Curious Endeavourances - Get Curious!

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So if you hadn't heard by now, I am part of a book club that meets monthly to discuss all of our curious findings. I did/do have a small blurb of it on my Books link, but since we began posting our online hangouts live, I figured why not post them all in one place here? What possible other purpose could this website serve if not to publicly ridicule me? 


All of the information about our book club, as well as access to membership and even staring in one of these videos yourself, can be found on our GoodReads page here. If you are super psyched about hearing other people's opinions about books, read about them on the Curious Endeavouraces blog here. And if you just really can't get enough of me and what I think about books, you can read all of my reviews of everything I read here. Or you can skip the readings and just watch the videos below! 


Here's hoping I keep this updated!
August 19, 2013

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December 2013 -
The Hogfather
by Terry Pratchett

TBA

Curious Awards Won:
Member Award: "The Cone of Shame" Ashley (Me)
for not only not finishing the novel but completely forgetting about the Book Club meeting
Literary Award: "Worst Fairy in the World" - Cheerful FairyLiterary Award: ""The Craziest Teatime I've Ever Had"
Author Award: "Undefeated Champion of the Battle of Wits"

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Curious Awards Won:
Literary Award: "Most Obscure Use of Really Advanced Technology"
Literary Award: "Ultimate Culture Clash"

November 2013 - 
MacBeth
by Richard Appignanesi
& Robert Deas

It's William Shakespeare's beloved dark Scottish tragedy, only unlike anything the bard could have possibly imagined: Post-apocalyptic robot-tech mutant samurais! In this mind-bending manga edition, the original dialogue follows a unique looking cast in a way that works for some but not for all. Reviews on this are mixed, but if you love manga and are trying to warm up to the bard, this might be the right fit for you.

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Curious Endeavourances' Readers'Choice
Due to the overwhelming love felt for this novel, Curious Endeavourances has created a separate level of honour for the truly amazing Storytellers we encounter. This is  called: The Knights of the Curious Table. Only those authors who have proven themselves true Masters of Storytelling shall be granted this honour. Max Barry has earned a place at this table.

Cer Max Barry, Master Storyteller, Knight of the Curious Table

October 2013 -
Lexicon
by Max Barry

A fictional tale of a secret academy that teaches powerful persuasion to the best and brightest, but like any power, is prone to corruption, and for a small town in Australia, mass murder. Reading "Lexicon" is like having a grappling hook shoot itself into you and drag you along for the ride in a high-speed chase. A story about the life-changing power of words, the manipulation of minds, and the questioning of who controls your understanding and desires rings with so much truth even if it's set with Harry Potter-like magic words and secret organizations out for world domination. It's worth a read.

Curious Awards Won:
Literary Award: "Most Lovable Badass - Tom Eliot
Literary Award: "Most Unexpected Shoe Obsession" - Yeats 
Author Award: "The Literary Pretzel of Multiple Timelines"
Author Award: "Most Vivid Personalities Written in a 3rd Person Narrative"

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Curious Endeavourances' Readers'Choice
Due to the overwhelming love felt for this novel, Curious Endeavourances has created a separate level of honour for the truly amazing Storytellers we encounter. This is to be called: The Knights of the Curious Table. Only those authors who have proven themselves true Masters of Storytelling shall be granted this honour. Neil Gaiman has earned a place at this table.

Cer Neil Gaiman, Master Storyteller, Knight of the Curious Table

September 2013 -
Ocean At The End Of The Lane
by Neil Gaiman

An amazing piece of Literary Fiction/Fantasy that follows the narrative of a man who is suddenly swept up in the memories of his childhood as he visits the old Hempstock farmhouse, the place where his life was changed forever. In the most out-of-this world moments of magic, the sincerest truths about our own realities are tugged out from the depths of your heart, but it's so subtle that you won't even feel the stirrings inside of you until you reach that final page. You'll go into this novel as a reader, you will come out of it with your soul laid bare. A highly recommended read by all of us at Curious Endeavourances.

Curious Awards Won:
Literary Award: "The Most Recommendable Book Award"
Literary Award: "Can You Adopt Me, Please?" - the Hempstocks
Literary Award: "Supernatural Homewrecker" - Ursula Monkton
Author Award: "You, Sir, Have Changed My Life Forever"

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August 2013 -
Metal Magic: Talisman
by Derek Donais

An YA fantasy novel about a young brother and sister trying to keep an ancient magic out of the hands of a terrorizing War-Witch. It sounds like an amazing concept but unfortunately it was poorly executed, under-developed, and there are inconsistencies between the print and e-book versions.

Curious Awards Won:
Literary Award: "The Most Inappropriate Uses of Commas in Both Amount and Placement"
Author Award: "The Master of Allusions Award"
Member Award: "Worst Pick"

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July 2013, part 2 -
The Shape of Water
by Andrea Camilleri

An interesting slower paced crime novel that's about character, not suspense.

Curious Awards Won:
Literary Award: "The Most Steadfast and Faithful Man in the Face of Women Throwing Themselves at Him"

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July 2013, part 1 -
Casino Royale
by Ian Fleming

Apparently I'm the only person who doesn't hate this book

Curious Awards Won:
Literary Award: "The Distractingly Educational Award"
Literary Award: "The Most Poorly Received Proposal Award"

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June 2013 - 
The Reluctant Fundamentalist 
by Mohsin Hamid

An interesting novel that's less mind-blowing than I think it was supposed to be.

Curious Awards Won:
Literary Award: "The Too Much Information (TMI) Told to a Stranger Award"

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May 2013 - 
Titus Groan 
by Mervyn Peake

The best book ever written!

Curious Awards Won:
Literary Award: "The Frivolous Cake Award"
Literary Award: "The Most Satisfying Ending Award"
Member Award: "Best Pick"
Author Award: "We Will Fornicate Under Consent of the King if you promise to just keep narrating"

Cer Mervyn Peake, Master Storyteller, Knight of the Curious Table

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Previous Hangouts were not recorded. You'll have to read the January - April ones, sorry!

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