Back Online...Hopefully

Well the home computer is finally fixed. Plus I had a baby in December of 2008, and she just turned one so I am finding more time to get back to my hobbies, mainly reading. So I hope to get the blog updated over the next few weeks and get back into the swing of reading challenges and blogging. - Lena

10 out of 100 out of 1000 Books YMRBYD Challenge

Since as I stated in an earlier post reading all of the books on the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list that has been created by Peter Boxall is a personal goal of mine, when I saw another challenge centered around this specific list I jumped at the chance to join. The rules were a little different from the previous challenge I've joined, but that just means if I complete both challenges I'll be able to check even more books off the 1001 list! WooHoo! Here is my list for the challenge:

1-10. The Sea by John Banville (#6)
11-20. The Lambs of London by Peter Ackroyd (#11)
21-30. Fingersmith by Sarah Waters (#24)
31-40. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides (#33)
41-50. Life of Pi by Yan Martel (#49)
51-60. City of God by E.L. Doctorow (#60)
61-70. The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood (#63)
71-80. Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee (#77)
81-90. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingslover (#86)
91-100. Underworld by Don DeLillo (#96)

The Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

I'm a little late in joining this challenge (it officially began April 1) but since I love reading historical fiction when the mood strikes I figured why not...here is the list of books I'll be attempting:

1. The Spanish Bride by Laurien Gardner
2. The Queen’s Fool by Philippa Gregory
3. The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant
4. The Gilded Chamber by Rebecca Kohn
5. The Constant Princess by Phillippa Gregory
6. Beneath a Marble Sky by John Shors

Southern Reading Challenge

The idea of the challenge is to read books set in the south by southern authors...here is the authors/books I've chosen:

1. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

2. The Same Sweet Girls by Cassandra King

3. Welcome to the World, Baby Girl! By Fannie Flagg

Non-Fiction Five Challenge

This challenge is actually the ONLY challenge I completed in 2007(participating unofficially), so because I was oh so successful at it last year I figured why not join again this (only officially this time). The idea is to read one non-fiction book per month between May 1st and September 30th. So here is my list, I will most likely be starting by reading the Lobster Chronicles in May:

1. $40 A Day by Rachel Ray
2. Pay It Down! By Jean Chatzky
3. The Lobster Chronicles by Linda Greenlaw
4. Home Cooking by Laurie Calwin
5. The Reagan Diaries Edited by Douglas Brinkley

Medical Mystery Madness Challenge

I've never actually read much in the medical mystery sub-genre, but I have about five or six Robin Cook novels so I figured I'd try reading a few of them for this challenge. Here are the ones I chose:

1. Fatal Cure by Robin Cook
2. Acceptable Risk by Robin Cook
3. Brain by Robin Cook

Chick Lit Challenge

I absolutely LOVE Chick Lit....so when Debi, the owner of the Journey to the End of the TBR Pile blog, decided to host this challenge I was overjoyed....here is a list of the books I've decided to read for this challenge:

1. Can You Keep a Secret by Sophie Kinsella

2. Goodbye, jimmy Choo by Annie Sanders

3. Bridget Jones The Edge of Reason by Helen Fielding

I Heard It Through the Grapevine Challenge

The idea behind this challenge is to read books that have been recommended to the challenge participant by someone else. The truth of the matter is most of the books I currently own have been recommended to me by other avid readers so it took a moment to choose just three, but here is my list:

1. Before You Know Kindness by Chris Bohjalian

2. The Tea Rose By Jennifer Donnelly

3. Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos

Anything Agatha Challenge

It took me a while to sort through my books and come up with a list of ten for this challenge, but after much thought and personal debate here are the ones I've chosen to read for this challenge:

1. The Golden Ball and Other Stories

2. A Murder is Announced

3. Endless Night

4. And Then There Were None

5. Elephants Can Remember

6. Black Coffee

7. The Body in the Library

8. Postern of Fate

9. Remembered Death

10. Nemesis

1% Well-Read Challenge

I've been working my way through Peter Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list on my own for awhile now so when I saw an announcement about this challenge on 1morechapter.com I could not wait to join. The rules are simple, just read any 10 books from the list of 1001 between May 1, 2008 and February 28, 2009. Here is the list I am looking forward to tackling:

1. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
2. Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
3. The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells
4. American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
5. The Secret History by Donna Tart
6. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
7. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley *changed from my original list*
8. The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
9. The Hours by Michael Cunningham
10. Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood *changed from my original list*

Consequences

Author: Penelope Lively
Challenge: The 21st Century Fiction Group Read
Date Finished: March 9, 2008
Rating: 3.5/5

Consequences is a story that spans across three generations of women in one English family. The story begins with the meeting of Matt and Lorna on a park bench. They have a whirl wind romance and are quickly married. It was this first couple that I enjoyed reading about the most....later in the story it is fun to see how each of the other two generations connect back to this first couple. The story was like reading an old family history. I did find it enjoyable and the first couple, Matt and Lorna, will probably remain in my memory, but the others seemed to be more than a bit forgettable.

Eye Contact

Author: Cammie McGovern

Challenge: The Winter Reading Challenge

Date Finished: March 1, 2008

Rating: 4/5

"Eye Contact is a thriller of hypnotic suspense and a powerful story of the bond between a mother and a very special child." (back cover)

The story is about an autistic boy who witnesses the murder of a classmate but because of his autism can not communicate what happened. It is part drama, part mystery and even a little suspense. It was intriguing to read because I actually know very little about autism and it was obvious from reading the book that the author has some knowledge of the subject. I did find the mother character to be a bit annoying at times. And the ending was extremely predictable, but all in all it was an enjoyable read.

Firefly Lane

Author: Kristin Hannah
Challenge: The Pub 2008 Challenge
Date Finished: March 25, 2008
Rating: 5/5

"Firefly Lane is for anyone who ever drank Boone's Farm apple wine while listening to Abba or Fleetwood Mac. More than a coming-of-age novel, it's the story of a generation of women who were both blessed and cursed by choices. It's about promises and secrets and betrayals. And ultimately, about the one person who really, truly knows you - and knows what has the power to hurt you...and heal you. Firefly Lane is a story you'll never forget...one you'll want to pass on to your best friend." (from dust jacket)

Kristin Hannah is a favorite of mine so when I heard she had a new novel out I HAD to read it as soon as I could get my grubby little paws on it. It is the story of two girls who meet in their early teen years, and although an unlikely pair to become friends they quickly bond and form what turns out to be a life long friendship. Much of the novel is a bit emotional and even predictable in parts, but I loved the way it was laid out for the readers. The book opens in the "present" time and then goes back to show the girls growing up til the story catches up to where the book began and then continues in the present until the ending.

Overall the book reminded me ALOT of the movie Beaches but it still was written in such a way that even though I felt it was intentionally pulling my heart strings I was willing to let the story do just that. I loved the characters, despite all their flaws...and even though I knew the ending would make me cry (and it did) I couldn't resist cuddling up with the book and a box of tissues.

The Pesthouse

Author: Jim Crace
Challenge: Speculative Fiction Challenge
Date Finished: March 22, 2008
Rating: 5/5

This was my second time reading a Jim Crace novel and I was not disappointed. Earlier this year I read his novel Being Dead and loved it. So I started reading The Pesthouse with high expectations. The story was so unique, it was not only a dystopian picture of the future, but also a love story AND in many ways an action adventure. Many times in the book I was flipping ahead because I couldn't bear to wait and see what would happen next. From the very first chapter I wanted to spend every moment reading this novel! This might even end up being one of my favorite novels of the year. And I defiantly can not wait to read more by this author.

Initials Reading Challenge

Well of course I could not resist joining yet another challenge....now if I could just seem to finish some of the ones I've already joined...making lists of what to read is SOOOOO much fun though. The idea behind the Initials challenge is to read books whose authors use their initials as part of their pen name. Here is my list so far...

