More Mini-Challenges

I got a bit of a late start getting back to the 'thon because I insisted on starting the Potter Nightly Read with my son tonight. I read 20 minutes (about 10 pages) of the first book (Sorcerer's Stone). He seemed to absorb some of what I was reading, but I'm more about making this an enjoyable no-pressure-on-his-abilities reading time for him. If I'd known there was a mini-challenge about this, I would have had my husband take a picture to post here. Oh well...

I did manage to see this photo-based one in time: Picturrific Here's my entry for Mirror, Mirror:

A picture of an apple in a mirror should cover it, right?

Ready, set... GO!

It's Bloggiesta time!

Let's see how far I can get while my grrl watches her favorite horse-themed dvd.

Goal list:

Get a blogging mobile app installed and running on phone and iPad. Done! Went with Blogsy for the iPad, and will use Evernote on the phone.

Do the organization and scheduling mini challenge from Amanda of On a Book Bender. Done!

See if the format of Trish's mini-challenges works well for me.

Check out Pocket per Brianna and see if I can be disciplined enough to use it instead of Instapaper for my blogging topics. Update: I downloaded it, and all it does is display 4 colored bars that do nothing :(

Carve some basic html tags into my arm so I don't have to keep tabbing over to the cheat sheet. Kidding. Really.

Try an Evernote notebook system per Joy's mini-challenge.

Use Tanya's list of topics to beef up that schedule

Give my readers a better idea of life in the boonies and fulfill Maria's challenge.

Catch up on a few reviews (there's no way I'd get through half in a few days) and commit to the Can’t Eat Just One challenge at Hannah's site.

Go visiting! Can I make 10 each day? Sheila challenges us to build community.

Attend at least part of one of the twitter parties.

Friday Finds

These are the books I've added to my TBR and wish lists this week:



Atonement by Ian McEwan

"We meet 13-year-old Briony Tallis in the summer of 1935, as she attempts to stage a production of her new drama "The Trials of Arabella" to welcome home her older, idolized brother Leon. But she soon discovers that her cousins, the glamorous Lola and the twin boys Jackson and Pierrot, aren't up to the task, and directorial ambitions are abandoned as more interesting prospects of preoccupation come onto the scene. The charlady's son, Robbie Turner, appears to be forcing Briony's sister Cecilia to strip in the fountain and sends her obscene letters; Leon has brought home a dim chocolate magnate keen for a war to promote his new "Army Ammo" chocolate bar; and upstairs, Briony's migraine-stricken mother Emily keeps tabs on the house from her bed. Soon, secrets emerge that change the lives of everyone present....
The interwar, upper-middle-class setting of the book's long, masterfully sustained opening section might recall Virginia Woolf or Henry Green, but as we move forward--eventually to the turn of the 21st century--the novel's central concerns emerge, and McEwan's voice becomes clear, even personal. For at heart, Atonement is about the pleasures, pains, and dangers of writing, and perhaps even more, about the challenge of controlling what readers make of your writing."

Atonement qualifies for the Lit Flicks Challenge I signed on to recently



The Dangerous Alphabet
by Neil Gaiman (Author), Gris Grimly (Illustrator)

"A is for Always, that's where we embark . . .
Two children, treasure map in hand, and their pet gazelle sneak past their father, out of their house, and into a world beneath the city, where monsters and pirates roam. Will they find the treasure? Will they make it out alive?
The Dangerous Alphabet is a tale of adventure, piracy, danger, and heroism told in twenty-six alphabetical lines—although even the alphabet is not to be relied upon here."

Props to Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings for posting this one. My boy is letter-obsessed, and this will be one of the 26 alphabet books we read for the A-Z Challenge.




The Faerie Queene, by Edmund Spenser

"Epic poem that was published between 1590 and 1609 by Edmund Spenser. It is the central poem of the Elizabethan period and is one of the great long poems in the English language. A celebration of Protestant nationalism, it represents infidels and papists as villains, King Arthur as the hero, and married chastity as its central value. The form of The Faerie Queene fuses the medieval allegory with the Italian romantic epic. The plan was for 12 books (of which six were completed), focusing on 12 virtues exemplified in the quests of 12 knights from the court of Gloriana, the Faerie Queene, a symbol for Elizabeth I herself. Arthur, in quest of Gloriana's love, would appear in each book and come to exemplify Magnificence, the complete man. Spenser took the decorative chivalry of the Elizabethan court festivals and reworked it through a constantly shifting veil of allegory, so that the knight's adventures and loves build into a complex, multileveled portrayal of the moral life. The verse, a spacious and slow-moving nine-lined stanza (see SPENSERIAN STANZA), and Spenser's archaic language frequently rise to an unrivaled sensuousness. The first installment of the poem (Books I-III) was published in 1590; the second, which contained Books I-III and Books IV-VI, in 1596."

