LauraBrook's 1010 Challenge

After reading the flurry of discussions about this challenge and reading all of the threads that are already started, I might as well throw my hat in the ring too. (Not to mention the fact that I've been culling category ideas for 2010 since I started the 999 this year!)

I'll be trying for the 10 + 10 version. Reading 100 books is going to be a stretch, but I'll do my darndest!

A. Because I Said So - Books my Mom recommends

B. And You'll Never Guess What Happened Next - Series books

C. Miss Austen and Her Relations - Books by Jane, or sequels to her novels, or riffs of her novels, or...

D. Get Off Of My Lawn! - Children's and YA lit

E. Anywhere But Here - Travel lit and Travel guides

F. Contemplate a Classic - Books read in my Classics bookgroup

G. All the Cool Kids Are Doing It - Books found through LT and PaperbackSwap that I have to read. Darn you, peer pressure!

H. Your Royal Highness - Books about particular people and royalty in general

I. O"K"ay By Me! - Authors whose surnames start with K
Picture It - Comic books, manga, graphic novels (changed in March)

J. Shiny Objects - A grab bag of things that cross my path

And as before, I'll try to overlap as little as possible. We'll see how desperate I get once December 2010 rolls around.

A. Because I Said So - Books recommended by my Mom. Sadly, a few of them have been sitting here unread for at least 6 years. Sorry, Mom!

1. Heat Wave by Richard Castle (February 23) 198 pgs

2. Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke (June 5) 308 pgs

3. Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich (June 24) 309 pgs

4. Evan Can Wait by Rhys Bowen (July 26) 259 pgs

5. The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl (August 9) 228 pgs

6. Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier (August 17) 356 pgs

7. Cooking with the Two Fat Ladies by Jennifer Paterson and Clarissa Dickson Wright (August 29) 192 pgs

8. Wicked Appetite by janetevanovich::Janet Evanovich (October 23) 313 pgs

9. 1st to Die by James Patterson (November 7) 471 pgs

10. Bones of Faerie by Janni Lee Simner (December 30) 247 pgs

B. And You'll Never Guess What Happened Next - Series books

1. Evans Above by Rhys Bowen (January 4) 214 pgs

2. Evan Help Us by Rhys Bowen (January 19) 214 pgs

3. Royal Flush by Rhys Bowen (January 23) 306 pgs

4. Evanly Choirs by Rhys Bowen (April 21) 256 pgs

5. Q's Legacy by Helene Hanff (May 7) 177 pgs

6. Evan and Elle by Rhys Bowen (May 14) 274 pgs

7. Heart of the Sea by Nora Roberts (July 2) 369 pgs

8. Bruno, Chief of Police by Martin Walker (July 11) 273 pgs

9. Dance of the Gods by Nora Roberts (July 21) 341 pgs

10. Valley of Silence by Nora Roberts (July 24) 318 pgs

C. Miss Austen and Her Relations - Books by Jane, or sequels to her novels, or riffs of her novels, or...

1. Jane Bites Back by Michael Thomas Ford (February 28) 305 pgs

2. Mr. Darcy, Vampyre by amandagrange::Amanda Grange (March 19) 309 pgs

3. Letters from Pemberley by Jane Dawkins (March 25) 212 pgs

4. More Letters from Pemberley by Jane Dawkins (April 10) 247 pgs

5. Pride and Prescience by Carrie Bebris (May 16) 287 pgs

6. Enthusiasm by Polly Shulman (October 10) 203 pgs

7. Jane Austen's The History of England by austenjaneaustenjane::Jane Austen (November 23) 48 pgs

8. The World of Jane Austen by Nigel Nicolson (November 28) 188 pgs

9. Pride Prejudice & Jasmin Field by Melissa Nathan (November 30) 280 pgs

10. An Assembly Such as This by Pamela Aidan (December 4) 246 pgs

D. Get Off Of My Lawn! - Children's and YA lit

1. Viola in Reel Life by Adriana Trigiani (January 16) 282 pgs

2. Persephone and the Pomegranate by Kris Waldherr (February 18) 29 pgs

3. The Book of Goddesses by Kris Waldherr (February 18) 60 pgs

4. Briar Rose by Jane Yolen (March 15) 241 pgs

5. Goodbye, Chunky Rice by Craig Thompson (March 18) 128 pgs

6. Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison (March 26) 234 pgs

7. Beauty and the Beast by Jean Marie Leprince de Beaumont (March 27) 35 pgs

8. The Vicar of Nibbleswicke by Roald Dahl (March 27) 24 pgs

9. The Minpins by Roald Dahl (March 27) 48 pgs

10. The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar by Roald Dahl (April 10) 68 pgs

E. Anywhere But Here - Travel lit and travel guides. I have so many just sitting here unread, and I desperately want to read them.

1. Bronte Country ed. by Glenda Leeming (February 11) 128 pgs (wrong touchstone)

2. Carnet de Voyage by craigthompson::Craig Thompson (March 13) 244 pgs

3. Film + Travel Europe: Traveling the World Through Your Favorite Movies by Museyon Guides (April 7) 168 pgs

4. Corked by Kathryn Borel (April 10) 262 pgs

5. French Milk by Lucy Knisley (April 13) 199 pgs

6. Round About Chatsworth by Duchess of Devonshire (July 29) 128 pgs

7. Driving Over Lemons by Chris Stewart (September 27) 248 pgs

8. Ravenna: City of Art by Various (October 8) 144 pgs

9. Barcelona the City of Gaudi by Llatzer Moix (October 20) 128 pgs

10. Saltram by Ceri Johnson (October 27) 64 pgs

F. Contemplate a Classic - Books read by my Classics bookgroup *updated July 4* I'll be filling in this category with some alternate reads, since I'm now out of months and am short 2 books.

1. Botchan by Natsume Soseki (February 5) 176 pgs

2. Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu (March 5) 61 pgs

3. The Golden Bowl by Henry James (July 20) 548 pgs

4. *fill-in* The Girls from the Revolutionary Cantina by M. Padilla (July 20) 356 pgs

5. *fill-in* The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson (July 29) 273 pgs

6. *fill-in* Murder Uncorked by Michele Scott (September 25) 220 pgs

7. *fill-in* The Dark Vineyard by Martin Walker (October 8) 307 pgs

8. The Expedition of Humphry Clinker by Tobias Smollett (October 9) 375 pgs

9. *fill-in* The Frozen Deep by Wilkie Collins (October 27) 105 pgs

10. Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte (November 7) 219 pgs

G. All the Cool Kids Are Doing It - Books that I "have to" read, courtesy of LT or PBS.

1. Scandals, Vandals, and da Vincis by Harvey Rachlin (February 11) 295 pgs

2. Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valdez (February 18) 293 pgs

3. We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson (March 7) 241 pgs

4. Godmother: The Secret Cinderella Story by Carolyn Turgeon (March 13) 288 pgs

5. Flow: A Cultural History of Menstruation by Elissa Stein and Susan Kim (March 17) 272 pgs

6. Blankets by Craig Thompson (April 1) 582 pgs

7. Wicked Ties by Shayla Black (June 5) 341 pgs

8. Never Learn Anything From History by Kate Beaton (June 13) 75 pgs

9. The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer (July 13) 178 pgs

10. The Glades: Sunny With A Chance of Homicide by Clifton Campbell (July 19) 86 pgs

H. Your Royal Highness - Books about royals in general and in particular. For some reason, I've always had a fascination with royalty.

1. Doomed Queens by Kris Waldherr (February 11) 176 pgs

2. A Treasury of Royal Scandals by Michael Farquhar (April 11) 323 pgs

3. Nicholas and Alexandra by Robert K. Massie (August 21) 613 pgs

4. The Kitchen Boy by Robert Alexander (August 29) 230 pgs

5. Love and Louis XIV: The Women in the Life of the Sun King by Antonia Fraser (August 29) 432 pgs

6. A Load of Old Balls: Men in History by Jo Brand (September 19) 362 pgs

7. Sex With Kings by Eleanor Herman (September 30) 255 pgs

8. Royal Blood by Rhys Bowen (October 9) 305 pgs

9. Kings & Queens of England & Scotland by Plantagenet Somerset Fry (December 7) 96 pgs

10. The Tudors: A Brief Insight by John Guy (December 25) 160 pgs

I. O"K"ay By Me! - K authors (thanks for the category title, cyderry!)
Picture It - Comic books, magna, graphic novels...
(changed in March -can't believe how many I'm reading now that I've started)

1. The Watchmen by Alan Moore (February 28) 436 pgs

2. The Arrival by Shaun Tan (January 23) 128 pgs

3. Chobits, Volume 1 by Clamp (March 8) 185 pgs

4. Chobits, Volume 2 by Clamp (March 9) 176 pgs

5. Chobits, Volume 3 by Clamp (March 9) 183 pgs

6. Chobits, Volume 4 by Clamp (March 9) 183 pgs

7. Chobits, Volume 5 by Clamp (March 10) 181 pgs

8. Chobits, Volume 6 by Clamp (March 10) 181 pgs

9. Chobits, Volume 7 by Clamp (March 10) 181 pgs

10. Chobits, Volume 8 by Clamp (March 10) 134 pgs

J. Shiny Objects - Anything and everything...

1. Bonk by Mary Roach (January 29) 306 pgs

2. Hands Washing Water by Chris Abani (February 2) 90 pgs

3. Becoming Abigail by Chris Abani (February 5) 121 pgs

4. Living Well With Hypothyroidism by Mary J. Shomon (February 27) 587 pgs

5. Chicken with Plums by Marjane Satrapi (March 30) 84 pgs

6. Embroideries by Marjane Satrapi (April 10) 130 pgs

7. Persepolis 2 by Marjane Satrapi (April 15) 187 pgs

8. The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams (April 13) 40 pgs

9. Living Introverted by Lee Ann Lambert (May 2) 105 pgs

10. If I Knew Then What I Know Now... So What? by Estelle Getty (June 8) 192 pgs

Books / Pages read per month

January: 6 / 1,450

February: 13 / 2,894

March: 22 / 3,805

April: 11 / 2,462

May: 4 / 873

June: 5 / 1,225

July: 11 / 3,129

August: 6 / 2,051

September: 3 / 865

October: 9 / 1,944

November: 5 / 1,206

December: 4 / 749

Since I'm reading lots of other books that don't currently fit into one of my open categories, I'm going to use this message as a place to record the books that I read that can't fit in right now. Rather than trying to set up a new thread and keep two 1010's going (I think that'd be a bit too complicated for me at this point), I'll just list the books here, and do a new thread whenever the time comes.

Bonus Books Read in 2010

1. 90 Classic Books for People in a Hurry by Henrik Lange (Aug 10) 170 pgs
2. Microterrors by Tony Hart (August 18) 192 pgs
3. The Sense and Sensibility Screenplay and Diaries, read the diaries only, by Emma Thompson (Aug 20) 83 pgs
4. Hood by Stephen Lawhead (October 9) 490 pgs
5. Troublemaker by Janet Evanovich (October 10) 106 pgs
6. Finn Family Moomintroll by Tove Jansson (October 10) 174 pgs
7. Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher (October 10) 176 pgs (audio - 3+ hours)
8. Maus by Art Spiegelman (October 10) 159 pgs
9. Maus II by Art Spiegelman (October 10) 136 pgs
10. Gothic Classics, Vol. 14 by Ann Radcliffe (October 10) 144 pgs
11. Hot in Here by Sophie Renwick (October 10) 288 pgs
12. Cheerful Weather for the Wedding by Julia Strachey (October 17) 136 pgs
13. Twilight: Director's Notebook by Catherine Hardwicke (October 18) 162 pgs
14. The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening by L. J. Smith (October 19) 311 pgs
15. The Vampire Diaries: The Struggle by L. J. Smith (October 19) 313 pgs
16. Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins (October 28) 323 pgs
17. Graphic Classics Vol 1 Edgar Allen Poe (November 3) 144 pgs
18. Graphic Classics Vol 3 H.G. Wells (November 4) 144 pgs
19. Graphic Classics Vol 4 H.P. Lovecraft (November 5) 144 pgs (why are all of these books 144 pages?!?)
20. Shakespeare in an Hour by Christopher Baker (November 6) 84 pgs
21. Graphic Classics Vol 2 Arthur Conan Doyle (November 9) 144 pgs once again
22. My Trip Down the Pink Carpet by Leslie Jordan (November 17) 260 pgs
23. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin (November 20) 288 pgs
24. The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean (November 21) 400 pgs/13 hrs
25. Masterpiece Theatre: A Celebration of 25 years of Outstanding Television by Terrance O'Flaherty (November 25) 244 pgs
26. Bunnicula by Deborah & James Howe (November 28) 98 pgs
27. James Herriot's Yorkshire Revisited by James Herriot (November 28) 194 pgs
28. Book Lust To Go by Nancy Pearl (November 27) 271 pgs
29. Twilight: The Movie Companion by who knows? (December 1) 144 pgs
30. Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris (December 1) 159 pgs
31. The Good Body by Eve Ensler (December 4) 96 pgs
32. The Night Bookmobile by Audrey Niffenegger (December 5) 40 pgs
33. The God of Animals by Aryn Kyle (December 13) 305 pgs
34. Comet in Moominland by Tove Jansson (December 18) 192 pgs
35. The Vampire Diaries: The Fury and The Reunion by L J Smith (December 23) 520 pgs
36. Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas by Russell Hoban (December 25) 48 pages

I like the name for your sequels category and I hope your Mom recommends books that you'll enjoy.

Get off my lawn! :D I love it. Best of luck!

Get off of my lawn is just a fantastic headline for a category. Good luck!

Laura I have a category for Pride & Prejudice sequels, mind if I steal your category title?

Thanks, 15-18!

AHS-Wolfy, I think she'll do a great job. Mom hasn't steered me in the wrong direction so far, especially as far as books go.

And cyderry, you may certainly steal whatever you'd like. Isn't that part of the joyful thing about LT? Reading what everyone else has to say and seeing what everyone else is reading is so wonderfully inspiring.

I'm really looking forward to each and every 1010 thread, they all sound so fantastic. Of course, so do the 999 threads, but now that the numbers are so high, it's a little hard for me to keep up.

Off to finish a soon-to-be-overdue library book!

I've just caught up reading the 101010 threads...whew!

I'm already lamenting the fact that I can't have even more categories. Well, of course I could, but I'm having a hard enough time just trying to get through 81 books, let alone 100. Maybe if I had a different job, that would help. Wouldn't that look great on an application? "Hoping to have more reading time". Yeah...I don't think so.

Is anyone else having planned-reading envy? Cuz I've got it BIG TIME.

Updated to include categories 7, 8, and 9. Now I only have one free category left, and I'm having anxiety about what to choose. New books from the last decade? Books into Movies? Nonfiction? Help, please!!!

Also, I'm not so hot on my "K authors" category title. Any ideas?

Perhaps a genre that you read a lot of? Or an author (or two in one category) you want to read more of?

I've still not decided on my 10th category yet.

You could just do a catch-all category. Something that includes anything that doesn't fit in the other 9. That way you're not tempted to try and squeeze in something that doesn't quite fit the categories you have.

I've decided to take AHS's advice and just do a general category and make it a little easier on myself for once. I have lots of ideas that I could do, but there's always the 111111 Challenge to think about too. (That is, if you're insane like I apparently am.)

Hopefully I can get some books checked off from the Endless Europe and 50 States Challenges that I recently joined. I'm so thankful those don't have a "due date" so to speak. It should be interesting for me to be reading a book without an expiration date. I'm so used to trying to finish library books before they're due, and finishing my bookgroup tomes before we meet, that it might be nice to read things as they come along. Then again, I may be fooling myself. We'll see!

Thanks for your thoughts, chrine and AHS-Wolfy!

Laura
For your K category - how about O"K"ay by me!

Great category titles. I am going to have to re-think mine. If I was doing "K" authors (or any other letter) I would take a look here:- http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/k/

I love that site!

Good luck!

25: Thanks! I updated my category title, with a credit to you!

26: Calm, I love fantasticfiction too! If I ever have a question about a series order, or really anything book-related, that's the first place I turn to! (Well, aside from LT, that is.) Glad to see another fan!

The reason I picked K authors to read is that I happened to have exactly 10 unread on my shelf! I'm sure that that will change during the year (I just discovered another 3 story bookshop in town - trouble!), but I'm open to suggestions, as always. Any K favorites?
Here is my K list:
Garrison Keillor, Lake Wobegon Days
Kitty Kelley, The Royals
Barbara Kingsolver, Prodigal Summer
Rudyard Kipling, Kim
Cleone Knox, Diary of a Young Lady of Fashion In the Year 1764-5
Kevin Kopelson, Beethoven's Kiss: Pianism, Perversion, and the Mastery of Desire
Elizabeth Kostova, The Historian
Nicole Krauss, Man Walks Into a Room and The History of Love
Aryn Kyle, God of Animals

Fantastic Fiction is one of my top 10 websites - LT is #1, IMHO.

27
Anything by Kafka (if only for what hew meant to me as a teen)
One flew over the cuckoo's nest by Ken Kesey
Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay
Dont know if Bestiarium by Mare Kandre is available in english, but damn that's one fine book.

I like Ken Kesey's Sometimes A Great Notion in addition to Cuckoo's Nest. Natsuo Kirino's Out is slso very good, as are her other books. Other K authors I like are Kadare's Broken April, Kertesz's Liquidation and Khoury's Gate of the Sun.

Aaah, a clean slate! I'm looking forward to really pushing myself this year in my effort to read 100 books. I don't think I've ever read that much before (well, aside from when I was in high school and only had one job, or college summer breaks), but then again, I haven't really kept track of what I've read before 2009.

And just to get this out there, I'm planning on not reading more than 2 books at a time and will aim for one at a time. My normal way of reading is to have 7 or 8 or 15 books going at once, and then they all get nowhere not-quickly. Not helpful when shooting for a large number. I'm hoping to get more books knocked off of my list when I have a single focus. Fingers crossed, it'll work!

Happy New Year and Happy Reading to everyone here at LT!

I'm really looking forward to seeing which books are going into your Jane Austen category. I'm always looking for new ideas in that area. Also looking forward to some of the other categories. I'll be looking into this thread from time to time.

#31: My normal way of reading is to have 7 or 8 or 15 books going at once

Yay! Now I don't feel so bad for doing the same. :D (I think I have 7 going right now.) I'll cross my fingers for ya--and even my toes. :P Good luck!

Thanks morninggray - I have lots of Austen-y books (I think over 30) and rather than limit myself to preselected ones, I'll just fly by the seat of my pants. The only one that I'm reading for sure is Enthusiasm by Polly Shulman. I'll star your thread to keep track of your reading!

Dear dear saraslibrary, not only do we share a love for mid-90's teen book series (because they are Awesome!), but we also read way too many books at once? I LOVE IT!!! Yay you! I'm really thinking that I'll slip back into my old habits quite easily and quickly, but my more realistic goal is to hold out for a month. I'm glad you're crossing fingers and toes for me, I need all the help I can get! Plus, I'm pretty certain that once I start to read Katherine Applegate books again that's all I'll want to do for a week or two. And while 100 books is going to be a stretch I don't want a quarter of them to be "Zoey" and "Summer" books. ;-)

I'm halfway through with my first book of the new year and looking forward to getting one crossed off of the list.

Are any of you doing any other reading challenges? I've got 10 other ones going, but most of them can be filled by my doing this 101010 challenge. I'd really like to finish this one since I was very close to finishing the 999, but seeing as how I've spread myself thin challenge-wise this year, I don't know if I can do it. I might have to take my time to pick the right book for each category so it can take care of one of my other ones as well. Good thing I spent 4 hours on Friday listing all potential books for my reading challenges!!!

Are any of you doing any other reading challenges?

I think that once you start your first challenge it's easy to get tempted by others along the way. I have 5 challenges currently underway but only this one has a time limit imposed. There's the Reading Globally, European, 50 US States and the Alphabet Challenge as well as here. I have at times chosen the next read based on what would fill up a slot in more than one of them just so that I can feel I'm still making progress.

The planning is certainly part of the fun of doing something like this and I was thinking about this year's well before I'd finished the 999 challenge.

#34: Of course we rock! :D We have excellent taste in books. But I know what you mean about backsliding. I've already set one book aside--and it's only the 2nd of January. (gulp) But I figure it's an anthology, so it's kinda hard to lose track of the plot. And oh yes! Katherine Applegate--how could I forget?? :O I really want to work on her Making Out series; and if I have time (ha!), the EverWorld, Ocean City, Summer, and Animorphs books I do have (unfortunately, not all of them). Phew! I think I'm making more work for myself than I need to, but there are soooo many books I want to get through; sometimes I wish I didn't have to sleep or go to work. :D

You should definitely give yourself credit for at least limiting your "Zoey" and "Summer" intake--and for being so organized. Four hours making a potential reading list? That's amazing! No doubt you'll find a way of finishing those challenges. It's almost like a puzzle, just gotta find the right books to fit.

Btw, I can't wait to see your first read. I must be slow, but what book are you reading right now?

I've got 10 other ones going

Woah, and woah! Only 10?? :D I had been working on several challenges last year (Dewey Decimal, Newbery, and A-Z Author/Book), but decided to pare it down to just a couple (I was getting gray hairs just thinking about it); so I'm sticking with the obvious 75 Books Challenge, Paranormal TBR, and 1010.

And now I'm just babbling. Too much caffeine and not enough reading. Ciao for now! :)

#35: I think that once you start your first challenge it's easy to get tempted by others along the way.

I couldn't agree more. Best of luck with your five! :)

I started here last year with the 999 challenge and ended up with 12 different challenges for 2009 and 3 ongoing ones - US Presidents (ends 2012), Endless Europe, and 50 state challenges.

In 2009, I did 999 Challenge #1 and 999 Challenge # 2 which was 162 but that also covered ...
First in a series with a goal of 12 new series - read 45 first in a series
Support Local Library with 50 Bks goal - I read 120+
75 Book Challenge LT and 75 Book Challenge X 2, 100 Book Challenge LT, Great Summer Readoff - 40 books, August Reading Challenge, 2009 Terp Challenge - 28/28, Audio Book Challenge - 12 goal - completed 60, and the Christmas Challenge - 4. So really the 999s had mini challenges in them.

The challenges can get away from you, I agree. So this year I'm just concentrating on the 1010+20 challenge and the ongoing ones (which are incorporated into my 1010 and I'll do others which will fit together with what I want to accomplish in 1010. I track all my challemges on my blog.

The main thing, is just have fun them, read a book if you like it but don't waste precious reading time on a challenge just to say that you did it. If the book wasn't worth the time neither is the challenge.

In doing this particular challenge, I hope to read 100 books (obviously), but that will include the other challenges I'm doing. Since I asked and then didn't say what I was doing, along with this, I'm doing -

Endless Europe and 50 States here on LT - glad they don't have a due date
Reading from My Shelves (where you read a book and get rid of it - 40 for me)
Typically British (reading British authors - 8)
Support Your Local Library (goal of 25 books)
Read Your Name ( 5 total)
What's In A Name 3? (6)
J Kaye's YA Challenge (12 total, but will probably move that up to 25)
All About the Brontes (no set goal)
Reading Through the Seasons (4)
TwentyTen Reading Challenge (20)
Colorful (9)

Whew! There were 2 others that I really wanted to do, but I'm saving them for next year. I think I've got my hands full enough!

