Daily Posting--Harder Than I Thought

Hello All!

My hat's off to all of you who write daily blog posts! This is a little bit harder than I anticipated. I have a list somewhere of books I wanted to post about, but can I find it? Noooooo.

Today is just an update on what I'm reading. In my bag for work, I'm carrying The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connolly, which is a good book, and much different than I expected. At home, on the end table is a reread, Friends in High Places by Donna Leon; last night I just needed to hang out with Guido Brunetti and his family in Venice. And my current bedtime book is 44 Scotland Street by Alexander McCall Smith, which continues to be a bit aimless, but I think the story's threads are about to start coming together. And waiting on the end table, I have a Georgette Heyer Regency historical novel, The Black Moth. This was her first Regency, and I've decided I'd like to read them all in order (no, not a challenge, just enjoy reading her books, and I'd like to read them all).

I lead a life surrounded by books; what could be better?

Happy Reading!
Patti

When Nothing Hooks You

Hello All,

After a one day break, during which I finished rereading Little Brother by Cory Doctorow, I'm back to blogging. Now I find myself with 2 books started, The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly, which is pretty good, and 44 Scotland Street by Alexander McCall Smith, which is so far, rather aimless. But what do you do when life in general keeps you from focusing on a book? I'm not rushing to get back to either one of these, and I'm having the sort of day where starting something else doesn't appeal to me. Interesting, and sort of scary, for the reader that I am. I know that tomorrow is a full day, so I may just ride out the rest of the evening and tomorrow, and not think about it. Tuesday will have to be soon enough to decide whether to stick with the 2 I've got going, or look around for something else.

Little Brother was excellent--I can't recommend it enough!!! Here's the link to my Goodreads review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/38494461

Yes, I know that life could be much worse than being undecided about what to read! And it's also good to be busy with work and other things, and add reading into the mix.

Happy Reading!
Patti

Shelf Discovery Challenge

Hello All!

I am happily posting daily about books, which helps make my day. I have lots of friends and acquaintances who are participating in National Novel Writing Month, and they all seem to be enjoying the writing process also.

I have not finished reading Shelf Discovery, but by skimming through the book, and looking at the table of contents, I think I know which 6 books I want to read between now and April 30th for this challenge:

I Am the Cheese by Robert Cormier
The Pigman by Paul Zindel (this will be a reread, but I want to see how it holds up)
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell (a reread also, and one that Ken just reread--it'll be fun to talk about)
The Witch of Blackbird Pond (reread)
Stranger with My Face by Lois Duncan
and one title yet to be determined.

There are a whole slew I'd love to reread, especially the Austin series by Madeleine L'Engle, All-of-a-Kind Family, From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, but I thought I should investigate some of what others found important in their growing-up years.

And the above titles are subject to change :).

Happy Reading!
Patti

For more about the Shelf Discovery Challenge, go to:
http://bookingmama.blogspot.com/2009/10/announcing-shelf-discovery-challenge.html

A Short Post to Keep Up the Pace

Hello All!

After putting that long list together yesterday, posting it late, and a long day at work today, I don't have too much :).

I am rereading a book for my teen book group that meets on Monday, Little Brother by Cory Doctorow. This is an excellent, smart book, and I'm enjoying rereading it. I hope that get a few teens to show up next week, as I'd love to talk with them about it.

Happy Reading!
Patti

Books for Countdown Challenge

Hello All!

Whew! I think I've got most of a list for the Countdown Challenge. I used my TBR list from my Goodreads account, another TBR list I have that's written, and some award lists I checked out online. It was pretty fun for me, and all the books listed are books I have not read before.

2001
1. Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher (teen)

2002
1. Death Assemblege by Susan Cummings Miller (mystery)
2. Feed by M. T. Anderson (teen)

2003
1. The Usual Rules by Joyce Maynard (teen)
2. Faking It by Jennifer Crusie (screwball romance)
3. Something from the Nightside by Simon R. Green (fantasy)
(2003 alternate: Inkheart by Cornelia Funke [children's])

2004
1. Bucking the Sarge by Christopher Paul Curtis (teen)
2. Airborn by Kenneth Oppel (teen)
3. How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff (teen)
4. Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie (screwball romance)

2005
1. Code Talker by Joseph Bruchac (teen)
2. Highest Tide by Jim Lynch (teen)
3. I am the Messenger by Mark Zusak (teen)
4. Old Man's War by John Scalzi (science fiction)
5. The Body in the Snowdrift by Katherine Hall Page (mystery)

2006
1. The Green Glass Sea by Ellen Klages (children's/teen)
2. Just Listen by Sarah Dessen (teen)
3. An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
4. Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
5. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (nonfiction)
6. Dark End of Town by Julia Pomeroy (mystery)

2007
1. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare (teen)
2. McCafferty's Nine by Elizabeth Gunn (mystery)
3. Stealing the Dragon by Tim Maleeny (mystery)
4. Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Mariller (teen, fantasy)
5. Territory by Emma Bull (fantasy)
6. Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen (mystery)
7. Interred with Their Bones by Jennifer Lee Carrell (mystery/thriller)

2008
1. Bean There, Done That by Sandra Balzo (mystery)
2. Face of a Killer by Robin Burcell (mystery)
3. Hell Hole by Chris Grabenstein (mystery)
4. How to Build a House by Dana Reinhardt (teen)
5. Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery (fiction)
6. What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell (teen)
7. Mexican White Boy by Matt de la Pena (teen)
8. Bog Child by Siobhan Dowd (children's/teen)
(2008 alternate: A Grave in Gaza by Matt Rees [fiction])

