Mid-Year Reading Goal Checkpoint

You can check out my original goals post to see what I was thinking of doing this year. The main reading project I took on that isn't mentioned is the TBR Explode project, which I've been updating every three months.

1. Read Asia

I'm currently reading two more books that will count for this challenge, but here is what I've read so far:

Burma/Myanmar
The Long Path to Wisdom: Tales from Burma by Jan-Philipp Sendker

China
Broken Stars: Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction in Translation edited by Ken Liu
Double Awesome Chinese Food by Margaret Li

Japan
After Dark by Haruki Murakami
After the Quake by Haruki Murakami
Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman by Haruki Murakami
My Brother's Husband V. 1 by Gengoroh Tagame  

My Brother's Husband V. 2 by Gengoroh Tagame

Laos
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman

The Philippines
America is Not the Heart by Elaine Castillo
The Body Papers by Grace Talusan
Monsoon Mansion by Cinelle Barnes
Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay

Singapore
Aunty Lee's Delights by Ovidia Yu

Thailand
Arid Dreams by Duanwad Pimwana
Bright by Duanwad Pimwana
The Sad Part Was by Prabda Yoon
Sightseeing by Rattawut Lapcharoensap

Vietnam
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

2. Host two readalongs

Right on time with this. I participated in two joint readalongs with the Book Cougars, and hosted the one for Gone with the Wind on Reading Envy. We have started discussing the fall readalong in the Goodreads group.

3. Six themed recommendations episodes

I'm not sure if I'll make it to 6! But here are the three we've done so far:

April - Poetry with Lauren
Late April - Memoir with Karen
May- Music with Thomas

4. Back to the Classics Challenge

Since I read almost exclusively new and upcoming stuff (whoops,) this is an attempt to read more classics! I gave myself the easy goal of only fulfilling half these categories, so 6, and I've done 5. I'll only list books I have completed, removing the books I might read from my original list in December. In the end I may rearrange some of these, because I'm likely to read more than one classic book from the Americas, but maybe only Gone with the Wind will count for the really long one.

1. 19th Century Classic. Any classic book originally published between 1800 and 1899.

2. 20th Century Classic. Any classic book originally published between 1900 and 1969. All books in this category must have been published at least 50 years ago. The only exceptions are books that were published posthumously but were written at least 50 years ago.
The Fountain Overflows by Rebecca West (1956)

3. Classic by a Woman Author.
Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner

4. Classic in Translation. Any classic originally written in a novel other than your native language. You may read the book in your native language, or its original language (or a third language for all you polyglots!) Modern translations are acceptable, as long as the book was originally published at least 50 years ago. Books in translation are acceptable in all other categories as well.
The Popul Vuh (new translation by Michael Bazzett)

5. Classic Comic Novel. Any comedy, satire, or humorous work. Humor is very subjective, so if you think Crime and Punishment is hilarious, go ahead and use it, but if it's a work that's traditionally not considered humorous, please tell us why in your post. Some classic comic novels: Cold Comfort Farm; Three Men in a Boat; Lucky Jim; and the works of P. G. Wodehouse.

6. Classic Tragic Novel. Tragedies traditionally have a sad ending, but just like the comedies, this is up for the reader to interpret. Examples include The Grapes of Wrath, House of Mirth, and Madame Bovary.

7. Very Long Classic. Any classic single work 500 pages or longer, not including introductions or end notes. Omnibus editions of multiple works do not count. Since page counts can vary depending on the edition, average the page count of various editions to determine the length.

8. Classic Novella. Any work of narrative fiction shorter than 250 pages.

9. Classic From the Americas (includes the Caribbean). Includes classic set in either continent or the Caribbean, or by an author originally from one of those countries.
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

10. Classic From Africa, Asia, or Oceania (includes Australia). Any classic set in one of those contents or islands, or by an author from these countries. Examples include Palace Walk by Naguib Mahfouz (Egypt); The Makioka Sisters by Junichiro Tanizaki (Japan); On the Beach by Nevile Shute (Australia); Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe (Nigeria).

11. Classic From a Place You've Lived. Read locally! Any classic set in a city, county, state or country in which you've lived, or by a local author. Choices for me include Giant by Edna Ferber (Texas); Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser (Chicago); and Buddenbrooks by Thomas Mann (Germany).

12. Classic Play. Any play written or performed at least 50 years ago. Plays are eligible for this category only.
A Doll House by Henrik Ibsen (audio)