jump to navigation

Lost in Translation Challenge November 9, 2008

Posted by 3m in challenges.
add a comment


This is a great challenge that I’ll definitely be participating in.  I love reading world literature, and it’s been my goal for the last two years to also read more in translation.  In 2007, I read 14 titles with 10 different languages represented, and so far in 2008, I’ve read 19 books with 9 different languages in translation.

The goal of Frances’s challenge is to read six works in translation.  I’ll plan on having at least 6 different languages respresented as well.  This will be a good one!

  1. The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa (Japanese)
  2. Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair by Pablo Neruda (Spanish)
  3. Thousand Cranes by Kawabata (Japanese #2)
  4. X-Kai- Vol. 2 by Asami Tohjoh (Japanese #3)
  5. Fear and Trembling by Amelie Nothomb (French)
  6. Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto (Japanese #4)
  7. The Reader by Bernard Schlink (German)
  8. So Long a Letter by Mariama Ba (French #2)
  9. Solaris  by Stanislaw Lem (Polish)
  10. A Tale of Two Gardens by Octavio Paz (Spanish #2)
  11. The Devil and Miss Prym by Paulo Coelho (Portuguese)
  12. Zlateh the Goat and Other Stories  by Isaac Bashevis Singer (Yiddish)
  13. The House of Paper by Carlos Maria Dominguez (Spanish #3)
  14. Ravel by Jean Echenoz (French #3)

Some titles I’m thinking about:

  • The Good Women of China by Xinran (Chinese)
  • Kafka on the Shore by Murakami (Japanese)
  • The Devil and Miss Prym by Coelho (Portuguese)
  • Ficciones by Borges (Spanish)
  • The Girl Who Played with Fire by Larsson (Swedish)
  • The Summer Book by Jansson (Swedish)
  • To Siberia by Petterson (Norwegian)
  • Measuring the World (German)
  • Effi Briest by Fontane (German)
  • Night Train to Lisbon (German)
  • ? by Zweig (German)
  • Inkspell (German)
  • Inkdeath (German)
  • The Piano Teacher (German)
  • The Neverending Story (German)

World literature in ’08 so far (TSS) November 9, 2008

Posted by 3m in by setting, sunday salon.
Tags: , ,
add a comment

Have you been reading any world literature lately?  Do you enjoy books in a particular world location?

I do enjoy reading from authors outside the U.S., and I’ve been happy with my results for 2008 so far.  I’ve really enjoyed being a part of both Canadian Challenges.  I’ve read three each by L.M. Montgomery and Atwood with hopes to read more of both authors next year.

What’s also amazing was that I read two books (in translation, of course) originally in Icelandic and none (so far) in Spanish.  I never would have predicted that!  Here is the breakdown by original language:

  • Japanese (5)
  • French (4)
  • Hungarian (3)
  • Icelandic (2)
  • German (1)
  • Chinese (1)
  • Italian (1)
  • Norwegian (1)
  • Swedish (1)

The list below is by author nationality.  If a book is set in a different country, it is noted.  Also, some of the authors have moved from their original country, and if known, that is also indicated.  I should have a few more titles to add to this list by the end of the year.  (I’m behind on my reviews, but eventually they’ll get there.)

Australia

Canada

China

  • Sky Burial by Xinran (set in Tibet; author now lives in Great Britain)

Czech Republic

  • The Castle by Franz Kafka (originally in German)

France

  • Snow by Maxence Fermine (set in Japan)

Great Britain

Hungary

Iceland

India

Iran

  • Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (now lives in France)
  • Persepolis II by Marjane Satrapi (now lives in France)

Ireland

Italy

  • Silk by Alessandro Baricco (set in Japan)

Japan

  • Strangers by Taichi Yamada
  • After Dark by Haruki Murakami
  • Silence by Shusaku Endo
  • X-Kai by Asami Tohjoh
  • Vampire Hunter D by Hideyuki Kikuchi

Nigeria

Norway

  • Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson

Russia

  • Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (later lived in U.S.; set in U.S.; originally in English)

South Africa

Sudan

Sweden

U.S. authors with books in foreign settings

Notable Books Challenge Complete! November 8, 2008

Posted by 3m in challenges.
add a comment

notables.jpg
**Button compliments of TypoGenerator

Hosted by Wendy and lasted all of 2008.

For this challenge I committed to 6 books, hoped to read 8, and ended up with 9!  My favorites by far were The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Unaccustomed Earth, and Out Stealing Horses.  My least favorites were Breath and On Chesil Beach.

The books I read in order of enjoyment:

  1. The Invention of Hugo Cabret stars4h.gif by Brian Selznick
  2. Unaccustomed Earth stars4h.gif by Jhumpa Lahiri
  3. Out Stealing Horses stars4h.gif by Per Petterson
  4. After Dark stars3h.gif by Murakami (I’m thinking of changing this to a ‘4’)
  5. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows stars3h.gif by J.K. Rowling (Too many deaths)
  6. The Cloud of Unknowing stars3h.gif by Thomas H. Cook
  7. The Gathering stars4.gif by Anne Enright (Even though this is rated higher, it was mostly because of the writing. It’s not really a book I ‘enjoyed’)
  8. On Chesil Beach stars3.gif by Ian McEwan (I’m thinking of lowering this rating)
  9. Breath stars2.gif by Tim Winton (I actually liked the first 3/4 of this)

Weekly Geeks #23: Challenges November 7, 2008

Posted by 3m in challenges, weekly geeks.
add a comment

Dewey’s Weekly Geeks #23 was to re-do a previous week. I chose to organize and update my challenge list. I’m not going to complete some challenges that I joined, but that’s okay. It’s been a great reading year so far, and challenges and fellow book bloggers really help on the journey.

These are listed in reverse order of completion and/or challenge end date, so completed challenges are at the bottom of the list.  Further updates can be found at this link.

Decades Challenge Complete! November 7, 2008

Posted by 3m in challenges.
add a comment

08decades.JPGI read a lot more consecutive decades in 2007, but I still had fun reading my choices and enjoyed the challenge.  I just decided to list all the books that fit a particular decade.

My favorites were probably the oldest book, Dracula and the first three books of the Anne of Green Gables series. Maus I and II were my favorites of the newer titles.

Want to join Decades 2009?  Just head on over to the Decades blog to sign up.

What I read:

1890’s

1900’s

1910’s

1920’s

  • The Castle by Franz Kafka

1930’s

1940’s

1950’s

1960’s

1970’s

1980’s

1990’s

Book to Movie Challenge Complete! November 7, 2008

Posted by 3m in challenges.
add a comment

Challenge lasted from September 1 through December 1.

The goal was to read at least 3 books that have been made into movies. I really loved ALL of my choices.

I liked the Children of Men book much better than the movie;  and whoa, they changed the storyline a ton.  I did like Clive Owen and a very few things that were different, but overall I say read the book.

Dracula and Anne of Avonlea both received a rare 5-star rating.  I started the movie with Gary Oldman in it and still want to watch it, but I didn’t think it was appropriate for my kids so I’ll have to watch it later.  I got the Anne movie adaptations from Netflix, and I can’t wait to watch those.

Last but not least, it was a re-read, but I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the audiobook of The Outsiders with my family.  A few days later we watched the movie and all of us thought it was great; it follows the book almost exactly.  It was really fun to share both the book and the movie with my teenage sons.

Thanks, Callista, for hosting this again!

What I read:

  1. Children of Men by P.D. James
  2. Dracula by Bram Stoker
  3. Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery
  4. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

PW’s Best of 2008 November 6, 2008

Posted by 3m in books general.
add a comment

Click on the logo for the list. I’ve only read Unaccustomed Earth, which I loved, and Breath, which I didn’t at all care for. The only other one from the list that I’m definitely reading before the end of the year is When Will There Be Good News.

How many have you read? Do you agree or disagree with their choices?

Graphic Novel Challenge Complete! November 5, 2008

Posted by 3m in challenges.
add a comment

graphicnovels.jpg

Reading at least 6 graphic novels during 2008.

Wow, wasn’t this one of the best challenges all year?  I really want to thank Dewey for introducing me to this genre.  Almost all of these were simply fantastic.  My least favorite was X-Kai, which was really a manga anyway.  It, too, was interesting, though, as I’ve never read a book backwards before.

I can’t thank you enough, Dewey!

What I read:

  1. Maus by Art Spiegelman
  2. Maus II by Art Spiegelman
  3. American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
  4. The Arrival by Shaun Tan
  5. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
  6. Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
  7. Persepolis 2 by Marjane Satrapi
  8. Blankets by Craig Thompson
  9. The Borden Tragedy by Rick Geary
  10. X-Kai by Asami Tohjoh

Whew! — Triple 8 Challenge Completed! November 5, 2008

Posted by 3m in challenges.
add a comment

888.JPG

This was a gigantic challenge!!!  I decided NOT to have any overlaps.  So, I had 64 unique books — 8 different books in 8 different categories.  I’m not doing a 999 challenge, but I’m glad I was able to complete the 888 challenge.  The only challenge harder than this one to complete will be the A-Z, but I have only five more titles on that one so will probably be able to complete it.

I’m happiest about all the world literature on this list!  Particularly the languages in translation.  Reading eight different female Canadian authors was fun, too.

My list:

8 Award Winners

  1. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time stars4h.gif by Mark Haddon (Whitbread)
  2. Life & Times of Michael K stars4.gif by J. M. Coetzee (Booker)
  3. The Gathering stars4.gif by Anne Enright (Booker)
  4. The Bluest Eye stars4.gif by Toni Morrison (Nobel)
  5. Beloved stars4.gif by Toni Morrison (Pulitzer, Nobel)
  6. Life of Pi stars4.gif by Yann Martel (Booker)
  7. Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! stars4.gif by Laura Amy Schlitz (Newbery)
  8. Detective Story stars3.gif by Imre Kertesz (Nobel)

8 debut authors

  1. The Mayor’s Tongue stars3h.gif by Nathaniel Rich
  2. The Sister stars4h.gif by Poppy Adams
  3. The Undiscovered Country stars4.gif by Lin Enger
  4. The God of Animals stars4.gif by Aryn Kyle
  5. The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson
  6. Atmospheric Disturbances stars4h.gif by Rivka Galchen
  7. The White Tiger stars4h.gif by Aravind Adiga
  8. The Pets by Bragi Olafsson
  9. Mudbound by Hillary Jordan

8 graphic novels

  1. Maus I stars5.gif by Art Spiegelman
  2. Maus II stars5.gif by Art Spiegelman
  3. American Born Chinese stars4.gif by Gene Luen Yang
  4. The Arrival stars3h.gif by Shaun Tan
  5. The Invention of Hugo Cabret stars4h.gif by Brian Selznick
  6. Persepolis I by Satrapi
  7. Blankets stars4.gif by Craig Thompson
  8. The Borden Tragedy stars4.gif by Rick Geary
  9. X-Kai by by Asami Tohjoh

8 different languages in translation

  1. Independent People stars4.gif by Halldor Laxness (Icelandic)
  2. Silence stars4h.gif by Shusaku Endo (Japanese)
  3. The Castle by Franz Kafka (German)
  4. Kaddish for a Child not Born stars4h.gif by Imre Kertesz (Hungarian)
  5. Snow stars3h.gif by Maxence Fermine (French)
  6. Silk stars3h.gif by Alessandro Baricco (Italian)
  7. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo stars3h.gif by Stieg Larsson (Swedish)
  8. Out Stealing Horses stars4h.gif by Per Petterson (Norwegian)

