challenge update

The fact that we're now a quarter of the way through 2009 is mind-boggling. Truly. Anyway, it seemed like a good time to check out my challenge progress. While some of the ridiculously high number of reading challenges I so enthusiastically joined don't actually last the whole year, a good many of them do. And yes, I do already know that this is going to leave me depressed. (But it's a really good diversion from algebra, MLA, and DNA replication plans...I am getting far too adept at creating diversions.)

Ending April 30th:
Latin American Reading Challenge 0/4

Ending June 1st:
Book Awards II 4/10

Ending June 20th:
Once Upon a Time III 1/4
Spring Reading Thing 2009 1/11

Ending June 30th:
What an Animal 3/6

Ending September 9th:
999 Challenge 10/81
Countdown Challenge 21/45

Ending September 30th (and it actually doesn't start until May 1st):
Non-Fiction Five 0/5

Ending October 9th:
End of the World 0/4

Ending October 31st:
Classics '09 0/5

Ending December 3rd:
42 Challenge 16/42

Ending December 31st:
9 for '09 Challenge 0/9
Suspense and Thriller Challenge 2/12
Dewey's Books 3/5
Manga Challenge 2/6
Graphic Novels Challenge 7/12
Herding Cats II 0/5
Read Your Own Books Challenge 3/29
Elizabeth Scott Mini-Challenge 0/2
What's in a Name 2 2/6
Support Your Local Library 4/12
Science Challenge 0/3
Essay Challenge 3/30 or 30/30 (depending on how I list them)
World Citizen Challenge 2/7
World War II Challenge 0/5
Dewey Decimal Challenge 4/10
Dream King Challenge 1/7
Young Readers Challenge 8/12
21 Cultures Challenge 4/21
Young Adult Challenge 3/12
Colorful Reading Challenge 0/9

Ending March 31st (2010):
(Another) 1% Well-Read 0/13
Arthurian Challenge 0/2

No deadline:
100 Shots of Shorts 30/100
Lambda Reading Challenge 0/5

----No, it does not escape my notice that I probably could have finished off a whole challenge in the time it took me to make this post. ;)

March Wrap-Up

Read:

Non-fiction:
*House of Stone: The True Story of a Family Divided in War-Torn Zimbabwe by Christina Lamb (World Citizens Challenge, 21 Cultures Challenge, Countdown Challenge, 999 Challenge, Support Your Local Library Challenge, Dewey Decimal Challenge, What's in a Name 2 bonus)

Middle Grade Non-fiction:
*Lives of the Artists: Masterpieces, Messes (and What the Neighbors Thought) by Kathleen Krull (for homeschool)
*Poverty: What If We Do Nothing? by Cath Senker (for homeschool)

Fiction:
*The Stainless Steel Rat's Revenge by Harry Harrison (a late finish for the Sci-Fi Experience, 42 Challenge, What an Animal Challenge)

YA Fiction:
*The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett (Once Upon a Time III, What an Animal, 999 Challenge, Countdown Challenge, RYOB '09, Book Awards II, YA Challenge)

Middle Grade Fiction:
*Looking for Bobowicz by Daniel Pinkwater (read-aloud with boys, Spring Reading Thing 2009)

Graphic Novels (fiction):
*The Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg (Graphic Novels '09)
*American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang (Graphic Novels '09, YA Challenge '09, Countdown Challenge, Dewey's Books Challenge, Book Awards II)
*The Sandman: Dream Country by Neil Gaiman (Support Your Local Library Challenge, bonus for Dream King Challenge, bonus for Graphic Novels '09)

Plays:
*The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare (for homeschool)

Picture Books:
*Cat, What Is That? by Tony Johnston

Short Stories:
*"Young Man" by Mathias B. Freese (100 Shots of Shorts)
*"Nicholas" by Mathias B. Freese (100 Shots of Shorts)
*"Billy's Mirrored Wall" by Mathias B. Freese (100 Shots of Shorts)
*"The Babysitter's Code" by Laura Lippman (100 Shots of Shorts)
*"Unanswerable" by Mathias B. Freese (100 Shots of Shorts)
*"For a While, Here, In this Moment" by Mathias B. Freese (100 Shots of Shorts)
*"A Good Man is Hard to Find" by Flannery O’Connor (100 Shots of Shorts)
*"Mortise and Tenon" by Mathias B. Freese (100 Shots of Shorts)
*"The April Witch" by Ray Bradbury (100 Shots of Shorts, Once Upon a Time III)
*"Uncle Dobbin's Parrot Fair" by Charles de Lint (100 Shots of Shorts, Once Upon a Time III)
*“No One’s a Mystery” by Elizabeth Tallent (100 Shots of Shorts)
*"Alpha Alpha Gamma" by Nancy Springer (100 Shots of Shorts)

Essays/Articles:
*"Between a Rock and a Hyrax" by Ronald E. Barry, Natural History: March 2009 (for homeschool)
*"Forensic Evidence Goes on Trial" by Linda Geddes, NewScientist: Feb. 28 - March 6, 2009 (for fun)
*"Earth's Plan B" by Catherine Brahic, NewScientist: Feb 28 - March 6, 2009 (for fun)
*"The Environment and Globalization" by Jerry Mander, IFG Bulletin: Summer 2002, reprinted in Globalization: Opposing Viewpoints edited by Louise I. Gerdes (for homeschool)
*"Surviving in a Warmer World" by Gaia Vince, NewScientist: Feb. 28 - March 6, 2009 (for fun)
*"Why Do People Die That Way?" by Robert Pool, NewScientist: Feb. 28 - March 6, 2009 (for fun)

Watched:

On TV:
*A Sound of Thunder directed by Peter Hyams (42 Challenge)
*70s Fever, the History Channel (for fun)
*House (for fun)
--"The Social Contract"
--"Here Kitty"
--"Locked In"
*Criminal Minds (for fun)
--"Demonology"
--"Omnivore"
--"House on Fire"
*American Experience (for fun)
--"Sister Aimee"
--"Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple"

On DVD/Video:
*The Wire (for fun)
--"The Target"
--"The Detail"
--"The Buys"
*10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America by The History Channel (for homeschool)
--"Murder at the Fair: The Assassination of President McKinley"
--"Scopes: The Battle Over America's Soul"
*The Presidents by The History Channel (for homeschool)
--"Washington to Monroe: 1789-1825"
--"John Q. Adams to Polk: 1825-1849"
*MegaScience by The Science Channel (for homeschool)
--"The Return of the Plagues"
*Albert Schweitzer: Reverence for Life (for homeschool)
*Gabon: The Last Eden by National Geographic (for homeschool)
*Jazz: Rhythms of Freedom (for homeschool)

Created:

Not a gosh-darn thing. :(

*****

I'd had high hopes for getting a lot read this month, but it just didn't happen. You know, life and all. Oh well. Definitely read some stuff I loved (Maurice, House of Stone, my first de Lint short story, etc.), and as DesLily said "...the 'numbers' don't mean that much to me anyway...just as long as I enjoy what I do read."

mishmash Monday...abbreviated version

Okay, short and sweet here. Am buried in lesson planning and am pathetically behind in my blog reading...plan to work on both of these today. So, real quickly:

*The incredibly sweet and oh-so-hilarious Megan was chosen by random.org to receive The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents.