I'll read this book to fulfill the Really Old Classics Challenge.

[descriptions from amazon]

Lit Flicks Challenge

RULES
1. Challenge runs from September 1, 2008 to February 28, 2009.
2. Read 5 books/pieces of literature that have been made into movies.
3. Then watch at least 2 of the movie adaptations of the works you read.
4. Your list may change at any time and may include overlaps with other challenges.
5. Sign up after you’ve posted about this challenge using Mr. Linky below.
6. Check in here around the first of each month to find activities and giveaways for participants.
7. Link to your reviews and posts using the second Mr. Linky below.

OK, here are my choices (and notes to myself):

Atonement
Finding Fish: A Memoir (on shelf)
Legend of Bagger Vance (on shelf) *have already seen movie
Stepford Wives
The Perfect Storm (finished 11/24/08, review forthcoming!)

Celebrate the Author 2009

About the challenge:
The challenge is designed to “celebrate” author birthdays. Choose one author for each month of the year. Read at least one book a month. 12 authors. 12 birthdays. If you like, you can read MORE than that. If you’re really obsessive, you might want to “celebrate” all 52 weeks of the year. (But even I am not THAT zealous!) The challenge is designed to ‘celebrate’ the special bond–the connection–that occurs between the author AND the reader as well as the connection between readers. It is very easy to “bond” with other readers over certain works, certain authors, etc.
You can choose picture books, poetry books, early readers, chapter books, fiction for middle grades, fiction for teens, adult reads, nonfiction, whatever you want. You could choose 12 picture books. You can read books in or out of your comfort zone.

You might want to make a list and choose alternatives for each month…that way you can narrow it down as you go. And you do NOT have to choose a book until the very moment you’re ready to start reading. Just pick a handful of authors.

And here’s the secret. If you change your mind, just be sure to change your list to reflect that change. I don’t care how many times you change your list.

Why make a list at all? Good question. It’s not that I want you to stick to your list. I don’t care if you change it. I don’t need to see it in advance. But I mention lists because I think–and this could be me–that it is easier to visit those sites and jot down a few authors per month to give you ideas then it is to wait until the last minute and try to figure out which birthday is when and what counts etc. But if you want to be completely spontaneous then that’s fine with me!!

This year the round ups will be here on this wordpress site. You’ll be leaving links to your reviews. If you write reviews that is. Or you’ll be leaving comments to say what you read.

Jan: Rosemary Wells
Feb: Russell Hoban
Mar: Dr. Seuss
Apr: Ludwig Bemelmans
May: Leo Lionni
Jun: Maurice Sendak
Jul: Beatrix Potter
Aug: Don Freeman
Sep: Tomie de Paola
Oct: Susan Meddaugh
Nov: Nancy Tafuri
Dec: Jan Brett

[if I can, I'll post on their birthdays, and if Im really on the ball, I'll post a picture of me reading the books to one of the kids]

18th and 19th Century Women Writers Challenge

The rules:
How many books? No fewer than four. No more than twelve. For example, you might want to read two books by authors from the eighteenth century (1700-1799) and two books by authors from the nineteenth century (1800-1899). Or you might want to read six books by authors from the 18th century, and six books by authors from the 19th century. You get the idea. Me being the *perfectionist* I am would stress the balance between the two. But I *know* that may be just me. So you may read in whatever proportion you like.

What books are allowed? If they're written by a woman who lived and wrote from 1700 to 1900, then they count. What books don't count...if an author was born during this time period, but didn't publish anything until the next century. Post-1900 books are NOT allowed. There is a small loophole here. If a book was written during these two centuries 1700-1900 and was not published until after the author's death...and that publication date just happened to be in the 1900s or 2000s...then that would count.

[will post list as soon as I make my choices, definitely before start deadline]
Overlaps with other challenges allowed.

Every Month is a Holiday Challenge

[not sure what I'll read yet, but making the list sure will be fun]

A to Z Challenge

General reminder of what you're signing up for:

Option A: Read authors A to Z. Commit to reading 26 books theoretically speaking.