8 different countries (Around the World)

  1. Things Fall Apart stars4.gif by Chinua Achebe (Nigeria)
  2. The Translator stars4.gif by Daoud Hari (Sudan)
  3. Strangers stars4h.gif by Taichi Yamada (Japan)
  4. Embers stars3h.gif by Sandor Marai (Hungary)
  5. Cat’s Eye stars4h.gif by Margaret Atwood (Canada)
  6. The Cellist of Sarajevo stars4.gif by Steven Galloway (former Yugoslavia)
  7. The Secret Scripture stars4h.gif by Sebastian Barry (Ireland)
  8. Breath stars2.gif by Tim Winton (Australia)

8 different female Canadian authors

  1. Anne of Green Gables stars4h.gif by L.M. Montgomery
  2. The Penelopiad stars4h.gif by Margaret Atwood
  3. Water for Elephants stars4.gif by Sara Gruen
  4. The Road Past Altamont stars4h.gif by Gabrielle Roy
  5. Kanada stars3h.gif by Eva Wiseman
  6. Sitting Practice stars3h.gif by Caroline Adderson
  7. Bear starsh.gif by Marian Engel
  8. Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet) stars4h.gif by Anne-Marie MacDonald

8 newly published in 2008

  1. The House at Riverton stars4.gif by Kate Morton
  2. Dreamers of the Day stars3h.gif by Mary Doria Russell
  3. Winter Haven stars4.gif by Athol Dickson
  4. Belong to Me stars4.gif by Marisa de los Santos
  5. The Forgery of Venus stars3h.gif by Michael Gruber
  6. Keeper and Kid stars3h.gif by Edward Hardy
  7. The Story of a Marriage stars1.gif by Andrew Sean Greer
  8. The Graveyard Book stars4h.gif by Neil Gaiman

8 Fantasy

  1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone stars4.gif by J. K. Rowling
  2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets stars4h.gif by J.K. Rowling
  3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban stars4.gif by J.K. Rowling
  4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire stars4h.gif by J.K. Rowling
  5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix stars4.gif by J.K. Rowling
  6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince stars3h.gif by J.K. Rowling
  7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows stars3h.gif by J.K. Rowling
  8. Vampire Hunter D by Hideyuki Kikuchi

Mudbound by Hillary Jordan November 5, 2008

Posted by 3m in "j" authors, "m" titles, 2000's, 300-449, 4 stars, review.
add a comment

Hillary Jordan has written a very good debut novel that speaks on war, racism, marriage, and living off the land. The story is told by various narrators throughout the book. Henry and Laura are a white married couple who move to the Mississippi delta to raise cotton. Henry loves the land, but Laura misses city life and is deeply unhappy.  She also has to live and deal with her racist father-in-law for the first time.

Hap and Florence are a black couple living on Henry’s farm as renters.  Hap is a preacher, while Florence is a midwife who also helps Laura with some of her housework.  Their oldest child Ronsel is in the military and serving in Germany, and when he comes back, he has to adjust back to a way of life that he is no longer accustomed to.  He does find a friend, however, in Jamie, Henry’s younger brother.  But, this doesn’t sit well with Henry and Jamie’s father, and trouble ensues.

This book all too painfully illustrates how much African-Americans have had to go through in this country. It does seem like the tide has changed with the historic election of our first black President, Barack Obama.  I sincerely hope that this event will be the turning point in race relations in the United States.

(All along while reading this book, I was thinking it was going to receive a 4.5 rating, but then at the end something is stated by Jamie that I was deeply offended by, and I changed my rating to a 4.  It didn’t ruin the book for me, but I think a better choice of words should have been uilized to avoid offending some readers.)

2008, 328 pp.
stars4.gif

Giveaway Winners November 5, 2008

Posted by 3m in give-aways.
add a comment

Winner of Beloved by Toni Morrison is Ramya, of Ramya’s Bookshelf.

Novels Now winner of So Long at the Fair by Christina Schwarz is Sunny, of That Book Addiction.

Congratulations!

It’s Tuesday, where are you? 11.04.08 November 4, 2008

Posted by 3m in it's tuesday where are you?.
add a comment



Gas under $2 here! November 4, 2008

Posted by 3m in personal.
add a comment

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=10477905

Giveaway: Beloved by Morrison — CLOSED November 3, 2008

Posted by 3m in give-aways.
comments closed

Beloved by Toni Morrison

USA and Canada only.

Drawing will be held Nov 5th.

Good luck!

To go back to the book giveaway carnival, click here.

Mailbox Monday 11.03.08 November 3, 2008

Posted by 3m in mailbox monday.
add a comment

Drood by Dan Simmons

Natasha and Other Stories by David Bezmozgis

Sulphuric Acid by Amelie Nothomb

Ratings Retrospective (TSS) November 2, 2008

Posted by 3m in sunday salon.
add a comment

I started keeping track of my reading in September of 2006. This past week as I was thinking about what to write today, I thought it would be fun to start a monthly ‘Ratings Retrospective’ that would look back on the books I read two years ago and reflect on the ratings I gave them and what, if anything, I’d have to say about the books today.  So, this is the inaugural post!

Here were the books I read in September and October of 2006, the ratings I gave them at the time, and my comments:

Books Read Sept ’06

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell 4

  • This book was very different and quite shocking to me.  It was my most thought-provoking book of 2006.  Missionaries in space.  Terrible (!) things happen.  It definitely asks the question of why God would allow atrocities to happen to his children.  And if he does, how do we deal with it?  Do we turn our backs on God or completely lose faith?  I would probably rate this book the same today, but it is one that will definitely stick with me forever.

Clay’s Quilt by Silas House Rating: 3.5
Parchment of Leaves by Silas House (bookclub pick) 3.5

  • I read both of these when my bookclub chose Parchment of Leaves.  Silas House is a Kentucky author who writes about the state and its people.  I enjoyed these more than the ratings reflect, but not enough to change them to a 4.  These books gave a great sense of place and of time.  My husband’s family is from Kentucky, so I also felt that I better understood the people of the region after reading House’s books.  These two books are about the same family, and there is a third one that I hope to get to in 2009 called The Coal Tattoo.

O Artful Death by Sarah Stewart Taylor 3

  • A murder mystery involving gravestone art.  A standard mystery that I really enjoyed at first, but I remember being let down by the ending.

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield 4

  • I read this the month it came out.  It was just a little too dark for my tastes to rate it much higher than a 4.  I did like it, just not as much as most people did.  I felt dirty and gross after reading some parts of it.  I don’t like feeling that way.

The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger 4

  • I loved this book and cannot wait for the movie to come out.  Clare and Henry were also one of my favorite literary couples I posted about last week.  So why did I rate it a 4 instead of a 4.5?  Language, too much s*x, etc.  The story is so good.  It didn’t need any of the junk I found objectionable.  I know most people don’t care about that stuff, but I do.

Red Leaves by Thomas H. Cook 3.5

  • I’ve read some books from Thomas H. Cook that I’ve absolutely loved.  Two being The Chatham School Affair and Breakheart Hill.  I’ve been a little disappointed with the last two that I’ve read by him.  Some people loved this one, though.

Plainsong by Kent Haruf Rating: 0.5

  • Wow, that’s a low rating, right?!  I was a little too close to this book, thus the harsh rating.  It’s set in extreme northeastern Colorado where I grew up.  I was so excited to read it.  At the time, I wasn’t used to the ‘experimental’ writing that some authors do.  Haruf’s book is chock full of run-on sentences and fragments and he doesn’t use any quotation marks, either.  Ugh.  I hated it.  Reviewers kept saying how Haruf really captured the people of the area, blah, blah, blah.  Trust me, I grew up there, and most of my family lives there now, and I don’t agree with these reviewers at all.  How could they know when they haven’t lived there themselves?  Haruf did live in the area for a few years, but perhaps he had a skewed perspective or something.  Anyway, the two farmer brothers did capture some characteristics of a few older bachelors I know, but that was about it.  I still plan on reading Eventide, the sequel to Plainsong.  I do love the cover of that book and am pretty sure I know which small town in the area that it is.

Books Read Oct ’06

Children of God by Mary Doria Russell 4

  • After reading The Sparrow, I absolutely had to find out the entire story!  I didn’t think this one was quite as good as the first book, but I still enjoyed it.

The Rebel Bookseller – Andrew Laties 3.5
The King’s English – Betsy Burton 4

  • These two are/were booksellers talking about their trades.  The King’s English has some great book lists in the back.

Evening Class – Maeve Binchy 4

  • This was my first Binchy, and I loved it!  I definitely need to read another of her books in 2009.

O is for Outlaw – Sue Grafton (bookclub pick) 3

  • I wouldn’t have read this except that it was for my bookclub.  I hadn’t read any of the other books in the series, so I hadn’t a clue about the main character, though I did find her to be a spunky chick.  Nothing great, but not horrible.

Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafón 3.5

  • I’m probably going to get skewered for this, but did  anyone else see the misogyny in this book?!  I thought I was going to love it after reading the first chapter.  I still liked the basic story of it, but the women haters in the book made me rate it lower.

Case Histories – Kate Atkinson 3

  • To be honest, I don’t remember much about this book.  I plan on reading her latest When Will There Be Good News? soon, and I’ve heard it is really good, so I’m hopeful I’ll like that one better.

Gilead – Marilynne Robinson 5

  • Marilynne Robinson’s writing is absolutely beautiful.  I have Home and cannot wait to get to it — hopefully this month.  This is what I wanted Plainsong to be.  These are the people I recognize.  A beautiful, beautiful book.

Well, there you have it!  I don’t think I’d change any of the ratings I gave.  I might give Plainsong a 1 star rating instead of only a 1/2 star.  I was pretty harsh, but like I said, perhaps I was too close to it to be objective.


Countdown Challenge November 1, 2008

Posted by 3m in challenges.
add a comment

I debated starting this challenge because there are so many challenges already out there, but this is one I personally really want to do.

There are so many newer books from the last few years that I haven’t read yet.  There’s the Pub Challenge for new books, the Decades Challenge for older books, so why not a challenge for something in between?  For books published in 2001-2009, the Countdown Challenge requires reading the number of books in the last digit of the year.  Nine for books published in 2009, 8 for 2008, 7 for 2007, etc.  It does require a commitment of 45 books, but if you’re already doing The Pub Challenge, it’s ‘only’ 36.  In addition, the challenge is retroactive.  It starts with books you’ve read after 8/8/08 and goes until 9/9/09.

For more info and to sign up for the challenge, click here.

Below are the books I’m considering reading for the challenge.  I’ve already fulfilled the requirements for 2008 already!