1. Death of a Cad by M.C. Beaton
2. Blood on the Bayou by D.J. Donaldson
3. The Sitter by R.L. Stine
4. Out of Sight by T.J. MacGregor
5. Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee

Last Night at the Lobster

Authors: Stewart O'Nan
Challenge: Alphabet Readers (O title)
Date Finished: February 23, 2008
Rating: 4.5/5

"Last Night at the Lobster is a poignant yet redemptive look at what a man does when he discovers that his best might not be good enough." (from the dust jacket)

The entire story is set in a one day time span, the last day of business at a Red Lobster restaurant located in the far corner of a New England Mall. The story centers around the general manager of the restaurant, Manny DeLeon. Traveling from the opening of business to the close, the reader gets to see and hear Manny's thoughts and internal struggles as he comes to terms with what is happening to the place he has worked for so proudly for the past few years and the employees who have arrived to live out that last day of business with him.

From the moment I read a review stating the idea behind the book I HAD to read it. I am a former employee of Red Lobster and wanted to see how true the story rang. To be honest there were a few things that didn't seem to fit, but overall the story was believable...and after all the book wasn't just about the restaurant, but more importantly the people who work for and make up the restaurant. Last Night at the Lobster is defiantly not an action based story, but I feel the author did a wonderful job of showing some of the internal struggles, happiness, and sorrows of an average working man. I loved the book and although the ending left me wondering what would happen next for each character I felt it was an entirely appropriate ending for the story line.

Mister Pip

Authors: Lloyd Jones
Challenge: Just4thehelluvit Challenge
Date Finished: February 20, 2008
Rating: 4/5

"By the time Mr. Watts reached the end of chapter one I felt like I had been spoken to by this boy Pip. This boy who I couldn't see to touch but I knew by ear. I had found a new friend." Page 23

The story begins on an island that has been torn apart by civil war. The only white man left on the island decides that he will attempt to run the school for the island children. He has many different techniques, but the most influential and the center of this story is that he reads to the children from Charles Dickens's classic Great Expectations. Many of the children find a "friend" in that book's main character, Pip. Matilda is one of these children. As the war intensifies the action mounts until finally all is changed.

The story has many subtle heartwarming parts and also many horrifying moments. Overall it is a book that captured my attention and for the majority of the book kept me on the edge of my chair. I did think the story attempted to carry on well past what in my opinion should have been the logical ending. But as a whole it was well worth the time spent reading it.

Another Bloomin' Challenge

I think the name of this challenge says it all....I really shouldn't join another challenge, but I LOVE doing so...and heck I may actually finish a challenge or two this year. For this challenge I decided to participate by reading a bouquet.

BOUQUET: Fill a vase with the bounty of the season. For this challenge level read four or more books each with a different flower in the title.

1. Wild Orchids by Jude Deveraux
2. The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig
3. Tending Roses by Lisa Wingate
4. Peony in Love by Lisa See

Spring Reading Thing 2008 Challenge

Well I've decided one more challenge....what could it hurt, right. And some of the books I didn't get read on my winter challenge list will naturally become part of this list. Plus I've decided to start reading some of those first time home buyer type books since we're on the hunt for our first home and hope to be buying later this year. Anywho...here is my list for this challenge:

1. Homecoming by Cynthia Voight

2. Julie and Jilia by Julie Powell

3. The Horse Whisperer by Nicholas Evans

4. Rembrandt's Ghost by Paul Christopher

5. Don't Try This at Home Eidted by Kimberly Witherspoon and Andrew Friedman

6. 100 Questions Every First-Time Home Buyer Should Ask by Ilyce R. Glink

Spring Reading Challenge 2008

I've decided to join in the Spring Reading Challenge being hosted on the Rock Creek Rumblings blog. I'm not creating a really long list because for some reason I've been reading alot less so far this year and don't want to feel overwhelmed, but these six books are ones I've been really wanting to get read. So for now here is my list:

1. The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse (Rankin)
2. Island of the Sequined Love Nun (Moore)
3. The Memory Keeper's Daughter (Edwards)
4. The Atonement Child (Rivers)
5. A Wile Ride up the Cupboards (Bauer)
6. Letters Home by Sylvia Plath (Plath)