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Definitely not for meArchive for August, 2007
« Previous Entries Friday, August 31st, 2007Books read in August 2007
57. The Secret Life of Bees****1/2 by Sue Monk Kidd (2003, 302 pp)
58. Stargirl**** by Jerry Spinelli (2002, 186 pp)
59. A Death in the Family****1/2 by James Agee (1957, 310 pp)
60. We****1/2 by Yevgeny Zamyatin (1924, 232 pp)
61. The Little Prince****1/2 by Antoine De Saint Exupery (1943, 84 pp)
62. The Amateur Marriage**** by Anne Tyler (2004, 306 pp)
63. O Pioneers!**** by Willa Cather (1913, 176 pp)
64. The Known World**** by Edward P. Jones (2003, 388 pp, Pulitzer, NBCC, IMPAC)
Pages read in August: 1984
Pages read in 2007: 17,808
Have you reviewed any of the above titles at your own blog? If you wish, enter them into Mr. Linky below.
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Thursday, August 30th, 2007Book meme
What are you reading right now? I am reading The Known World by Edward P. Jones and desperately trying to finish it before midnight Friday so I can complete the Southern Reading Challenge.
Do you have any idea what you’ll read when you’re done with that? I have a reading schedule that I’m following for the rest of this year. My next reading selections will be (not necessarily in this order):
Middlesex (Pulitzer, BAC)
Blue Like Jazz (NF5)
The Travels of Marco Polo (NF5)
Bookseller of Kabul (NF5, RAB)
Half of a Yellow Sun (NYT, BookAwards)
The Picture of Dorian Gray (FC, RIP)
Lisey’s Story (NYT, BAC, RIP)
Never Let Me Go (DC)
What magazines do you have in your bathroom right now? I don’t read in the bathroom; I just think it’s gross. But the magazines I do subscribe to are Bookmarks, National Geographic, and Smithsonian.
What’s the worst thing you were ever forced to read? I usually like almost anything, but in high school I really didn’t care for The Red Badge of Courage.
What’s the one book you always recommend to just about everyone? To Kill a Mockingbird
Admit it, the librarians at your library know you on a first name basis, don’t they? I know they recognize my face, but it’s a big library. I’m not sure they know my name or not.
Is there a book you absolutely love, but for some reason, people never think it sounds interesting, or maybe they read it and don’t like it at all? I really loved Gilead, which some people love, but others are bored to tears by it. I think it has truly magnificent writing.
Do you read books while you do other things? Not really. Of course I listen to audiobooks while I’m driving. I usually bring a book to the doctor’s office or anywhere else I might be kept waiting.
When you were little, did other children tease you about your reading habits? I don’t think so; I know my family and friends used to call me Bookworm or Bookgeek, though.
What’s the last thing you stayed up half the night reading because it was so good you couldn’t put it down? Sometimes I read late just so I can finish a challenge! I actually do this quite frequently, sad to say. The last two books I read almost straight through were The Amateur Marriage by Anne Tyler and We by Yevgeny Zamyatin.
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Thursday, August 30th, 2007BTT - Stats
There was a widely bruited-about statistic reported last week, stating that 1 in 4 Americans did not read a single book last year. Clearly, we don’t fall into that category, but . . . how many of our friends do? Do you have friends/family who read as much as you do? Or are you the only person you know who has a serious reading habit?
Answer:
My best friend reads a lot, but it’s mostly non-fiction (not that there’s anything wrong with that, though I’m a fiction gal), and one of my sisters reads quite a bit, too. My husband listens to audio CDs (mostly that I pick out for him!) on his commute, and my children both like to read (even though sometimes it’s forced upon them by homeschooling).
I would say most of the people I know in real life don’t read all that much, though. That’s why I love the book blog community! Friends with a shared love of reading are hard to come by.
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Wednesday, August 29th, 2007It’s 90 degrees at 9 pm
I like summer, but I’m more of a cool weather person. I really don’t like anything above 85 in the daytime and 70 after dark. It’s 90 degrees right now near Cinci.
Ridiculous!
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Tuesday, August 28th, 20078 books in 8 categories in ‘08
I’m not really posting this for anyone to join me, as this is something I’m doing just for me, ahead of time, to make sure I get to read most of the books I want to next year. I still plan on joining a few group challenges in 2008, but I felt I needed to make these lists for myself to keep my own reading priorities straight.
