It's all about me: December 2008

Callista is hosting the second Jewish Literature Challenge - it runs from 21 December 2008 until 27 April 2009 and requires us to read at least 4 books by Jewish authors or about Judaism.

I have tons of ideas, which are listed below - the list might change though!

Completed: ALL 4/4 as of 22 April 2009

People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky
Night by Elie Wiesel
Maus I and II
The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen
The Story of God by Robert Winston
Nothing's Sacred by Lewis Black
The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka

Sunday, December 28, 2008

Lost in Translation Reading Challenge

Frances of NonSuch Book is hosting the Lost in Translation challenge - a year long challenge to read at least 6 books in translation. Visit the challenge post for more info.

I have so many of these on my list that I think I'll be able to make it no problem! My possible books are listed below.

Completed: ALL 6/6 as of 28 February 2009 (view my wrap-up post here)

The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo by Stieg Larsson (Swedish)
Inkspell by Cornelia Funke (German)
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (Russian)
The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shibiku (Japanese)
Out by Natsuo Kirino (translated from the Japanese by Stephen Snyder)
Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel (Spanish)
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Spanish)
The Witch of Portobello by Paolo Coelho (translated from the Portuguese by Margaret Jull Costa)
The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (translated from the French by Mattias Ripa and Blake Ferris)
Karlson on the Roof by Astrid Lindgren (translated from Swedish)
Aesop's Fables by Aesop (translated from the Greek)
Night by Elie Wiesel (translated from the French by Stella Rodway)

2009 Romance Reading Challenge

Naida from The Bookworm is hosting the Romance Reading Challenge for 2009. Yay! :-)

We're supposed to read a minimum of 5 romance novels between 1 January and 31 December 2009. As long as there is a romantic link between the two main characters the book fits. Visit the post about the challenge for more info and to sign up.

My list of possible books is below.

Completed: ALL 5/5 as of 29 July 2009 (read my wrap-up post)

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
Getting Rid of Matthew by Jane Fallon
Undead and Unemployed by MaryJanice Davidson
Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
Crime Scene at Cardwell Ranch by B.J. Daniels
Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult

The Science Book Challenge 2009

Jeff at Bearcastle Blog is hosting the Science Book Challenge - it runs from 1 January to 31 December 2009 and requires participants to read three science books related somehow to the theme "Nature's Wonders" - they should have something to do with science, scientists, how science operates, or science's relationship with its surrounding culture. In my quest to read more non-fiction (and also because I love science) I decided to sign up.

Visit the challenge post for sign-ups and more info.

I'm listing possibilities only, nothing final, since there will always be new books that catch my eye!

Completed: 0/3 as of 1 January 2009

The Story of God by Robert Winston
The Force by Lynne McTaggart
God and the New Physics by Paul Davies
Elephants on Acid and Other Bizarre Experiments by Alex Boese
Your Inner Fish: The Amazing Discovery of Our 375-Million-Year-Old Ancestor by Neil Shubin
What the Bleep do we Know? by William Arntz and Betsy Chasse
The Quirks & Quarks Guide to Space : 42 Questions (and Answers) about Life, the Universe, and Everything by Jim Lebans

Support Your Local Library Challenge

J. Kaye from J. Kaye's Book Blog is hosting the 2009 Support Your Local Library Challenge where participants are encouraged to read from their libraries between 1 January and 31 December 2009. There are various level of participation, but I'm committing myself to reading 25 books from my library. It seems a bit high for me, but I'll try!

Completed: 5/25 as of 12 June 2009

1. Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut
2. A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton
3. The Private Lives of Pippa Lee by Rebecca Miller
4. Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
5. Ombria in Shadow by Patricia McKillip
...

The Pub Challenge 2009

I missed this challenge in 2008 and looking over what I read during the year have realised that I didn't read a single book published in 2008! So I think I owe it to myself to sign up for the 2009 PUB Challenge hosted by Michelle. :-)

We have to read 9 books published in 2009 during the year. I have no idea what I want to read yet, I'll fill in the blanks as we go along...

Completed: 0/9 as of 14 July 2009

1.
2.
3.
...

New Author Challenge

Literary Escapism is hosting the New Author Challenge for 2009, which runs all of 2009. Each participant can decide how many new authors they want to try. I won't set a number, just list some that I've been wanting to read for a while.

For the full rules and sign-ups, see the challenge post.

