Bout of Books May 11-17 [WIP]

Wow.

1) I can't, no. I can... believe it's been two years since I've touched this blog.

2) The BoB crew has gone massively high-tech (instructional videos!) and has grown to over 800 participants.

3) I have to remember how to do this all over again. And on new meds!

So.

I'm joining!

Time Devoted to Reading: I will be reading all week.

My Goals
Finish current books (2) and finish one more.

Books to Read
Wilder Rose

Updates
Monday
Number of books I've read today:
Total number of books I've read:
Books:

The official blurb: "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 11th and runs through Sunday, May 17th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 13 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team"

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

2013 Read-A-Latte Challenge

2013 Read-A-Latte Challenge

The details: This challenge will begin on January 1st, 2013 and end December 31, 2013. Books for this challenge can be from any genre and may include print books as well as e-books and audio books. This challenge can cross-over to your other reading challenges. I will create a new post each month with a linky for your reviews. Also, I'll be offering quarterly reader gifts to the top three participants. I'll announce the winners on the last day of every three months. And at the end of the challenge I'll have a special bonus for the top three overall participants.

I'll be going for the Cappuccino level (100 books).

1. Camp Follower, by Suzanne Adair (e-book)

2.Ashes, Ashes, the Twins Fall Down by Pauline L. Hawkins (e-book)

3.Let's Pretend This Never Happened (A Mostly True Memoir) by Jenny Lawson (e-book)

4.A Knight's Temptation, by Catherine Kean (e-book)

Wherein I am officially sucked back into the book blogging community

Surprise! Another event looms, and I can't resist:

This doesn't come at the most ideal time in terms of our family schedule (we have a memorial service that day and a visit to the Matriarch on the next), but I will do what I can in terms of reading, blogging, and visiting. Part of me wishes that this didn't fall so close to the Bloggiesta event, but I'm sure that debate has raged often enough that my opinion isn't going to sway anyone.

I have a rough schedule in draft at the moment. I'll incorporate it into my first post at 7 AM (start time for my zone) on Saturday. If all goes well, and my husband is up for a little support re: childcare, I should have at least 6 good blocks of time to read that day, even if I opt to catch 4 hours of sleep near the end.

100+ Reading Challenge (2009)

J. Kaye is hosting quite a few challenges this coming year, and this is just one of the ones I'm signing up for. What follows is a list of books that I'm hoping to read in 2009, and are mostly from my other challenge lists. For the most part, those that are yet to be published won't be listed here, but the few that I've been able to find, I'll italicize those. As I review the books, I'll hotlink the titles so they'll all be in one place. So, in no particular order:

Breath, Eyes, Memory (Danticat)
Doomsday Book (Willis)
Eldest (Paolini)
Fire and Fog (Day)
Dance Hall of the Dead (Hillerman)
Verse of the Vampyre (Killian)
Lone Star Cafe (Wingate)
Second Summoning (Tanya Huff)
Death du Jour (Kathy Reichs)
Monstruous Regiment of Women (King)
Caress of Twilight (Laurell K. Hamilton)
Snagged (Carol Higgins Clark)
Beekeeper's Apprentice (King)
The Stolen Child
Children of Men (P.D. James)
Cat in a Neon Nightmare (Carole Nelson Douglas)
Dragon's Kin (McCaffrey)
Hangman's Beautiful Daughter
Acorna (McCaffrey)
Tower at Stony Wood
Sweet Potato Queens' Big-Ass Cookbook
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrel
Hippopotamus Pool (Elizabeth Peters)
Hearse of a Different Color
Killing Dance (Laurell K. Hamilton)
Homemade Sin (Kathy Hogan Trochek)
Shopaholic Ties the Knot
Darkness, Take My Hand (Dennis Lehane)
Because it is Bitter, and Because it is My Heart (Joyce Carol Oates)
Summon the Keeper (Tanya Huff)
Deja Dead (Kathy Reichs)
Storm Front (Jim Butcher)
Kiss of Shadows (Laurell K. Hamilton)
Decked (Carol Higgins Clark)
A Cat in the Manger (Adamson)
Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor
Dead Until Dark (Charlaine Harris)*
Dead Witch Walking
Color of Magic (Terry Pratchett)
Murder in Volume
A Year and a Day
The Bride and the Beast
The Wise Woman
Wicked
Texas Cooking (Lisa Wingate)
Wizard of Earthsea (Ursula K. LeGuin)
Dragon and Thief (Timothy Zahn)
Bonesetter's Daughter (Amy Tan)
Godmother Night (Pollack)
Digging Up Momma (Sarah Shankman)*
Ice House (Minette Walters)
No Cure for Cancer (Denis Leary)*
The Italian (Ann Radcliffe)
The History of Emily Montague (Frances Brooke)
Yellow Wallpaper (Charlotte Perkins Gilman)
The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
Tale of Genji
The Aenid
The Song of Roland
Faerie Queene
The White Raven (Diana Paxson)
Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff (Christopher Moore)
Finding Fish (Antwone Q. Fisher)
Fifty Acres and a Poodle
Dragon Queen (Alice Borschardt)
The Daisy Sutra
Guinevere
Merlin
Knight Life
Talesin (Steven Lawhead)
Water For Elephants (Sara Gruen)
Mystic River (Dennis Lehane)
Possession (A.S. Byatt)
Mine (Robert McCammon)
Book of Ruth (Jane Hamilton)
Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
A Knight in Shining Armor (Jude Devereaux)
Knights of the Blood
Modern Manners (P.J. O'Rourke)
Another Scandal in Bohemia
Reindeer Moon
Integral Trees
Nice Girls Finish Last
Atonement*
Smoke Ring (Larry Niven)
Lathe of Heaven
Rosetta
What Price Honor?
Serenity
Augur's Teacher
Daedalus
Wild Cards I
Foreign Foes
Masks
Romulan Prize
War Drums
Forgotten War
Old Wounds
Enemy of My Enemy
Breed to Come [100]
Nightshade
Stranger in a Strange Land (Robert A. Heinlein)
I, Robot (Isaac Asimov)
Equinox
Reunion
Plum Spooky[?]
Feathered Serpent
Change of Heart
Buffalo Gal
Santa Clawed
Romanced to Death
Dancing with Werewolves
Sanity Savers
A Perfect Mess
Rise and Shine
Catalyst
Enchantment (Orson Scott Card)
Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius (Eggers)
The Godmother (Elizabeth Ann Scarborough)
How Elizabeth Barrett Browning Saved My Life (Mameve Medwed)
An Army of Angels (Pamela Marcantel) [122]

there will be as many as 42 more, if I don't overlap (but I'm sure I'll be able to) on any choices for the following :
10 more for the Audiobook Challenge
9 for the Pub Challenge
1 more for the 9 for 2009 Challenge
1 more for the What's in a Name? 2 Challenge
7 more for the Every Month is a Holiday Challenge
1 more for the Themed Reading Challenge
13 more for the Countdown Challenge

I'm not going to count (toward my overall total) the picture books that I'll be reading for the A-Z Challenge/Alphabet Books nor the Celebrate the Author Challenge (52, if no overlap).

*read this year [to help me remember]

Musing Mondays (12/1)

From Rebecca at Just One More Page:
With the holiday season now upon us, how does it affect your reading? Do you have more, or less, time to read at Christmas? Do you read Christmas themed/related books?

In years past, when I've tried to do too much (and made myself thoroughly insane), the winter holidays definitely had an effect on my reading (for the worse). This year, I'm hoping that the family and social obligations have diminished enough (they've learned to cut me lots of slack now that I have kids, especially now that one is "special needs") that I can escape into a few good books. What affects my reading more is the advent of reruns on tv; the more I've kept up, the less I'm in front of the tube (although that time is not without its usefulness--I can clip coupons and mend clothing while shows are on). Between the family stuff taking time away, and the hours freed up by not needing the tv, I think they balance each other out.

I'm more likely to read a Christmas-related book at this time than I am at any other time of the year, but I don't make a habit of seeking them out. Our family doesn't really celebrate Christmas, except to put on a good front for DH's family. Last year, I read two holiday-themed books, and I think I have a few left from the challenge that I didn't finish. I have an audiotape of Patrick Stewart's version of A Christmas Carol that I still haven't listened to yet, and I also have Lost by Gregory Maguire, which has been waiting for a read for a few years now, and I think I have a Christmas collection of mysteries. I probably make time to read more picture book holiday stories to my son than I do for myself.

Books completed these past few days

I started and finished Brokeback Mountain the day before yesterday, and I finished America (The Book) today. Not sure what I'll put up next (need to consult my list), but what I just finished needs writing up. I have notes on Brokeback, and America should be an easy one to summarize and critique.