I’m having a personal Triple 8 Challenge. Meaning, I am going to read 8 books in 8 different categories in 2008. That’s 64 books. I am allowing 8 overlaps, which means I have to read 56 separate titles for this.
I only have 7 categories so far, and not all lists are filled in yet. They are also listed in the ‘08 books tab above under ‘08 challenges.
8 Pulitzers
- Empire Falls (Russo)
- Interpreter of Maladies (Lahiri)
- The Bridge of San Luis Rey (Wilder)
- So Big (Ferber)
- The Magnificent Ambersons (Tarkington)
8 Bookers
- Life of Pi (Martel)
- Possession: A Romance (Byatt)
- The Remains of the Day (Ishiguro)
- Hotel Du Lac (Brookner)
- Life & Times of Michael K (Coetzee)
8 Sci-fi
- 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clark
- Solaris by Stanislaw Lem
- Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis
- Perelandra by C.S. Lewis
- That Hideous Strength by C.S. Lewis
- Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card (and possibly sequels)
8 books in translation
- Independent People by Halldor Laxness (Icelandic)
- The Neverending Story by Michael Ende (German)
- War and Peace by Tolstoy (Russian)
- Sophie’s World by Jostein Gardner (Norwegian)
- Solaris by Stanislaw Lem (Polish)
- If on a winter’s night a traveler by Italo Calvino (Italian)
8 books ‘Around the World’
- The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene
- Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene
- A Thousand Splendid Suns
8 female authors of the 19th century
- Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
- Adam Bede by George Eliot
- The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë
- Villette or Shirley by Charlotte Brontë
8 detective novels
- #3 in No. 1 Ladies series by Smith
- #4 in No. 1 Ladies series by Smith
- #3 in Thursday Next series by Fforde
- #4 in Thursday Next series by Fforde
- ? by Agatha Christie
- ? by Agatha Christie
8 ? (to be determined)
This way when a challenge comes up, I’ll be able to see if it fits with what I’m already planning on reading. Obsessive, I know. 
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Monday, August 27th, 2007Monday’s Moon #7
Click on the photo for more info.
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Monday, August 27th, 2007R.I.P. II Challenge
Hosted by Carl, this challenge lasts from September 1 through October 31.
There are several perils to choose from, and I will at least be doing Peril 1.
Here are my 4 books:
1. Lisey’s Story by Stephen King FINISHED
2. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
3. Gossamer by Lois Lowry FINISHED
4. Evenings on a Farm in Dikanka by Nikolai Gogol FINISHED
Alternate/Extra:
Dracula by Bram Stoker (also another peril in and of itself)
The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury FINISHED
Since #4 is a short story collection, I will try to keep up with the Sunday short story peril as well.
Thanks, Carl!
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Saturday, August 25th, 2007The Amateur Marriage
The Amateur Marriage by Anne Tyler outlines the lives and marriage of Michael and Pauline Anton from World War II to the present day. We see their joys and trials in courtship, marriage, children, and death.
It’s hard to review the book without giving spoilers away, but the book basically follows a difficult marriage. Or was it, really? Was it really much different than most marriages? Aren’t even “good” marriages difficult at times? These are the questions the book raises.
This was a very readable book that I finished in a day, and I would have very much liked to discuss it with a group. I’ve read one other book by Anne Tyler, Saint Maybe (which I also liked), and I’ll be seeking out more.
2004, 306 pp.
Rating: 4
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Wednesday, August 22nd, 2007Just in time for fall. . .
Welcome to 1morechapter.com. I hope you enjoy this new site–I’m really excited about it. It’s a little scary to be “on my own” like this, but hopefully I’ll get the swing of it soon. I’ll be able to modify and change templates a little easier and will probably change the look of the site with each new season or holiday.
I’m still working out kinks, though, so if you find any, let me know.
Popularity: 4% [?]
Sunday, August 19th, 2007Let ‘We’ tempt you. . .
You will subjugate the unknown beings on other planets, who may still be living in the primitve condition of freedom, to the benificent yoke of reason. If they fail to understand that we bring them mathematically infallible happiness, it will be our duty to compel them to be happy. But before resorting to arms, we shall try the power of words.
This is a great book! It’s sad this isn’t as well known as 1984 and other dystopian novels. I’m finding it superb. We are discussing it in the Books in Translation Reading Group starting September 1.
Popularity: 4% [?]
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