2009 (9 required)

  1. The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker
  2. The Houskeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa
  3. All the Living by C.E. Morgan
  4. Jane Austen Ruined My Life by Beth Pattillo
  • The Mystery of Grace by Charles De Lint
  • The Tricking of Freya by Christina Sunley
  • The Angel’s Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
  • Drood by Simmons
  • Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
  • Shanghai Girls by Lisa See
  • American Rust
  • The Believers by Heller
  • God’s Gardeners by Atwood
  • The Girl Who Played with Fire by Larsson

2008 (8 required — COMPLETE)

  1. Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen by Susan Gregg Gilmore
  2. The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson
  3. Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
  4. The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry
  5. The Story of a Marriage by Andrew Sean Greer
  6. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
  7. Breath by Tim Winton
  8. Atmospheric Disturbances by Rivka Galchen
  9. The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
  10. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
  11. The Pets by Bragi Olafsson
  12. Mudbound by Hillary Jordan
  13. Goldengrove by Francine Prose
  14. Downtown Owl by Chuck Klosterman
  15. Somebody Else’s Daughter by Elizabeth Brundage
  16. The Tomato Girl by Jayne Pupek
  17. Esther’s Inheritance by Sandor Marai
  18. Netherland by Joseph O’Neill
  19. The Book of Murder by Guillermo Martinez
  20. Broccoli and Other Tales of Food and Love by Lara Vapnyar
  21. A Mercy by Toni Morrison
  22. Ender in Exile by Orson Scott Card
  23. A Country Called Home by Kim Barnes
  24. The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry
  25. The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton
  26. The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J. K. Rowling
  27. The Miracle at Speedy Motors by Alexander McCall Smith

2007 (7 required — COMPLETE)

  1. Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson
  2. Finn by Jon Clinch
  3. Petropolis by Anya Ulinich
  4. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
  5. Ravel by Jean Echenoz
  6. The End of the Alphabet by C.S. Richardson
  7. Mistik Lake by Martha Brooks
  8. The Good Husband of Zebra Drive by Alexander McCall Smith
  • A Thousand Splendid Suns
  • In the Woods by French
  • First Among Sequels
  • Tenderness of Wolves
  • The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears
  • Savage Detectives
  • Bridge of Sighs
  • Then We Came to the End
  • Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox
  • Run by Ann Pachett
  • Reluctant Fundamentalist
  • Fire in the Blood
  • Maytrees
  • Someone Knows My Name
  • Astrid and Veronika
  • The Blood of Flowers
  • Gifted
  • Lottery
  • Mister Pip
  • The Rest Falls Away
  • Rises the Night
  • Eclipse
  • Yiddish Policeman’s Union
  • Heart Shaped Box
  • Down River by Hart
  • The Terror by Simmons

2006 (6 required — COMPLETE))

  1. X-Kai– by Asami Tohjoh
  2. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Vol. 1 by M.T. Anderson
  3. X-Kai- Vol. 2 by Asami Tohjoh
  4. Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
  5. The Devil and Miss Prym by Paul Coelho
  6. Blue Shoes and Happiness by Alexander McCall Smith
  7. An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
  • Measuring the World
  • Dream Life of Sukhanov
  • Special Topics in Calamity Physics
  • Last Town on Earth by Mullen
  • What is the What
  • Digging to America
  • Stolen Child by Donohue
  • Apex Hides the Hurt
  • Arthur and George
  • Black Swan Green
  • The Inhabited World
  • Intuition
  • Matrimony
  • The Tent by Atwood
  • Moral Disorder by Atwood
  • The Meaning of Night by Michael Cox
  • New Moon

2005 (5 required — COMPLETE)

  1. Vampire Hunter D by Hideyuki Kikuchi
  2. Sky Burial by Xinran (2004, 2005 for the English translation)
  3. Q & A by Vikas Swarup
  4. The House of Paper by Carlos Maria Dominguez
  5. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
  • Criss Cross by Lynn Rae Perkins
  • History of Love
  • Kafka on the Shore
  • Twilight
  • Inkspell
  • The Tender Bar
  • On Beauty Zadie Smith
  • Saturday by McEwan
  • Historian by Kostova
  • Eleanor Rigby by Coupland
  • Mother’s Milk
  • Please Don’t Come Back from the Moon
  • Seven Types of Ambiguity

2004 (4 required — COMPLETE)

  1. Beneath a Marble Sky by John Shors
  2. Kira Kira by Cynthia Kadohata
  3. Natasha and Other Stories by David Bezmozgis
  4. In the Company of Cheerful Ladies by Alexander McCall Smith
  • Something Rotten
  • Cloud Atlas
  • Master by Toibin
  • Confessions of Max Tivoli
  • Rules of Engagement by Brookner
  • Transmission by Kunzru

2003 (3 required — COMPLETE)

  1. Blankets by Craig Thompson
  2. Purple Hibiscus by Adichie
  3. The Full Cupboard of Life by Alexander McCall Smith
  • The Well of Lost Plots
  • The Namesake
  • Drinking Coffee Elsewhere
  • The Great Fire
  • Jennifer Government
  • Love by Toni Morrison
  • My Life as a Fake
  • Reunion by Alan Lightman
  • Sunday at the Pool in Kigali

2002 (2 required — COMPLETE)

  1. Fear and Trembling by Amelie Nothomb
  2. The Kalahari Typing School for Men by Alexander McCall Smith
  3. Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi
  • Lost in a Good Book

2001 (1 required — COMPLETE)

  1. Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
  2. Morality for Beautiful Girls by Alexander McCall Smith
  3. A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park

999/Countdown November 1, 2008

Posted by 3m in challenges.
add a comment

I’ve decided against hosting or doing a 999 challenge next year — I’m not that brave!  However, there is a group doing it at LibraryThing if you’re interested.  The group is here, and they’ve set up a blog here.

One of the reasons I decided against it was that I felt it would just be too big of a commitment in terms of the number of books involved.  Another reason was that I want to host another challenge called The Countdown Challenge.  This challenge still has a big commitment — 45 books — but it’s not as hard as it sounds if you’re already doing The Pub Challenge.

Stay tuned for the announcement soon.

Goldengrove by Francine Prose November 1, 2008

Posted by 3m in "g" titles, "p" authors, 150-299, 2000's, 4 stars, audio, review.
add a comment


“to a young child”

Margaret, are you grieving
Over Goldengrove unleaving?
Leaves, like the things of man, you
With your fresh thoughts care for, can you?
Ah! as the heart grows older
It will come to such sights colder
By & by, nor spare a sigh
Though worlds of wanwood leafmeal lie;
And yet you will weep & know why.
Now no matter, child, the name:
Sorrow’s springs are the same.
Nor mouth had, no nor mind, expressed
What heart heard of, ghost guessed:
It is the blight man was born for,
It is Margaret you mourn for.

–Gerard Manley Hopkins

Grief is such an individual, totally consuming, and heart-wrenching experience — especially when the death is by a young person or is totally unexpected.  This book explores the grief process very well.  Margaret and Nico are teenage sisters.  While Nico generally seeks out her parent’s approval, Margaret is a little on the wild side.  However, that is not what gets her killed.  Margaret has a heart problem and ends up drowning in the lake near their home.

The story is told from Nico’s point of view, and about her struggle to get through each day, each month, each year.  She worries about her own health and about how her parents are coping with her sister’s death.  She’s concerned for her sister’s boyfriend and how he’s dealing with it.  She even endures those around her who try to make her into parts of Margaret instead of herself.

Finally, the story ends with an adult Nico writing about how she and her family have recovered from their grief over the years.  Although — as anyone knows who has been through it — you never really get over the death of someone close to you.

2008, 288 pp.
stars4.gif

October ’08 — Best Reading Month Ever November 1, 2008

Posted by 3m in monthly.
add a comment

When I think about it, I don’t know how I read 18! books in one month. I’ve never read that many before. Granted, several were audios (4 and part of another), and that definitely helps. I listen to audios in the van, when I walk, and at night when I’m too tired to read.  Also, I’ve set a certain time to read when it’s quiet and no one is around.  That probably has helped me more than anything.  When the family is around, I try to catch up on my google feeds or write non-review posts.  When they’re not, I read read read!!  Also, the readathon pumped up my stats as well, though I didn’t participate for the full time and only got in 9 hours.  Still, 9 hours is 9 hours!

I enjoyed all the books I read this month except for The Story of a Marriage and Breath.  I actually liked Breath through 3/4 of it, then despised the final 1/4.  The rest were great!  I still have a lot of reviews to write…but I’m a better reader than a writer…and I’m in reading mode now.   They’ll get done eventually!

82. The Secret Scripture stars4h.gif by Sebastian Barry (2008, 300 pp.)
83. The Pigman stars4.gif by Paul Zindel (1968, 182 pp.)
84. The Story of a Marriage stars1.gif by Andrew Sean Greer
85. The Twits stars4.gif by Roald Dahl
86. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo stars3h.gif by Stieg Larsson (2008, 465 pp.)
87. Breath stars2.gif by Tim Winton (2008, 218 pp.)
88. Atmospheric Disturbances stars4h.gif by Rivka Galchen (2008, 240 pp.)
89. The White Tiger stars4h.gif by Aravind Adiga (2008, 276 pp.)
90. The Graveyard Book stars4h.gif by Neil Gaiman
91. Anne of Avonlea stars5.gif by L.M. Montgomery
92. Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery
93. A Year Down Yonder stars3h.gif by Richard Peck
94. The Pets by Bragi Olafsson
95. Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson
96. Mudbound by Hillary Jordan (2008, 324 pp.)
97. Goldengrove stars4.gif by Francine Prose
98. X-Kai by Asami Tohjoh
99. Vampire Hunter D by Hideyuki Kikuchi (1983, 2005 for English translation, 268 pp.)

Whitcoulls List Challenge Complete! November 1, 2008

Posted by 3m in challenges.
add a comment

whitcoulls.jpg

Lasted from November 1, 2007 through November 1, 2008

The year after the book title refers to which list(s) the books were on.

The 12 books I read:

  1. The Shipping News – E. Annie Proulx ’98, ’02, ’06
  2. Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini ’06
  3. Anne of Green Gables – L.M. Montgomery ’98
  4. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone – J.K. Rowling ’02, ’06
  5. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets – J.K. Rowling ’02
  6. The Curious Incident of the Dog In The Night-time – Mark Haddon ’06
  7. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban – J.K. Rowling ’02, ’06
  8. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire – J.K. Rowling ’02
  9. Harry Potter Order of the Phoenix – J.K. Rowling ’06
  10. Life of Pi – Yann Martel ’06
  11. The Twits by Roald Dahl ’98 (review to come)
  12. Artemis Fowl by Coifer ’02 (review to come)

My favorites were Anne of Green Gables, HP and the Chamber of Secrets, HP and the Goblet of Fire, and the Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time.

Thanks, Maria!

R.I.P. III Challenge Complete! November 1, 2008

Posted by 3m in challenges.
add a comment

rip3-400.jpg

I enjoyed all the books I read, but Dracula and The Graveyard Book were my favorites.  Thanks, Carl, for another terrific challenge!

graveyardbook.JPGdracula.JPGroalddahlghost.JPG

  • The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
  • Dracula by Bram Stoker
  • Roald Dahl’s Book of Ghost Stories edited by Roald Dahl (I reviewed some of the stories here and here.)
  • Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

Substituted: Vampire Hunter D by Hideyuki Kikuchi (review to come!)

Coraline — out in February! October 31, 2008

Posted by 3m in movies.
add a comment

Friday (59 cent Goodwill) Finds 10.31.08 October 31, 2008

Posted by 3m in friday finds.
add a comment

Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner

Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan

The All-True Travels and Adventures of Lidie Newton by Jane Smiley

Mailbox Monday 10.27.08 October 29, 2008

Posted by 3m in mailbox monday.
add a comment


I’m such a lucky girl…

I received Tomato Girl from the author — thanks Jayne!  I hope to read your book very soon.

