-Saxon Community in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings
This was a particularly appropriate read since my spring Mythgard course is on Tolkien and Beowulf.

Finished my small Homer category with The Odyssey which I actually listened to as an audiobook read by Sir Ian McKellen.

34kkunker
gen. 31, 2015, 4:20 pm

To round out January I finished 3 more in the past week.
My first book for Mythgard: Hengest’s Tale, read for my Beowulf class.
Another sci-fi: Stargate SG-1: The Drift
My second urban fantasy/steampunk: Unshapely Things

That gave me a total of 15 books finished in January, which was a surprisingly high number given my busy workload. My categories are off to a good start. Here's to happy reading for February.

35kkunker
feb. 5, 2015, 10:21 pm

Finished my first book for February, another for history: Forever Wild: Environmental Aesthetics and the Adirondack Forest Preserve by Phil Terrie

36kkunker
feb. 11, 2015, 8:05 pm

Two more to add, one fantasy and one history.

Elantris by Brandon Sanderson and
History in the Mapping: Four Centuries of Adirondack Cartography a fun little exhibition catalog from the Adirondack Museum

37kkunker
feb. 25, 2015, 7:59 pm

Finished off two more books today.
Two Powers in Heaven for the Christian/Hebraic category, and Visitors by Orson Scott Card as the first book in alternate history/speculative fiction.

38kkunker
març 13, 2015, 11:07 am

I just got back from an amazing 12 day trip to Israel, with a Christian tour group. We were so busy I didn't read much, but I did manage to fit in a Star Wars book on the flights.
Star Wars Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void

39-Eva-
març 16, 2015, 4:34 pm

>38 kkunker:
And had lots and lots of excellent foods, I hope!!

40kkunker
març 17, 2015, 8:56 am

Definitely. We had tons of fresh fruits and veggies and pita bread and hummus. We did lots of walking and saw lots of Biblical sites. My mom and sister went too and they both loved it.

41kkunker
abr. 10, 2015, 1:42 pm

Hard to believe I've been back from my trip for almost a month. I've done a fair amount of reading since getting back.
I've read 2 urban fantasy: Unfallen Dead and Unperfect Souls both by Mark Del Franco.
I've read one more for history: Lake Champlain: Key to Liberty.
I've read one religious: What Every Christian Needs to Know about Passover
I read one steampunk last month as well: Cold Copper.

For April I just finished my first read: Roots and Branches by Tom Shippey, a collection of essays and lectures on various Tolkien topics.

42kkunker
maig 8, 2015, 10:00 am

Finished several other books in April, with a nice spread for the categories.
1 for Mythgard: Finn and Hengest
1 for Christian: Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus
1 for Alternate/Speculative: High King of Montival
and 1 for fantasy: Trigger Warning by Neil Gaiman.

So far for May I've finished 1 science fiction: By Schism Rent Asunder

43kkunker
Editat: maig 26, 2015, 7:37 pm

Here are the May reads so far:
Sanderson: Steelheart
Fantasy: The King’s Hand and Songs of the Earth
Inklings: The Chapel of the Thorn
History: Roman Britain: A Very Short Introduction
Science Fiction: Stargate SG-1: Moebius Squared, Star Wars Rebels: Rise of the Rebels

A pretty good spread, and I should get one or two more in for the month.

44-Eva-
juny 2, 2015, 6:04 pm

How did you like Trigger Warning? I had it home from the library, but returned it unread since I was going on vacation.

45kkunker
juny 3, 2015, 6:04 pm

I liked Trigger Warning, it was sufficiently creepy and odd, but not over the top. I've read several of Gaiman's other books, including his previous short story collections, so I knew what to expect.

46kkunker
Editat: juny 19, 2015, 10:51 pm

I've finished the following books since my last update.
Science Fiction: Stargate SG-1: Permafrost
Alternate/Speculative: Tears of the Sun
fantasy: The Broken Blade
Mythgard: The Adventures of Tom Bombadil
Inklings: Tolkien in the Land of Heroes

47kkunker
juny 29, 2015, 9:12 pm

I've managed to finish off a number of books since mid-June.
Fantasy: Trinity Rising, and The Rose and the Thorn
History: Where Wilderness Preservation Began
New and Notable: Star Wars Rebels Ezra’s Brush with Danger, and William Shakespeare’s Star Wars: The Phantom of Menace
Christian: Pathways to the King

48kkunker
jul. 16, 2015, 11:23 am

July has been a slower month in part because the one fantasy I read was the 780 page Mirror Sight. I've also read By Heresies Distressed, book 3 in the Safehold series. I have several books in progress, so I hope to add to a few categories before July ends.