Evans Above by Rhys Bowen

I stumbled upon the first book in her "Royal" series at the library last year, really liked it, and wanted to give this series a shot. Set in Wales, it's full of mystery, gentle humor, and the power of nature. Evan Evans is a good, congenial character, and a reliable narrator. The other characters in the village are mostly that - characters - with an amusing sub-plot dealing with a missing apple pie and a neighbor jealous of anothers' veggie patch. As with most mysteries, some things are predictable and some are not. Admittedly, I might have missed some clues to the big twist at the end (dealing with a whopper of a cold and read most of it late last night and in the wee hours this morning), but it was kind of shocking. I also didn't remember the names of some minor characters, but I'm thinking that's the cold talking as well.

All in all, I enjoyed it and am looking forward to the next book in the series. I don't feel a big need to go out and read them all right away, but if I'm ever in the mood for a book that doesn't require huge amounts of concentration or for something that's gentle, interesting, and a fairly quick read, I'll happily come back to Evan Evans and the town of Llanfair, Wales.

The "Because I Said So" category cracks me up. Moms can be like that. Hehe.

All your categories are pretty cool. I'll be doing a Travel category, too, so I'll keep my eye on what you read there. :)

Viola in Reel Life by Adriana Trigiani

Confession - I picked this book up because of the cover. It's nothing special or fancy, but that shot of the girl with her bright yellow patent leather flats caught my eye. Well, that and the fact that the word "Viola" is pretty big and I played the viola for 13 or so years - you hardly ever see or hear much about the instrument, so I thought that it maybe was about the orchestra or something... um, it's not. Okay, so I also picked it up because it's Adriana Trigiani and while I've never actually read a book of hers before, I did listen to an audiobook a couple of years ago that I just adored, it was great and so much fun. (Rococco, read by Stephen Hoye. He was FANTASTIC and just the perfect choice to read this book.)

Anywho, back to the actual book. To sum it up, it was okay. I liked it, it was a quick read, enjoyable, but nothing stupendous. Viola was a likable character, real, complex, selfish - you know, 14 years old. She gets shipped off to a boarding school in South Bend, Indiana from her native Brooklyn, while her parents are away making a movie in Afghanistan, and she starts out hating it and ends up NOT-SO-SPOILER-ALERT loving it. She meets new people, discovers new things about herself, gets her very first boyfriend, and grows up.

There were a few parts that reminded me of when I first went to college, and what a shock it is, and there were a few comments that she made about being an only child (which both Viola and myself are) that are completely accurate. I'm wondering now if Adriana is an only child herself or if someone she is close to is. Hm. So, I liked this book, I'm glad I read it, but I won't ever re-read it. This being the first book of Ms. Trigiani's that I've physically read, I don't know if I'm going to rush into reading Big Stone Gap (wasn't totally overwhelmed by the greatness of this one), or if I'll wait a little while to read her again.

Thoughts? Any other recs for Adriana Trigiani books?

I haven't read any by her, but I did read and love Enthusiasm last year. Much better than it sounds even.

42> Thanks for the rec, cmbohn, I have Enthusiasm on my list to read this year for my Austen category. I'm really looking forward to it - I'm actually "saving" it for when I'm in a reading slump and need something to kick me back in to gear. Hoping that there will be more books similar to it that pop up, I have a feeling I'm going to really like it.

Speaking of a reading slump, I'm stuck about a quarter of the way through The Brightest Star in the Sky, and don't want to pick anything else up until I've slogged through another quarter or so. I like it so far, it's just not gripping me yet. When do I throw in the towel - another hundred pages? Just don't know what to think about it yet, if I should drop it or not. I think I'll just push myself to read 50 pages tonight and then decide. Yeah...that sounds like a plan.

Book #3: Evan Help Us by Rhys Bowen

Another good read in the Constable Evans series. I figured out "who dun it" fairly quickly, but it's such a pleasure to read about this town and the inhabitants, and to see what gets revealed as Ms. Bowen works up to the big finale. The third book in the series might not wait that much longer to be read!

Book #4: The Arrival by Shaun Tan

So fantastically imaginative and excellent, it's hard to put into words. This pictures-only graphic novel is simply wonderful. It reminds me of The Invention of Hugo Cabret a little. I'll be getting any other Shaun Tan my library has in the next couple of months - magical and wonderful!

Book #5: Royal Flush by Rhys Bowen

I love this series - set in 1930's England, involving the Royal family, real people, some real events, and the ever-charming and scrappy Lady Georgiana. In this book, Georgie has two missions: the ongoing task from Her Majesty to prevent Mrs. Simpson from seducing the Prince of Wales, and her new assignment from Scotland Yard to keep watch on members of the royal succession line as there have been several attempts made on their lives. Can Georgie find out who is behind these attempts, keep Wallis Simpson at arms' length from the Prince, deal with her miserable sister-in-law Fig, and manage to catch the charming Darcy long enough to confirm their relationship - perhaps even taking it "all the way"? Such a charming joy to read, I can't wait for book #4, whenever it happens to appear on shelves!

Viola in Reel Life, The Arrival, The Invention of Hugo Cabret--all of those sound great! I'll have to keep 'em in mind when I'm out bookshopping again. Thanks for the rec's! :)

Sorry to hear The Brightest Star in the Sky isn't working out for you. I haven't read anything by Marian Keyes, so I can't say if it's worth finishing, but I've learned the hard way that life's too short to get stuck reading stuff you're not into. Has it gotten any better?

I thought The Arrival was absolutely stunning, and everyone I've loaned it to was really impressed as well.

I picked up his Tales From Outer Suburbia last year and was very happy with it as well. It's short stories instead; a really nice variety.

Haven't yet tried to track down the older, more political stuff that was mostly released in Australia. My library should be able to get at least some of it.

I'm glad you liked The Arrival! It and The Invention of Hugo Cabret are the two books I proselytize most often to my librarian and teacher friends (and complete strangers). They are so beautiful and so original and they just say so much! Kids and adults everywhere should read them.

I've had Rhys Bowen on my list to investigate... I think you've convinced me to try this series! And I definitely intend to check out The Arrival -- I loved Hugo Cabret.

Book #6: Bonk:The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex by Mary Roach

I'd heard of this book off and on, and then recently it was brought to my attention somewhere in the book blogosphere (can't seem to find the original post - drat) and I had to run to the library to get it. "Bonk" was a fantastic book! So completely readable, interesting, filled with lots of interesting facts and information, and pants-down, I mean hands-down the best footnotes I have ever read! They literally made me snort and laugh out loud! Mary Roach is one of those wonderful writers where you don't feel like you're really reading, more like you're watching a movie or having a conversation with her. I'd heard about her two other books (Spook and Stiff) and how good they were, but I just hadn't kept them in mind while roaming around bookstores or the library.

I wouldn't call myself a prude (though my Mother does, jokingly I hope) nor am I a wanton and sluttish person either. Yes, the book is about sex and bodily functions and "adult" toys and Kinsey and the whole lot, but nothing is presented as tawdry, erotic, or unduly sexual. Rather, she takes a more practical, no-nonsense view of things. If you have a problem with the word "penis" or "vagina" or "lubrication" or anything else related, I don't think you'd enjoy this book. Then again, I don't think you'd even entertain the thought of touching this book, let alone picking it up, if that's the case. But, if you're anyone else who is curious about how the body works, or how science discovered the things it knows about human sexuality, or what is involved in this basic human/mammalian function, I can't recommend this book highly enough!

A stimulating read! (Sorry, couldn't help myself!)

>50 LauraBrook:
I do remember that beign a fun book to read. Though I would take it to work and read it during lunch, and couldn't help blushing from time to time. But I also laughed out loud quite a lot.

I love the way Roach can take subjects that are totally taboo and make them amusing while still managing to be respectful. Her book Stiff is definitely one of my favorite reads.

Oh, so that's where I've heard her name before. She writes all those one-syllable titles. I guess I should've known that, since I bought Stiff awhile back (I just haven't read it yet). I'm adding Bonk to my wishlist. Thanks for reminding me about it!

This is terrible and shameful, but it has been over a month since I've posted on my own Challenge! To repair this oversight, I'll do a mini-review of the books I've read in my absence.

Heat Wave by Richard Castle - Really cute, fun book, easy-going. Just like reading an episode of "Castle".

Jane Bites Back by Michael Thomas Ford - Another easy-reading book, this time about everyone's favorite classical author, her vampirisim, and the book-related high-jinks that ensue.

Persephone and the Pomegranate by Kris Waldherr - Great re-telling of the classic myth, wonderful pictures included.

The Book of Goddesses by Kris Waldherr - For kids, but an interesting read for me. There were quite a few goddesses I had never heard of before. And once again, with wonderful pictures.

Bronte Country ed. by Glenda Leeming - A nice book of pictures in "Bronte Country" during all four seasons. Lots (and lots) of Bronte quotes accompany each page. More of a look-y book than a read-y book.

Botchan by Natsume Soseki - Considered a modern classic of Japanese literature, this was funnier and more sarcastic and more fantastic than I could have expected. A funny little book.

Scandals, Vandals, and da Vincis by Harvey Rachlin - A history of the theft and return (most of the time) of famous artworks around the world. Interesting, but I didn't really love it.

Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valdez - Heard about it through LT and the book blogosphere, decided to request it, wasn't going to read it and then the day before it was due back at the library I decided to pick it up and give it 50 pages. I then proceeded to read the first 2/3 in the next couple of hours. A good book, and despite my seemingly feverish desire to finish it, I only found it good and interesting, nothing more.

The Watchmen by Alan Moore - Aside from the scope, length, and exalted status of this book, I couldn't stand it and can't understand why it's considered one of the best books ever. A bunch of s.o.b.'s doing horrible things to each other for no reason. No real plot to follow through the book, no redeeming characters. Blech. It's only nice to have it read, checked off of my TBR list, and out of my house.

Doomed Queens by Kris Waldherr - One of my favorites, with a great and unusual format (paper dolls to cut out! end-of-chapter quizzes!), filled with information (sometimes snarky) about royal women who met bad ends, deserved or not. This one is a keeper!

Hands Washing Water by Chris Abani - Picked up after wonderful things were said on the blogosphere and didn't disappoint. Not always an easy read, but he's a wonderful writer and poet. Glad to have discovered this author!

Becoming Abigail by Chris Abani - see above. Difficult, heart-breaking, truthful, and thought-provoking.

Living Well with Hypothyroidism by Mary J. Shomon - Meh. Not the seminal HT reference guide I was expecting. If you've researched or know anything about your thyroid and its' functioning parts you know most of this book. Disappointing and gone to the wonderful world of PaperbackSwap. If you don't have access to decent alternative healthcare professionals or are doing this all on your own, I imagine this book is a godsend.

That's it! And I promise that (barring personal tragedy) I won't be MIA for a month again. See you all again soon!

edited to remove misfit touchstones

Uh oh. I bought The Watchmen by Alan Moore a long while back, just never got around to reading it. Now I'm wondering if I should. I didn't really like the movie either (except for a few bits/actors, etc). Hmm... Thanks for the heads-up! :)

it has been over a month since I've posted on my own Challenge

Well, at least you've been reading in the meantime, so we'll forgive you this one time. ;) Nice reads, btw. I'll have to look for some of them when I'm out next (Jane Bites Back, for one).

54> I'm sorry to burst your Watchmen bubble. I was all kinds of excited to find a hardcover still on the shelves when my favorite bookstore was closing, and I saved it for over a year, waiting for the perfect time. I only wish now that it didn't have that honor of being one of the last books I ever purchased there - damn! Having not yet seen the movie (I'm one of those fuddy duds / weirdos that always reads the book before seeing the movie version) I don't know how to compare the two, but given what you've just said about it... I think it can wait a little while longer in my Netflix Queue.

Also, since we're now friends (*yay!*) I stalked your other challenges this afternoon, and now have all 8 volumes of Chobits making their way to me through our County library system. Thanks! (And I mean that both honestly and sarcastically. Did I spell "sarcastically" right? Hm.) At any rate, once they're in my hot little hands I'll post over at your place. And thanks for forgiving my absence! I missed it here!

I doubt I'll surprise anyone by saying the film version of Watchmen changed quite a bit. Not individual scenes (which were ridiculously faithful) so much as the overall tone/message.

Supposedly it was deliberate. The book was deconstructing 1950s/60s comicbook conventions. The movie was deconstructing 1980s/90s action film conventions.

#55: Naw, I didn't really have high expectations of it. I just figured I should get my feet wet with some more graphic novels. And since I'd seen the Watchmen movie, I figured what the hey.

I'm one of those fuddy duds / weirdos that always reads the book before seeing the movie version

I try to do that, too. I even bought The Da Vinci Code (both the movie and book), but I'll probably end up watching the movie first. Movies are so much quicker. Maybe not better, but at least you get the idea of what the book was about.

Yay, my first stalker! Oops, I mean friend. :D j/k Definitely let me know how the Chobits series ends! I'm still looking for the final books, but I don't mind having the ending spoiled, if you want to fill me in. Thanks!

Sarcastically--hmm, I had to look that one up. Usually I'm an ok speller, but anytime someone asks me how something's spell, my mind goes blank and I reach for the spellcheck button. Ha! Love technology. It's making me so lazy and dumb.

#56: Hmm, I never gave it much thought, kristenn, but what you said totally makes sense. Thanks for the that! :)

56> Thanks for the info, kristenn, I'd never have known what the main "point" (or whatever) of either the book or the movie without you! It does help me know where to place it on a shelf in my brain.

55> Right now I only have volume 5 in my hands, but I'll be picking up the rest of the series at the library tomorrow! When I first opened it up to see what it was like, I was seriously confused until I remembered that you read the book "backwards", both in the directions you turn pages and that you read the pages right to left. Thought I was losing it at first (usually happens at least once a day, but maybe that's just me!) until some little voice in my brain piped up and reminded me about manga. It's my first time reading it, so I'm a little nervous and a little excited. I'll let you know how it goes!

I'm thinking I might change one of my categories so I can read all of the books I need to for my challenges outside of LT. It's not too late, right? Good.

Book #20: Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu

This was my pick for my real-life classics bookclub. There are about 6 of us (out of 8) that take turns choosing classics of any genre or time period that we want to read. The main qualification for a classic is if it's taught in high school/college courses, or an award winner. In the past we've read from fiction, non-fic, biography, poetry, scifi, childrens, horror, plays... anything goes! My own personal parameters for choosing a book are that it's short (or short-ish) in length, it's already on my TBR shelves, and if I think it won't be too mentally taxing. That sounds bad, but for an example, I won't pick philosophy or a Russian lit chunkster or a dry historical non-fiction. The joke we have running (for at least 5 years now) is about Alexis de Tocqueville's "Democracy in America", Volumes 1 and 2. Those two months were certainly not some of the most well-read months we've had. Sorry, R!

Anyway, back to Carmilla. I chose it because it's short, I already had a copy, and I had heard somewhere that this "grandmother" of vampire stories was one of the main stories that inspired Bram Stoker to write Dracula. Works for me!

It was fairly readable, it took most of us about 90 minutes to read it, and there were a couple of passages that were truly chilling and scary. However, overall I was a little disappointed. I was expecting something that would tell more of a historical story of vampires in general, and for Carmilla's family specifically too, and something that would be more atmospheric where the main character wouldn't be quite so helpless. I realize that for the time-period it's a bang-on rendition of a female lead, and that while this was serialized in a magazine when it was first published, I'm sure it was terrifyingly frightening. But for todays' readers, Laura seemed dense, inert, and like the traditional damsel-in-distress. The scary moments were few and far between, with two points of genuine bloody horror, and the entire denouement was pretty much a flashing neon sign from about halfway through the book.

I did enjoy reading it, actually, I'm glad I did, and now I'm curious about some of Le Fanu's other works. It's not what I was expecting (didn't really think there would be some same-sex lovin', for example - I don't have any issue with that, I was just surprised that it was there), but I still enjoyed it, quoibles and all. Three and a half stars.

I wonder what other vampire classics are out there that I have yet to discover? Anyone have any recs?

Book #21: We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

I'm going to apologize in advance - this review might be weird and disjointed, since I still have a book hangover from finishing this one an hour ago.

This is a small, odd little book, one that I could hardly put down once I picked it up this morning. A story about 2 sisters living in their old family house outside of town with their forgetful old Uncle, we spend the length of the book hearing about things through one of the sisters, Mary Katherine, or, Merricat. Once the mysterious family secret is slowly revealed, and the twists and turns that accompany it are too, I dare you to close this book and never pick it up again. It's so curious, and yet seemed so familiar, almost like I dreamt it up when I was little, or that I'm really Merricat or something. It's strange. Yes, I realize that that sounds certifiably crazy, but it's still true.

There are so many things about this book that I did when I was a kid. Like think up magic words to protect yourself. Or like having a little safe hiding place in the woods where only you could go. Or like burying things to protect the garden or an invisible line you didn't want bad people to cross. (In the interest of a little more explanation, I'm an only child and have always had a large, roaming imagination and a curiosity and interest in all sorts of things. We had a family-built lake house in the country where we'd spend the weekends during the school year, and weeks during the summer - no phone, a ridiculously-large-antennaed TV that was only for Saturday morning cartoons and the weather report - where I would lose myself in stacks of books, or wander in the woods along the property, or roam the giant yard, looking for treasures like unusually colored rocks, or toads, or a snakeskin, or a discarded birds' nest. I had all of the time in the world to explore and consider and discover, only coming in when it was a meal time or when company would come to spend the night. Maybe that's why I have such a deeply-seated love for the "Little House" books? Or maybe it's because Laura and I share a name? Hm. Anyway...) Reading this book has reminded me in lots of little ways about the world of childhood.

Of course there are several things that I can't relate to at all - lots of mysterious family death, an aversion of being out in public, to name just two - but it's such an interesting story that those things don't even enter in to your reading world.

Five stars for this one. Yes, it's odd, and probably will seem very disturbing to some, but I don't know... I just love it!

(I first heard about this book from Eva at the fabulous book blog astripedarmchair.wordpress.com. If you're not familiar with her, you should really stop on by. She reads such a wide variety of books, and I have yet to be steered in the wrong direction from her.)

#58: Oh yeah, and as if the whole reading right-to-left isn't hard enough, you kind of have to do the same with scenes on the page, like so:



Confused yet?? :D Believe me, it took me awhile to get used to it. But there are (thankfully!) manga books out there that have flipped the books to read left to right. Those are my faves, of course.

I'm thinking I might change one of my categories so I can read all of the books I need to for my challenges outside of LT. It's not too late, right? Good.

Ha! I think you already answered your question there, but I'm all for making my reading goals easier too. Good luck! :)

#59: Yay for short fiction--my favorite! :D I haven't read Carmilla (yet), but as you put it, I'd heard it was kind of the grandmother to Dracula. And now that I know how short it is, I'll definitely have to pick it up. Thanks! :) And as far as vampire classics go, I'm waaay out of the loop there. I usually read vamp stuff from this past century or so. ;) Sorry.

#60: Ooh, sounds good. I love odd stuff. LT predicted I'd only like it, but we'll see.... Strange that I've never read anything by Shirley Jackson before. I'll hang my head in shame now. ;) Oh, and I love that word--"book hangover". I've never heard it before, but I've definitely had one or two of those!

@60 ooh I have We Have Always Lived in the Castle on my TBR. I picked it up after reading and enjoying The Haunting of Hill House

60 - That was one of my 5 star reads from last year. I am definitely glad I read it. I need to read more by Jackson.

62 & 63 - This was my first Jackson, and I loved it so much! I can't believe I had never heard of her before a few months ago!!! Thank you, LibraryThing and book bloggers! I picked up The Sundial at the library yesterday, and am saving The Haunting of Hill House for the fall Read-a-Thon. I'm so glad she has a nicely sized back catalog so I can parcel her books out and catch up eventually.

Time again for another quick review roundup! I'm already gearing up for the next 24-hour Read-a-Thon in 2 weeks - made trips to 2 different libraries yesterday and have spent a half hour this morning stacking and adding and rearranging a 'Thon stack of my own books and filling in the shelf spaces with recent purchases - and trying to finish up the books I'm in the middle of so I can have more of a "fresh start" when the 'thon starts.

Mr. Darcy, Vampyre - I liked this book, though I was annoyed with how dense Elizabeth was. And I like the ending, but it just seemed SO out of place and quick and different from the rest of it that it's sticking with me. Did that bother anyone else? At any rate, it's a quick read and entertaining. I'm really digging Austen revamps (pardon the pun) lately.

Letters from Pemberley - Really nice, epistolary book of letters from Elizabeth to Jane in the first year of their marriage. I'm trying to save the next book for the read-a-thon, but I don't know. It was just so enjoyable!

Briar Rose - Read for the group read-a-long here on LT, though I didn't post at all. I liked this book, but it was a little... I don't know, clunky? I realize it's for middle-grade readers, but usually I don't notice any disjointedness like I did here. I feel like she could have spent less time on the first two thirds, and more time on the last third - that's where I was really captivated by the story. I'm glad I read this book, and I'm glad it's at a new home courtesy of PaperbackSwap.

Goodbye, Chunky Rice - Unlike almost every other person out there, I didn't like this book. I like Craig's work, and the illustrations, but the overall "moral" or whatever didn't jump out at me, or do it for me, and the side characters just seemed like intentional "freaks" of society. Hm. Disappointed, but I like his other stuff much better.

Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging - Cute, picked up because of talk here on LT. It is like a young Bridget Jones, and it's fun to read a lot of the English slang I'm used to hearing on TV. Will read the rest of the series when I need a little diversion.

Beauty and the Beast by Jean Marie Leprince de Beaumont - Another pick b/c of LT (Retrogirl85), and it was a nice change to the usual versions you find today. (Is this the original? Hm.) It took me back to reading children's books when I was little - it's an oversize format, and the illustrations are very 60's. Despite the fact that I was born in the late 70's, it seems like a lot of the books I owned were from the 60's when my parents were in their twenties. ??? Anyway, a nice version, and thoroughly enjoyable.

The Vicar of Nibbleswicke and The Minpins by Roald Dahl - Loved both of these books. Vicar was cute, a quirky story about a dyslexic priest, with wonderful illustrations by the fantastic Quentin Blake. Minpins was really wonderful, my favorite of the two. I used to imagine little people living in forests like this when I was small, though I'm almost positive I hadn't read this previously. Great illustrations by Patrick Benson, the kind you could lose yourself in the more you looked at them. Will try to find it second-hand somewhere.

Carnet de Voyage - An amusing, honest, not-quite-rose-colored travel journal of Craig Thompson's European / African publicity tour for Blankets with a side trip vacation done on his own. Love it - there are many parts of traveling that I often think myself when I'm on the road, and it's an easy read. It's nice to travel with Craig, even when he's a little whiny and self-absorbed.

Godmother: The Secret Cinderella Story - I'm just now realizing that I enjoy reading twists and continuations of classic storylines. They're like hearing another person's version of a memorable event in your life. I really loved this book, all parts about it, especially the ending. It's heartbreaking and imaginative and seemed all-too-possible to me. Of course, my imagination tends to be on overdrive lately! Looking forward to reading more of Carolyn Turgeon's work in future.