Musing Monday (11/24)

How do you feel about wide-spread reading phenomenons - Harry Potter, for instance, or the more current Twilight Saga? Are these books so widely read for a reason, or merely fads or crazes? Do you feel compelled to read - or NOT to read - these books because everyone else is?

Early on, I take it with a grain of salt, and ask "who is doing the hyping?" As more of my friends and other people whose judgement I trust (in terms of what makes good reading) chime in with their opinions, I'm more willing to check out the book (literally--from the library). By and large, I think that whatever gets people reading something other than a magazine or a screen can't be all bad, but then there's those series that have either jumped the shark or deteriorated into one long sex scene (and if you don't know which ones I'm talking about, I won't ruin it for you)...

I don't feel compelled either way on "faddish" books. A new series of books isn't likely to get bumped ahead on my wishlist or TBR shelves. Truthfully, if they really are looking like new classics or must-haves, I'd rather wait until libraries are purging their overstock and selling that to make room for new items.


I didn't post a Mailbox Monday this week, as I didn't have anything come through the mail, but there will be at least one item to talk about next week!

The Week Ahead: November 24-30

Monday 11/24- Speech and Occupational Therapy for Anthony, then his only day of school this week. I'll bring review-writing material to work on while we're waiting in the car. Sitter comes after school to watch boy; girl and I take off to run Town (=Austin) errands. Mail last round of bills for the month. Make sure donkey-sale check gets deposited. Mail sister the disc from photo shoot (from a few weeks ago). Not sure if I'll get much reading done, but will definitely work toward finishing The Perfect Storm.

Tuesday 11/25- Anthony's appointment with Dr. Harkins, in San Antonio. We have to make sure we have all the paperwork, including the checklist we are supposed to fill out. We probably won't be back in time to get him to class. If we have sit-around time while he's being evaluated, I'll see if I can get at least one book review written (maybe the review for the last short story I read from Sisters in Crime 3). Bring mystery story collection to read/review a few more, and the Pod for the trip.

Wednesday 11/26- Post-natal yoga class. Lunch afterwards? Sitter is available. Need to remember to bring the too-small-for-Morgann disposables for classmate K's boy. Make certain I have everything ready for Thanksgiving dinner contributions, and Anthony's food. Write another book review before starting another book.

Thursday 11/27- Cook or prep food, pack clothes and diapers for both kids, pack Anthony's food and toys. Head for Castroville for dinner at Oma's. usually have no chance for any reading, unless I bring an audiobook for the 3+ hours in the car (roundtrip).

Friday 11/28- Stay home! Why deal with Black Friday craziness? Shop online if I absolutely must. Organize list for gift photos from school and shoot; figure out how to disburse and package safely.

Saturday 11/29- Wide open, as far as I know. I'm sure I'll have a better idea by mid-week.

Sunday 11/30- Another wide-open day. In my dreams, full of reading and writing, but reality will, I'm sure, be much different.

Another low-productivity day

Slept in and had a nap. Sold Sombrea (the momma donkey); sounds like her kids are missing her. Read a little bit of The Perfect Storm. Wanted to get more writing done, but I guess that will have to wait until tomorrow.

I've been tagged!

I'm still learning my way around the blogosphere, and I've managed to catch someone's (Alice!) attention long enough that I now have some sort of writing assignment:

Ok, so... 7 random/weird facts about me (I leave it to the reader to decide which are weird and which are random):

1. I was reading books on my own before I was 4. Kindergarten was a disappointment, I'd hoped they would have new books for me to read, but I was SOL. In first grade, the teacher tried to fob "Dick and Jane" off on me. Poor judgement on her part!

2. I take notes on nearly every book I read, not just because I want them to draw from for reviews, or because I am a quote slut, but it slows me down and helps me get more out of the book--I sometimes don't know when to stop skimming, if I let myself start.

3. I actually really love short story collections. Not that I need to find more authors to follow, but collections are actually my most reliable source for new reading material.

4. It bothers me to read a series out of order. I hate not knowing the full backstory that authors leave out for the sake of developing a good story. Unfortunately, I also hate it when authors provide too much backstory in their novels; it makes me think they're just bumping their word count and making the plot suffer.