*Just a wee bit of blame to dole out today. (My self-restraint is astounding, I tell you. Don't believe me? Go check out Chris's haul for the week! Sorry Chris, but I still can't quit laughing!)

Old Man's War by John Scalzi. Yep, we'll start by passing on a little blame to Chris himself for his review.











Black Rain by Masuji Ibuse. Okay, so truth be told, Nymeth easily could have been awarded a point for Old Man's War, too, as she firmly reinforced my initial reaction to Chris's review. But my dear sweet friend is already shouldering so much blame from so many of us out here, that I thought I'd let her off the hook and just award her one point this week. And that would be because of this review.


Father's Arcane Daughter by E.L. Konigsburg. And yes, of course I realize that's not a picture of the book's cover. But when I searched google images for a picture of the cover, this photo popped right up there on page one. And I recognized her immediately as Dewey's dear sweet Mimi. My eyes welled right up with tears. We'll just never stop missing her. But I love finding pieces of her in unexpected places. And so I just decided to use this picture. After all, Dewey is responsible for this acquisition.

good stuff...

*Being pleasantly surprised by a book. I was sort of dreading picking up Jane Eyre. But I chose it as Annie's first read for our new literature unit, so I had to dive in eventually. And yes, I admit that I've only so far read the first five pages...but I discovered that I actually enjoyed it! Here's to the next 400+ pages being equally enjoyable!

*Yesterday was a truly glorious spring day here! A high of 56 degrees and nothing but sunshine all day! Yes, it is supposed to snow tonight and tomorrow, but that's okay. Just makes days like yesterday all the celebrate-able, right?

*Chris's heartwarming post.

*Seeing four species of salamanders on our nighttime hike.

*Hearing the excitement in Mom's voice when she was telling me about their upcoming trip.

*Knowing I shall conquer the dirty clothes mountain today.

*The video that Renay has at her Herding Cats Challenge site. The boys have made me play it at least a dozen times, and we all still laugh every time.

Earth Hour

Just wanted to remind everyone to turn out their lights for Earth Hour! How will you be spending your hour? We're heading to the great outdoors in hopes of witnessing the yearly salamander mating migration. :)

The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents...random thoughts

The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett.

Let me say right off the top here that there is no way I will ever do this book justice. It is simply so utterly brilliant.

Okay, so I'd been on a streak of reading rather depressing things. Good stuff, but depressing stuff. I was craving something fun and light. For the last couple years, I'd been wanting to give Discworld a try, but balked because I just didn't know where to start. Nymeth kindly put up with all my questions about where to start and whatnot, and suggested that this book was the perfect choice, being a good stand-alone. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to finally put her advice to use. And did it meet my expectations? Well, yes and no. (In the sheer awesomeness category it surpassed them by like half a gazillion miles.) But as for fun and light... Well, fun gets a yes, yes, YES! Light, well, not so much. And by that, I don't for a single minute mean that it's heavy, tedious reading, or that it's obscure or pretentious...I just mean that it really has a lot to say. And in retrospect, I have to say I was an idiot for ever imagining that it would be a light, "fluffy" story...because Nymeth has the most remarkable gift for finding books that satisfy and delight and challenge on a number of levels. And that is exactly what this book does!

So what's it about? Well, let me quote from page 1, where that very question is addressed:

Rats!
They fought the dogs and killed the cats, and--

But there was more to it that that. As the Amazing Maurice said it was just a story about people and rats. And the difficult part of it was deciding who the people were, and who were the rats.

But Malicia Grim said it was a story about stories.

Doesn't seem to tell you much, does it? Of course, after you read it, you realize just how much it says. I'm sorry. I'm really not trying to be so obtuse here. I'm just having a hard time putting this all into words.

Okay. Let's try this again.

The Amazing Maurice is a cat. A talking cat, who is sort of the unofficial leader of an odd group of con artists. The rest of this band consists of a boy named Keith and a bunch of educated rodents. Only I'm not sure "educated" is precisely the correct word. Thinking rodents. And it's not that all cats and rodents can think and talk. No, this is not the norm. (How they came to be this way, I'll leave for you to discover when you read this book. Because you should read this book.) Anyway, this little group has perfected a scam. They head into an unsuspecting town. The rats wreak havoc. And do so in ways that no ordinary rats would even dream of doing. Seriously, how would you react if a rat went tap-dancing across your table before "widdling" in your cream? Okay, so not all the rats are fabulous dancers, but Sardines is quite proud of his talent. Anyway, so the rats put the town in an uproar, and in comes Keith, a piper, and offers to lead the rats away. For a price, of course.

Now this unlikely gang makes quite a fine living at this for a while. Until they come to the town of Bad Blintz. And it is here that the story really takes place. And this is where it turns dark. I don't want to give away any more of the actual story, but I've got all these really cool things floating around in my head that I really wish I could talk about. *sigh* So, I'll just add a couple of disconnected thoughts here, and then urge you once again to go read this yourself.

*I love the names of the rats, and the story of how they got their names. I won't tell you the story. Think you can guess if I tell you some of my favorite names? Hamnpork, Bestbefore, Nourishing, Additives, Inbrine. And my very favorite of all...Dangerous Beans (though I'm dying for someone to explain the "circumstances" of that one).

*This is the PERFECT book for Once Upon a Time. It fills nearly all the categories at once. :) Fantasy--check. Fairy tale--yep, definitely a cool retelling of the Pied Piper. Folklore--again yep, rat kings. *shudder* And you know, someone more learned on such matters might be able to find a way to stick this under myth, too.

*It's loaded with humor, sometimes subtle, always smart.

*And finally, let me leave you with this question:

What is it that defines "civilized"?

Oops, sorry, I'm not really going to leave it at that. But don't worry...I've got a good reason for continuing. See, I have a copy of this wonderful little treasure to give away. NO, not mine--this is a keeper! But a brand new copy, because I accidentally bought two. Want it? Just say so...and I'll do the random draw thingie sometime Monday.

