The Read What You Own Challenge - Fail!

[@DrCrankyPantsReads]

I am impressed with your progress on the TBR. It's an increasingly Sisyphean task, but we try ever forward.

[@ReadbyFred]

Definitely true. It now feels like my aim to read all my books may never be completed. Booktube has something to do with this :p

[@DrCrankyPantsReads]

@@ReadbyFred You can also just blame Zeno's paradox. That's my vote.

[@mindysbookjourney]

The book you bought is perfect to read this time of year. You did really well.

[@ReadbyFred]

Thanks Mindy! Yeah, how could I _not_ pick up an auto-biography of Elvira for Halloween - looking forward to reading it :)

[@BryanM.R.-prionic1]

Eh, I understand. I HAVE to keep hoarding books. How else will I temporarily quell the howling maelstrom of nothingness within? Okay, maybe you'd better not answer that one. 😜 Fungi are especially interesting from a chemical point of view. The versatility of their enzymatic toolkit is something else. I was about to suggest that fungi are the only organisms that can fully degrade lignin, but I figured the microbiologists could probably rattle off a whole complement of prokaryotes that can do it, and I was correct. 🙄 But at least for eukaryotes, fungi are pretty biochemically impressive. 😁 Great video. Hope you have a nice week.

[@ReadbyFred]

This book, coupled with the documentary on Fungi _Fantastic Fungi_ really opened my eyes to the world of fungi. I mean, I take pictures of various mushrooms (I found a blue mushroom once!) but never really grasped just how extensive and important they are to our ecosystem. I'd never forage though. I don't trust my knowledge that much :p

[@maewyn01]

Good to see you back on YT. - Reaching for the moon is going on my TBR. You read some interesting books. Have a great day.

[@ReadbyFred]

Reaching for the Moon was such an amazing read. I'm sure you're going to enjoy it :)

[@bookstalgic]

Fred, you did so well with this challenge, truly! I can’t believe you held off for so long before buying a new book - that’s strong willpower for sure 👍. It was great to get a quick summary of everything you ended up reading. I think the ones that I would like to read the most that you mentioned are Longitude, The Remarkable Lives of Earthworms, The Lost City of the Monkey Gods, The Invention of Nature and Reaching for the Moon. What an amazing honor she received. I can’t imagine the level of perseverance and inner strength she must’ve had and how moving to have been recognized like that in her older years 🥹. Haha Elvira! That sounds like a fun memoir! I think we were all mesmerized by her when we were young! 😂🧛🏻‍♀️. Hope you enjoy the rest of October! 🍁🎃👻

[@ReadbyFred]

OMG, I just finished chapter 4 from Elvira's book. I don't know if what she's saying is true, but OMG I sure hope not. Definitely written by Cassandra Peterson - I can hear her voice when reading this book :)

[@bookstalgic]

@@ReadbyFred Haha, oh boy, now I'm even more intrigued!

[@cafecryptic]

Dang, Fred, sound like you got a lot read this year! I wish I were as devoted as you to non-fiction, especially when it comes to science! I cannot judge the Elvira autobiography, good for you!!!

[@ReadbyFred]

I was actually surprised that 80% of my reading was non-fiction. I thought it was more 60/40. In 2025 I'm going to try and read a bit more fiction (literary classics).

[@TimeTravelReads]

Some of these are on my TBR. I hope I get to them someday.

[@ReadbyFred]

That's great! Let me know which ones you get to when you do :)

[@TheGrapeJellyLibrary]

Hi Fred, Thank you for the mention! I loved that you didn’t mention the book recommend until the end. I was trying to figure out which book it would be based on the books that you’ve mentioned in this video. I was totally off!!!😂 I was thinking the book you were going to reference was The Butchering Art by Lindsey Fitzharris (excellent story about Joseph Lister), alas, it was not the book I thought. ……. Good Ole Elvira!!! Have a ball with that shocker of a book! 😂 If that book were to be your Saturday Night dedication book, every night would be Saturday night. Enjoy! I’m putting The City Of The Lost Monkey and The Earth Moved on my TBR. Thank you!! 😊

[@ReadbyFred]

The Butchering Art sounds very interesting, but Elvira took top honors :) My wife wants to read it too so it's going to be a fun buddy read :)

[@Adventures_in_Literature]

Will definitely need to check out Island of the Sequined Love Nun, it sounds absolutely hilarious.