So far in July I have added 13 new books to my collection, partially online purchases and partially used books from our camping vacation. I do plan on weeding out about the same number to be donated to the local library.

I'm looking forward to September when the new Star Wars books start coming out. I'm not a fan of how Disney threw out the 40 years of Expanded Universe material, I am cautiously optimistic about the new books. But part of me says that any new Star Wars material is good news, the other part of me is not so sure. Either way I have the new novel pre-ordered from Amazon, so I will be able to read it and decide from there.

49kkunker
jul. 31, 2015, 3:14 pm

Here's what else I read this month. A good spread for my categories:

fantasy: The Raven's Shadow
New and notable: Star Wars Dark Disciple
Christian/Jewish: Meet the Rabbis
Inklings: A Question of Time: J. R. R. Tolkien's Road to Faerie
Brandon Sanderson: Mistborn: The Final Empire

50kkunker
ag. 14, 2015, 4:01 pm

So far for August I've read four books:

Inklings: Tolkien, Race and Cultural History
Urban Fantasy: Uncertain Allies
Science Fiction: A Mighty Fortress
Children's/YA: Star Wars Rebels: Ezra’s Gamble

51kkunker
ag. 19, 2015, 11:29 am

I've finished two books this week.
1 urban fantasy: Undone Deeds and
1 science fiction: Stargate SG-1: Two Roads

52kkunker
Editat: ag. 26, 2015, 10:35 pm

My online course The Force of Star Wars just started up last night, so I will be reading even more Star Wars books. And I get to re-watch the films too. The course reading will include a number of the new canon which start coming out on September 4. I've liked the Rebels tv show, so I'm cautiously optimistic about the whole concept of Disney-fied Star Wars.

53kkunker
Editat: set. 16, 2015, 10:14 pm

I'm currently reading about 5 different Star Wars related books for my class, including the new novel Aftermath: Star Wars: Journey to the Force Awakens.

54kkunker
set. 16, 2015, 10:18 pm

Sorry to say that Aftermath was not as good as I was expecting. It was not written well and had very static stereotypical characters. I was mostly concerned with Wedge's well being, and didn't care much for the main characters. Luke, Leia, and Han were each mentioned in passing only, and had no bearing on the plot. I hope the new movie is far better than this first bridge novel.

On a happier note, Weapon of a Jedi the junior high level adventure book was quite good. It filled in some gaps about Luke's training between Episodes IV and V. In the book he crash lands on a remote planet and discovers a bombed out Jedi Temple where he learns some exercises which allow him to improve his dueling skills. I just started Smuggler's Run a Han and Chewie adventure, so we'll see how that one turns out.

55kkunker
Editat: set. 28, 2015, 8:51 pm

September was a really good reading month, I read 15 books, probably all the short Star Wars books made it easy to get through a lot. I'm glad I now have a number of categories which are getting close to completion.

Both Star Wars Journey to the Force Awakens: Smuggler’s Run and Star Wars: Journey to the Force Awakens: Moving Target were fun reads. I enjoyed the style and tone of the YA authors. There were even some useful hints for the upcoming film. I'm currently working my way through Star Wars Journey to the Force Awakens: Lost Stars which is the YA novel which provides a summary of the original film trilogy, as an introduction for newbies.
Freebies/ARC: The Shock of Night a nice early reviewer book that I won last month. I whipped through the book as soon as it got here.
Sci-Fi: How Firm a Foundation
YA/Children's: Star Wars: Last of the Jedi: Tangled Web and Star Wars Last of the Jedi: Return of the Dark Side
Inklings: The Fall of Arthur

56kkunker
oct. 1, 2015, 9:22 am

Managed to finish off another book for September last night, Star Wars The Last of the Jedi: Secret Weapon.

57kkunker
oct. 12, 2015, 9:24 am

Finished off my second category of the year last night, Alternate/Speculative fantasy, with 7 books.

58kkunker
oct. 15, 2015, 11:26 pm

Finished off my third category of the year tonight, YA/Children's books, with 13 books.