*****

Other views:

Annie at Words by Annie
Jennifer at Jennifer's Book Blog
Lara at Lara's YA Reading Log
Nate at The Chronicles of Nate-ia
Rebecca at Just One More Page
Jenclair at A Garden Carried in the Pocket

Oh, and it won the Carnegie Award...so I'm guessing the judges loved it, too. :)

I'm sure there must be other reviews out there, so if you've got one, please feel free to leave a link in the comments, and I'll add it here. Thanks.

yet another hodgepodge

Help me. I'm drowning. In challenges. And I've no one to blame but myself. I fear there's just no hope for me. *sigh*

Okay, I knew all along that I would be joining the Non-Fiction Five again. There's a new hostess this year, our sweet friend Trish. The lovely Joy, founder of Non-Fiction Five and many other wonderful, popular challenges, stepped down as hostess to enjoy a much-deserved break. Anyway, I love, love, love this challenge! My biggest problem has been coming up with a list. I really wanted to weed it down to the required 5 books...but I'm just hopeless. I need options. I did eventually manage to weed it down so that I had just one book per category (though I suspect these labeling attempts are far from perfect).

My tentative list:
*Parasite Rex by Carl Zimmer (science)
*The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang (history)
*Fun Home by Alison Bechdel (graphic memoir)
*The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific by J. Maarte Troost (travel)
*Monkey Girl: Evolution, Education, Religion, and the Battle for America's Soul by Edward Humes (current events)
*Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank (diary)
*The Hot Zone by Richard Preston (medicine)
*Zodiac by Robert Graysmith (true crime)
*College-Prep Homeschooling: Your Complete Guide to Homeschooling through High School by David P. Byers, Ph.D. and Chandra Byers (how-to)
*Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner (economics/sociology)
*Walden by Henry David Thoreau (environmental essay)

*****


Herding Cats II. Now this challenge just sort of did a sneak attack. I didn't even have it on my radar. But yesterday when I saw that Renay was hosting this again, well, I knew I was a freakin' goner. Why? Well, for one thing Renay is so awesomely cool. (In fact, truth be told, she's so cool that she sort of scares me.) For another thing, I always regretted not joining last year...and if I didn't join this year, well, I'd likely regret that, too, wouldn't I?

This challenge is a bit unique...here's how Renay explained it:

Here are the rules Herding Cats II (April 1st, 2009 - December 31st, 2009):

1. Make a list of five books you love. Directions:

* Five. I'm as serious as a beached whale.
* All titles must be books you've read in 2007, 2008 or 2009.
* Please don't list a series; just the first book. If you really want to list a book in the middle of a series, you can, but it has to be that specific book.
* Feel free to share why you're putting the book on your list, because I am nosy.

2. Post your list:

* in your own journal, in the comments here, whatever is fine. Share the list here.
* Lists should be public (no locked entries, no logging in to view).

3. Browse the new book list. Stay a while. Read a few.

4. If you review your books, you can share the reviews. You know, if you want. No pressure. Definitely not.

So, five books I loved. Harder than I thought. Not that's it's hard to come up with five books I love, but well, I don't know...it was just hard. But here's what I came up with:

*The Stand by Stephen King (Though I've read it several times in the past, I did read it again last year, so I hope that counts. And yes, I do realize I'm not surprising anyone who knows me with this particular choice.)
*We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families: Stories from Rwanda by Philip Gourevitch
*And the Band Played On: People, Politics, and the AIDS Epidemic by Randy Shilts
*Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
*The Lorax by Dr. Seuss

Ha. And if I thought that was hard...well, how am I going to feel about choosing books to read from the list everyone puts together. Will probably lead to mental breakdown of the "But I want to read them all RIGHT NOW" sort.

*****

The Sisterhood Award. (Oh crap. I forgot to snag the button.) Anyway, two incredibly lovely ladies, Trish and Melody, passed along this award to me. And while I've adopted the policy of not passing along awards, I did want to say how much this means to me. I always wanted to have a real sister, in fact, I used to daydream about it from time to time. And when I did, my "sister" had all those wonderful traits that these two special ladies share...warmth, generosity of spirit, supportiveness, a truly kind heart. Thank you! I love you both!

*****

And finally a wee bit of babble. Max and I read another book for dear Becky's Young Readers Challenge.

Cat, What Is That? by Tony Johnston, with paintings by Wendell Minor.

Me: So, what did you think of this one, Maxidoodle?

Max: *gives two thumbs up sign*

Me: Two thumbs up, huh?

Max: Nope. Ten thumbs up. Except some of them aren't thumbs. And ten toes up. And belly button up, too.

Me: Okay, so we've determined that this book is a winner, huh? What did you like about it?

Max: All the cats. (Said with that "Duh, Mom" exasperation that I've grown so accustomed to.)

Me: You mean all the pictures?

Max: Yep.


(Beautiful examples of what he's talking about.)


Me: And what about the words?

Max: They rhymed.

Me: They sure did. Did you like them?

Max: Well, I didn't really understand them, but I liked them anyway.

And there you have it...one 6-year-old's opinion.

good stuff...

The blogger who receives this award believes in the Tao of the zombie chicken - excellence, grace and persistence is all situations, even in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. These amazing bloggers regularly produce content so remarkable that their readers would brave a raving pack of zombie chickens just to be able to read their words. As a recipient of this world-renowned award, you now have the task of passing it on to at least 5 other worthy bloggers. Do not risk the wrath of the zombie chickens by choosing unwisely or not choosing at all ...

The Zombie Chicken Award! I mean, come on, is this not the coolest little award ever?!! But you know what really broadens that smile on my face and in my heart? The incredibly kind words from Becky. It's not just that I admire Becky...and admire her I do. I mean, seriously. She gets more than ten times the amount read that I do. No exaggeration there. And she reviews it all! I love the amazing variety she reads...everything from picture books to classics to young adult to non-fiction. I may not be interested in reading every book she reads, but I sure as heck am interested in what she has to say about each one anyway. Yeah, she's somewhat of an addiction. :) She maintains numerous blogs, each one a wonderful place to visit. She hosts numerous challenges...and with such a wide variety, she's always got one going to match anyone's interests. (Or in the case of some us, several.) But even beyond Becky's awesome energy and sheer dynamo-ness, there's Becky's heart of gold! Yeah, I would admire all she does no matter what. But I wouldn't love her the way I do if she wasn't such a welcoming, kind, authentic sweetheart of a person! Bottom line...thanks Becky...it means the world to me that I get to call you friend.

And I must admit that I'm now going to brave facing the zombie chicken wrath. Scary, isn't it? I'm hoping the cats will help protect me, if it comes to that. Okay, but seriously, it's not that I wouldn't love to pass it on...because I can think of so many people who deserve it. Hence the problem, so many people. And I've kind of adopted the policy that I know some others have, of not passing these award along.