Completed: 17 as of 22 May 2009

Paul Auster
Octavia E. Butler - Kindred
Agatha Christie - The Mysterious Affair at Styles
Douglas Coupland
Jane Fallon - Getting Rid of Matthew
Sue Grafton - A is for Alibi
Philippa Gregory
Shannon Hale - The Goose Girl
S.E. Hinton - The Outsiders
Barbara Kingsolver
Natsuo Kirino - Out
Lorna Landvik
Stephanie Meyer - Twilight
Rebecca Miller - The Private Lives of Pippa Lee
Peggy Orenstein - Waiting for Daisy
Ann Patchett
Susan Beth Pfeffer - Life As We Knew It
Marjane Satrapi - The Complete Persepolis
Zadie Smith - On Beauty
H.G. Wells - The Time Machine
Laura Ingalls Wilder - Little House in the Big Woods
Xinran - The Good Women of China
Sara Zarr - Story of a Girl

Friday, December 26, 2008

Casual Classics

MizB is hosting the 2009 Casual Classics Challenge. Simply read 4 classics over the course of the year. I feel that I don't read enough classics and will try to work on this.

Some possibilities are listed below.

Completed: ALL 4/4 as of 26 February 2009 (view my wrap-up post here)

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Emma by Jane Austen
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
Quo Vadis by Henryk Sienkiewicz
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
Aesop's Fables by Aesop

Well Seasoned Reader Challenge

Booknut is hosting the Well Seasoned Reader Challenge. The idea is really fun - you have to read at least three books, which must:

have a food name in the title, OR
be about cooking/eating, OR
have a place name in the title, OR
be about one (or more) person's travel experience, OR
be about a specific culture, OR
be by an author whose ethnicity is other than your own

The challenge lasts from 1 January to 31 March 2009 - check out the challenge post for more info and to play along!

My potential books are listed below.

Completed: ALL 3/3 as of 20 Feburary 2009 (view my wrap-up post here)

Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky
Salem Falls by Jodie Picoult
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
The Good Women of China by Xinran
Out by Natsuo Kirino

100+ Reading Challenge

Since I've signed up for every challenge known to man, the only natural next step is to sign up to the 100+ Reading Challenge hosted by J.Kaye from J.Kaye's Book Blog.

I'll be tracking what I read on a separate page and certainly hope to reach the 100 goal this time! :-)

Incendiary

I'm trying to read a couple more books in Polish to finish the year's 888 challenge, so am picking up whatever my Mom has recently bought and read and can recommend to me. Chris Cleave's first novel Incendiary is such a book.

The story is told from the point of view of a woman who loses her husband and 4-year-old son during a fictional terrorist attack in London and takes the shape of a letter she is writing to Osama bin Laden. In it she tries to make sense of what happened and to move on. Her voice is very real, which makes for some very good reading. I found parts of the story unconvincing and even forced, but I liked the main character and felt for her, which made for a good reading experience. I probably would not have bought this book myself, but now that I know the author I'll be curious to see what his other books are about.

In a terrible coincidence, this book was published on 7 July 2005, which was the day of the attacks in London. But even without this, the subject matter treated in it is realistic and Cleave made a good effort to show a few individuals trying to make sense of the new reality that exists around us. Unfortunately, there are many who try to take advantage of this reality and the new power balance, but that's life. I don't want to give away any of the story, but I want to mention that I also liked how the author treated the politics of terrorism and some of the decisions that are taken in its midst. Disturbing stuff.

Challenges: 888 Challenge

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

World Citizen Challenge

Here's another non-fiction challenge, hosted by Eva at A Striped Armchair - the World Citizen Challenge. Between 1 January and 31 December 2009, we are to read a number of books from categories dealing with different aspects of the world we live in.

There are many options and rules (see the challenge post for the details) but I will aim for the most difficult, 7 books including one from each category listed. Although I reserve the right to switch down to a lower number of books! :-)

My list is half-empty to start with because I decided to use this challenge opportunity to visit my local bookstore and raid the non-fiction section. Just get whatever seems interesting at the time. :-)

Completed: 2/7 as of 20 February 2009

Politics:

Economics:
Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner

History:

Culture or Anthropology/Sociology:
The Good Women of China by Xinran

Worldwide Issues:
Affluenza by Oliver James

Memoirs/Autobiographies:
The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

Dewey's Books Reading Challenge

Chris at Stuff Dreams Are Made Of and Robin at A Fondness for Reading are hosting a very special challenge in honor of Dewey from The Hidden Side of A Leaf. Chris writes:
Dewey was such a prolific reader and her reviews were honest, intriguing, and beautifully written. What better way to celebrate her wonderful life than by having a year long challenge in her name!

The point is to go browsing through Dewey's archives (on her website) and read books she read. I'm choosing option 2, so to read 5 books that Dewey reviewed. Additionally, I want them to be books I only heard of through her, not books that I've been wanting to read anyway. I list some possibilities below.