59kkunker
oct. 28, 2015, 10:39 pm

October has been another really good month. I managed 9 Star Wars related books:
4 new and notable: Star Wars Journey to the Force Awakens: Lost Stars, William Shakespeare’s Star Wars The Clone Army Attacketh, and William Shakespeare’s Star Wars: The Tragedy of the Sith’s Revenge
3 YA: Star Wars The Last of the Jedi: Secret Weapon, Star Wars The Last of the Jedi Against the Empire, Star Wars The Last of the Jedi: Master of Deception, and Star Wars The Last of the Jedi Reckoning which completed that category
1 for books about books: Star Wars and History
1 for Mythgard: Ultimate Star Wars

I also managed several non-Star Wars reads as well, which helped some other categories:
everything else: Track of the Cat
history: Eighteenth-Century Britain: A Very Short Introduction
alternate history: The Given Sacrifice which completed that category
fantasy: Mouse Guard: Legends of the Guard Volume 2
Christian: Back to the Melchizedek Future
Brandon Sanderson: The Well of Ascension

With two months left for the challenge I am down to about 20 books needed to fill my remaining categories.

60kkunker
nov. 19, 2015, 12:50 pm

November has been a bit slower than other months, mostly because I am participating in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) for the first time. I've written about 28,000 words so far this month, so that has taken away from some of my reading time. I've enjoyed the writing process and my first draft is coming along. Here are the books I have managed to finish this month, half Star Wars books.

urban fantasy: Downfall
New and Notable: Star Wars: A New Hope: The Princess, The Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy, Star Wars Vol. 1: Skywalker Strikes, Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back: So You want to be a Jedi?
fantasy: Jackaby, The Hero of Ages

61rabbitprincess
nov. 19, 2015, 10:35 pm

Glad to hear you're enjoying NaNoWriMo! And what did you think of Jackaby?

62kkunker
nov. 20, 2015, 8:46 am

I enjoyed Jackaby, it was basically Sherlock Holmes plus fairy tale/paranormal elements. It includes a friendly ghost, a shape changer, and strange magical artifacts. I checked out the sequel Beastly Bones the other day from the library and just started it.

63paruline
nov. 20, 2015, 11:25 am

I've got to say that I'm jealous of your Star Wars course. Sounds so much fun.

Cheering you on for NaNoWriMo. I seem to be missing the writing gene but admire people who have it.

64kkunker
nov. 20, 2015, 9:14 pm

The Force of Star Wars class was a lot of fun. We just wrapped up last week. We looked at all the films, the radio dramatizations, and several books. We explored some of Lucas' inspirations and also the fan phenomenon. We even had John Jackson Miller, author of Kenobi and A New Dawn guest lecture. He did a Q&A and was really great. Of course we analyzed some of the trailers and Star Wars: Aftermath looking forward to Episode VII. The whole class was a great experience to be both an academic and a fan of Star Wars. Less than one month to The Force Awakens.

65-Eva-
nov. 23, 2015, 10:38 pm

>60 kkunker:
Congrats on the NaNoWriMo progress. My admin is participating and she's tearing her hair out in frustration on some days. :)

66kkunker
nov. 23, 2015, 11:40 pm

>65 -Eva-: Eva: I'm enjoying NaNoWriMo, and the plot is coming easier than I first thought. Granted my novel is half fan-fic based on elements in some favorite series, but it's fun to be creating something of my own. I just hit 35,000 words today, so I'm a bit behind, but hoping to catch up over Thanksgiving.

67-Eva-
nov. 24, 2015, 12:21 am

35,000 is very impressive! Well done - hope you get a lot done over the holiday!!

68kkunker
des. 1, 2015, 9:05 am

I completed the NaNoWriMo challenge (50,000 words) yesterday afternoon, I wrote about 9,000 words over the holiday weekend. My draft is nowhere near complete but I now have about a 60 page long document.

69mamzel
des. 1, 2015, 11:48 am



Congrats on meeting your challenge!

70rabbitprincess
des. 1, 2015, 5:18 pm

>68 kkunker: Wow, excellent work! :)

71kkunker
des. 4, 2015, 2:06 pm

Finished off two small categories today, Everything Else with of a Star Wars graphic novel, and The Bible for The Great Divorce category. It feels so nice to mark categories as completed, and to know I'm nearing the end of the challenge.

72kkunker
des. 6, 2015, 11:21 pm

Finished off another category today, New and Notable, with Star Wars Battlefront: Twilight Company.