Okay, I realize that it's a bit hard to top the Chicken Zombie Award, but I've got a bunch more good stuff that put a smile on my face, too:

*We survived the Science Fair last night. The boys worked together on a project testing who had the cleaner mouths--them or their pets. It was the first year the school put on a science fair, and there were no judges or anything like that. It was just great fun, with lots of interesting exhibits. Some of the kids had very, very polished posters. Very few kids actually reported any sort of experiment, however, and instead made a poster presentation describing something "science-y." Everything from how the eye works to a comparison/contrasting of Jupiter and Earth to how waves are created in the oceans. Unfortunately, I'd failed to check the camera before we went and found that the battery was dead when we arrived. :(

The boys' poster was far from the most "professional" looking, as they did the writing, cutting, etc. by themselves. But everyone seemed to agree that their experiment was pretty darn cool. And Gray's hypothesis probably got more laughs than anything else there (yeah, so not the goal of a science fair project, but he kept it real anyway).

His hypothesis: We think Baker will have the most germs because he licks the floor, eats his poop, and doesn't brush his teeth.

Their experiment proved their hypothesis wrong though. Max had the most germ-y mouth, with 172 germ colonies grown from his swab; Gray followed with 163 colonies. Their pets, on the other hand, had far fewer...Baker 8 and Lucky 2. Hmmmm.

*I finished the taxes! Both state and federal. Such a relief to have that done.

*Annie's most recent poems, especially "Starwalkers"...I love that one.

*My dear friend Kara's little guy turns one-year-old today!!! (Though I'm at a complete loss to explain just how one whole year has gone by already.)

*Jean's incredible travelogue! My cousin-in-law/friend is currently in Vietnam. Her husband is teaching there for a month, and the whole family was lucky enough to get to tag along. They are seeing so many incredible sights, and she's sharing it through tons of wonderful photos and commentary.

*The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett. I'm almost done with this book :( ...but oh my gosh, I just can't tell you how much I've been loving it. As Chris was just saying yesterday, "Do you ever go into a book expecting to like it, not really knowing much of what it’s about and then you start reading it and find that you absolutely love it?" This is definitely one of those books for me!

---Tomorrow, I can hopefully add "I finished writing the 3rd Quarter Progress Report" to the list...but that means I'd better go get started on it.

why I love bloggers: reason 667

Because even when I write a post that apparently comes off sounding unintentionally melodramatic, they not only put up with me, but they are incredibly sweet and supportive and just plain wonderful to boot!

*****

Thank you all for the incredibly thoughtful comments on my last post. Seriously, as upset as I can allow myself to get over things I should patently ignore, nothing would ever really make me stop blogging. I love you all way too much for that!!!

And thank you all for forgiving me that unintended melodrama.

why I blog

I really needed a good night's sleep last night, after several nights in a row filled with sick little boys and little boy nightmares and obnoxious cats and.... Unfortunately, I was my own worst enemy last night, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep. All because I was debating with myself the idea of giving up blogging.

In reality, it was no contest. Giving up blogging would be downright painful.

People blog for all sorts of reasons. When I first started just over three years ago, it was really just a place to record stuff about my family and save those memories until I had a chance to get them scrapbooked. But then I started meeting wonderful people and making friends. Then I joined my first reading challenges and began meeting even more wonderful people. People who shared a passion for books. And oh my goodness, I simply couldn't have guessed how much I would come to love some of these new friends I was making.

So, now, while I still blog to save stories about my family, I think I'm even more motivated by the friendships I've made. For me, blogging has become about keeping in touch with friends, and making new friends. I don't really even consider my blog a "book blog," for while I do talk a great deal about books, I also throw in a lot of personal family stuff, too. And yet still, I have to admit that I felt attacked yesterday by some of the chatter going on in the book blogging world. And that's what led to my tossing and turning...and what led to this post.

It seems that there are some people who are of the opinion that there are but a few "top-tier" book blogs, and the impression given was that they felt everyone else should just get out of "book blogging" altogether. The word "parasite" was even used in reference to smaller book blogs. This attitude makes me both sad and angry, but mostly I just find it baffling.

For if not for us little pissant book-lovers out here, who would be reading their blogs?!! I'd be willing to bet that a lot of "top-tier" (not my word) blogs get most of their audience from small book bloggers. Why would they want to insult the audience they so very badly seem to want?

And the fact is that there are plenty of very popular book blogs out there who don't hold such elitist views...Nymeth, Becky, Eva. And I definitely don't mean to imply that that is an exhaustive list. Just three very popular blogs, run by three very gracious and welcoming ladies.

Like I said, baffling. If some people want to turn book blogging into some sort of competition, so be it, I suppose. But I genuinely hope that those people new to blogging don't become discouraged by that kind of talk. Because there really are a lot of friendly people out here who just love books, love to talk about books, and love the chance to meet other people who love books.

at this moment...

*dreading having to write quarterly report this week

*panicking because I have next to nothing ready for next quarter

*on the verge of tears because I just can't get caught up with google reader no matter how hard I try

*exhausted after yet another night of less than fours sleep

*sick of living in such a pig sty

*wishing the high was at least going to break the freezing mark today

*wondering why I'm being such a whiny little brat, when I know that I have such a good life

*knowing I just need to sit down and regroup

mishmash Monday 2

No Library Loot for me this week. As much as I love using the library, I am actually very happy with myself. Am seriously trying to cut back on the number of library books I bring home, for the simple reason that they are keeping me from working through my own TBR pile. And face it, whose TBR pile doesn't need some serious attention?!! (Yeah, and if you answered, "Mine's not that bad," just keep it to yourself, would you?)

*****

Of course, just because there's no Library Loot, that does not mean there is no blame to be placed. A few books did somehow manage to worm their way into our home. Not sure how that happened. Oh, okay, I visited a new bookstore...some bargain outlet place. AND it was Educator's Week at Borders. And frankly, considering all that, I'd say I did well to keep my purchases to three little books.

The Sisters Grimm: Tales from the Hood by Michael Buckley. Yeah, I know I haven't read Books 2-5 yet...but I will. I loved the first one so much.









The Twits by Roald Dahl. After writing about how much the boys and I love The Witches, Carl recommended this one. I just know we're going to love it! Point for Carl!









Farewell Summer by Ray Bradbury. Ummm, yeah, it's Ray Bradbury. 'Nuff said.











*****

Be sure to head over to J.Kaye's to join in the fun.

I actually didn't do too bad last week...managed to finish all the books I was "determined" to finish, plus one.