Completed: ALL 5/5 as of 10 July 2009

After Dachau by Daniel Quinn
Body Drama by Nancy Amanda Redd
Buffalo Soldier by Chris Bohjalian
Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman
The Ha-ha by Dave King
Into the Forest by Jean Hegland
Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
The Kings Are Already Here by Garret Freymann-Weyr
The Little Women bz Katharine Weber
The Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler
The Pesthouse by Jim Crace

Others:
Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr
The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff

Dewey Decimal System Challenge

I don't read as much non-fiction as I'd like to so I want to sign up to some non-fiction challenges as well. This one, hosted by The Novel World, seems really varied and fun, so I'm in. The challenge is to read one book from each section of the system. It runs from 1 January to 31 December 2009.

I'm only listing possibilities for each section, no final choices yet!

Completed: 5/10 as of 15 October 2009

000 - Generalities
The Demon-Haunted World by Carl Sagan (001 - Knowledge)
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson (070 - News Media, journalism, publishing)

100 - Philosophy and Psychology
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie (158.1)
The Speed of Trust by Stephen M.R. Covey (174.4)
Blink by Malcolm Gladwell (153 - Mental processes and intelligence)

200 - Religion
The Battle for God by Karen Armstrong (200.9)

300 - Social Sciences
Women Who Run With Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes (398.082)
The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan (394.12)
The Good Women of China by Xinran (305.420951)

400 - Language
The Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language by Steven Pinker (400)

500 - Natural Sciences + Math
Elephants on Acid and other bizarre experiments by Alex Boese (500)
A Beginner's Guide to Constructing the Universe: Mathematical Archetypes of Nature, Art, and Science by Michael S. Schneider (516.001)

600 - Technology
The Force by Lynn McTaggart (615.5)
Anatomy of the Spirit: The Seven Stages of Power and Healing by Caroline Myss (616.0019)
I Can Make You Thin by Paul McKenna (613.25019)

700 - The Arts
The Structure of Singing: System and Art of Vocal Technique by Richard Miller (782)
Into thin Air by Jon Krakauer (796)

800 - Literature and Rhetoric
The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories by Christopher Booker (809.924)
We Thought you would be Prettier by Laurie Notaro (814.6)

900 - Geography and History
Paris: The Secret History by Andrew Hussey (944)
The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (955.0542092)

Spiritually Speaking Challenge

In 2008, I planned on a whole section for the 888 Challenge to be devoted to spirituality. As the year progressed, however, I ended up getting rid of this category. The Spiritually Speaking Challenge hosted by Lilly from Reading Extravaganza, is what's going to help me with my goal in 2009!

The rules are to read 6 books (spiritual, metaphysical or self-help) between 1 January and 30 June 2009. For more information, visit the challenge post.

I'm listing possibilities only, no final choices yet!

Completed: 2/6 as of 17 April 2009

The Witch of Portobello by Paolo Coelho
something by Carlos Castenada
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
The Speed of Trust by Stephen M.R. Covey
Women who Run with Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes
The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield
Many Lives, Many Masters by Brian L. Weiss
I Can Make you Thin by Paul McKenna (self-help)

My Year of Reading Dangerously

I was too late to sign up for this last year, but here I am for the 2009 edition. It's a great idea - read 12 books that you deem dangerous, for whatever reason. For detailed information and rules, see the challenge post. It is hosted by Estella and runs from 1 January to 31 December 2009.

I'm listing possibles, rather than making a final list. :-)

Completed: 7/12 as of 27 October 2009

Books that I find daunting:
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
Quo Vadis by Henryk Sienkiewicz
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
Wild Swans by Jung Chang

New-to-me genres:
Western:
Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey
Graphic Novels:
Long Way Home by Joss Whedon
No Future For You by Joss Whedon and Brian Vaughn
The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
Wolves at the Gate by Joss Whedon et al.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Omnibus, Volume 1 by Joss Whedon et al.

Monday, December 22, 2008

Graphic Novels Challenge

Until this year, I didn't count graphic novels as 'proper' books, but rather as comics. Don't stone me yet, I changed my mind! :-) After reading loads of reviews of graphic novels, I'm now very intrigued. Fortunately, Laza of Gimme More Books is hosting the 2009 Graphic Novels Challenge on it own dedicated blog.

There are several choices and I think I'll aim to read 6 graphic novels in 2009. If I end up really liking this genre, I might increase that goal, we'll see. For ideas, visit Dewey's challenge blog from 2008.