5. I still read Lilian Jackson Braun's Cat Who... series, even though she jumped the shark a long time ago. (come on, you know she did, diety bless her heart)

6. I read my first Harlequin novel before I started 5th grade; it was my mom's, and I had her permission to read it. Of course, now, I wonder what the heck she was thinking...

7. My wildest (book-related) fantasy involves me accepting an Oscar for Best Screenplay (Book Adaptation)--for a Pern novel, and having Neil Gaiman sign it, even though he didn't win that year.

Now, for the next round of victims, I choose:

Linda, Chris, Janet, Jill, Nymeth, Ali, and Wendi

Note, my taggees don't have to have a bookish theme, I only did because, um... baaaaaa!

Musing Monday (11/17)

WHAT ARE YOU READING RIGHT NOW?

Sisters in Crime 3, edited by Marilyn Wallace

WHAT DID YOU RECENTLY FINISH READING, and WHAT DID YOU THINK OF IT?

Arts and Crafts by Mary Jo Adamson (first story in the above-named collection)
It was an enjoyable short story. The bad guy "got his" all on his own, and blamed everyone else to the very end. [will link to longer review once I get it posted]
Last night, I finished listening to The Awakening by Kate Chopin. The story itself was beautifully executed, but I was very disappointed (although not surprised) with the conclusion.

WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU WILL READ NEXT?

The next story in the collection: Listen and Listen Good by Marcia Biederman, and for my audiobook, I will probably start Jeeves and the Song of Songs this evening.

WILL YOU READ ANY HOLIDAY-THEMED BOOKS SOON?

I'm not signed on to any holiday challenges, so if I do crack one open, it's likely to be a picture book that I read to my son at bedtime.

Sunday Salon

These are the ways in which I'm able to steal time away from my family, and my regular routine of housework and child juggling (not quite literally):

Listened to The Awakening while I nursed and pumped today. While I was hoping for a different ending, the one I got did not surprise me.

If I finish that today, I'll break into one of the short story collections I've set aside for the challenge I'd signed on to last month.

Searching for and entering contests/giveaways:
The Magician's Book
Is It Just Me or Is Everything Shit?: Insanely Annoying Modern Things, or Men with Balls
What Peace There May Be

Catching up on book reviews for:
Dearly Devoted Dexter
Missouri Homestead
Easier Than You Think
Sisters Grimm

Doing instead of writing

The main reason I don't have much to show for book-related output today:

I was here.

Not sure what the rest of the evening has in store, but I will try to make progress on reviews and read The Awakening.
I'm giving up on Heart of Darkness; I'm just not finding the time for it.

Monday's Musings

Do you know of any young boys who do not like to read? Why do you think boys so often don't? What can we do to encourage them to read more?

My kids (and the few children in our peer group) are technically too young to be concerned about this issue--the oldest is a girl who will be 5 in May--so I don't have any current personal knowledge of reluctant readers. My son (who just turned 3) is well on his way to making the letter-sound-word connection. I can only answer this from 2 perspectives: evolutionary and former teacher/librarian.

For starters, reading is not a natural activity. Written language is a comparatively new construct when one takes a long view of human development. Knowing this, I can readily see how individuals (regardless of gender) might not be able to achieve the fluency necessary to enjoy the process itself, or appreciate the information available through books. In my opinion, many of the same kids who "do not enjoy reading" seem to do just fine when the same material is presented via the internet. Said opinion is prejudiced by my observation of DH, and confirmed by commenters all over the web., so YMMV.

For those personality types for whom "action" is the preferred mode of being, reading is mostly likely too passive to be considered a legitimate activity. For those whose nervous systems aren't wired for prolonged periods of concentration, reading can be painful and torturous. And, for those who believe they don't need what books have to offer (true for both fiction and nonfiction), reading is a waste of their time.

Since there are various sorts of reluctant readers (those by choice and those not), there is no one solution. In general, though, I'd find reading material geared to their interests, I'd encourage them to advance their gross-motor skills through reading, and I'd find good role models (people they already respect, or ones they would be likely to) who could be a direct or indirect influence. For ann older (10+) child, I'd start having conversations about livelihood, whether that would necessitate a college degree, and talk about the literacy needs of a functional citizen (filling out job applications, reading operating manuals, understanding what issues one votes on, etc.). [ok, maybe that last one is asking a bit much... *wink*]

It's Tuesday... Where am I?