Flow: The Cultural History of Menstruation - Interesting, written with a modern, slightly snarky pen, that made me really think and talk about this topic with my friends. Points out a lot of ridiculous "cures" from the past and the way we culturally avoid any frank discussion or handling of this natural bodily function that over half of all adults deal with. Really liked it, and I found I liked it better when read a chapter or two at a sitting, instead of plowing through it.

Chobits, Volumes 1-8 - I totally loved every part of this series. It's my first magna, so reading "backwards" was really fun. It's an interesting, layered storyline. Yes, it seemed slightly dated (think they were written in 2003?) with having to state what GPS or OS means most times they were mentioned, but it was so easy to read, and I plowed through this series in 3 days. I'm so glad I found out about this from saraslibrary! I've since tried to read Clover by CLAMP and I didn't like it as much. And, I've tried to read a different magna book (Aqua) that didn't really do it for me either. It must be this series! There is also a TV series of Chobits that I watched the first disk of - because they have to stretch minor storylines out to fill in the 30 minutes, it seemed WAY more pervy and way more slow (in the stupid sense). In other words, if you've watched the TV show, do yourself a favor and read the books instead - SO MUCH BETTER! If you can find this series, I can't recommend them enough!

Off to listen to more of The Swan Thieves before it's due at the library tomorrow. Happy Sunday, everyone!

#64: Woah, you've been busy--and lots to choose from, too! I'm still hacking away at a couple from this year and even last year. (Yikes!)

I read the first couple Angus, Thongs and FullFrontal Snogging books a couple years back and just loved them. I've heard the series is a jr. version of Bridget Jones's Diary, which I hope to read either this year or next. Try and catch up my chick lit, I guess.

And I'm so glad you liked the Chobits books! :) I'm still trying to finish my collection with the last 2 (or maybe it's 3; I forget). And I had no idea it was made into a TV show. Who knew? I checked to see if our library had any of them, but (sigh) they don't. Maybe eventually? (fingers crossed) It'd be interesting to see how they compare. I second the recommendation to anyone who wants to read some manga. Awesome series!

65: I know, I've been crAAzy reading lately. Don't know how or why, I'm just glad things are getting finished around here! It's a good thing you guys can't see my desk, because things are most certainly Not Getting Finished there. Oh well.

I can't thank you enough for reading Chobits and chatting about it here - otherwise I never would have heard about the series or read any magna! I totally love those books! And how is it that you're not going crazy by not finishing the series? Once I got started, I couldn't stop reading. I'm not going to spoil what happens for you (that wouldn't be fair - you need to enjoy them first-hand!) because all of the small storylines come together so nicely. And I wouldn't have heard about the TV series either, were it not for Netflix. I saw another Anime series on the home page and wondered if Chobits had one - bingo! I don't think I'll watch any of the other disks (I think there were 7 in all) because it seems so pervy and slow. But I have to say that the theme song has been stuck in my head for the last week or so. Darn catchy Japanese song! Thanks again, Sara, for the great rec!

(ed. to fix touchstone...not that it's necessarily working)

I'm sort of sad to report that this afternoon I gave up on The Swan Thieves. I got over 200 pages in to it, and I just ... didn't ... care. It's a nice premise, but it seems so drawn out, and the main characters are so super-self-involved, it's full of choppy paragraphs and endings for chapters - the whole thing was just "Meh" for me. If any of you are on goodreads.com, there is a great review by Greg (complete with pictures) that says it all very well.

Has anyone else felt this way about The Swan Thieves? I own but have not read The Historian yet, there were several book blogs that mentioned they wished they had read TST before TH, and I thought "hey, that's what I'll do". I'm glad I did. I fully expect to enjoy and really like The Historian, and Ms. Kostova can certainly write, but this book just did not do it for me.

I feel sort of bad for quitting after getting so far, but ultimately, it felt more like homework to read it before the due date and I wasn't enjoying myself. Adios, and back to the library it goes! Here's another question - should I count this book as being read? I can safely say I'll never pick it up again, but I certainly didn't finish it. Thanks, LT'ers!

I just finished The Historian and really enjoyed it. You can see what I said on my thread. There was a bit where I was beginning to feel it was too drawn out, but I thought it was more me and everything going on than the book. Now I'm conflicted about The Swan Thieves. Well sincce it's not on my shelves yet, I think I'll put that on the back burner for a while.

Oh wow, you did lots of reading and so many interesting books!

I agree Angus, Thongs and full-frontal snogging is like Bridget Jones. I've read a few of the follow ups, but haven't read the books in a while. Reading too many of them at a time can make things a bit too predictable.

I keep reading great things about flow on every blog I visit, it seems it is a great read.

You are the first person I've read that enjoyed Mr Darcy, Vampyre. Although I have to say you have given the same criticism that everyone seems to have. I still want to try and read it sometime though.

68: Thanks for letting me know about The Historian, dudes22. I read your thread (and starred it!) and I've heard the same things about TH that you commented on. You might really like The Swan Thieves, but in my opinion, I wouldn't rush out to add it to your shelves. Thanks for stopping by!

69: I think I enjoyed Mr. Darcy, Vampyre because it's only the second Austen vampire novel I've read and it was different in tone from my first, Jane Bites Back. I hadn't heard anything really positive about it either, but I enjoyed it. No brain strain is okay sometimes! Flow is pretty interesting, but I don't know if it's a read-it-in-one-sitting kind of book - maybe it will be for you? And the Angus, Thongs books - I can really see where they're very predictable. Fun, but predictable. Did you know there is a movie based on the first book? Although from what I can tell by the description on Netflix, it doesn't completely follow the book. Have you seen it?

@60 Another great review for We have always lived in the castle and Jackson. I'm definetly going to buy that one. Reading your review, it sounds like it might have some similarities with as the same sort of ambience as Iain Bank's The wasp factory. Have you read it?

I really liked the premise of The historian, but found it pretty slow going a lot of the time. There was also a kind of euro-exotism going on in the book, that was a bit tiring. I've not been tempted to pick up The swan thieves, and your review isn't helping.

I have to admit that I've seen the movie, actually, I saw it before I read the book. It isn't true to the books in that it has a more 'rounded' ending & there's less of an age difference between Robbie and herself. I enjoyed the movie, although I feel utterly ashamed of watching it with my boyfriend for example. It's one of those curl up on the couch alone movies which is basically aimed at a teenage audience.

I simply loved it for the English accent and um, Robbie is good-looking? Then again, I am easily swept of my feet by British guys.

#66: Yeah, no problem. :) Believe me, it's driving me nuts not knowing how Chobits has ended; but being broke-ass poor kind of prevents me from buying new copies of the remaining books. And our library is missing so many that I'll just have to keep haunting secondhand bookstores until I can find 'em.

#67: it felt more like homework -- Ugh, I hate running across books like that. And as for counting it, that's entirely up to you. I had a book like that a couple years back (The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards), but I eventually had to ditch it; and no, I didn't count it. But you could if you want; or even count it as half. Either way, it's totally your call. I don't think there are any concrete rules here.

#70 & 72: There's an Angus, Thongs and Fullfrontal Snogging movie?? Or where you meaning Bridget Jones's Diary?

There is an Angus, Thongs and Fullfrontal Snogging movie.

Chicken with Plums - Picked it up while getting books at my local library for the read-a-thon on the 10th. Hadn't heard of it before, but it was a quick read. I enjoy Marjane's illustration style and subject matters, but this wasn't exactly what I was expecting when I started reading. It's a story about a man who decides to die, we see him die, and then we see the previous 7 days before his death. Interesting and entertaining. Maybe I'm missing something here, but I read it, shrugged my shoulders and went "eh - it was okay".

Blankets - Add me to the ever-growing list of effusive praise for this book. A lovely story of first love, childhood traumas and memories, self-doubt, and moments of awareness, both uplifting and humbling. I've read all of Mr. Thompsons' works in the last couple of weeks, and I'm sad to be at the end. However, I'm glad I read this one last... you can see how far he has come on his journey as an author/illustrator. It's a hefty book (hard to read laying down - learned that the hard way when a corner narrowly missed my eyeball while I was drifting to sleep), but you are so pulled in to his story that the pages fly by.
Excellent!!! Now, get cracking on that next book, Craig!

71: Unfortunately, GingerbreadMan, I haven't read The Wasp Factory yet, but will be sure to pick it up at my library in the next day or two. I remember reading about it somewhere here on LT (was it your 1010 thread? VictoriaPL's? Hm.) and thought that it sounded interesting. However, like so many books you read about here, it had fallen off of my radar. I look forward to reading this one. Thank you for the rec! I've heard the same things about The Historian, but will probably read it anyways... it just won't be anytime soon.

72: Well, morninggray, I wasn't going to watch it, but now I think I'll add it to my Queue. I always enjoy watching a cheesy teen movie! And I have the same disease you have, I'm afraid - British guys easily do it for me! Though is it fair to call Robbie a "guy"? :) Actually, any accent will do, I'm not too particular.

73: I hear you Sara - being "broke-ass poor" is a problem for buying books. And after thinking about it, I'm not going to count Swan Thieves as being read. If I only had 7 or 8 books read for the year, I might, but since I'm further than I thought I'd be, I'll just let it go. I'll fill you in on the Angus movie once I've seen it. Actually, maybe I'll watch Bridget Jones today while I'm doing my taxes. Anything to distract from the depressing affair that is tax time. Out of curiosity, what books do you need in Chobits? Don't know if you're on PaperbackSwap or not, but I can see if they have anything you need.

74: Have you seen the Angus movie? If so, what did you think?

#74: Wow, I am really out of the loop on a lot of stuff. I'll have to see if I can find a copy of it somewhere. I really loved the books.

#75: I've seen both those graphic novels at work, but have never read them. I'll have to flip through them tomorrow (if we still have them--and when the supervisor isn't looking, of course ;).

hard to read laying down - learned that the hard way when a corner narrowly missed my eyeball while I was drifting to sleep

Ha ha! Funny excuse for getting a black eye (or worse!).

#76: Thanks ahead of time if you do see the Angus movie before I do. Was it released in the US or have I been living under a rock?

Ugh, don't say the "T" word. I actually had mine all done as soon as I got my W2s from work, but the second I saw how much I owed, I hid the papers for a good couple of months. It is depressing.

That's awesome of you to offer (I think I just need the last 2 or 3 books; I'll have to double-check), but I don't have a PaperbackSwap account. I never really thought of signing up with them, but I'll drop by the site when I can. Thanks! :)

Well, the April Read-a-thon is over. I didn't get half as far as I wanted to, but I also didn't plan on babysitting for 8 hours and having to get up early the next morning for an hours' drive and brunch. (Of course, the brunch ended up being canceled, but that happened late last night and my body was already set on sleeping. It annoyed me for many reasons, but what are you gonna do.) I did make some nice progress, got a few more books out of my TBR moutain, and when I was awake and participating I had a great time. I'll just have to do a better job at planning for the October date.

On to the books that I read! Two of them I started reading previously, so that certainly helped my overall total.

Embroideries - I liked it, but I didn't love it. There wasn't much here to recommend for me. I'm just glad it was short and had pictures. And that I didn't buy it - thank you, library! Also, it didn't have page numbers, which is a pet peeve of mine - also related to CD's that don't number their songs. Seriously? It's just annoying!

A Treasury of Royal Scandals - Really interesting. Nice to pick up and read for short stretches as there are short chapters, and they are related to each other in theme only. A keeper. Plus, it has some of the best appendices I've seen in a book - British Monarchs 1066 to present, French Monarchs 1515 to 1814, Russian Monarchs 1682 to 1917, and a timeline featuring a chronological index of monarchs in the Treasury and concurrent events in the Western World. So helpful!

Corked - I really enjoyed this travel memoir. I received it through the ER program here, so look for a separate review soon.

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar - listened to this on audio, and the fantastic David Suchet (aka Poirot on Masterpiece Theater) did an outstanding job. Very Dahl-esque, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Hood - I read the first 10 chapters only and really like it. For some reason, the Welsh in here isn't throwing me off like it normally does. It tends to scramble my brain, rendering all words meaningless. I'm reading this with a real-life bookclub friend on goodreads. We both have had it on our shelves for a long time and wanted to read it, so we're holding each other accountable. Plus, reading 5 chapters a month is a nice amount.

More Letters from Pemberley - Again, a nice epistolary book of letters written by Elizabeth Darcy, this time covering the next four years of her marriage. Cute and fun, this time tinged with a bit of sadness.

I'm always ashamed to admit not reading yet another Roald Dahl book, but I haven't read The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar. Yet. ;) I'll have to keep looking for more of his books to fill the holes in my library.

Btw, nice reviews! Even though I haven't read Embroideries, I totally agree with you--pages have to be numbered, especially with graphic novels. I've read a couple mangas where they number maybe every few pages, and I've been thoroughly lost. Almost makes me want to go through the thing and number the pages myself.

The Velveteen Rabbit - It's hard to believe it, but I never read this book as a child. I know! So cute and touching, no wonder it's a classic.

Persepolis 2 - I really like this one, maybe even better than Persepolis. It's so interesting to hear about what someones life is like in a foreign country. It's especially interesting to me because I know virtually nothing about Iran aside from the fact that there always seems to be war and fighting. Set half in Austria and half in Iran, it was fascinating to hear about her life and its' twists and turns.

French Milk - A great book, told graphic-novel style (with a few photos thrown in), about Lucy and her Mom spending 5 weeks in France to celebrate their birthdays. From her love of French milk (hence the title), to the acute hell of life after college when everything seems to be so monumental to THE REST OF YOUR LIFE that you become paralyzed, to all of the wonderful discoveries the city of Paris holds, I relished in every minute of reading and soaking it up. It was also kind of funny to read about some things that you take for granted as common knowledge - it's such a joy to learn a new city and the quirks that make it so wonderful. Love it!

P.S. Does anyone know if there's a name for this genre? A travel memoir / photography / graphic novel kind of hybrid? If there is such a thing, then I am all over it! It's totally the kind of book that I want to do.

#80: I honestly can't remember if I've read The Velveteen Rabbit or not. I want to say yes, but maybe it was just the movie I saw. Either way, I'm still scrounging for a copy whenever I'm out.

I've heard of Persepolis--the film and the book--but have never gotten around to it. Just one of a million other books I eventually want to read.

I have no clue if there's a specific genre name for books like French Milk. I haven't read it either, so I'm more clueless than usual. :) Sorry I couldn't help. I'll have to look for it, though. Sounds very interesting.

81: Hi Sara. I was surprised that I hadn't read TVR before. I mean, I'm the girl in her 30's scrounging around the children's section at most used book stores, trying to find once-treasured books from her youth. I'm going to look for a larger version of the book, the one I have here is just a teensy bit smaller than a mass market paperback. I can't imagine how touching those pictures would be on a larger scale!

If you do watch Persepolis (which I really enjoyed, but I don't know if foreign films are your bag or not), it puts both Persepolis 1 & 2 together. I know, add it to the list!

If you do happen to get your hands on French Milk I hope you like it. I'm just totally grooving on travel memoirs and graphic novels lately. Mostly, I think, because of your introducing me to Manga! Darn you - it's all your fault! Bad influence! Ooh, speaking of bad influences, I now have the first 10 books of the "Zoey" series here and I am soooo tempted to start reading them! Just seeing those stacks of Katherine Applegate books makes my inner-teenage heart beat a little faster!

French Milk sounds interesting, thanks for the review. oh and I have seen books like this tagged graphic memoir which kind of fits :-)

French Milk sounds great. I rather enjoy the graphic novel/travel memoir genre. I've seen a couple others lately, and I'm sure there are plenty more.

There's Japan Ai: A Tall Girl's Adventures in Japan, which has manga style artwork, and is really cute. I loved it from cover to cover.

And then there's Shenzhen: A Travelogue from China, which is also good, but more subdued. The narrator goes to Japan to work on a animated tv program, and it deals with a lot of the boredom and uncertainty of floating through a city in which you do not know the lanuguage (especially this city, which is industrial and thus there's not much there to see).

#82: I'm the girl in her 30's scrounging around the children's section at most used book stores, trying to find once-treasured books from her youth.

Same here! Doesn't make sense to some people since I don't have kids, but I got rid of my books as a teen and really regret it now.

It hasn't been much time, but did you ever find a bigger copy of The Velveteen Rabbit? I ask because when I was out book shopping a couple weeks ago, I found a BIG (app 3 feet tall!) children's board book, which I can't even remember the title of or author now. D'oh! I almost bought it just for the sheer novelty of it, but I wouldn't have been able to get it home (I was riding the bus). Is that about the size you were looking for? ;)

And yes, foreign films are totally my bag! :) (My sis used to call it "forn".) This sounds extremely lazy (especially since graphic novels usually take me less time to read than regular books), but I may just watch the Persepolis movie instead since it combines the two books. Depends on what we have on hand at work.

Bad influence, moi?? I will gladly take credit for getting people addicted to manga. :D

And I am seriously jealous that you have all the first 10 Zoey books. I've been looking for the ones I'm missing whenever I'm out, but I never realized how hard they are to find. I plan on starting to read them as soon as it gets warmer here. I don't know why, but I always associate Katherine Applegate's books (and a lot of other teen romance series) with summer.

Another quiet stretch for me. I've only read (read that as finished) 4 books in the last month. I've abandoned at least 7 in that time. I don't know why there have been so many that have left me feeling very neutral about them, but it is what it is. It probably doesn't help that work has been so crazy and stressful that almost any reading seemed like a chore, even "easy" magazines like Better Homes and Gardens. It mostly felt like homework.

I'm seriously hoping this reading slump passes. I was on such a big library book binge earlier this year, and now I'm looking forward to making some dents in my giant TBR mountain. I checked my PBS stats, and I have received 140 books and sent out 92. Not too big of a difference there, but I keep on getting my wish list books and I can't help myself. It would be easier if I didn't have such varied interests, but you know...

Here are the quick reviews for the 4 books I read.

Q's Legacy - It was interesting to read the third book in the 84 Charring Cross Road series. It's a journal of Helene Hanff's life during her writing of "84", through the publications, stage play, movie, and beyond. It was great to get to see more of her life and how things progress in the entertainment industry. A nice read, 3.5 stars.

Evan and Elle - Another really enjoyable entry in the Constable Evans series, this time concerning a mysterious fire at a new French restaurant in town that may be connected to 2 other fires in Llanfair. Who the culprit is isn't too much of a mystery, but how it gets figured out and the town characters' development is quirky and wonderful as always.

Living Introverted - I'm on a kick reading about being an introvert. I realized that I'm WAAAAAAY more of an introvert than I thought I was, and I live my life very much as an extrovert - no wonder I'm having a difficult time balancing things and figuring things out! This book is a good short intro in being an introvert and a nice book to pass on to the extroverts in your life with lots of brief and informative info on introversion. I'm liking the other two books I'm reading about introversion more than this one, but there were some nice tips and I'll keep this one for sure.

Pride and Prescience - Carrie Bebris does a very good job writing like Austen, and it's a nice start to the series. Some very strange things are happening to Elizabeth and Jane and their new families, and no one except for the Darcys seem to be aware of the accidents that really aren't. The person behind these accidents was sort-of a surprise to me, and it was a comforting read I kept looking forward to picking up each time I put it down.

Guess that's it for now. I hope to get another book finished this long Memorial Day weekend (yay for not working!), and to maybe rearrange/remove some of my stacks of books.

How are you guys doing on the challenge?

Still not quite back into the swing of reading yet. Managed to finish 2 books today, and it has me feeling slightly more optimistic about knocking another couple off of my "currently reading" pile. I'm also down to only 4 library books checked out, so once those puppies are gone, I'm going to try and stay away and only read what is on my shelves.

Also, I'm really hoping that you guys can relate to this. I was doing some rearranging in my living room to make room for my new La-Z-Boy (yay! somewhere comfy to read besides the couch!) and I had 2 stacks of newly purchased books on a chair sitting where my new chair was going to be. My Mom told me to return "those giant ss piles of library books and read something you've actually spent money on" - and she was referring to my new books! So, since I'm out of shelf space, they're now living in my formerly empty dresser drawers. Has anyone else had to do this? My book-buying is so ridiculous that I've resorted to stowing them in drawers until shelf space opens up! At least it's even more of an incentive to read and get rid of some books that I've wanted to read for years, right?

Wicked Ties - I heard about this one on goodreads, and thought I'd give the erotic romance genre a try. It was certainly steamy, and a somewhat cliched storyline, but it was enjoyable enough, and it sorta helped me get back into the swing of reading. Wouldn't mind reading the next book in the series, but I'm not in a hurry to do so.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder - Recommended to me by a co-worker as being similar to Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. It was pretty good, and while it sometimes bordered on the ridiculous (can small-town cops be this thick-headed? would hannah really be doing all of this work on her own?) it kept me guessing. I like Hannah, Norman, Moishe, and Mike, but I could take or leave everyone else. It got better in the last chapter, and that made me want to read the next book, but before that point, I was okay with never reading this series again. Maybe one day I'll read book 2, but for now, my heart remains with Stephanie Plum.

Ha! No, I've not had to put books in drawers, but mine are pretty much double shelved with books on top.

The library is problematic. Now that school's out, I take the kids to the library more often and it's difficult to not bring books home with me, which then have to be read ahead of everything else because of that due date thing. Last week I checked out a book and got it home only to find that I already owned a copy.

I had to resort to a shelf in my closet for addtional space. Since I'm short I don't use them for much. I'm eyeing the closet shelves in the den next as I have a couple of bags on the floor and a FOL sale this weekend.

My shelves are overflowing with books also. It is difficult to keep track of what I have. I have purchased a book and then found out that I had a copy at home.

I'm glad you enjoyed the Hannah Swensen cozy. I like them also, and yes, I have noticed also that the police who populate the small towns in many cozies are unbelievably slow. And some of these small towns have a shocking number of strange murders ;-)

#87: (raises hand) Yep, I can relate. I started moving my books to drawers and chests mainly because of my cats, who like to barf/pee/poop on just about anything they can get their paws on.

Wicked Ties looks like something I'd have buried in my library somewhere. :D Usually I don't wishlist erotica since it's usually all the same, but I'll keep my eyes open for that one or anything else by her.

And backing up to #86: Living Introverted looks right up my alley. I'll have to look for that.

88: I have checked out a book I already own at least 5 times. Each time is more shame-inducing than that last, let me tell you. I'm down to 3 books checked out and just found myself almost requesting 3 more books a few hours ago - bad bad bad! Instead, I put them on my Amazon wishlist as a reminder. However, that doesn't really help my struggle to read and redistribute my TBR shelves as much as possible. Not that that's news... :)

89: Ooooh, that's a good idea! I have one ridiculously high closet shelf with basically nothing on it, that would be a great place to store extra books! Thanks for the rec, and glad to see another book-stuffer here on LT!

90: What gets me is finding books that I "need" to own with a great cover, only to find out when I get home that I already own them, and they're either the US version and I've just purchased the UK version OR that I already own the hardcover and the paperback I just bought has a snazzier cover that caught my eye. (Remind me again why publishers do that?) And you are too right, there DO seem to be a shocking number of strange murders in small-town cozies. You know, my Mom reads an enormous amount of cozy mysteries... perhaps I should casually ask her if she has anything she'd like to share with me!

