In the third month of Erin’s challenged I managed to read a grand total of two books. One of those books had over 1,000 pages though, so I feel no shame! Also, for one of the categories I ended up reading a book that was not included as a suggestion on my preliminary list. Sorry Erin! Here are the categories I completed in September:
25 points: read a book set in a country that you have always wanted to visit.
I literally just finished reading Shogun by James Clavell about half an hour ago! It’s a good job I had this week off otherwise there’s no way I would have got through it this month. My copy has 1,210 pages… that’s a lot of reading for just 25 points! It’s set in Japan, which is maybe not a place I’ve always wanted to visit (did I care about visiting anywhere when I was 5?), but I’ve definitely wanted to go there for a long time. I was reluctant to start reading this epically long book, but by the time I’d read the first chapter I was hooked. It did get tedious at times and I felt like it could have been a lot shorter, and the author’s obvious love for his main character also grated occasionally (yes, Blackthorne is sooo well endowed and so clever and can learn Japanese faster than anyone, ever. I get it!), but overall it’s a really good book. I gave it 4 stars (although I will never read it again… that is far too many hours of my life that I won’t get back!).
30 points: read a historical fiction book.
I originally suggested two tentative possibilities for this, but what I actually ended up reading was The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel. It’s the story of a clan of Neanderthals who adopt a little Cro-Magnon orphan girl – you can’t get much more “historical” than that! There were a few things that annoyed me about this book – most notably the weird things the author felt the need to explain, like what hypothermia is – but I got through it quickly despite it being pretty long (495 pages) and I was always interested to find out what would happen next so I gave it 4 stars.
That’s five out of ten books read, and this month’s 55 points brings my total up to 90 points. One month, five books and 110 points left to go!
Both books are also on the BBC Big Read, so that’s another two books closer to completing that category for my 35 before 35 list.
Confuzzledom 
i don’t even know where i stand on erin’s challenge, probably like one book, if that. the clan of the cave bear is on my shelf at home so i’m glad you liked it.. though i will prepare myself for annoying unnecessary explanations. and go you on the shogun book – you make it sound interesting, but man, i am not sure i can do over 1000 pages, no matter how well endowed the main character is. lol!
Well done on reading Shogun. That is a monster of a book!
I’ve seen The Clan of the Cave Bear in the library and wondered about picking it up, they seem to have a few books from the series. Since you had a good time reading it, I think I’ll pick it up next time I head to the library to get some more books… I always need to be reminded what hypothermia is haha!
I might read the next one in the series at some point. I have so many books on my list to read before that though!
I would be terrible at book challenges like this! You do so swell!
They’re mostly books I want/need to read anyway so that makes it easier 😉