Completed: ALL 6/6 as of 28 November 2009

Maus I by Art Spiegelman

Maus II by Art Spiegelman

The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Long Way Home by Joss Whedon

Buffy Season Eight: No Future for You by Brian K. Vaughn and Joss Whedon

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Wolves at the Gate by Joss Whedon et al.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Omnibus, volume 1 by Joss Whedon et al.
Fray by Joss Whedon
American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

Hunting and Gathering

My friend Larissa recommended this book to me - Anna Gavalda is a French writer and I probably would not have read this if it wasn't for Larissa, so thanks!

The story takes place in Paris and is basically about four people who come together by chance and pretty much save each other. They each have their own pain and insecurities to deal with and each of them somehow got lost in the world. Camille wanted to disappear so badly that she pretty much stopped eating; Philou actually belonged to another century and couldn't manage to co-exist with modern people; Franck felt so guilty about his Grandma that he lost himself in his work; and Paulette had too much trouble growing old and lonely... and too many secrets and regrets weighing her down. Somehow these four found each other and learned how to love and hope and live again.

I loved all four characters and was rooting for them all the way. I also loved how they interacted and what ended up being important in the end. Gavalda wrote a very uplifting book about how the simple things in life really matter and how it's worth it to figure out what you really want from life.

It was also nice to read something by a French writer. I believe that Gavalda has another novel out and I'll definitely be reading that at some point.

Challenges: 888 Challenge, Naming Conventions, Unread Authors, Countdown Challenge

Childhood Favorites Challenge

Lynda from Lynda's Book Blog is hosting the Childhood Favourites Challenge. I kind of started re-visiting my favorites this year and I definitely want to do more of it. For the challenge, I need to read 5 books I loved as a child between 21 December 2008 and 21 June 2009. Yay! :-)

I'm listing possibles rather than final choices.

Completed: ALL 5/5 as of 21 June 2009 (see my wrap-up post here)

in Polish: Brzechwa Dzieciom by Jan Brzechwa (a book of poems for kids, in Polish)
Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Kristy's Great Idea by Ann M. Martin
The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene
anything by Judy Blume
anything by Beverley Cleary
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Sleeping Beauty and Other Stories
in Polish: Szosta Klepka by Malgorzata Musierowicz

TBR Challenge

I missed this one last year too, so am very happy to be able to participate this year. I think I need at least one challenge where I'm reading from my TBR stacks and where I'm not really allowed to change my mind a lot as I go along. :-)

Jenn is hosting the TBR Challenge for 2009 - check out the challenge post for the detailed rules. The basics are to read 12 books from your existing TBR stacks. You're not allowed to change your list after 1 January, but you are allowed to have a list of 12 alternates so that you have some choice. I'll be reading books that I already own for this challenge.

Completed: 3/12 as of 2 September 2009

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
The Devil: A Biography by Peter Stanford
An Instance of the Fingerpost by Iain Pears
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
Nine Parts of Desire by Geraldine Brooks
The Optimists by Arthur Miller
Quo Vadis by Henryk Sienkiewicz
She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb
When the Sky Fell In - In Search of Atlantis by Rand Flem Ath and Rose Flem Ath
Wild Swans by Jung Chang
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Alternates:
Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrisson
Getting Rid of Matthew by Jane Fallon
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks
Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
The Plot Against America by Philip Roth
The Names by Don DeLillo
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson
Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons by Lorna Landvik

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Centuries Challenge

Becky is hosting the Centuries Challenge, which runs from 1 January to 31 December 2009 and requires us to read 4 to 6 books from 4 different centuries. Thankfully, they don't need to be consecutive! For more information and for literature timelines, visit Becky's challenge post.

I'm listing some ideas of books I'd like to read - possibles only, no final choices at this point.

Completed: ALL 4/4 as of 22 June 2009

Book of the Dead (c. 1580 B.C.E. - Egypt)
Aesop's Fables by Aesop (c. 550 B.C.E. - Greece)
something by Homer
something by Sophocles
something by Euripedes
The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shibiku
Beowulf
The Divine Comedy by Dante (1310 - Italy)
A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare (16th century)
Sleeping Beauty and Other Stories (17th century)
Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery (20th century)

Audiobook Challenge

J. Kaye is hosting the Audiobook Challenge, which I'd never seen before. It's great - I only started listening to audiobooks this year and would really like to listen to more of them. I could really use some recommendations though, so I'm looking forward to reading about what others listened to and liked. Plus, listening to audiobooks is something I like to do while walking so it kinda goes with my 'more excercise' resolution!

Anyway, the challenge is to listen to 12 books over 2009. I don't have any ideas for the moment so I'll see how things go!