2009
1. A Night at the Operation by Jeffery Cohen (mystery)
2. Big Dirt Nap by Rosemary Harris (mystery)
3. The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe (fiction)
4. The Silent Hour by Michael Koryta (mystery)
5. The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (fiction)
6. Prayers for Sale by Sandra Dallas (fiction)
7. Fade by Lisa McMann (teen)
8. Bones of Faerie by Janni Lee Simner (teen)
9. The Leisure Seeker by Michael Zadoorian (fiction)
(2009 alternates: The Thirteenth Child by Patricia Wrede [teen])
2010
1. First Rule by Robert Crais (mystery)
2. Blackout by Connie Willis (fantasy?)
3. Death Without Tenure by Joanne Dobson (mystery)
4. False Mermaid by Erin Hart (mystery)
5. A Night Too Dark by Dana Stabenow (mystery)
6. The Teaberry Strangler by Laura Childs (mystery)
7. Gone by Lisa McMann (teen)
8. So Cold the River by Michael Koryta

This is giving me a chance to read so many books I've been meaning to get to, especially the teen books, and I'm also getting to catch up on the books I own!

Happy Reading!
Patti

Twitter & Blog Challenges

Hello All!

I have been on Twitter for about 5 months now, and have found a whole bunch of book bloggers to follow! It's a lot of fun, seeing and hearing about what others are reading and blogging about, and for me, easier than following blogs via RSS.

Several of these bloggers, and I assume many others, make up or follow reading challenges. These are lists of books to read in a particular genre, by a certain author, or just a number of books to read by a certain date. There are two cool ones in particular I'm planning on participating in:

Lost in Books blogger Rebecca (http://imlostinbooks.blogspot.com/2009/09/4-3-2-1countdown-challenge.html ) is participating in a countdown challenge, and this one may only sound like fun to me, but I think I can come up with a good list for this:

"What is the Countdown Challenge? The goal of this challenge is to read the number of books first published in a given year that corresponds to the last digit of each year in the 2000s — 10 books from 2010, 9 books from 2009, 8 books from 2008, etc. The total number of books required, therefore, is 55.

This challenge lasts from 9/9/09 through 10/10/10.

Crossovers with other challenges are allowed and your lists may change at any time.So that is a total of 55 books that can be overlapped with other challenges. Plus, as long as the book is published in the year you put it for, it can be fiction, nonfiction, biography, mystery, literary fiction, romance, whatever."

Making the list may be the most fun part...

The other challenge I'm looking forward to I read about on http://www.bookclubgirl.com/, and it seems as if Booking Mama conceived this one. It's the Shelf Discovery challenge, based on the book by the same name, which I happened to receive as an advance reading copy last year. The full title of the book is Shelf Discovery: Teen Classics We Never Stopped Reading by Lizzy Skurnick, and it's lists and commentary on classic teen books girls loved to read. I loved this book the minute I got it, and it's going to be such fun to make a list from this book too. The lists probably won't cross over, as the dates won't work, but it'll take me back to my teen years. I'm going to try not to reread favorites, but that may be hard to resist!

"SHELF DISCOVERY is a "reading memoir" which features over 70 MG and YA classics with Ms. Skurnick's unique impressions. There are also essays about these classics written by current women writers including Meg Cabot, Laura Lippman, Cecily von Ziegesar, and Jennifer Weiner. Details: The Shelf Discovery Challenge will run for six months (November 1, 2009 - April 30, 2010). To join me in this challenge, all you need to do is grab a copy of SHELF DISCOVERY and pick out what six books you want to read (of course, you can read more than six!) Then, after you read a book, just write a "book report" to share your thoughts with others!" More info about the challenge is at http://bookingmama.blogspot.com/2009/10/announcing-shelf-discovery-challenge.html

I'm excited about making the lists, and participating in the book/reading blogosphere more than I have in the past. Anyone want to join me?

Happy Reading!
Patti
On Twitter, I'm @bkwmn1992

Reader's Dilemma

Hello All!

This reader's dilemma is what to read next. I have been going through a stressful and busy time the last two months, and have done quite a bit of rereading. But I just unpacked my books purchased and/or signed at Bouchercon, and made a pile of the books I want to read next, or soon, or...well, you get the picture. Those are the mysteries.

Then there are the young adult or teen novels that sound great, or are well-reviewed; these are part of my job to read. I don't mean that in a "homework" kind of way, but in a great way--more good books to read! And again, what to read next? In this case, the choice was made for me; I have How to Build a House by Dana Reinhardt checked out, and it has holds on it, so that's the next one there.

Nonfiction--I started Grand Canyon Women: Lives Shaped by Landscape by Betty Leavengood, but haven't gotten far yet. I also have Paula Deen's It Ain't All About the Cookin' and Charles and Emma: the Darwins' Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman checked out--they'll probably both have to be renewed.

And there are the books that I've already chosen and am reading now: Seventy-Seven Clocks by Christopher Fowler (mystery), and The Odd Job by Charlotte Macleod (mystery & reread); just FYI.

I may have mentioned this before, and I may mention it again--how can people say they're bored when there are so many choices out there of books to read!?!?

Happy Reading!
Patti