Read last week:

*House of Stone by Christina Lamb
*Down to a Sunless Sea by Mathias B. Freese
*The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare
*Poverty: What If We Do Nothing? by Cath Senker
*Lives of the Artists by Kathleen Krull

Books I'm currently reading and am determined to finish this week:
*Looking for Bobowicz by Daniel Pinkwater
*The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett
*Fax from Sarajevo by Joe Kubert

Books I'm currently reading but probably won't finish this week:
*Africa: A Biography of the Continent by John Reader
*The Scientists by John Gribbin
*The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer
*Summer of the Gods by Edward J. Larson

Books I hope to start this week:

*Cat, What Is That? by Tony Johnston
*The Hoboken Chicken Emergency by Daniel Pinkwater

*****

Challenges joined this week:

*Once Upon a Time III













*Spring Reading Thing 2009

Short Story Weekends...Once Upon a Time Style...Week 1

"The April Witch" by Ray Bradbury. (From The Golden Apples of the Sun.)

Talk about the perfect short story to start an enchanting journey into spring with. The story of a 17-year-old girl who wants nothing more than to be in love. But being in love brings the risk of losing her magical powers. So she comes up with a plan...

I won't share her plan with you, you'll want to discover that for yourself. But I will share the first paragraph...so you can delight in Bradbury's lyrical, mesmerizing words.

Into the air, over the valleys, under the stars, above a river, a pond, a road, flew Cecy. Invisible as new spring winds, fresh as the breath of clover rising from twilight fields, she flew. She soared in doves as soft as white ermine, stopped in trees and lived in blossoms, showering away in petals when the breeze blew. She perched in a lime-green frog, cool as mint by a shining pool. She trotted in a brambly dog and barked to hear echos from the sides of distant barns. She lived in new April grasses, in sweet clear liquids rising from the musky earth.

*****

"Uncle Dobbin's Parrot Fair" by Charles de Lint. (From Dreams Underfoot.)

Confession time. As much as everyone raves about Charles de Lint, I've been somewhat afraid of entering Newford. I can't quite explain why...sort of a fear that I wouldn't "get it" or something, and then I would feel so very left out. My brain can be very hard on me sometimes. Well, once again, I learned that I needn't have feared. Quite the contrary! All it took was one short story to make me fall madly in love.

This story takes place in LA, with Ellen Brady wistfully wishing to see again the Balloon Men of her younger years. Wishing to witness the magic. When she goes out in search of them, she instead finds a runaway teen. And through her blossoming friendship with him, they both find the magic alive within them.

Ellen owns a book, How to Make the Wind Blow, by Christy Riddell through which I get my first glimpses into Newford itself. Though that may sound sort of convoluted, it really isn't. It's simple and complicated and magical and authentic. And I can't tell you how very eager I am to visit again.

She would see them in the twilight when the wind was right, roly-poly shapes propelled by ocean breezes, turning end-over-end along the beach or down the alley behind her house like errant beach balls granted a moment's freedom. Sometimes they would get caught up against a building or stuck on a curb and then spindly little arms and legs would unfold from their fat bodies until they could push themselves free and go rolling with the wind again. Like flotsam in a river, like tumbleweeds, only brightly colored in primary reds and yellows and blues.

*****

Was actually hoping to read more than two short stories this weekend, but I'm finding it somewhat impossible not to pick up The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents during every possible reading moment.

spring things

You Are Chirping Birds

You are a very caring person. You especially feel for innocent beings, like animals and children. You are keyed in to the world and very peaceful. You believe that everyone is connected. You remain focused and in the moment. You are not easily distracted. You have a good memory, especially for things that you hear. You listen carefully.

What Part of Spring Are You?

I'd like to say this was me, but well, I'm afraid I'm pretty distract-able!

*****

Our first spring flowers! Hello pretty crocus. Just a few more weeks and we'll have daffodils, too. :)










*****

Spring Reading Thing! Yes, I know that last thing I need is another challenge. But Katrina always makes the happiest buttons! Besides, the Spring Reading Thing was the very first reading challenge I ever joined and thus holds a special place in my heart. :)

goodbye winter, hello Once Upon a Time

If I had to choose just one reading challenge a year (sheesh, I hope it never comes to that!), I would undoubtedly choose Carl's Once Upon a Time Challenge. This challenge holds a special place in my heart for so many reasons...

I'd never really even read fantasy before I ran across Carl's first Once Upon a Time Challenge. And I joined it as a way of sharing my daughter's love of fantasy. And yes, Annie joined, too, of course. Well, I fell in love. And it was really the beginning of my ever-expanding reading horizons. What a gift...to be given the keys to open whole new worlds.

But apart from the reading itself, Once Upon a Time is directly responsible for introducing me to some of the people I now cherish as some of my very best friends. Any idea how huge that is to someone who tends to be a bit of a recluse? Trust me, it's HUGE.

And Carl, well, I don't need to tell any of you who know him what an incredible guy he is. But aside from being a wonderful, wonderful friend and seriously one of the nicest people on the planet (no hyperbole there, I promise you), he is the King of Challenge Hosts! He builds a community of sharing and learning and just plain fun.

So, yes, after checking his blog multiple times a day for the past week, as I'm willing to bet many of us have been doing, this morning I was rewarded with the official announcement that will have me happy dancing through the weekend. I've decided to try Quest the Second this year. This will be my first try at this one, and frankly, I'm quite excited about it. My only concern is that I may screw up in putting books into the appropriate categories. But Carl will forgive me, I'm sure. And feel free to tell me if you think a book would better fit in somewhere else.

Okay, so here's a potential pool of each of the categories:

Myth:
*A Taste of Earth and Other Legends of Vietnam by Thich Nhat Hanh
*Native American Myths by Diana Ferguson
*Warriors Gods & Spirits from Central & South American Mythology by Douglas Gifford
*The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell
*The Shadow Thieves by Anne Ursa
*The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Folklore:
*The Book of Ballads by Charles Vess and others
*Outfoxing Fear: Folktales from Around the World edited by Kathleen Ragan
*Best-Loved Folktales of the World selected by Joanna Cole (though I won't read all of this during the challenge)
*Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman

Fairy Tale:
*The Illustrated Treasury of Fairy Tales designed by Rita Marshall
*Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales (though I won't read all of this during the challenge)
*The Complete Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales (though I won't read all of this during the challenge)
*The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett
*Pay the Piper: A Rock 'N' Roll Fairy Tale by Jane Yolen and Adam Stemple
*The Sisters Grimm: The Unusual Suspects by Michael Buckley
*Fables: Animal Farm by Bill Willingham
*Fables: Storybook Love by Bill Willingham
*Fables: March of the Wooden Soldiers by Bill Willingham
*Fables: The Mean Seasons by Bill Willingham

Fantasy:
*The Princess Bride by William Goldman
*The Good Fairies of New York by Martin Millar
*Green Angel by Alice Hoffman
*The Blue Girl by Charles de Lint
*Solstice Wood by Patricia A. McKillip
*What-the-Dickens: The Story of a Rogue Tooth Fairy by Gregory Maguire
*The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo
*The Book Without Words by Avi
*Strange Roads by Peter S. Beagle
*River Secrets by Shannon Hale
*Attica by Garry Kilworth
*Samuel Blink and the Forbidden Forest by Matt Haig

And possible books to mine stories for Short Story Weekends:
*The Golden Apples of the Sun by Ray Bradbury
*M Is for Magic by Neil Gaiman
*Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman
*Dreams Underfoot by Charles de Lint
*The Faery Reel: Tales from the Twilight Realm edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling
*Paper Cities: An Anthology of Urban Fantasy edited by Ekaterina Sedia

No, it does not escape my notice that these are ridiculously long lists. I've already weeded them down a great deal, but then I got stuck. Besides, a gal needs options.