Completed: 7/12 as of 31 August 2009

Nothing's Sacred by Lewis Black
Aesop's Fables by Aesop
The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes by Anita Loos
But Gentlemen Marry Brunettes by Anita Loos
Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr
The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted by Elizabeth Berg

Chick Lit 2

I must say that since I'm trying to read a lot of 'heavier' books these days, I also need my dose of chick lit... so I'm in this challenge as well! Twiga at Books and Life is hosting it the second time around - the challenge is to read at least 10 chick lit books from 1 January to 31 December 2009. Check out the challenge post for more information.

I'm only making a list of possible books and I'll probably be adding to it throughout the year... :-)

Completed: ALL 10/10 as of 05 October 2009

Bad Heir Day by Wendy Holden
Bed Rest by Sarah Bilston
Bet Me by Jennifer Cruise
Everyone Worth Knowing by Lauren Weisberger
The Family Way by Tony Parsons
The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs
Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
Getting Rid of Matthew by Jane Fallon
Last Chance Saloon by Marian Keyes
Queen of Babble in the Big City by Meg Cabot
The Rise and Fall of a Yummu Mummy by Polly Williams
Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult
The Second Assistant by Clare Naylor and Mimi Hare
Shopaholic and Sister by Sophie Kinsella
Shopaholic and Baby by Sophie Kinsella
Undead and Unemployed by MaryJanice Davidson
Where Rainbows End by Cecilia Ahern

War Through the Generations

Anna and Serena are hosting this challenge, which focusses on WWII in 2009. The challenge is to read 5 books in 2009. For the rules, check out the challenge post.

Here is a list of possibilities:

Completed: ALL 5/5 as of 22 October 2009 (visit my wrap-up post)

Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
Captain Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernieres
The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen
Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer
Maus I
Maus II
Night by Elie Wiesel
The Plot Against America by Philip Roth
Schindler's Ark by Thomas Keneally
Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky
Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

Erotica Romance Challenge

Another one hosted over at J. Kaye's Book Blog! I've never read anything in this genre so am intrigued. The challenge runs from 1 January to 31 December 2009 and requires us to read 10 erotica during that time. Check out the challenge post for the rules and to sign-up.

I have no idea about any good books in this genre so will have to do some research first...

Completed: 0/10 as of 1 January 2009

2nds Challenge 2009

J. Kaye from J. Kaye's Book Blog is hosting this one too (boy, will she be busy in 2009!). The 2009 Seconds Challenge requires us to read 12 books by authors we've read only once, between 1 January and 31 December 2009. For all the details, check out the challenge post.

Since most of the books I read in 2008 were by new-to-me authors, I have a huge list already! I'm only listing possibilities though and it's likely that I'll be adding to the list as other ideas come to me...

Completed: ALL 12/12 as of 30 December 2009

something by Cecilia Ahern
The Second Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann Brashares
The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot (I read Queen of Babble)
Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll (I read Alice's Adventures in Wonderland)
Undead and Unemployed by MaryJanice Davidson
Shadows in Bronze by Lindsey Davis
something by J.M. Coetzee
Murder on a Bad Hair Day by Anne George
something by Laurie Halse Anderson
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Two Caravans by Marina Levycka
Vegan, Virgin, Valentine by Carolyn Mackler (I read The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things)
Ombria in Shadow by Patricia McKillip
something by Donna Jo Napoli
Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger (I read The Time Traveller's Wife)
Redemption Falls by Joseph O'Connor
Salem Falls by Jodie Picoult
Sorceress by Celia Rees
something by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer (I read Exceptionally Loud and Incredibly Close)
something by Jane Yolen
Sweethearts by Sara Zarr (I read Story of a Girl)
I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak

A Christmas Spirit Award!

Kailana presented me with the Christmas Spirit Award! Thanks! :-) She's one of the organisers of the very cool Blog Advent Tour, during which we got to read about people's holiday traditions. I loved participating and will definitely be in next year too. Great event.

Here are the rules for the Christmas Spirit Award:

"You must be a true Christmas lover to receive this award.
The person to whom you give the award must also be in love with Christmas.
Link back to the person who gave you the award.
List 5 things that you love about Christmas. If you can't limit it to 5 things, then keep going till you run out of space!
Pass the award along to as many people as you like. That can be 1 or 50. It's up to you! But keep the Christmas cheer going!Let your recipients know that you have tagged them by leaving them a comment. Also, link back to the person who gave you the award."