91: Ah yes, yet another thing we share, so glad to hear you also store books in drawers! I haven't read any other erotica, so I'm not sure how this compares, but from what I read about this book (and series) on goodreads (I know - I'm cheating on LT!) they're apparently better than most. And if you're looking for another couple of titles on introversion, I'm reading and enjoying Introvert Power and The Introvert Advantage, "IP" more than "TIA". I'm having a difficult time finishing them because I do most of my reading late at night, and these two books tend to get my brain all rattley and hummy.

"If I Knew Then What I Know Now ... So What" - A couple of months ago I got on a "Golden Girls" book kick, and I requested both Rue McClanahan & Betty White's books, but they went back to the library unread. (Confession: this is partly because they were both long and wordy with small print. Guess I'm a lazy reader sometimes.) However, this is the only GG book I finished. It's not so much a straightforward account of the life of Estelle Getty, it reads like part bio, part jokes, part aw-shucks, part comedy act. So, it's an easy read, and it doesn't say too much about her aside from some life milestones. Not bad (and written in 1988, so her technology comments kind of cracked me up), but not great. I'd read it if I were a big "Golden Girls" fan ( which I am, I watch it every weeknight) or a fan of her work in the theatre, but otherwise, you won't miss much by skipping it.

edited to try and get Touchstone to work, but it's not having it...

In a successful attempt to avoid making 12 work phone calls (blech, phone calls like this can be so annoying, I always feel like I'm interrupting everyone - which, I really am), I was reading my thread and found that I hadn't responded to a message. Ooops! So, to remedy...

84: Thanks so much for the 2 recommendations, I'll be checking at the library to see if we have them. Peoples travel stories are always so interesting to me, and if I can read one with pictures, it's even better. If you happen to find any others, I'm always interested! Thanks, blythe025!

#92: Three books checked out the library is definitely manageable! I'm impressed. I had to return all the stuff I had out before I went on vacation a week or so ago, because I figured I'd lose it. I had around 50-60 items out (mostly movies)! I was shocked at myself. But then, our limit is 100. I don't think I've ever checked anything out I already own, though. That is funny! :D

Remind me again why publishers do that? -- That was probably a rhetorical question, but publishers reprint with different covers to mainly trick people like us who buy duplicate copies because it looks like something new by the author. Eeevil publishers! ;)

Thanks for the two recommends on introversion! I sometimes flip through psych books like that when I'm at work, but I've never seen Introvert Power or The Introvert Advantage. (Funny, LT predicts I won't like either one, but I'm ignoring that little rating system for now. :P ) I have the Please Understand Me books and a few others on the whole Myers-Briggs tests. Those are always fun. One title stuck out though--Party of One: The Loners' Manifesto--and I had to laugh, because I thought it said "Losers" instead of "Loners". Nice. :D

As for erotica, I've maybe read 20 or so books, but I own quite a bit more that's unread. Probably my favorite anthology series is Hot Blood edited by Jeff Gelb and Michael Garrett, because it's an erotic horror combo. Emma Holly's also pretty good. So are some of Anne Rice's erotic novels: Belinda, The Sleeping Beauty trilogy, Exit to Eden, etc.

Never Learn Anything From History by Kate Beaton - I have an enormous girl-crush on Kate Beaton! This book of some of her comics totally cracks me, is funny and smart, and is totally my sense of humor. Why isn't this chick more famous?!? A friend (ReneeMarie) referred me to her website (www.harkavagrant.com - do yourself a favor and check it out), and I've been hooked ever since! The one bugger about this book is that even though it appears here in Touchstone, the only place you can order it from is from Topatoco, and it doesn't have an ISBN. Kate does a lot of historical and literary strips, and they are TOO HILARIOUS! I keep re-reading the Macbeth one, and it makes me laugh out loud every single time. Help support this awesome Canadian comic artist and give yourself a laugh-break during the day! I LOVE KATE BEATON! (This is probably a bad review, but I just love her work so much that my mental train-of-thought takes over and I can't stop gushing - sorry!)

95
Thank you for sharing that link! Wonderful! Now I definitely need to check out the book. :)

I love the Harkavagrant site. My favorite comic is the one where the Bronte sisters check out the guys.

96: I hope you enjoy her site!

97: I love that one too! One of my faves is the Tesla one where a lady throws a pair of her bloomers into his machine. It's making me laugh out loud now, just thinking about it.

Better get off of the computer, we've got 60 MPH winds that just started hitting my neighborhood!

Book 61: Sizzling Sixteen - Another really enjoyable read in the Stephanie Plum series. Usually her books don't make me laugh out loud (more of a small chuckle), but this one really did. I know some others just want Evanovich to choose one man for Stephanie, but where would the fun be in that?!? Lots of Lula and Connie this time, and a little less Ranger and Morelli, as they try to locate and rescue Vinnie. He has put the Bond Agency in massive debt to some very bad and very scary men, so it's up to Stephanie, Connie, and Lula to try and find him, get him home, and raise some serious cash so they all have somewhere to work. Some nice, funny/cute skips appear, including one with a pet alligator named Mr. Jingles. A fun read, and I'm really looking forward to book #17... I just wish it wasn't another year away!

I seem to be getting into reading again, thankfully. I returned 2 books to the library that I didn't even start, and once I finish my bookclub book and one other one I'll be free of library books! Normally it's a bad thing, but I have got to get real with myself and read what I own. I was recently "strolling" my shelves, looking for books to get rid of, and there are SO MANY that I still want to read - I didn't pull anything off of the shelf! Well, I just mailed 3 out, courtesy of PBS, but that's not what I was originally aiming for. At any rate, I'm just glad to be reading more, and more often, than I did the last couple of months.

Also, on some personal news, I have been dealing with feeling 3 times my age, no energy or brain power to speak of, lots of sleeping, etcetera for the past 6 years. Really, it's been at least 18 years, but it's been the worst recently. Anyway, I finally found a doctor who can help me, and I'm finally being treated properly! The super short version of this is that my hormones are so incredibly out of whack that my doctor didn't know how I functioned at all in life. So, now I'm taking some new vitamins, and as of next week will be on new, custom-made meds. Yahoo! I already feel better just knowing for sure that there is something wrong, knowing what it is, and having a plan of attack. I could feel so good that I'll read 200 books this year! Not! Sorry to talk about something other than books, but I'm just so excited to be feeling better, and more normal, that I had to share.

I hope everyone had a good reading week! How are you doing with the 1010 Challenge? Let me know!

#99: I've only read one Stephanie Plum book, and that was the first one: One for the Money. I'm with you on the "her books don't make me laugh out loud (more of a small chuckle)". They're amusing, but you won't see me doubled over in laughter. I had wanted to start Two for the Dough this year (I seriously need to fill my 1010 mystery/suspense category), but I don't know if I'll be able to do it. Glad to know the rest of Janet Evanovich's books don't suck as they go along.

That's wonderful things are going better for you in your "personal news"! I have about the same problem (being constantly tired, etc), but all my docs have come up with is it's "only severe depression". Oh, whoopee! Is that all? ;) Nothing else works except lots and LOTS of energy drinks. My poor heart.

But back to books... I'm on #77. However, I'm still reading a few others, so I'm technically not done with my 75 book challenge. I just keep finding new books to start before I'm done with others. Sheesh. Do I procrastinate or what? :D

ETA: Oops. Do Stephanie Plum short stories count? I read "The Last Peep" in The Plot Thickens edited by Mary Higgins Clark, which is a pretty good mystery anthology if you're ever looking for one.

I love the Stephanie Plum series - I haven't gotten to this one yet, but my girlfriend usually passes them along to me as she reads them. The only one that really made me laugh out loud so far is #8. I would lie in bed trying to stiffle my laughter and be shaking the bed so much, my husband actually ended up reading a couple of her books.

Glad to hear you're feeling better - especially when no one can tell you why, it's very discouraging.

99> So we'll have more than Joseph Conrad (yuck) to talk about at book group tonight? Wow. BTW, couldn't remember if you chose your next title, so sorry it's not mentioned in the reminder e-mail if you did.

Count me as:
a) one of those people who do laugh out loud when they read Janet Evanovich (and who remembers an unfortunate time at a cafe involving laughter and bits of cookie flying and some coughing...), and
b) one of those people who did want her to pick either Ranger or Joe. Call me really old-fashioned, but it's what made me stop reading around either Seven Up or Hard Eight. Can't remember which.

And that's kind of a shame, because I think her book Four to Score had the best dang cliffhanger ending EVER to appear in print and send you rushing out to buy the next in a series as soon as possible.

102: Yep, more than Conrad tonight for sure. I'm still reading it, but honestly I'm not sure what's happening and I'm on page 85. I really liked the first 40 pages, but after that... not so much.

You're not the only one who wants her to pick. I was talking to some former co-workers at my former job, and half of them who read the Plum series stopped reading at either 7 or 8, same as you. I just enjoy Stephanie's world so much that I can't imagine myself not reading them. I agree, the cliffhanger in Four to Score is one of the best I've ever read or heard about.

OK, off to eat some dinner and try to plow through the rest of Lord Jim. See you in an hour and a half at bookclub!

I didn't get any further in Lord Jim. Maybe it was where my head has been the last couple of weeks, maybe it wasn't the right time, or maybe books set on the sea just don't float my boat. In any case, the book didn't grab me, and I read almost a quarter of it so I don't feel too bad about abandoning it.

Our next read is The Golden Bowl by Henry James, and I have high hopes. I do really like James, and I've had this one on my shelves for about a decade, if not longer, waiting for the "right" time to read it. I'm hoping to start it this afternoon and that by starting so early that I'll have it finished in time for our next book club meeting in a month. *crossing fingers*

Book 62: Heart of the Sea by Nora Roberts This is the third book in the Irish trilogy, and I'm glad to have this one done and gone. It's not that I didn't enjoy it, or returning to the characters (after a 4 year abscence!) and their world, but about halfway through I just wanted everything to come to its predictable conclusion so I chould check it off and put it in the "sell" pile. In this book, proud and beautiful Darcy meets her match in the hunky, manly New Yorker Trevor. Misunderstandings, pride, faeries, ghosts, and stubbornness keep these two apart, but love (and fate) prevails and it's an expected happy ending for the couple. Three stars. I enjoyed this series, but it all seemed so predictable that I can't say that I'd recommend it necessarily. I have loved and more thoroughly enjoyed other trilogies of hers in the past, and would recommend those over this one.

I don't normally stop reading a series (especially a trilogy) unless I hate the books, but for some reason, this is the third trilogy of Nora's that I've stopped reading! In order to remedy this, I'll be adding a Roberts book into my reading rotation until I'm all caught up. Here's hoping I remember what is going on in each storyline!

99 Must be such a relief to be on the road of finally getting some help. I can only imagine how tiring it mustbe knowing something is wrong, and not getting the help you need.

I'm doing well with my challenge, thanks! I think I'm pretty much right where I should be (which admittedly makes the part of me that aims for 12 bonus books on top of my step challenge a litte bit disappointed, I guess), and am pacing myself nicely between categories. Still loads of good books left, without digressing too much from my lists.

105: Glad to hear you are doing well, GingerbreadMan! I'm really enjoying your thread and seeing what you're reading. You always have such great choices going. I hope your vacation is going well!

Two more down, only 36 books to go to complete the challenge. I'm shocked that I've read so much this year. I don't want to jinx myself, but I think I'll easily finish this challenge, with time to spare. It'll be nice to read a little more loosely, I have to say.

Book 63: The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer
I liked this book more than I thought I would. This short book about one of the newbie Vamps that are created by Victoria's command was interesting, and it was nice to get a different perspective on the life of a "regular" vampire, as opposed to the Cullen family and their wonderfully unusual talents. Three and a half stars.

Book 64: Bruno, Chief of Police by Martin Walker
I heard about this from Skrishna (that girl is an amazing reader and reviewer!), and this story of a small French town, their only policeman, and a brutal murder sounded right up my alley. I learned quite a bit about wartime rural France, something that I hadn't spent much time thinking about previously. Even if he took creative license with the history, it's still interesting. Bruno is a wonderful character, charming, kind, knows whose feathers to smooth and whose to ruffle, intelligent, loving, funny... he's a great guy. I'm so pleased that this is the first book in a series! Four stars.

And now, I'm off to catch up on a few threads here, and then to get some pages read in my ER book. Have a good night!

(adds The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner to her Wishlist) Thanks! :)

106 Oh, thank you and likewise! My vacation is, alas, going too quickly. Will spend a week in an oak forest full of wild strawberries before it's over though :)

Book 65: Dance of the Gods by Nora Roberts
This one was only okay. I listened to this on CD while I've been cleaning up and out, and while I'm sure I missed some small things, I got the gist of the book. Reading this was part of my effort to finish my already-in-progress Nora trilogies. I'll hopefully pick up part 3 from the library this afternoon and then I can scratch this series off the list! 3 stars

Book 66: The Golden Bowl by Henry James
Normally I love and adore Mr. James and everything he does. This one was only okay. I couldn't get into reading this book (a pick for our bookclub - not mine, shockingly) and didn't want to haul a 500+ page book around with me so I listened to this one on audio too. (Been on an audio kick lately, expect to see more of these in the near future.) Like with the above book, I'm sure I missed Henry's subtleties, but I followed the plot (mostly, I think) and enjoyed it. Didn't love it, just enjoyed it. I'll be keeping this one on my shelf and will try it again later in life. 3 1/2 stars

Book 67: The Glades by Clifton Campbell
Got this for free at Barnes & Noble! A very very fast read, covers the pilot episode of the show, which aired a week ago. It was okay, only kind of interesting... I'm hoping that the show is better than the book. It seems like a lot would be inferred from a visual aide. Happy to pass this one along on PBS! 3 stars

Book 68: The Girls from the Revolutionary Cantina by M. Padilla
I won this one through Early Reviewers. It was an enjoyable read, great for summertime easy brain reading. A realistic story of a group of girlfriends and what can happen when a man comes between them, all set in sunny Hispanic-centered SoCal. Kind of reminds me of a light version of Julia Alvarez. It was good, but not great. 4 stars. This should maybe be 3 1/2 stars.

And now, back to more audiobooks and reading!

I saw this in LizzieD's thread (I think she stole it from Linda P.) and thought I'd put it on here for a little something different.

Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack?
I don't normally snack, but if I do it's either popcorn or cheese and crackers. I used to love eating Candy Raisins, but they're not made any more! Grrr! It's been awful not to have them around.

What is your favorite drink while reading?
I thought it would be water, but it seems like I always have tea, either hot or iced.

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?
I go in spurts of writing and not writing, but I haven't marked a book at all in years. If it's a duplicate copy, or in more rough shape I'll underline, but that's about it.

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ear? Laying the book flat open?
I always use a bookmark of some kind, and will only occasionally lay the book face down if I'm picking up the phone or something. If I do lay the book face down, I'm very careful not to disturb the spine and not to bed a page at all. I'm kind of a freak about keeping my books nice and neat.

Fiction, Non-Fiction, or Both?
Both! More Fiction than Non-Fiction though. I always feel like I'm too stupid to read NF, and I know how stupid that sounds.

Are you a person who tends to read to the end of a chapter, or can you stop anywhere?
I'll stop anywhere with an even break, like if there is a paragraph that starts near the top of a page, I can stop there. Then to help myself remember, I'll chant in my head "first paragraph top of left page" three or four times. Seems to do the trick.

Are you a person to throw a book across the room or on the floor if the author irritates you?
Not really. I think I may have done it once, after much talking to myself that I could actually do it and nothing would happen, so I did it, felt okay about it, looked at the book with a creased spine and run over in horror, apologizing out loud. Apparently I'm crazy.

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop and look it up right away?
Rarely. I just assume I'll figure it out from the context of the rest of the sentence.

What are you currently reading?
Evan Can Wait, Introvert Power, The Kitchen Boy, Up the Agency, and Hood. I'm reading Hood with another person, and we're doing 5 chapters a month, so I'll be reading it for awhile.

What is the last book you bought?
This afternoon I purchased Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (the UK version), The Space Between Us, These Happy Golden Years, Fantasic Mr. Fox, and The Secret of Platform 13, all from Half Price Books.

Are you a person that reads one book at a time, or can you read more than one?
I get nervous if I'm only reading one book. I've been trying to keep it to only 3 or 4 at a time, but it's been 4 or 5. It used to be a dozen or more, so I'm making progress.

Do you have a favorite time/place to read?
My favorite is reading late at night, laying down on the couch or in my new recliner. It feels like I'm skipping out of school or cheating or something if I read during the day - so I like to do that too!

Do you prefer series books or stand-alones?
Lately it's series books, but stand-alones are starting to sound more appealing.

Is there a specific book or author you find yourself recommending over and over?
Bill Bryson (specifically Neither Here Nor There and The Lost Continent), We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson, and shockingly, all of the Harry Potter books. So many of my friends haven't read any of them, and I'm constantly urging them to pick them up. In fact, this afternoon I bought a box set of the first five books as a present!

How do you organize your books? By genre, title, author's last name, etc?
It's about half by genre (poetry, travel/travel lit, children/YA, antique), one quarter by author last name, and one quarter already read. And then there are the small piles and drawers-full that are where my newer purchases are living until my alpha shelves open up.

How about you guys? What are your answers?

I stole the questions from you Laura and posted my answers on my thread.

I'm doing the same. Thanks for the cool idea, Laura! :)

ETA: I posted my answers here. Er, give me a couple hours, though, since I'm still at work.

I, too, have snagged this set of questions, and have posted them to my blog. It's here if you're interested.

Snagged them too!

I've loved reading everyone's quiz answers! I guess that's a leftover part of my teenage self - filling out quizzes and finding out about your friends from their answers! I heard somewhere around here that there was another quiz people have been filling out. This requires further investigation on my part.

Book 69: Valley of Silence by Nora Roberts
Is it bad if I say that I don't remember much about this book and I finished it yesterday? It's the last one in Nora's Circle Trilogy, and I really didn't enjoy this series as much. Yes, this is one of the trilogies where I had a 3-ish year gap between books 1 and 2, but this just seemed super formulaic to me. I really only read it to have it read, the series completed, and off of my shelf, if I'm being honest. In this book, the Circle of Six come together in their big showdown with the Queen of the Vampires, and the fate of all worlds hangs in the outcome of this epic battle. The final two of the Six finally pair up, good triumphs over evil, the music soars and they walk into the sunset... yawn. I think the ambivalence is just me, as I've seen this series rated highly in several different places, but I can't say I enjoyed this book. 2 stars.

Book 70: Evan Can Wait by Rhys Bowen
I haven't quite finished this book yet, but I know I will finish it before I go to bed tonight so I'm counting it now. I don't know whodunit, and this book (#5 in a series of 10) has truly kept me guessing so far. It doesn't seem as obvious as the other 4, and I'm enjoying it more for that reason, if not for returning to Llanfair and North Wales. Evan Evans is investigating the murder of a pompous film producer found drowned in a lake deep in an unused slate mine. The crew is in town to film the raising of a German plane that crashed into a deep mountain lake, and every member of the film crew has a motive and a dislike of the murdered man. There is also a secondary story of how the National Gallery in London stored the paintings in the slate mine during WWII, and one of the residents is recalling his working there while the paintings were stored, and a possible art theft. Really enjoyable, gentle, cozy mystery and I can't wait to finish this book and pick up number 6! Four stars.

I only have 30 books left, and they're mostly in 3 categories, so I'm going to try and finish this 1010 challenge as soon as possible and then maybe do a condensed version for the rest of the year. I can't leave this group months before 2011 starts - I love you guys!

Time to settle in with a cup of tea and find the killer!

#116: Is it bad if I say that I don't remember much about this book and I finished it yesterday?

LOL! I do that all the time, but I just blame it on the book. ;)

I know how you feel Laura, I'm have 10 or so books to go to end of my challenge and I don't want to leave either! I'm going to also do a condensed version for the rest of the year. Also I have gotten used to posting a little "somethin' somethin'" after each book and where would I post if not here??

118: I know, DeltaQueen, I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't post about a book! Lord knows most of my friends are sick of me blabbing about books - I think we're all thankful that I have you guys here at LT!

117: Thanks, Sara! I'm going to blame the book too. Thanks for being a positive influence as always! :-)

Book 71: The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson
Oh how I love and adore Bill Bryson. I'm convinced the man cannot write a bad book! In this tome, he returns to his childhood in 1950's Iowa. It had me laughing out loud while driving (I listened to this one, don't worry, no reading and driving here!), feeling oddly sentimental about my own childhood in the 80's, and reminded me of all of the stories my parents told me about their own '50's childhoods in Wisconsin. Filled with his signature blend of humor, smarts and heart, this is a book to pass on to anyone alive in the 50's, or with a good sense of humor and nostalgia. Four stars.

Been having a difficult time reading a book for more than 10 minutes all together, so I'm getting very little accomplished on the reading front. I have, however, been making good progress on some audio books. Glad that all of my driving around like a crazy person is paying off in some way!

Book 72: The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl
This was my third time picking up this book, one that my Mom really enjoyed. So, despite the fact that I didn't finish it, I'm going to count this one as being read. I'm only counting the pages that I've read this time around (even though I would have finished the book if I add up all the total pages read), and it's mostly so I can consider it as being over and done with and back on my Mom's bookshelves. In case you haven't guessed yet, I didn't like this one. It was a bit too maggotty and rotting fleshy for my tastes, and I'm the girl who likes bloody movies AND isn't fazed by cadaver muscles and dead bodies. The first two times I picked this one up I could barely get to page 75, so this time around I got the audio version, and it helped. Sort of. It's a little off-putting to hear about burning feet while eating breakfast - just me? My not liking this book is probably also due to my not being familiar with Dante's Inferno, and with Oliver Wendell Holmes. Every time the narrator said "Holmes" I automatically thought of Sherlock and I got myself very confused.

To sum up, I didn't like it, though I've given a lot of effort to it, didn't finish it, and it's probably due to my ignorance that I didn't understand what was happening. I've read some very positive reviews of the book, so please don't cross this one off of your list because of me. However, I recommend that you have a healthy knowledge of The Inferno and about Oliver Wendell Holmes if you do pick this up. I'm sure if I knew more about both of them I would have really liked The Dante Club.

Book 73: Round About Chatsworth by the Dowager Duchess of Devonshire
This lovely little book takes you in each direction around the main house, Chatsworth, and is filled with beautiful photographs, and the history and current goings-on of neighboring towns, buildings, lakes and landmarks on the Estate. I completely adored this book, and as Chatsworth has long been on my list of "Must See Sites", it was great to have a bit of a tour around the area from the comfort of my sofa in Wisconsin. I had hoped to visit the UK this past May, but alas, funds were rather short. I'm very slowly saving again, and Chatsworth and the Derbyshire area is right near the top of my list! I was feeling a little guilty about buying this book since it's not necessarily cheap to ship from the UK, but now I'll have to keep my eyes peeled for more Chatsworth book by the Dowager Duchess. I truly enjoyed and adored this book!

One hit and one miss - at least they even each other out! Now it's back to the audio version of Cold Mountain while I'm driving, and one of the other "current reads" tonight before I go to bed. Perhaps a little bit more of Hood or The Kitchen Boy? I love these decisions...

Sorry to hear you didn't like The Dante Club as I have all three of Matthew Pearl's books on my tbr pile. At least your next read was better.

#120: Been having a difficult time reading a book for more than 10 minutes all together, so I'm getting very little accomplished on the reading front.