Option E: Read 26 Alphabet books. Embrace your inner child and go visit the children's section!
Here's what we have at home:
1. Accidental Zuccini
2. Dr. Seuss's ABC
3. Alphabatics
4. Halloween ABC
5. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom [needs mending]
So, we will have to find 21 more via the library, or the occasional used book sale.

Mention in your comment which option(s) you'll be committing to. Sign ups begin December 1, 2008. (The challenge does NOT start until January 1, 2009, but early sign ups are definitely encouraged!) The challenge closes to new participants on June 30, 2009.

2009 Read and Review Challenge

Rules:
* review each book you read between January 1st and December 31st, 2009
* PLEASE keep your reviews clean & respectful ~ these books we read are the hard work of an author, and we don’t need to be mean. Even if you didn’t like the book, please try to find something you can say that would be encouraging to the author.
* reviews can be as short, or long, as you wish
* you MAY overlap with other challenges
* eBooks and Audiobooks ARE allowed
* if there will be spoilers in your review, please note this in the subject line of your post so that those who don’t want to read them can skip that review.

I must confess this will be a tough one for me. I've been bad about reviewing for a few years now. It will take a lot of discipline, and also a lowering of expectations (quality-wise) for myself.

Really Old Classics Challenge

The Rules:

1. Choose how many Really Old Classics you’d like to read by the end of July 2009, from 1 to 100.
2. Read that number of Really Old Classics by the end of July 2009. If you finish, pat yourself on the back.

I've settled on these 4 (TBR in no particular order):

Tale of Genji here
Aenid, by Virgil (on Bartleby.com)
Song of Roland (on Bartleby.com)
Faerie Queene, by Spenser (Book 1 on Daily Lit, in 77 installments)

February reading

Amazingly enough, I managed to finish 8 books, even though I slacked off terribly the last two weeks. I'm not going the thank the flu that waylaid me for several days (I'm not that forgiving), but all that reading was the best I could manage, productivity-wise. Of course, I haven't posted any reviews for any of these, I suppose I'll backdate them and try to get current somehow. If I think about it, I can edit this post, and link the reviews later. Here's the list:

9. Death at Devil's Bridge (Robin Paige) *counts toward Victorian series
10. Downsizing Your Home With Style () *Harper Collins review book
11. Gods of Fire and Thunder (Fred Saberhagen) *finishes Masks of the Gods series
12. 12 Sharp (Janet Evanovich) *counts toward Plum series
13. The Last Wolf of Ireland () audio
14. The Strange Files of Fremont Jones () *starts series and counts toward Award Winners Challenge
15. S is for Silence (Sue Grafton) *counts toward Millhone series
16. Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger) Canon book group

I had been hoping to finish at least 2 other audiobooks, but they aren't crucial to any challenge or specific goal, so I don't feel badly about pushing those forward. In fact, one would have started a new series, which I really shouldn't be doing.

January reading

In approximate order of date finished:

Murder on a Bad Hair Day (Anne George) *counts toward Southern Sisters series
Edge of the Sea (Rachel Carson)
You On a Diet *will not count toward 2008 total, as was started in '07 (Roizen/Oz)
Distant Blood (Jeff Abbott) *finishes the Jordan Poteet series
Friends, Lovers, Chocolate (Alexander McCall Smith) *goes toward Isabel Dalhousie series
The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald) *for Canon book group
A Thousand Acres (Jane Smiley) *for Award Winners Challenge
Sweet Revenge (Diane Mott Davidson) *finishes Goldy/culinary series
The Mother Dance (Harriet Lerner)

I need to write reviews for all of these, plus do a lot of catching up on December's reviews (and months previous). This pregnancy has thus far been harder on me (I've been sicker and more tired), thus the break from creative output. Well, we could debate the "creative" descriptor... but I'm not up for it.

I'm currently working on the plan for this month, which includes getting a handle on what other books from past months (and in some cases, years) still need reviewing. I keep finding stacks and stashes of books I'd forgotten about, and the total of "catch-up reviews" is becoming overwhelming. I certainly never thought that I'd appreciate having less TV taken away from me (I am, of course, referring to the writer's strike), but I'm sure that it will make a big difference in adding more time (in theory, anyway) to chipping away at this huge project, and in culling those titles that I don't need to keep around here.

The Cider House Rules, by John Irving

Having read the book (long) after I'd seen the movie, I can see why Irving might have had good reason to not give his full authorization/blessing to the screenplay of Simon Birch (based partly on A Prayer for Owen Meany). The two versions of CHR are pretty disparate. I definitely preferred the book for its bigger scope, its better-developed characters, and the historical context of women's rights regarding pregnancy. My only caveat regards the extremely graphic nature of the abortion procedures. The squeamish reader may need to skim over these passages; they do, however, make a dramatic impact within the story, and, in my opinion, are very integral to it.