5 things I love about Christmas:
1. Spending time with my family
2. All the kitsch decorations, including lots of Santas
3. The lights
4. The presents
5. Snow

I think that Kailana tagged everyone who participated in the Blog Advent Tour, so I don't know who to tag. So I'll take the lame way out and give this award to YOU if you haven't received it already. :-)

Saturday, December 20, 2008

999 Challenge

I didn't finish the 888 Challenge, but I was very close! :-) Plus I really like this idea of categories. So here I am trying to complete the 999 Challenge. Check out the challenge blog for all the info!

Completed: 71/81 as of 30 December 2009

Classics (9/9 done)
1. A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare
2. A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle
3. Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
4. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
5. Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey
6. Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
7. The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
8. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
9. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

Historical Fiction (6/9 done)
1. The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean Auel
2. Seek the Fair Land by Walter Macken
3. Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky
4. Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
5. Shadows in Bronze by Lindsey Davis
6. A Break with Charity by Ann Rinaldi
7.
8.
9.

Young Adult (9/9 done)
1. Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry
2. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
3. Vegan Virgin Valentine by Carolyn Mackler
4. Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr
5. Sweethearts by Sara Zarr
6. The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
7. Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
8. The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot
9. The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket

Fantasy and Science Fiction (9/9 done)
1. Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
2. Wolves at the Gate by Joss Whedon et al.
3. Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist
4. Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr
5. Undead and Unemployed by MaryJanice Davidson
6. No Future For You by Joss Whedon and Brian K. Vaughn
7. Long Way Home by Joss Whedon
8. Coraline by Neil Gaiman
9. Ombria in Shadow by Patricia McKillip

Around the World (9/9 done)
1. Out by Natsuo Kirino (Japan)
2. The Witch of Portobello by Paolo Coelho (Brazil)
3. Night by Elie Wiesel (Romania)
4. The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett (United Kingdom)
5. Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery (Canada)
6. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery (France)
7. Murder on a Bad Hair Day by Anne George (United States)
8. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (Afghanistan)
9. The Kalahari Typing School for Men by Alexander McCall Smith (Botswana)

Non-fiction (9/9 done)
1. SeinLanguage by Jerry Seinfeld
2. The Good Women of China by Xinran
3. Nothing's Sacred by Lewis Black
4. The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
5. I Can Make You Thin by Paul McKenna
6. Waiting for Daisy by Peggy Orenstein
7. The Stork Club by Imogen Edwards-Jones
8. We Thought you would be Prettier by Laurie Notaro
9. The Best Friends' Guide to Pregnancy by Vicki Iovine

Books from the 1001 list (8/9 done)
1. On Beauty by Zadie Smith
2. Aesop's Fables by Aesop
3. Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut
4. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
5. Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
6. The Hours by Michael Cunningham
7. Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
8. Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
9. Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer

Published in 2008/2009 (completed 9/9)
1. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
2. Waiting for Daisy by Peggy Orenstein
3. The Carbon Diaries 2015 by Saci Lloyd
4. No Future for you by Joss Whedon and Brian K. Vaughn
5. The Private Lives of Pippa Lee by Rebecca Miller
6. The Vanishing of Katharina Linden by Helen Grant
7. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
8. The Tales of Beetle the Bard by J.K. Rowling
9. Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

In Polish (completed 5/9)
1. Code to Zero by Ken Follett
2. Szosta Klepka by Malgorzata Musierowicz
3. Brzechwa Dzieciom by Jan Brzechwa
4. Krysztalowy Aniol by Katarzyna Grochola
5. Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery
6.
7.
8.
9.

Latin American Reading Challenge

Katrina at Katrina Reads is hosting Exploration: Latin American Reading Challenge. We are required to read 4 books from Latin America between 1 January and 30 April 2009.

I'm listing possibilities rather than deciding on anything final at this point!

Completed: 1/4 as of 12 February 2009

100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Paula by Isabel Allende
something by Carlos Castenada
The Witch of Portobello by Paolo Coelho

Rescue Challenge

I'm a tad late signing up for this, as it started on 1 November 2008, but it's such a good cause to I'll sign up anyway! The Rescue Challenge is hosted by Katrina at Katrina Reads and requires us to first get rid of the books that we know we won't read (I've already done this) and then to "set up a pool of unloved books and read between 3-6 of them between Nov 1st 2008 - Dec 31st 2009".

All of the following possibilities have been on my shelved for 3 years or more...