Oh man, that sounds like me! :D I've never really given audiobooks a try, since I remember a few from childhood and thought the narrator really botched the book up for me. I guess I'm used to my own "inner narrator" and picture scenes differently. However, I'm such a big Christopher Pike fan that I even collect his audios, like Fall into Darkness, read by Kelly Ripa; but it's just next to impossible to take her seriously when she's reading the suspenseful bits (that might be my own fault though; she sounds too cutesy to be reading it, imho).

Every time the narrator said "Holmes" I automatically thought of Sherlock and I got myself very confused.

I would've done the same thing! I know more about Sherlock Holmes than I do about Dante's Inferno (which isn't really saying much).

Best of luck on your next reads! :)

121> Thanks AHS-Wolfy! I'm pretty sure I'm in the minority, but at least I know I really gave it a chance. I hope you like his books!

122> I agree, Sara, the narrator makes a MAJOR difference in audiobooks. In fact I just purchased one from audible, and I'm kind of on the fence with his voice. It sounds so affected and serious, it's a little hard to tell if that's just how he talks, or if it's because the book is about the Russian royal family. Will start that one in a couple of days once Cold Mountain is done.

I totally forgot about Christopher Pike books! I used to love them when I was a young teen, but haven't thought about him since you mentioned him! Looks like I'll have to re-visit my youth and pick up one of his books. BTW, really enjoying your thread and teasing young Stephen about getting Toad Rage from the library! Poor guy - not really though! ;)

Since I'm making progress on a few books but none are close enough to finish up quickly, and since I'm getting down to the last 25 books for this challenge, I started a Bonus Books category in message 14 so I can keep track of what I'm reading that I can't count for the 1010. Once this 1010 is done, I'll start a new thread, but I'm having a hard enough time keeping up with the several threads I already have going - no need to add another one to the pile!

Bonus Book 1: 90 Classic Books for People in a Hurry by Henrik Lange
Recommended by GingerbreadMan - how can you go wrong with that?!? In short, you can't. I loved this book, in which Mr. Lange condenses 90 classics into 4 little panels. Funny, touching, and saved me a lot of reading time, especially for those books that I always feel like I should read and don't really want to (Catch-22, A Clockwork Orange, Don Quixote). 4 1/2 stars

Awww, you're making me blush :*

#123: Hmm, maybe you're right about the narrator of the Russian royal family audio you just bought. It's better to sound serious than have someone like Bobcat Goldhwait reading it. :D

And you're right about voices making a major difference. I checked out an audiobook once on relaxation/meditation (I forget the title), but the narrator's voice was so manicky and fast that I wondered if he even knew what he was reading! No more coffee for that guy.

I had forgotten about Christopher Pike for the longest time too, until I saw he was still publishing books, this time for adults. I haven't read any of his recent stuff, but I want to, just to see how it compares to his oldies.

Ha! Let up on Stephen?? Never! (laughs maniacally) j/k He's a good sport about it. Have you tried keeping up with his thread? My god, he's like on thread #6 or 7. His is very entertaining too, if you want to take a peek: http://www.librarything.com/topic/96555 .

Oh yeah, 90 Classic Books for People in a Hurry is definitely going on my Wishlist. I need something condensed like that--and with pictures! :D Thanks for the rec, Laura and GingerbreadMan! :)

124: It's well-deserved! I wish I read as widely and thoughtfully as you do!

125: Good lord, just imagining Bobcat G talking about Nicholas makes me simultaneously laugh and cringe. Yikes! That would certainly make for a more stressful commute! I had no idea Christopher Pike was writing for adults. Looks like I'll be making a side trip at the library tomorrow morning! I have yet to read one of Stephens' threads, I'll have to go and have a snoop around in a bit.

Book 74: Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier
This rec from my Mom has sat on a shelf for the last 8 years - it's shameful! I just spoke to her and we had a good laugh at my "speedy" turnaround time. I listened to this one on CD most of the time, reading pages when I was at home. It's a beautifully haunting story of a soldier returning home to his love at the end of the American Civil War. Going back and forth between Ada (the girl in question) and her new life working the land with new charge and friend Ruby, and soldier Inman, trudging back home through rain, the largely destroyed Southern countryside, and all sorts of vagrants and outliers, it's easy to get swept along in their stories. As they get closer together, the book slowly picks up pace and I found myself wanting to drive a little longer just to see what happens next. I won't spoil the ending here for those who might not have read the book (or seen the movie - I'll be doing that this weekend), but suffice it to say that I thoroughly enjoyed being a part of this world-gone-by and in getting to know these people. Four stars.

Bonus book 2: Microterrors by Tony Hart
Heard about this one from Ape (apparently he caused quite the sensation around LT with this one), but have yet to read his thread to find out what everyone was talking about! Quick-and-dirty info about the common (and not so common) bacteria, protozoa, fungi, and viruses that we're all susceptible to. Sometimes it made me want to squirm and submerge myself in bleach, but not too often to put it down. Wouldn't mind owning this one as a reference if I found it cheaply somewhere. Plus, weird as it is to say, some of the these photographs are quite beautiful!

Bonus book 3: The Sense and Sensibility Screenplay and Diaries by Emma Thompson
As a total comfort re-read, I picked up and devoured the diaries of my favorite film of all time, Sense & Sensibility. I love love love Emma Thompson, she's so endlessly funny and self-deprecating and smart and honest and wonderful. S&S is the movie that I watch when I'm sick, or feeling awful about myself, or happy... in short, it's what I watch as often as possible and I'm never disappointed. Being stuck at home with some strange version of the flu (lots of bathroom trips and my body feels like it's been run over by a truck, yet I'm somehow absent of any head/mucus/pressure issues), my parents stopped over to drive me to the doctor, and when I got home I handed my Dad the DVD and he said "Sense and Sensibility? Must be serious, kid." Love my parents. At any rate, if you've seen the movie, or have ever heard or seen Emma Thompson in any format, you should really read these diaries, and the screenplay. They're wonderful and I only wish that they were longer! One of my favorites, surely!

Laura, thanks for suggesting The Quickening. it looks really good.

you didn't know i was a farmer when you suggested it, did you? i had just responded to your comment on my thread about how i was a farmer and then i clicked on the touchstone and found a book about farming women! amazing!

129> No, I didn't know, but come to think of it, I was very responsibly using my time online to troll around blogspot and I happened upon (what I now know) is your farm's blog! It's so great! I love all of your animals, and their intros! Seems like you've got a pretty darn good life, though not without its hard work and required tough bits.

Hope you enjoy TQ if you do pick it up! Between mending fences and all, of course...

#127: Oh, why am I not surprised Ape Man exposed you to such a contagious book? That boy ought to be studied under a microscope. ;)

>130 LauraBrook:

aww, thanks! we try to have a little fun with it all. i'd get a hell of a lot more reading done if it weren't for LT, farm forums, and blogging, but they do provide their own incentives...

131> Thanks for the rec Sara, I've been following (and laughing at) Ape's thread. Always good for a little break!

132> Ah yes, those darn incentives. The internet can be such a fickle mistress!

Book 75: Nicholas and Alexandra by Robert K. Massie
Apparently am on some kind of a Russian royal family kick. They've always fascinated me. However, I think the next book I pick up on them will probably not be about the last Tsar & Co. It's (sadly) getting a little boring to hear about the same things over and over again. Nicholas and Alexandra is an interesting book, and it's probably more well-suited to someone who either isn't so involved in the end of the Romanov dynasty, or to someone who doesn't know much about their lives and infamous deaths. There were a few sexist remarks scattered through the book (was written in the mid-late 60's) and that honestly surprised me. Plus, there seemed to be quite a bit of repeating of the same point. At any rate, I did enjoy this book, and I'm glad I finally read it after 12-ish years of sitting on my TBR shelf. 3 1/2 stars.

Now here's my dilemma - do I get rid of the book, or keep it? I have a fond memory of where I purchased it (a lovely indie used bookshop that no longer exists), though I don't know if I'll ever feel like reading this big ol' book again. Advice, please!

Keep it. You have good memories of it now, and you can always get rid of it later on (says the woman with almost 3,000 books--lol).

Book 76: The Kitchen Boy by Robert Alexander
An excellent book, a great story line that kept pulling me along, making me try to read faster. It seems so real (yes, it's based on fact, but it's still a novel) that I wish I could look up Mischa in real life and spend time with him. For some reason, which I still cannot figure out, I kept putting this book down and it took me almost a month to read it. Each time I'd pick it up I'd be so sucked in I could hardly believe that I hadn't been reading constantly, yet it could sit untouched for a week. ??? So strange. At any rate, this book is really good, and it was a pleasure to get a sneak peek into the lives of the Russian royal family. 4 stars

Book 77: Love and Louis XIV by Antonia Fraser
Another good book by Ms. Fraser. I always enjoy a trip to the French royal family and their frivolous, ridiculous, extravagant lives. Makes me happy! I really enjoyed the color pictures and the great footnotes, and will certainly be enjoying more of her books in the future. 4 stars

Book 78: Cooking with the Two Fat Ladies by Jennifer Paterson and Clarissa Dickson Wright
A rec from my Mom, who LOVES these two ladies. Nice recipes throughout, but what I really enjoyed were all of the notes and stories by Jennifer and Clarissa. My Mom has been on a loop lately, trying to find Clarissa's 2 autobio's in the library system (for some strange reason, our WI library just does not seem to be teeming with British celeb bios!) and learn more about their personal lives. I them for her and was going to wait til Christmas, but I think they may have to appear in her hands this week before she orders them herself! At any rate, I'd like to own this cookbook, and that's saying something from a girl who hardly cooks! 4 stars

I'm trying to get this challenge finished as soon as possible so I can work on my other internet reading challenges, but it seems to be a little stalled. Oh no - looks like I have to read more often!!!

The whole "reading more often" thing is not going well. Had a few bad health days, along with the summer flu (always a joy - not), doctor appts, and job #2 really picked up. True to form, when I'm stressed and looking for an escape I just pick up another book and start reading. When that one is put down - oh, I'll just grab this one and read for 30 pages. That's why I'm reading 6 books now, and not getting anywhere in any of them. Sigh...

I've just made a big decision to get a new job (for those keeping count, that would be #3), a regular full-time desk job, with a regular paycheck, regular hours, easier physically... It's not something I'm doing lightly (I've had nothing but horrible office jobs in the past and feel very "burned" by my experiences) but I'm applying at colleges/universities near me, and I know the educational system is much kinder and humane than a regular business would be. Sad to say, but I need some humane-ness in my life. I talked to my boss this afternoon, and have started telling clients. It makes me sad, but it has to be done. Now, all I have to do is make sure I don't go crazy buying books! Wait, that's always a problem!

Sorry for the non-book rant, hopefully some craziness goes away soon, and I can get back to reading a lot and making more headway on this challenge.

Holy crap! 3 jobs?! :O Er, I think I would be dead from exhaustion if I attempted that. But going back to school scares me even worse, because of the no money thing. You're braver than I am! And good luck. I probably don't have to remind you what college textbooks cost. That might steer you clear of bookstores for awhile. ;)

Sara, "dead from exhaustion" is a big possibility, I'm not going to lie. But "zero cash" is quite tiring in a different way, so there I am. Poop. Wish it was a different way, but it's not. On top of the whole 3 jobs thing, while I'm making some progress health-wise, there seem to be more things that keep popping up, so it's 1 step forward, 2 steps back. Frustrating, but what are you gonna do?

At least there are books, GLORIOUS BOOKS to help see me through! And of course, all of you wonderful dear LT-ers too!

Sending you heaps of wishes for strengh, time, energy and dirt cheap library sales!

Ditto to what the GingerbreadMan said! :) I think my wording would've come out with a bleep or two, including the words "life sucks" somewhere in there. So ignore what I say and stay positive. :)

Thanks so much, GingerbreadMan & Sara! It helps to have nice people like you guys in my corner. And now, on to something quite shocking - a completed book!

Book 79: A Load of Old Balls by Jo Brand
I like Jo Brand, I think she's a funny, no-nonsense broad in the best possible sense. When I found out that she'd written a few books, I grabbed this one, her book about women in history, and her autobiography. In my desperation to fill up my Royalty category I'm going to squeeze this one in there since she talks about several royals in history. It was funny, but not as funny as I was expecting. I didn't recognize all of the people here, which is to be expected since it's British, and some of the jokes were dated (written in 1994), but I enjoyed it all the same. 3 stars.

I love Jo Brand, too. I have a book of hers, Sorting Out Billy, but I haven't read it yet.

Oooh, I'll have to keep another eyeball on your thread for when it gets to the top of the heap. I thought I'd read this first to see what she was like as a writer, but in retrospect it was probably not the best choice for that reason. Have you ever seen her on The Graham Norton show? She just cracks me up!

No, I listen to BBC Radio 4 during the day and her voice is instantly recognizable, isn't it?

Yes it is! What program (or should I say programme) is she on on ch 4? Or does she just pop up all over the place?

She's an irregular guest on comedy quiz shows (especially QI).

I'll be checking out Radio 4 when I get home from work today, and will probably spend an hour on BBC checking out podcasts and things, looking for people I love. I spent quite a chunk of time on "5 Minute Interviews" earlier this week and really enjoyed myself.

Book 80: Murder Uncorked by Michele Scott
A cute book, the first in a series, about a former actress-turned-waitress who gets fired from her wait staff job and offered a dream job by a dreamy hunk on his family winery in Napa Valley. Nikki finds a dead body on her first night, and another one a few days later, so of course people think that she's the killer. However, she's just investigating things herself, trying to free the innocent that have been arrested, and trying to deny her feeling for Uber-hunk Derek Malveaux. Derek seems to believe her, but is it something else than desire motivating him?

This book was only okay. I could see who the killer was fairly quickly, but some of the twist was a real shock to me. Ms. Scott is a good writer - I could tell it was her first book, not that that is a bad thing - but I could read most of it while not being glued to the page, just sort of skim-reading. 3 stars for this one. I'll probably read the next in the series at some point, just not any time soon.

I picked this one up because I recently joined goodreads and wanted to see how their groups were run, how much discussion was going on, etc. Overall, I'm disappointed. It seems like they have subject threads, not individual threads, and it's somehow harder to follow conversations that way. And, only a dozen people or so comment on any one thing, so it's a lot of the same voices being heard again and again. Maybe I'm in the wrong group, or looking in the wrong place on their site, but I'm underwhelmed by goodreads overall. If you only read contemporary fiction, it seems like it might be a great place to be, but really it's nothing compared to LT. I already knew that, but still... it makes me appreciate this place all the more!

Book 81: Driving Over Lemons by Chris Stewart
A travel memoir of one couple (who becomes a family) who move from England to a farm in rural Spain, and of their discoveries, highs, lows, and in-betweens in their new life over a few years time. Not as sentimental as Peter Mayle or Frances Mayes, but it's still a nicely written, funny, touching book. I've always really enjoyed Travel Lit, and even if a book isn't perfect or someone makes a decision I don't agree with or whatever, I always enjoy the story. There is something about people voluntarily packing up their lives and moving someplace totally out of their comfort zone and finding a new "normal" for themselves. It's always so enjoyable! Plus, there is something to be said for armchair travel - it's oh so much cheaper and you can do it in your pj's!

The first in a trilogy, I'll pick up the rest of them at some point in future. 3.5 stars

Book 82: Sex With Kings by Eleanor Herman

An interesting history of mistresses and their cohorts, and the Kings who loved them. Easy to read (she has an interesting way of describing things sometimes - haven't run across it before, but it would sometimes stop me in my tracks and re-read. Can't decide if it's a good thing or a bad thing.), and easy to pick up to read a chapter and then leave it for a bit. However, in the interest of full disclosure, I did remove the dustjacket when I was reading it in public. I don't need any more strange looks than I already get!

I wanted this book to be more somehow - more detailed, more pictures, more something - but it just wasn't. I have the "sequel", Sex With the Queen, on my shelf and I'll get to that eventually. But based on this one, I'm not rushing to pick it up. 3 stars

I have a new mini-goal for myself, and if I don't post it here, I probably won't follow up since I won't be held accountable.

Before I buy another book (previous release buys from Amazon don't count), I need to read 34 books off of my own shelves. If I can do that, then my home library will be even between books read and unread.

Plus, I have this strange goal of getting my clothes into drawers, and right now I can't do that since they're full of clandestine books. (Clandestine because I'm embarrassed that I have so many new books to read that I literally don't have any more flat surfaces or shelf space, not that they're pervy or anything.)

So, that's my new mini-goal. I'm trying not to get so many library books, as I have about 20 checked out now and mostly they're not being read. Hopefully that will change since A) I have 4 weeks to read my next book club book, B) at least 5 of the books are graphic novels or are very short, and C) the 24 Hour Read-a-thon is this coming Saturday, so I'm hoping to get a lot of books finished up and some shorter ones read. Whew! I wish there were more hours in a day to read, and things like working or cooking or sleeping didn't get in the way.

*waves pom-poms, wishing you all the best with this commendable venture*

(I'm nowhere near a balance between read and unread, by the way. But then I have a book-buying wife too. Sticking to a strict diet of just buying one book a month each has worked really well for us this year, though.)

Thanks, GingerbreadMan! This might sound strange, but I've never thought of using a "one book a month" buying/diet plan. I'll give it some thought for next year.

I've been trying to hold off on reading Finn Family Moomintroll, trying to save it for the read-a-thon this Saturday, but now I don't know ... it's looking awfully tempting in my stack of library books! I also have another Shirley Jackson book in my pile, but I don't know how on-edge I want to feel when I'm trying to stay awake for so long. I'll keep you posted!

152> I have actually considered it, but in a modified manner.

Per month: one hardcover, or one trade paperback and one mass market, or three mass markets. But that's obviously looking at it from price rather than from the number of books you're bringing into your house.

One problem with the plan is that I've always got a mental list of the books I'd like to acquire, and as new books are published the list gets jockeyed around and titles get pushed back incredibly far. At a certain point the books are no longer on store shelves. And I try not to order books, so timing is important.

Right now Bernard Cornwell's screwing up my mental list. And he's not the only one.

The buying that gets me the most is those dang Friends of the Library sales. I just can't seem to resist them. After all, how often can you get great books for .50 or 1.00?

Laura, that sounds dangerous. Maybe a one in, three out system for a few months? Your plan sounds like the literary version of a crash diet, which will leave you passing out on buses and in stairwells.

Although, if you manage it, I will be highly impressed.

Renee, if I maintained a "priority list" I have no idea how far behind I'd be. It's better for me (at least financially) that I don't keep very good TBP records. Plus, I've been using the library more often (something I know you do as well) so that has been helping me cut down on my new release must buys.

I am a little afraid that it will end up being the literary version of a crash diet, but I'm still going to give it a shot. Since there will probably be a few PBS wish list books that will appear in the next few months, it won't be like I'm really spending money, but books will still be coming into my house. Along with evening out my read/not-read stacks, I'm also trying not to spend so much unnecessary money on books.

I realize that books are a requirement of life here on LT, but I have so many that I genuinely want to read and I've spent a good chunk of money on them. So why not put those in a higher priority if I can? Y'all will probably find an "I've fallen off of the wagon" message in the near future, and that's okay. I'm just going to give this a shot and see how it goes.

Library sales are often my downfall too! Normally I work on Saturdays (my library holds them once a month on the second Saturday) so it's rarely an option to attend, but now that I'm easing back on Job #1 while looking for Job #3 I have been at the library while a sale is going on. I'm proud (and slightly shocked) to say that I haven't even glanced at a sale book since February! I can hardly believe it myself.

A friend stopped over today unexpectedly and she was looking at my books on the coffee table. (There are probably a dozen or so books there.) She picked up 2 travel guides that I'm planning on reading this week and said "Are you really going to actually read these things? I've never heard of anyone reading their old travel guides!" Yep, I'm reading them! I have lots of oddly shaped foreign guides and if I can get some read (maybe even sold - yikes!) and off of my living room shelves, that would certainly free up a lot of space. I might even be able to empty one of my dresser drawers!

Ah well, enough of emptying my screwy head on an LT message. To quote Richard on one of his many threads "cross all of your crossables", I'm giving this baby a whirl!

Consider them crossed!

Thanks, GingerbreadMan! I've just mentioned your love of Iain Banks in another thread, and said that you would be a good reference point for recommendations. If you find a sudden surge of posts on your thread, it may very well be my fault!

Tomorrow is the big 24 Hour Read-a-Thon, and I'm very much looking forward to it! I'm going to set up my pile of books in the next hour or so, and I've got my menu of food pretty well planned out. I do plan on taking a couple naps, but this being my third go-round, I think I've figured out the best way for me to read productively. I don't plan on updating my thread here until it's all over, but I may need an LT Break at some point, so no promises.

In preparation for tomorrow I finished 2 books this morning.

Book 83: The Dark Vineyard by Martin Walker
The second in the Bruno, Chief of Police mystery series, this book was just as wonderful as the first. This time, Bruno is happily living his life, recovering from the first books events, when he gets an early morning phone call about a fire in a research crop field. While they're figuring out the details, some foreigners show up in their small French town, and suddenly public fights, tax evasion, and bodies start piling up. And on top of that, what's going on with Bruno's love life? While the Big Mystery didn't seem like much of a shock, the small revelations and turns on the way to the finale were surprising. Reading Mr. Walkers books is such a pleasure, he always reveals just enough to keep you going. With the return of the lovely and quirky inhabitants of St-Denis, his dog Gigi, and the Dordogne countryside, I loved every minute of reading this book and despair that the third in the series won't be released in the states until next year. 4 stars.

Book 84: Ravenna: City of Art by Various
While touring Europe for my last semester of college, we stopped for the day in Ravenna, Italy. Something about this city (which I hadn't heard of before we were dropped in a piazza) struck me with such fascination that I made sure to buy a guidebook before we left for the day. (Actually, most of the gigantic suitcase I brought with me was filled with books by the time I boarded the plane in Paris - it weighed 90 pounds!) Having finally read this book (after sitting on my shelves for 10 years), I'm pleased to say that I know why the city struck me so much. It's one of the only cities in the "West" that's Byzantine. Reading the history of the churches I visited and seeing the wonderful photos of the mosaics took me right back to that day and I was enchanted all over again. 4 stars

And now, off to stroll through a few more threads, get myself set up for tomorrow and set my alarm. Hope you all had a great week!

Status Report - In order to complete this challenge and the other online reading challenges I've joined, before 2011 starts I need to read:

3 books my Mom recommended
5 Jane Austen-related books
2 Travel / travel lit
3 Classics
3 Royalty
1 with a music term in the title
1 from a charity/thrift shop
7 with a color in the title
4 seasons (all of them)
7 YA novels
1 starting with a "U"
4 fiction by Brits
1 with a plant in the title
6 from the library

and I need to get rid of at least 17 books that I've read. Overlaps are allowed for all of them, so that helps it seem a little more on the manageable side of things. If I read them without overlaps I think that leaves me with 48 more books to read.

Oy - I don't know if I can do all of this. Plus, I need some help finding books for each of the seasons. My plan now is to finish up this challenge, and then tackle everything else for whatever is left of the year. Here's hoping that tomorrow is successful and I can get lots completed!

Woah. You're a bit of a masochist, aren't you? ;) Good luck!!

Enjoy an entire day of reading. I'm hoping to get a few hours in the afternoon if the weather holds and my SO takes the kids for a hike.