I'm on an Indian Reservation in Nevada in the early '70s, trying to avoid getting shot by a wolf.

I started listening to The Blessing Way yesterday after I'd heard that Tony Hillerman had passed. I have a hard copy of the book (actually, a 3-title volume), but am finding that I can take more time for audiobooks (can listen while I pump, or am nursing my daughter to sleep).

Musing Monday

Todays MUSING MONDAYS post is a question from “Scobberlotch” who asks:

How has the economy impacted your book buying? Do you think it’ll change the reading and book-buying habits of the country? Will it increase your library visits? Will it make you wait for the paperback edition instead of buying the hardcover?

It's been quite a while since I bought a new book for full price, and a few weeks since I gave a friend some money for some books she was purging (to get by until her first paycheck came through). With all the books I have, I really have no business buying more for the household until I do my own giveaway (and that in the dozens, if not hundreds) and clear some shelves. Of course, that excludes gifts for others, and the other exception will be for books relating to our son's developmental delay.

Reading, no; buying, most likely. Those who love books will find ways of making deals for the "keepers," and will borrow or trade for those they won't. My hope for the near and middle future is that I'll be able to catch up on many of my long-due reviews, and I will be getting those books (at least 100, mostly BookCrossing-labeled) out of the house. [Which reminds me: I need to take another bagful with me to the BookFest like I did last year. Will have to check schedule so I can leave them near appropriate sessions. I should check the forums to see if they'll have an official presence again; I left several at their table last year.]

It won't increase my library visits by much. I already go weekly, but I might request more through the interlibrary loan process, and get my name on the reserve lists for new (or missing) books in the series I read.

As to waiting for paperbacks, nope, no more than I already do. By the time I'm ready to read something I don't have in hand, it's already come out in paperback.

Thursday Thirteen #9: 13 Things I Miss Most About My Pre-Motherhood Life

Thirteen Things about Marina



1. Ability to read more books and
2. reviewing them (quantity and quality).
3. Going to book groups.
4. Writing in general ("real" blogging and letters).
5. Online conversations with other book lovers.
6. Trading books with people from all over the U.S.A.
7. Space I had for books and writing.
8. Browsing for hours at the library,
9. and in bookstores.
10. Reading challenging/difficult material (as opposed to fluffy/cozy mysteries--not that they aren't good writing--sometimes I just need different brain cells engaged, yanno?
11. Staying up 'til the wee hours to finish a good book.
12. Being able to read (or write, or type) without anything attached to one of my boobs.
13. The quiet. The blessed, blessed quiet.




Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

1. aliceaudrey shows us 13 OMG pictures
2. after hours offers moms some sage and outrageously funny advice to get through one's day
3. Twisted Cinderella talks about how having a newborn reschedules one's day
4. Anna posts her first T13 and introduces herself
5. Sue answers two memes and posts 13 facts about herself
6. Nicholas lists 5-word titled books
7. Sheri tells us about her "Stupid Injuries"
8. fickleminded didn't post a T13, but invited me to her new photo meme

9. [you're next!]




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! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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.

Fahrenheit 451, March read for Canon Book Group

Due to childcare issues, I wasn't able to attend the discussion for this book; unfortunately this was a meeting I really didn't want to miss because I wanted some feedback regarding readers' rights and how to combat book-hatred.

I believe I read this in high school well over 20+ years ago (long enough to have neither memory of how I felt nor what I thought of it), so this reading wasn't tainted by past opinion. I managed to get a copy of the 50th anniversary edition, which has 2 introductions and a forward; I always enjoy reading an authors' insights to their work, and I wish more authors currently publishing would include them. Reading bits about how Bradbury "fed on books," about being a passionate versus an intellectual writer, about how we don't have to literally burn books as long as we continue to "fill the world with nonreaders, nonlearners, nonknowers,"; well, these thoughts truly make me cling to my books and to my writing all the more happily, if desperately.

Unfortunately, I failed to create a quote-slip as I read this book. Finding my favorite passages would take another re-read, which I can't afford to do right now (aside from owing the library 2 bucks on the lateness of the book). That will have to wait for my own copy to find its way to me.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who likes to think about their reading material (given that there are many books which don't require that sort of effort... not that I'm knocking their entertainment value--I read plenty of that sort myself), to those who are committed to having personal libraries, an to those who compulsively share and foster a love of books to the next generation.