[@ReadbyFred]

I laughed so hard I cried at the end of chapter 2 and the start of chapter 3. It's a garbaugusty book for sure :)

[@stuartgriffin1001]

The Elvira book is also a good October read for Halloween month. I came up with 40 physical books I owned that I wanted to read this year. I've only read a few. I have failed badly

[@ReadbyFred]

I'm looking forward to starting the book. Ah well, at least we read some of the books :)

[@amyschmelzer6445]

I’ve only read one of those books. I liked Babel well enough. I thought it was a little long. I thought the satire of Yellowface was more my style than the dark academia of Babel. I am going to do a RWYO challenge again this year but I am changing the rules. 1. I can buy 1 book each month if it’s for a bookclub but I have to read it the same month. 2. Library books are fine to read but obviously they won’t help diminish my physical TBR. 3. The challenge will run from November through March. My library’s used book sale is in April when I can and will buy whatever catches my eye again.

[@ReadbyFred]

Those are great rules. I'm happy that I read 21 books before buying another; and, will likely continue to finish off the ones I have ... well, until another ridiculously amazing sale happens for a book I'd like and I cave in :p

[@GentleReader01]

Your list of read books and reactions parallel mine - I’ve read most of this and similar thoughts. Foundation is pretty limp in a lot of ways, but I forgive them for “Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.” I aspire to a society with less veneration of violence. Raoul McLaughlin’s The Roman Empire And The Silk Routes is a surprisingly lively and engaging study of just what it says, with a lot of useful specifics. Very highly recommended - it may be the best historical economics book I’ve ever read. I haven’t read Elvira’s book yet, but friends who have tell me it’s an informative delight.

[@ReadbyFred]

I would wish more world leaders would _aspire to a society with less veneration of violence_ - it would make the world a much better place. If you ever start a booktube channel, I'll be there to watch your videos :)

[@GentleReader01]

@@ReadbyFred Okay :) I started using Goodreads again and need to catch up with reviews as it is, with the same handle there as here for convenience’s sake.

[@fiberartsyreads]

Well let’s be honest Elvira is totally worth it! you did a great job on the challenge especially with reading so much nonfiction. I’m still doing my 100 book challenge, I’m up to 68 now. Just going slow and steady and feeling good about the challenge. I’ve been wanting to read Entangled Life! I gotta get to it.

[@ReadbyFred]

Hah!, yes Elvira was totally worth breaking the challenge. That's awesome - I hope you hit the 100 book mark :)

[@ToddsBookTube91]

Nice video Fred!

[@ReadbyFred]

Thanks Todd! I'm pretty happy that I read 21/40. I'll continue with the rest, but after I've read Elvira :)

[@bookssongsandothermagic]

Great video with a huge range of books that you've read during the challenge. These challenges are hard!! That's why I'm doing a time one rather than a number of books - for 2 months, I won't be buying anything....maybe that would be easier for you? I've read two Christopher Moore books and liked them a lot.

[@ReadbyFred]

I may hold off on the next challenge, but wow, I was surprised by how much non-fiction I read. I mean, I knew it was my top genre, but like 80% ?! In 2025 I may try and focus on reading more literary classics.

[@Montie-Adkins]

Dang, dude. i think this was your longest video. I thought babel was high quality but the magic system felt like an add-on. The first Foundation book I read was Foundation and Earth, the 2nd was Prelude to Foundation, and the 3rd many years later was Foundation. The original Foundation book does not hold up. I was quite disappointed. The Biggest Number in the World. I have not read it, but a big number book blew up my brain this year called A Short Stay In Hell by Stephen Peck, a novella of 109 pages.

[@ReadbyFred]

Hah, yeah, it's a long video (well, for me anyway). _A Short Stay In Hell_ sounds like a really interesting read - lot of good reviews for it. I may pick it up when it goes on deep discount :)

[@ralphjenkins1507]

👋 ❤

[@TheBookclectic]

Oh I'm reading Yours Cruelly this month a well! I actually meant to read it last October, but I didn't get to it. ❤

[@ReadbyFred]

Hooray! I've heard so many good things about her auto-biography that I'm looking forward to starting it :)

[@ATruthUniversallyAcknowledged]

I’m tempted to do a Read What I Own Challenge for 2025 but I’m afraid I’ll fail in the first month! 😂

[@ReadbyFred]

I'm sure you'd do great! For me it was a good experience. While I didn't hit my goal, I can say that I put a good dent into my list of unread books :)