Many of the situations (regarding orphans and abortions) discussed in this book help make a very strong case for choice. With the precarious position this choice has in our country, even after so many years of safety, perhaps it is time for another wave of readers to get inspired by CHR, or perhaps one of the movie channels could air the movie (which doesn't do such a bad job of addressing the issue); I doubt any of the honchos of the broadcast networks would have the guts to show it.

Noteworthy quotes:

p. 10: "There was the human body, which was so clearly designed to want babies--and then there was the human mind, which was so confused about the matter. Sometimes the mind was so perverse that it made other people have babies they knew they didn't want. And when other minds thought they wanted babies but then couldn't (or wouldn't take care of them... well, what were these minds thinking?"

p. 93: "Adolescence, is it the first time in life we discover that we have something terrible to hide from those who love us?"

p. 96: "But if you love no one, and feel that no one loves you, there's no one with the power to sting you by pointing out to you that you're lying."

p. 339: "When you lie, it makes you feel in charge of your life... you feel as if you have cheated fate--you own, and everybody else's."

p. 397: " 'Every time you throw a snail off the dock, you're making someone start his whole life over.'
'Maybe I'm doing him a favor.' "
[I thought this quote was quite telling of Homer, as at this point, he still refused to perform abortions]

p. 569: "The thing about being in love, is that you can't force anyone. It's natural to want someone you love to do what you want, or what you think would be good for them, but you have to let everything happen to them. You can't interfere with people you love any more than you're supposed to interfere with people you don't even know. And that's hard... you want to be the one who makes the plans."

Books cited: Great Expectations, David Copperfield, Jane Eyre, Little Dorrit

Booking Through Thursday #1

Would you say that you read about the same amount now as when you were younger?

Well, given 37 years of reading experience...and very little consistency across said years...
Compared to one book every night at bedtime when I was 4, I'm reading less books, but definitely more in page count. Another big-volume era was probably from 6th-10th grades during the summertime; I'd bring home whatever I could carry (this was before backpacks were standard issue to children--my son has 2 already!), usually about 20 books, and I'd have those read within a week or two. Another time in my life when I had the time to read a lot was post-divorce, when I was working part-time in schools. I'd say I could finish at least 12-15 in a month's time. In contrast, during college, I would read maybe only 20 books per year, most of those being textbooks.

Nowdays, I am doing good to finish one per week, even though I'd set a goal to read 100 books in 2007. It's November already, and I think I've barely cracked that halfway mark. Definitely not a good rate if I want to keep readers coming back. I think that's why I've been seeking out reading challenges--they're helping me to focus on very specific steps toward meeting bigger-numbered goals. A secondary benefit to these challenges: they're forcing me to keep my reading diverse, and I'm both staying out of ruts and getting obsessions out of my system.

Why?

Ah, the reasons are many: I am married, and my time is not all my own. I have a two-year-old and my time is not my own. I have a much larger house (compared to past big-reading eras) that I'm supposed to maintain. I do dishes and laundry for three. I have farm animals that need attention. I live in the country, far away from all of my friends, and the time involved not only to stay in touch but to actually nurture the relationships (seems to be) pretty high. Oh, and I spend time on the internet (which I didn't have before 1997--after all my high-volume eras).

TXBF Saturday session #3

After my hearty lunch of peanut butter-and-whole wheat bagel, lemonade, and Ghirardelli caramel squares, I walked over to the Methodist Family Life Center to hear Rick Riordan talk about his Greek-mythology-inspired series. What I didn't know was that this was a children's series; my only clue being the crowds of said children as I looked for a seat (most of the YA/kids sessions were duly noted on the program--this one wasn't). I stayed on, though, as there are times when reading a good children's book is time better spent than with a poorly written adult novel. Riordan has won 3 different mystery awards for earlier adult books, and he told the audience at one point that his first book was rejected 13 times (this was in response to someone who asked Riordan's advice for aspiring authors)--his point being to not give up easily on something you truly believe to be worth doing. One realization that convinced him to become an author was that books aren't only written by dead people.