I will be reviewing Somebody Else’s Daughter for TLC Book Tours in mid-November.

I won At a Loss for Words from Sandra at Fresh Ink Books.

I also won The Entropy of Aaron Rosclatt from John at the Book Mine Set.

And, I received this lovely origami bird from Bellezza.

Thanks to all of you!

It’s Tuesday, Where Are You? 10.28.08 October 28, 2008

Posted by 3m in it's tuesday where are you?.
add a comment

And when?… it’s 12,090 A.D.

Anne of the Island October 27, 2008

Posted by 3m in "a" titles, "m" authors, 150-299, 1900's, 4.5 stars, canada, classics.
add a comment

There was nobody else — there never could be anybody else for me but you. I’ve loved you ever since that day you broke your slate over my head in school.

I’m so glad I’m finally getting around to reading this series. I enjoyed the first two Anne books, and this one was no exception.  This one is about Anne’s college years, her relationship with her friends Priscilla and Philippa, and also about her beaux Gilbert and Royal.

Spoilers ahead, but it probably doesn’t matter as most of you have already read the book anyway…

Of course, how could she choose anyone BUT Gilbert?  I do wonder why it took her so long to realize that.  Besides their relationship, I enjoyed reading about Patty’s Place, Davy’s further development, and all the other girls’ drama.  I do think I enjoyed Anne of Avonlea just a bit more than this one, but I still fell in love with Anne of the Island as well.  I probably won’t get to the others in the series until next year, but I’ve enjoyed these first three books tremendously.

1915, 239 pp.
stars4h.gif

2009 Decades Challenge October 26, 2008

Posted by 3m in challenges.
add a comment

Ready to sign up for Decades ’09? Click here.

Read 9 books in 9 consecutive decades in 2009.
Lasts all of 2009.
Click on the button for more info.

My choices (subject to change):

  • 1910s – Anne’s House of Dreams by L.M. Montgomery
  • 1920s – Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair by Pablo Neruda (1924 Spanish)
  • 1930s – Anne of Windy Poplars by L.M. Montgomery
  • 1940s – Heart of the Matter by Graham Greene
  • 1950s – Thousand Cranes by Yasunari Kawabata (1952 Japanese)
  • 1960s – Solaris by Stanislaw Lem (1961 Polish)
  • 1970s – Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byars
  • 1980s – So Long a Letter by Mariama Ba (1981 French)
  • 1990s – The Reader by Bernhard Schlink (1995 German)

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman October 25, 2008

Posted by 3m in "g" authors, "g" titles, 2000's, 300-449, 4.5 stars, review.
add a comment

I just love Neil Gaiman (not to mention that his looks remind me of a close friend I had in college).  Well, I love his books, too, and this one was no exception.  It’s my third Gaiman, and although I still think I liked Coraline a tiny bit better, I loved The Graveyard Book.

Just like Coraline, I listened to this on audio with my two teenage sons.  If you haven’t heard Gaiman narrate his own books, you’re definitely missing out.  Most authors should not narrate their own books; Gaiman is one who should never allow someone else to do so.  His voice is perfect for it, and of course, no one would ever know his books better than he does.

The Graveyard Book contains a colorful (though some are long dead) cast of characters, some very creepy scenes, and some genuinely heartwarming ones.  It’s one of those perfect children’s/YA books in which it was definitely written to also appeal to adults.  It was great for the R.I.P. Challenge, and it was great to experience another one of Gaiman’s treasures as a family.

2008, 320 pp.
stars4h.gif

Neil Gaiman’s website.

Neil Gaiman’s web journal. (I’m a subscriber)

Latin American Reading Challenge October 24, 2008

Posted by 3m in challenges.
add a comment

Why oh why do people keep coming up with challenges I just have to join? I keep promising myself that I’m going to severely restrict my challenges for next year (and I still plan to), BUT… I just have to join this one. I went to Argentina last April and loved it, and my interest in Latin American literature was piqued at that time. I’ve read the first two stories in Ficciones and really enjoyed them, but because of other commitments I haven’t got back to it. This is the perfect opportunity to finish Ficciones and also read another book by Coelho, one of my favorite authors.  I’ve been meaning to read something by Allende as well.

January 1 – April 30, 2008
Click on the button for more info.

I’ll choose from the following:

  1. Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair by Pablo Neruda (Chile)
  2. A Tale of Two Gardens by Octavio Paz (Mexican author; Indian setting)
  3. The Devil and Miss Prym (Brazilian author; European setting)
  4. The House of Paper by Carlos Maria Dominguez
  • Ficciones by Borges (Argentina)
  • ? by Coelho (Brazil)
  • ? by Allende (Chile)
  • ? by Llosa (Peru)

BTT: Couples October 23, 2008

Posted by 3m in booking thru thursday.
add a comment

btt button

Jane and Mr. Rochester

“Name a favorite literary couple and tell me why they are a favorite. If you cannot choose just one, that is okay too. Name as many as you like–sometimes narrowing down a list can be extremely difficult and painful. Or maybe that’s just me.”

I’m going to give 4 couples 5 couples (I forgot one of my absolute favorites!), from two three old books and two newer books. I just have to mention all of these!

Anne and Captain Wentworth

Well, of course my absolute favorite is Jane and Mr. Rochester. They have so many obstacles to overcome to be together, so it is oh-so-satisfying when they are both free to be with each other. This is one of my favorite books, if not THE favorite. Although I’ve seen many movie adaptations (including the newest one), my favorite is the one with Ciaran Hinds and Samantha Morton.  I’ve probably watched this one at least 5 times.

Edit:  I’ve added this one because I cannot believe I forgot them!!!  I actually like Persuasion a bit more than Pride and Prejudice.  Anne and Captain Wentworth wait so long to be together.  And the wait is so worth it.  My favorite movie adaptation is with Ciaran Hinds and Amanda Root.  I’ve watched it multiple times!

.
.

Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy

Another ‘old book’ mention is, how could you guess, Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy.  Why?  They are both so so ‘prideful and prejudiced’ — ha ha — that it is a relief when they finally realize they are meant for each other.  Another of my favorite books.  My favorite movie adaptation is the one with Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth.  And not just because of Colin Firth!  I love the whole cast, and though it’s long, I’ve seen it at least three times.  I love it!  I didn’t care much for the Knightley version.
.
.
.
.
.

.
.

.
.

Clare and Henry

The first ‘newer book’ couple is Henry and Clare from The Time Traveler’s Wife.  I can’t really tell you why on this one because I don’t want to spoil the book for you if you haven’t read it.  Their love story really got to me.  I cannot wait for this movie to come out.  I am really happy with the casting for it.  Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams are two of my favorite actors, and I’m anxious to see how they’re going to perform these roles.

I hesitate a bit to mention this next one because I haven’t actually read the The Notebook, but I’ve seen the movie several times and I LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT.  Noah and Allie.  Sigh.  Just an awesome love story.  What I love most about them is their deep love for each other even in old age.  If you haven’t seen the movie (is there honestly someone who hasn’t?), you must do it this weekend.  Or even tonight!  I must read this some day.

There you have it.  I know I probably missed some important ones, but those are at least four five of my favorites.  Can’t wait to see what everyone else comes up with!

Noah and Allie

Decades 08/09 October 22, 2008

Posted by 3m in challenges.
add a comment

If you participated in Decades ’08 and completed the challenge, please enter your link HERE.

If you want to participate in Decades ’09, watch for the announcement in the next day or two, and get your lists ready!

It’s Tuesday, Where Are You? 10.21.08 October 21, 2008

Posted by 3m in it's tuesday where are you?.
add a comment



Mailbox Monday 10.20.08 October 20, 2008

Posted by 3m in mailbox monday.
add a comment




End of Readathon Meme October 19, 2008

Posted by 3m in readathon.
add a comment

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?

I fell asleep about 1:30am CT.

2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?

The Anne of Green Gables series books would be a great choice.

3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?

No, it was great!

4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?

Donating the grains of rice was fun.

5. How many books did you read?

I finished 3 books, but I had a head start on one already.

6. What were the names of the books you read?

Anne of Avonlea, Anne of the Island, and A Year Down Yonder

7. Which book did you enjoy most?

Anne of Avonlea

8. Which did you enjoy least?

I still enjoyed it, but A Year Down Yonder was my least favorite.

9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?

No — great job, cheerleaders!

10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?

Definitely, as a reader again, of course!

Readathon: Final update October 19, 2008

Posted by 3m in readathon.
add a comment

Well, I fell asleep shortly after that last post but did get up awhile ago and start reading again. Started and finished A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck. Now I’m off to bed again! I didn’t get as much reading done as I wanted to, but I did finish three books so I am happy with that.

Pages read: 470 pp.
Time spent reading/listening: about 9 hours

Readathon Update 1:15am CT October 19, 2008

Posted by 3m in readathon.
add a comment


I had to step out of the readathon for awhile, but am now back reading.  Finished Anne of the Island.

Total pages read: 340pp.
Time spent reading: 7.5 hours

Readathon: 2:00pm CT October 18, 2008

Posted by 3m in readathon.
add a comment


Still reading Anne of the Island

I haven’t made much progress because I needed to take a shower and attend to some other things. Still having fun, though.

Time spent reading/listening: 5.5 hours
Pages read: 204 pages

Readathon: 12:20pm CT October 18, 2008

Posted by 3m in readathon.
add a comment


Now reading Anne of the Island
Time spent reading/listening: 4.5 hours
Pages read: 164 pages

Anne of Avonlea October 18, 2008

Posted by 3m in "a" titles, "m" authors, 150-299, 1900's, 3.5 stars, 5 stars, audio, canada.
add a comment


Anne of Avonlea
by L.M. Montgomery

1909, 276 pp.

What a wonderful book!  I enjoyed Anne of Green Gables, but I absolutely adored Anne of Avonlea.  Now a schoolteacher, Anne is much admired by her students.  I loved the sweet descriptions of Anne’s pupils.  I enjoyed meeting the new cast of characters as well: Mr. Harrison and his parrot, Miss Lavender and her lovely stone house, the twins Davy and Dora, and the motherless Paul Irving. I anxiously await Anne of the Island.

I listened to the CD read by Barbara Caruso.  What an excellent narrator.  I wouldn’t hesitate at all to listen to one of her audiobooks again.

Perhaps, after all, romance did not come into one’s life with pomp and blare, like a gay knight riding down; perhaps it crept to one’s side like an old friend through quiet ways; perhaps it revealed itself in seeming prose, until some sudden shaft of illumination flung athwart its pages betrayed the rhythm and the music, perhaps. . . perhaps. . .love unfolded naturally out of a beautiful friendship, as a golden-hearted rose slipping from its green sheath.

Then the veil dropped again; but the Anne who walked up the dark lane was not quite the same Anne who had driven gaily down it the evening before. The page of girlhood had been turned, as by an unseen finger, and the page of womanhood was before her with all its charm and mystery, its pain and gladness.

Readathon: 10:45 CT October 18, 2008

Posted by 3m in readathon.
add a comment

Finished my first book!  Well, I started on Disc 6 of 8, so I had a good head start.  I absolutely loved Anne of Avonlea — it’s a 5 star book for me, no question.  Now I’m off to read Anne of the Island.  The Anne books are perfect to read for the read-a-thon.