(Please forgive my copying this from my 75 Book page, I'm fading fast here on very little sleep.)

Whew! I've gotten quite a few books read over the last 48 or so hours, and I think that I'll be fully recovered tomorrow after a good solid nights sleep. Without further ado, here are my read-a-thon and after books! (The books listed after the *'s were finished during the day today.)

Hood by Stephen R. Lawhead
I love Robin Hood stories in any form, so reading this trilogy was a no-brainer. This is the first in the series, set in Wales in the 11th century, and while the Welsh language still scrambles my brain, this books is wonderfully layered and fascinating. Originally picked up as a 5-chapters-a-month co-read but I had to finish this on my own. 4 stars, and a keeper for now.

Enthusiasm by Polly Shulman
A cute YA book, very Jane Austen, about 2 high school girls and their misadventures, good fortune, and luck with 2 high school boys in a neighboring private school. I think I was expecting more from this, so it's slightly disappointing in some respects, but it was a quick and good read nonetheless. 3 stars, off to PBS!

The Expedition of Humphry Clinker by Tobias Smollett
I FINALLY finished this book for my Classics book club. Once I stopped analyzing the book it was really a good time. This late 18th c. epistolary novel about a crazy family and their misadventures travelling around Great Britain is a hoot, and a must read for any fan of 1770's lit! 3 stars, and to PBS it goes!

Finn Family Moomintroll by Tove Jansson
I read this wonderfully imaginative YA book in the early hours this morning and it was just the right one to choose! This covers some crazy adventures of a very unusual family and their friends. I have no idea how to describe this book, other than to say that I loved it and I wish I read these books when I was young! 4 stars

Troublemaker: Book 1 by Janet Evanovich
The first in a series of 3 graphic novels, continuing the Metro Girl story line. It was fun to read these in comic-book form, and while I enjoyed it less than reading a regular book, it was still pretty good. 3 stars

Maus by Art Spiegelman
A sad and touching graphic novel about Art's father, set both in the present and in the past, telling of Spiegelman Sr.'s life now and of his life before entering a concentration camp in 1944. A must-read book. 4.5 stars

Royal Blood by Rhys Bowen
I'm so bummed that I have to wait another year to read another Lady Georgiana book! I loved this story (#4 in the series) about Georgie's mission from the Queen to attend a royal wedding in Transylvania, both to represent the Family and to be a member of the wedding party. But are there vampires and werewolves and other mysterious forces at work, trying to stop the wedding by any means possible? Georgie & Co are a wonderfully funny gang (thought the addition of clueless maid Queenie is a bit irritating at times) and it wasn't the traditional "monster" story I was hoping it wouldn't be. 4 stars

Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher
Listened to this on audio, read by Carrie herself. Laugh-out-loud and touching, occasionally repetitive, it was a great book to listen to while driving and giving my hands a break. 4 stars
****************************************************

Maus II by Art Spiegelman
A continuation of his father's story of surviving the concentration camps and his new life in the States. Equally touching and heart-wrenching, another must-read. 4.5 stars

Hot in Here by Sophie Renwick
Another foray into the erotic romance genre for me. A different story (old friends become lovers) though it sounds like every other romance out there from that description. It was good, extremely quick reading (skimming gets you all you need to know to follow the story line) and I'm glad to have to off to PBS. 3 stars

Gothic Classics Vol. 14 by Ann Radcliffe
This collection of classics told in graphic novel form (At the Gate, The Oval Portrait, Carmilla, The Mysteries of Udolpho, and Northanger Abbey) was a nice change of pace from the usual. Different illustrators did each story, so it was easy to keep each story straight. Recommended for graphic novel fans, classic lit fans, and anyone who likes condensed collections. 4 stars

Phew! I think that's it for now. Apologies for repeating my descriptive words, I'm nodding off. I'm going to hopefully keep on this reading train for another week or two before I need a break. I'm also feeling hopeful that I'll finish this challenge early (like maybe by December) so I can finish the rest of my online challenges before 2011 hits.

Have any of you read any of the above? What did you think? How was your Read-a-thon experience?

Just the idea of turning Janet Evanovich's work into graphic novels made me snort. I can see every bestseller becoming illustrated with the way things have gone in the past--Nancy Drew, Anita Blake, etc. I'll read it, of course. I mean, all I've been reading lately are books with pictures in them. :)

Maus 1 & 2 I've wanted to read for the longest time, but every time I see it at work, I get massively depressed. Maybe I'll finish a few more kids books before I go the Holocaust route again.

Hey Laura,

wow, appointing me an authority on Iain Banks might be pushing it a bit, but I've helped DQ to the best of my ability.

So glad you liked your first Moomin book! Go for Comet in Moominland next!

The read-a-thon sounds so exciting. Could you tell us a bit more? Who's doing it and how?

Yay! I'm glad you finished Smollett. I think I liked it more than you did, if it and the Renwick got the same number of stars.

>163 saraslibrary:: Sara, I think you'll really like the Maus books. Yes, they're despressing (in fact, I cried reading both of them - that's probably more of a reflection of my emotional state than anything else, but still...) but it's also oddly uplifting, and I learned about different aspects of daily life in the camps that I don't think I would have otherwise.

>164 GingerbreadMan:: GBM, you're the best person for the Banks job, in my opinion! I do want to read his books, but they're a little slim on the ground in the library system here in Wisconsin. Looks like I'll have to start looking at used bookstores! And, I'll go and request Comet in Moominland right now!

I did the Deweys 24 Hour Read-a-thon (www.24hourreadathon.com). It's held twice a year (in April and October) and everyone starts reading at the same time. You read as much as you want, whatever and wherever you want, each hour has a mini-challenge that you can participate in if you want to, and there are prizes to be won. I think this year there were over 400 participants, world-wide. I really enjoy it, trying to read as much as possible in 24 hours. I just found out that LibraryThing has their own readathons, but I don't know anything about them.

>165 ReneeMarie:: Hi Renee! Smollett and Renwick are TOTALLY different animals, and they got the same rating for different reasons. I did really enjoy "Humphry", it made me chortle and laugh out loud at several different points, but the length really got to me after awhile. I liked the twists at the end, and everything else about it, but it was at least 50 pages too long for me. I should really up it to at least 3.5 stars. The Renwick was only okay - not good, not great, not bad - so that's why it got 3 stars.
Have you started on Agnes Grey yet? I haven't but really should get a move on, seeing as the month is half over!

After reading so much over the weekend, and despite my really wanting to keep on this reading train, I haven't read more than 5 pages since Sunday. My books are all lined up and ready to go, and I'm just sitting here watching "Wallander" and "Lark Rise to Candleford" and "Midsomer Murders" like a big dope. Job #2 will be taking up a lot of my time for the rest of the month, so maybe while I'm sitting and waiting for classes to be over with I can read some books.

Speaking of work, I need to leave for Job #1 in less than an hour so I should probably get moving here. Here's hoping I get some reading done today!

I didn't realize you had an Austen category.

Have you read any of Lory Lilian's alternate Pride & Prejudice books Rainy Days or Remembrance of the Past? My library doesn't have either one and they canceled my ILL request, saying no other library had them either. The latter book has a 5-star rating on LT, which has me curious about it.

>167 VictoriaPL: Hi Victoria! Yes, I'm afraid my bookshelves have lots of Austen, so this is my lame attempt to get a few knocked off. I've never heard of Lory Lilian before, but now I must go and research the heck out of her and her books.

Ahh! My lovely library system doesn't have them! I'm now afraid that I'll be forced to place an Amazon order, and I'm sooo trying not to buy books. Hm. Perhaps I'll just wishlist them. Thanks (I think) for letting me know about her!

166> I've only *barely* begun Agnes Grey. I'm glad it's Anne. I've read Charlotte, but never Emily. I own a few, can't remember for sure which, but do have an audiocassette version of Tenant of Wildfell Hall I picked up somewhere. So far I think AG is lovely.

I also just started Reliable Wife for the historical fiction book group, and agree with the Sara Gruen blurb on the cover calling it beautifully written. I'm only partway through the first chapter and can already see how it was influenced by Wisconsin Death Trip.

I've also just begun Woman in the Nineteenth Century, but have only finished the introduction Fuller's brother wrote for it. I'm hoping it's going to be a very good month for reading. Last month was good, too, and that has been rare for me lately.

p.s. -- I'm going to try to limit myself to about $15-20/week on books after my discount, assuming all else goes well financially. And of course lately that's a big assumption. Today I found a book that I'm salivating over which may jump my purchasing queue: Lady of the Butterflies by Fiona Mountain.

>169 ReneeMarie: I think I'm going to "audio" Agnes Grey. Just listening to music while I'm driving seems a little boring now. I've gotten used to someone telling me a story while I'm cruising around Milwaukee and mumbling at idiotic drivers. Glad you're liking AG so far, Renee!

Well, I've gotten 5 books read and unfortunately only 1 of them counts towards this challenge. Shoot! I was hoping to have this challenge wrapped up by the end of October (my own mental deadline) and I highly doubt that I'll get another dozen (counted) books read in the next 10 days. Oh well.

Book 88: Barcelona the City of Gaudi by Llatzer Moix
Another trip down memory lane for me, to a great time in my life. Reading this lil 'ol book filled with lots o' purdy pictures was a nice escape tonight. It was very interesting to see the historical paintings, and get a small historical background to Barcelona and how it has evolved into the city it is today. I'm sure I'll flip through this book again when I'm feeling a little nostalgic. Actually, I should flip through my enormous photo albums instead. I'll try and dig up a picture of myself in Barcelona to post here....

4 stars, and it's a keeper!

I'd love to see a picture of you in Barcelona! I spent a year in Paris during university and so Paris is "my city". Do you feel that way about Barcelona?

No, though it does hold a special place for me. I really love Paris as well (only been there twice), and I really felt a connection when I was in Prague, and in Assisi too. It's a strange and wonderful part of travel, that you can truly find yourself in a place that is so foreign.

My computer is very low on open memory, so it's going to have to go in for an upgrade pretty soon. Once it's back I'll post a picture. (All of my Europe pics from the trip are on film, so they need to be scanned. Lord, sometimes I feel ancient.)

Book 89: Wicked Appetite by Janet Evanovich
The start of a new series, and I totally enjoyed it! With shades of Stephanie Plum (not a bad thing IMO), Elizabeth Tucker is a stupendous cupcake maker with a fairly normal life when hunky man Diesel (an Unmentionable, i.e. with lots of weird powers) comes into her life bringing an angry monkey and a one-eyed ninja cat in tow. Craziness ensues, of the very best kind. 5 stars for me, and a great, fun, mind-candy read. Looking forward to book #2!

And now I'm off to get my laptop fixed... I don't know if I can make it 24 hours without LT access, but I'm going to try!

Glad to here Evanovich's new series is good. She has a couple of others besides the Plum series - not quite as good IMO. Look forward to starting this new one.

Wicked Appetite . . . uh, I should probably finish her Stephanie Plum series first (I've only read One for the Dough). :D But I'll definitely look for that one. It's already one of our most popular books being put on hold at work now. I love the cover. Sooo purdy and glossy! :)

Best of luck with being LT-less for awhile! How's it going so far?

174> Yeah, I'm not a fan of Evanovich's other work either (the Metro Girl series is okay, and I really don't like her romances) but this was much closer to the crazy Stephanie Plum in the best ways. I hope you like this one if you pick it up!

175> Hm, yeah, maybe you should catch up on the next 15 books in the Plum series! I know, you wouldn't necessarily think that that cover would be so attractive, but I found myself staring at it during commercial breaks, admiring the font and the glossiness of it. Strange, huh? Yeah, the no-LT thing is Not A Good Time for me. I dropped in here yesterday (?) to add a library book and planned on catching up, but my computer had other ideas and shut me out of Safari. Jerk. I don't know what to do online if I can't be on here!

The computer is still not fixed (though really I just need a larger memory installed and the new repair place hasn't called me back {almost 48 hours}). Don't want to hound them, but really? This should be a hopefully simple fix for them that they could do maybe do the same day. So what's the deal? Plus, I have to work all weekend and need to print a lot of things from the internet by Friday and since I can't download things.... it's a bit of a pickle. In fact, this may not even get posted, though it did work on my 75-er thread just now, but didn't work yesterday. Lovely.

I just bought a box of wine today, if that's any indication of how I'm faring without lots of daily access to LT!

#176: I just bought a box of wine today, if that's any indication of how I'm faring without lots of daily access to LT!

Oh dear! At least you're not curled up in the fetal position, sucking your thumb and hugging your teddy bear. Er, at least I hope. ;) That seriously sucks! I think that's why I'd rather buy a new laptop than have it worked on--1) the offline time, and 2) people going through my stuff. I'd say call the comp techs tomorrow and see what's going on. 48 hours is much too long to go without Internet (just my personal opinion there--ha!).

Book 90: Saltram by Ceri Johnson
This little book is published by the National Trust (UK) and is a guidebook to Saltram House in Devon. There is something about this place that has fascinated me for years, so I splurged a year ago and bought this baby. It was a really interesting read, though some of it was irrelevant to me, not being physically in the house to admire the paintings. Four stars, and a keeper. This place is on my Must List if ever I get to the UK!

Book 91: The Frozen Deep by Wilkie Collins
This novella was a new one for me, never having heard of it before BlackDogBooks posted it as one of the Halloween reads on his thread this year. It was pretty creepy in the first half, and the second half just sort of ... ended. I feel like it could have been much scarier overall, but this was originally written as a play and I could see how dramatic it would be on a stage. 3 stars.

Still no word from the original or a new computer place. Getting a little annoyed. I'd be outright ticked off if I couldn't get online at all, but at least I can be on here and can surf the web, even if I can't download anything or open a word document or my email or pretty much anything else. Guess who's getting phone calls early tomorrow morning?!? Yeah. And, I'm assuming that it won't be fixed before I have to work this weekend which equals some probably-annoyed students this weekend at classes. But really, if I couldn't be on here I'd go crazy.

Someone mentioned in Linda/Whisper1's Get Well thread that these friendships we have here at LT really matter in our lives and that we miss not being able to be on here if we're away from a computer. I totally want to echo those sentiments, and hopefully I'll be able to meet some of you in real life one day. I love you guys!

ed. to fix mis-spells - I'm going to blame it on the menacing wind we've had for the last 2 days!

#178: Hmm, The Frozen Deep doesn't look much like a horror novel from its page, but then I haven't read it, so I can't say. I don't think I've been on BlackDogBooks' thread yet this year, so maybe I should. Thanks! :) And Linda's.... (makes note to self) What a slacker I've been.

(sends bad juju vibes to your tech guys) That's not cool at all that they've had it for so long. Maybe they're swamped, whatever, but hopefully (fingers and toes crossed!) you'll get it back before the weekend. If not, I'd say set up camp in an Internet cafe or a public library. ;) j/k

the menacing wind we've had for the last 2 days!

Yikes! How come everyone's getting hit with such awful weather lately? I mean, I know it's fall and all, but can't it wait til winter at least?? Hang in there--literally! :D

179: Yeah, it's certainly more of a psychological suspense kind of a book than a horror book. And I usually prefer that when I'm looking for some creepiness or a scare outside of my credit card bill, but this just didn't do it for me. I was kind of hoping for the literary version of the movie The Others with Nicole Kidman, or something like that.

Computer stuff - UGH! - they ordered a new, larger hard drive today and they should have it by next week Wednesday at the latest. He didn't say how long my computer would be gone by the time the part gets in, but I'm hoping that it's pretty quick. As it is, I have to send all of the students this weekend their completion certificates after the computer is fixed, and that's a pain in the patooty. More because they look forward to and sometimes need their certificates the same day to report in for their certification, but I can't do too much about it. If I could open my email for just 2 minutes and get a few email addresses I'd be a happy gal, but alas, that's not going to happen. Oh well. At least it will be fixed in the next week, and thank the good Lord above that I can still be on LT daily without many issues.

Now, back to my book and to watching some "Golden Girls" - my nightly routine!

#180: And I usually prefer that when I'm looking for some creepiness or a scare outside of my credit card bill -- Ha! I know what you mean. If I want to read something that keeps me up at night because I think I heard something outside, then I read true crime. It's usually worse than any splatterpunk I've ever read.

Next Wednesday?? Aw, Laura, I'm sorry it's taking so long. :( I didn't know they could drag it out like that. Hopefully your students'll be understanding about the certificates and all.

Yay for Golden Girls. :) I haven't watched that in ages! I still think it's funny that I was a kid watching "old farts" on TV instead of my usual cartoons. And imagine my small little brain trying to comprehend that some of those old ladies actually had s-e-x! :O I should really watch that series again. I think I'll put it on hold @ work in the morning. Thanks! :) I could use a change of pace, since I'm watching season 2 of Dexter--again--which might explain my odd dreams lately.

#181: I haven't read much true crime (only Helter Skelter) but I did enjoy reading it, and have a few more on my shelves to read. Don't know if this qualifies as true crime or not, but I was looking forward to reading the Patricia Cornwell Jack the Ripper one sooner than later. Then again, I'm always meaning to read my books sooner than later and it doesn't happen! Oh, you really should re-watch the Golden Girls. So funny! And I didn't get the sex jokes at all when I first watched it, but now it sometimes seems risque compared to what's on TV now. I hope you enjoy it!

Bonus Book #16: Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
I think I first heard about this one somewhere around these parts, checked it out from the library and then renewed it (twice!) before even picking it up. Since it's due in a few days I decided to finally give it a shot, and holy crap, I am SO GLAD that I did! The story of a girl who knows she's a witch, living in the world with regular humans, and does a love spell that's a bit stronger than she intended and gets sent to Hecate Hall (Hex Hall for short), a reform school for the Prodigium (other magical kids in high school). Once she arrives, she finds out who her father really is, gets put in a coven without her knowledge, starts working with the ghost of her great-grandmother, and is somehow involved in the finding the nearly-dead bodies of three of her fellow students.

I didn't see the twists coming in this book, I think Sophie talks and thinks like an actual teenager (though maybe I'm out of touch, being in my 30's and all), and it's so well written that I didn't notice how much time had passed when I picked it up last night. I started on page 60 around 11pm, and when I finished the book at 1:30 this morning I could hardly believe that that much time had passed! It's a really great book, lots of fun, and while it has shades of Harry Potter & Friends, it's completely its own world. I can't wait for the next book to come out in the spring! 4.5 stars.

And thus Hex Hall goes on my list! =D

#182: I haven't read Helter Skelter, but I want to (as soon as I find a copy to buy).

I was looking forward to reading the Patricia Cornwell Jack the Ripper one sooner than later.

Same here! I still remember watching a TV interview with Patricia Cornwell explaining how/why she did the Jack the Ripper book (Portrait of a Killer), and I completely believed everything she said. However, I've heard a lot of negative things about the book, but I'm still fascinated to see her take on it.

I put all 5 series on hold of the Golden Girls, and was surprised there weren't very many holds ahead of mine--if any, on a couple of them. At least that gives me time to watch the first season of Scrubs, which I just bought last night. Yay me! :)

I'm with pammab--Hex Hall looks good! :)

To both pammab and Sara, I hope you enjoy it if you do pick up Hex Hall. It really took me by surprise, I didn't expect to like it as much as I did!

And Sara, yet ANOTHER thing we have in common. It's becoming a little scary in a good way! Been thinking about pulling Portrait of a Killer off of the shelf, but until I finish at least half of these library books that are currently lazing around my flat surfaces, on the shelf it stays. I hope you have a great time in Golden Girls Land. My parents stopped over earlier this afternoon, and my Mom made some comment about not wanting to do something and I deadpanned "Shady Pines, Ma" - she cracked up so much that she had to run to the bathroom! Apparently, that sense of humor is very much my families' as well. (punctuation? can't brain today.)

At any rate, I should probably get rolling for the day - at 4:35 p.m.! I popped in "Out of Africa" intending to take a nap and instead ended up transfixed by the gorgeousness of it all. Just now crying as she's leaving Africa and lamenting the fact that I need to get in the shower to meet The Girls for dinner - would rather be here wallowing in "Africa"ness in my sweats and reading a book - but it's Sunday and that means it's Girls Night. Perhaps next weekend I can be a bum!

Happy Halloween Everyone!

Had a nice time on Sunday night, despite my lazy nature. Now it seems it's suddenly late on Tuesday night and I don't have much to show for it. Have barely read anything since Sunday. Instead I've been watching the final season of The Tudors (excellent!), some Midsomer Murders, the short films of Georges Melies, and up next is the silent film "Nosferatu", which will probably scare the bejesus out of me. I'm going to heartily recommend Turner Classic Movies Silent Sunday Nights, they're such a nice change from the usual. Plus, where else can you really watch silent movies these days?

Just checking in, that's really all. Oh, and I won Book Lust To Go from the October ER giveaway! So excited!!! Not just because it's a free book but because it was one I immediately put on my "must buy" list when I first heard about it - so this just saved me some moola!

Almost Nosferatu time, should probably get myself ready for bed, grab a blanket, turn off the lights, and be prepared to get scared! Here's to some actual reading time in the future!

Love the Midsomer Murders, in fact I just picked up the DVD for the episode 'Talking to the Dead' from my local library this evening!

#185: Ha! Np. I can't brain most days, so 1 out of 300-whatever days isn't bad for you. :)

#186: Shady Pines . . . oh my lord. I'd totally forgotten that saying! :D And, no, my Golden Girls holds haven't come in yet, but maybe tomorrow.

I remember watching Out of Africa as a kid, but I can't remember if I liked it or totally hated it (it was my mom's favorite then). All I remember is the Meryl Streep character catches some STD from her husband. Great selective memory, huh? :P

Don't worry about being lazy for Halloween. I didn't do squat--not that I don't wish I had done something. I was so bummed about not having any plans that I went to bed around 9 and slept for a good 11 hours until work in the morning.

#187: I'm still on the fence about the Tudors. At first, I really wanted to watch it, but then a coworker of mine said she didn't like it; another said she did . . . so now I'm kind of like, "I'll watch it . . . just not right now."

Book Lust To Go: ooh, congratulations! :) I've flipped through that one @ work, but it doesn't really apply to me, since I never go anywhere. (I've only been to Canada, and I don't really consider that another country, since it's just a few miles north across the border.) Let us know how the book is, though. I love Nancy Pearl's Book Lust books (especially Book Crush, since I read more kids books than anything else)!

Too bad you didn't watch Nosferatu on Halloween! That would've been a perfect setting. :) I have yet to watch it. Like you said, "where else can you really watch silent movies these days?" My library doesn't even carry very many b&w movies anymore.

I love the personal, casual chatty tone on this thread these days! Perhaps you should be computerless more often (just kidding)!

188: Hi Lori! You're much farther along in Midsomer than I am - I'm on the first season with Sgt. Scott, and while I didn't want to like him at first (I'll always kind of miss Sgt. Troy) I do now like him. I wonder what's going to happen between he and Cully, if anything. But DON'T TELL ME! I'm glad that somehow I've managed to avoid any and all mention of who it is that Cully eventually marries, and I want to be surprised. Hope you like "Talking to the Dead"!