Completed: 1/3 as of 2 September 2009

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
The Devil: A Biography by Peter Stanford
An Instance of the Fingerpost by Iain Pears
Little Altars Everywhere by Rebecca Wells
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
Nine Parts of Desire by Geraldine Brooks
The Optimists by Arthur Miller
She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb
When the Sky Fell In - In Search of Atlantis by Rand Flem Ath and Rose Flem Ath
Wild Swans by Jung Chang

Every Month is a Holiday 2009

Kim is hosting the Every Month is a Holiday Challenge - I love the idea of reading 'seasonally' so I'll see what I can come up with. If there are any interesting holidays I missed, let me know! :-)

Completed: 11/12 as of 30 November 2009

January: Chinese New Year
The Good Women of China by Xinran

Feburary: Candlemas/Imbolc, Valentine's Day
Crime Scene at Cardwell Ranch by B.J. Daniels (Harlequin romance)

March: International Women's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Mardi Gras, First Day of Spring
Seek the Fair Land by Walter Macken (about Ireland, for St. Patrick's Day)

April: Passover, Ostara/Easter
Waiting for Daisy by Peggy Orenstein (about fertility)

May: May Day, Mother's Day, Poland Constitution Day
The Stork Club by Imogen Edwards-Jones (about becoming a mother)

June: Father's Day, Helen Keller's birthday, Summer Solstice
A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare

July: Canada Day, U.S. Independence Day, Bastille Day
Girlfriend in a Coma by Douglad Coupland

August: Lughnasadh, Afghanistan's Independence Day (19)
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

September: Botswana National Day (30)
The Kalahari Typing School for Men by Alexander McCall Smith

October: Yom Kippur, Halloween
No Time For Goodbye by Linwood Barclay (a thriller for Halloween...)

November: Samhain, Armistice Day, Thanksgiving
Native American Songs and Poems, edited by Brian Swann

December: Yule, Christmas

Secret Santa

I opened my gift a while ago, but simpy couldn't find time to blog about it! Now that I'm in Poland for Christmas, it seemed like a good time to do it, finally. Unfortunately, I don't have my present with me and i forgot to take a photo... but I'm sure many of you know what it looks like anyway!

So... many thanks to Francesca for a copy of Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere! She's right, I do like Gaiman a lot and fortunately for her I haven't had the chance to explore all of his work. Neverwhere is totally and completely new to me, I don't even know what the story is about. Thanks Francesca, it's a fantastic gift! :-)

I loved participating in this year's event, organised by Nymeth and Dewey. I didn't have a chance in the Weekly Geeks dedicated to Dewey, so I think that this is a good time and place to say what I would have said there. Dewey was a pillar of the book blogging community and I know that we owe a lot to her dedication. It's events like this one and the Read-a-thon and Weekly Geeks that make a community out of people who are scattered all over the world. She will always be remembered.

A giant thanks also goes to Nymeth for all her organisation, energy and enthusiasm - you're amazing! :-) As my first year of blogging draws to a close, I think about this community a lot and feel very lucky to have found it. It really is something special.

Hope you all enjoyed your Secret Santa and other gifts! :-)

Friday, December 19, 2008

2009 Themed Reading Challenge

Caribousmom is hostng the 2009 Themed Reading Challenge, for which we have to read between 4 and 6 books from our TBR stacks, all with the same theme. Ever since I started blogging, my TBR stacks have exploded so I didn't have much trouble putting a list of possibles together - I actually already own all my possible books.

My theme is 'Books with proper names in the title'. The challenge runs from 1 February to 31 July 2009.

Completed: ALL 4/4 as of 19 May 2009 (my wrap-up post is here)

The Confessions of Max Tivoli by Andrew Sean Greer
The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud by Ben Sherwood
Getting rid of Matthew by Jane Fallon
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
Karlson on the Roof by Astrid Lindgren
Ludmilla's Broken English by DBC Pierre
Mourning Ruby by Helen Dunmore
The Private Lives of Pippa Lee by Rebecca Miller
The Testament of Gideon Mack by James Robertson
The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell
Waiting for Daisy by Peggy Orenstein

Monday, December 15, 2008

Two more challenges down!

The Seconds 2009 Challenge was hosted by Joy to make sure that we don't just stop at one book per author. There are so many authors that we discover and then forget to read more by. I loved the idea of this challenge. To see what I read, visit my original post. I think that my favorites were Kafka on the Shore and The Lollipop Shoes. Least favorite was definitely Amsterdam, I did not like that one at all!

The Chunkster Challenge was hosted by So many books, so little time and actually finishes on 17 December rather than at the end of the year so I'm writing this wrap-up post right on time! We were required to read 4 chunksters - I read many more... for the full list see my original post. I wanted to read some truly huge books but didn't manage. Still, the ones I read were long too so they counted anyway! All of them were fantastic so I'm not going to torure myself by trying to choose a favorite!

