Sorry I'm late! X_x

Books read in September 2014

This month, I've read mostly (but not only) short works, partly in order to catch up with my goal (which is a number of books and not a page count), partly because I'm starting to go through a list of English-language children's classics, most of which are short. But I didn't just read children's books - I think I'd get tired of them after a while if I read nothing else, even for only a month.

Puella Magi Kazumi Magica vol. 4 (Manga)
Finally! The pace of the story gets a lot faster with this volume, and it's definitely a good thing. With the darker aspects of the story unfolding, it feels like Madoka again. I think there were too many characters, but most of them have been killed off by now, so things are easier to understand. I think the manga could have benefitted from a recap page with introductions of all the characters, like in kids' manga, because there are just too many characters here and some of them really look alike. X_x

The Jungle Book, by Rudyard Kipling
I've decided to read some children's classics in English, and this was the first one. I was told this book was extremely racist, but it wasn't as bad as I thought considering the time when it was written. Apart from that, I don't have much to say, except maybe that I wasn't really able to suspend my disbelief for the humanized behavior of the animal characters. Animal stories aren't usually a problem for me, neither are children's stories in general, but this one... just didn't work for me for some reason.

Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie
Despite this being an international classic, I had never read it before. I found this story really interesting because it is about childhood, imagination and magic - and if I'm not mistaken, it is one of the first stories to actually explore the relationship between these three concepts in that way which people now take for granted. I liked the ending too, since it didn't offer a clear conclusion on whether or not growing up is a good thing.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
I think I read Huckleberry Finn aaaages ago, but not this one. I don't have much to say about this book, I found it entertaining. ^^

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert (French)
This is a big French 19th-century classic that many if not most French people read in high school, but since the teachers choose the books, I didn't have to read this one (I had to read other similar books instead). I hate when everyone knows something and I don't, so I decided to read it. This is also what this challenge is for : reading all the classics I missed out on xD.
I'm not too fond of 19th-century realist novels because it seems to me that they are all alike - they're all about dysfunctional relationships, disillusion and, most of all, money. It's like every single of these novels ends with the main characters having money issues. I'm not sure if it was really everyone's obsession at the time, or if it's just the novels, but I seriously find this annoying. And, well, let's just say that this particular novel was no exception. X_x

The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
I think it's my father who keeps mentioning this book to me. Anyway, it was recommended to me so often that I had to give it a go. Also, it's old-fashioned sci-fi! The kind of sci-fi that makes me giggle rather than scratch my head - I'm not into science and the science part of science-fiction usually keeps me away from this genre. What I appreciate in sci-fi is not how impressive the scientific vocabulary is, but the depth of the philosophical or ethic implications. And from this point of view, The Time Machine is... well, maybe not exactly deep, but interesting nonetheless.

Charlotte by David Foenkinos (French)
This book came out very recently, so I don't think it has been translated into other languages yet, assuming it will ever be. I read it because I was asked to read a very recent book, so I chose the one that looked the least boring. XD
I was a bit put off by the writing style at first, but I eventually got used to it. What is also surprising is the intervention of the author's voice, or what I assume is his voice, throughout the narrative. It ensures that the book cannot be read as being just fiction, since it is about a real person.

Books read: 40/52 (+7)
Week: 40/52

I finally caught up! I'll try to keep up for the remaining three months. I don't think I will do this challenge again next year because it is starting to get slightly annoying for me. From time to time, I find reading a chore because I know I've got the challenge to do. :/

Anime watched in September 2014

Chobits (25 episodes)
I finally got to see this. Considering that it starts as pretty much 100 percent fanservice, clichés and eye candy, I was surprised this anime could actually have an interesting ending, so I was surprised in a good way. ^^

I am nearly (but not quite) at the end of my to-watch list. So I probably won't continue this challenge next year either. I'll focus more on watching new anime as their air.