Stats:
Reading/listening time: 3.5 hours
Pages read: 104 pp.

Read-a-thon Hour 2 October 18, 2008

Posted by 3m in readathon.
add a comment

I finished up Disc 6 of Anne of Avonlea and am now on Disc 7.  I really love it.  I do think I like this book quite a bit better than the first one.

I also donated 3000 4000 grains of rice — one of this hour’s mini-challenges.

Read-a-thon: Hour 1 Meme October 18, 2008

Posted by 3m in readathon.
add a comment

Where are you reading from today?

At home, combination of living room and bedroom, depending on room availability.

3 facts about me …

I’m 41 (almost), married for 18 years, and have 2 teenage sons.

How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours?

Well, 8-10 to choose from. I won’t get to all of them, of course, but I have plenty of options.

Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon (i.e. number of books, number of pages, number of hours, or number of comments on blogs)?

I’d like to get in at least 10 hours of pure reading/listening time.

If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, Any advice for people doing this for the first time?

Yes, choose short, high interest books. Childrens/YA and series books like the Thursday Next series or No. 1 Ladies’ Detective series are excellent choices.

We’re off! October 18, 2008

Posted by 3m in readathon.
add a comment

I’ve got my coffee and will start the day by listening to Anne of Avonlea, Disc 6.  Happy reading, everyone!

24 Hour Readathon + Charities October 17, 2008

Posted by 3m in readathon.
add a comment


I love participating in Dewey’s readathons.  Although I’m not going to be able to participate the entire time, I should still get about 10 hours of reading time in during the official hours.  I’ll be able to read from 7am CT to 3 or 4pm CT and then perhaps again in the wee hours of Sunday morning.  I’ve decided to give $5 per hour spent reading to two different organizations ($10 per hour total).  The ones I’ve chosen are Operation Christmas Child and the Angel Tree program.  Operation Christmas Child gives gift-filled shoe boxes to children around the world and Angel Tree gives Christmas presents to children of prisoners.  To learn more, please click on either icon.

Wanna see the books I’ll be reading from?  Here goes!


Friday Finds 10.17.08 October 17, 2008

Posted by 3m in friday finds.
add a comment


Vampire Hunter D by Hideyuki Kikuchi. I found this at Amazon or B&N when I was looking for Japanese reading material. It would fit three challenges for me: Japanese, RIP III, and A-Z (V title).  I have no idea what I’d be getting myself into by reading this title, but it seems it is quite popular and there is even a movie series of it.  I believe there are several books in the series as well.

Death with Interruptions by Jose Saramago.  Saw this at the library and knew I wanted to read it.  BiblioAddict has a great review.

Evening is the Whole Day by Preeta Samarasan. Another one at the library. Logophilia has a very favorable review.

The White Tiger October 16, 2008

Posted by 3m in "a" authors, "w" titles, 150-299, 2000's, 4.5 stars, booker prize, review.
add a comment


The White Tiger
by Aravind Adiga

2008 Booker Prize winner
2008, 276 pp.

Hmmm, well, I happened to get this book from the library on the Saturday before the Booker Prize was announced “just in case.”  When The White Tiger was revealed as the winner, I was really surprised. Not only did it have the longest odds to win, but I had recently read The Secret Scripture and not-so-secretly hoped it would win.  In fact, the committee admitted these two were the main contenders and that the decision was not unanimous.

To be honest, I kind of groaned when I heard Adiga’s book was the winner.  I don’t have a love affair at all with the Booker prize winners that I’ve read, so I was a little skeptical that I would enjoy this one.  But, being the trooper that I am, I thought I’d give it at least 40 or so pages to see if it could capture my interest.

Surprise, surprise; it did.  Not only is it a scathing indictment against India’s treatment of its poorest citizens, it also manages to be a clever black comedy.  This is exactly what the prize committee chairman revealed as the reason behind its decision.  So which book did I like better, The White Tiger or The Secret Scripture?  It’s really comparing apples to oranges.  They’re just not the same type of book at all.  They both are worthy social commentaries on the authors’ home countries, but just written in a totally different style.  While Sebastian Barry’s prose is lyrical, Adiga’s is biting (and comical).  They both work spectacularly, just in different ways.  I can definitely see why the committee had a difficult decision on its hands, and either one would have been a winner in my book.

How does it fare against the other Booker Prize winners?  Well, I definitely enjoyed it more than some of the other winners I’ve read, including:

2007 – The Gathering stars4.gif by Anne Enright
2006 – The Inheritance of Loss stars3.gif by Kiran Desai
2005 – The Sea stars2.gif by John Banville
2000 – The Blind Assassin stars3h.gif by Margaret Atwood
1997 – The God of Small Things stars3h.gif by Arundhati Roy
1985 – The Bone People stars3h.gif by Keri Hulme
1983 – Life & Times of Michael K stars4.gif by J. M. Coetzee

And believe me, no one was more surprised than I was.

A great giveaway! October 16, 2008

Posted by 3m in give-aways.
add a comment

Enter here for these books:

Atmospheric Disturbances by Rivka Galchen October 15, 2008

Posted by 3m in "a" titles, "g" authors, 150-299, 2000's, 4.5 stars, review.
add a comment

Atmospheric Disturbances
by Rivka Galchen

Starred Reviews: Publisher’s Weekly, Booklist, Library Journal, and Kirkus

2008, 240 pp.

It’s rare that a book gets starred reviews from all four major review publications.  Was this book that good; does it really deserve that much attention?  Yes, absolutely.  I really, really loved it; so much, in fact, that I held off reading the last 20 pages or so for two days because I didn’t want it to be over.

Psychoanalyst Leo Liebenstein thinks his wife Rema has disappeared.  Not only that, but he believes she has been replaced by a simulcrum, someone who looks and acts (almost) exactly like her.  Meanwhile, Harvey, one of Leo’s mental patients (who believes he has the ability to control the weather) is also missing.  Not buying in to the simulcrum’s Rema-like performance,  Leo goes to the ends of the earth to Buenos Aires and Patagonia to try to uncover the truth of what has happened to his wife.

I’ll be the first to admit that although I enjoyed this book tremendously, it won’t be to everyone’s tastes. It’s very quirky, very eccentric, but also intelligent and extremely funny.  Much of what I found humorous in the novel was due to the fact that I went to Argentina in April, so I was able to get many of the inside jokes about dog poop in the streets, maté tea, Alpha Wh*re Rays, and many other references to Argentinian life. The author had been in South America for a year working on public health issues, so her writing comes from first hand experience in the region. There were, of course, also references to the (not so funny) “Disappeared.”

This is Rivka Galchen’s first novel, and I definitely will be anxiously awaiting whatever she comes up with next.  Oh, and if her literary career doesn’t work out (I have no doubt that it will), she can always fall back on her MD that she received from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

An interview with Rivka Galchen

And the (Booker) winner is… October 14, 2008

Posted by 3m in booker prize.
add a comment

Click on the picture for story.

Booker Shortlist Authors on Audio October 14, 2008

Posted by 3m in booker prize.
add a comment

Click on a picture for individual audios, or HERE for the complete set.

It’s Tuesday, Where Are You? 10.14.08 October 14, 2008

Posted by 3m in it's tuesday where are you?.
add a comment


Mailbox Monday 10.13.08 October 13, 2008

Posted by 3m in mailbox monday.
add a comment

Glühwein, anyone? (TSS) October 12, 2008

Posted by 3m in challenges, sunday salon.
add a comment

In case you didn’t know, Glühwein is German mulled wine, and it’s wonderful!  I think I may even try to make it myself during the holidays.  I”ll let you know how it turns out!

Anyway, my heritage is primarily German, and I’d been thinking about making myself a German reading list for some time. So when Marny proposed a German Reading Challenge, I knew I would end up participating — even though I’ll be severely limiting my reading challenges next year. She is asking us to read 6 to 12 books by German authors (defined as those from a German speaking country) during 2009.

I’ll probably only choose 6 titles, and if anyone has some ‘must reads,’ please let me know.  As usual, I might modify my list, but for right now I’ll choose from the following :

  1. The Reader by Schlink

Measuring the World

Effi Briest by Fontane
Night Train to Lisbon
? by Zweig
Inkspell
Inkdeath
The Piano Teacher
The Neverending Story
Emigrants by Sebald
The Loser by Bernhard
Jakob von Gunten by Walser
Confusions of Young Torless by Musil
Nowhere in Africa
I’m not Stiller by Frisch
The Lord Chandos Letter
The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge
Yes by Bernhard
Unformed Landscape by Stamm
Malina by Bachmann
Accident: A Day’s News by Christa Wolf
In the Flesh by Christa Wolf
The Life and Adventures of Trobadora Beatrice as Chronicled by her Minstrel Laura
Death in Rome by Koeppen

A smaller version of the button:

Breath by Tim Winton October 11, 2008

Posted by 3m in "b" titles, "w" authors, 150-299, 2 stars, 2000's, australia, review.
add a comment

Breath by Tim Winton
2008, 218 pp.
stars2.gif

Ugh.  I thought this was about a teen boy surfing in Australia.  I wanted it to be about a teen boy surfing in Australia.  And it was, for about 150 pages, then it goes off into a weird and extreme area that I will not mention here.  I feel ripped off because I enjoyed the first 3/4 of the book, but then to have to be subjected to…blech.

Pikelet and Loonie are two teenage boys obsessed with surfing.  They meet up with Sando, a guy in his mid 30’s who coaches them in the sport and sometimes encourages them to go a little too far with it.  Sando’s wife, Eva, was an extreme skier but now has a blown knee.  Consequently, she’s bitter because her husband still gets to do what he loves and because he’s not spending any time with her.  Breath is about pushing everything in life to the extreme to see how far one can go.

I’m giving it 2 stars because Tim Winton is a good writer and I enjoyed all but the last fourth (which totally ruined the whole thing for me.) 

Here’s an example of a passage I did enjoy:

I will always remember my first wave that morning. The smells of paraffin wax and brine and peppy scrub.  The way the swell rose beneath me like a body drawing in air.  How the wave drew me forward and I sprang to my feet, skating with the wind of momentum in my ears.  I leant across the wall of upstanding water and the board came with me as though it was part of my body and mind.  The blur of spray.  The billion shards of light.  I remember the solitary watching figure on the beach and the flash of Loonie’s smile as I flew by; I was intoxicated.  And though I’ve lived to be an old man with my own share of happiness for all the mess I made, I still judge every joyous moment, every victory and revelation against those few seconds of living.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo October 9, 2008

Posted by 3m in "g" titles, "l" authors, 2000's, 3.5 stars, 450-599, review, sweden, swedish.
add a comment

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
by Stieg Larsson

2008, 465 pp.
stars3h.gif

The original Swedish title of this book means Men Who Hated Women, and that title is an excellent forewarning about what the book is about.  If you like gritty crime novels or shows like CSI, you’ll probably love the book.   My eyes and stomach prefer much milder fare, but I’ll still probably read the second installment, The Girl Who Played with Fire, when it comes out next year.

The girl who has the dragon tattoo is Lisbeth Salander, a girl in her mid-twenties who is a PI and can find out just about everything about anyone.  I liked her.  A lot.   Her character was fascinating and Larsson ends the book in such a way that leaves you wanting to hear more of her story and background.