73kkunker
des. 11, 2015, 10:33 am

Finished off Fantasy last night, with Six of Crows. I now have 9 categories finished with only 8 books left in 7 categories to reach my goal. The end is in sight.

74kkunker
des. 14, 2015, 11:10 am

Just finished off steampunk/urban fantasy with an audio book of Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovitch. Down to six categories left.

75kkunker
des. 15, 2015, 11:34 pm

Finished off my Brandon Sanderson category tonight with The Alloy of Law. Down to six books in five categories left to complete the challenge.

76rabbitprincess
des. 16, 2015, 9:56 pm

Woo hoo! You're doing excellently. And seeing Foxglove Summer on your list makes me want to reread the whole series :)

77kkunker
des. 16, 2015, 11:30 pm

>76 rabbitprincess: rabbitprincess: Thanks for the encouragement. I really have enjoyed reading the Rivers of London series, it's quite fun.

Managed to finish off another category today, history with Judaism: A Very Short Introduction. So now I'm down to 5 books left in 4 categories.

78kkunker
des. 16, 2015, 11:32 pm

Anyone else excited for The Force Awakens tomorrow!! My brother and I will be attending our local theater in less than 24 hours in full Jedi costumes. It's going to be so much fun. I really hope the movie lives up to the trailers.

79lkernagh
des. 21, 2015, 8:20 am

Congratulations on your NaNoWriMo and your challenge reading progress!

80mamzel
des. 22, 2015, 12:10 pm

>78 kkunker: was it great or what?

81kkunker
des. 22, 2015, 12:22 pm

I enjoyed the movie as an action film. I loved the Han/Chewie and Han/Leia scenes. It felt too fast paced with no breathing space, and the plot was pretty repetitive of Episode IV. All in all I was glad to have seen it but it left a lot of unanswered questions, but that's how first movies tend to go. I'm looking forward to the next one and seeing Rey develop more. Definitely looking forward to actually seeing Luke get some screen time.

82kkunker
des. 22, 2015, 12:26 pm

I enjoyed it as an action film, but I felt it was too fast paced with no breathing room. I loved the Han/Chewie and Han/Leia scenes. The plot was really repetitive of Episode IV, but it was still fun. I'm looking forward to seeing how Rey develops, and I'm definitely looking forward to seeing Luke get some screen time. All in all I'm glad I've seen it and I'm waiting for more books to fill in some of the details.

83kkunker
des. 22, 2015, 12:27 pm

Here's a photo of my brother and I in costume.

84kkunker
des. 23, 2015, 10:28 am

Finished off another category today, Books about Books. I'm down to 4 books in 3 categories to complete my challenge.

85kkunker
des. 23, 2015, 11:39 pm

Just finished off The Oxford Inklings for my Inklings category. So now I'm down to just needing 1 book each for 3 categories to be done.

86-Eva-
des. 27, 2015, 6:55 pm

>83 kkunker:
That's awesome!

87kkunker
des. 28, 2015, 7:54 pm

Finished off The Sea Mark today, an Early Reviewer book from this year. I've just completed my freebies/ARC category. Down to just two more books to meet my challenge.

88christina_reads
des. 29, 2015, 7:13 pm

I'm playing catch-up with LT threads at the moment, so I know I'm a bit late, but I still wanted to say congratulations for winning NaNoWriMo! I tried to do it this year, but real life quickly got in the way...I didn't even last through the first week!

89kkunker
des. 29, 2015, 11:26 pm

>88 christina_reads:: Thanks so much. It definitely was a challenge and I barely made it on the last day. I had a three day slump halfway through where I only wrote around 3 paragraphs so I had to really struggle to catch up. NaNoWriMo consumed most of my free time in November, but it was worth it.

90kkunker
des. 30, 2015, 6:58 pm

Finished off The Great Divorce by C. S. Lewis last night, so that completed my Inklings category. I just need one more book to meet my challenge!

91kkunker
Editat: des. 31, 2015, 10:06 am

I finished my challenge today, by reading Living the Beatitudes for my Christian category. That completes my final category!! I made it just in the nick of time.

Now to get ready for the 2016 challenge.

92christina_reads
des. 31, 2015, 5:42 pm

Congratulations on your photo finish! :)

93-Eva-
des. 31, 2015, 7:10 pm

Congrats on finishing!

94lkernagh
gen. 1, 2016, 1:08 pm

Congratulations on finishing your challenge! *Whoot!*