189: Great selective memory there, Sara! (BTW, yes, she does get syphilis from her cheater absentee husband.) I first watched it because it was my Mom's favorite movie at the time too, and I wanted to not like it just for that fact, but I couldn't help myself. By the time she realizes that she needs to sell everything, and loses the farm, and then Denys ... I cry every time. Mom jokes because she has to sell her comfortable chair and all of her books that I cry, but that's only a little bit true. Also, I loved (and still do love) the soundtrack and used to "borrow" the tape from my Mom's stereo to listen to in my room. After a few minutes I'd hear "Laura! Give me back that tape!" and I'd laugh and ignore her until she came in the room laughing saying "Damn it, that is MY tape after all. Could you at least ask to borrow it? And don't you already have some Mozart to listen to?" Oh, good times.

I vote for watching The Tudors. I wasn't sure what to expect when I first started, but it's such a great show with great production value, and it makes history come alive so believably that I've been trying to prolong the rest of the series - to no avail. Only 2 episodes left that I'll probably get to tonight and then I'll be a little depressed.

Thanks for the congrats! And Canada does so count as a foreign country, no matter how close you may live and despite the fact that it's not-so-foreign. It's about a six hour drive for me to get there and it hasn't happened yet - but I've been to France twice. Make much sense? Nope! I had planned on Nosferatu on Halloween, but I watched The Tudors instead. And, I didn't get to watch it last night either - Georges Melies was a lot longer than I expected and then I fell asleep. Going to try again tonight!

190: Thanks, GBM! I was a little worried that people would either be annoyed, or wouldn't care, or something, but I kind of like talking about other things too. I hope to not be computerless for much longer, but I'll make a point to keep some chatty stuff going for sure. Glad you're not bored by it!

And now, for some more riveting information, I need to get rolling for my doctor appointment. I could use a lower dose of the thyroid medication I'm taking - it's keeping me awake really often, and when I fall asleep it's not very deep, so I'm now chronically tired yet my body is wide awake and jumping. It's like there's this little yappy puppy running around me all of the time and all I want to do is lay down somewhere quiet. Only I can't really escape my body, so I'm stuck with the craziness. Some would say that that's nothing unusual, but I disagree! And, here's hoping that I get a call this morning from the computer people saying that it's ready to be picked up!

Hope you're all having a great Wednesday!

I promise, no spoilers on Midsomer Murders. Troy is a favorite character of mine for the series as well, right in line with the pathologist George Bullard. Enjoy!

#191: Syphillis! That's it. I knew it was one of the BIG ONES. And I'll definitely have to look for the Out of Africa soundtrack at work (love movie soundtracks!).

(tosses Tudors onto the TBW pile) Yes, boss! :)

That sucks about your thyroid medication. For some reason, it made me wonder if I've ever gotten my thryoid levels checked. I could kind of relate to your feeling exhausted all the time, but my doc says mine is just due to depression and to deal with it. Anywho, best of luck with getting all that sorted out and finding a good balance. :)

We actually set a new record here in WA, weather-wise. It got up to 72 (or maybe it was 74? bad memory!). Yes, we actually got some sun up here; no rain this time.

Lori, I forgot about Mr. Bullard! I just enjoy this series so much. I got "Sins of Commission" in the mail today, and since I just found out that I'll be home early tonight I'll be watching it for sure! Usually I try and "save" them for the weekend, but I don't think that will happen tonight.

Sara, yay for warm weather! We're at 53 right now in Milwaukee, but it feels a lot colder than that. The weather report from lunch time said we'll probably get some flurries late this afternoon/early this evening. Blech. I know it's coming, but still...
Hope you enjoy the Africa soundtrack, and The Tudors, whenever you get around to them. I've got "Bunnicula" on hold at the library for me to pick up. For some reason I never read this series when I was a kid, but I'd always stare at the covers and want to read them. (See? I was always this weird.) I figured I might as well read them now! Hope you're having another nice day today!

On some computer news, it will apparently be ready for me to pick up tomorrow afternoon - YAHOO! I can't wait to get back to normal and check my email and be able to open iTunes and a Word document. Yippee! (Shoot, but I don't want to over-celebrate too early and then have it not work... I think I'd better keep my exaltations quiet until everything is hunky-dory for sure.) Hope you're all having a good Thursday! I'm off to work. Boo!

Since (as of now) I have a 14 hour day tomorrow and need to read about 150 pages before book club tomorrow night (and it was my choice so I do have to read it) and get ready for the looooong day, I won't be watching Midsomer or anything else really. Stinks. I can hear Inspector Barnaby taunting me right now, "Laura, watch me ... watch me"! (Actually, now that sounds a little creepy/pervy so never mind.)

But, hopefully the next time I'm here, it will be courtesy of a fixed computer and I'll be at home in my pajamas. Off to make some coffee, eat some apple pie, and read until I fall asleep!

Well, I'm at home, in my pajamas, and my computer is working just great! Yahoo! Now it's time to hit the couch, read a little, and then wander off to bed before work tomorrow.

I'm glad you're computer is better. Its so frustrating to get by without one.

Enjoy your book!

> #195 - It's amazing how the characters get into your subconscious and try to entice you to drop everything.... funny and good show of willpower on your part!

Thanks Alison! Unfortunately the book of choice didn't really do it for me. (See below)

Lori, these characters do feel like they're a part of me in some way. I started out only "sort of" watching the series, reading a magazine or book while it was on, but now they're my before-bed treat. It's just enough time for me to relax and get cozy comfy sleepy before heading off to bed, despite all of the murders and things. Do you watch them whenever? Or do you have some kind of a routine with Midsomer too?

Somehow between the late night last night and working this morning I managed to finish 2 short books.

Bonus Book 19: Graphic Classics Vol 4, H.P. Lovecraft
I didn't enjoy this one as much as the others. I think it's because Lovecraft isn't someone I particularly enjoy. I've never read him before this and thought this might be a good entry point into his work, and I think it is, but his stuff just didn't appeal to me. There were 2 stories, and his biography, that I enjoyed, but everything else just ... eh. A little too "old-school-purposefully-scary-strange" science fiction for me. This could be affected by the artwork, but I felt like I could see H.P. trying to be creative and shocking. Maybe I'm missing something here, but ... 2 stars.

Bonus Book 20: Shakespeare in an Hour by Christopher Baker
An interesting entry in a new (?) series featuring famous/noteworthy playwrights. This series gives a literary, political and social viewpoint for their time period, a handy "one minute" page with the highlights of world events and their career, and then a longer explanation of above points, their biography, and pivotal scenes from their most important works. None of the information in here was particularly new for me, but I loved the way this book presents daily life and what Shakespeare's world was probably like. It was also very nice to read some of the "greatest hits" scenes of his big plays.

An entertaining hour, to be sure, and I'll certainly pick up another volume of this series if I come across it! 3.5 stars

Despite the fact that I'm home (and awake) during the day, and that I have a lot of house stuff to catch up on, I think I'm going to plan my reading for the readathon tomorrow and then maybe reorganize my bookshelves somehow. There is something so soothing to me in shifting books, going up and down the stepladder, deciding where to store things and the like. It's one of my favorite things to do, and it's always a good time for a mental clear-up and clean-out too. The dishes can wait - I've got books to rearrange!

Someone else here called it "fondling my books". I think you'd find that there were several of us who periodically have to pull the books out and handle them a little, putting them back in a sightly different order. It is a good idea to dust behind them anyway! And reordering the TBR shelves is a great way to rediscover old purchases.

And even though it sounds really great, resist the impulse to rearrange your books by spine color.

I have been thinking about rearranging by spine color for a long time and was going to start doing that today but for some reason I stopped myself! Coincidence? Why do you advise against it, if you don't mind me asking?

Because you will then really want to read a specific book, which you will know has a yellow cover, but it's nowhere to be found on the yellow shelf. Months later you will stumble upon it and discover that while the cover is, indeed, yellow, the spine is brown.

Of course, if you never, ever decide that that book you bought four months ago would be exactly the right book to read right now, then go ahead.

Good point - I never thought of that, and how maddening it could be. And, knowing me, even though I have yards of books that have barely been touched for years, I'd want to read that one with the differently colored cover and would drive myself crazy searching for it.

Thanks for the advice! So far, several books shifted from the bookcase in my room, and 12 (I think) are going to be leaving the house in the near future! Taking a break to pick up a pizza and have dinner, and then I'll be tackling the guest bedroom where all of my massage stuff and 2 bulging bookcases are stashed.

I may never emerge from the piles of crap...

Well, I emerged long enough to eat, ended up watching the last 2 episodes of The Tudors with a beer, and then I pooped out. The guest room will have to wait until either tomorrow morning or some time this week. I keep forgetting that I'm having a chestnut roasting party at my house next Saturday night, and let's just say that this place is not ready to be seen by members of the public, no matter how much I love them. But who wants to think about things they have to do? Not me!

Currently (finally) watching "Nosferatu" and it's freaking me out big time. I think it would be even creepier if there weren't the random dialog screen shots (what are they called?) and they only had the explanatory/transitional ones. It's much scarier to have the dialouge implied so your mind can run wild, instead of getting caught up in the movie and then finding out that they're saying something like "Ellen! Ellen!" or something equally bland. Kinda ruins the tension. Not that it's really cutting down on my scared-factor right now. I'm pretty positive that I'll be having some nightmares tonight. OK, back to the movie and a blanket to cover my face when I start to get too scared, which should be in about 3 minutes. Yikes!

ed. to try and fix spelling, but i'm too distracted/beer-influence/sleepy right now to think correctly

Today I participated in leperbunny/Tamara's Sunday Readathon in the 75 Group and got some nice reading done! It ran from Noon to 9pm EST (11am to 8pm for me), and we updated on a group thread once an hour. I think there were only 4 or 5 of us reading, but we had a couple of cheerleaders and it was a really nice afternoon, I have to say. Unfortunately, I had to go to a funeral early in the afternoon, so I missed a couple of hours, but I did have an audiobook for the hour drive.

Book 92: Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte
I chose this one for my real-life classics book group, mostly because it was one of 3 books that I knew I owned and hadn't read yet (I had to pick a title on the spot, due to changes in the schedule) that would "qualify". This story, based on Anne's life to some extent, was unexpectedly easy to read. Yes, she does use broad, sweeping, stereotypical generalizations of the classes (rich = ignorant, cruel, gossipy, dumb; poor = kind, loving, forgiving, morally superior), and no, it's certainly not the most inventive of plots, but it's still an enjoyable read. We follow Anne on her first two (and only) governess jobs, both with children so terrible they were infuriating, and then she meets a nice man, suffers a family loss - oh how will the story end? It doesn't matter that things aren't clever and fast-paced - what's a pleasure here is just going along for a ride on Miss Grey's shoulders. 4 stars

Book 93: 1st to Die by James Patterson
Sigh. Up until this point, I was happy to say that I had never read one of Mr. Patterson's books. (Most of my Reader friends in real life work in bookstores and have a sort of disdain for him, of which I've adopted by association.) So when my Mom gave me the first two books in the Women's Murder Club series, I kind of rolled my eyes a little and sighed, but I vowed to give them a fair shot. After all, Mom really enjoys reading them, and they must be popular for a reason, right? Faced with only a couple of hours left of the readathon, I decided I'd just pick it up and read for an hour. If, after that time, I didn't like it I would put it down and pick something else up.

But a funny thing happened. I got caught up in the book, and before I knew it 88 pages had passed in less than an hour, and I wanted to know what happened next. (Now, in the interest of full disclosure, I haven't actually finished this book yet, but I know I will once I finish up this "review".) It looks like I'll probably read this whole series, which thankfully isn't too massive, and I'll enjoy them when I pick them up. It's a bit of brain candy (of which I seem to be reading a lot of lately. hm.), and there's nothing wrong with that. It's a decent and inventive plot so far, and I think I know whodunit, but I'm just going to take a little pleasure in wrapping this book up tonight and not feel guilty about it tomorrow morning. 4 stars so far!

That's about it for me for tonight, I think. A glass of wine and the rest of 1st to Die before an early bedtime sounds good to me.

#194: No copies of the Out of Africa CD in our library system--what a drag. :( They do have a CD with one song from the movie, but it's probably not worth it, since it looks like that item is Lost. Double :( :(

Bunnicula . . . I haven't re-read that one in ages. I always thought it was supposed to be super scary, but after re-reading it as an adult, I was kind of disappointed. However, it's one--if not the only--book I'm aware of that touches on animal vampires, something I would looove to see more of. Anywho, let us know what you think of little Bunnicula, when you get around to it.

(puts the 1st season of The Tudors on Hold) Oh, only 52 people ahead of me! Grand. I'll let you know what I think of it when I watch it next year. ;)

Oh, and, of course, CONGRATS on getting your computer back--and fixed (more importantly)! :)

#199: I'm kind of "meh" about H. P. Lovecraft, too. I know he's supposed to be legendary and all, but he just doesn't do it for me--and I usually like weird. So I'll pass on that one. Thanks for the heads-up! :)

#200: LOL @ "fondling my books". Never heard the term before, and I hope I never do again, because then I wonder who was fondling my books before I bought them (I usually buy second-hand). Ew.

I never understood the whole color sorting thing. I usually like my books clumped together by author/series/whatever, so it'll be a little easier for me to find them. And like you said, RidgewayGirl, covers and spines can be totally different colors, not mention some spines are multiple colors.

#204: But who wants to think about things they have to do? Not me!

Oui! I second that.

It's much scarier to have the dialouge implied so your mind can run wild, instead of getting caught up in the movie and then finding out that they're saying something like "Ellen! Ellen!" or something equally bland.

Ha ha! Too bad you can't just skip over those dialog screen shots (or whatever they're called). Hope it scares the bejesus out of you--in a good way, of course! ;)

#205: I've been wanting to try a readathon, but I don't think I have the flexible schedule or attention span for one.

Btw, I'm sorry to hear about the funeral. Those are never very enjoyable, to put it mildly. :|

That's too cool that 1st to Die was your first James Patterson book, though! :) It was mine, too, many, many years ago (2003). I first saw Kiss the Girls as a teen (loved it), but was never really interested in reading his books. When I got around to it (starting with the first 3 of his Women's Murder Club books), I was somehwat hooked. Like you said, his stuff is mostly "brain candy", but there's nothing wrong with that, imho. His Maximum Ride series is also pretty good if you want to try something science fiction-y. Hope 1st to Die doesn't disappoint ya! :)

@206

Bunicula was one of my favorite books when I was younger. I loved it, because I was into horror and ghost stories, but Bunicula was of the perfect balance for me at the time. It was a good combination of funny and adventure and scary for me.

But then I haven't read it since then, and I wonder what I would think of it now.

#208: I agree--Bunnicula's more of a fun mystery than horror. I guess when I think of horror, I instantly think of R. L. Stine and the like.

Hmm. Now all this Bunnicula talk is making me want to read the others . . . . Unfortunately, I only have Bunnicula Strikes Again (book #6) for now. :( I kind of wanted to read them in order. Half Price Books, here I come! :)

Hello Sara! Too funny that 1st to Die was your first Paterson too! And I literally just got a phone call from the library that Bunnicula is now available for me to pick up - so guess where I'm stopping on the way home from work today?!?

You can too do a readathon - you'd just do it in bits and pieces, which is really what most of us tend to do anyways. It's hard to always ignore the phone, or make something to eat, or go to the bathroom while constantly reading. I think I usually read about 45 minutes out of each hour. I'll do a mini-readathon with you if you want to try it out!

Hi Andrea! I know, now I really wish I had read these books when I was young so I had something to compare it to now. Maybe it will be better this way, but I suspect that I'm not really teh intended audience somehow - no matter, I'm sure I'll enjoy it anyways! I'll try and read it sooner than later and post a quick review.

And now I really should get going. The search for Job #3 for me was dormant for most of October (since both Jobs #1 and #2 were very busy), and now it looks like I have a lead for #3! I'm going to email the guy now, and we'll see how things go - I'm really nervous about it! Don't know if this is going to be something he's even interested in hiring me for (or truthfully, if I really want to do this job at all), so instead of luck, if you could just wish that I get the job if it's really right for me, I'd be very much in your debt. Thanks!

Bonus Book 21: Graphic Classics Vol 2, Arthur Conan Doyle

Enjoyed this entry in the series more than any of the others. Some very nice stories presented here (my favorite being "The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb"), and some nice artwork too. 4 stars

In the middle of a few books now, not much progress in any of them. I did receive my October ER book yesterday, and now I'm going to start that one as well - might as well throw another log on the fire!

And as for Job #3 ... looks like I'd be a part-time secretary, it's Not a Work From Home position as I was looking for, and while I'm happy to have some extra dough coming in, *sigh* ... I don't know what to do about this. Am I taking a step back from What I Really Want To Do (even if I'm not entirely sure what that is exactly), or should I just take it for what it is, a temporary job because I'm broke? Ugh. I think I'm meeting with the guy next week to see if it would be a fit or not, and honestly, either way is just fine with me. I hope I didn't sound like an over-eager idiot when I emailed him about my qualifications to work as a bookkeeper/accountant assistant, but I found out about this job through a client of mine who knows the owner very well and I based my babbling on what she told me. It could be much worse, but I feel like a dunce.

Perhaps I should just wait until next week to be super-anxious about it. (Yeah! That'll happen.) Oh well - back to lunch (at 3pm) and a Netflix. I love Pajama Days.

(plays the Twilight Zone tune) That is too weird! Let us know how Bunnicula and the rest of the James Patterson books pan out. :)

As for Job #3, I'm sure you did fine; and like you said, wait til next week to tweak out about it. I'll do the worrying for you in the meantime. Ha! Jobs, interviews--all that stuff--give me the spazzy butterflies just thinking about it, even if it's not for me.

Sheesh, I haven't been here in ages! Too busy reading and commenting on everyone else's threads and staring at walls, I guess. As for Job #3, we emailed back and forth a few times, and I haven't heard back from him in over a week. *shrugs* I should probably contact him, but I kind of don't want to, so I won't. THEN, last night I found out about a different part-time job that would fit into my schedule, but the application process (and I'm only halfway done) took me over 30 minutes so far and I just found out that all app's were due by 4:30pm yesterday - so there goes that one. I talked to my neighbor about doing yet a different part time job, but ... seems like a lot of work/energy spent and there's nothing to show for it. Oh well. I'll just keep looking and keep my crossable crossed that the right thing will come along at the right time.

In the mean time, I've been so busy reading books that don't "count" for this challenge and watching Netflix movies that I lost track of time. My new focus will be to 1) read and return as many library books as I can based on their due date and 2) to make a final list of books to read for this challenge and punch those out, leaving the rest of the year free for me to read whatever I'd like to! We'll see how that goes, I'm not holding my breath!

Bonus book #22: My Trip Down the Pink Carpet by Leslie Jordan

I picked this one up from the library at Richard's (richardderus) suggestion/urging, and I was not disappointed. For a much better review, please read his review on the book's home page - it far surpasses anything I could write. As a big fan of his character on Will & Grace, Beverly Leslie, I've been curious about his life for quite a few years. He certainly has been through the wringer, mostly at his own doing, and always seems to come out on top. A charming, smart, funny man, I think I have a little crush on Mr. Jordan. If you're in the mood for a little escapism and a few laughs, you could certainly do far worse than this smile-inducing book.

Bonus book #23: Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

This one came with glowingly high recommendations from Linda (Whisper1), and since I'm a fan of YA I decided to pick this one up. It's so wonderful and beautiful (both in the storytelling and the physical meanings), that I know I won't be able to do this any kind of justice. I only wish I had read this when I was a child so I could be even further transported by this gorgeous book. To sum up, Minli, a small girl, leaves her poor family on a quest to find the Old Man of the Moon to try and change their fortune. Along the way she meets new friends, has miraculous experiences, and learns a lot about herself, the world, and the power of belief. Seamlessly woven into Minli's journey are several Chinese myths/fables that (I think) are partially based on real myths. Five stars for this gem of a book, unending gratitude to Linda for the recommendation, and this one goes on my wishlist for sure. I need to own a copy!

Like I usually do when life gets to weird/crazy/overwhelming, I'm in the middle of at least 5 books, with the desire to start another one or two. Must resist!

Becuase of Stasia (alcottacre) and her reading The Rest is Noise and talking about all kinds of 20th Century music, I'm in the middle of a love affair with classical music. Currently listening and singing along with Gabriel Faure's "Requiem", with some Bach next on the rotation. (There was a large discussion of Bach and his music on either Stasia or Darryl's/kidzdoc's thread, where I said that I didn't like playing him and lots of people piped up talking about how fantastic of a composer he is. To try and educate myself a little more about his repertoire, I'm going through some albums and trying to listen like I did when I was playing in an orchestra.) Now I'm off to do some work for Job #2 and some laundry!

Whom do you like listening to? Any favorite composers or pieces I shouldn't miss? Please let me know!

#213: Sheesh, I haven't been here in ages! -- Tardy, tardy, Ms Brook! ;) But I know how that goes. I haven't read/listened to/watched anything new lately, so I've been getting caught up with other people's threads, too.

Bummer about the job-front. :( I haven't found a second (*ahem* legal) job that can fit around my schedule either; and subbing is so iffy (sometimes there're tons of hours to fill at different branches; other times, nada).

hee hee-ing @ I've been so busy reading books that don't "count" for this challenge and watching Netflix movies that I lost track of time. -- Sounds like me, I'm afraid. I have way too many movies/books checked out from work, I doubt I'll ever get to them. I even have a couple Golden Girls DVDs . . . unwatched. :/ Sheesh. And I think about 5 of my movies are already a couple weeks late (I'm so glad we don't pay late fees, or I'd have to just return my paycheck). And speaking of reading books that don't count, I checked out Bad Baby Names: The Worst True Names Parents Saddled Their Kids With--and You Can Too! by Michael Sherrod & Matthew Rayback. Funny as heck, but what was I thinking? Doesn't fit my challenges at all.

I've definitely seen My Trip Down the Pink Carpet at work (didn't know he was on Will & Grace, though--I love that show--but then I haven't kept up with TV programs). And I feel bad admitting this, but I've never heard of Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (and it's a Newbery book).

Like I usually do when life gets to weird/crazy/overwhelming, I'm in the middle of at least 5 books, with the desire to start another one or two. Must resist! -- It would be so easy for me to say, "Resist the urge, Laura!", but I'm the same way. I keep oggling some of my other books nearby, even while I'm reading one! (sigh) I'm such a book slut. No monogamy whatsoever. :D

I did catch a few of Stasia's posts on classical music and thought it was a great conversation-starter! However, I'm such an ignoramus when it comes to classical music, I probably won't mention my favorite tunes come from Bugs Bunny and Friends. (zips lips--but sings "Kill the Wabbit, Kill the Wabbit" in her head)

Now I'm off to do some work for Job #2 and some laundry! -- LOL! Read that way too fast--yet again--and won't gross you out with what I really thought you wrote (hint: scratch out "work for Job"). XP I spend way too much time cleaning litter boxes!

Hola Sara! Yeah, the job situation stinks, but I'm just gonna keep on keepin' on.

What is it about books that don't "count" and why are we so drawn to them? Yesterday I started making a list of potential categories for the 1111 challenge, and I got so overwhelmed. I think I'm going to do massively "easy" categories, like Library books and Authors A-G, so I can feel like I'm reading more spontaneously while still getting some of my own books read and allowing for some discoveries along the way. Do you think I'd be "cheating" if I did that?