Mikael Blomqvist is a journalist who has just lost a court case for libel, which then puts his reputation and his magazine Millennium at risk.  He decides to temporarily leave the paper in the hands of his partner to save face.  Enter Henrik Vanger.  Vanger is the former CEO of his family business, the Vanger Corporation.  He hires Blomqvist to write a family history of the Vangers as a pretext to dig into the disappearance of his niece, Harriet Vanger.  The case has been cold for decades and though Mikael believes he won’t be able to find any new evidence, he accepts.  This is where the book really grabbed me and kept me reading until 1 am to learn the outcome.

The book really has three storylines to it, the Harriet Vanger story is in the middle, with Lisbeth Salander’s story on the outside of that, and with Mikael Blomqvist’s story on the very outer edges.  Consequently, the climax occurs with quite a few pages still left in the book.  So at first it felt like the book should be over, but then after awhile I was able to get into the secondary and tertiary stories as well.

As I stated in the beginning, it really is about men who hate women, so if you read it be prepared for what that involves.  I didn’t care for the more graphic scenes in the book, but I do know that not everyone is as sensitive to that as I am.  And I do want to find out more about the girl with the dragon tattoo when The Girl Who Played with Fire comes out next year.

Thank you! October 8, 2008

Posted by 3m in blogging.
add a comment


Thanks, Tammy, for mentioning me!!

Now I’m supposed to list some blogs I love, but I can’t just choose 4 or 5, so I’ll send you over to my blogroll, which is not even updated yet, either!

Seriously, there are so many great book blogs out there right now, and I love all of them!

It’s Tuesday, Where Are You? October 7, 2008

Posted by 3m in it's tuesday where are you?.
add a comment



Mailbox Monday 10.06.08 October 6, 2008

Posted by 3m in mailbox monday.
add a comment

Dracula: A Family Affair (TSS) October 5, 2008

Posted by 3m in "d" titles, "s" authors, 1890's, 300-449, 5 stars, sunday salon.
add a comment

I finished Dracula on audio this week and loved it. Now my sons and husband are listening to it as well.  The unabridged edition, of course.  It is creepy and scary, and I normally don’t like creepy and scary, but Bram Stoker’s novel is so well done and, obviously, the beginning of it all.  I’m thinking of getting this annotated edition at left that comes out on October 13. It even has an introduction by Neil Gaiman.  I’ll probably use this edition for a future re-read.

We started to watch the movie starring Gary Oldman, but it wasn’t appropriate for kids (my kids at least) so we quit.  I still may watch it at a later date.  I would  love to see a modern version that was faithful to the book.

Something that surprised and pleased me while reading the book was the strong Christian faith of some of the characters.  I didn’t expect that at all, and I do wonder about Stoker’s own beliefs.  He was rumored to have been part of a secret, magical order that included the occultist Aleister Crowley.

Also, I read on Publisher’s Weekly that Bram Stoker’s great-grandnephew Dacre Stoker and Dracula documentarian and historian Ian Holt are going to be writing Dracula: the Undead.  The publisher will be Dutton, and it is scheduled to be released in October, 2009.

1897, 400 pp.
stars5.gif

The Story of a Marriage October 5, 2008

Posted by 3m in "g" authors, "s" titles, 1 star, 150-299, 2000's, review.
add a comment

The Story of a Marriage
by Andrew Sean Greer

2008, 195 pp.
stars1.gif

It seems this story has polarized readers. Some love it, while others intensely dislike the book. I fall into the latter camp. I thought I was really going to like it initially, but then the story went way over the top into unbelievability for me. I found myself disliking it more and more as the pages progressed. It’s really almost impossible to speak about the issues I had with the book without giving away some huge spoilers, but I will give you a taste of what it’s about.

Holland and Pearlie Cook are childhood sweethearts with a son and a dog that doesn’t bark. Everything is going along fine until one day Buzz, a man from Holland’s past, shows up at the door and changes everything.  Set in the 50’s and San Francisco.

Those who loved it:

Those who didn’t:

Those who were mixed:

If you’d like me to add your review, just let me know in the comments!

The Pigman by Paul Zindel October 4, 2008

Posted by 3m in "p" titles, "z" authors, 150-299, 1960's, 4 stars, review.
add a comment

I read this title for Banned Books Week and also because I needed a ‘Z’ author.  It’s an older book, written in 1968, so the content may have been a little more shocking back then, but really, I’m as conservative as they come, and I don’t have a problem with it at all.  Yes, there is defiance of authority and alcohol reference, but with what our kids have to deal with in today’s world, this book is very mild in comparison.  It’s actually a very poignant book.

I always like stories that show how strong bonds can be made with those you don’t expect — especially if you don’t have those strong bonds in your own family life.  After John and Lorraine meet 50-ish Mr. Pignati, the three of them start spending more and more time together. At first the teenagers are a little embarassed by Mr. Pignati, who has a childlikeness to him, but soon the threesome are fast friends.  Sadly, it’s the teenagers’ own immaturity that ends up threatening the friendship. Recommended.

(1968, 182 pp.)

stars4.gif

6 Weird Things About Me October 4, 2008

Posted by 3m in meme, miscellaneous.
add a comment

Laura over at Musings tagged me for this meme.  Sorry it took me so long to respond.  I had to think about it for awhile because most of my ‘weirdness’ is related to books, and we’re all weird that way! Though, I did think of one book related thing most people don’t do. Anyway….

THE RULES:

  1. Link to the person who tagged you
  2. Post the rules on your blog
  3. Write 6 random things/unspectacular quirks about yourself
  4. Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them
  5. Let each person you have tagged know by leaving a comment on their blog
  6. Let the tagger know when your entry is posted.

6 THINGS

  1. I was in the Middle East when Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990.  My family was a little freaked out about it but I never felt in any danger.
  2. I’ve been to both Alaska and Hawaii and was pregnant both times but with different sons.
  3. I can wiggle my ears, but I can’t curl my tongue.
  4. My husband and I got married after only 3 months of dating.  (Not really recommended, but we’re still going after almost 18 years!)
  5. I like to get up in the middle of the night to read and/or check my bookmooch wishlist.  I’ve gotten several books that way!
  6. I don’t like change.  At all.  Even if it’s good, it takes me a long time to adapt.

I’m going to bend the rules a bit and say if you’re reading this and want to play along, consider yourself tagged.  Weirdness is fun!

The Secret Scripture October 3, 2008

Posted by 3m in "b" authors, "s" titles, 2000's, 300-449, 4.5 stars, ireland, review.
add a comment

The Secret Scripture
by Sebastian Barry

2008, 300 pp.
Booker Prize Shortlist
Rating: stars4h.gif

I’d be happy if this book won the Booker Prize.  Yeah, I would, and I haven’t read any of the other contenders yet!  Sebastian Barry is a magnificent writer, and I will definitely be reading more of his work.

Roseanne McNulty is almost 100 years old, and Dr. Grene is the psychiatrist attending her at Roscommon Mental Hospital.  The story slowly unfolds by giving alternating accounts of Roseanne and Dr. Grene.  As he seeks to understand her and her tragic past, he must also deal with some tragedy of his own.  As everyone knows, ‘grief lasts two years.’

With Ireland as a backdrop and themes of religion, mental illness, and family loyalty and betrayal, The Secret Scripture is superbly crafted and is definitely worthy of the Booker Prize.

What can I tell you further?  I once lived among humankind, and found them in their generality to be cruel and cold, and yet could mention the names of three or four that were like angels.

Friday (Library Sale) Finds October 3, 2008

Posted by 3m in friday finds.
add a comment

I forgot (#%@*&!) to go to Omaha’s Library Sale in early September. I love their sales because the trade paperbacks are alphabetized and only 50 cents. I love it, but I missed it.   Oh, well, the next one is in December, and I will be there with book bags.

So anyway, I was excited to go to a library sale closer to where I live yesterday. Disappointing.  Kind of pitiful, really. I only came out with three books of any interest and, oh yeah, their trades are $1.00. It wasn’t a total loss, though. I picked up some great books I had on hold, plus these three from the sale:

  • In the Woods by Tana French
  • On Writing by Stephen King
  • The Late George Apley by John P. Marquand (Pulitzer winner in 1938)

In Their Shoes Challenge Complete! October 2, 2008

Posted by 3m in challenges.
add a comment

intheirshoes.jpg
Memoirs, Biographies, Autobiographies

Six were required.  My favorites by far were the Maus and Persepolis books, but I enjoyed all of them.

My list:

  1. The Translator by Daoud Hari
  2. The Only Road North by Mirandette
  3. Maus by Art Spiegelman
  4. Maus II by Art Spiegelman
  5. Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi
  6. Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return by Marjane Satrapi
  7. Blankets by Craig Thompson
  8. Darkness Visible by William Styron

The Borden Tragedy October 1, 2008

Posted by 3m in "b" titles, "g" authors, 0-149, 1990's, 4 stars, review.
add a comment

The Borden Tragedy
by Rick Geary

1997, 80 pp.
Rating: stars4.gif

I only vaguely knew the story of Lizzie Borden, so this little graphic novel was really an engrossing look at this true crime.  Geary’s drawings are great, and he presents cases both for Lizzie Borden’s guilt and for her innocence.  The back of the book also has reproductions of the actual newspaper clippings.  Fascinating story!

This book is part of the Treasury of Victorian Murder series that I will have to look into!

Darkness Visible by William Styron October 1, 2008

Posted by 3m in "d" titles, "s" authors, 0-149, 1990's, 4 stars, non-fiction, review.
add a comment

Darkness Visible
by William Styron

1990, 84 pp.
Rating: stars4.gif

In this short memoir chronicling the author’s own bout with depression, Styron gives us a glimpse of the pain and madness of the disease.  Styron not only provides us with details of his own illness, but also expounds on the suicides and/or depression of other authors.  He also gives guidelines and suggestions for action to those who have a loved one suffering with the disease.

Styron was the author of Sophie’s Choice and the Pulitzer Prize winning The Confessions of Nat Turner. He died in 2006 at the age of 81 from pneumonia.

The cats are herded! September 30, 2008

Posted by 3m in challenges.
add a comment

herdingcats.png

Thanks, Bottle of Shine, for hosting 342,745 Ways To Herd Cats, which was really a fun idea for a challenge! I’m going to call this challenge complete, though I really do hope to read the last two books on this list (we only had to read three total) before it ends officially. I enjoyed The Invention of Hugo Cabret and Dracula the most and Oryx and Crake the least.

Here are the books I read, followed by the ones I recommended:

  1. American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang (Dewey) (Alison)
  2. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick (Dewey)
  3. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling (This Red Head Reads)
  4. Life of Pi by Yann Martel (Jazz Machine) (Framed)
  5. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (Rhinoa) (Day Dream Muse) (Just a Reading Fool)
  6. Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood (Just Add Books)
  7. Dracula by Bram Stoker (Corinne) (DayDreamMuse)

The ones I recommended:

  1. Persuasion by Jane Austen
  2. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
  3. The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis
  4. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
  5. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
  6. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
  7. We by Yevgeny Zamyatin
  8. Cat’s Eye by Margaret Atwood
  9. The Road by Cormac McCarthy
  10. Nicholas & Alexandra by Robert K. Massie

Non-Fiction Wrap-Up September 30, 2008

Posted by 3m in challenges.
add a comment

nonfictionfive2.jpgThanks, Joy, for hosting this again! I call this a wrap-up because even though technically I completed it, you might take issue with that.  After all, 4 were graphic novels, and the one that wasn’t was under 100 pages!  To top that off, I’m behind in my reviews as well.  I had hoped to finish X Stands for Unknown by Asimov to lend some credibility to my progress, but oh well.  I still plan on reading that one because I need an ‘X’ title, but it may take some time to finish.