Thanks to both of you for hosting these fun challenges!

The Lollipop Shoes

My friend Amy recommended this Joanne Harris book to me, saying that I'll really like the magical side of the story. Since I trust her judgement, I immediately went to buy Chocolat, to which The Lollipop Shoes is a sequel. I loved Chocolat and so when I saw The Lollipop Shoes at the library I couldn't resist taking it.

I'm sure that The Lollipop Shoes can be read as a stand-alone novel, but I think you gain a lot from having read Chocolat beforehand. Here, the lives of Vianne and Anouk are continued and the place that Vianne wants to make sure they end up is very much dependant on what happened to them where they lived before. They now live in Montmartre in Paris and call themselves Yanne and Annie. Yanne is nothing like Vianne - she is trying to lead a normal, stable, non-magical life and to ensure that Annie is just a regular girl. Things are going fairly smoothly, Yanne has become an expert in masking her unhappiness, even from herself. Until Zozie de l'Alba swoops in and befriends them. She seems to be a best friend and good luck charm all rolled into one, but she's certainly not either. What ensues requires both teenage Annie and grown-up Yanne to confront who they really are and how they want to lead their lives.

I loved The Lollipop Shoes. The everyday magic was much more central and vivid and I loved every minute of it. I hated Zozie more with each page until I could barely get myself to read the parts of the book written from her perspective. Thankfully, Joanne Harris wrote some chapters from Zozie's perspective, some from Yanne's and some from Annie's. The writing was great and the three voices were disctint where they needed to be, but they spilled into each other and became one when they needed to as well. Genius.

It made me want to read up on herbs and charms again too! :-)

Challenges: Seconds 2008, Chunkster Challenge, Countdown Challenge

Celebrate the Author Challenge

Becky is hosting the Celebrate the Author Challenge, in which she asks us to read 12 books - 1 per month by an author whose birthday falls in that month. The challenge runs from 1 January to 31 December 2009. For the details, visit the challenge blog.

Completed: 11/12 as of 30 November 2009

Here are my possibilities:

January: E.M. Forster (01/01), J.R.R. Tolkien (03/01), Philippa Gregory (09/01), Edgar Allan Poe (19/01), Virginia Woolf (25/01), Shannon Hale (26/01), Lewis Carroll (27/01)
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
February: James Michener (03/02), Paul Auster (03/02), Laura Ingalls Wilder (07/02), Kate Chopin (08/02), Susan Beth Pfeffer (17/02), John Steinbeck (27/02)
Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
March: John Irving (02/03), Gabriel Garcia Marquez (06/03), Kenneth Grahame (08/03), Jeffrey Eugenides (08/03), Keri Hulme (09/03), Pearl Buck (17/03), Penelope Lively (17/03), Philip Roth (19/03), Lois Lowry (20/03), Tenessee Williams (26/09), Jennifer Weiner (28/03), John Fowles (31/03)
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

April: Maya Angelou (04/04), Barbara Kingsolver (08/04), Beverly Cleary (12/04), Henry James (15/04), Charlotte Bronte (21/04), Sue Grafton (24/04)
A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton

May: Peter carey (07/05), Daphne du Mauruer (13/05), Jodi Picoult (19/05), Susan Cooper (23/05)
Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult

June: Harriet Beecher Stowe (14/06), Amy Bloom (18/06), Salman Rushdie (19/06), George Orwell (26/06), Pearl S. Buck (26/06), Antoine de Saint-Exupery (29/06)
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery

July: Robert A. Heinlein (07/07), Dean Koontz (09/07), Alice Munro (10/07), Cormac McCarthy (20/07), Beatrix Potter (28/07), Emily Bronte (30/07)
Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz

August: MaryJanice Davidson, Isabel Allende (02/08), Mary Shelley (24/08), E. Annie Proulx (22/08)
Undead and Unemployed by MaryJanice Davidson

September: Roald Dahl (13/09), James Fennimore Cooper (15/09), Agatha Christie (15/09), H.G. Wells (21/09), Laura Esquivel (30/09)
Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel

October: Anne Rice (04/10), Oscar Wilde (16/10), Ursula Le Guin (21/10), NOra Roberts (30)
Morrigan's Cross by Nora Roberts

November: Bram Stoker (08/11), Margaret Atwood (18/11), Frances H. Burnett (24/11), Louisa May Alcott (29/11), L.M. Montgomery (30/11)
Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery

December: Elizabeth Berg (02/12), Joseph Conrad (02/12), Shirley Jackson (14/12), Jane Austen (16/12), Douglas Coupland (30/12)