Bout of Books 7.0 Goals

TIME DEVOTED TO READING

I will be reading all week when I can fit it in.

MY GOALS

Finish 3 books that will go toward my Women Authors reading challenge.

BOOKS TO READ

Lady of Hay, by Barbara Erskine
"With a story as mesmerizing as it is chilling, Lady of Hay explores how Jo, a journalist investigating hypnotic regression, plunges into the life of Matilda, Lady of Hay-who lived eight hundred years earlier. As she learns of Matilda's unhappy marriage, her troubled love for Richard de Clare, and the brutal treatment she received from King John, it seems that Jo's past and present are hopelessly entwined. Centuries later, a story of secret passion and unspeakable treachery is about to begin again-and she has no choice but to brave both lives if she wants to shake the iron grip of history.", on my Kindle

Help, Mom's Stuck on Spin Cycle: 31 Days to Laugh Your Way through Motherhood, by Cheryl Moeller
"At last a book that answers the proverbial question, “Where is my other sock?” the author emerges from her laundry room at last to tell her story – such as the time Metamucil tablets left in a pants pocket became the size of basketballs after 30 minutes in the washing machine. Her over-the-laundry pile humor will help you laugh your way through motherhood -- 31 days in a row. She’ll also give you Ten Ways to know it’s going to be a Long Labor and Delivery, Ten Things you Can Learn from your Cat, and Ten Reasons Why a Mom should be President. So when your laundry gets taller than you are, turn over a basket, sit down and read a page of, “Help, Mom’s Stuck on Spin Cycle.” Warning: You may emerge from the laundry room with permanent press wrinkles -- from laughing.", on my Kindle

From Ashes to Honor: Book #1 in the First Responders series by Loree Lough
"If he had only answered that last phone call from the World Trade Center... Minutes before two jumbo jets changed U.S. history, New York police officer Austin Finley ignored the call from his brother, who’d been bugging him
for days. Trying to live with his one regret causes hatred and bitterness to consume Austin, and when counselor Mercy Samara recommends desk duty, Austin resigns. Haunted by her own memories of 9/11, Mercy takes a job as a school counselor in Baltimore. When Austin, now an EMT, responds to an emergency at Mercy’s school, both are stunned and wary. Finally their common—and painful—memories turn suspicion into friendship, then romance. But hard questions linger: Can they truly move beyond their past harsh judgments and harsh words? Will their past finally bring them closer or—as the tenth anniversary of 9/11 draws near—drive them farther apart?",on my Kindle

UPDATES

Monday

Number of books I've read today: 1 (58% of Lady of Hay)

Total number of books I've read: 1

Books: Lady of Hay, by Barbara Erskine


The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 13th and runs through Sunday, May 19th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 7.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books 7.0 team

Challenges/Giveaways

Mon, 5/13: Book Spine Poetry hosted by Escape Through the Pages
Tues, 5/14: Book to Music hosted by Medusa's Library
Alternate Titles hosted by The Book Barbies
Wed, 5/15: Create a Cover hosted by I Talk Books!
Thurs, 5/16: Acrostic Poem hosted by Harley Bear Book Blog
Personify a Book hosted by Kimberly Erskine
Fri, 5/17: Resummarize a Cover hosted by Queen Ella Bee Reads
Sat, 5/18: Book Spine Poetry hosted by Smash Attack Reads!
Sun, 5/19: If You Like...Then You'll Enjoy... hosted by Snarky Bird, Uber Nerd

SuSu and the 8:30 Ghost, by Lilian Jackson Braun

This short story was a nice break from her better-known "Cat Who..." mystery series. It isn't so much a whodunit, but leans more to the mystery of the preternatural.

The basics:
setting-- a port town on the East Coast, possibly NY
characters-- SuSu (cat), Mr Van (disabled antiques dealer), Gertrude (librarian) Unnnamed sister (narrator), Frank (Van's aide)
conflict-- vengeance, greed
best quote-- "I prefer cats before they are reincarnated as people."

3rd story read for the 100 Shots of Short Reading Challenge, master post here

I also posted another Thursday 13 over on my Farmwife blog.
**two weeks in a row, go me!**

Listen and Listen Good, by Marcia Biederman

A Chinese student in America copes with the death of her brother during the Tianamen Square Massacre. While having lunch, she overhears a conversation that spurs her to action; she can't do anything for her brother, but perhaps she can save other innocents. She does this even while she admits that her understanding of spoken English is poor.
The basics:
setting-- New York City
main character-- Fan, college-age student from China
conflict-- language barrier
best quote--(Fan) "Why do you care? It isn't your country." (Walter) "It's my people."

While this was an easy enough read, I thought that the author could have left a few elements out, or pared them down to much smaller bits so that other parts of the story could have been developed further, and made the flow less choppy. Not a bad read, but it didn't motivate me to look for her longer works, either.


Second story read for the 100 Shots of Short Reading Challenge, master post here

Arts and Crafts, by Mary Jo Adamson

If I can see a full novel coming from a short story, I can get more entertainment value from it, as I can imagine which plot points and characters would be developed and how. This is important because when I can figure out who is going to die (and how AND why) by the time I've finished the first page (as I did with this story), my motivation to care about the characters loses a lot of steam. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, merely the difference between entertainment (destination known, but how will we get there?) and involvement (keep me wondering for a good long while).

The basics:
setting- Boulder, Colorado
characters
- Rosa (waitress, cook, Jack's wife)
- Jack (student, artist, former Navy)
- Birch (herbalist)
- Mama Sofia (restaurant owner)
conflict- obligation versus evolution, and living versus survival
best quote- "To me, living is doing what you love, but sometimes I think survival is knowing what not to do."

* for the 100 Shots of Short Reading Challenge, master post here

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.

Thursday Thirteen #1--Favorite Female Authors

(in no order whatsoever)

1. Sue Grafton
2. Marion Zimmer Bradley
3. Anne McCaffrey
4. Mercedes Lackey
5. J.K. Rowling
6. Janet Evanovich
7. Susan Wittig Albert
8. Laurell K. Hamilton
9. Earlene Fowler
10. Barbara Kingsolver
11. Madeline L'Engle
12. Alice Hoffman
13. Nevada Barr

[if I had the time at the moment, I'd hyperlink to their websites and figure out my ratios of read/available books, but I gotta go get the babyitter so I can do the grocery shopping in peace. I wonder how many of these women wrote and published while their kids (if applicable) were toddlers? If so , how did they do it?]

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
1. Terra Satirize
2. Year of Reading Seriously

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!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Edible Woman, by Margaret Atwood

Many theories about the mental state of a married woman are tossed up for inspection by the male characters in the book, none of them flattering. Most of the decisions the characters make depend on the opinions of others (whether to marry, to have a child out of wedlock, a salon visit) and then they wonder why those decisions don't play out well. And, of course, this reader had to wonder why Marian is so surprised that her body is rejecting nourishment when she has to get drunk in order to see her life for what it is.

I hope this book is dated (aside from the blue flashbulbs) in terms of societal attitudes. I know that I went through a sort of spiritual life/death struggle while I was married previously. I think that today's women old enough to face this choice have taken back enough strength and identity to get through it in a sane fashion.

[originally posted on BookCrossing 3/11/03]