Here were the books I read (with reviews to come):

  1. Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (graphic novel memoir)
  2. Persepolis 2 by Marjane Satrapi (graphic novel memoir)
  3. Blankets by Craig Thompson (graphic novel memoir)
  4. The Borden Tragedy by Rick Geary (graphic novel true crime)
  5. Darkness Visible by William Styron (memoir)

Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet) September 30, 2008

Posted by 3m in "g" titles, "m" authors, 0-149, 1990's, 4.5 stars, governor general's, plays, review.
add a comment

Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet)
by Anne-Marie MacDonald

1990, 89 pp.
Rating: stars4h.gif

Good Night Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet) is hilariously fun. Winner of the 1990 Governor General’s Award for Drama and written by the author of Fall on Your Knees, this play takes the main character, Constance, and puts her in the middle of Othello and Romeo and Juliet with very funny results.  Plot lines are changed, lines rearranged, and we get to really know the players as never before.

If you’re familiar with both plays you will be in stitches in parts.  Lines from the original plays are in italics to help the reader know the difference between those lines and MacDonald’s.  Even MacDonald’s are written in iambic pentameter.

Highly recommended — especially for lovers of Shakespeare or those participating in the Canadian Literature Challenge.

Bravo!

Listen to the first chapter of Gaiman’s Graveyard Book September 30, 2008

Posted by 3m in audio.
add a comment

Mailbox Monday 09.29.08 September 29, 2008

Posted by 3m in mailbox monday.
add a comment

Blogroll Update September 29, 2008

Posted by 3m in miscellaneous.
add a comment

If you are a regular reader or commenter of this blog and you would like to be added to my blogroll, please let me know. There are SO MANY great new book blogs out there that I’m sure I need to add at least a few. I’m behind the times, so the easiest way is just to have you comment here and then I’ll add you!

Thanks!

The Sunday Salon 09.28.08 September 28, 2008

Posted by 3m in miscellaneous, sunday salon.
add a comment

Do you ever just pluck a book from your shelves on a whim?  I’ve had Olive Kitteridge for awhile, and when I found out the paperback is going to be released on Tuesday, I dug it out of the pile to see if it could grab me, and I was pleasantly surprised.  I’m already over 3/4 of the way through and expect to have the review up by tomorrow or Tuesday.   Now I don’t have to feel quite so bad for not having read it months ago…

Also, as I posted yesterday, I’m 2/3 of the way through Dracula on audio, and I’m absolutely loving it!  An excellent work of literature that I expect I’ll give 4.5 or 5 stars.

I love it when my reading is this good!

Dracula: Read it; read it now!! September 27, 2008

Posted by 3m in audio, reading.
add a comment

I’m loving it!!

I’m on disc 9 out of 15 and am absolutely enthralled. The gothic style, the ominous mood, the mesmerizing language…excellent!

Added note: I’m listening to the one performed by Susan Adams and Alexander Spencer.

Short Story September #5, #6, and #7 September 26, 2008

Posted by 3m in short stories.
add a comment

Three more mini reviews from Roald Dahl’s Book of Ghost Stories, edited by Roald Dahl.  I enjoyed all three!

“The Corner Shop” by Cynthia Asquith

A man goes into a corner shop on a foggy night and finds warmth and kindness from two sisters.  So much so that he wants to go back.  When he does, the shop is closed, but he finds a mysterious old man who lets him in.  He purchases a small object with some curious consequences.  This was a good one.

“In the Tube” by E. F. Benson

Just some quotes on this one:

Time indeed!  There’s no such thing as Time really; it has no actual existence.  Time is nothing more than infinitesimal point in eternity, just as space is an infinitesimal point in infinity.  At the most, Time is a sort of tunnel through which we are accustomed to believe that we are travelling.  There’s a roar in our ears and a darkness in our eyes which makes it seem real to us.  But before we came into the tunnel we existed for ever in an infinite sunlight, and after we have got through it we shall exist in an infinite sunlight again.

Say that a man commits some crime of violence, can we not, with a good deal of truth, say that he really commits that crime when he definitely plans and determines upon it, dwelling on it with gusto?  The actual commission of it, I think we can reasonably argue, is the mere material sequel of his resolve; he is guilty of it when he makes that determination.  When, therefore, in the term of ‘before’ and ‘after’, does the crime truly take place?   There is also in my story a further point for your consideration.  For it seems certain that the spirit of a man, after the death of his body, is obliged to re-enact such a crime, with a view, I suppose we may guess, to his remorse and his eventual redemption. [ ] Perhaps he may have done his deed blindly in this life; but then his spirit recommits it with its spiritual eyes open, and able to comprehend its enormity.  So, shall we view the man’s original determination and the material commission of this crime only as preludes to the real commission of it, when with eyes unsealed he does it and repents of it?

“Christmas Meeting” by Rosemary Timperley

An older woman and an aspiring young author keep each other company at Christmas.  Good, and only 3 pages!

Weekly Geeks Wrap-Up September 25, 2008

Posted by 3m in weekly geeks.
add a comment

This week’s Weekly Geeks was to get caught up on something. I desperately needed to write some past reviews, and I set a goal for at least getting caught up on 5. I ended up with 7, so although I still need to write several more, I did make progress!

The Bible Salesman by Clyde Edgerton September 24, 2008

Posted by 3m in "b" titles, "e" authors, 150-299, 2000's, 3.5 stars, review.
add a comment

biblesalesman.JPGI was first introduced to Clyde Edgerton when I read and enjoyed Walking Across Egypt (4 stars) last year, so I was really looking forward to reading this book.  Henry Dampier is a young man determined to make his fortune by door-to-door Bible selling; although, truth be told, he gets the Bibles for free.  Still, quite a few customers (especially ladies) do buy his product, but it is not until con man Preston Clearwater invites him to work for the FBI that his income really starts improving.  Henry is quite naive and soon gets caught up in more than he bargained for — in both work and love.

One of the reasons I enjoy Edgerton’s work is that he captures the southern character very well.  I lived 17 years in the south, and I felt like the characters in the novel were very authentic.  I really enjoyed the first half of the book.  The second half, not so much.   The charm and plot of the story broke down a bit, and I ended up a little disappointed in the end.  Still, I’d like to read another book by Edgerton, perhaps for next year’s Southern Reading Challenge.

2008, 238 pp.
Rating: stars3h.gif

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov September 23, 2008

Posted by 3m in "l" titles, "n" authors, 1950's, 3 stars, 300-449, audio, review.
add a comment

lolita.JPG There’s no denying that Nabokov is a great writer.  In fact, I’d love to read more by him — just on a different subject.  I had a hard time rating this book as the subject matter is so despicable, but settled on 3 stars because of Nabokov’s writing ability.  A large part of the rating also goes to the excellence in Jeremy Irons’ narration.  I absolutely love his voice, but then again, he was almost too good as the narrator for Humbert Humbert.  I have not seen the movie with Irons in the starring role.

I won’t repeat the storyline here, as everyone should know the basic outline of it.  My question is, why did Nabokov even feel the need to write this story?  I’ve heard one reviewer say that Nabokov makes us root for Humbert Humbert over Lolita.  Not so.  Not with me, anyway.  A great writer Nabokov is.  A great character Humbert Humbert is not.

1955, 366 pp.
Rating:  stars3.gif

Review: Blankets by Craig Thompson September 23, 2008

Posted by 3m in "b" titles, "t" authors, 2000's, 4 stars, 450-599, review.
add a comment

blankets.JPGThere is a lot going on in Craig Thompson’s autobiographical graphic novel Blankets.  With a deeply personal touch, Thompson draws and writes about his childhood and teenage years and their hardships, joys, and discoveries.  Writing about his brother, family, church camps, and first love, Thompson lays it all bare.  He truly had some difficult things to deal with in his childhood that no child should have to face, and we see him struggle with his faith and family relationships as a result.

While I admire the book’s artwork, story, and the author himself, it is difficult for me to write this review as I disagree with (but am mostly sad about) the book’s conclusion.  As I was reading the book, I was hoping for it to end a certain way when in fact it went the 180 degree opposite direction.  Of course, this is the author’s life so he has every right to write about and illustrate how he really feels, but… I was still very sad at the end.  There’s no denying he has a gift for writing and illustration, though, and I would definitely pick up another one of Thompson’s graphic novels in the future.

The picture below is one of the illustrations dealing with the first night that he and his brother finally get their own rooms.   After waiting so long for them after sharing a room for many years, it’s not hard to imagine what happens that first night.  I’ll save that for you to read on your own, though! (This book has mature themes and I wouldn’t recommend it for those under 16 or 17.)

592 pp., 2003
Rating: stars4.gif

blankets2.PNG

Review: The Photograph by Penelope Lively September 22, 2008

Posted by 3m in "l" authors, "p" titles, 150-299, 2000's, 4 stars, review.
add a comment

photograph.JPGAfter his wife Kath’s death, Glyn is going through all her paperwork and finds a folder with ‘DO NOT OPEN: DESTROY’ on it.  Of course he opens it, only to find a picture of his wife holding hands with another man.  Glyn  then sets out to find out about the details of his wife’s life that he never knew about, and he finds out that he really didn’t know his wife all that well.  As he finds out more and more, he needs to enlist Kath’s friends and her sister Elaine to fill in the gaps to the mystery, ‘Who was Kath, really?’

This book is about marriage, friendships, and family relationships.   Who takes precedence over whom and why.  Who really knows the true soul of a person and why.  How does one even go about trying to find out the true self of a loved one?  This book really engaged me because of the intertwined, complex relationships of all the characters and how they related to the ‘mystery’ of who Kath really was.  Recommended.

231 pp., 2003
Rating: stars4.gif

Mailbox Monday 9.22.08 September 22, 2008

Posted by 3m in mailbox monday.
add a comment

mailboxmonday.gifhome.JPGbrisingr.JPGoctaviannothing2.JPG

Weekly Geeks, Readathon, and Sunday Salon September 21, 2008

Posted by 3m in readathon, sunday salon, weekly geeks.
add a comment

weeklygeek.jpg24hourreadathon.jpgThis week’s theme for Weekly Geeks is to get caught up on something. I desperately need to get caught up on reviews! You can see my backlog here. My goal is to write at least 5 reviews this week.

The 24 hour read-a-thon is set for October 18th. I’m so excited for it as I’ve participated both times previously, and it was a blast. This time I plan on reading (at least) the second book from the Eyre Affair series and the third book from the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series. I may also read some children’s/YA books. I highly recommend lighter fare for the read-a-thon. It is easy to get bogged down when reading heavier or classic material.

This coming week I plan on reading X Stands for Unknown by Isaac Asimov because I need it for the Non-Fiction Challenge as well as for an ‘X’ title.  I’ve started this book, and it really isn’t that bad so far.  Then again, I have a technical degree so I’m used to technical jargon.