Annie, of course, will be joining the fun again. Like I could stop her if I wanted to. :) And I'm really, really excited because I think I have Rich convinced to do The Journey again...and to read American Gods! This alone leaves me giddy to the core!

The only concern: the exponential growth of the old wish list!

(Title of post is a bit misleading, or maybe just wishful thinking...we woke up to more snow this morning. Once Upon a Time more than makes up for it though.)

Dewey's Read-a-Thon

You know, in a way, I don't want to write this post. Because the last thing I want to do is sound overly dramatic or anything. I first met Dewey when she was planning the very first read-a-thon. And I was immediately drawn to her. How could one not be, right? Over the next year plus, I came to know her as a very dear friend. And I participated in all three read-a-thons. Hell, I lived for Dewey's read-a-thons! Anyone who has read my blog for a while knows that...I don't think I ever did a very good job at hiding my over-the-top giddy joy when it came to the read-a-thons. ;)

I'm so grateful to Nymeth and Trish and WordLily for taking on the job of continuing what Dewey started, and which they were so kind to help Dewey with during the last one. I can only imagine how hard it must be for them. But I hope they know how much their work is appreciated.

Personally, I've gone back and forth and back and forth about whether I even wanted to read this time. On the one hand, I couldn't imagine doing it...and on the other, I couldn't imagine not doing it. Then yesterday, when Rich and Annie got home from school, I told them that the dates had been announced for the next read-a-thon. Annie's eyes immediately welled-up with tears and she said, "Oh but Mom, it just won't be the same." And at that moment, I sort of knew that we should do it. I told Annie that she was right, that it certainly wouldn't be the same. But that Dewey had worked so hard, so unselfishly to put these read-a-thons together to bring everyone else a day of fun, and that I knew in my heart, that she surely wouldn't want us to give up on that because we missed her.

And then Rich said, "So guys, where are we going to go this time?" And at that moment it slammed me upside the head that the gifts Dewey had given me were even more numerous than I'd realized. Without even counting the wonderful gift of her friendship, with the read-a-thon alone she'd bestowed upon me so much. Of course, there were the actual read-a-thon days filled with 24 glorious hours lost amid the pages. And Annie joined me for the last two read-a-thons, so there was that wonderful added bonus of mommy-daughter bonding in such a fun way. And it turns out it was a gift for my guys, too...who have turned the read-a-thon weekends into special daddy-sons events. And then throw in the incredible gift of friendships first made through the read-a-thon...for instance, that's were I first met (and marveled at!) the sweet Eva, whose friendship I absolutely cherish. So, while Annie was right about it not being the same, I've decided it would be wrong of me to throw Dewey's wonderful gifts away. So yes, I think we will be reading again.

Again, let me apologize if I'm being too personal here. But I know I'm not alone in still missing Dewey so much it physically hurts. And I'm just not going to pretend I don't.

So...who else is reading???

A blog has been set up for the appropriately named Dewey's Read-a-Thon. They've got tons of info available over there. But first thing everyone should do...clear your calendar for the weekend of April 18/19.

Down to a Sunless Sea...random thoughts

Down to a Sunless Sea by Mathias B. Freese.

Hmmmm. I really don't know where to begin with this one, as I just can't seem to get my thoughts into any sensible order here. If this collection of short stories could be said to have a theme, it would have to be individual pain and struggle. Each story introduces us into the mind of a troubled character, a person battling their own personal demons in one way or another. And yet though there is this sort of thread of commonality running through the stories, they really form quite an eclectic mix. I'm sure it can be said of nearly any short story collection, that some stories will speak more to an individual reader than others. But for me, that seemed exceedingly true of this collection.

A couple of stories, "Down to a Sunless Sea" and "For a While, Here, In this Moment," did very little for me. They almost made me wonder if I was simply missing something. And honestly, that may be the case. Or it may be that I'm simply the wrong reader for those particular stories.

But then there were stories that I loved. When I read "Alabaster," I was truly grateful that I didn't give up on this collection. A little boy finally talks to an old woman who often sits on a bench along the street where he plays. The tattooed number on her wrist tells the reader what the child in his innocence doesn't understand. I also enjoyed "Little Errands," which if you've ever seen OCD in action, you'll understand the veracity of this story. And another I particularly enjoyed was "Billy's Mirrored Walls," in which we again see a child's innocence played against an adult's pain, though not nearly as intensely as in "Alabaster."

The other story that made a real impression on me was "I'll Make It, I Think." As the story begins we meet a boy with CP, and one can't help but ache for him and the difficulties he must face just living his life. But I have to say that by the end of the story, I was left deeply unsettled...I couldn't help but feel I was witnessing the making of a rapist or a serial killer. Maybe that was the intent. Or maybe I've just watched too many true crime dramas. Oh, and the kid from "Mortise and Tenon"...yeah, I'm a little worried about his future as well.

Please don't ask me to sum up my feelings of this book overall, because honestly, I just can't quite get a handle on it. But if you haven't read it yourself, I've got two suggestions: a.) read some of the reviews below, and/or b.) leave me a comment saying you'd like to try the book yourself. (If more than one person would like it, I'll do the random.org thing later this week.)

*****

Other opinions:

Trish at Trish's Reading Nook
Bookfool at Bookfoolery and Babble
Bellezza at Dolce Bellezza
Melody at Melody's Reading Corner
Steve at J.Kaye's Book Blog

If you've reviewed this, please feel free to leave a link in the comments and I'll add it here. Thanks.

House of Stone...random thoughts

House of Stone: The True Story of a Family Divided in War-Torn Zimbabwe by Christina Lamb.

What a wonderful book. Not a happy book. Easy to read, because it was very well-written. Difficult to read, because it hurt. It hurt in the way that so much of human history and human politics hurts to read about. House of Stone was written by Christina Lamb, a journalist who spent many years reporting on Zimbabwe, a woman who risked her life on many occasions because British journalists were banned from even entering the country. While I believe she was quite objective in her telling of this story, I also believe that she loves the people of this country.