Bad Baby Names sounds just like the kind of book that would tempt me too! Good for a laugh and mindless entertainment, the perfect distraction. Hmmm, maybe I'll pick it up the next time I'm at the library. Leslie Jordan played Beverly Leslie (he and Karen would constantly insult each other - I think my favorite is when she called him a "teacup poodle"), every episode I'd hope that he would show up. And I'd never heard of Where the Mountain Meets the Moon either, but then again I'm not a librarian so that's probably why I don't have any guilt about not knowing it! By no means have I read all of the Newbery winners, but the ones I have read I have loved - hmmm, perhaps a Newbery category next year?

I grew up around classical music and then started playing an instrument, so I couldn't have escaped it if I wanted to. I recognized a lot of music from Looney Tunes when my parents would crank up a record, so you're certainly not alone there! And that "Kill the Wabbit" episode is my favorite by far! Maybe I'll try and youtube it later on.

But for now I really do have to get rolling for the day. Need to run some errands, pick up this house for Girls Night tonight, and keep on working on Job #2! Later!

What is it about books that don't "count" and why are we so drawn to them? -- I don't know about you, but I think I secretly love sabotaging myself. I'm already brainstorming categories for next year, too--and I'm not even done with this year's. And, no, making categories like Library books and Authors A-G isn't cheating; it just makes the challenges more fun. Like one of my mini-goals is to read 11 YA books (ages 12-18), which should be a piece of cake, since I own a ton of kids books. And I'll probably do an A-Z challenge somewhere in there, too, to kind of catch the extras. I was thinking of doing a Newbery challenge, but I soon realized most of my kids books are more fluff than award winners. So good luck there! :)

Yep, you pretty much summed up Bad Baby Names--pretty mindless. Sweet Pitts, Warren Peace, Title Page . . . what were those parents thinking?? And that reminds me: I think we have Will & Grace at work now, so I should just put them all on hold. Problem solved. :) And yay for cartoons! Not to worry about looking for that Kill the Wabbit episode. I think we have that one at work, too. What would I do if I didn't work at a library?? :o

Anywho, good luck with cleaning up. I'm reluctantly doing dishes and laundry here (wanna do them for me? lol), but I really need to finish up a couple books I've misplaced (like my Startled By His Furry Shorts book).

I must secretly love sabotaging myself too. Take today for example. I need to get back to one of the continuing ed students with a list of the classes she has taken with us. (She lost the certificates we give at the end of every class.) In the last almost 4 years that I've been doing the CE job (#2) I have never done a student transcript. They've always been there, to get done sooner than later, but I've never had a deadline to work against, so it just never got done. Well, now that she needs to know to renew her license that means that I need to wade through the last 5 years of ce classes that we've offered, look for her name, fill out the form and re-file.

Not too bad, right? Oh, but you see I tend to pile the class files (rather than putting them into the actual file drawers) and they get mixed in with my own paperwork (primarily book lists - what, like you're surprised?!?) which has been moved from room to floor to tabletop to room to room over the years, so now I don't know where some of them are. I mean, I know they're in the guest bedroom, in a tote bag, but I must have at least 7 of them loaded with paperwork. Looks like I need to get back in there and go through each bag one-by-one until I find all of the files.

Oh, and of course, she's taken most of her classes from the files I can't find. I have a stack of classes currently on my dining room table, and I'm only missing 3 total - they're the ones I need. *big sigh* I know it's my own fault, but lordy I can't wait until that is all done with. This means that I'll be working during Girls Night - here's hoping I don't spill some beer on the paperwork!

Anyway, rant over. I'm off to forage for files, vacuum, and scribble away. If I don't check in again tonight, you might want to call the local authorities and make sure I'm not rocking myself in a corner, babbling about filing...

Yikes! :o I had to laugh at how you pile your file folders, though, instead of actually putting them in their drawers. I do the same thing. :D

And never fear--TA DA!--I've got the men in white coats on speed dial, and they have a padded room awaiting you, if necessary. ;) Good luck finding those papers!

Thanks Sara - I did end up finding the files, and I think I have a complete list for the girl. Now all I have to do is finish the job that I started, doing and completing student transcripts for the last 5 years. I'm probably halfway through with the whole thing, so it's not too bad. I've gone through almost a hundred transcript forms so far, and I ran off another 150 this afternoon. Sadly, I think that most of the new copies will be used in the next few days.

Now I'm off to try and read a little today - I haven't read anything at all yet! Well, I did finish an audio book, but my brain isn't really working right now, so no review. (Actually I'm not sure sleeping will help me write this review, it's probably going to be lame.) Tired eyes + 2 beers = bedtime. Don't know how much my brain will process, but it's early days in Still Life so I don't think I'll miss too much critical information.

Good night everyone, and see you tomorrow!

ETA - Sara, I just realized that you and I both file like that chick in "Tommy Boy". She didn't like to use file drawers either! I love that movie.

Wonderful! :) I'm glad you got what you needed to do done. Sounded exhausting. So forget about the review. We'll forgive you if you don't review everything you listen to or read. ;)

I'm drawing a blank on the chick from Tommy Boy, though. I love the movie, but all I remember were David Spade and Chris Farley goofing around for 2 hours. I'll have to check it out later. It's been forever since I've seen it.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Happy Thanksgiving to you, too, Laura! :) Hope it's warmer there than here.

Yeah, it's 24 degrees here, so I hope you're warmer than me! Time to throw another log on the fire, methinks. Hope you're having a cozy Thanksgiving night, full of furkids and books!

And would you look at that, the wine is almost gone - guess I'd better finish the bottle!

Happy Thanksgiving Laura. .... and I completely agree.... if the wine is almost gone, you have to finish the bottle. That is a given!

Don't know how cold it is outside here, and don't want to know. :D I'm warm; my furkids are warm; that's about all I could do. (Believe me, if I had the room, I'd house the entire wildlife in my neighborhood.) When's this global warming gonna kick in, huh?

Happy belated to you, too. I avoided the computer yesterday. I slept late, cooked, read a little, provided a lap for my two cats, and watched "Murder She Wrote" on DVD.

Right now I'm at work with my netbook, still an hour away from work beginning, but it's Black Friday and I work at a bookstore in a mall. Parking was hellish. Walking all the way to my car tonight ain't gonna be a barrel of fun, either.

Most days of the week I work back in receiving where I can hide away from the customers. On Fridays I take care of the newsstand. No hiding on Black Friday.

Wish me luck. And survival. And all that.

Renee, who can't wait for the weekend.

224: Sage advice, Lori. The last of the bottle was very good, and it was a nice accompaniment to the pumpkin pie I had at 9:30. Mmmm mmm!

225: Sara, I often want to invite the squirrels inside, but i'm pretty sure the cats would have entirely too much fun/be afraid. Plus, my Mom used to have a pet squirrel, and they can be fairly destructive - her scratch marks are all over the basement door and a few baseboards in the house here. My house has enough problems without neighborhood critters getting too comfortable! But they always look so cold. Poor things.

226: Renee my dear, I am so so sorry to hear that you're at work today. And Fridays are always a bear for you, let alone today. But at least you didn't have to deal with the shenanigans early this morning! Good luck. Sounds like you at least had a relaxing Thanksgiving to gear up for the hell that is today. Should I drop by with an emergency flask of vodka later on?

#226: Good luck, Renee! I had to work today for a few hours, but at least we were closed to patrons (woo hoo!). I don't know how stores can handle Black Fridays. I don't mind shopping, but sheesh! The kind of bloodthirsty crowds it invites . . . I'd rather stay home, thanks. Hang in there! Only 9 more hours of Friday left, by my clock.

#227: Oh yeah, squirrels are definitely destructive. We had one make its nest in the roof of our garage--chewed a big hole through the wood, etc. And my mom's dog HATES squirrels; so end of story there. Unfortunately, we do have another kind of rodent living in our walls--rats. :| I'm not too thrilled they're chewing stuff up (we can hear them; just can't find them), but I hate that my mom's resorted to poison. Anything could get to that--even our pets.

Er, enough critter talk. :) Bores some people to tears, I know. On the bright side, it's raining, so it's officially back to slightly warmer fall weather. I'd throw a little patchy rain your way if I could (though I'm sure it'd just turn to ice ;).

In my long absence (well, 5 days, but still) I've finished a few books. Only 3 of them count, but there are quite a few so I'm doing quick reviews of all. Ready?

The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean
Did this one on audio, and I really should have read a physical copy instead. Very interesting tidbits about the formation of the periodic table, but I could have really used some visual aides. 4 stars

Masterpiece Theatre: A Celebration of 25 Years of Outstanding Television by Terrance O'Flaherty
A pretty retrospective of some of their major works divided by season, with master lists to refer to. Added a few to my Netflix because of it! 3 stars

Bunnicula by Deborah & James Howe
Cute, quick read. Enjoyable, but it would have been better if I'd read it back in elementary school. 3 stars

James Herriot's Yorkshire Revisited by James Herriot
Beautiful photos, beautiful prose. Would like to own this one day. 4.5 stars

Book Lust to Go by Nancy Pearl
An ER win, I loved this new entry into the Book Lust series. Highlighting travel lit at its finest, I meant to dip into and out of it and ended up reading it through. 5 stars

Twilight: The Movie Companion by Mark Cotta Vaz
Same info as the DVD and that's in the other Twilight companion books. Oversized with some nice photos, but ... eh. 2 stars

Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris
Funny, a touch bizarre, and just macabre enough for these "morality tales for adults" to be written by Sedaris. Cute, but don't want to own it. 3 stars

Jane Austen's The History of England by Jane Austen
A nice copy of Austen's original pages and transcribed text afterwards. Full of Austen and her trademark wit and Cassandra's charming artwork, this one is a keeper. 4 stars

The World of Jane Austen by Nigel Nicholson
A beautifully photographed book that I forgot I owned (oops!), chock full of Jane's life, the real parks and estates that influenced her work, family info - another keeper. 4.5 stars

Pride, Prejudice & Jasmin Field by Melissa Nathan
A cute addition to the Austen Tribute genre. In this book, Jasmin Field, a columnist for a slightly trashy British magazine, gets cast as Elizabeth Bennet in a celebrity performance of P&P for a charity bash. The gruff & handsome actor Harry Noble is directing the play, and slowly finds himself falling in love with Jazz. The book very closely follows the plot of P&P, and while you can see where most everything is going far in advance, it was a fun and entertaining book and I'm glad I read it. I wouldn't rush to pick it up, but if you do find it, there are worse ways to spend a few hours. 3.5 stars

Whew! I think that's it for now. Only 4 books left for this challenge, and then I can read freely for the rest of the year - woohoo! I have much more flexibility in my challenges next year than I gave myself this year. (And this years was more flexible than the 999!) Off to read some more of The Royals, it's good, gossipy fun!

#229: I read Bunnicula in elementary school, but I didn't remember my opinion of it, so I reread it a few years ago and thought, "This was scary??" I think I gave it a 4 or something, because **SPOILER**I seriously wanted Bunnicula to be a vampire, and he's not (sigh).**END O' SPOILER** But it had animals in it, so I enjoyed it. :) I should probably start on the other books in that series.

I love Nancy Pearl's Book Lust series, too! But since I rarely go out of the country, it kind of seemed pointless for me to read it. I thumbed through it at work, and that's been about it. My favorite would have to be the Book Crush: For Kids and Teens one, since I read so much childrens fiction.

I bought the Twilight: The Movie Companion awhile back, because I kept flipping through it at work. I haven't read through it, but there's plenty of eye candy in there!

I haven't read anything by David Sedaris yet, but I really want to. And I just love the cover to Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk. It's adorably silly.

Wow, you only have 4 books left?? I'm impressed! I've given up on my two other challenges (my 1010 and Paranormal ones), because there's no way I could cram that many books in before December 31 and still remain sane. Congrats (because I'm sure you'll make it by then)! :)

230: I had a sneaking suspicion about Bunnicula, and I'm sure I'll read the rest of the series at some point. They were cute, and I can see how you would have been scared when you were little. I would've been too! So much suspense! Oh no! Why are all of the veggies turning white? Ack!

The only Book Lust book I haven't read is Book Crush, but I suspect I'll really like it. Any chance any Katherine Applegate books are in there? :)

Eye candy abounds in the Twilight book, for sure, but I didn't hang on to it... I reorganized/cleaned out my bookcase in the dining room, and realized I didn't have enough room, so that one was easy to let go of. Maybe I'll try and post a picture of the bookcase? I've read instructions on how to post pictures about 15 times now, you'd think I'd have it memorized. Hmmm ... project for later this afternoon, I think.

Re: David Sedaris - my favorites are Me Talk Pretty One Day, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, and When You Are Engulfed in Flames. I think I've read everything else he's done, and they were all entertaining, but I've only kept these 3. Just an FYI.

Actually, I now only have 3 left, and I hope I can finish. I've only started on 2 (1 of which is over 500 pgs) and I have 9 more library books to finish in the next 2 weeks, some of which can't be renewed any longer. Ugh. I'd better buckle down.

Book 97: An Assembly Such as This by Pamela Aidan
I'm developing a habit of downloading and listening to audiobooks of books that I already own copies of. This is probably a Bad Thing, but it is helping me to thin my TBR shelves just a bit. This book is one of those cases.

A re-telling of Pride & Prejudice from Darcy's POV, Ms. Aidan does a fabulous job of writing a believable life of Fitzwilliam in Jane Austens style. The author also does a great job touching on historically accurate parts of everyday life for the time period - you can tell she did her research and enjoyed it. Taking us into the story only up to Jane and Charles' separation, there are 2 more books in the series, and I'll be sure to read them sooner than later. The narrator (George Holmes) took a little getting used to, but he does a very find job indeed. 4 stars. This book is one of the most enjoyable Austen-esque books I've read, I have to say.

Only 3 to go! I hope I can make it...

My favorite Sedaris tale is in Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, the one about Christmas traditions in Europe called, I think, 6 to 8 Black Men. I roar with laughter every time I read it.

That's probably my favorite one as well. One of my good friends is from France, and each time I ask him about it (which, sadly, used to be semi-frequently), he'd counter with something like "Oh yes, we have such a strange tradition - what is yours for Easter? Oh, that's right - a gigantic rabbit hops around leaving candy and you dye food before you eat it. Much more normal." (And BTW, he says all of this sarcastically and with a wink.) Hmmm, maybe I'm due for a re-read of that story. Now where is my copy.....

#231: Any chance any Katherine Applegate books are in there? -- I did a quick googling and did not find any of her books in Book Crush. :( I have seen her series noted in some other reference book, though; unfortunately, I don't remember the name of it. 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up maybe?

I'll keep those David Sedaris books in mind. I stumbled across Naked yesterday when I was out shopping, but I passed on it, because I couldn't remember if the reviews I had read about it were positive or negative. Oops. I'm sure I'll find other David Sedaris books around.

I have 9 more library books to finish in the next 2 weeks, some of which can't be renewed any longer. -- Uh oh. Don't know what to tell you there, except maybe you could get a staff member to check 'em in real quick so you could re-check them out? It's worth a shot! :) I do it all the time for patrons (unless there's a hold on it already, of course).

6 to 8 Black Men . . . uh, do I want to know? :D That'll be a title that's easy to remember, though I'll probably goof up and insert his other title--Naked--in there somewhere, and ask some bookstore clerk if they have 6 to 8 Naked Black Men there. D'oh!

Whuuuut? It's a somewhat normal thing to ask staff members to check books in and out real quick? Oh dear. I think I possibly shouldn't have learned that.

=D

#236: It probably depends on how strict your library is. One library system I worked for, we weren't allowed to do that; but where I work now, sure, all the time. You just have to ask. :)

Just goes to show it pays off to be on the good side of members of ANY profession. Loopholes ftw!

Definitely, Mr GingerbreadMan! (wonders if she knows anyone in the Lotto industry ;) Hmm...

Book 98: Kings & Queens of England & Scotland by Plantagenet Somerset Fry
Very nice visuals, this is a great small reference book for the Monarchy in England and Scotland. Small enough to be put in a medium-sized purse, it's easy to read an entry or two while waiting in line, or to try and keep yourself from rolling your eyes at some idiot blathering endlessly - maybe that's just me. With important world events bullet-pointed at the bottom of each monarchs' page, it helps to cement the larger picture.

While I have a few books on the same subject, if you're looking for a tome to quickly jog your memory, this one will do the job handily. 4 stars

2 more to go - I'm thinking of picking up a different book for one of them, for purely lazy reasons. (I'm near the beginning of The Royals, and while it's a fun read it's also over 500 pages. I'd like something smaller so I can get this baby over and done with and enjoy a couple of weeks of "free" reading time.) Please don't think any less of me when I decide on a short guy.

And now, after a 3-hours-too-long meeting at work tonight, I am off for a large glass of whatever wine I can scrounge up for myself, some mindless TV, and perhaps a little cry before bedtime. Blech.

On a fun note, here's the Nationality breakdown for my library:



Isn't this place just the best?!?

Laura - I see you have also found Tim's latest project! I just spent the past hour reading the discussion thread on this topic - Good Grief, where does the time go! ;-)

->241 LauraBrook:

Oh, I'd missed that! *heading over to find mine!!* :)

Me too!

When I saw it, I started going back and adding common knowledge to a lot of the authors so that more of them would show up in the breakdown. Of course, that just meant that it kept adding to the USA percentage for the most part.

Yeah, I updated a few too, but it was mostly US authors too. Oh well - it's still a fun thing to do! I'll have to check out each of your threads for a Nationality update!

That is cool! I need to go check that out. :D

I just tried it out on mine, but it's a wee flawed. For example Edwidge Danticat should be listed under both Haiti and USA, but she is listed only under USA, so it makes me wonder how many that's happening to. Hrmmm.

Eep! Haven't been here in far too long. Busy with work (before Christmas is always insanely busy), and as always, life. Only have 2 more books to be officially finished with this challenge. In theory I have plenty of time to read these two (especially since they're both started) but because I "have to" read them that means that I don't want to read them. *sigh*

On other fronts, I'm excited for 2011 to start. There are so many books I have mentally lined up to read, and I'm really looking forward to them all. I'm a little afraid of how many books will be added to my TBR list courtesy of you lovely folks, but that's part of why I love LT so much!

I had better get back to it then. I can't seem to find a book that I need to send out through PaperbackSwap, so that's got to be located, and I need to read at least 100 pages in a book that was due at the library today, and I should probably also get started on my Christmas cards too. Ugh.

Where's my glass of wine? Oh, there it is.....

#249: Y'know, I was going to post a really cute li'l man maid to help you get your To Do list completed, except I made the mistake of googling "hot man slave" and, well, let's just say I won't be posting any of those pics on your thread. Sorry! :) But I hope you get some of what you want done, done. And if not, there's always tomorrow. And the day after. And the day after that. ;) Take it easy!

250: Thanks for checking on "man slaves" for me - and thanks for not posting the pics! After all, this isn't Stephen's thread or anything! ;) I'm hoping to get some stuff done, but I'm still sitting here goofing around on LT - not helping - and making a mental list of things to do tomorrow. Hey, and thanks for the encouragement to take it easy - hopefully once Wednesday gets here I'll be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel!

Merry Christmas Everyone! I hope you have a wonderful holiday weekend and that Santa brings you all of the books you asked for!

Merry Christmas to you too!! "Santa" doesn't bring me books because "Santa" thinks that giving me books is useless since they'll only get lost in my bookshelves never to be seen again. I've threatened "Santa" that he might get replaced, but he's not looking too worried... :)

253: Ugh. Why is it that "Santa" always thinks he knows when you're bluffing?!? I hope you ended up with at least one book anyways. :)

Aaahhh, a house to myself, a glass of wine, The Golden Girls on TV, new books and LT. What could be better?

This year, my parents (AKA Santa) got me:
The complete series of The Golden Girls
Fantasia & Fantasia 2000 on DVD
A Fatal Grace and The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson
and some gift cards - but not for anyplace that has books! :(

I opened up my book swap books (from Mark's giveaway in the 75ers) and when my parents walked in I was throwing away the wrapping paper. She said "Oh my God, who bought you books?!? Do they know that you have enough books to last you for a few years?" Then I had to tell them about the WWBF. Dad laughed and Mom just rolled her eyes and said "Heaven help your floor joists, otherwise this house won't stand a chance." :)

I wouldn't have it any other way.

254

You did very well!! No, I got gypped on the books, but I did get an adipose, a ginormous bunch of DVDs, and Godiva truffles. No need for anything else this holiday!! "Santa" can stick around for a while. :)

Adipose obviously refers to this little guy:


ETA: fixed spelling

NO WAY! You got an adipose?!? I love those guys, they're too cute! Plus, that's such a great episode of Doctor Who - I love when Donna and the Doctor finally see each other. :)

So, where is your cute lil adipose going to live?

You mean this bit, right?


Well, his name is now Addy Posey and he sat watching the Doctor Who Xmas special last night and he liked that so he'll probably live permanently in front of the telly. I'm a dork. No need to point that out. :)

YES! That's totally the part! Laughing so hard right now at Catherine Tate, she's hilarious. Haven't watched the Doctor's special yet, I'm saving it for after work tomorrow as a treat. I think Addy will enjoy watching the telly with you.

And hey, I was hoping to get a Tardis USB hub for Christmas and was bummed I didn't get one, so I'm a dork too. Hiya!

Dorks rule! :) Oh, the Xmas special was GREAT with some hilarious writing (the psychic paper bit springs to mind!) - hope you enjoy it!!!!!!!!

And, Michael Gambon is, as usual, fantastic! Don't forget to have a box of Kleenex nearby!!

Oh, the Christmas special was wonderful. I've saved it to watch again. I adore Doctor Who. Plus, they've got a Doctor Who-athon today and all day tomorrow, so I'll be getting my fill of David Tennant & Matt Smith for sure! The adipose ep was on this afternoon, and I can't wait to watch Donna Noble do what she's doing up in message 257!

Book 100: Bones of Faerie by Janni Lee Simner
This wonderfully inventive YA book, 1st in a series, about life after the War between our world and the world of Faerie was really well done. Liza, on a mission to find her infant sister and her mother (who've gone into Faerie somewhere) must travel through a magical forest with the help of 2 friends and her cat and bring them both back to the world. The author does an outstanding job at building both worlds, and Liza is a great teen character for young girls to look up to. Some things seemed so real that I'd swear they really existed (and sometimes I wish they did). Despite some minor parts that lagged a little (can't figure out what was off about them), I was so thoroughly IN this book that I lost track of time.

My Mom LOVED this book, and I can say that I really liked it too. I look forward to the sequel, coming out in April, and I hope that you guys will pick this up! It's certainly a treat!

That completes my 1010 Challenge, and brings my total books read this year to 136! I'm off to have dinner with my parents and some friends, and then I'll be back here to usher in 2011!

Happy New Year!!!

Bones of Fairy sounds great. I'll have to put that on my list.

Oh, awesome! I'm glad you finished your 1010 Challenge. :) I'll have to look for Bones of Faerie sometime. I haven't read any fairy books ever, I think, aside from the fairy tales I read as a kid. Thanks for the rec! :) And Happy New Year (7 hours counting here--and ::sigh:: I'm still at work)!

@261

Congrats at finishing!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah, we've been watching the marathon on and off while cooking and getting ready for guests. Happy New Year!!!!!

And, yes, the special was great, wasn't it! I love when he shorts out the psychic paper, "Finally, a lie too big." :)

Congratulations!

Congratulations!