I also hope to read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society soon.  Everyone is giving it rave reviews.  I have the ARC of it and can’t wait to delve into it.  When ‘X’ gets too serious, I may have to jump on over to Guernsey.

In other news, I really like the Goodwill store near me as I often find some gems for only 59 cents.   This past week I found The Solitaire Mystery by Jostein Gaarder in great condition.  I’ve wanted to read this one for a long time, so although I probably won’t get to it until next year, I was excited to find it at such a cheap price.

Have a great week of reading, everyone!

ARC Reading Challenge Complete! September 20, 2008

Posted by 3m in challenges.
add a comment

arcchallenge.jpgPer the rules, I had to read at least four books for this challenge.   I read and enjoyed all 5 (and had hoped to read many more), but I still need to get caught up on reviews.  Sadly, many now are quite a bit past their publication date.  Since getting caught up is the theme of this week’s Weekly Geeks, hopefully that will provide even more incentive to get these reviews up.

  1. Undiscovered Country by Lin Enger
  2. The Bible Salesman by Clyde Edgerton
  3. Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen by Susan Gregg Gilmore
  4. What Was Lost by Catherine O’Flynn (received before publication)
  5. The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson

Winners!! September 19, 2008

Posted by 3m in give-aways.
add a comment

This post is late getting up, but the winners of the three remaining pbs/bookmooch points are Suey, Jeane, and LaShaunda.

The winner of Undiscovered Country is Melanie.

Congrats to the three of you, and thanks to all who participated!!

Thanks, Amy! September 19, 2008

Posted by 3m in blogging.
add a comment

This summer, after book blogging was patronized and criticized in the mainstream media, Amy from My Friend Amy made a suggestion that we celebrate book blogging. From that idea, Book Blogger Appreciation Week was born. Many of us have participated in interviews, contests, give-aways, and through awards; but, this would never have happened were it not for the dream, perseverance, planning, hard work and dedication of Amy.

This has been a wonderful week and as members of the Book Blogging community, in one voice we want to thank Amy for all that she has done.

Amy, you are truly the Queen of Book Bloggers and we love you!

The 2nd point winner is… September 16, 2008

Posted by 3m in give-aways.
add a comment

Tammy from Ramblings by Tammy!  Just let me know if you’d like a point for BookMooch or for PBS. Congrats!

Remember, I’m giving away a 3 more points (1 each day of BBAW) and the book Undiscovered Country by Lin Enger. Read how to enter the giveaways here.

random2.PNG

The first point winner is… September 16, 2008

Posted by 3m in give-aways.
Tags:
add a comment

Jill from The Magic Lasso! Jill, I know you’re a member of both, so just let me know if you’d like a point for BookMooch or for PBS. Congrats!

Remember, I’m giving away a 4 more points (1 each day of BBAW) and the book Undiscovered Country by Lin Enger. Read how to enter the giveaways here.

random1.PNG

SNL parody September 16, 2008

Posted by 3m in you tube.
add a comment

Secrets of a Fire King (Short Story September) September 15, 2008

Posted by 3m in short stories.
add a comment

I read the first two stories of this book back in May and enjoyed them very much.  You can read my review of those two here.

secretsofafireking.JPGThe third and fourth stories of The Secrets of a Fire King are equally good.  I was particularly fascinated by “A Gleaming in the Darkness.”

“A Gleaming in the Darkness” is about two Maries.  One is a cleaning woman for a university, and the other is the famous scientist, Marie Curie.  (To avoid confusion, I’ll refer to the cleaning woman as Marie and the scientist as Curie.)  While Marie cleans for and waits on Madame Curie, she is enthralled by Curie’s intelligence, will, stamina, and persistence.  She defends her against her detractors and admires her work exceedingly.  The story is told through flashbacks of Marie’s memories, while the aged Marie is in the hospital during World War II.   Maybe you have to be a science geek like me to really appreciate this story, but I absolutely loved this one.  I also loved the perspective of age looking back on youth.

They do not believe that their unlined skin, their smooth and agile limbs, will ever fall into such a state of disrepair as mine have done.  They are sorry for my disabilities, my old age, my dying, and they pity me.  They do not see I have no pity for myself.  The young girls do not know it, and I cannot tell them, but I have discovered that past and present blur together, become one and the same, so that time means very little at the end.

“Balance” is about an aging couple, Marc and Francoise who perform a small circus-type show in the park at small cities. This one also deals with the loss of youth, but, unlike in the above story, the characters show great reluctance to the aging process. Once with perfect bodies, the tiniest decrease in abilities is perceived as a huge challenge for them, particularly because Francoise is a trapeze artist.

If I ever slipped…I could never do it again. I have to believe that it’s impossible for me to fall.

I really encourage you to pick up this book of stories by Kim Edwards. I’ve seen it at in the Bargain Books section of both Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Yes!! 2 pt. conversion wins it!! (39-38) September 14, 2008

Posted by 3m in football, personal.
add a comment

Click on the icon for highlights.

denverbroncos.jpg

BBAW Giveaway(s)! (TSS) September 14, 2008

Posted by 3m in give-aways, sunday salon.
add a comment

bbaw.jpgWhat a fun week ahead!  There’s going to be tons of giveaways this week in honor of Book Blogger Appreciation Week.  Click on the button for a list.  There are also a HUGE amount of giveaways from individual bloggers as well. To check them out, click here.

Also, I couldn’t resist having a giveaway myself!  I’ll be giving away 5 bookmooch or pbs points (your choice) to 5 different people –1 pt each day of BBAW.  To enter, please post a comment to this post listing your top 3 books from the last 2-3 years.

undiscoveredcountry.jpgAlso, over at Novels Now, I will be giving away a new hardback of Undiscovered Country by Lin Enger.  To enter, please post a comment at my review post listing your favorite book of all time.  You can put more than one title down if you want to.  While you’re there, please check out the other new reviews by the Novels Now reviewers. There’s some great titles out right now!  The drawing for the book will be Sept. 19.

Have fun everyone!!

Dahl’s Book of Ghost Stories (Short Story September) September 13, 2008

Posted by 3m in short stories.
add a comment

roalddahlghost.JPGI picked this book for the RIP III Challenge, and I also thought I’d use it for Short Story September.  I’ve enjoyed the first two stories of the book so far.

“W.S.” by L.P. Hartley

Walter Streeter is a novelist who begins receiving postcards from a fan.  The postcards are signed with the initials W.S.  At first the notes are very complimentary, but it appears the fan might be stalking him as W.S. admits he is coming nearer and nearer to Walter with each postcard.   This alarms Walter and he notifies the police, who at first don’t seem to be interested in the case and assure him it is probably a hoax.  Later, they agree to provide him with police protection, and there is a policeman who arrives at the door, but…

“Harry” by Rosemary Timperley

A little girl begins to have an imaginary friend the summer before she goes off to school.  At first her parents don’t think anything about it, but then they become increasingly more alarmed at their daughter’s insistence that Harry is real.

“Such ordinary things make me afraid.  Sunshine.  Sharp shadows on grass.  White roses.  Children with red hair.  And the name — Harry.  Such an ordinary name.”

I’m really looking forward to reading more of the stories in this collection!

Book Blogger Appreciation Week September 12, 2008

Posted by 3m in books general.
add a comment

bbaw.jpgThe nominees for Best Challenge Host:

I leave for two months, come back, and what do I find? I was thrilled to find out I had been nominated for a BBAW award. I want to give a huge thank you to those who nominated me.  Wow, I’m honored just to be listed with my fellow nominees. I’ve participated in their challenges as well, and they are all fantastic hosts! Good luck to Dewey, Maggie, Carl, and Joy. You’re all winners in my book!

Voting ends tonight, so you must hurry if you want to participate.  You can vote for and see all the categories at the BBAW voting booth.  Winners will be announced September 18.

Good luck to all the nominees!

Unread Authors Challenge 2008 September 11, 2008

Posted by 3m in challenges.
add a comment

Sycorax Pine is hosting this challenge once again. The first challenge was great, and I’m looking forward to the 2008/9 Unread Authors Challenge as well.

Lasts from August 1, 2008 through January 31, 2009

The rules:

  1. Read at least SIX books by an author whose work you have never read before.
  2. You may choose six different “unread” authors to introduce yourself to, or you may choose just one or two and explore their work in greater depth.
  3. Authors may be drawn from any genre of literature. The only requirement is that they be authors whose work you substantially regret not having read yet.
  4. Your choices may overlap with other challenges you have underway.

My choices:

  1. Hotel du Lac by Anita Brookner
  2. Quite a Year for Plums by Bailey White
  3. Children of Men by P.D. James
  4. Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet) by Anne-Marie MacDonald
  5. Dracula by Bram Stoker
  6. The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry
  7. Breath by Tim Winton
  8. Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson
  9. Sky Burial by Xinran
  10. Einstein’s Dreams by Alan Lightman
  11. Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

In addition, I also had these new author discoveries:

‘End of the World’ Challenge Completed September 11, 2008

Posted by 3m in challenges.
add a comment


The End of the World Challenge included reading books which were apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic and was hosted by Becky from Becky’s Book Reviews.

The books I read:

My favorite by far was Children of Men by P.D. James because it had some strong Christian themes to it.  I’m really looking forward to seeing the movie now, though I know it doesn’t follow the book exactly.

My least favorite, surprisingly, was Oryx and Crake.  I love Atwood, but this book was much too gritty for my tastes.

Thanks, Becky!!  I really love the dystopian genre, and I am especially grateful to have read Children of Men.

R.I.P. III Challenge September 10, 2008

Posted by 3m in challenges.
add a comment

rip3-400.jpg

Yes, I’m participating!!  I don’t know if I’ll complete 1, 2, or 4 or more books, but here’s my pool so far.  I’d really like to get to all 4 titles.

graveyardbook.JPGdracula.JPGroalddahlghost.JPGnorthangerabbey.JPG

  1. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
  2. Dracula by Bram Stoker
  3. Roald Dahl’s Book of Ghost Stories edited by Roald Dahl (I reviewed some of the stories here and here.)
  4. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

Substituted:  Vampire Hunter D by Hideyuki Kikuchi (review to come!)

Book to Movie Challenge September 9, 2008

Posted by 3m in challenges.
add a comment

Challenge lasts from September 1 through December 1.
Thanks, Callista, for hosting this again!

The goal is to read at least 3 books that have been made into movies.  Callista gave a link to a large list of possibilities HERE.

I’ll choose from the following list:

  1. Children of Men by P.D. James
  2. Dracula by Bram Stoker
  3. Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery
  4. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
  • Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
  • Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak
  • Solaris by Stanislaw Lem
  • Remains of the Day by Ishiguro

The Second 2nds Challenge September 8, 2008

Posted by 3m in challenges.
add a comment

2ndschallenge2008.jpgThanks, Joy, for hosting this again!

The idea is to read a second book from 4 different authors that you’ve previously read only once.

I’ll pick from the following list:

  1. Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery
  2. Purple Hibiscus by Adichie
  3. Esther’s Inheritance by Sandor Marai
  4. Ender in Exile by Orson Scott Card
  • Home by Marilynne Robinson
  • When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson
  • Secrets of a Fire King by Kim Edwards
  • Remains of the Day by Ishiguro
  • Middlemarch by George Eliot
  • ? by Graham Greene
  • Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde
  • Privacy
    • Design a site like this with WordPress.com
    Get started