The book tells the story of this southern African nation in a unique way. In alternating chapters, we hear the story of two Zimbabwean's lives. Aqui, a Shona who was born and grew up in a mud hut. Nigel, a privileged white who attended private school and spent carefree summers playing in the beautiful African landscape. We hear their stories as they grow from childhood into adulthood. Their personal stories through the times of brutal civil war, through the change from a white supremacist government to black majority rule, through the descent into tyranny by Robert Mugabe. And we eventually see their lives intersect.

I recently read a book titled Dictatorships: Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe by James R. Arnold and Roberta Wiener, so I had a background in the history and politics of this nation. But you don't need any prior knowledge, as Lamb's book brought a real richness to that background. The personal stories of Aqui and Nigel are put in the setting of fuller history of the nation.

Truly, I loved this book, and I highly recommend it. But be forewarned...your heart will break as read about Robert Mugabe's destruction of this beautiful African country. Your heart will break for the people of this country.

*****

Other opinions:

Eva of A Striped Armchair

If you've reviewed this book, feel free to leave a link in the comments and I'll add it here. Thanks.

mishmash Monday

Hmmm...where to begin...

Many thanks to our lovely hostesses, Eva and Alessandra.










Quirkology: How We Discover the Big Truths in Small Things by Richard Wiseman.

I read about this one at the site where reviews for the Science Challenge are posted, but I can't really award a point, because I don't actually know who wrote it. Just sounds like a very fun read.





The Sandman: Season of Mists by Neil Gaiman.

Couldn't believe it was actually there. :)










...I never saw another butterfly...: Children's Drawings and Poems from Terezin Concentration Camp, 1942-1944 edited by Hana Volavkova.

I'm sure many tears will be shed reading this one.







Cat, What Is That? by Tony Johnston.

Bet you can guess why I picked this one up, huh? Yep, a read for Maxidoodle and me. Wish I could have found a bigger image of this one...the paintings are so beautiful!

I realize that's not a huge pile of library loot. Yet still I'm going to try to cut back for a while. I keep finding myself not able to read the books I'm eagerly wanting to read from my TBR shelves because I'm always feeling the pressure of "due dates" for all my library acquisitions. We'll see how it goes though...as we go to the library every week for school. And I'm not exactly known for my wealth of willpower.

*****

Okay, and what purchases entered my home in the previous week? The answer should have been "none" as I'd put myself on a book buying fast. But see, I also started a battle with the scale. And fighting both these battles at once was just too much for this weary old lady. So I bought a couple books...

Peeps by Scott Westerfeld.

I HATE this cover, but it was the only one they had. Anyway, after Nymeth's review, I knew it was only a matter of time. I was able to "rationalize" a bit though, saying I was sort of buying it for Rich. Sounds like one he's going to love...in fact, he started reading it last night. Point for Nymeth!




River Secrets by Shannon Hale.

Man, I really HATE this cover, too. But what are you gonna do, huh? Anyway, it seems like I waited forever for this to come out in paperback, and by the time it did, it had sort of fallen off my radar. But I saw it the other night, and I tried to resist...





*****

Okay, so what else is new? I already admitted that I joined Becky's It's the End of the World Challenge. Guess I should now 'fess up...I joined her Elizabeth Scott Challenge, too. Excuses: a. I have one of her books that I've really been wanting to read anyway, b. I can use these books for other challenges, and c. come on, it's Becky hosting!

*****

And finally, the sweet and lovely J.Kaye is now hosting It's Monday. What Are You Reading?.

Books I read last week:

*American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
*The Sandman: Dream Country by Neil Gaiman





Books I'm currently reading and am determined to finish this week:

*House of Stone by Christina Lamb
*Down to a Sunless Sea by Mathias B. Freese
*The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare
*What If We Do Nothing? Poverty by Cath Senker

Books I'm currently reading but won't finish this week:

*Africa: A Biography of the Continent by John Reader
*The Scientists by John Gribbin
*Looking for Bobowicz by Daniel Pinkwater

Books I hope to start this week:

*Cat, What Is That? by Tony Johnston
*Lives of the Artists by Kathleen Krull
*The Dead & The Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer
*Summer for the Gods by Edward J. Larson

The Sandman: Dream Country...random thoughts

The Sandman: Dream Country by Neil Gaiman.

While not my favorite of the Sandman volumes that I've read so far, I'd be lying if I said I didn't love it. As opposed to following a continuing storyline, Dream Country is more of a collection of short stories.

In the first, "Calliope," we watch Richard Madoc, a once successful novelist, buy his way back to success and fame through enslaving a muse. It's an ugly look at the lengths some will go to to get what they want. Of the four stories in this volume, I believe this one and the one following are probably my favorites. "A Dream of a Thousand Cats," is a clever imagining of the power of dreams of all living creatures. Maybe not a cat story to share with Max, while at the same time, I think even he, at age six, could appreciate the underlying "justice" in the idea of turning "power" on its head. The third story, "A Midsummer Night's Dream," lets us in on the secret reason behind Shakespeare's writing of his delightful masterpiece. We watch him traveling with a theatrical troupe, and witness their performance before a very "special" audience. I'm glad I finally got around to reading Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream last year, or this story would have been much harder to follow. The very best part of this tale for me was the very last line...still makes me smile when I think about it. And finally, in the last story, "Facade," we meet Urania Blackwell, an ex-CIA agent who had to leave "the Company" after she was given an unwanted gift by the sun god Ra. This gift has left her a prisoner in her own home, and she wants desperately to die. But this gift has left her physically incapable of suicide. For me, this story seemed to end too quickly, and thus was probably my least favorite of the bunch. It's one incredibly saving grace is that Death reappears.

Being thoroughly comic-illiterate, I've often wondered how all the people, author, artist, letterer, etc. work together to put out a finished book. In a wonderful addition to the end of this compilation, I had some of my questions answered. For included is a script of "Calliope." And while Neil Gaiman is quick to point out that no two authors may work in quite the same way, I still found this a fascinating glimpse into the making of a comic.

*****

Other thoughts:

*Nymeth at Things Mean A Lot ("A Midsummer Nights Dream" from Dream Country)
*Kim at Bold. Blue. Adventure. (The Absolute Sandman: Volume One)
*Rhinoa at Rhinoa's Ramblings (The Sandman: Dream Country)

I know there must be more reviews out there, so if you've got one to share please leave me a link in the comments and I'll add it here. Thanks.

*****

Been so dang busy the last few days that I've had to stay away from blog world. Am hoping to catch up a bit today...hope everyone's been having a wonderful weekend!

good stuff

*freshly fallen snow

*new blog posts from treasured friends who have been absent for a while

*Morning Edition's story on doodling...yay, turns out it's a good thing

*Morning Edition in general

*the smell of freshly brewed coffee

*starting a list of "possibles" for Once Upon a Time

*knowing the weekend is just around the corner

*fun coffee mugs, like the Flintstones one I'm currently drinking from

*little boy giggles...oh yes, they are every bit as sweet as little girl giggles

American Born Chinese...random thoughts

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang.