Riordan's publisher is releasing the fourth installment (Battle of the Labyrinth) in this series soon, and the author read us a chapter from it (not that the kids in the room had to be convinced to pester their parents for a copy). He took several questions from the audience afterwards, but I refrained from asking him if he was inspired by the late Fred Saberhagen's Masks of the Gods series (I didn't want to run the risk of putting a too-young child on a search for those books). When asked if this series was going to be made into movies, he replied that the first installment (The Lightning Thief) was in development, and that Chris Columbus (who directed the first few Harry Potter films, if I'm not mistaken) has signed on to direct. So, I'll be keeping an eye out for that release.

The last session of the day, Literary Criticism, was probably the most disappointing of all, even though it was the most thought-provoking. I managed to take about 3 index cards worth of notes, which, honestly, look quite daunting to write up at this hour. So, even though I really wanted to be done with these before now, I'm now going to shoot for the end of this week, and hope that I can start meeting some reading deadlines, work on more of my challenge books (I'm about halfway through one for the Armchair Traveler challenge), do a Booking Through Thursday meme, and get back to schmoozing on other's blogs. I need readership if I'm going to have a chance at getting paid work!

Thursday Thirteen #7 (ed. 117)--Series I'm catching up with

Well, here is my first official post for NaBloPoMo... welcome also to fellow Thursday Thirteeners! For those of you expecting a Halloweeen theme, well, I wrote this instead, and will probably post last night's happenings to my farm blog. When I'm done here, I have to go sign up for four more reading challenges: 2nds Challenge, Book Awards Challenge, Book to Movie Challenge, and the Armchair Traveler Challenge. I'm coming late to a few of them, and will probably not be eligible for their prizes, but I'm going to give it my best shot anyway.

The reason I'm doing this particular list, I'm planning on signing up for the Series Challenge next month, so I wanted to get a handle on which ones I can finish off the soonest while I'm tracking down or reserving copies of those series that I'm way behind on reading. So, on to the list! [in approximate order of completion]

1. Jeff Abbot's Jordan Poteet Library mysteries: this is a small one, and I have the last of 4 on my shelf.

2. Diane Mott Davidson's Goldy Bear Catering mysteries: I her latest in my queue of audio rentals, unless I stumble upon a free library copy).

3. Earlene Fowler's Benni Harper quilt mysteries: Tumbling Blocks is her latest, I'll have to hunt a copy down from somewhere.

4. Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum mysteries: I have Twelve Sharp on the shelf, and I'll probably borrow the next from the library.

5. Sarah Shankman's Samantha Adams mysteries: I have two remaining of 7, both of them on my shelf... somewhere.

6. Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone Alphabet mysteries: I have "S" is for Silence on the shelf, and she's releasing "T" is for Trespass in early December.

7. Marion Zimmer Bradley's Avalon fantasies: I have Priestess (on shelf) and Ancestors (loaned out to a friend). The last one of this series was finished by another author, so I hope I can still count these.

8. Susan Witting Albert's China Bayles herbal mysteries: I have 3 more to read before I'm current. I have the next one on my shelf, and the one after that on audio.

9. Carole Nelson Douglas's Midnight Louie/Vegas mysteries: I need to read N,O,P,Q, and R. I think I have the first 2 or 3 on the shelf.

10. Tim Cockey's Hitchcock Sewell undertaker mysteries: He's written 6 so far, I need to read the from the second one on.

11. Anne George' Southern Sisters mysteries: The author passed several years ago, so there will be no more after the 8th book. I need to read from #3 on.

12. Nevada Barr's Anna Pigeon mysteries: She's published 13 so far, I need to start #5 (Endangered Species--should be on the shelf).

13. Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake horror/mysteries: Next up is Killing Dance, then 15 more (at last count).

There's more that I have to plow through (like my Amanda Peabody's, and Sharyn McCrumb's, and Lise McClendon's), but these 13 were the handiest.

Off to get signed up for more challenges, and to flesh out some of the 6 reviews I rushed through to meet yesterday's midnight deadline (for the R.I.P. Challenge), and possibly to watch Heroes, Journeyman, and Bionic Woman while my son naps. Happy Thursday to everyone!


Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
1. Sleeping Mommy lists her favorite things about the fall season.
2. pussreboots shares her thoughts about NaNoWriMo.
3. (leave the link to your T13 in comments, I'll add you here!)



Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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13 Reading Challenges--Thursday 13 #5--107th Edition

Thirteen Things about Marina These are challenges I've completed, joined, or plan to join (I'll make it pretty with linkage, etc. sometime between this posting and leaving for Kansas on Friday): 1. Once Upon a Time Challenge Sponsored by Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings, lasting from the Spring Equinox to the Summer Solstice. For this one I read: God of the Golden Fleece, Greenmantle, Silver Birch/Blood Moon, Giving Birth to Thhinder, Sleeping with His Daughter, and A Midsummer Night's Dream. I actually won a prize during this one--I can't wait to get it! 2. Non-Fiction 5 Challenge Sponsored by Joy at thoughtsofjoy.blogspot.com from May 1 to September 30. I've read 3 (Just a Geek, Wolves at Our Door, and The Devil in the White City) of my 5 choices, but haven't written the reviews--gotta get cracking! I still have Gifts of the Wild and How the Irish Saved Civilization to read. 3. 2nds Challenge Also sponsored by Joy, I have to sign up soon, as it runs from October through December. I've plenty of "2nds" around here, so it won't be hard to come up with 3. 4. TBR Challenge I missed out on joining the 2007 Challenge, but I'm getting ready for 2008. I'll be choosing books that have been languishing for several years, and which I want to get moving again. I'll post the list once I've chosen books for my other challenges. 5. Book Awards Reading Challenge Sponsored by 3M at bookawardschallenge.blogspot.com, it runs from July 1 2007 to June 30, 2008. I'll need to finish 12 books in 12 months. If I can fit more in, then I've have an extra entry for each in the prize drawing. Must sign up by 11/1/07! I'd made a list but have since misplaced it. If it needs redoing, it won't be tonight. 6. Readers Imbibing Peril Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings hosted this one last year, and I had my choices all stacked up well before he announced the Perils. I'm in for 4 of them; my selections are listed in the previous post [but I'll repost them here later]. 7. In Their Shoes Challenge Sponsored by Vasilly at shoesrreading.blogspot.com, she's challenging us to read biographies, autobiographies, and memoirs during 2008. Deadline for signup is February 1, 2008. I'm choosing 6 for now, we'll see how next year goes: Einstein's Daughter, Bella Tuscany, An Uncommon Woman, All Over But the Shoutin', Georgiana, and Population:485. 8. Themed Reading Challenge Hosted by Wendy (caribousmom), this one runs from 1/1/08-6/30/08. I'll need to pick a minimum of 4 themed books and sign up before December 31. Maybe this will be a good one to get a bunch of dragon novels out of the way... 9. Book to Movie Challenge Callista at smsbookreviews.blogspot.com challenges us to read and review 3 book-to-movie titles betweeen September 1 and December 1 of this year. I pulled Cider House Rules, Black Dahlia, and Eragon off my shelf. 10. Unread Author Challenge Sponsored by Ariel at sycoraxpine.blogspot.com, must sigh up before September 1. Basically, I'll read 6 yet-to-be-read (by me, obviously) authors over a 6-month period (by the end of February). Here's that list: Rocking the Babies, Blind Love, Grimm's Last Fairytale, The Book Borrower, The Courtship of Princess Leia, and Slammerkin. 11. Series Challenge Sponsored by Kathrin at Crazy Cozy Murders (cozymurders.blogspot.com), she's challenging those of us who can't seem to finish the series we start, as we're constantly adding new ones, and can't find a way to the end of our lists. We'll start out with a 6-month time period (December 1, '07 to May 31 '08), and Kathrin will consider an extension later. I know I started listing my series books somewhere (it's with the Award Books list)..really want to find both of those! 12. Armchair Traveler Reading Challenge Lesley of alifeinbooks.com started this one on July 1, so I'm starting this one late to the game, but I think I can squeeze in 6 more books between now and December 31. Here's the short list: Cry of the Kalahari, A Tuscan Childhood, The Edge of the Sea, Round Ireland With a Fridge, Unsuitable For Ladies, and Blue Highways. Must sign up ASAP. 13. Christmas Theme Book Challenge Sponsored by Susan at My Reading Adventures (myreadingadventures.blogspot.com). Deadline for signup is October 31 to pick 2 books and read/review them between November 1 and December 31. Wow! I can't believe there are so many! The total count for all of these challenges (I'm going to try very hard to not overlap) will be 90 books. Piece o'cake, right? *falls over* If you're wondering by now where I've found all these great sites, go over to novelchallenges.blogspot.com. Wendy has done a fantastic job of compiling challenges of all genres and themes (and many that I've chosen to stay out of). Many of the titles I've chosen to read are those that are registered at BookCrossing, so this is another way to force me to get them out of the house! I'll have separate entries for each of these, with my final lists, and I'll also link to the review collection sites, so you can see who else is reviewing good books. Leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here! 1. you're first!

Never heard of this crazy meme? Find out more here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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