To be perfectly honest, this book is so incredible that I'm pretty much at a loss for words. I really don't know how to do this book justice...and I really wish I did, because if I could convince even one person who hasn't yet read this book to do so, it would make me very happy.

The book is three stories in one, told in alternating chapters. The first story is that of the Monkey King, a Chinese legend. The Monkey King of Flower-Fruit Mountain isn't happy being a monkey, and he works very hard trying to turn himself into a god, The Great Sage, Equal of Heaven. Second, there is the story of Jin Wang, who moves from his apartment near San Francisco's Chinatown and finds himself the only Chinese-American kid at Mayflower Elementary. It's not an easy place to find oneself. And finally, there is the story of Danny, an American teenager. Each year his Chinese cousin, Chin-Kee, comes to visit for a few weeks, and Danny finds his life so ruined that he transfers schools. Chin-Kee is the epitome of a negative Chinese stereotype. Eventually the three stories mesh into one. And maybe I'm just slow on the uptake, but the way this happened took me by surprise...it was simply brilliant.

In fact, the whole book was simply brilliant. Deceptively simple to read. For it is truly so sophisticated. It contains so much depth. To be perfectly honest, I suspect that if I read it again, I would discover things I'd missed. And if I read it again after that, I would find even more. The book addresses many themes: identity, racism, friendship, self-acceptance, and how these things play off of one another, how they affect one another. It was humorous, and it was painful. Bottom line, it was amazing.

*****

Want to read what others thought?

Dewey at The Hidden Side of a Leaf
Nymeth at Things Mean A Lot
Alison at So Many Books, So Little Time
Chris at Stuff As Dreams Are Made On
Ali at Worducopia
Kailana at The Written World
Joy at Thoughts of Joy

And if you've read and reviewed this book, please feel free to leave a link in the comments, and I'll add it here. Thanks.

oh my

I had a horrifying revelation inside my little brain this morning. I've signed up for something like 40,000 reading challenges for the year. (Okay, yeah, it's really more like 30 or something, but it feels like 40,000.) Anyway, the revelation hit when I read this. Yes, the lovely Becky announced this year's It's the End of the World (As We Know It) Reading Challenge. I love, love, love apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic novels, and there is simply no chance I won't be signing up for this challenge. None. This is one of my favorite challenges. Which got me thinking about some of my other favorite challenges. Which made me realize that those 40,000 (or 30-ish, if you want to get technical about it) challenges I've already signed up for don't even include four of my very favorite challenges of all! No, I still have The End of the World, Once Upon a Time, The Non-Fiction Five, and RIP to add to this year's challenge list.

When am I ever going to learn the art of self-restraint?

Sunday Salon...round 5 (a mini round)

Okay, most of you probably already know about this site (as I tend to live years behind everyone else), but just in case you don't, I thought I'd share. It's called Fifty-Two Stories. I'll bet you can guess what it's all about just from it's title, huh? Yep, each week they post another short story on-line for our reading pleasure. Pretty cool in my book.

just some odds 'n' ends

I didn't forget to draw a winner for 50 Reasons to Buy Fair Trade. Well, actually I did forget. But I'm not really that late, am I? Anyway, Chris, you're the lucky winner...and I shall get it out to you soon. Hope you enjoy it!

*****

If you happen to be doing Annie's challenge, you might want to pop over as she finally announced her first contest. (She was going to do it on the first month, but seems we're running behind on everything here, huh?)

*****

And now for this week's Library Loot. Many thanks to our lovely hostesses, Eva and Alessandra. Now as much as I love, love, love the library, I told myself that I was NOT going to get any books this week...because I really, really, really need to get some of the books off my own shelves! Well, this is what "NOT going to get any books this week" looks like:






















I am so damn pathetic. But, hey, it does mean I have points to award.

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. I've been tempted by this book for a long time, and yet reluctant. Mostly afraid that I'd have a hard time with the dialect. But Trish's and Eva's reviews pushed me over the edge. Point for each of them!

Bad Samaritans: The Myth of Free Trade and the Secret History of Capitalism by Ha-Joon Chang. I was delighted to read that Eva enjoyed this one, because I'd actually been looking for a good book on the subject. Another point for Eva!

City of Oranges: An Intimate History of Arabs and Jews in the Jaffa by Adam LeBor. Oh yes, you guessed it...Eva strikes again. I'd actually asked her for a recommendation on the subject earlier and she'd told me about this one. But her review is really wonderful, too, of course! Point number three for Eva!

The Dead & The Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer. Impulse grab. Loved Life as We Knew It so much that I knew I'd eventually get to this one.

Streets of Babel by Carol Blum-Ucci. Just looked so good, I couldn't bring myself to put it down once I'd picked it up.

The Mystery of Mary Rogers by Rick Geary. Yay...our library just bought this one! I've wanted to read more of this series ever since reading The Borden Tragedy. And Joy's review had my craving it even more. Point for Joy!

The Sandman: Dream Country by Neil Gaiman. Seriously, I really don't need to explain this one, do I? ;) I was sooooo excited to see it there though...it's been checked out for ages.

The Last Temptation by Neil Gaiman. Probably shouldn't admit this, but I'd never heard of this one before. But does one say "no" to a Neil Gaiman graphic novel when one sees it? I think not.

*****

The Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg.

Yes, and finally a mini dose of book babble. This book first entered my radar screen with Carl's and Dewey's reviews. Sounded like a book that both Annie and I would very much enjoy.

The book starts with Jane being hurt when a bomb explodes in a terrorist attack in the city where she and her parents live. Her parents react to their fear by moving the family to the suburbs. Not a choice Jane is happy about.

Prior to the attack, Jane had been a popular girl in her school in the city. But on her first day at her new school, Jane makes a conscious decision to avoid the "in" crowd, despite their overtures to her. The attack has Jane questioning a lot of things. Instead, Jane tries to befriend "the misfits" of the school. Each fills a stereotypical niche in your average high school. And I have to say it was here where I was at first feeling a bit let down with the book. But I'm glad I stuck with it, because the story and the characters really grew on me. I hate to tell too much more about the story, but I will say that it's got a lot more going on than a "new kid in school" story. It's about learning to deal with fear, about trying to figure out what really matters in life, about acceptance and stretching one wings.

One small complaint...to me, it seemed to end too abruptly. But really, all in all, I ended up enjoying the book a great deal. And I am definitely glad that I finally got around to reading it. And yes, I'm definitely hoping Annie will read it before we have to return it to the library.